Roleplay City
Infusco => INFUSCO: Enter The Shadows => Mirror Lake => Topic started by: Existentially Odd on September 30, 2019, 04:30:22 AM
-
Reserved
A dog's excited bark split the air, echoing hollowly across the expanse of open water that was Mirror Lake. Another volley of barks followed closely, rolling out to meet the first, the sounds distorting mildly as they intertwined and bounced back towards the beach - a mix of shale and sand - that Harm was sunbaking on. The blond opened his aquatically-themed eyes, looking lazily in the direction the canine exclamations came from. He saw a glossy-coated chocolate Labrador bounding ecstatically along the beach, running a short distance forward before turning around and running back towards a guy a fair distance away. He looked like he was jogging. Too slowly for his canine friend's liking.
Harm sat up for a better look, his interest piqued by the potential for furry company. It was mid-morning on a weekday, he'd been completely alone in the place since he'd arrived half an hour before. A bunch of other nurses were scheduled to join him at the picnic area by the lake in about an hour but Harm had come early because it was a decent ride on his bike (which he'd left chained to a wooden post nearby) and he wanted time to swim and relax. He knew from experience that once everybody arrived it would be all about the food and the talking and far too little about the swimming for Harm's liking. It was his day off, after all; he wasn't working at the clinic until late tonight so he wanted a lazy day in the sun and water first.
He'd hoped to see Luke sometime today but then Jamie's birthday had come along on a day eight of them were rostered off and he'd been coaxed into the barbecue lunch idea instead. He'd invited Luke along but hadn't received any sort of confirmation that such an invitation was welcome, even when Harm had assured him he wouldn't have to provide anything. He'd brought table decorations, paper plates, plastic cutlery, candles and matches as his contribution (all stuff he could pack into his backpack and ride here with), others were in charge of the rest of the party food and drinks. Luke only had to bring himself but the thought of his friend with his monster arm out here in the bright sunshine, splashing about casually without his shirt on didn't compute in Harm's brain. It obviously hadn't in Luke's, either.
This was the kind of normal activity Luke was always encouraging him to indulge in, yet he'd have preferred being at home, snuggled up on the couch, trying to convince his Sheriff lover (-ish?) to take him to bed. That wasn't going to happen until something changed, however. Apart from the fact Luke was super reluctant to put Harm in danger (especially from himself), Luke's boss had made him promise not to come to Harm's place any more because it was in Chinatown, which was apparently some big political deal to Jake. They kind of floated about the city now, in moments where they could snatch some time together (in between their busy work schedules), having polite meals and conversations peppered with longing looks that led nowhere because Luke also wouldn't let Harm go back to his place. It was full of monsters that Harm was far too eager to meet for Luke's liking.
It was like the most excruciating Mexican stand-off in history but what could he do? They weren't in any sort of official relationship so Harm didn't have the status to push for more. He had a feeling if he tried he'd lose Luke for good. And so they existed in an odd state of limbo, aching to be together yet unable to schedule anything regularly or reliably, unlabelled, uncommitted yet sort of together. Harm was keeping his heart out of it, for his own protection. It just wasn't worth it.
The dog galloped back towards him again and Harm sprang to his feet, hoping to catch its attention. He left his backpack and his towel unattended because, as far as he could tell, it was just him wearing his dark-blue-with-a-black-pattern board shorts (https://data.whicdn.com/images/182410409/large.jpg), sunnies and a whole lot of sunscreen anywhere around. Plus the dog and its approaching owner, of course. His stuff was safe. "Hello there!" he cooed at the dog, using a baby voice and kissing noises to supplement his lure. His noises gave the animal pause and it did an adorable heavy stop on its front paws, causing a puff of sand to erupt around them as it stared at him, ears cocked. "Yeeees! Hellooooo!" he cried enthusiastically, patting his thighs. He got a bark and a wagging tail for his efforts but the animal was still wary. "C'mooon," Harm encouraged, dropping to his knees and patting his chest with loud slapping noises. The dog barked again and bounded over.
Harm fell upon the animal with a wide grin, his hands rubbing it enthusiastically about its neck and ears as it slobbered on his face, licking him with enthusiastic abandon. "What's your name?" he asked, attempting to pin the brown bundle of energy down long enough to get a look at its collar to no avail. At about the time he'd finished inspecting the dog's undercarriage and realising he was a he, the dog's owner jogged up to them. Harm looked up at him from his kneeling position, grinning madly and squinting as the light struck his eyes just so. "Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. "Your dog is adorable!"
-
The clump of his joggers hitting tarmac gave way to soft crunches as Trick moved off the side road and onto a needle-filled path. Sharp, reaching branches of pine threatened to scratch Trick's face as he ducked and wove around them with practised ease. The smell of the forest filled his lungs while his ears were filled with the sound of his rhythmic breaths atop the cacophony of morning birdsong. Dood's bark announced his dog's arrival at the lake and soon enough Trick himself broke through the foliage and into the open. His heart hammered in its cage as he approached the water.
