Butterflies ; boyxboy

xv

/ / Chapter Fifteen: A Pretty Little Picnic / /

Ariel drove with his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly, fuelled by the stress that had settled over his frame like tightly fitting cling film. Excitement occasionally burbled up like a languid stream deep in his stomach. The source was Kace's pretty, greyish blue-eyed face, seemingly imprinted on the back of Ariel's eyelids. It switched from giggling at something Ariel said to scoffing and snapping that he regretted ever asking the older boy out. Though imaginary, the pale faces had the ability to wildly twist Ariel's emotions.

Soon, he was pulling into Kace's driveway. After a momentary pause to debate whether he should go to the door and knock or just text Kace, the brunette was prancing outside. A half-smile was settled upon naturally pink lips as moved, gold sunglasses perched on his pretty nose. In preparation for their picnic and outdoor movie date, Kace carried a black backpack with a white and light blue blanket protruding from the top.

"Hi!" the lanky boy greeted as he slid into the car. Smiling cheerily, Kace buckled in and loosely dropped his tumbler into the drink holder. "You look beautiful, babe." Ariel wore ripped, black jeans and a thin sweater that looked like it belonged on someone twice his size.

Resisting the ingrained urge to respond harshly or grumpily, Ariel struggled to find words. A long while back, he'd built up solid walls that separated him from his feelings for Kace. Bricks made of irritated retorts and a tone of annoyance separated Ariel from schoolgirl blushes and fond words. They had allowed him to go throughout his day without losing his mind every time Kace passed, allowed him to ignore the frustration due to an unfulfilled desire to be with his crush. Ariel was still too scared to completely obliterate them, knowing the failure of this date meant the complete loss of Kace. Instead, he built a window.

"So do you," the year eleven replied. Kace was clad in denim short-shorts that reached up to fit right beneath his belly button, showcasing long, lithe legs. Along with that, the boy wore a flowing white top that was cropped just enough to leave a thin slice of his stomach exposed.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Kace leaned across the centre console and dropped a kiss on Ariel's cheek. A window wasn't enough to stop the older boy from lightly swatting his companion's shoulder, though a schoolgirl blush did find its way onto his cheeks. "Okay," Kace said with a little smile. "Good. I lo- adore you, but you can't be that nice yet. We have lots of falling in love left to do."

Ariel wasn't able to decide how to react. Eventually he merely shook his head and put the car in drive.

-

"Why do you have straw on your bag?" Though he hadn't noticed it in the car, Ariel sighted the few strands of yellow that were duct taped to the side of his date's backpack.

"Because I couldn't find a picnic basket," Kace pouted. "I tried to make it look similar." Choosing not to question where he'd gotten the straw, Ariel giggled and lay back on his side. The two boys were sat in a large, grassy field, sandwiches and popcorn and soda cans spread out between them. At the front there was a huge screen and at the back stood a tent with a large projector. "What's your favourite colour?" Kace asked suddenly.

"Red, probably," Ariel replied. "You?"

"Blue," Kace eventually decided. "Sometimes pink. Not too dark for either, though. A light blue, like this," he continued, pointing at a section of the checkered blanket the boys were lying on.

"I can tell," Ariel replied, gesturing at the boy's light blue tumbler and shorts. "Did you match the blanket with your clothes on purpose?"

Blushing slightly and letting out a tiny giggle, Kace nodded. "It's a first date; I wanted to look extra hot," he defended, smiling as his cheeks were dusted with pink.

"You don't look hot," Ariel murmured, his nose pressed against the window with his mind lost on the fond side of the brick wall. A wounded expression slid over Kace's face like a curtain. Water rapidly formed in his baby blue eyes. "No! No. No, no," Ariel cried, sitting up and placing reassuring hands on Kace's shoulders. "I meant you don't look hot because you look beautiful. You're too pretty and cute and perfect to just be hot." Tears seemed to evaporate from Kace's eyes like he'd stepped into a desert.

"Sorry," he managed, ducking his head and rubbing at his face with a blush. "Just... anyways, what's your favourite band?" Deciding not to push any further, not on the first date, Ariel responded. Deciding that they had lots of falling in love left to do, the boy got into a long debate about Blink-182 or Nirvana.

That led into a conversation about who was the most iconic rock artist, which led to the most iconic movie. From there it was a conversation about the Avengers and which was the best one, which somehow became a conversation about the prospect of a civil war in Australia and what would cause it. With every transition between topics, Ariel could feel the bricks being kicked out of his walls.

Later, the wall was hit with a small wrecking ball. Ariel was comfortably spread out in the backseat of his car with Kace's mouth pressing kisses across his chest while nimble fingers tugged at the year eleven's belt buckle. Sober-Ariel had never experienced the euphoria that Kace could provide and he adored it.