Boys Of Summer

[Pocky]

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."

[Existentially Odd]

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!”

[Pocky]

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.

[Existentially Odd]

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.

[Pocky]

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."

[Existentially Odd]

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.

[Pocky]

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.

[Existentially Odd]

"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.

[Pocky]

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."

[Existentially Odd]

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.

[Pocky]

"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.

[Existentially Odd]

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.

[Pocky]

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.

[Existentially Odd]

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.

[Pocky]

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.