In front of the shining, placid and glassy surface of the lake stood one other person. He called Dood to him. Trick watched as his dog was encouraged to approach and the playfulness and joy shared between them. Once the stranger was on his knees he'd won Dood's trust and now the two of them slobbered over one another. Trick's steps slowed as he drew near and he placed his hands on his waist, measuring his breathing and grinning while watching the lab's pathetic display for affection. The tactic worked as the guy indulged Dood's wishes with a bright exclamation.
“Yeah, and he's working you like a pro,” Trick agreed. His gaze roamed Harm's body as he drank him in. The grin became lopsided and a hand left his waist to swipe his hair back, out of his face. His nose wrinkled and he lowered his arm back down before looking across at the water.
-
Harm laughed as the dog’s erratic kisses knocked his sunglasses off his face. He had to hold him back with pats and scratches while he awkwardly leant down to regather them. “Yeah, but I’m a soft touch for a pretty face like his. What’s his name?” he asked the jogger as he folded his glasses up and hooked them onto the waistband of his shorts via one of their arms. It was safer to just leave them off.
With a few final pats, Harm stood up, his knees dimpled with angry red divets from kneeling on the pebbly beach. It had become rather painful and he also hadn’t been able to see past the dog’s licking muzzle to get an idea of who he was talking to. It seemed rude to pay attention only to the furry one, especially when he wasn’t the one who was talking.
Once he was standing, Harm got a proper look at his two-legged companion and his eyebrows lifted, his grin widening appreciatively.
-
Harm would see that Trick wore an olive green singlet over shorts similar in colour but shorter in length. The joggers on his feet were grey with narrow stripes of fluorescent yellow. He wouldn't be able to see the white ankle socks Trick wore with them. He had his usual assortment of jewellery on; rings, straps, bracelets and a metallic rectangular pendant with a seahorse engraved on it.
Trick looked back at Harm when he replied, observing the casual ease Harm interacted with Dood. When they were both standing, Dood nuzzled Harm for more pats, pushing his snout into Harm's palm. He barked to remind the two men that he was still there.
"Dood," Trick replied, looking down at the Labrador when he said it. Dood's head turned sharply and he attempted to cajole a pat from Trick before returning back to the new, fresh smell and headbutting Harm's thigh. "He likes you." Trick's voice was warm with approval.
-
Harm frowned, having initially interpreted the jogger’s response to his query as, ‘Dude, he likes you,’ rather than an answer. Something about the guy’s phrasing didn’t fit that pattern, though, and his tone sounded friendly - it seemed unlikely he’d just ignore Harm’s request for the dog’s name. As he grasped the silky jowls in both of his hands and looked into intelligent gold eyes, it finally clicked.
“Ohhhh, his name is Dood!” Harm exclaimed, realising belatedly that the dog had gone to his owner when the word was said, before he returned to nudge his leg. Harm laughed at his own obtuseness, shaking his head and looking at the jogger in apology. “Sorry, I’m a bit slow this morning.” He stuck his tongue out and pulled a self-reprimanding face before he bent back down to gaze into the dog’s eyes.
“Hello, Dood,” he said politely, his hands either side of Dood’s face, his fingertips massaging his soft, floppy ears. “I’m Harm and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said through pooched lips, nuzzling his face against Dood’s as he received a timely lick of acknowledgement for his introduction. It made him giggle and then he straightened up again, speaking in his baby-style talking-to-the-dog voice. “You’re such a good boy!”
He said it while patting Dood but he was looking at his owner when he spoke, not the dog.
-
Trick's smile widened at Harm's confusion and he outright laughed when the puzzle was solved. "Yeah, sorry," Trick said unapologetically after Harm scolded himself. "it's an old joke but I'm not bored of it yet."
At the look given him, Trick's other hand shifted off his waist and he ran it through his hair before quickly putting it down. The smile turned into a grimace and through it, he spoke. "Your name is Harm?" he stressed, the tone one of disbelief mingling with appreciation. "Are you, like, a supervillain?"
The smile returned, playing more around his eyes than his lips. As Harm answered, Trick shifted his weight, jutting a foot towards the other enough for Dood to notice and sniff it. He explored Trick's shoe with enthusiasm before remembering that after the run was usually the swim. He bounded away towards the water and then back again before he got there, then away once more. When Dood turned around and whimpered, Trick made a soft noise of consolation and pulled out his phone, switching it to the camera setting and holding it up before he gave Dood permission. "Swim, boy!"
