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"It's been an awfully long day, hasn't it?" Barley yawned, stretched his arms above his head, and almost knocked off his beanie. He'd already taken off his arm bands and vest, since it was getting late and he didn't want to deal with all of that when he got tired.
Originally, they had planned on going camping outside for a few days, but decided to sleep in the car because of the bad weather. Sleeping in a car at the side of small roads wasn’t too bad. It was surprisingly comfortable, even with the sound of rain hammering against the car almost constantly. At least the scenery was pretty. The forest seemed to stretch on and continue forever, and the only light at night would be the two moons in the sky.
"Now that you mention it, I'm getting kinda tired…" Ian crossed his arms behind his head, pushed back his seat, and kicked his legs onto the dashboard. The car was turned off, so he didn't have to worry about hitting any buttons or switches.
"Well, nothing's stopping you from sleeping."
"Except the fucking rain. And you."
"Good point," Barley muttered absentmindedly as he collected a bundle of blankets from the back seats. When he realized what Ian had said, he immediately stopped in his tracks. "Wait, I don't keep you awake!"
"Remember last night?"
A dark blush immediately made its way across Barley's face. He threw the whole bundle of blankets at Ian, burying him in several layers of soft fabric. "Oh shut up!" You wanted to do it as much as I did.
It took a moment for Ian to get out of the very soft prison he'd been trapped in, and when he did, he saw Barley's face and burst out laughing. By the time he regained his composure, Barley had calmed down, but his face was still a dark blue. The sight of his brother's flustered face made Ian laugh even harder.
Barley got so embarrassed by the whole situation, he didn't notice Ian getting back up. He was brought back into reality when he felt a pair of soft lips press against his own. It took a moment for him to realize what was happening, but when he did, he gladly returned the gesture. After a moment, Ian was the one to break the kiss. Before Barley could say anything, Ian wrapped his arms around his brother's torso.
"I love you so much, you big goofball."
"I love you too," Barley muttered, pulling Ian closer with one hand and ruffling his curly blue hair with the other. All he got from that was a smile and a joking "fuck off".
They stayed like that for a few minutes, listening to the rain outside in a comfortable silence. At one point, Barley realized that Ian had fallen asleep. Unsure of what to do, he decided against trying to move Ian back to his seat. So, he pushed back his own seat.
Somehow, he managed to get himself and his sleeping brother into a comfortable position, letting out a sigh of relief at the fact he didn't wake up Ian in the process. He even managed to reach one of the blankets and cover them both with it, surprised at the fact that he didn’t wake up Ian while doing so. It didn't take long for him to be sound asleep too.
The next day, Barley was the first to wake up. He had tried to get up, but quickly realized there was someone lying on top of him. It only took him a few seconds to recollect the memories of the day before. As he did, he felt himself smile. It felt wonderful. He and Ian were the only two people out there. No one to interrupt, no one to judge. They could just be happy. And they were. Barley dreaded the idea of having to go home. The last few weeks, he'd felt so, so lonely. He'd been horribly busy, and so had Ian. The closest they would ever get was holding hands for a moment, or a quick kiss.
He could feel his heart ache at the thought. For the last few days, he'd gotten so used to being able to express his love for Ian whenever he wanted. Back at home, in New Mushroomton? No way. The weather almost seemed to reflect his mood. It was raining buckets almost all the time. His mind started spiraling out of control, and before he knew it, he was crying. Ian was still peacefully asleep on top of him, so he tried to stay silent. He tried so hard, he even bit his tongue to keep the noise down. But his whole body shook so hard, and tears slowly made their way down his cheeks onto Ian’s hair.
Ian felt dizzy when he woke up. He'd been woken by Barley shaking under him, but he wasn't awake enough to process the situation. The only thing he knew was that something was wrong. Otherwise, Barley wouldn't be shaking like that. Ian's first reaction was to get off of his brother. It was a bit more difficult than it should've been, but he was still half asleep, groggy, and had no clue what was going on.
"Barley?" He asked, frowning. When he didn't get a response, he tried again. "Barley?"
After a few seconds, he heard Barley mumble something. He was still shaking, but he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and hiding his face in his hands. It didn't help much, and his crying was getting louder.
"I don't- don't want to g-go home." He muttered between sobs, pulling at his hair. His beanie had fallen off while he was sleeping, and his hair was an absolute mess.
It took a moment, but Ian quickly realized what he meant. And then, it hit him like a train. They would have to go home at one point. That realization combined with his not-yet awake mind sent him into a slight panic. No, no, no, there's no time to freak out.
"Hey, Barley, look at me," he tried. It didn't work. If anything, Barley just cried even harder. Warm tears were running down his cheeks and he sounded like he was in physical pain. "Barley, please, look at me."
After a few more seconds of crying, Barley took a deep breath and looked up at his brother. Tears were still rolling down his cheeks, and his breath was uneven. Ian was just happy to get a reaction at all. The only problem was that he had no idea what to say.
