"Stop SPLASHING me!"

Desmond protested again as Charlie shoved water into his face.

"C'mon, Des!" the Mancurian protested. "Have a little fun!"

"This isn't fun," Desmond stated, rubbing water out of his eyes. "This is annoying."

"Aww." Charlie stuck his lower lip out. "You're not calling me annoying, are you, mate?"

His answer was a splash to the face.

"Alright, fine! I won't splash you anymore!" Charlie shook his head, trying to dislodge water from his ear. "At least go under the water."

Desmond considered this a moment. "Why don't we go down the slide?"

Charlie's face went blank. "Uh, no thanks, mate. We can just stay here, can't we?"

Desmond raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of the water slide?"

"Of course not!" Charlie snapped, narrowing his eyes. "There's just…a long line. That's all."

Desmond turned his head to look.

"There's only two people."

Charlie swallowed. "Well…no."

"Charlie, come on!" Desmond coaxed. "It's just a slide!"

"It's a big slide."

"Toddlers are going on it."

"I haven't taken the swim test."

"That's because you're over the age of twelve."

Charlie let out a huff of annoyance. Desmond was right. He hated when Desmond was right.

"Okay," Charlie said, once he'd thought of a plan. "The slide is dangerous."

"How?"

Charlie thought a moment. "Alright, say some morbidly obese person decides they want to go down the slide-"

"Charlie!" Desmond interrupted. Charlie paid no attention to the outburst.

"And they get stuck."

Desmond rolled his eyes. "Fine, what if I go first?"

Charlie gulped, his eyes drifting over to the large, blue slide. "Fine."

The two teenagers got in line for the slide, Desmond in front, of course. As Charlie watched Desmond walk up the stairs he couldn't help but wonder: was Desmond smiling that big to annoy him, or did his face always look like that, and he somehow didn't notice? Then, he realized that Desmond had gone down the slide, and was waiting for him on the other side of the rope.

Charlie took a deep breath and walked up the stairs. Once he reached the top, he closed his eyes, bit his lip, and sat down inside the slide.

-x-X-x-

"See? The slide wasn't that bad."

Desmond pointed this out as the two of them left the waterpark.

"Yeah, I guess it wasn't," Charlie muttered reluctantly.

"So I was right?"

"Yes. A once in a lifetime occurrence."

Both of them walked in silence for a few moments.

"I've started my guitar lessons," Charlie informed him. "They're going well. I'll probably be in a band soon."

Desmond snorted. "Yeah, right. No way."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and I'm sure you're going to do all the stuff you said. Join the Scots Army? Sail around the world? I bet you couldn't even sail an inner tube, mate."

"I could to!" Desmond barked.

"Could not!"

"Could too!"

"At least I'll get a girl!" Charlie said.

Desmond laughed. "Yeah, like you'll get a girl."

"I bet you won't."

"Will too."

"Will NOT!"