Dood let out an excited bark and bounded into the lake, throwing up curtains of water in great splashes. Trick took a few photos before looking sideways at Harm and then pocketing it again.
-
Harm tried an admonishing squint - accessorised with disapproving, pursed lips - at the fact that the jogger was unapologetic about weaving the dog's name into his sentence and had the hide to laugh about it... but the guy was pretty fucking adorable when he laughed and his eyes twinkling with mirth gave Harm some pleasantly flighty tingles down low in his belly. He held his expression for all of a second before he was grinning back and laughing too. Jogger's laugh was infectious. His gaze strayed to admire those long brown strands being fussed with and he mirrored the action, suddenly self-conscious that his own usually-perfect hair had lost all its attitude after his earlier swim.
Letting go of his hair, Harm rolled his eyes and smirked as he was accused of being a super villain. "Actually, I'm a nurse - and yes, I can appreciate the fucking irony, thank you. It is a joke I'm bored with. My full name is Harmon, but nobody calls me that. In fact, there's a group of other nurses due to arrive here in an hour or so that call me Dono - as in 'do no harm' - because they think they're about as funny as you seem to think you are," he responded cheekily, his head tilting, eyebrows arching and his eyelashes fluttering as he openly sassed his nameless companion. "Stick around, you're bound to fit in."
He fell quiet as Dood stole Jogger's attention and he watched the interplay between them, admiring how well behaved the dog was, waiting until the camera was out before running into the lake. The spray was artful; he understood why the camera was prepared before the run in, once he saw it. Harm had the urge to join Dood but the human half of the pretty duo was a lot more interesting than the furry one. "So what's your name?" he asked with mock sweetness, the challenge in his tone playful as he smiled into eyes almost exactly the shade of the bright, cloudless sky above them.
-
Trick nodded at the invitation to join but the words that came out of his mouth were contrary and his expression belied his disappointment. "Aw, I gotta work, man. I can only stay for about half an hour. I was gonna have a swim."
His expression shifted and he giggled after the question of his name, his hand straying towards his hair but it stopped before he could swipe it again. His palm alighted upon his face, like he was about to tell a really good joke . "Trick," he said, eyes twinkling merrily and eyebrows raising.
He could hear Dood playing in the water, bounding in the shallows and a few splashes as he went deeper and paddled about, but Trick's gaze remained on Harm's face.
-
Harm's face glowed with delight as he was told the guy's name was Trick. He licked his lips before they twisted to the side, as if he'd just received the most delicious gift and he could barely contain his excitement in dealing with it. Trick's dancing eyes told him he was aware of what was coming and that he was cool with it. Harm was warmed by the sense of shared humour between them. The problem was, soooo many lines came to him that he couldn't choose the right one fast enough.
I'd have said you were definitely a treat
Because your parents felt duped?
Wow, and here I thought we were really connecting
Dood, Harm and Trick... we sound like a bad stage act waiting to fail
Trick, Dood and Harm, three steps to better self defense
Do I have your word on that?
"Halloween must be hell for you," he grinned, following his first instinct - more or less. Because he'd had so many options, he didn't feel like he'd chosen the best and was surprised how disappointed in himself he was. Apparently, he really wanted to impress Trick. His gaze lowered as he reflexively looked Trick over, thinking about what was beneath that tank. He had beautifully sculpted arms, rousing envy in Harm. Every one of his muscles stood out in relief on his lean body, sure - and not for want of trying to eat his way to a bigger, thicker change - but he was scrawny compared to Trick. He'd have given anything to bulk up like that.
"Lemme just go put my glasses with my stuff and we'll swim!" he enthused, spinning and jogging up the beach until he was close enough to his towel that he could toss his sunnies onto the material without wasting too much time. When he turned back, he was torn between running straight into the water to play with Dood and watching Trick. He found he managed a neat balance of the two as he headed back towards the lake.
-
Trick erupted with laughter, bending backwards to face the sky. His hands returned to his hips when the laughter became chuckles and he succumbed to seriousness, a bubble of mirth escaping every now and then. He straightened when Harm's gaze roamed his chest and arms, taking in breath and holding it, lifting his chin. Trick nodded and openly watched the blonde as he jogged away, kicking up sand in little puffs. Trick admired Harm's back muscles and butt before peeling off his stare and seeing Dood splashing about in the water.
With a grin, Trick undressed in record speed. First his shirt fell onto the sand at his feet. His phone was next, plopped atop the material to keep it safe from sand and water. He crouched to untie both of his shoes before balancing on one leg to pull off a shoe and then a sock, repeating the manoeuvre with his other leg. Once his clothes were pushed together in a messy pile, Trick looked for Harm and saw him heading for the water.
Trick sprinted towards him, attracting Dood's happy bark and causing the Lab to gallop towards Harm as well.
