They decided to go on a short walk around the lake, just to stretch their legs and work out all the food in their system. Kelly was also interested in checking out some other campsites near their area, but at a respectful distance so as not to make anyone uncomfortable, including Gen.
Gen and Mika walked with their fingers interlaced, Mika now wearing one of Gen’s hoodies since the air had cooled a bit after the sun went down. The hoodie was huge on Mika’s small frame but Mika didn’t care. It was warm and smelled like Gen.
Marcus and Riley walked on either side of Kelly, who happened to be wearing one of Riley’s jackets. She swore she hadn’t meant to forget her own sweater; she didn’t think it was going to get cold at night during Spring Break.
In April.
“What did you and Riley talk about?” Mika asked Gen.
“Oh, you know, guy stuff, nothing major.” He grinned down at Mika who gave him an unamused look. He laughed and said, “Fine, we talked about our pasts and how he views humanity as a whole.”
“Do you agree with him?”
“Honestly? Yeah, I do.” He ran a hand through his mohawk, the layers bouncing back as it moved. Mika had mentioned earlier that he liked the way it had dried after they had gone swimming; it became more wavy and bouncy at the ends.
Mika sighed. “So do I,” he said. Apparently they had that conversation before. “Given my past, you’d think I’d be far more cynical and pessimistic, but since I do have some good people around me who are there for me when I need it, I’m really not.”
“If anyone has a right to hate the world, it’s you,” Gen said.
“Not necessarily,” Mika said. Gen looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “The world isn’t terrible, it’s actually quite beautiful. It’s the people in it that are the problem. Some more than others. I have a right to hate one person specifically, and I do with every cell in my body. I’m dispassionate about people I don’t know, and indifferent to society in general. The only people I care about are the ones close to me. Like my friends, my family, your family, and especially you. As far as I’m concerned, everyone else can fuck right off.”
Gen choked back a laugh. “Didn’t expect to hear something like that from you,” he said.
“I’m full of surprises,” Mika said with a smile. He looked up at Gen. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“How do you view the world?”
“With my eyes.”
“Gen…”
He laughed. “Well, it’s not much different than how you and Riley see it, really. We all have different and similar experiences that have shaped our worlds and a lot of that has overlapped in how we see things. It’s also in how we’ve dealt with our individual traumas that have shaped our views.” He gazed up at the stars. “There are beautiful things in this world, some people included. But there is a lot of ugly in it as well, and it isn’t fair to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. We can’t know how to deal with a problem if we’re never faced with one.”
“Like talking to people?”
Gen smiled. “Exactly. Kelly made a great point earlier about why I can be okay with all of you guys and not strangers. It’s the strangers part I need to work on now.”
“I am curious about something,” Mika said, his fingers at his chin. “Earlier when that guy walked up on us, you went from trying to hide, to standing tall and then going to get something from your truck. What was going through your mind?”
Gen was quiet while he replayed the whole two minute incident in his mind. He didn’t want to say he thought he knew who the guy was, he was too far back to really see. He just knew that he needed to protect Mika, that was all.
“He felt like a threat,” was all he said. He gripped Mika’s hand, indicating he didn’t feel the need to explain further. Mika took the hint and the conversation shifted again.
They were nearly back to their own campground when the situation changed dramatically.
Mika and Gen were at the front of the group, talking and walking casually. Marcus and Riley were angled nearby, and Kelly was just behind Gen.
Someone yelled Kelly’s name and everyone slowed to a stop, turning to look at who was approaching them. It was a man about average height, slim build, with waxy blonde hair and brown eyes. More importantly, however, he was pissed.
“Kelly, get over here, right now!” He bellowed.
Kelly’s eyes went wide and her hands began to shake. She took two steps back and bumped into Gen who put his hand on her shoulder.
“Who is–”
“What are you doing here, Seth?” Kelly demanded, her voice shaking. Gen wasn’t sure if it was from rage or fear. Probably both.
“I told you to stay home, didn’t I? You were not permitted to come out here, especially with these fucking losers.”
“Woah, hey, motherfucker, you wanna punch the breaks a bit?” Riley said, stepping in front of Kelly. Marcus closed the gap.
“What I want is for my fucking bitch to get her ass back to the house.”
