Craig licked the frozen treat apathetically. It was tasteless, more ice than sugar due to his lack of enjoyment of sugary things. It was the only thing he had been willing to get on this field trip that was "the best thing ever" according to Stan and all the other middle school students who had wanted to come. Craig wished the contrary. He really did not enjoy school trips that involved beaches. In fact, he did not even enjoy beaches. He always got sand in crevices he never wanted, and everything he ate got warm too quickly. This included the popsicle in his hand right then. Craig licked the juice sliding down his fingers before it could run on his shirt. His new white jacket was of his favourite television show, and he cherished it. His grandmother had bought it for him, insisting he have something a bit cooler to wear for his trip. Craig only accepted it because of his weakness for Red Racer.
Craig sighed. He was just making a mess of himself. He needed to find some sort of way to clean his hands off. He began to walk toward the ocean. He waded into the water up to his ankles before bending down and rinsing his hands. He did not notice the flash of orange nearing him or the hands that closed around his shoulders. What he did notice was himself letting out a small breath as he fell against warm sand. He was lucky he had not fallen forward and had gotten a mouth full of salty water as a result. Instead, he had an eye full of sun. There was a blinding light obstructing his view for several moments until he could only see honey blond and cotton candy blue. The features were jumbled in Craig's squinted, blurred vision until he managed to open his indigo eyes a bit more. He recognised those idiotic, glinting eyes. "Damnit Kenny."
The glint grew brighter, and Craig swore it would not even be hyperbolic to say they were brighter than the sun. "You act like you're forty instead of twelve," Kenny laughed teasing the other. "C'mon Craigshine," he said loving how the other subtly twitched at his nickname. Kenny had given it to Craig for the deadpanned boy's "bright" personality. "You have to live a little. Enjoy being playfully tackled once in a while," Kenny laughed getting off of Craig and offering a hand of assistance. He was still smiling happily, and the smile grew brighter when Craig accepted the hand. He intertwined their fingers easily, momentarily forgetting they were still slightly sticky.
Kenny noticed, but for once, Craig was not pulling his hand away. He wanted this opportunity. A sticky hand did not mean anything if he had the other. He began humming lightly and pointed at something in the distance, dragging Craig behind him. The other protested with a series of curses and middle fingers Kenny could not see, all the while occasionally stumbling over his feet. He yelled more curses at Kenny, and by the time they reach their destination, his face was flushed from the exertion and heat. Craig was panting slightly, and his deadpanned expression was more of a frown. He glared at Kenny. "What the fucking..."
Craig did not have the chance to finish his sentence. His tongue seemed to tie as he stopped talking, indigo eyes staring wide at his surroundings however frozen his face may be. The sun trickled in through a small little hole at the top of what appeared to be a cavern lined with an abundance of tiny crystals. They all casted different lights, causing the room to glow in a manner that did not seem something of this world. Craig's words remained stolen from his mouth as his free hand reached up and rubbed across the rough texture of the wall. The humidity in the air did not bother him, especially when he got to look at the scene before him.
Kenny watched bemused as Craig wandered around the cavern. Craig had long since taken away his hand, but the way Craig's eyes sparkled with the same light of the crystals was something Kenny could not have even dreamed of seeing. Craig was talking without his voice, the words he wanted to speak flowing out through his subtle actions and indigo eyes. His slender pale fingers slid across the wall until they came back to the place where Kenny stood. He looked up at Kenny and did the unexpected. Craig Tucker smiled.
Then, like a trick of the light, it was gone once again. Kenny almost thought it was just his imagination until he heard two words.
"Thank you."