Falling for Grayson : birdflash

Ch30: In Blue

Over halfway through the hike and I was ready to drop dead.

The mountain was unrelentingly steep with dry soil, making it easy to slip — and trust me, it was very easy to slip. I stumbled maybe ten times, tripped maybe five times, and definitely ate dirt twice. The air was getting cold; it also didn't help that the wind found its way my hoody...

"I still don't see why hiking up in the mountains required me wearing my blue hoody. I had newer and warmer clothes to wear."

"Oh— right... yeah, I just like your blue hoody."

"Why?"

"You look good in blue," he said without hesitating.

I could feel my face turn red. "Oh... I — ummm..."

"—and uhh 'cause you thought you needed a tux — your old hoody was the complete opposite!"

Dick glanced at me as if trying to see if I believed him. I opened my mouth to reply but didn't know what to say. He looked away.

"Oh," I finally said, unconvincingly. I didn't mean to sound so abrupt, but I didn't know how to respond. The tux thing obviously wasn't true, he was just giving me a compliment and I couldn't have just said thanks like a normal person.

Dick took a few subtle steps forward as if trying to avoid any eye contact we might have if he were to stay by my side. I followed him up the trail, listening to the crunching of dry leaves and twigs under our feet, feeling cold and awkward and unsure of what to say.

I was left wondering why his compliment was not followed with a joke or something sarcastic. His words, they were just... sincere. I mean it's normal to compliment a friend right? It wasn't even that big of a compliment. You look good in blue. Why did his words make me stumble? It was almost as if we were—

"Did I say something wrong?" Dick asked, his voice worried, perhaps hurt.

"No! Sorry... I — I liked what you said. I mean, it was a nice thing to say."

Dick remained quiet. He only kept walking forward, focused on the path ahead. I jogged up beside him. "I just didn't know what to say back. Usually you'd make a joke after saying something nice... I did like what you said, and I sort of made it awkward... sorry."

Dick stopped and turned toward me. He looked at me for a moment, his lips slightly parted. The placid look on his face was difficult to read, but even beyond any words he might say, I wanted to know more, to know what he was feeling.

"I know I joke around a lot, Wal... but sometimes... sometimes I just wanna say what I'm thinking without trying to make a joke. And I thought... well, I thought you do look good in blue."

He looked down, then turned. He began walking up the mountain. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to reply or not.

"Thanks Dick, really."

Though he was a step ahead, I could see a subtle smile on his face.

"We're almost there," he said softly, "First thing we'll do is make a fire and get you warm."

I was beginning to feel hungry, and I figured now would be a good time to annoy Dick and lift the mood. "In the mean time," I said, tugging at his backpack, making him stumble back, "do you have any snacks?"

Dick whipped around, tearing my hands from his backpack. "Get your paws off my bag, you little scavenger!"

"But I'm hungryyy."

"You're always hungry and looking for food. You're like a raccoon, a trash panda."

"I think trash pandas are cute with their little paws... feed this trash panda?"

"Look. We're almost there. And just think how much better it'll taste when we finally get there," he said, trying to rationalize rationing food, which, to me, was always irrational.

"But I know they'll taste amazing now too..."

Dick stared daggers at me. "Fine. I'll give you one marshmallow."

"How about five?"

"One."

"Three?"

"One."

"Fine... two?"

"One."

"I hate you."

"Zero."

"Okay! I take it back!"

Dick smiled a mischievous smile and dropped his bag to fish out one measly (but still very much appreciated) marshmallow. He handed me the morsel of food.

"This is discriminatory, ya know?"

"How?" Dick asked, unamused.

"I burn way more calories than you and therefore need more food."

"Yeah... after running at lightening speed! You've done shit all today you lazy speedster."

"It's the principle of the matter."

"Uhuh, whatever you say, Wal..."

"Okay, but what if there's a bear and I need to speed us away? I have no energy for that."

"There are no bears on this mountain."

"Wolves?"

"Nadda."

"Cougars?"

"Zilch."

"Okay, but what if there's a ravenous blue jay? Hmmm? Then what?"

Dick rolled his eyes. He tossed a second marshmallow at me. I caught the marshmallow with as much care as catching a baby, if not more.

"Will this make you shut up for the last part of the hike?"

I held the marshmallow up to my eye, inspecting it like a precious gemstone. I then stuffed said gemstone in my cheek and grinned.

"I can't tell if you're more raccoon or chipmunk," Dick said.

"Actually, I'm a genetically engineered raccoon-chipmunk hybrid — a rackchip."

"If anyone was gonna be a grotesque raccoon-chipmunk hybrid, it would be you, Wal."

"Awww that's so sweet of you."

I took a step toward Dick and gave him a bear hug off the ground.

"Let go of me!"

"Being a rackchip gives me super strength," I said, squeezing tighter around his waist.

"Don't make me exterminate the rackchip!"

I dropped Dick onto the ground. He stumbled back before getting his footing. He tried looking annoyed, but when he stared and attempted to grimace at my amused face he could help but grin. He quickly looked away, trying to hide his smile.

Dick had many kinds of smiles but there's something about this smile, the one after trying to be serious I liked most. Perhaps it was the way his eyes would look down then back at me, or the way his lips widened then curled up, failing to conceal his joy. Maybe it was knowing I had done something that was equally annoying and amusing to Dick. Whatever it was, I knew it made me feel closer to him.

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Author:

Wally can't take compliments, especially from his best friend. I wonder why...