-
Harm's heart leapt as he noticed the intent with which Trick was running at him. Trick, indeed. With a squeal generally emitted by only the most cowardly of prey, Harm veered towards the water, feeling it might provide some sanctuary from whatever Trick had planned - only to see Dood paddling wildly towards him as well. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he anticipated future events and ran faster, only speeding up the process and drawing those consequences to bear sooner.
Legs swinging and leaping, the three of them converged when they were at about knee height in the water. Harm swerved to avoid the chopping paws of the madly-barking dog only to have Trick take him out from the side in a tackle. Harm threw his arms up and shrieked, toppling sideways into the water, onto the dog, against the man, under the water and out again, kicking, paddling, spluttering and grabbing onto Trick like a lifeline. When it all settled down, he realised he was in no danger of drowning - unless Dood's frantic splashing succeeded in pouring the rest of the lake's contents into his open and gasping mouth, of course - because his ass was on the floor of the lake and the water only reached his waist.
He'd lost all his dignity, though.
He was also clinging onto Trick like a femme fatale in need of a big strong hero to save her and that wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. One hand let go in order to push his hair out of his blue-green eyes, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He grinned up at Trick, suddenly very aware of everywhere their bodies were touching above and under the water and it made him lose his breath in an entirely different way. He winced as Dood barked with excitement nearby and bounded between them, his windmilling paws and scratching claws pushing them apart, effectively grabbing the spotlight.
"Well. That was a dirty trick," Harm quipped while they both tried to settle Dood down with pats. He was referring to the tackle. He laughed to show there were no hard feelings and because he was rather enjoying having someone who had a name he could make fun of, like people so often did with him. It was highly amusing on the other side of that fence, he suddenly found. No wonder they kept it up.
-
The squawk caused Trick to grin his delight on his rapid approach. The pebbled beach was uncomfortable on his feet but didn't slow Trick down as he curved to follow Harm's line towards the lake. In a tackle worthy of the most seasoned rugby player, he dove low once they hit the shallows, his arms wrapping around Harm's pistoning legs, shoulder slamming into the backs of the blond man's knees. He rolled with Harm, both of them going under water. Trick released him and pushed himself up, turning smoothly and adopting a crouch before he was yanked backwards into the water again. Dood slammed his paws onto Trick's chest, finishing off the wrestling move like it was rehearsed.
With some awkward disentanglement Trick got himself into a crouch again, ready to spring away from or onto Harm if the wrestling match prevailed. He had a hand on Dood's back, pushing down to restrain him from jumping.
"Uh-ha," Trick voiced to Harm's statement. He smiled, then chuckled at Harm's laughter before it both died down. "Are you any good at swimming? Do you want to race? End of the lake and back?" He asked in an encouraging tone, gesturing to the distant shore.
-
Harm turned to squint consideringly at the distant shore. It looked really far. Sure, he could swim but he was no athlete - likely Trick had made the mistake of seeing his lean frame and thinking him fit. More fool him! Of course, that predatory tackle had told him he was well out of his league with this guy. Perhaps if they angled their swim a little more sharply... ?
Harm’s gaze travelled the curve of the shoreline back towards where they were, trying to decide how far would be an acceptable distance for him to swim (and still appear to be some sort of competition). He spied a buoy that he assumed was marking some sort of channel or whatever those things were for. He knew there was a pontoon floating out in the middle of the lake, too, but it was even farther away than the shore, he thought, over towards where the swanky holiday cabins were.
His gaze came back to the buoy. It was sort of in between where they were now and the far shore, slightly off to the side. It was closer to the other side of the lake but it was still less distance than the shore itself. Harm thought he could make it to the buoy and back, though there’d be some clinging to it in the middle, likely, to gird him for the return journey.
“I’m not a great swimmer,” he warned Trick first, “but I’d be willing to go to that buoy and back,” he pointed, looking Trick over. “I don’t think it’d be much of a race, as much as I might like to negotiate terms of victory with you,” he laughed, his eyes twinkling. There’d be no point in declaring something they’d each want should they win when Harm believed the odds were stacked obviously in Trick’s favour. He glanced back at the shore where his gear was, to be sure no-one else had come along. His paper plates were still safe. He looked back into Trick’s amazing blue eyes. “What about Dood? Will he come too?”
-
Trick watched Harm calculate the distance and he looked out again at the water, too, trying to see it with fresh eyes. The far shore had a strip of white sand that he knew from experience was nicer than the pebbled side. Laying on it was cool because it was shaded by the foliage that came closer to the edge of the lake. When Harm suggested the buoy, Trick's focus shifted to it. It was much closer. Trick's lips twisted as he looked at it and then to Harm.
