blue barrowcliffe

the fire roared back at blue as he poked at it with a stick. it had been the first time that his offer to watch the fire overnight had been accepted and he was eager to prove that not only were the guys not a threat, but that he himself was useful, even as her voice taunted him. he knew that some of those from the other camp didn’t sleep much, because they told him though he wasn’t sure if that was meant to be a threat or not. 

he kept his eyes on the fire until he heard someone close by and turned to them. “oh, hey, you can change the channel if you want, i’ve seen this one before.” he hoped that his joke and smile would be inviting even if the cold of the beach wasn't. 

…

“i dunno, man, you’s seems way easier,” he said with a laugh. “you i’d like to see you try.” of course, ice skating and skateboarding were two completely different things with two totally different skills, but he still felt like he had a point to prove for his sport of choice. though, if he was being honest, he knew he would be on his ass in two seconds if he tried to skate with blue. 

he was excited to be able to teach blue something liam loved so much. and with blue’s confidence, he thought this was a great idea. he was standing close to the other boy but giving him enough space to give it ago. but after a very short second, blue was on the ground and the board flying away from him. “shit,” he said, trying to not laugh at his friend’s misfortune. jogging slight, he was about to stop the board before it mowed down some poor kid. grabbing it he got back to blue, reaching his other hand out to help him up. “yeah, it was a good go, but maybe we should just work on your form first. you gotta push with your back foot.”  

** blue smirked, both re-humbled by his failure but also grateful to be in the kind of company where he could fail, safely. it was the kind of supportive friend blue believed everyone needed, and the kind he strived to be like.  “it was not a good go, but thanks man.” he didn’t mind laughing along, and judging by the fact that even good skaters around him had fallen a few times, he relaxed. 

joe loved weddings. he was secretly a hopeless romantic and the idea of a big ceremony where two people publicly declared their love for each other before hopefully spending the rest of their lives growing into the best version of themselves together appealed to him. he was too much of an optimist to consider divorce rates or people who get trapped in relationships that make them miserable. for the sake of romance and new beginnings he could put up with all the downsides to weddings like the inevitable fights that broke out and having to wear the one uncomfortable suit he owned. joe thought the music at weddings was hit or miss. he liked the upbeat tracks he had heard a million times because he enjoyed watching his uncle paul do the weird out of time arm movements he called dancing but the slow tracks made him feel out of place. he was hovering awkwardly on the edge of the dance floor when blue approached. he didn’t know why he was at the same wedding as blue but he didn’t care. seeing his friend put a smile on his face. “are you joking?” he asked, just in case. “sorry mate, i haven’t had that many vodka cranberries. how would we dance to the smoochy batman song, anyway? it’s all slow and shit.”

**

blue raised an eyebrow, why would we joke about dancing? “well, i guess step one is we need more vodka cranberries.” he searched the room until his eyes landed on a table of full glasses, that he could only assume were the drink of choice. “how’s your booze tolerance, man? like, will i have to hold your hair back after this?” he teased as he extended his arm for a ‘cheers’.

"no disrespect man, sincerely, i know you and mr hawk practice and stuff, " blue said between bites as she sat across from his very good buddy, liam. "but like, i feel like it'd be a little easier for me to learn to skate your way, man. I'm an athlete, in a sport all about knowing how to balance, I'm like 60 percent there." he didn't bother to think about that number very hard but his confidence was the point anyway.

when he looked up from his plate, blue couldn’t recognize any of the people around him, nor how he ended up there and in a fancy suit. and even as he felt out of place, there was a comforting air all around and the floor felt as light as a cloud.  it was through the fancy cake that he realized he must be at a wedding of some sort, but why would a stranger invite him to thiers? and then he finally recognized a face, and even better than just someone familiar, he found a friend.