Have you ever heard “for you” by tonight alive? it’s pretty sappy, but it has such strong birdflash vibes “for you I would fly without wings/and for you I would run like the sun chases the moon”
I must admit, this is the first piece I’ve written that feels fluid for a long time. Thank you for sending me a song, it is a lovely one (definitely screams Birdflash, haha!). For everyone else who’s sent a request, I swear I am still slowly working on them, and I promise you’ll get a little something as well. :)
Birdflash drabble #4 - A little more than best friends
No warnings aside from the risk of cavities… Ah, and no beta’d and written by a messy non-English writer hahaha.
It started as a simple conversation, a simple idea Donna threw in the air and that the team picked on. With the summer holiday coming to an end and the first day of school approaching fast, the five friends decided to have one last evening of fun before getting dragged back to the dull yet stressful routine that came with every Septembers. Sitting at the terrace of their favourite cafe, each shared their desires. Garth suggested going to the lake now that most tourists were gone, Roy was fine with anything as long as he could bring his itty bitty daughter. Wally wasn’t very picky, unlike when they organized outings that were related to restaurants. Dick mentioned wanting to make a bond fire, and Donna only wanted to go someplace where she could expand her portfolio by taking pictures of the scenery.
“Alright so let me just summarize what we have so far.” She had kept track of everyone’s wishes by scribbling down on a napkin. “We are looking to go somewhere with a place to swim, somewhere that’s safe for little Lian and where it is okay to make a fire.” Her friends nodded.
“Wally doesn’t care as long as we bring enough food for his bottomless stomach.” Dick, the youngest of the team, snickered before he and his best friend began a playful “poke war.”
Donna gently tapped her bottom lip with the end of her pen as she thought of a place that could satisfy everyone. "Oh.“ Her eyes light up. “How about we go to the Moonstone river? I went there once with my photography class. Granted, it is a bit of a treck to get there, but it fits pretty much everyone’s request. And we could camp for the night.” Donna watched as her friends thought about it and seemed to agree on her proposal. With a smile, she announced: “Then it’s decided! We will meet early on Thursday and spend the night there.” Each rose their drink and cheered.
It was already sunny when the group met at the entrance of the provincial park. Dick was the first on sight when Donna and Garth arrived. Roy followed shortly; his daughter held his hand and hopped as she played imaginary hopscotch. As always, Wally was the last one to get there and was shy of being half an hour late. Funnily enough, Lian was the one to scold him for taking so long.
The walk up to the river took the group two hours to complete, which was relatively fast seeing how often they had to stop either because Donna argued she wouldn’t forgive them if they didn’t let her take that one perfect shot of birds and wildflowers, or to entertain the toddler who occasionally got tired of walking. With Lian riding his back, Wally became her private “horsey” and was ordered to run up the slope as fast as he could.
“You’re slow, West.” Of course, Dick had to tease him. And of course, Wally took it as a challenge. The two began to walk with long strides, teasing the other when one gained some distance. The rest of the group watched them hurry, shaking their heads as they were used to their silly shenanigans. Once they reached the top, Wally and Dick were out of breath with Wally sitting down and Dick leaning on his knees.
As expected, the provincial park’s river was beautiful. The water trickled down the rocks and reflected the sun; it was surprisingly not too cold to the touch. A few people had already claimed some spots around the water, but it was relatively calm, and the group didn’t have trouble finding their perfect place to camp. Putting their backpacks down, Garth and Wally hurriedly undressed and jumped into the water with Wally immediately regretting it. “It’s cold!”Meanwhile, Roy helped his daughter take out her clothes and gently applied sunscreen to her sensitive skin. The young father talked with his child, a relaxed and fond look softening his face. Dick watched them from afar, smiling and remembering how his father used to speak to him with a similar expression before passing away. At the same time, Donna was already taking pictures of everyone. She always said that the best photos were taken au naturel. A big, wet golden retriever whose smile could melt the iciest hearts ran up to her to greet her while ignoring his owner’s calls.
“A puppy!” Not even after a blink, Wally was next to her on the floor and hugging, kissing the wet dog. “Who’s a good boy? What’s your name? Where do you come from? Are you having fun?” He talked with a high pitch voice which caused the dog to wag its tail even harder. “Donna! Donna! You better immortalize this beautiful creature with your super photographing skills!” Ah yes, Wally sure loved dogs. But his canine friend noticed someone else and without a goodbye, ran past him to jump on another unexpected victim. Dick was halfway into the water, showing off his ricochet skills to Lian, when the golden retriever jumped next to him, making a splash big enough to soak him entirely. There was a couple of laughs as the teenager’s cheeks turned a little pink.
When the evening came, the sun began its journey to the west, leaving the sky like a palette of pink and blue. Most of the people had left earlier, and eventually, the team had to say goodbye to Mr. Snufflekins the golden retriever who had “helped” them collect enough wood to start their fire. Once it was big enough, the five friends began to prepare their meal: hot dogs cooked over the fire and roasted marshmallows. Because most of them had a competitive nature, they decided to make the marshmallow prepping a contest; the person who made a marshmallow with a delicate crust on the outside, but still soft in the inside would be crowned king or queen of the fire. And because the truth always comes out of a children’s mouth, Lian was designed as the judge for the contest. Carefully, she took a bite of each marshmallow, looking as if she was degusting them with the taste bud of a real chef. Finally, she proclaimed her overly burnt entry as the winner and no one dared challenge her choice. Laughter and horrible singing attempts filled the silence of the night. Garth was the first one to fall asleep, hugging an empty backpack and a kid playing with his hair. Wally dared Roy to draw on his face but was disappointed when he learned of the lack of marker.
When dawn came, Dick was still awake. Sitting with his arms loosely hugging his knees, he watched as the moon and the stars shared the sky with the rising sun. The trickle of the river along with the melody of the songbirds made everything so peaceful. Most of his friends were still asleep, having consumed too much food, energy and, yes, a couple of beers. Someone sat next to him, yawning loudly and stretching. “What are you doing up so early? I thought you were a night owl?” Wally asked as he followed the younger man’s gaze.
“And miss this?” Dick grinned, listening as Wally hummed next to him. They remained like this for a while, comfortable with the silence that settled between them.
“You know, I think I might have a little too much to drink yesterday.”
Wally turned his head toward his best friend. There was a slight tint of pink on his face. “Yeah?” Dick’s smile was soft, and Wally felt as if his blue eyes had captured the stars and the moon for they were shining with something magical. Wally felt drawn to him; his hand moved to gently cup his best friend’s cheek without him realizing. Dick’s skin felt cool to the touch, and Wally could feel him accept the touch as he pressed against his palm. Something was happening, he told himself. There was a spark in his eyes, a zing in his heart. It was just like any cliche movies described it, and Wally wondered if Dick was feeling the same thing.
As if Nature was encouraging him, Wally leaned a little closer as the breeze gently pushed his back. There was a moment of hesitation as if neither boys knew what they were doing. “Dude, can I…” Wally started. For once he felt at a loss of words. Dick’s hand rested over his as he nodded. Shortly after, their lips were sealed, and their arms moved so they could embrace each other tenderly. The moment only lasted for seconds, but to them, it felt like a lifetime.
“I guess that makes us something a little more than best friends,” Dick said, his voice a little unsure. Wally gently lowered him to the ground, holding him as if he was a porcelain doll who could break with any sudden movement.
“Who said we can’t be best friends and something a little more?”
