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The sun was still lingering in the sky when Raine tightened the straps on her satchel and glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming, or are you planning to melt into the trailhead and become part of the scenery?”
Behind her, Zelos groaned dramatically and adjusted the sleeves of his shirt for the third time. “I just think it’s worth revisiting the fact that I was not consulted before being enrolled in this nature death march.”
“It’s a well-marked trail. It’s not even steep.”
“It’s uphill.”
The woman exhaled slowly through her nose and resumed walking. “It’s Earth Day. I’m doing my part by spending time in nature and not throttling you.”
“See, that was almost romantic until the threat of violence.”
“You’re lucky that’s the only threat so far.”
Still grumbling, the redhead trailed after her, kicking at a loose pebble with the toe of his shoe. He was dressed too nicely for a hike, as always– white linen pants, open-collared shirt, and a faint scent of his favorite cologne trailing behind him like perfume in a meadow. At least he’d swapped his usual loafers for something slightly closer to hiking boots. Progress, she supposed.
They continued in companionable silence for a while, the path winding upward through wild grass and spring trees just beginning to fill out with fresh leaves. Somewhere nearby, birds chirped brightly, the rustle of life threading through the evening air.
“...So what exactly are we doing up here again?” Zelos asked eventually, a little breathless.
“Appreciating nature. Remembering that the planet is something we rely on, and that it won’t keep giving forever if we don’t treat it with the respect it deserves.”
“Right, right. Deep thoughts with Professor Sage. ”
“I thought you liked it when I talked about things that matter.”
“I do, ” he said quickly, so quickly that it made her glance at him over her shoulder. He cleared his throat and looked off into the trees. “I just thought Earth Day would involve… I don’t know. Flowers. A picnic. Something with a blanket.”
“Should I have baked you a cake shaped like the planet?”
“Usually, I wouldn’t say no. But coming from you? I’d worry about it being carcinogenic.”
Raine huffed a laugh and increased her pace as they approached a particularly steep incline in the path. Usually she would have taken the bait he’d thrown and defended herself, but she wasn’t about to let anything tarnish her good mood and her little Earth Day hike tradition. Not his complaining, not his antics, and especially not the high-pitched squeal that escaped him as a squirrel darted out in front of him.
“Get away from me, you nut-muncher! I’m not insured for woodland ambushes!”
The half-elf looked him up and down incredulously, “I’m not insured at all. Do you see me complaining?”
He had the decency to look somewhat bashful.
The shadows were lengthening now, golden light spilling between the foliage in slanted lines. As they rounded a bend, the trees thickened slightly around them as the trail narrowed into a more rugged slope, and Zelos noticed her posture shift– more thoughtful now, less hurried.
“You’ve been here before,” he observed.
She nodded, coming to a stop near a patch of blooming wildflowers and crouching down to inspect them. “It’s one of my favorite spots. I like to come up here to think or to study. In a sense, it feels like getting away from everything and resetting yourself.”
He didn’t say anything in response to that, but instead leaned against a nearby tree to catch his breath as he watched her pull out a small field journal and begin scribbling something down. “Are you seriously documenting this hike?”
“These flowers aren’t normally in bloom this early. It’s worth noting.”
“I’m dying on a mountain trail in the middle of the night, and she’s writing about flowers. Incredible.”
“It’s evening, and you’re not dying. Your legs are just being forced to do something other than lounge across expensive furniture.”
“Oh, that is such a low blow,” he said, clutching his chest. “I’ll have you know my chaise lounge misses me dearly.”
Despite herself, Raine smirked.
She lingered at the flowers a moment longer, tucking her pencil behind her ear before straightening again. “You don’t have to come with me when I do things like this, you know. I won’t be offended.”
Zelos blinked, then shook his head. “No way. If I didn’t come, I wouldn’t get to hear your cute lecture voice. Or see you crouch in the dirt like a scientist from an adventure novel.”
She gave him a look. “I could make do without the commentary from the peanut gallery, I’ll have you know.”
“It comes with the ‘Zelos Wilder is my boyfriend’ package that you signed up for!”
“Oh, Goddess. Remind me to cancel that subscription, please.”
“Hey! You can’t get rid of me that easily!”
“Considering how out of shape you’ve gotten? Shouldn’t be that hard at all.”
“You are so cold.”
“You can’t deny that I’m right.”
They crested the final slope, Raine’s pace steady and determined, Zelos’ considerably less so. But even he stopped complaining the moment the trees gave way to open sky.
The lookout point was small but perfectly placed– an outcropping of stone overlooking the vast forest canopy below. From this height, the world stretched endlessly in every direction, bathed in warm golden light.
The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, setting the sky ablaze in shades of orange, pink, and soft lavender. Long streaks of light painted the clouds like brushstrokes, and the treetops glowed as if lit from within.
Raine stepped forward wordlessly, making her way to the overlook’s ledge and settling her arms on the sturdy stone as she let her gaze wander across the landscape. The air smelled different up here— cleaner, sharper, laced with pine and the faint scent of earth still holding onto the day’s warmth.
Pulling out her journal once more, she scribbled a quick note on the clarity of the air and the colors of the sky, annotating the way the light diffused across the treetops like a watercolor wash. She paused mid-sentence, feeling a shift beside her as Zelos leaned in, mirroring her posture with a soft exhale.
“…Okay,” he murmured breathily, as if the wind had been stolen from his lungs. “I get it now.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
“It’s beautiful,” he added, almost to himself. “Like… stupidly beautiful. I can see why you come up here— you fit right in.”
She blinked at the comment, caught off guard not by the words themselves, but by how quietly they’d been delivered— earnest and unadorned. No wink, no grin. Just him, watching her like she was somehow part of the scenery he’d complimented.
“Careful,” she murmured, eyes still on the horizon. “You’re starting to sound sincere.”
“Terrifying, isn’t it?” he whispered, but there was a lilt to it—soft, playful, almost reverent. “Don’t worry. I’ll say something stupid again in a minute. Balance the scales.”
Raine hummed in amusement, allowing the quiet to settle once more between them.
And, true to his word—
“…Soooooo. It’s gonna start getting dark real soon.”
She sighed.
“I’m just saying, if I trip on a root and fall dramatically to my death, that’s on you. My tombstone’s gonna say ‘Died on Earth Day. Wanted to be indoors.’”
“Zelos.”
“I’m not made for this kind of exertion, babe. My natural habitat is luxury. Carpets. Soft lighting. Wine.”
“You probably had wine last night.”
“I did. I miss it.”
“Of course you do.”
Raine turned to start back down the trail, already anticipating his next complaint, but paused when she noticed he hadn’t moved.
He was still staring at the scenery around them, the light catching in his hair, casting a soft halo of gold around him. There was something unusually still about him– unshielded, almost quiet in the way he rarely ever allowed himself to be.
She hesitated… then reached for his hand.
Zelos blinked, surprised by the contact, and looked over just as her fingers laced gently with his.
“I’m glad you came with me,” she said softly. “Even if you did complain the entire time.”
He softened immediately, lips curving into something more subdued than his usual smirk. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Me too.”
They stood there a second longer, then Raine gave his hand a gentle tug.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back before you start crying.”
“Too late,” Zelos sniffled dramatically, letting her lead the way. “My feet are already filing a grievance.”
“Then I’ll be sure to give them a proper eulogy.”
He only grinned.
The sun continued to sink behind the trees as they disappeared down the trail, hand in hand, their laughter trailing behind them like birdsong in the dusk.