Of the Earth

5

Despite the near-death experiences of the early morning, mid morning brought warmth, sunlight, and happiness.

They were both shaking for at least an hour after the river crossing, trying and failing to act normal. Even Clifford was out of it, not his usual adventurous self. But then the sun came and lifted their spirits, and Louis began laughing wildly. Harry laughed too, as if it was contagious. The whole situation was just ridiculous.

"We almost died. Multiple times."

For some reason it was just so funny, peels of laughter spilling out of them like champagne bubbling from the bottle.

"That was fucking insane."

"Truly," Harry agreed, tucking Louis closer to his side as they hiked languidly. His ankle was a lot worse after slipping multiple times in the river, which impeded their hiking progress. They had also discovered it was better and more stabilizing when Harry wrapped his arm around Louis' shoulder, rather than just letting him cling onto his arm. Louis had his arm around Harry's waist, fingers clinging to his hip, and it made Harry's skin tingle.

The first two miles were slow-moving through the forest, wet from the entire night of rain. The mud was treacherous and difficult and at one point Harry had to pick Louis up and carry him over it because there was no better option. Louis had protested vehemently, but Harry wouldn't take no for an answer. He lifted him up with hands clutching beneath his shoulders and maneuvered him to the drier section of the trail.

They took many breaks, pausing to admire the scenery and catch their breaths. It was easy to fall into a rhythm, and soon they were making great progress. By the third mile, they were back out in the open on another mountaintop meadow.

It was incredible how much closer they felt after experiencing a traumatic adventure together. It was easy and comfortable being around Louis but made even easier and more comfortable with the way they know felt a deeper trust in each other, already having proven they would save each other's life if the need arose.

They found the highest point of the trail in their sights and sat down on their raincoats to protect avoid getting wet as they sat on the verdant green Allegheny flyback grass. They were both quiet but not exactly caught up in their own heads-there was a shared solidarity between them now, a deeper understanding of one another that made them feel interconnected.

While Louis made their lunch again and slathered peanut butter onto wasa, Harry observed the wind-burned rosiness of his cheeks and the red tint to his hair in the sunlight. The breeze was a constant hum, the persistence of the fresh air filling their lungs with something revitalizing. The liberty of sitting atop a mountain, seeing the world spread out all around, encompassed them.

"For you."

The sandwich was placed in his hands and Harry grinned gratefully. In that moment, his self control waned, and for an instant he considered leaning forward and searing their lips in a kiss.

Not a good idea. Really not a good idea at all. He filled his mouth with stale wasa instead, allowing the peanut butter to stick to the roof of his mouth, saving him from acting on impulse.

Despite the events of the morning and Harry's desire to kiss the man in front of him, there wasn't any palpable tension between them. They felt comfortable together, a sort of peace settling over them as the sun warmed and tanned their skin and the wind brought with it the impossible possibility of weightlessness, if only an internal kind.

The meadows continued through the rest of their day of hiking, six miles total of high plateau land, exploring the windiest region east of the Mississippi.

They saw bushes of berries, thickets of mountain laurels, and clusters of handfuls of other flowers, most of which Harry could identify. He pointed them out to Louis and Louis hummed thoughtfully in recognition, sharing his own nature knowledge when he could.