Darkness

Hikes

When they left the lake house in the late morning to have breakfast at one of the diners nearby Avi was almost buzzing with excitement. He gulped down his way too hot tea and shoveled a couple slices french toast with whipped butter and syrup in his mouth while Scott was having hash browns, eggs and sausages.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Excited?"

"Yeah! I haven't been in so long! And wearing my trusty hiking boots feels great!" His hair was still braided, some shorter strands had come loose overnight but it didn't seem to bother him, he was wearing a button up shirt, his trusty green puffer jacket and comfortable pants. "Can we go now?"

"I'm still eating, Avi. Calm down a little, okay? Ten minutes, then we'll drive back, get our things and leave."

In the beginning of the hike Avi wasn't sure if he had made the right decision. While he was holding onto Scott's biceps he kept stumbling, felt like he was falling behind even though his boyfriend was right next to him.

Scott noticed his struggles soon and stopped. "Avi? You alright?"

"Yeah, I just- I feel like you're way too fast for me..."

The baritone frowned and shook his head. "No, not at all. But if you feel like I'm too fast I can slow down, that's okay. You go and set the pace and I follow. We aren't rushing, hm? I know that this is new and I want you to be comfortable."

Avi sighed softly and bit his lip before he nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry, it's just- it's different."

"That's alright. I understand that. Take your time. There aren't any obstacles in your way, the path is pretty wide for us both to walk comfortably next to each other and if there's anything coming up I will let you know."

They kept walking for over an hour before Scott slowed down and stopped.

"Alright" he said out of breath and almost fought for air "I need a break. I don't know how you are not close to suffocating but I was raised in the city and my lungs can't handle that much oxygen."

Avi chuckled before he felt Scott move again. He followed him, then noticed that the baritone sat down.

"You can sit right next to me, it's a long and quite big log." He gently reached around Avi's waist and guided him down right next to him, made sure he found his balance and didn't get pulled back by the weight of his backpack. Even though Scott had offered to carry all of their stuff Avi didn't let him and insisted on carrying at least their clothes and the food while the baritone had the tent, the large sleeping bag and everything they'd need to reheat the canned chili.

"I told you I could carry more but you wanted to take the heavy stuff.." Avi mumbled and held Scott's hand after letting go of his biceps.

"I know you did but you also struggle with your balance and I am not letting you take all the heavy things and then fall over or trip. It's okay, Avi. I'm a tall guy, I'll manage."

"Okay. Is it far? How long until we're there?"

"Just another hour or two, depending on how fast we'll walk. Are you hungry?"

Avriel shrugged. "A little, yeah. I could eat something but I don't have to."

But Scott reached into Avi's backpack and took out two Cliff bars. "Do you want macadamia nut or peanut butter?"

"Half and half?"

"Deal. Here, water." He grabbed a water bottle from his backpack and handed it to Avi who was already munching on his Cliff bar. It wasn't as hot as in Los Angeles, not a whooping 98 F, just 65 F but the sun was shining and both he and Avi started to feel the heat.

Avriel took off his jacket and unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt while the baritone folded both of their jackets and put them away. He handed Scott half of his eaten Cliff bar and sighed. "Full."

"You sure? I haven't opened mine yet, do you-"

"Yeah, keep it for later. They're so filling, it's unbelievable."

Both man sat in the sun and enjoyed their break and while Scott was taking pictures of both nature and his boyfriend, Avi sat on the log with his eyes closed and listened to the birds. He was at peace, sitting somewhere in California on a log in a forest near the man he loved while he felt the cool summer breeze on his skin.

"You ready to continue?" Scott asked softly, put his phone away and touched Avi's shoulder. "Maybe we can take a nap in the sun once we've reached your goal, or go swimming in the lake?"

"Sounds good!" Avi said enthusiastically and got up. He picked up his backpack, wrapped his hand back around Scott's biceps and followed him through the woods for another two hours on their journey to the lake farther up in the mountains. They talked about a lot, their families and thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas, birthdays and of course how proud Scott was of Avi for trusting him on their hike.

And Avi was happy. He felt good in the woods, he liked spending time with Scott, he didn't feel like he was a prisoner in is own home even though getting around alone had become easier. But it still wasn't the same as before the crash and he knew that it would never be the same again.

Once they had reached the lake Scott slowed down and put down his backpack before he helped Avi. "It's just us, nobody is here. I packed swimming trunks, do you want to get changed? Or rest first?"

"Nap first, then a dip in the lake? Are we staying here until tomorrow?"

Scott hummed. "Yeah, right here. There aren't any trees close by, the lake is another fifty feet away from us and here's nothing you could trip over. Let me get the big picnic blanket out and we can rest."