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" Do you trust me? " Barney had asked him. " You can say no. "
Of course Gordon trusts him, they've been friends for most of the semester now. Gordon easily considers Barney his closest friend, one of the closest he's had in a long time.
He begins to wonder what brought the question about as they drive past the last few buildings at the edge of town, though.
His worried expression turns from the window to the smiling man in the driver's seat of the old pickup truck.
Barney catches it, reaching over to gently squeeze his knee. "Hey, relax, Gordy. I wanted to surprise ya a little, but I don't wanna spook ya. I just figured we'd get away for a little while, you've been awful stressed lately. Figured this might help you relax, ya know? We're goin' stargazin', I know it helps me clear my head."
Gordon seems to brighten up at that, nodding. They're out of town by now.
"Well, I'm glad you're into it." Barney chuckles. "I dunno what I woulda done if ya told me no." His hand finally leaves Gordon's knee, hovering over the dial for the stereo. "Is it okay if I turn on some music? Might be a bit of a drive. An’ don’t worry your pretty little head, I’ll get ya back in time to get some sleep. I know ya got a morning lecture."
Once again, Gordon nods, and the radio clicks on, the sound of a hard rock band coming through the speakers.
"It's a new album I just got my hands on, but feel free to switch to radio if ya don't like it. Won't hurt me none if ya do." As Barney falls quiet again, he starts to tap the steering wheel in time with the beats of the song.
Gordon finds he doesn't mind the music at all, even if it isn't something he would normally listen to.
When the CD finally ends an hour later, Barney's already turned the truck off of the main road with a warning of, "hang on to somethin’". The sun is completely down by then, too, the narrow road illuminated only by the headlights.
At first, Gordon is confused, then the wheels hit dirt, making the cabin start to shake and rumble. His hand shoots up to grip the handle above the window, a small whine slipping out of him. He doesn’t think Barney heard it over the rumble of the truck on dirt, though. Which is good.
And twenty minutes after that, the truck finally comes to a stop, Gordon’s head rining slightly from the vibrations. Barney, however, seems unfazed, killing most of the power to the car. He leaves the radio on, but switches it to a country station, keeping the volume low. He thinks about something for a moment, then flicks the cabin light on so it’ll stay.
“C’mon, this is our stop!” He chirps, hopping down out of the truck.
Gordon follows a bit more slowly, looking around them. He shivers, the night air a little colder than he had expected it to be. There’s nothing but desert, and in the very distance, the dim lights of the town they left behind. Aside from that, there’s only the dark sky showing the even darker outline of the hills. That, and the already numerous visible stars. When he hears the thunk of the tailgate dropping, Gordon rounds the back of the vehicle, watching Barney climb up ahead of him. The bed of the truck, as it turns out, is currently thickly padded with quilts.
The cowboy pats the space next to him once he’s settled down. “C’mon, there’s room. I made sure it was comfortable too, finally got a use for all those quilts ma makes me. They’re nice ‘n all, but damn… I don’t got room for ‘em!” He chuckles.
Gordon smiles at that, pulling himself up into the bed of the truck too. Barney’s right; it’s very comfortable. He settles himself next to the man, a few inches away, and registers that the cabin light is on so he can see Gordon’s signs. [This was a nice idea, you know.]
Barney grins that lop-sided grin of his. “You think? I’m glad, really. It’ll be a bit before the stars really start showin’ up, but I figured you wouldn’t mind hangin’ out some.”
[Of course I don’t mind. You’re good company.] Gordon agrees.
“Well, I sure am happy to hear that.” Barney leans back on his elbows, stretching out. “Hey… I know you’re studyin’ physics, but do ya happen to know a lot about space?”
Almost instantly, Gordon brightens. [I almost went into astrophysics instead of theoretical and applied. I really like space, I always have.]
Barney squints at him slightly, tilting his head. “I caught that ya like space. Didn’t understand most’a that, sorry, darlin’.”
