Re: Comic Book Heroes: Alex/Holly/Billy
To begin with, there were a few things that needed acknowledging: 1) Holly didn't read a lot of comics. It had never been his medium, and he was more about movies and music than, you know, words, but he'd read some along the way, and he liked them. So, this seemed like a good time to give the old ones he remembered a re-read. But the comic book store wasn't any kinda religious experience for Holly. Mostly? He wanted to see how this Alex differed from the one he knew back home, because, well, he was a glutton for punishment that way. 2) He wasn't expecting Billy to be there. Now, Holly? Holly knew Billy from the music store. Gramps had asked him to give Billy a job, and it seemed convenient for Noah to re-extend the offer when the military came calling. So, Billy worked at Webster's, but Holly's interaction with him had been limited to a grumbled greeting as he exhaustedly dragged his ass up the outside stairs Monday-thru-Wednesday. Mostly? He was jealous of Billy's entire existence and all his interactions with Noah. 3) He knew Billy from back home. The guy was a year younger, a year behind him in school, and he'd managed to somehow not get his face busted in as regularly as Holly, who, thank you very much, passed much more effectively. 4) Lastly, Holly? Looked completely ordinary as he walked into the comic book store.
He'd worked, and he'd showered and changed at the base. And he'd gotten a lift to Main, and from there he had to pass the comic book store in order to get to his room above the music store. So, the timing? Convenient.
He, Holly, was tired. Man, he was so fucking tired. This endurance training thing, day in, day out, was really wearing him out. He was hungry, but like too exhausted to eat anything, and all he wanted to do was fall on his bed and sleep. Of course, there were shows to do, online orders to fill, and general shit that needed to be done. All of the daily annoyances prevented him from, you know, dragging Noah beneath the blankets and using the guy as a pillow.
So, here he was, shitty timing and all. At least he managed not to groan when he saw Billy, which he considered an accomplishment. He hoisted his backpack higher on his shoulder, dog tags swinging as he approached the counter and the familiar face there. Look, it was good to see a same-gender-as-expected face these days, okay? And it was totally not a given that anything he remembered about people would still be true. Tired, how he was, he was willing to take same-gender, same-face as a win. "Hey... Alex, right?" And then he raised a hand to Billy. Like, hey, small world, and whatnot.