"Nah, I'd get him to stay here," Trick said, turning to look at Dood, who'd become bored with the two of them talking and was running up and down the shallows, splashing. "Okay, let's go to the buoy and I'll see how much of a head start you'll need for the race back." He turned, his hands on his waist as he waited for Dood to notice him. It didn't happen quickly enough. "Dood! Dood!" he called sharply. The dog was nosing at something in the water with intensity before he perked up. "Stay!"
There was some protest in the form of grumbles and barks. Trick repeated his command and then turned to slap Harm's arm. "Go on three. One, two, three!" Trick started running ahead for as long as he could, picking his knees up through the water before diving in when it reached his hips.
-
Harm laughed despite himself. He thought it was clever that Trick knew he'd need a head start, though he should probably have been offended. Why get upset over the truth, though? Maybe he could get Trick to underestimate him by doing a really bad job on the way out then pull a fast one on the way back? He considered his options as he observed Dood being commanded to stay. "Damn that's a good dog," Harm marvelled when the Lab looked like he was arguing against his order but doing it anyway.
The count to three was much too fast for Harm. He wasn't physically or emotionally prepared for the pressure of racing a sexy guy who- wait, sexy? Where had that come from? Was it cheating on Luke if he thought someone was sexy? Could he even cheat on Luke when they were just dating, with no labels? And then he was distracting himself instead of hustling into the lake! He lifted his legs like Trick did but managed mostly to stumble through the water in true controlled-falling style and barely catch his balance with each progressive step until it was deep enough to dive - rather than making it look like Freshwater Baywatch was shooting their opener and 'Trick Buchanan' was out here to save some lives and skip some stones in the down moments.
The deeper water was cold! It was a shock to his system, even after paddling around in the shallows with Trick, and Harm's first priority became gasping some air into his constricted lungs. Next, he was all about the kicking and the strokes and trying to decide if it was even worth opening his eyes, in amongst remembering to breathe. He did a mutated form of breast stroke at first but it seemed like 'Trick Buchanan' was part fucking fish because he was soon little more than a splash in the distance. Harm switched to freestyle and managed to find a rhythm that kept him slicing through the water like... well, it kept him at the top of the water and not drowning, anyway.
He had to stop a few times because he wasn't able to course correct and swim (yet he prided himself on multitasking at work. This was just an exercise in shame right here) but he eventually reached the buoy, gasping for breath and trying to look remotely suave while he scrabbled for a handhold on the thing. "D'you... enjoy... the rest... I gave you?" he panted, then turned to look at the buoy, slapping its side with the hand that wasn't hanging onto it. "Didja make friends, yet? I... gave you two enough... time alone." He bestowed his most charming smile upon his companion (truthfully, it was more of a grimace), trying to cover up his lack of regular breathing by taking one huge inhale followed by an exhale. Suave.
It was about this time that he remembered he was going to do a deceptively bad job on his swim out so Trick could calculate his head start incorrectly and give him an advantage for the swim back. Well, bad job done. Deception... not so much. Trick was no doubt thinking the head start he needed to give involved him actually towing Harm to the closest shore for safety purposes and them fucking walking back to the picnic area.
-
Trick reached the buoy first and put a hand on it. It was a washed out red wooden frame on a rubber ring, a reflector at the top instead of a blinking light and it bobbed and swayed over the ripples of Trick's wake. There was no reason for it to be in the middle of the lake other than to mark the lake's middle. Trick looked back at the messy splashes that was Harm making his way over. It took a tragically long time. He reached out when Harm got close and ended up grabbing his elbow before letting go once Harm was safely holding on to the flotation device.
He smiled at the first comment and chuckled at the second. "We shared our deepest secrets and you're invited to the wedding," Trick said before expanding on it. "You would be the buoy of honour except you'd start drowning halfway through the ceremony and I'd end up giving you mouth to mouth and then my buoy groom would get all jealous and make a scene and I'd realise you'd saved me from a disastrous marriage because of your terrible and lackluster swimming ability for which I would be eternally grateful."
-
Harm’s eyes kept getting wider and wider with delight as Trick’s response grew into a tale of wonder. In amongst his utter delight in the substance of the story itself - he’d observed Trick turning his body towards him earlier and interpreted interest but it was nice to have confirmed that Trick had zero qualms about discussing kissing boys - was the warmth of a burgeoning appreciation for a kindred spirit. Trick spouted fantastical bullshit just like him!
His giggles became an exuberant, appreciative peal of laughter as the scenario Trick described concluded. Harm even had enough breath to contribute appropriately by now (though he was sincerely impressed with Tricks lung capacity to have got all that out so fluidly). “Aaaand, scene!” Harm cried, his free hand performing a crab claw pinch move in the air to imitate a clapper board being snapped. “I think that’s the most beautiful love story I’ve ever heard, thank you for that!” he cried, his lips pouting as he pretended to sob.
