Just Do It (TannerBraungardtxDylanMitchell)

4: I Want A Rematch

"Oh my god. This is really happening."

The Braungardts and Dylan sat in the middle of the Wichita national airport, awaiting their flight in uncomfortable chairs. Tanner wheeled circles around them in a pair of black heelies, crashing into their suitcases once or twice.

"Dude, we are going to have so much fun."

They were so hyped for this trip. No one could yet believe Dylan's mom allowed him to go. That in itself was kind of a miracle. They were going to make the most of it.

Dylan grew nervous as they lined up to board the plane. It was his first time flying. He was terrified as hell. Everyone assured him it isn't that scary, but as he looked out the airport windows to the jet then to the cloudy sky, he was sure of the opposite.

He awkwardly shuffled down the narrow aisle behind Tanner, internally screaming in embarrassment each time he banged his suitcase on a seat. Finally, they lifted their luggage into the overhead compartment, and took their seats. Tanner sat in the middle, and Dylan resided in the window seat.

"Holy shit." He mumbled.

"Don't freak out on me. It's really not that bad."

Tanner kept him distracted with music and Youtube videos until the engines roared and the pilot announced they were ready for takeoff. Dylan ducked his head to look out the tiny window as they sped down the runway. He grabbed Tanner's hand, and held it tight the second they left the ground. Takeoff was loud and rough. He held his breath.

"Hey, breathe. You're going to pass out."

Dylan relaxed as Tanner's soft voice soothed him and the plane levelled out. He couldn't grasp how utterly small Kansas appeared thirty-thousand feet above it.

"You good now?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. The ground looks so weird."

Tanner lay his head on Dylan's shoulder, looking at the brown fields below. "Kansas is ugly."

Once the adrenaline wore off, they grew bored. With one ear bud each, they watched Bruce Almighty on the little TV on the back of the seat in front of them. Tristan and Taylor slept. Kim filled out tons of paperwork.

Halfway through the movie, Tanner started to drift off, slumped over against Dylan. The brunette was uncomfortable- being tall meant he had absolutely no leg room. He couldn't even hunch over to ease the pressure in his back. His fingers were going numb from being laced with his best friend's. He ignored it the best he could, not wanting to wake up Tanner.

The next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake. He looked around, only to see they had landed. His joints were stiff and achy, and he felt fatigued. Tanner looked like he felt, with messy hair and heavy eyes.

Finally they were on the ground and unloading. The whole family was jet lagged, even though California was only two hours behind home. The five of them trudged through the swamped LAX, then through the huge maze of a parking lot to search for their rental vehicle. They eventually found it: a charcoal gray minivan decked out with WiFi, and built in IPads.

Their next mission was to find their hotel, located in a suburb outside of L.A. Dylan was awestruck. Los Angeles was mind blowing, and busy, and bright. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was the polar opposite of Kansas. It felt like they were on a whole different planet.

Bright neon signs advertising musicals and strip clubs lined the streets. The buildings scraped the sky and housed every business and restaurant imaginable. People of every ethnicity, hair color, and costume crowded the sidewalk, moving about in a smooth, seamless fashion. Lit up with gold fairy lights were tall palm trees every twenty or so feet down the sidewalks. The gray-blue sky was glowing orange.

Dylan was so amazed.

"Tanner, this is...wow."

"Beautiful, isn't it? I think I could live here."

Traffic was unbelievably crazy though. Dylan understood what a traffic jam was now. He knew what people meant when they said Californians were terrible drivers. For miles ahead, they could only see red taillights.

"I couldn't. Look at all these cars."

Tanner chuckled fondly at his friend's wonderment. It was adorable. He couldn't remember the last time he saw him smile so genuinely. It was a sight that caused his heart to skip a beat. He scooted across the back seat and bumped Dylan's shoulder with his.

"I can't believe you're actually here with me."

Dylan looked to him with a softening smile, replying, "Me, too."

His tone was earnest in a way that made Tanner feel warm in the cheeks, then hot all over. Blinking rapidly, he broke eye contact and moved back to his side of the seat. Dylan didn't seem to notice, which Tanner was grateful for.

The drive was long and uneventful. The family was worn out by the time they got to the hotel and collapsed on their beds. Their room was actually two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a small living room. It was unnecessarily huge. Dylan and Tanner threw their luggage aside and barely made it to their bed before passing out.

Waking up was harder this time. Everyone felt like sleeping through the evening into the night. But they were starving, and had to show Dylan the Santa Monica pier.

Subway was always a go-to restaurant whenever they were in California. It never failed to make them feel a little less dead, until, at least, the fourth or fifth visit. This first time, it tasted like heaven to the hungry, tired family.

The glittering expanse of the ocean was illuminated by the last bit of sunset and the pure white moon. Dylan was amazed once again. He and Tanner went off on their own, wandering down the crowded pier aimlessly. The warm summer air smelled of fresh kettle corn, cotton candy and the ocean. There was even a ferris wheel. It felt like they were at a county fair. They loved it.

"Dude, this place is awesome."

Tanner smiled brightly. He was so happy to be in one of his favorite places in the world with one of his favorite people in the world. He was so fortunate.

They ended up in the arcade, playing head-to-head guitar hero. Tanner was somewhat of a master at the video game. He played half the first song without even looking at the screen and still scored higher than Dylan.

"Fuck. I want a rematch."

Tanner shoved two more quarters into the machine, and took a mental note to go easy on Dylan. After laughing and swearing their way through a few more close rounds, they made their way to skiball, then basketball. They bought Dr. Peppers and a bag of popcorn to share, then found their way to the beach.

A chilly breeze whipped through their clothes as they walked along the cool, wet sand. Tanner rambled on about something Dylan didn't know. He just liked listening to him talk. He could listen to him talk about anything.

"Bro, come on."

Tanner grabbed his hand and dragged him faster down the beach. The sounds and smells of the pier faded. Replacing them were softly crashing waves, and the ripe stench of seaweed. Dylan was absolutely in love with it.

"Thanks for getting me out of the house, and... Away from everything. I love you."

They sat on a semi dry spot, close enough their knees bumped together. They watched the tide roll back and forth, revealing in the rare moment of tranquillity. The only other noise besides the ocean was the crunch of them snacking on the popcorn.

"I love you, too."

Tanner bit his lip, and looked away from Dylan, who suddenly looked beautiful.