Trick Photography

[Existentially Odd]

“Halloween,” Harm smiled, watching Trick keep his distance and remain tense. “January the twenty-sixth.” His gaze travelled over Trick’s shoulders and down to his hands. He wanted to go to him but he also didn’t want to crowd him. He compromised and shifted up onto his knees to face him instead, figuring it would be a dramatic enough move to draw Trick’s gaze while not moving much closer. “What’s up?” he asked softly.

[Pocky]

After Harm moved Trick reached out for Harm's hands with each of his own. They were a little too far away from each other so Trick shuffled forward on his knees and linked fingers. He kept moving forward until they were chest to chest. He addressed Harm's question minimally, with a brief shrug and a quick expression of confusion that melt into a smile.

"So this is romantic," he whispered.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm giggled and released a sigh of contentment, smiling up at Trick. His gaze lingered on his mouth, the urge to kiss him strong, but it it also felt like maybe Trick was leading up to something so he merely tilted his face towards him.

"That was my first thought when we arrived," he agreed.

[Pocky]

"You said you like star-gazing," Trick told him, proving that he'd been paying attention. "Lie down with me and teach me some of the constellations," he urged, moving onto his side and then pulling Harm down beside him onto the rug.

[Existentially Odd]

"I only know a few," Harm warned shyly, pausing to unlace his boots and put them aside so that when he lay down beside Trick, he could curl his socked feet around his legs with impunity while he cuddled up to him. He started by pointing out the major ones, expecting Trick would know those because most people did. After that, he pointed out the planets visible tonight and then it was onto the lesser known clusters.

Despite his claim, Harm's continued naming of constellations after brief pauses of contemplation proved that he knew more than 'a few'. He had a naturally analytical mind, driven by boundless curiosity - his current project was teaching himself to play chess by reading books in his phone, learning the moves and understanding the consequences of each - and he'd pored over astronomical texts with increasing interest in his late teenage years. He knew what he was talking about.

The best part about it wasn't the naming, though. It was trying to be sure Trick was looking where he was supposed to be. What started out as some simple pointing soon became temples pressed together to attempt to direct his gaze, burgeoning laughter as descriptions became more rudimentary and stolen kisses when Harm lifted his head in a last ditch effort to stare at Trick and try to figure out where the fuck he was even looking, based on what he was describing.

"Okay, if you look down from Cassiopeia, there's a really bright star directly under. That's Capella. But if you look about in the middle of them and slightly to the right, there's another bright star. There? That's Mirphak and it's the centre of Perseus' body. Just let your eyes wander around there and you should be able to make him out," Harm advised, his arm extended and outlining the shape of Perseus as he knew it.

"He's like a Roman soldier and he's holding Medusa's head in his hand because he chopped it off - oh! Actually, Algol is the brightest star in the head bit but it goes brighter and duller because it's in a binary arrangement, so every couple of days another star orbits around it and dims it, isn't that cool? There are star systems with multiple stars in them - some up to five - and they all orbit around each other, shining brighter when it's their turn, staying together until they die. I've always thought that's kind of beautiful," he sighed dreamily, tucking his arm back in against Trick's side, his cheek perched on his shoulder so that he could mostly look up at the sky and seek the next star to talk about.

[Pocky]

Trick cuddled up with Harm and listened attentively; looking, squinting and pointing when he had questions to ask. At the last explanation about what lay near Cassiopeia, he stared hard at the dotpoints at the sky and screwed up his face through the extended explanation before his expression smoothed out and he smiled apologetically at Harm.

"Man, you lost me after Capella," he admitted. "I think my photo is well cooked now. I heard it ding." Trick booped Harm on the nose with his index finger and scrambled to his feet to check his camera. With a pleased grin he carefully pressed the remote and he heard the shutter click closed.

"Look!" he said, gesturing excitedly for Harm to come join him. Once Harm was close enough, Trick turned himself and the camera so Harm could see the photo on the screen. The lighthouse loomed down one side and the stars made short arcs in the sky as though they were all about to go supersonic. "This should beat taking photos of a highway," he said. "Do you think?" he prompted Harm for his opinion.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm pressed as close to the screen as he could. "Wooooow," he breathed, "fuck yes, that's better than a highway," he enthused, taking his fill of the image with his mouth open, his eyes darting about and mentally identifying the stars caught in time as the Earth rotated beneath them. He sighed and pulled back with a grin, allowing Trick space to do what he needed to do to pack up.

"It's beautiful. You're a wonderful artist. And you know what my favourite part is? You captured an image of the sky on the first night we were properly together. That's awesome - talk about romantic! People pay money for stuff like that. Can I buy a print?" he asked, his expression brightening as his thoughts tumbled into a conclusion that excited him. "Well, I mean, if you sell your work, that is. Do you? You should. It's beautiful!"

He was overusing the word and babbling a little but he was too awed by the image and Trick's cleverness to come up with anything different or slow down.

[Maxpphire]

He took some time for himself tonight, wanting to calm down and relax. The past month alone had been such a roller coaster of emotions he just needed to get out of his head for a while, and walking had proved helpful to the cause. He decided to explore somewhere new tonight. He normally kept away from the ocean or any large body of water due to fear. He felt more comfortable knowing he could catch himself with his wings and fly off if any mishap where to happen.