Darlin’. Did Barney know he just said that? Gordon hopes not, because his face is heating up, emphasizing how cold his cheeks and nose have gotten already.
Luckily, Barney’s gaze goes back to the sky before he notices. “I’ve always liked bein’ able to come out at night and look at the stars. Back home, we have enough land that there’s nobody for quite a few miles, really lets ya get away from Earth for a bit, ya know?” He chuckles to himself, recalling a memory. “My room was upstairs, window opened right up onto the roof. Great place to get a look at the stars, better than this, even. But hey, look! You can still kinda see the Milky Way from here!” He points, and Gordon follows his finger. Sure enough, there’s a strip starting to show above them, slightly blue and silver, and incredibly clear.
As he sits there starting to shiver, Gordon thinks about how nice it would be to get a telescope out here, how much he could note down and monitor.
His train of thought it momentarily derailed as Barney sits up, reaching through a small window in the back of the truck to turn off the cabin light. Everything in the sky is suddenly much clearer. “Sorry Gordy, I just thought it would help.” He explains, and Gordon finds his leg to pat it reassuringly. “Hey, you okay? You’re shiverin’.”
Is it really that noticeable? He shrugs, only to have a heavy arm fall around his shoulders and pull him close to Barney’s chest. He’s warm, almost radiating heat as he drops back to lay down fully with Gordon pressed against his side. For a long moment, Gordon’s entire body goes ridged, before he lets himself relax. Barney wouldn’t have done it if it made him uncomfortable, and he can still see the sky from here.
There’s a comfortable silence between them for a few minutes, Barney speaking up again in a hushed tone. “Y’know… I uh… There was another reason I brought ya out here. Besides, uhh… wantin’ to help ya relax.”
Gordon lifts his head slightly, glancing up at Barney in the lowlight.
“I… meant this… kinda as a date.” The cowboy states, clearly wanting to just get explaining over with. “You’re a real sweet fella, Gordon. You’re a little dorky, an’ clueless, but you’re so damn smart and kind… ya got all these interests and god, I wanna hear you talk about ‘em all, that’s why I’ve been tryin’ so hard to learn more words, you know…? So I can better understand the things you like.”
Before Gordon can sit up to face him, Barney shifts to leave him laying flat on the quilts. Barney props himself on one elbow, practically hovering over the smaller man. Gordon feels his face heating up again, and tears welling in his eyes. He wishes then he had the words to be able to tell Barney just how much something like that means to him, how no one’s ever done that for him before, but… He can’t. Physically, he cannot. He settles for gently holding Barney’s face in both hands, feeling the very start of stubble under his palms. He rubs at it affectionately, hoping that his own wordless message gets across.
“Well… you haven’t run away from me yet, I take that as a good sign.” Barney laughs, leaning down closer to Gordon’s face. “Y’know, like this, it’s like you’ve got the universe in your eyes. I really could just get lost in it, drift out with you among the stars…”
Gordon, damning himself, can’t stop himself from snorting.
Barney only laughs again. “What, too cheesy? Aight, I’ll dial it back.” His other arm comes to rest next to Gordon, practically pinning him in. It’s surprisingly comfortable. “How about I uh… just kiss you instead? That be okay?”
An enthusiastic nod is all Gordon can manage at that, earning another small laugh from the man above him. Barney’s heat presses in closer, warm lips pressing against his. He can feel the difference of how cold his nose is pressed against Barney’s cheek, pulling him in further as a result. His eyes close easily, his mind melting just enough so that everything is drowned from it except for Barney and the soft, melodic music over the radio. Gordon can only hope Barney can’t tell it’s his first kiss, but at least it’s a damn near perfect one, in his opinion.
By the time they get back into town, it’s nearly three in the morning. Gordon’s head rests on his boyfriend’s thigh as they drive along, the man curled up on the bench seat of the truck. He’s fast asleep, and a little roughed up. He’s smiling, though, and Barney can safely say that’s one of his favorite sights. He wants to see it more.
Gordon did not make it to his morning lecture.