What It All Comes Down To

[doubled_speed]

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, OTA
WHERE: Around Temba
WHAT: Coming Down From It All (Post House of Billy)
WHEN: The first week post event [Forward Dated]
WARNINGS: CW: Referenced sexual encounter in thread with Kyle, Referenced child abuse in thread with Kyle.


A. Keeping The Diners Supplied The Diner
"Delivery of fresh produce."

Tommy's tired. Perhaps that's why he's coming in later than normal with supplies for this meal shift. Perhaps that's why he looks frazzled and his hair is limp and he's not racing in with all speed. Clearly it's not the heavy crate loaded down with all sorts of foods from the green house, because that's never slowed him down before. But sleep after something like what they'd gone through was... Well, unlikely.

"The cyanana harvest is starting, so I'm thinking about trying to figure out how to make some sorta pudding out of it. That's a thing, right? Banana pudding or something."

He'd been enough out of it on entering that he didn't even know who it was he was talking to. Like hell he'd thought about how the kitchen help rotation was working now. Nor did he care. He was too tired from all his dreams to care.


B. Healing Power of Horticulture The Greenhouse
If there was one place that Tommy often found peace, it was the greenhouse. Today Tommy was trying his best to work there without getting too complicated with other people. For this he'd done the best thing he could do: working the mint wing. The advantage that came that the specific wing was sealed off from the rest of the greenhouse to keep it from spreading too much. Tommy moved slowly through it with a woven rush basket, humming quietly under his breath some German pop music he remembered from back home. While he moved he clipped little sprigs of mint to pass on to Glownies as a treat.

The advantage of the sealed area was that when the doors opened, Tommy knew someone was there. He could hear it. He turned to look at the door and frowned.

"Can I help you? I thought I was soloing the mint today."


C. The Solitary Island Closed to Aeon
It took a while for him to find her, but Tommy had wanted to have an excuse to get away, but he didn't want to be put into a position where his stupid brain could interrupt him. There had been someone interested after all, and so he'd raced through the city until he found her.

"Aeon," he said, offering a hand up for a high five. "You doing anything? Because if not, island time."


D. Wild Card
[Feel free to hit me up on Discord or Plurk to discuss places Tommy could get cornered. Or just have someone come to his actual home. Other options are to find him lazing by the fountain, on top of a tall building, or hiding out with the glownies which he normally does not visit.]

Comments

[doubled_speed]

Totally cool and not thinking about how close Kyle is and how nice he kisses and how nice it had been to fall asleep in his arms before.

"Good. I need a cool best friend. Everyone here is fucking lame. Up to and including my brother."

[kyley_b]

Kyle tips his head back and cackles. "Oh my god, you're such a shithead. Billy's fine! He's nice and stuff. And I dunno, Kaz is fine, and Ezra's like a sweet little puppy dog or something."

[doubled_speed]

Tommy bites back a 'if I'm a shit head what does that say about your taste?'

"I don't know Kaz well. And Ezra..."

He didn't much like Ezra. Not yet. The guy had ruffled his feathers badly twice now.

"Nope. As knower of all things cool I declare you second coolest person here now that Raph is gone."

[kyley_b]

"Aw, man, he's gone? Shit. It's weirdly hard to keep track of people. I liked him."

He falls quiet, still just sitting there close beside Tommy. Who is a friend now. Which he supposes is more than they were before. Before-before. Not The City before.

[doubled_speed]

"Me too. I looked up to him as a kid when there was a show about him and his brothers on television."

Raph had enjoyed having a fan Tommy thought.

"When you're done, I can take you wherever you need to go. I'll always have your back, Kyle."

[kyley_b]

"Nah, I can walk back," he says. He actually has no idea how far of a walk it is. "You should go check on your brother."

He smiles. "I'm okay. Might just hang out a while, clear my head."

[doubled_speed]

"I'll leave marks on the cave wall to mark the way out," Tommy answered. "And when you get to the shore, the map will help. Just don't get near the blue lobster things. If you need help, message me."

He considered for a moment then kissed Kyle's cheek.

"I've gotta go check in on him."

And probably sleep.

[kyley_b]

"Thanks."

Fuck. He tries not to lean in to that brief contact. "Yeah, you do. I'll check in with you guys later."

[doubled_speed]

Tommy didn't know what else to say. So he just moved. Sure, he kicked up waves in the water with how quickly he had moved to get out and put clothes on. But there it was. There was a lingering flash of light through the air trailing after him, but nothing more was left behind.

[kyley_b]

Alone, Kyle sat in the hot springs. When he'd first landed on Agra 10, he'd felt very alone, but this is so much worse. He sit, and refuses to cry, and eventually he gets dressed and walks home.

The hurt will fade. He knows this from experience. He just really wishes it took less time.