He brightened almost immediately as he went for a flourishing bow, his feet scissoring beneath the lake to boost him up enough to perform the manoeuvre. “And, as for my terrible swimming, you are indeed most welcome because-“. What the rest of his sentence may have outlined was unclear as Harm (predictably) misjudged his ability to propel himself out of the water high enough and his opulent bow became a dunk as he face planted in the water and came back sputtering, sweeping his hair out of his face and looking annoyed. His cheeks flushed red for good measure and he looked accusingly at the buoy.
“Have you no will to leave me with any dignity at all? First I nearly drown getting to you and now you seek revenge for my part in stealing your man?” he huffed. “Have some self-respect!”
-
Trick beamed at Harm's laughter until the strangest thing happened.
Initially there was conversation and more joking, but then Harm pushed himself up a little way out of the water and slammed his face down onto it. Trick heard an actual 'splat' sound. At first came the surprise as Trick gaped at him, then came the guffaws and laughter so hard and loud that he heard none of Harm's cross words with the buoy.
"What?" Trick squeaked, his word a high falsetto as he struggled to breathe. "What the fuck?" he squeaked again. He reached up and grabbed one of the wooden slats of the structure on the ring, dangling from it as tears were squeezed out of his eyes and clutching his stomach with his free hand beneath the water.
-
Harm's blush initially intensified, his words at the buoy fading as Trick took delight in his bow mishap. His lips skewed briefly to the side as embarrassment rose. He had to be the clumsiest guy he knew. He thought of another of his recent stellar moments - kicking the bed when he was having a tantrum at Luke and almost breaking his toe. Yeah, he was chock-full of shiny fails.
He only pouted for a moment, though, because he became fascinated by Trick's response. He was hysterical. It cheered Harm up immediately and the longer it went on, the prouder he became that he'd managed to inspire this much joy in someone. Someone he barely knew! Trick's face was rather adorable all scrunched up like that, too. It didn't take long before Harm began to huff laughter and protest shyly. That progressed into giggles, which grew into genuine laughter and soon became helpless guffaws and gasps as Trick's contagious hysteria was passed on.
Every time one of them started to calm down, the other would chuckle or slap the water like Harm's face had and it would begin again, the two of them falling about and laughing helplessly. Harm's cheeks began to hurt from grinning and his abs were getting the workout of the year (he could tick that off the to-do list until next year). He began taking deep breaths reminiscent of a woman in labour (he'd seen only a few of those but it wasn't as effective as TV always made it out to be) and looking up at the sky instead of at Trick, so that he didn't get set off again. They must've been laughing for, like, five minutes straight.
"Ohmygod stop! It hurts! And we both know I need all the energy I can get for the swim back," he intoned gravely, hoping his serious voice would have the appropriate effect. He exhaled slowly for good measure and risked looking into Trick's intense blue eyes.
-
Trick looked at Harm as he stared at the sky, giggles taking over the braying laughter which then turned into hiccoughs of joy. When Harm made eye contact after his complaint, Trick's smile was wide and his eyes were glinting but no longer with mirth.
"You could piggy back with me," he suggested. "Have you ever done that? Just hold onto my shoulders while I swim, like this," he said, and demonstrated the hold, putting out an arm and bending it at the elbow so that he was looking back at his own palm. "It's kind of like you become a backpack."
Trick's face had become more serious throughout his explanation, then he grinned again. "I would've given you a head start at the halfway point to shore, but you'd only be more crushed when I win."
-
Harm dropped his chin and looked pointedly at Trick from beneath his brows. "Honey," he said in his best sassy voice, "you and I both know I am under no delusion who's going to win, here! Crushing is not an option. You win!"
He waggled a finger for good measure then lifted his head and grinned, losing his extra persona. "Also, I have no shame. I'll ride you back to the shore. Be towed. Whatever," he dismissed with a playful wave and grinned expectantly at Trick. Putting his hands on a handsome boy and getting a little help back to shore didn't have a lot of dignity but Harm couldn't see any other downsides, either.
-
Trick smiled before his expression transformed into something serious. He moved in the water closer to Harm and turned his back. A hand remained on the edge of the buoy as he waited for Harm to adopt the hold. Once Harm felt secure on his shoulders, Trick pushed them both away from the buoy and tested their buoyancy Together they were a little heavier but the hold was firm and not too tight, and Trick began swimming in the smooth, gliding strokes of a casual breaststroke. He let his legs drift initially, letting his arms do all the work before attempting to kick frog-style with his feet. Because Harm was floating for himself, it worked well.
The water was cool where it swirled beneath him and Harm's body kept him warm where they touched. The horizon where land met water shifted gently up and down as though it were untethered, floating on the lake instead of keeping it contained. The surface rippled around his chin as he swam and the movement and sounds were rhythmic and zen. Even Dood on the shore was peaceful, lying on his belly with paws in front, watching.