He had found the sounds of the waves extremely relaxing as he walked along, a couple of feet away from the cliff's edge. He felt inspired to sing for the first time in a long time. Sure he sung to his sister for his birthday but that was different, that was songs for her, songs she would enjoy. He stopped and turned to face the ocean, the gentle breeze blowing his done up hair, which was just a simple braid. He began to sing a song he felt the lyrics to and bits and pieces of the lyrics reminded him of different aspects of his life. The uncertainty he had about his new life, how he felt about his Mom, Emma, Sam, Jeanne, Drew, Ash, and how he had felt so alone in the world were all represented within these lyrics somewhere.

He was unaware of anyone else around, as he had been more focused on the smell and sounds of the ocean as he walked. Singing had felt nice, therapeutic, and had him feeling lighter with each word. He seemed to physically glow a bit as the words flowed through him. Anyone not in the know of course would just take this as 'oh he's handsome' but it was a very faint and dull angelic glow. It really only showed as he was singing, and it never got bright, it just had a basic effect almost as if someone happy with their looks would claim that they were glowing.

[Pocky]

Trick's smile was satisfied when Harm agreed that this photo could beat any highway shot. The next words that gushed out of Harm's mouth had lit up Trick's eyes. He turned his body slightly towards Harm, staring at him with renewed wonder before he made a scoffing sound when Harm asked if he could buy a print.

"I have sold prints of my photos," he said, a hint of pride edging into his voice, "but I wouldn't sell this print to you. It'd make a nice gift though. If we're still together after a month, it can be a... Lunar-versary?" he said, his eyebrows raising and his smile broadening, unable to stop the giggle from bubbling up his chest and bursting into the air.

The wind changed and his giggle merged with a piece of song. Trick stopped laughing at his own joke and cocked his head. He held up a finger to silence Harm.

"Dyou hear that?" he asked, turning his face into the wind. Had he imagined it?

[Existentially Odd]

Harm groaned at the term 'lunarversary' but it thrilled him, too. A telltale laugh of delight quickly followed. If we're still together after a month. The words bounced around inside his head, terrifying and exhilarating at once. Why wouldn't they be? It was a challenge he accepted. He grinned, his face drifting towards Trick's to seal it with a kiss-- only to be confronted by a finger.

He pulled back, blinking and then listening as Trick asked him if he'd heard something. His head tilted automatically to match the same angle Trick's held and it apparently worked because he did hear something. A ululating noise that held an extended rhythm before it dropped in pitch and rose again. "I think it's someone singing," he frowned, standing up and looking in the direction he thought it was coming from, his hand on Trick's shoulder to anchor him in his uncertainty.

There was a figure, silhouetted against the sky, closer to the edge of the cliff than they were. Not as far away as Harm had expected but the wind was playing tricks on his hearing, snatching the singer's every third word or so and dispersing it to other locations, making it difficult to even tell if they were any good. "Somebody's here," he declared, his tone dripping with disappointment. He decided it was a good time to head back to start gathering his things to go. "My boots," he mumbled, striding back to the picnic blanket and sitting down to get his footwear back on and laced up.

[Maxpphire]

Once he was done with that song, he felt his spirits lift and relax. He began to walk again, heading for the lighthouse as he'd never been terribly close to it before, and for the first time in weeks, he was at peace with his life. There was still a lot of hurdles in his life that he still needed to jump over, they just now felt very doable.

"I wish I thought of this sooner." He muttered to himself. He had no idea how long this calm would last, but planned to maximize this feeling for as long as he could by walking around and checking out the lighthouse a bit. After he got a bit closer, he noticed that there were two people up ahead. He didn't change his course but walked with caution as he wasn't sure what to expect.

[Pocky]

"As long as they don't jump, I'm good," Trick said. "It's too damn cold to jump in after 'em," he muttered after Harm had gone to collect his boots.

Trick removed the telescopic lens from his camera and put its cap on before turning his camera off and putting the lens on that, too. The backpack was near the tripod and he was gently placing his equipment back into each specialised pocket when he caught sight of a figure near the lighthouse, not too far away from him. From his crouch he zipped the backpack shut before standing and staring at the newcomer.

"Evening," he said, sounding one part friendly and one part wary.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm yanked his boots on without bothering to retie the laces, then shuffled towards his belt. He tucked his shirt back in, rethreaded his belt and got his jacket back on in record time, feeling naughty because he was hurriedly getting dressed while Trick packed up his camera. He’d managed to stay fully clothed; Harm rarely did. It made him giggle even though he knew he should probably be embarrassed or something.

His wallet and phone back in pockets and the picnic rug looped over his forearm, Harm headed over to Trick, hearing him greet the person. He was tense on his behalf. What if the figure was a vampire that smelt Trick’s blood and attacked him? He slid his hand into Trick’s and stood by his side as the stranger spoke back, knowing his short, human ass wouldn’t be much use in a fight. He didn’t even have his taser. At least they were beside water, so Trick had some advantage.

[Maxpphire]

He was going to just walk past as to not really bother them, however as he grew closer, he was greeted.

"Hello," he responded, with a welcoming time and a warm smile, "it's a nice night out, isn't it?" He started some basic small talk, noticing one grabbing onto the other's hand, catching into that they were probably together.

[Pocky]

"Yeah, it's a clear night," Trick replied, lifting his head like he was about to glance up but then he never did, keeping his eyes on the pale figure instead. "Bit late for a walk, unless that's your thing? Are midnight walks your thing?"

His heart pounded in his chest, a great deal faster than the ocean against the rocks below. He was breathing quickly and he pressed his lips together, taking a slightly longer breath in through his nose and then releasing it slowly out the same way. Trick instinctively drew closer to Harm and held his hand tightly, almost painfully.

"We were just..."

He didn't finish his sentence.