fly | madderton

THREE

There really wasn't a lot to do in Richard's new village. He wasn't exaggerating when he said his only neighbours were sheep and horses, and he certainly wasn't exaggerating about the number of them. The first night had passed, with Richard and Taron sharing the double bed in Richard's room. Taron was a little worried that Richard would no longer feel comfortable with it, but to Richard there was no question. He didn't have a spare bed, and it seemed ridiculous for someone to sleep on the floor when he had space in his own bed.

That morning, they'd both gotten dressed again and headed back out of the house, ready for yet another walk. This time they turned right out of the house, rather than left, and wandered down the road for a while before crossing over onto the grass verge the other side. Taron noticed a hole in the hedge just where they were crossing, but there was a ditch between them and the hedge.

"Come on, you've got to go fast," Richard said, turning to flash Taron a grin before hurrying down the bank, and up the other side. Luckily, the warm summer had rendered it dry. "Come on, it's easy. You can do it, T."

Taron was a little uncertain that he'd be able to get up the steep bank the other side without making a fool of himself, but felt that that was inevitable if he didn't even try. So, he ran down the ditch and powered up the other side, just about making it to the top of the bank. Richard laughed it off, wasting no time in turning and walking on, straight through the stubble. Taron had to do a little jog to catch up, but soon took his place beside Richard and fell in step.

"So, there really isn't much to do around here, huh? I thought we had it bad at home, but at least we have other people."

Richard laughed, looking across the field. "There are other people around here. The guy who owns this land seems to be always hanging around. Gets arsey when I walk over it, but it's not like I do it when it's growing. He's just a prick, really." Taron laughed, following Richard's eyes across the field. It was enormous, stretching all the way up the hill and disappearing into the horizon. "He once came over and yelled at me for walking along the edge. It's literally a footpath!"

"It's that bad?"

"Honestly, I quite enjoy it." Richard turned back to his friend, grinning, "Only time I speak to someone who isn't my parents nowadays. Might set up camp here so he's got more reason to talk to me."

Both boys laughed at that, continuing along their path to the other edge of the field. The field was lined with a small woodland, and the boys were soon the other side of it, in a dusty clearing with a river steadily flowing by. This was where Richard stopped, taking a seat on one of the few rock ledges near the bank of the river.

"This is the only nice part about this place," Taron said, smiling as he came to sit down beside Richard, "Why do you even live here?"

"I don't have a choice, do I? My parents decided to move up here."

"You're eighteen, Rich. You can do what you want. You could move back to Wales where you know everyone, or to some big city where you've got a million and one opportunities. Why would you want to stay here? It's gorgeous, but what is there to do?"

"It isn't that easy, T. My family-"

"That's bullshit." Taron turned to face Richard, who was rummaging through the pebbles and making a pile of flat, smooth stones. Richard didn't look up, just kept sorting the stones. "You don't need to live with your family forever, Rich. You need to spread your wings. Spread your wings and fly away, hey?" Richard looked up with a small smile, shrugging his shoulders and looking back down to his piles of rocks. "Are you still acting?"

Richard picked up one of the stones, turning it in his hand to examine it whilst he mulled over his answer. "No. No, uh, my parents made me quit. Said it was a waste of time and money, and that it's-" He paused to skim his stone across the surface of the water, "They think it's gay."

Taron opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated as he tried to rationalise what he'd just heard. The stone skipped three times before disappearing beneath the surface. "You don't... You don't think like that though, do you?"

"No, no... But I don't- It's not like it's something I can do, is it?" Richard picked another of his stones up, moving position slightly to get a better angle. This stone went further with the last, and Taron kept his eyes on it even after it had sunk below the waves.

"Well... I'm moving to London at the end of summer. I'm off to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Why don't you apply?" Taron picked up his own stone, turning it over in the palm of his hand. "Or, you could just move there and live with me. Find something more exciting to do than count sheep all day and get yelled at for trespassing." He threw the stone into the water, a disappointed whine leaving his lips as it just plopped straight under the surface. Richard laughed quietly, gently nudging Taron's leg with his own.

"You're shit at that, by the way. And, I'll think about it." He moved his hand to rest on Taron's, looking down at their hands before looking back up at Taron. "Thank you," He whispered, lightly squeezing Taron's hand.

Taron followed suit, looking down at their hands before moving his gaze back up to Richard's face. His eyes flitted between Richard's eyes and his lips. He was a little nervous to inch closer, but decided that Richard not instantly recoiling when he did was a good enough sign for him to close the gap between them. The kiss was short and sweet, and both boys were bright red when they pulled apart.

"Sorry," Taron murmured, looking back down at their hands to hide his tomato-red face. He didn't have to worry about that, however, as Richard was just watching Taron with a similarly flushed complexion.

"Don't be sorry..." Richard mumbled, smiling as he gently squeezed Taron's hand. "Now come on, let me teach you how to skim."

ops