"C'mon Abe, can't we go?" He was looking remarkably puppy-like this morning, Abraham mused as he blew his nose again.
"I told you, I'm sick. We can't."
"Abe."
"Have you seen how many Kleenexes I've gone through?"
"This is the last day we're here!"
"There's always next year," Abraham said, shrugging. Baker looked at him. "Didn't I tell you you were coming next year, too?"
"But what if I'm not here next year?"
They stared at each other, Baker biting his lip and Abraham feeling a sudden horror. "You mean…"
Baker nodded. Abraham swallowed.
"Okay. Let's go," Abraham said, standing up, grabbing a handful of candy and shoving it in the pocket of his sweater. That probably wasn't helping his cold any, but whatever.
"Thank you." Abraham wasn't sure if Baker had actually said those last words, they were so quiet, but he nodded and opened the door.
It was windy. Abraham shivered and pulled his sweater closer around him. Baker, though he was from a warmer climate, didn't seem bothered. He looked happy.
Abraham hung back while Baker climbed over rocks, letting the spray of lake water wash over him. He glanced back. "Coming?"
Abraham rolled his eyes and joined him.
Baker had begun to collect rocks, laying them on a larger one to dry. Abraham watched for a while, sitting and eating his candy, and then Baker pressed a sparkly one into his hand. He nearly dropped it.
"Holy shit," Abraham said. "The sparkles are rubbing off on my hand."
Baker smiled that cute, shy smile and him and Abraham felt heat flood his face. He busied himself with another piece of candy and glanced around at the rocks nearby. Baker was a little bit down the shore, climbing over fallen trees.
Hey, that was a weird rock… Abraham picked it up. There was what looked like a heart on it.
Should he give it to Baker? Would that be weird? Baker wouldn't think so, probably, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't say anything. Really he had nothing to do- why was Baker knee-deep in the water.
"Art! What are you doing?" Abraham yelled. Baker looked back at him and grinned. He was shivering. A lot. Abraham sighed and rolled up his pant legs, wading out with him. "You're going to get sick." He punctuated his sentence with a sneeze.
"It's cold, but nice," Baker said. "And it's so windy there are waves!"
"Wow, getting super-wet is always fun," Abraham muttered. "Oh, I found you something."
Fingers shaking, Abraham pulled the rock with the heart on it from his pockets and dropped it in Baker's outstretched hand. Baker looked at it for a long time. Abraham was almost bright red at this point. Baker grinned.
"It's got a little heart on it," he said. Abraham looked at him.
And then Baker kissed him and Abraham was incapable of coherent thought.
"I'm sorry!" Baker said, looking almost as shocked as Abraham felt. He pushed his way through the water. Abraham followed him, getting nearly knocked over by a wave multiple times.
"No- Art-" Abraham said, grabbing Baker's hand. Baker looked back.
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize," Abraham said, kissing him and pulling him back to shore. "Though we're both going to be sick now."
On the way back to Abraham's house, the two were wrapped in blankets, shivering and sneezing. Abraham had traded in his candy for cough drops. Baker clutched the rock with the heart tightly in his hand, and Abraham kept the sparkly one in his pocket.
And then Baker was leaning on him. Abraham glanced over. He was sleeping.
Abraham smiled and shifted a little, putting an arm around Baker. Life was good.
So I'll post all of my Long Walk fanfiction now?