Buck trailed behind his friends on the forest path, lost in thought as he stared up at the great conifers that towered above. He breathed in the earthy morning air, excited to finally hike these trails. The trio missed their opportunity to explore the night before, since it was already late and they were all exhausted by the time they had set up their campsite. He looked ahead to Jenos and his cousin, Io, a short girl with long, periwinkle-colored hair, similar to her cousin's flowing locks. The two were chatting casually. Buck quickened his pace to catch up and tune into their conversation.

"Anyways, Jenos, do you know what's at the end of this trail?" she asked.

"I do," he replied. She blinked.

"You gonna tell us?" Jenos remained silent. Buck turned to him and noted a slight smirk on his face. He'd never seen Jenos act mischievous like this before.

"There he goes, stone-faced Jenos, always full of surprises," Io started, throwing her arms up, "You know, if you wanted to surprise us, you shouldn't have told us to bring our bathing suits, we're smart enough to figure it out ourselves."

"I wasn't sure you were." Io exhaled, defeated, and Buck chuckled.
"Jenos, I never knew you could joke so well," Buck commented. Io raised her eyebrow as Jenos smiled back at the burly man. "So, there's a lake or something at the end?" he asked.

"You'll see," Jenos replied, "But first, we have to get up this hill." Jenos had stopped at the base of a hill, where the path became a rocky slope upwards. Io, being the small and nimble girl she was, skipped ahead and started up the side of the hill, hopping up the rugged path with ease. Jenos followed, his movements less quick than Io's but more precise as he made sure the ground below him was stable. Buck tried his best to keep up, but his heavier form made him no match for the other two. By the time he reached the top, he could feel his legs starting to get sore. He breathed heavily.

"You okay?" Io asked.
"Yeah, I'll be okay, as long as we don't have to climb anymore hills," Buck replied between breaths. She looked to Jenos.
"There is another hill," he said. Buck exhaled.

"You're tough, you'll be fine," Jenos added, patting his shoulder as he walked away. Buck raised an eyebrow.

"You think I'm tough?" Jenos continued down the trail, ignoring his question. Buck exchanged a quizzical look with Io, and then the two followed behind Jenos. They walked in silence down the other side of the hill they had just climbed, the winding path eventually leading them to another hill. Once again the two cousins gracefully made their way up the hill, hopping as effortlessly as rabbits, while Buck felt more like an elephant as each individual step wore him down further. As he was nearing the top, he could hear Jenos start to cheer him on. Soon enough, Io joined in as well. A smile spread across his face as he pushed himself to the top, and the trio continued to journey through heavily shaded woods. He watched as Jenos stared up at sunlight peeking through the trees, looking as content as he had ever seen him. Jenos is really at home in nature. He took this moment to note how the rays of sunlight highlighted his almost pearlescent hair and danced on his tanned skin. His moment was interrupted when he heard Io giggle. He turned to her to meet a smirking, knowing expression, which caused his face to turn red with embarrassment. He looked straight forward just as they were approaching a small stream. He turned to Jenos again.

"Hey Jenos? Is this it?" He asked.

"What a cute little stream," Io started. Jenos did not acknowledge either of them.
"Jenos?" He was still staring as he walked. Buck and Io had stopped at the edge of the stream. Jenos was snapped out of his trance as he tripped on the rocky bank of the stream. He yelped, Buck grabbing his hand just before he fell into the water.

"I got you. You spaced out a little bit there, huh?" Jenos stared back, catching his breath from the startling moment. A blush began to creep onto his cheeks when his eyes wandered towards Buck's hand holding his. Buck's face turned hot as well as he quickly helped Jenos back onto dry land.

"Okay, now that that's over, is this the end of the trail, Jenos?" Io asked, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"N-no, there's still a little bit left. We'll be walking near this stream though," he responded, still slightly shaken from almost falling, "I'll lead the way." Jenos carefully made it to the other side of the stream then turned left on the trail, Buck and Io following closely behind. The trail once again broke off into the woods, but the group remained close to the stream. Jenos expertly navigated his way through dense foliage as the trail became less distinct. Buck admired his focus, watching as he paused for a moment to listen to the sounds of the water to determine which direction to go.

"We're almost there," he said, "it's just this way." He turned to push through some bushes, but Buck could see he was struggling to move the dense shrubbery out of the way.

"Let me help you with that," Buck cut in, using his strong arms and large form to clear a way for the other two. Jenos nodded at him and continued forward towards some smaller trees, which he proceeded to crouch under.

"It might be a tight fit for you, Buck," Io warned as she followed him under. Buck crawled on his hands and knees to make it under the tree, then stood up onto a sandy surface on the other side.

"Okay, now we're here," Jenos said. Buck observed the scene around him. They were on a small, shaded beach leading to a lake. Mountains covered with trees surrounded them on all sides. A couple of boats casually drifted on the lake.

"Oh boy! I haven't been here in forever, I'm so excited!" Io squealed. "Thank you Jenos!" He smiled softly.

"Good thing I put on my swimsuit underneath," she said as she quickly began to take off her hiking clothes to reveal a light blue one-piece underneath.

"Don't forget sunscreen," Jenos warned, halting Io's mad dash to get into the water. He took some lotion out of his bag and handed it to his cousin. She began to put it on.

"I'm going to go change real quick," Buck said. Jenos nodded and Buck crawled his way back through the trees for some privacy. He took off his own clothes and put on a pair of swim trunks he had packed, then went back to the beach. Io had already begun splashing in the water and Jenos had started to put on sunscreen. Buck realized at that moment they had never seen each other shirtless before. Damn, he's slim. Jenos looked up, meeting his gaze. Buck had not realized he had been staring.

