You Flaming Idiot, I Love You!

6

Gray

It was quiet the whole way home. I stayed silent, out of the guilt I felt for saying what I did. The whole world knew I was lying when I told him I'd try to forget.
Everyone but him. Of course.

I'm laying on the hardwood floor of our house when I hear, "Your turn."
I blink, meeting his upside-down eyes. They're bright and re-energized after coming out of the shower. Good. I reach up to touch a few locks, only to pull away before I can.
Walking past him, I close the door behind me, unclothing and stepping beneath the shower head. As the water hits my back, I lean forward, cupping my face with my hands.

I run back to how it all went down. How my arms held onto him for dear life while we fell down the hill. How his back was pressed tight against my chest as we tumbled and tumbled. How fragile he looked beneath me after we came to a halt. How much I wanted to pin his hands against the sand and close the gap between our mouths. 
I want to rewind time.
I want to play it again, travel to where the guilt I feel now doesn't exist. Back to the beach, before I could see him smile in front of the sea like he was on the verge of tears.

Stepping out the shower, I bury my face in the nearest towel. How in the world can I make things better moving forward? Do I have it in me to do such a feat?
The sun has set. My time alone with him is waning.
Throwing on my clothes, I rush out the room. His eyes are facing the window, his fingers tapping on the couch.
I clear my throat. He turns my way. I kneel behind the couch, resting my chin next to him.
"On a scale from one to five, how well do you think I've taken care of you?"
"Two."
"Have I really been that bad?"
"Yeah."
Uh oh. One-worded answers are never a good sign.
"What can I do better?"
He faces me, and I face him. The next thing I know is I'm on the ground, clutching my face.
"Ouch... What was that for?"
"You know what."
I watch him through the slit between my fingers as he gets up. Standing above me, he holds out a hand. 
I dust myself once I'm standing again, watching the orange in the clouds outside turn to purple.

"Why did you say that?" he says. There's fire in his eyes. 
"Say what?"
He stares on, waiting for a response. Damn it.
"If you tell me why you held my hand, I'll explain why it's something I want to forget."

He shifts his weight. "I already told you. Your hand was shaking."
It's my turn to stare.
He scratches his head. He moves to the door.
"What else can we do to kill the time?" he says. It's only when his back is to me that I notice his trousers are still damp, his vest covered in sand.
"I know," I say. "Let's get some clothes."
"Huh?"
"You heard me."
"What would I wear? Where would we go?"
"Leave it to me." 

One of his eyebrows are raised as I move to open the door. I hold it open, waiting for him. But he just stands there, grinning.
"I'm gonna push you down the stairs if you don't move."
"Don't do that," he says, bounding the steps. But then breaks into a run.

Natsu

"How many times..." I hear between pants. I find myself smiling at the mere fact he's nearby once again. 
"You're too slow. Think of it as training," I say, watching from the corner of my eye at how he's bent over, clutching his knees.
"I'm already tired just by dealing with you. Take it easy on me."

I close my eyes, breathing in the dusk air. He walks ahead.
Before he gets too far, I force myself to follow. 

When I look up at last from the ground, all I see are racks and assortments of clothes. Oh... that's right.
"Just so you know, I've never tried picking out anything to wear." This really isn't my strong suit.
"Like I said, leave it to me," he says. I give him a look. Why does he seem so excited about this? 
"You know how ironic this is, right?"
"What? Oh..."

I try not to laugh too much as we meander through the aisles. I watch him decide which ones to pick, trying not to space out as I do. I guess above all, I'm just happy to be with him.
"Here. Try this on." He holds out a couple hangers. Hands now full, I ask, "Where do I go?"
He points to one side of the store. Frowning, I make my way over, seeing a bunch of stalls emerge in sight.