“Seth, you need to leave,” Kelly said. “You’re drunk. We can talk about this later, okay? Once you're sobered up.” She swallowed and clenched her fists. Mika put his hand on her arm, giving her some courage. “Where are your friends? Didn’t you come with anyone?”
“What difference does that make to you?” Seth said. “You weren’t invited, which means it’s none of your goddamn business. Now, let’s go.” He reached out toward her and the three bigger guys stepped forward, Gen moving her behind them.
“Get to the truck,” he said quietly. “Now.”
Mika took Kelly’s hand and pulled her along with him.
“Hey, where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Seth yelled. “I said get back here, now!” He made a move forward and Riley shoved him back. Seth staggered back, almost falling on his ass but regaining his footing quickly. “Who the fuck do you think you are?” he spat. “Don’t you fucking touch me, you piece of shit. Kelly! Get over here now, you stupid cunt, before I break your fucking arm!”
“Because that’s going to make us move,” Marcus said, popping his knuckles. Gen reached for the sheath he had on the back of his trunks, hidden under his shirt. He had grabbed it out of the truck before they left for their walk.
Seth swallowed. These guys were much bigger than he was, but he was drunk and irrational, a dangerous combination.
“I will kill you if you don’t get out of my way right now,” Seth hissed.
“With what? Your hair gel?” Riley said, his fists at his sides, his stance angled and open, his elbows bent. “She’s done with you, Seth. Fuck off before you make a move you’ll regret.”
Seth grinned, teeth glinting in the moonlight. “Oh, I get it now. You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”
Riley gritted his teeth and snarled. He wasn’t about to dignify that with a response.
“I’m not surprised, she is a tasty piece of ass, ain’t she?” He threw back his head and laughed. Gen gripped the hilt tighter, his own eyes blazing. “She’s just one in a line of snacks on my plate, so whatever. Have her. However, she’s still my property and I ain’t done with her quite yet. So hand over the skank and I’ll leave you alone. Deal?”
“Or you can fuck off and die,” Marcus said. “Kelly is our friend and she’s not going anywhere with you.”
“Take one more step, and I swear I’ll lay you out,” Riley said in a low, dangerous tone.
Seth nodded up at Gen. “What about you, big guy? What are you gonna do?”
Gen said nothing, just glared. Somehow, that alone made Seth’s eyes fall and his confidence began to fade.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” he said, hands up in front of his chest. “Just want my girl back. You guys get it, don’t you?”
“She isn’t your girl,” Riley hissed.
At the back of the truck, witnessing everything, Kelly let Mika wrap his arms around her shoulders. They were the same size but she felt safer near him. Hearing Riley defend her the way he was doing made her eyes water. Gen and Marcus were definitely on her side, but Riley was driving this charge.
“You don’t deserve her,” she heard Riley say. “You never did. Get back to your little group, and whatever other girlfriend you have over there, and don’t come back. Don’t look at Kelly, don’t even think her name. You’re disgusting.”
Seth’s eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists. “Alright, if you want to be her knight, then I guess you better fight me for her!” He lunged at Riley who took one step forward and landed one solid right hook to Seth’s temple, followed by an uppercut from the left. Seth was on the ground before he knew what hit him.
Kelly let out a squeak of alarm and covered her mouth with both hands. Mika held her tight, making sure she didn’t run off.
Riley spun on his heels and stomped away, heading straight for Kelly. He pulled her from Mika and held her to him as tight as he could.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice shaky.
She nodded, her face and hands pressed to his chest. All the adrenaline ran from her veins and she began to shake violently, bursting into tears, shaking her head. “No,” she sobbed. “No, I’m not okay!” Riley rubbed her back and looked back to Gen and Marcus who got Seth to his feet.
Marcus put a hand to Seth’s throat and with one final threat from Gen ringing in his ears, the drunken Seth staggered back, his eyes wide with fear, then ran as fast as he could back where he had come from.
The two rejoined the others, Gen rubbing Mika’s arm. “You okay?” he asked, his low voice almost flat.
Mika nodded. They looked over at Kelly, sobbing in Riley’s arms as he led her over to her tent. Marcus stood near Gen. “He’s not coming around her again. Not after that.” He gave Gen a knowing look. He patted the back of his arm and headed to his tent.
