"Purple?" Fraser quirked an eyebrow as he examined the object Ray shoved between his face and the newspaper he was reading.
"What's wrong with purple?" Ray questioned as he snatched the object back and shoved it back into the cardboard box with a huff.
"Nothing. It's just…" Fraser stammered as he searched his brain for the least offensive phrase to describe his partner's new running shoes. "I would have thought you would have selected a color more to your liking, that's all."
"Yeah, well, I would have," Ray tossed the shoe box to the floor and dropped his tired body onto the couch next to Fraser. He leaned his head against the back of it and closed his eyes. He winced, as he raised his feet, crossed them at the ankles and let them fall carefully onto the coffee table. "But this is all they had in the only shoe that felt good on my foot. And believe me, I tried them all on."
Fraser lowered his newspaper and took in his partner's slumped figure. "All of them?"
"Yes, every single last running shoe in the entire fucking store. These were the only ones that didn't hurt."
Ray had been struggling for months with a foot that didn't want to cooperate. Countless trips to therapy and orthotics for his regular shoes did little to relieve the constant pain and discomfort. "It's a perfectly fine shoe, regardless of the color," Fraser said cheerfully in hopes to cheer up his partner.
The foot doctor's diagnosis… 'Tight calf muscles. Just keep stretching and doing the exercises we've recommended and you should be as good as new in no time.'That was three months ago and Ray was still miserable regardless of how many exercises he did or how often he did them.
"Explain to me again, why, if your foot hurts so bad, you want to take up running?" Fraser folded the newspaper and tossed it lightly onto the coffee table beside Ray's sock clad foot. He picked up Ray's feet and pulled them towards his lap. Ray opened his eyes slightly and shifted on the couch so his feet ended up in Fraser's lap. Fraser started to rub them carefully, mindful of the sore spots Ray always complained about.
"Because, I need a goal. I get up in the morning, I do the stretches that they tell me to do, but it almost feels like I'm doing it for nothing." Ray raked his hand through his spiked hair, frustrated. "Maybe I would work harder at it if I knew I was going to be running a race. Maybe I would finally see the effort pay off." Ray dropped his head back onto the armrest of the couch and dropped his forearm over his eyes. "Getting older blows."
Fraser chuckled and squeezed Ray's feet. "Do you think they have a pair of purple running shoes in my size?"
Ray raised his head slightly and stared at his partner in disbelief.
"What?" Fraser shrugged his shoulders and gave Ray a lop-sided smile. "We're a duet, right? My back's been bothering me for a while, maybe running will help me too."
Ray sat up and leaned forward and took Fraser's face between his palms, kissing him deeply. "You're the best."