Chapter Text
It was one of those more tolerable summer days when the sun didn’t blare down spitefully onto every living being and make them boil in their own shells. It was a rare treat - one that wouldn’t last for long, most probably. And Slingshot wasted it sitting on the heated concrete of the skatepark, practically melting on it instead of living his best life somewhere out there in the shade. It was fine, though, because he finally got to hang out with his friend, and he was willing to make the sacrifice. They didn’t see each other too often. He couldn’t explain to himself why. Maybe it was some unfortunate coincidence. Either way, the piercing blue sky didn’t seem as harsh on his eyes when he was with him. He peered up at Skateboard who landed right next to him after some trick he hadn’t really been paying attention to, and he quite literally dedicated his whole being to soaking up the cool comfort his shadow offered.
“Did ya see that? Pretty rad, right?”
“Whatever you say, man.”
“Aw, c’mon, you weren’t even watching. Where’s your head at?”
“You claim to have done something cool every time I’m not looking. Now, aren’t you a poser…”
“Poser?! I ain’t no poser, excuse you. Actually look this time and you’ll see.”
Slingshot rolled his eyes as the other positioned his board on the edge of the ramp, the back of the wheels up against the surface. Now, he was no expert, but he had a hunch that wasn’t the right way to do it. But the other was so excited to rush and show him what he was capable of that he barely even stopped to consider what he was doing, and he ended up tripping and rolling down the searing hot concrete. With a snort of amusement, the cat-horned inphernal leaned over the edge and snapped a picture of his friend lying on the ground in defeat.
“I think this is proof enough you’re a poser.”
“Deny, deny, deny!”
Skate groaned in playful exasperation as he forced himself to his feet and lazily crawled to where his friend was. Seeing him scroll through his phone, he tipped forward to take a peek only to have him hide the screen away.
“What’s so interesting that you pay no attention to me?” He raised a brow in suspicious curiosity, reaching out to grab hold of his device. “C’mon, show me! It can’t be any better than I am.”
“Agh, stop that!” Sling feebly kicked at him in an attempt to shoo him away, but it never really worked. He was too persistent, and the two spent a while wrestling lightheartedly. They aimed for each other’s wrists and poked at their sides, one scrambling away while the chased after.
“You’re here to see me, Sling, not that stupid thing, yeah?” He said through little pauses as he lightly struck at his friend.
“Of course… I was literally on it for a second!” He scowled, a bit embarrassed, breathy, and guilty. For what seemed like a long few moments, he observed Skate carefully. He’d noticed his awkward stance - maybe he was still sore from the fall. It left him a bit concerned. The bright sun and the terrible heat didn’t bother him all that much now, weirdly enough.
“Does it hurt?”
“Pretty much. But it’ll be fiiine, it’s not my first fall.” Skate waved his worry off with a relaxed gesture of his hand and dragged himself down the ramp again so he could reach his board. The other only gave a short hum in response and glanced up to gaze at the other people cruising around the park. His attention snapped back to his friend once he heaved himself back up to sit next to him with his legs criss-crossed, and placed his backpack on his lap, beginning to rummage through it. He took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, offering one to him out of habit. Slingshot shook his head and watched him light it after a few sparks.
“Isn’t this unhealthy?”
“Well, yeah. But, y’know, the more you think about it, the faster you gon’ die.”
Slingshot furrowed his brows in confusion at that statement.
“I don’t get it.”
“There’s this, like, psychology thingy, you’ve definitely heard of it.” He paused to take a drag. “If you really keep dwellin’ on something and believing it, then it eventually happens.”
“I think that’s superstition.”
“No, dude, it literally ain’t. If you really gaslight yourself into believing somethin’...”
“So, you’re saying that if, for example, I really wanna be a billionaire, and I put my mind to it and think about it every waking moment, it’s gonna happen?”
Skate just then realized how silly and unfinished it sounded out loud.
“Um, Yeah? …Maybe. I dunno. Okay, it’s actions too, I guess, but you get the idea.” He twiddled his fingers in embarrassment before quickly hopping onto the next topic.
Slingshot didn’t really pay much mind to what he said. His friend often went on little rants and long stories with no particular point or meaningful ending. He really kind of just sat there and watched him spew out words excitedly, waving his arms around and making all kinds of hand gestures as if they somehow gave more purpose to his words. Weirdly enough, he found himself admiring him.
It was something he’d been thinking about a bit too much the past few weeks. He liked Skate, he really did - maybe even a bit too much. But at the same time, though, did he really? They were aligned, that’s what he told himself. Aligned the same way two pendulums did after a while of swinging together. Nonetheless, they were two separate things, each with their own intricacies and motives. His friend hopped from topic to topic the same way he dropped from feeling to feeling. Maybe he wanted more, maybe he didn’t, either way it made him feel incredibly weird. Actually, if he was so unsure, then maybe it simply wasn’t the right thing. Would it be better if he just dropped it?
The sudden mention of something unusual shattered his little thought bubble and pulled his attention to his friend’s words awfully tightly. He’d mentioned someone else. Someone new who had caught his eye and made him feel all fluttery and light. For some reason, that felt like a punch to the gut. What the hell? Sling couldn’t help it, something within him all but forced him to ask more questions.
“You just met them?”
“Well, it’s been a few weeks, probably.” Skateboard shrugged as he ashed his cigarette on the ground. The other blinked in surprise.
“And to think you haven’t told me… I feel hurt, man.” Despite the weird and suffocating feeling in his chest, he managed to force himself to come off as teasing.
“Heh, my bad. You know now, though.”
“Okay, and…” He paused for a second. “I don’t know their name.”
“Boomerang.”
The name felt awful on his tongue. “Right, so, Boomerang. What are they like?”
Slingshot immediately regretted that question. It provoked a whole new unskippable monologue of amazed exclamations and recounts of pointless little details the skater’s delusional self found important. The glimmer in his eyes felt like a full-blown fire, ready to consume the other for the worst. He could feel himself shifting away little by little, fiddling with the laces of his shoes and constantly readjusting and dusting off his clothes as if they needed fixing. Skate kept on distractedly yapping on and on, playing around with his busted lighter and eventually shoving it back into his pocket.
“...So, either way,” he finally finished up “I think I’ve got a chance.” He was all breathless and wide-eyed from going on for so long, and he quickly readjusted his helmet before grabbing his board and sliding down the ramp. Slingshot stared at him in silence, a shadow of conflict falling over his eyes. He aimed his gaze down in thought at the ground as he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.