"Are you local? I haven't seen you at the lake before," Trick said, starting up a conversation.
-
"Nah, not really. I live in Chinatown, in the Central District. I don't come to the Northside often, it's a bit far on my bike-- ohhhhmygod!" he exclaimed excitedly, having just found an excuse he'd been neglecting. "That's why I'm so shit at racing you! I'm tired from the ride!" he crowed happily, feeling that successfully managed his reputation and would hopefully afford him some dignity with the sexy stranger who was... well, frankly, under him.
And then his imagination was captured by that little gem of a thought. There was a nice easy rhythm to the way they were both kicking their legs and there were moments when their bodies naturally touched because of those movements. Not to mention how dead sexy Trick's shoulders felt beneath his hands, the muscles bunching and flexing steadily. He could imagine grabbing him in very intimate ways while those shoulders held him up and... . He reeled it in and simply pondered what it would be like to be towed while wrapping his arms about Trick's waist, how it would feel to have his front pressed to the brunette's back. Yummy.
Harm cleared his throat subtly. "I visit the lake or the beach a lot more often in the hotter months. What about you? Do you live locally?" he enquired, politely returning that conversational volley with an adept forehand.
-
Trick swam on, listening to the soft splashes as their bodies moved through water as Harm's feet broke the surface now and then with his kicks. Sunshine on the short waves blinded him periodically but he knew how to swim a straight line. He didn't waver even though his pace slowed. His powerful strokes had taken them halfway already and he liked swimming and talking enough to dawdle in the water. He would swim at Harm speed. It was like he barely moved at all.
"Chinatown sounds exciting," Trick said wistfully. "Better than the 'burbs." He said nothing about Harm's bike. "I live about three clicks down the road. It's an easy run, s'all flat."
-
Harm hummed his agreement, contemplating those shoulders again. "Chinatown is exciting. I love living in the city, there's always something going on. There are things open whenever I finish a shift, no matter what time it is - cheeseburgers at four in the morning are the best. There are plenty of flat places to run there, too, though they're not as pretty as out here," Harm amended, realising belatedly he was gushing about city life and putting down living in the suburbs.
He'd grown up in the suburbs - his family still lived there - so he understood that desire for more action. One day, he planned to return to that quieter pace and raise a family of his own, so he definitely shouldn't be rubbing in his pleasure at living in the city and making Trick more acutely aware of his situation now.
He should change the subject. "Sooo... you must work out a lot," he enthused, shifting his grip into something much closer to a massage across Trick's impressive trapezius muscles, alternating squeezing towards his deltoids (he couldn't loosen both hands at once or he'd let go). He hoped the words didn't sound as transparent to Trick as they did to him - or, if they did, that he'd be forgiven for his lame segue on account of the intention behind it.
-
"Cheeseburgers at four in the morning sound like the best thing in the world," Trick echoed wistfully. Two more strokes through the water he added; "Now I want a cheeseburger."
Dood, laying on his stomach with his head on his front paws, perked up at their approach. His heavy tail thumped on the sand like a tribal drumbeat before the lab sprung up on all fours, his tail now swishing from side to side so enthusiastically that it moved his whole rump. Trick heard the whine in the dog's throat before he barked, once.
"Not that much," Trick said, his words sounding defensive even to his own ears. They sank as Trick attempted to find the bottom of the lake floor but his feet found purchase and when he stood, his shoulders were out from the water's surface. "You're safe now, damsel." Trick's hand found one of Harm's and he patted the top of it.
-
Harm laughed when Trick declared he now wanted a cheeseburger because he did, too. Such was the power of suggestion. Luckily for him, once the others arrived, he'd get one but Trick couldn't hang around that long.
Harm pondered asking him for his number but... what would that achieve? He'd call, they'd arrange to go out and maybe something would come of it, maybe not but what was he expecting? Just... more opportunities to gaze at a pretty boy and daydream of normalcy in the suburbs? To what end? He thought of Luke and knew he wasn't ready to give up on him yet... but what if Trick was 'the one'? What if Harm was walking by a hundred such opportunities every day and squandering his chances, waiting on a man who was convinced he was more monster than man to see what he had hanging hopefully off the end of his monster arm?
When had everything become so serious?
Thankfully, Trick made a joke and Harm could laugh again - this time with a distinct edge of sarcasm and a twinkle in his eye that matched the devious set of his jaw. He snatched at Trick's patting hand and clasped it between both of his, putting his feet down on the loamy lake bottom and stepping close to his captive. "My hero!" he gushed, fluttering his eyelashes coyly in Trick's direction. "How ever shall I repay you for this kindness?" Harm leant his cheek on the back of his own hand, blanketed around Trick's.
