"Was it good?" I asked, setting balls of tin on the fire grate.
"Very." He rubbed his hands together.
"Ready for your first s'more?"
"Very!" He repeated, a bit more excitement.
"Okay! Let me show you the ropes." I rubbed my hands together. "I've got the things here."
"Why are they square?"
"These are special marshmallows specifically for s'mores. It's so it melts evenly. Don't bully them." I stuck one on a skewer and passed it to him.
"Now what?"
"Then you put it over the fire and turn it so it doesn't burn. People who like burnt marshmallows are satan." I set up a plate with halved graham crackers and squared chocolate for him.
"How will I know when it's done?"
"S'mores is a spiritual art. You have to feel." I leaned over his shoulder, placing the other materials in his lap.
"I feel like a dork." He admitted. I patted his head. He lifted a perfectly golden brown marshmallow from the pit. "Is this okay?" I nodded.
"Now you put it on this." I put a piece of chocolate on a graham cracker and held it on my palm. "And then put the top down on it. When the top is on, then you can take the skewer out."
"I'm gonna kill this." He put the top on and pulled the skewer out. A little messy, but all s'mores are perfect, no matter how they look. "Now what?"
"You enjoy."
"That's it?" He quickly looked up to me.
"Well yeah. There's a reason they're the campfire dessert. They're few in ingredients and easy to make." I sat back down next to him, and covered myself with the blanket. "Go on!" I encouraged. He shoved the whole thing in his mouth, provoking a giggle from me. "Typically, you don't eat it all in one go. But I suppose that's the cleaner way to go about it."
"My god." He hummed, chewing with his eyes closed. "I could die with no regrets."
"That's a blatant lie, but I see what you're saying." I patted his back. "You never forget your first s'more."
"This is probably gonna be one of my favorite memories. Thank you." He admitted.
"Really?" I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Yeah."
"So, you must understand why I do this, right?" I leaned on him.
"...I do. I just can't fathom how you can do it alone." He scratched at himself.
"It leaves a lot of room for self discovery." I bit my lip. "I just need time. Time to think about my past and how I can better myself."
"You're great as you are."
"But there's always room for improvement."I reminded.
"For someone I've known for a few weeks, I'm gonna miss you."
"Is it because I make you guys dinner once a week?"
"No. I've not connected with anyone like this ever. This really felt so different in the beginning. I couldn't bring myself to distance myself." He put another marshmallow on his skewer. "It is gonna get hard to try and go back to our lives before you. I might start hanging out with Mack just to see if he's the slightest bit like you."
"Go ahead, it's just a big buff April." I rolled my eyes.
"Y'know, maybe I'll pass. Maybe I'll meditate on it with Leo and Sensei."
"Hours of silence is a whole lot better than hours of him talking about the healing power of therapy." I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms away.
"You cold?"
"A little. We should be heading to bed soon if we're gonna watch the sunrise."
"We're gonna watch the sunrise?"
"Mhm. It's the best part." I stood and stretched. "Mind waiting out here for a minute so I can pull some pajamas on?"
"No problem. It gives me enough time to finish this." He gestured to his half toasted marshmallow.
"Okay, be right back." I jogged over to the van. My bed has storage underneath that held my clothes. I pulled out the drawer and shut the door to the van. I dropped my skirt and tore off my turtleneck. I grabbed the first thing in my pajamas drawer and quickly pulled it on. It was a burgundy one piece. The bottom part were shorts, but the sleeves were long. It had a hood and was comfortable. I tossed my clothes into a cloth bag I used as a laundry hamper.
"How fast was that?"
"Thirty nine seconds." He was already leaning against the van.
"Get it, it's freezing!" I pulled him. He closed the door behind him. I shut the van's curtain separating the seats and back for privacy.
"Y-You're sleeping in that?" He sputtered. So smooth... His eyes snapped back up to meet mine.
"Your brain doesn't seem to oppose the idea." I poked his forehead. "Easy dude. I get it. I stole one of your razors to shave my legs anyway."
"I blamed Mikey for that!"
"Well! Maybe you should investigate better. Come on. The faster we go to bed, quicker to see the day." I clapped my hands.
"We're sharing this?"
"What? You thought I'd sleep on a seat?"
"No, I thought I would!"
"I built this bed sturdy! It's safe." I climbed onto the bed, laying closest to the back doors. "We've shared a rooftop and a counter. Why is this any different?"
"How do we go about this?"
"Spooning. It's efficient." I said simply. "We're gonna catch a cold if you don't lay down and cover us."
"Okay." He nervously sighed. His body scooted close to mine and he covered us.
"Closer. You wanna fall off?" I reached back and grabbed his arm to wrap it around my waist. He came even closer, until my back was against his chest. "Goodnight."
"Night." He said quietly. My mind faded off to the many conversations we had today.
"Hey, Raph?"
"Birdie?"
"I know what you mean. I didn't feel this way with Mel. You might know me better than she ever did." I whispered. "So, in case I don't see you until it's time for me to go... Thank you for saving me. I'll miss you, too."
"Robin."
"Hm?"
"Never mind." He put his chin on my shoulder and hummed lowly to himself. Now isn't the time. His grip on me slackened. He was getting tired very quickly. In all honesty, as was I. His scent was overwhelmingly calming. Falling asleep was never this easy before.
