The days grow colder as autumn approaches. Curly's home for the time being, his next haul in the distant future. The thought of him being torn from you yet again still lingers in both of your minds, but it only serves as motivation to spend as much time together as possible. No point in worrying over something that hasn't happened yet. Better to focus on the now.
Curly most definitely wants to savor every moment he gets at home. It feels like every day he has some new adventure to go on. A store opening up down the street, a park that you've never been to before, a restaurant that had been built while he was away. There's always something with him.
Now, it's a hiking trail he's never walked. "The weather's perfect," he says. "We won't be drenched in sweat. For the most part."
You can't say no to him. He may be an older man, but you'd never be able to tell from his general disposition. It's one of an excited toddler begging their parent to come play on the playground with them. The bright smile on his face, the unyielding hopefulness in his eyes; he's got you right where he wants you. All it takes is an eye roll and a hesitant agreement to his proposal and he's pumping his fist in the air excitedly.
He wasn't wrong. The weather is perfect. A gentle breeze threads through the trees surrounding you two, leaves swishing side to side as they fall to the ground treaded by many before you. Some of them are already starting to turn red and orange as the forest settles down for the coming months.
No matter how striking the emerging colors of the fall are, nothing beats the sight in front of you. Curly leads the way by a good few feet, his eyes looking all about with wonder. You'd think he's never seen Earth before with the way he's scanning the environment. It feels like sometimes he forgets how beautiful and peaceful being home is. Maybe he forces himself to forget so he doesn't get depressed out in the middle of space.
Those hypnotizing blue eyes of his occasionally land on you, making sure you're not too far behind. The constant smile on his face he gets while he's out in nature only grows bigger when he sees your face.
"Holdin' up alright?" He calls out.
"Sure." You're not doing too bad, all things considered. The cool air is pulling a lot of weight in keeping you trekking. He takes it as an acceptable answer, turning back to the path in front of him.
"I think we're almost to that creek I told you about."
"If you shut your big mouth, you might be able to hear it."
He lets out that hearty laugh of his, the one that makes your face heat up. Just as you think it's about to get quiet again between you two, he pauses and looks to the right. The faintest sound of flowing water can be heard.
"Actually, I think you're right," His voice gets a bit quieter as if pinpointing the location of this creek he's been talking your ear off about over the past few days.
Then, he bolts right off the path and into the trees.
"Wh- Curly!" Without thinking about it, you rush in after him, already thinking about how hard you're going to smack him in the back of the head when you catch up to him.
The journey off the beaten path is less than graceful. Both of you slip and slide around on the leaves covering the forest floor, an audible "oof" sound escaping your overly ambitious partner when he falls down a particularly steep ledge. You can't lie though, you're laughing the whole way down. He's got the biggest, dopiest smile on his face the entire time. You're certainly never bored with him.
It isn't long before he leads you to a clearing. Lo and behold, the mythical creek is real. It's quite the sight, too. The water is as clear as can be, the pebbles covering the bottom creating a rainbow of various shades of gray.
"Not bad, eh?" Curly interrupts the calmness of the scene with a comment that makes it seem like he's been here countless times before.
His large calloused palm pats your shoulder. You can tell he purposefully restrains himself from doing it full-force. Otherwise, you'd probably have a bruise.
"C'mon, let's sit down. We deserve a break."
Now that's something you can agree with. Your lungs are still recovering from his little surprise. You both head over to a large rock peering over the edge of the creek, slinging your backpacks full of snacks and water against the edge of it. He slides on top first, gesturing for you to sit next to him. You take that invitation gladly.
The next few minutes are filled with a comfortable silence. Nothing but the sound of the water rushing over smoothed out rocks and Curly's breathing slowly evening out from the sprint. He may be fit for his age, but it seems he's still human. He shifts a little, his cargo shorts rustling against the rough surface of the boulder.
"Y'know... this is almost as beautiful as you."
You scoff immediately, unable to believe he just said something as cheesy as that. You turn your head away from the mesmerizing creek to face him, only to be met with his intense gaze. It's clear he's teasing you, but somewhere deep in his eyes, there's something saying that he isn't lying. The way he's looking at you right now... you may as well not be in the middle of such a serene forest. You're the only thing that matters to him in this moment.
"... You're such a softie," You say quietly, half teasing, half in awe of his effortless charm.
You don't need to look to know that it's his arm that wraps around your waist, and you're unsure if he's pulling you closer or if your body is moving closer to him on its own. Either way, you're not complaining. Your head rests on his shoulder as you go back to watching the creek flow as it always has. His lips press against the top of your head, the smallest chuckle rumbling in his throat. Combined with his hand rubbing your arm, it feels like heaven. For right now, you really can savor this time with him. Nothing else matters but this.