-
Trick waited out the damsel play before reclaiming his hand and settling them at his hips. The expression he gave Harm was one of shrewdness and was only broken when Dood barrelled over to them, trotting around the pair in a circle, looking up for attention.
"I got an idea," Trick said before bending over to give Dood a welcoming rub and pat. He headed for his puddle of clothing on the sand and fished out his phone, unlocking it and tapping his way to the contacts area. He returned to Harm and thrust the phone out to him. There was a pause as Trick looked from the phone to Harm's face, making eye contact that wasn't steady. "Y'can put your number in there," he said, sounding oddly gruff. His attention returned to Dood with enthusiasm and the chocolate Lab received a lot of rubs and pats that had his whole rump wagging from side to side.
After a brief moment, before Harm could do much more than maybe look at the phone in his hands, Trick headed for his clothes and sat on the pebbled sand to put his socks and shoes on, whacking the socks against his bent knees to try and get rid of as much sand as possible before rolling them back onto his feet and shoving his shoes on, tying laces and pointedly not looking at Harm.
-
When Trick pulled his hand back and simply watched Harm, he became self-conscious. The look he was getting was... thoughtful and made Harm wonder where the brunette's thoughts might be straying. He held his nose and dropped back into the water, straightening up while smoothing his hair into something sleek and controlled. When he surfaced and found Trick walking out of the lake, he followed, wiping water off his face and out of his eyes as he went.
Harm's eyebrows lifted and a slow smile split his face when he was told to put his number in Trick's phone. His previous pondering of the futility of such an action evaporated entirely in the face of the cute statement. Trick seemed almost shy about it, even though it was more an order than a request. The way he said it then walked away nonchalantly was fucking adorable and got Harm's heart pounding with excitement. Such an innocent thing, but the potential for texts, pic exchanges and phone calls left him surprisingly giddy with the possibilities.
Since he'd been given free rein, Harm started with putting in 'Harm Bennett' and his number and then he chose to edit the entry by adding a picture of himself. It took him a few goes (and opening the camera gave him a much-desired opportunity to check how bad his hair really looked) but he finally saved a nice one of him. It was taken from above his head with his lean, muscled body in the background, looking thoughtfully up at the camera and into the sun so that his lips were appealingly pouty and his eyes looked like clear water because of the sun striking them. He was just about blind by the time he saved it but such were the sacrifices made for true art.
He opened up the camera and took a few more shots as he moved closer to his stuff (in case Trick wanted to switch out the pic he'd assigned to his contact); pulling faces - tongue out, tongue in but cross-eyed, cross-eyed and tongue out - and serious(-ish) - duck face, huge smile, slight smile, smouldering look - with various amounts of body included. Once there was about ten shots in Trick's photos folder, Harm leant down got his phone out. He assumed Trick would be leaving soon and would come for his phone, so he sent a few messages back and forth between the phones, hoping Trick would get a laugh out of them when he looked later. Dual-wielding phones wasn't easy but he proved he had some very dextrous and clever thumbs (and a brain) by typing at the same time, hitting the send buttons fractions of a second after each other so that the messages came out in order.
This is Trick's phone.
So I've just received a Trick message?
Awww, c'mon now
I was just thinking of you, actually
Yeah? Good thoughts, I hope
You've looked in a mirror, right?
Yeah...?
Then you KNOW there can't be any bad thoughts of you ;o)
Same goes for you tbh
Remember that time you let me ride you out of the water looking like this? (Harm snapped a picture of Trick to include with his message) That was fun ;)
Anticipating he'd monopolised Trick's phone for far too long, Harm hurriedly closed out of the messages and looked up to see where he was, a cheeky smile (that was meant to be apologetic) advertising that he'd been up to no good. "Here's your phone!" he said brightly.
-
Trick had gone to the trouble of properly relacing his shoes for the run back home and ensuring he wouldn't pick up blisters from rubbing against shoes or with sand in the mix. With a slight incline of his head he snuck a look at Harm to see him using two phones and figured that he was using one to text the other so Harm would have Trick's number as well. Trick grinned down at his feet and at Dood who was laying at them, looking pretty mellow.
When he got up, he struck futilely across his backside to get rid of any sand sticking to his wet shorts and then headed for Harm to reclaim his phone. A quick glance didn't reveal anything but instead of investigating further, Trick pocketed his phone and then ducked his head in a vague nod.
"See you around," he said, turning and heading for the path he'd come in on, breaking into a light jog after a couple of steps. Dood trotted beside him. On the path back Trick passed a couple of guys around Harm's age that were probably the friends he was hanging out with today.
It wouldn't be until he was home and on his own in his room before he discovered what Harm had done with his phone, and it would make him laugh.