Mika looked between the two. “What did he mean by that?”
Gen glanced down at Mika, his eyes darker than usual, the smile he had worn so easily just a few minutes before was completely gone. He didn’t look like the Gen he knew. He looked…scary.
“Nothing,” he mumbled. He turned and opened the passenger side door of his truck, putting something into the glovebox and slamming it shut. After a moment, he closed the truck door and pulled Mika to him, holding him tight as he leaned against the truck. Mika put his hands on Gen’s sides, confused and a little frightened.
What had happened? What did he tell that guy? And why was his body trembling all of a sudden?
“Genya?” he said softly. “Talk to me.”
“Tell me something that scares you.”
“What?” Mika was even more confused.
“Anything. Tell me what you’re afraid of.”
Mika thought for a second. He was afraid of Thomas but Gen already knew that. Maybe spiders? Or the second step of a stepstool? “I guess I’m afraid of rollercoasters,” he finally said. “I don’t like how fast they go or when they go upside down. I’m afraid the cars will fall off the track and kill everyone inside.”
“Do you know what I’m afraid of?”
He could make a comment about Gen’s social anxiety and phobias but that wasn’t going to help in this situation.
Before he could open his mouth to respond, Gen said, “Scaring you. That’s what I’m most afraid of.” His arms loosened and dropped to wrap around Mika’s waist. Mika relaxed his shoulders and moved his hands around Gen’s back.
“You don’t scare me,” he assured Gen, his soft voice calm and soothing.
“That piece of shit was getting a kick out of scaring Kelly. He could see it in her face. It pissed him off that he couldn’t scare us. He was hurling nasty comments at her, threatening to hurt her, all to scare her for his own enjoyment. I could never, in a million years, ever think of doing something like that to someone I love.”
Mika closed his eyes and leaned into his boyfriend, letting him know with just that one motion how safe he felt with Gen; letting him know what a protective force he really was. He was big and looked dangerous at times, but he never used it against anyone. His appearance was a mask, nothing more. It was also a shield for not only himself, but for his friends and family. For Mika.
They stood that way, not speaking, just being together, until they heard Riley’s voice call to them. They finally let go and Mika could see the dark look had receded from Gen’s face. They walked over to where the chairs were still arranged around the smoldering fire pit. Riley was feeding it more wood and spraying fluid on it.
“Kelly’s fine,” he said, his face still tense. He tossed in a lit match and they watched the fire come back to life. Marcus joined them, handing them each a soda. “She’s getting herself back together and she’ll join us in a minute,” Riley finished, turning to the table still laden with food.
Gen asked Mika if he wanted something to eat and then joined Riley at the table. They filled their plates and said nothing. Gen noticed how Riley’s hands were shaking as he held his plate, the grilled hot dog dancing all around, bumping into the macaroni salad and cheddar cheese potato chips.
Gen finished getting his and Mika’s plates and took Riley’s out of his hands. Riley leaned on the table, his shoulders shaking, his eyes wide, and teeth set.
“I should have killed him, Gen,” he growled. “I really wanted to.”
“I know.”
“Kelly is perfect!” he said, probably louder than he intended. “She’s beautiful and smart, she’s funny and she can kick my ass in FPS games which should really piss me off but doesn’t for some unknown reason. And that lowlife cumgutter tried to rip her apart and tear her down like she was trash.”
Gen watched as tears dripped onto the table top. He heard the flap of a tent rustle and looked back to see Kelly standing there, her face turned toward Riley. He shook his head and she went to sit next to Marcus who rubbed her back, comforting her, reminding her where her true friends were.
Riley said in a whisper, “I love her, Gen. And I can’t even tell her I do.”
Gen picked up his plates and said, “Then show her.”
“You make it sound easy,” Riley chuckled while sniffling back his tears.
“I seem to be finding that it really is.” He smiled and walked back over to Mika who was seated in one of the chairs. He handed him his plate and Mika thanked him while Gen joined him in the chair next to him. Riley watched them for a second then turned back to the table, to his half-filled plate of food.
Show her…How was he supposed to do that? Punching out her jackass ex-boyfriend? That’s probably a good start.
-*-
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