"I-I get what you mean. The idea of having to go home is… scary. But we'll figure it out when the time comes, okay? We wouldn't want to waste our limited time here, right?" That was so terrible.
To Ian's surprise, it seemed to have worked. Barley gave a soft nod, then seemed to just doze off. At first, Ian was pretty confused, but he then realized that all the crying must've been exhausting. They probably hadn't even slept for that long to begin with. So, he gently pushed Barley back into his seat, put the blanket over him, and kissed him goodnight.
Ian felt much better after the whole ordeal. He couldn't fall asleep again, so he ended up staring out of the windows. There wasn't much to see. Occasionally, a bird would fly by, but most animals stayed inside because of the rain. After a while, he started getting bored. So, he reached into the glove compartment and grabbed the lighter he'd brought. He spent a good hour or so turning it on and off, just staring at the tiny flame. It was quite relaxing.
When he started feeling sleepy, he put the lighter back into the glove compartment. He leaned back into his seat, feeling a wave of happiness rushing over him. Despite the terrible weather, the last few days had been wonderful.
A sudden bolt of lightning and the booming sound of thunder made both of them jump in their seats. Barley was especially startled, considering he'd been asleep. It had been raining for the last few days, sure, but this was the first time there had been any signs of a thunderstorm.
"I don't know if it's a good idea to stay in the car during a thunderstorm," Ian frowned, still a bit put off by the sudden sound. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out a map. It took a moment to open it properly, but he managed. "The map says there’s a campsite with shelters nearby. I don’t think anyone’s using it, considering the weather."
Barley thought about it for a moment. It would probably be safer, but they would have to go outside in the pouring rain and probably walk for a bit. He had a few towels and blankets in the back of the car, so it shouldn't be that big of an issue. Plus, getting hit by lightning wasn't exactly on his top ten "things I want to happen today" list. He gave Ian a quick kiss before opening the door and getting out.
While he went to the back to get towels and blankets, Ian grabbed a few things and put them in a plastic bag. Some of their food, a few water bottles, his lighter, etc. Barley couldn’t be bothered folding the blankets or towels, so he carried them in a big bundle in his arms. It made it harder to see anything in front of him, but it didn’t matter much, considering it was already pitch black outside. He’d just have to rely on Ian keeping an eye out for him.
After locking the car, they both made their way down a narrow path towards the campsite. Well, ‘path’ might’ve been an exaggeration. Different weeds and plants would occasionally get in the way, and the whole path was bumpy. It was hard to navigate, but the occasional lightning flashes made it easier to see. At one point, Ian’s ankle got caught in something, and all Barley could hear was a thump and a long string of curses. After a few seconds, Ian got back up and continued walking, muttering something along the lines of “stupid fucking plant.” Behind the mountain of fabric, Barley couldn't help but chuckle.
"Language."
"Oh shut up, you big goofball."
This only made him laugh harder, and he could hear Ian laughing too.
"I can see the corner of one of the shelters. We're almost there," Ian pointed out. "Finally."
By the time they got inside the shelter, they were soaked and muddy. Their shoes were more like bathtubs than footwear, and it was pretty damn cold. Luckily, the shelter was decently big, even if they could only just sit with their backs straight without hitting the roof. If they were careful, it was easy enough to move around in there.
Before they did anything else, Barley made sure to squeeze as much water out of the towels and blankets as possible. When he'd done that, he laid the blankets flat on one half of the floor to let them dry a little more. In the meantime, Ian took off his muddy jeans and hung them on the outside of the shelter, hoping that the rain could get the worst of the mud out. When he did, he noticed that his sleeves had gotten muddy too. So, with a sigh, he hung his shirt next to the jeans.
When he crawled back into the shelter, Barley was sitting in the corner by the drying blankets, wearing nothing but boxer shorts, drying himself with one of the towels. Realizing that he should probably dry himself too, Ian sat down on the edge of the shelter, took off his undershirt, and grabbed a towel. By the time he was done and turned back around, Barley was in the other corner, lying on his stomach on top of the blankets, already half-asleep. It took a second, but Ian realized that Barley had taken all the blankets.
"Give me some of the blankets, you dick."
"Come take one yourself…" Barley mumbled.
With an annoyed groan, Ian moved closer, grabbed the corner of one of the blankets, and pulled as hard as he could. The blanket didn't move, and Ian could hear Barley laughing silently, even if he was trying to hide it. After a few more tries, he felt himself being pulled onto the pile of blankets. He soon found himself pinned against the soft fabric under them, with Barley straddling his hips. His brother was smiling down at him with his dumb, happy smile. Ian absolutely adored it.
"You were just waiting for another opportunity like this, weren't you?"
"Definitely."
"You're such a loser."
"Yeah, but I'm your loser."