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Shigeo presses his face lightly into the fabric of his boyfriend's jacket, he is gripping him rather tightly from behind as to steady himself. The nylon fabric is a little different than what he's used to, his face slides down slightly as he digs further into the embrace, and he can feel the slow expanding of Teru's ribcage as his back steadily rises and falls. He wishes that he had packed Teru's hoodie instead of this weird feeling windbreaker, but since they were going to be in a windy place that weekend, his practicality had won over his emotions as it always was when he packed. Still. He regrets it. At least teru is warm, and that makes him feel a little better.
They are standing on the side of a narrow highway on a small overlook, the valley sprawls out in front of them, the last traces of morning fog still lingering in between the trees and dips. Shigeo has gotten over most of his motion sickness problems over the years, when he’s the one driving he usually has no issues, however, the winding mountain switchbacks had still proven to be too much for him in large doses. They had pulled over because he’d been beginning to feel faint, and because teru had insisted. Shigeo knew that he would have been stubborn enough to try and pull through it somehow had he been on his own, but he had been glad, at that moment, for his boyfriend’s attentiveness.
He feels teru tighten the grip on his arms slightly and hears him sigh, “well you stopped at a good place. It really is gorgeous out here.” he turns his head so that he can catch a glimpse of Shigeo, who is only slightly taller than him, but Shigeo still has his face at an uncomfortable angle buried in his back. He chuckles softly, “still feeling nauseous, huh?”
Shigeo nods and releases a small groan from the back of his throat, he knows that teru can’t see his nod, but he definitely knows that he felt it. He can practically feel teru’s apologetic smile even though he can’t see it either. He knows that smile all too well...he really wishes he could look at it, but the queasy feeling in his stomach would probably end up all too overwhelming if he raised his head. Instead, he just stands there, the chilly air nipping at his exposed neck, but the rest of him, warm, bathed in the sunlight that it’s holding. He feels a smile form on his face, he may feel sick, but that doesn’t erase the fact that they are here. On this adventure together. He feels Teru's grip on his arms adjust once more and leans a bit more of his weight into him, he is grateful. So, so grateful.
“Do you want me to describe it to you?” he hears Teru ask, his voice calm and low.
“Describe what?”
“The scenery. I know you can’t wait to get a look at it with your camera, but I'd love to describe it to you while you’re not feeling great. I don’t know. Let me be romantic.” this time it is Shigeo who lets out a soft chuckle, he opens his eyes slightly, a drab view of his weathered sneakers and the black asphalt fades into his vision, it makes his stomach drop a little and he snaps them shut once more. It’ll be at least 5 minutes , he thinks, before I'm able to look at anything again.
“Please do,” he says, he can feel Teru's breathing become a little more excited.
“Okay... let's see,” teru takes a large inhale, “it’s huge, the countryside goes on so far it’s hard to know where it ends. As it gets further and further away, it’s as though the hills begin fading into the ground,” teru pauses to let Shigeo gather a mental image, but all Shigeo can picture is a vast sprawling plain, not a mountain valley, however, he knows teru is still painting the picture, and he continues.
“From here there is a steep drop into the valley, there are pine trees lining the road and the mountainside as it dips. The sunlight is just starting to come out over the eastern peak and it makes the fog look like...oh what’s the word.” teru pauses again and lets a small hum pass through his vocal cords. The feeling of the vibration from his voice tickles Shigeo's face and he has to suppress a giggle to stop it from making him feel even more nauseous. “Oh of all the days to forget my words it has to be right now...oh wait!” he stands up a little bit more and Shigeo moves along with him, it doesn’t make him queasy, to his surprise. “It makes it look like..liquid silver.”
“Oooo,” Shigeo really wishes he could open his eyes to see, as the mental image having formed in his mind was much more well rounded. It really did sound gorgeous.
“There isn’t a building in sight. Just nature. As far as the eye can see.” teru sighs another time, and Shigeo hears a car pass behind them, he is startled for an instant and part of the image melts away. “Ah you know, save for the occasional car,” he giggles. His boyfriend’s laugh is enough to make the image come back in full force. Shigeo can feel his face flush with warmth.
Wow, that was cheesy , he says to himself, nuzzling Teru's back a little bit. The small motion of his head doesn’t make him feel sicker, and he wonders if opening his eyes would be a bad idea. He can’t think of how long it has been, he’s been much too distracted, which he is rather grateful for. Once again, Teru's attentiveness wins the day.
“Ah, Shigeo, it’s been a good while. I bet you could open your eyes and move around without a problem now,” teru says gently, and lifts his arms off of Shigeo's, patting one of his hands. He begins to pry Shigeo's arms off as carefully as he possibly can, turning his body in Shigeo's direction. Shigeo has to lift his head up to accommodate him, but he’s still a bit anxious about opening his eyes, there’s just so much to see , he thinks, biting his lip. He feels Teru's hands cup his face and his fingers run slightly into his overgrown undercut. He leans the weight of his head into them, those soft hands that he loves so much.
“You don’t have to look at anything but me at first if that’s what you’re nervous about. Just focus on me, then the other things will be easier to look at. Sound good?” teru says. Shigeo nods slowly, clenching his eyes shut a little more before he decides to open them. When he does, he does exactly as teru suggests. He doesn’t make direct eye contact but instead trains his eyes on one of Teru’s freckles on the bridge of his nose. Teru giggles, “you know you’re allowed to look at my eyes you know. I know you don’t do it often but I promise it doesn’t make me feel like my space is being invaded,” Shigeo blinks a few times in surprise, he still isn’t quite as comfortable with looking people in the eye as he’d like to be, but teru was usually the exception. He loves the shade of blue his eyes are, and the soft way they look reserved only for him. He locks eyes with teru and gulps audibly. He can see the edges of them crinkle a little as teru smiles.
“That wasn’t too hard now was it.” teru whispers and tilts his head slightly, Shigeo thinks this is the gentlest look he’s ever given him, but he knows better, there will be softer looks than this, later on, ones he won’t expect just as much as now. He smiles and places a small kiss on his boyfriend's forehead, closing his eyes briefly as he does. He opens them again and his jaw drops slightly as he sees the view. Teru’s words were an apt description, but nothing compared to the actual view. It was breathtaking.
“Wow...”
“See? I told you it’s gorgeous out here. I can’t believe we get to camp out here it’s like something from a dream,” teru turns again to face the valley and Shigeo slides his hands right above his hips. He is glad he no longer has to cling for dear life to his boyfriend to avoid toppling over, still, he wants him closer. He wraps his arms around Teru's waist once more and places his chin into the nook between his neck and shoulder. Each lean their head into the other’s, and they stand there for a few minutes, breathing in the thin, crisp air, basking in the morning sun that has slipped out fully from the eastern peaks. Shigeo is so grateful for this. So, so grateful.