"Okay...?"
If he hadn't known any better, Myles would have thought that this was the part where ominous music started to come up in the background. Perfect time for Declyn to pull a creepy mask and a knife out from the floorboard of the car and start menacing him, something along those lines.
Actually, that would be kind of funny, Declyn trying to be menacing. Anyway.
"I guess you had a surprise planned too?" Myles ventured, biting back a smile. He wasn't sure where to focus his attention, on Declyn or out the window at the trees rolling by with long shafts of golden early-evening sunlight shining through the gaps between them. He was up for anything, really. A detour or a "detour" which was really a stop on the side of the road, out of the way somewhere that they weren't likely to be caught. You never knew what got some people going.
Either way, it seemed like a promising start to the night. They could be fashionably late.
Bloom
tagging backslash
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Declyn rested his hand on Myles’ thigh for a moment, slowing down the car and keeping one hand on the wheel, one eye on the road and one foot on the gas. He pressed his lips together, holding back a smirk when he glanced out of the window to estimate the remaining travel time. The answer to Myles' question was obvious at that point and he gave him a knowing "Yes, I guess so."
All of this was exactly his thing. Doing something that possibly no one had ever done before for someone in particular or anyone ever at all within the same chain of events. Stories that stayed in mind, no matter how simple of an act it may seem. There was no harm in trying unless that was the intention.
The gaps between the trees grew wider until the gift unwrapped itself.
A tall sea of green on a gentle slope, flecked with mostly purple and white and yellow and blue and hidden eternity. There was basically no coordination, just a free-for-all pieced together by the wind. A soft smell of sweetness hit his nose, somehow reminding him of his dad’s attempt at making baked apples (they were edible, to say the least) on an early morning years ago. The grass was thick with some not so pretty parts on the left, not as lush. The rest made up for it. The car stopped.
“.... Any last words, Mr. Roux?”
All of this was exactly his thing. Doing something that possibly no one had ever done before for someone in particular or anyone ever at all within the same chain of events. Stories that stayed in mind, no matter how simple of an act it may seem. There was no harm in trying unless that was the intention.
The gaps between the trees grew wider until the gift unwrapped itself.
A tall sea of green on a gentle slope, flecked with mostly purple and white and yellow and blue and hidden eternity. There was basically no coordination, just a free-for-all pieced together by the wind. A soft smell of sweetness hit his nose, somehow reminding him of his dad’s attempt at making baked apples (they were edible, to say the least) on an early morning years ago. The grass was thick with some not so pretty parts on the left, not as lush. The rest made up for it. The car stopped.
“.... Any last words, Mr. Roux?”
Myles wanted to think of something clever to say, but he was grinning too wide, too much excitement buzzing through his veins at the touch of Declyn's hand on his leg. He felt oddly giddy.
"Give me a minute, I'll think of something."
He'd never had any idea that this place was here, tucked away out of sight from the main road. He wondered how Declyn had figured it out. Gardener's intuition, maybe. Myles hadn't expected anything like this, even when he'd thought about what they might get up to tonight.
"It's gorgeous," he breathed finally, then laughed a little again. "It's not fair. Your surprise totally blows mine out of the water." He turned and belatedly returned the kiss on the cheek that Declyn had given him earlier.
"Give me a minute, I'll think of something."
He'd never had any idea that this place was here, tucked away out of sight from the main road. He wondered how Declyn had figured it out. Gardener's intuition, maybe. Myles hadn't expected anything like this, even when he'd thought about what they might get up to tonight.
"It's gorgeous," he breathed finally, then laughed a little again. "It's not fair. Your surprise totally blows mine out of the water." He turned and belatedly returned the kiss on the cheek that Declyn had given him earlier.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Declyn couldn't contain his smile and happily accepted the kiss. Since Myles's face was now close enough, he went for a quick peck on the lips. Not like they've never done it before. He leaned back, letting out a giggle, feeling more than relieved that Myles seemed to genuinly love it.
"I wouldn't say it blows yours. It's just.... different." He checked the vase. It was still safe and whole, maybe tilted a bit more to the left compared to before the drive. That's something he could fix later, after they were done here.
He nudged his chin towards the door on Myles' side while opening his, already stepping a foot out.
'It's even prettier outside. Let's go."
"I wouldn't say it blows yours. It's just.... different." He checked the vase. It was still safe and whole, maybe tilted a bit more to the left compared to before the drive. That's something he could fix later, after they were done here.
He nudged his chin towards the door on Myles' side while opening his, already stepping a foot out.
'It's even prettier outside. Let's go."
Myles fumbled with his seatbelt before finally getting it undone and opened his door to slide out of the car after Declyn. He rounded the front of the car to take Declyn's hand.
It was prettier up close. More than pretty. The sun wasn't quite setting yet, but it was low in the sky, and the breeze rustled the flowers and stirred up their scent. It was the kind of view made for postcards, but a picture would never do it justice.
"What did you have in mind?" Whatever else Declyn had planned, the view would already be committed to memory. It was hard to remember the last time Myles had been able to enjoy a moment that was just nice with no strings attached or hidden drama underneath it. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with the simple pleasure of being here.
It was prettier up close. More than pretty. The sun wasn't quite setting yet, but it was low in the sky, and the breeze rustled the flowers and stirred up their scent. It was the kind of view made for postcards, but a picture would never do it justice.
"What did you have in mind?" Whatever else Declyn had planned, the view would already be committed to memory. It was hard to remember the last time Myles had been able to enjoy a moment that was just nice with no strings attached or hidden drama underneath it. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet with the simple pleasure of being here.
"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."
Holding hands should be nothing and yet it was this exact move that often turned Declyn into a sheepish mess, even if it was just a matter of a couple of seconds of a process in his mind that he quickly dealt with by himself. It was fine. This was great. The view was great. Myles was great.
His hand was soft.
He took the opportunity and pulled the boy closer and into the mild waves of flowers that had been livened up by the breeze. The main goal had been achieved. Bringing him here, seeing what would happen. Everything else was pure improvisation.
"We can do whatever we want. They're all for you. Every single flower here is yours," he said, looking down while they were walking before he stopped. Enjoying a quiet moment before a big event was nice. "Aaaand your outfit deserves a nice accessory." He crouched down and had trouble identifying the blue flower that had caught his eye, but there was a red one with a gradient of yellow in the middle which suited Myles more. Declyn picked it carefully and straightened his legs, turning towards him.
His eyes wandered between Myles's left and right ear, eventually deciding it looked better on the left side. He put his hand on Myles's chest and tucked the flower into his hair into the gap between his hat and ear.
His hand was soft.
He took the opportunity and pulled the boy closer and into the mild waves of flowers that had been livened up by the breeze. The main goal had been achieved. Bringing him here, seeing what would happen. Everything else was pure improvisation.
"We can do whatever we want. They're all for you. Every single flower here is yours," he said, looking down while they were walking before he stopped. Enjoying a quiet moment before a big event was nice. "Aaaand your outfit deserves a nice accessory." He crouched down and had trouble identifying the blue flower that had caught his eye, but there was a red one with a gradient of yellow in the middle which suited Myles more. Declyn picked it carefully and straightened his legs, turning towards him.
His eyes wandered between Myles's left and right ear, eventually deciding it looked better on the left side. He put his hand on Myles's chest and tucked the flower into his hair into the gap between his hat and ear.