"Do you need some?" Jenos asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah," He handed the sunscreen over to him.

"Thanks." Buck could feel the tension as Jenos awkwardly waited while Buck lathered on the lotion.

"Did you still need it?" he asked, trying to dispel the tension.

"I just need someone to get my back."

"I can do it," Buck answered quickly, not even thinking about what he was saying. Buck's face turned red. Good job, moron.

"Okay." Buck finished applying it to himself and then walked over to Jenos, who turned to face away. He squeezed some of the lotion onto his hand and hesitated. He could feel his heart pounding, but he didn't really know why it was pounding. He took a breath and started rubbing the lotion onto his friend's tanned back, careful to not miss any spots.

"That's good." Buck stopped.

"Do you want me to do yours?" Buck nodded silently, surprised that Jenos asked him and not the other way around. Jenos moved behind him, and there was a pause.

"You're going to need to sit down. I can't reach all the way up." Buck chuckled and listened to him, feeling Jenos sit down on the sand behind him. Buck's heart skipped a beat when his friend's dainty hands began to work on him. He fell into a stupor of relaxation soon enough, for the way Jenos touched him almost resembled a massage. His face was pleasantly warm and pink at the cheeks, but he knew Jenos couldn't see, so he didn't mind. He was so lost in this warm, soupy feeling that it felt like a bitter release when Jenos took his hands off of him. He jerked his head up, slightly saddened that the moment, which felt like it lasted forever while it was happening, had faded so quickly. He watched Jenos make his way to the water in a daze, eventually coming to his senses and following behind.

Buck enjoyed his time with Jenos and Io, who he learned used to go to this specific spot all the time as children, since it was isolated from the crowds that came during the summer. He was pleasantly surprised by how close they were and how Jenos acted with her. He seemed a lot more playful and sarcastic around her than he did at school, which he had noticed had started to come out near him as well as he was included in their antics. He took it as a sign that Jenos was opening up to him, which made him feel good. He hoped that more people would get to see the humorous, friendly side of Jenos that he had discovered. They splashed in the water non-stop, the shallow lake allowing them to swim far out and explore other areas nearby. The excitement of the two cousins, specifically Jenos, upon discovering something new about the lake or coming up with something new to do, warmed his heart. It reminded him of when he and Jenos first became friends as children. Later on, while they were taking a break in the shade, nibbling on granola bars that Jenos had brought along with them, he got a chance to talk to Io alone while Jenos went to relax in the water on his own. Buck watched him float on his back like a lotus in his pond, entranced.

"You like him, huh?" Io asked suddenly in a hushed tone. Buck perked up.

"Yeah, he's my best friend, why?"

"No, you really like him," she insisted.

"What do you mean?" Buck responded cautiously.
"I see how you look at him, and I saw you guys earlier on the beach. Best friends don't normally act like that." Buck's face had started to turn warm, for he knew she was correct. There was no point in denying it. He did not feel the same way about his other friends, or even any girls he knew, as he did about Jenos.

"So?"
"Well, he's my cousin, and one of my best friends too. I really care about him, and I want what is best for him." Buck gulped, her wording making him nervous. He had not thought about it seriously until now, but he realized there was a possibility people would not approve of his feelings towards Jenos for a multitude of reasons. However, such reasons never bothered him before. Why should I let them bother me now?

"You look scared now, don't worry, there's nothing wrong with being gay."

"I know." There was a pause. It felt weird for Buck to finally acknowledge his feelings in such a way, especially to someone else. To him, the way he felt about Jenos came naturally. There was never any need to acknowledge it.

"I'm sorry. I know that it's none of my business, but oh my stars, it's so frustrating to watch you guys fumble."
"Excuse me?" The lump in Buck's throat made it hard to speak. He peered at Jenos again.

"You should just tell him how you feel already."

"Wouldn't that be a bit sudden?"
"I'm sure you know he loves stargazing. You should tell him under a peaceful night sky!" she continued excitedly, barely keeping her voice down. Buck started to imagine the scene in his head. It was oddly compelling.

"You could do it tonight."

"That's… so close," he replied nervously.
"You seem like a very straightforward guy. Why hesitate any longer?" Buck tried to think of every argument to counter her. All these realizations, thoughts, possibilities一they overwhelmed him.
"What if he doesn't like me back?" She giggled.
"I think he does. There's no shame in at least being honest with him, even if he doesn't feel the same way. I'm sure you also know he's pretty easygoing."

"You're right."
"So why not do it?" He thought about what she had said for a moment, then nodded.
"Thank you." She smiled, then took a bite of her granola bar. He got up to stretch, then made his way back down to the water to try to enjoy the rest of his day in spite of his newfound nerves. He tried to calm himself down by repeating Io's words in his head, but the scene of him confessing his feelings under the stars kept playing over and over again in his head, ticking ever closer with every minute. It felt so distant, but so close at the same time. Even though he and Jenos had gotten closer lately, he wasn't sure how crossing this new boundary would go. He worried about ruining his friendship with Jenos, but something in his heart told him that wouldn't happen as splashing along with him throughout the afternoon eased his anxiety. He had never seen him smile as much as he had that day, in his natural state of exploration and child-like wonder. His carefree attitude even when delving into the unknown eased Buck's nerves about crossing the threshold into the unknown later that night.