aida

"It's the last day of spring break," Robby continued, as he grabbed one of the cooler's handles, waiting for Jack to pick up the other, "we're almost done with exams, and I won't see you this summer because of your stupid military program." His voice lowered a little bit, like it always did when they talked about it. Like he got annoyed just by mentioning it. As if Jack had already left, in a way.

"Yeah, well," Jack grabbed the other handle with no effort, "if it weren't for my stupid program, we wouldn't even have met." He smirked.

Robby just rolled his eyes, mumbling something very close to a 'shut up', as the two started walking towards the shore.

It was Robby's idea.

It wasn't planned. A few days ago, he was at his parents' house, helping them pack before moving. And, while scrambling through old stuff in the attic, he ran into this little box full of photographs from when he was younger.

Among all the photos of baby Michael, he found a bunch of polaroids he had taken when he went there, ages ago, some with his friends, some with his family. There, meaning this lake location where he decided to bring Jack, just a couple of hours away from Pittsburgh. Not too crowded, a bit cranky, the water wasn't exactly clear, and there were way more rocks than grains of sand, but… hey, it wasn't that bad.

The idea had popped up immediately, and as soon as he got back on campus, he didn't waste a minute telling him. Robby didn't put it like an invitation exactly… it was closer to a coercion, in fact. But not in a bad way! If he gave Jack a choice, there's no way he would've accepted. But Robby had no intention of spending spring break with his parents because god-knows-what distant relative was going to visit this time.

So, thanks to his admirable rhetoric skills, and by omitting a few details, he managed to convince Jack to do this. It was only for a day anyway, what's the harm?

The plan was simple— pack the necessary, leave early in the morning and come back later in the evening. They hopped on Robby's clunker of a truck and left at five am, not even properly awake. Thankfully there weren't many cars in the streets.

It must've been around seven, seven thirty when they finally arrived.

"You must be kidding me Robby…" Jack scoffed, as they dropped the cooler, the moment they set foot on the beach. Well, "beach", sort of. It was more of a giant rocky layer that expanded to the water, with a sprinkle of sand on top.

"It's frozen."

Ah, speaking of omitting.

"What? It's not frozen, what are you talking about?" He frowned confused. To be fair, the water was technically liquid. It was so dark you couldn't see what was under the surface.

"Yeah, figuratively speaking. It looks like it had been snowing until yesterday, and the snow decided to melt right before we arrived."

Robby looked around. "Oh, come on… it's not that bad". The place did look faintly desolate, and the cold didn't help… if anything, the forecast said it was gonna be a sunny day.

Did Robby deliberately avoid mentioning the fact that the lake froze up during the winter, and the temperatures weren't usually high? Yes. But he had imagined that by April the situation would've been slightly… warmer.

At first, it was really cold— when they first arrived, they couldn't take off their jackets. Even the cold beer sounded too cold initially, but that didn't stop Jack from opening one anyway, nor Robby to follow suit. But then, after a couple of hours… a miracle.

The sun came up fully, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was almost (almost) hot. It was then that the mood finally improved. And the best thing? They were completely alone. Because obviously, only two morons could think of taking a swim in April, in Pennsylvania. In short, it was just them, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.

"Ah, I could have brought my walkman." Jack sighed, taking a sip of what was his second beer.

"We don't need a walkman."

"A bit of music would not have hurt"

Robby just hummed, without really replying. He took a deep breath, inhaling that peculiar earthy odor that belonged to the lake, which he was accustomed to by now.

"Did you know I lost my virginity here?" He said suddenly, shifting his head to face Jack, with a gooey grin, wanting to see his reaction firsthand.

Jack was surprised, but he didn't look shocked. He just raised his eyebrows, in acknowledgement more than anything. "Really? Cool". A beat. He looked around.

"Wait, where?"

"In the car," the other man let out a snort, looking down at the can in his hands. His thumb was drawing circles around it, moving the little beads of condensation.

"Her name was Janet. High school. I brought her here to impress her," he added.

Jack chuckled at that. "You brought her here, to impress her? Man, must've worked like a charm…" he joked.

"Hey, cut me some slack. I was seventeen. And, besides, it was August and the weather and the water were nice and warm," he said, defending himself.

"Yeah, right," he hummed, as his chuckle died out. "Well… is this why you brought me here? To impress me, like Janet?" He was only half teasing, and you could tell by the way his smirk, though playful, looked grounded. He took a sip of his beer.

"Is that what you think this is?" Robby replied, not before hesitating a few moments. His eyes shifted, set on Jack's, in this weirdly intimate moment.

Jack inhaled sharply, looking away. His eyes rested on the water in front of him.

"I think…" he started, almost murmuring, "I think you brought me here now because you won't be able to in a few months".

"That's not totally wrong" Robby admitted, letting out a breathless chuckle. He was smiling at the other man, even though he couldn't see him. It wasn't a painful smile, not really, because he hid it well, but you could tell he was aching.

The sound of the waves washing against the distant rocks was suddenly too loud.

"Do you really have to go?" He really tried to stay silent, really, but he just couldn't.

"Robby, we talked about this already."

"No we haven't. Every time I bring this up you shut me out, actually."

"That's because there's nothing to talk about, and you know it," Jack answered calmly, finally catching Robby's eyes. He did it on purpose, even knowing he could hardly resist his big, brown eyes, especially when he was frowning.

"This scholarship is the only way I can study, it was my only option. And now I have to pay my duty. It's as simple as that, and there's nothing to discuss." He paused for a few seconds.

"Robby, I don't understand you. You know how this works, you know I have to train over the summer. You knew it from the get-go."

Robby let himself lie back, and he didn't react when his shoulders sank into the rigid ground. The sand and his towel were both too thin to mask the pebbles underneath.

"I'm sorry, I just…" he closed his eyes, "I wish things were different."

Jack didn't reply, he just stared at the other boy's hair, barely touched by the faint breeze.

"What's the point? Of us, I mean," Robby continued. "We barely see each other as it is, and when we finally get a break, you're leaving. And again next year, and the year after…" he snorts, defeated.

"Okay, I get it. It's the army, and… they're paying for everything, and all, I get it. But seriously? You're leaving before term ends and coming back after it starts."

Jack just shrugs, the beer long forgotten at his side. "Hey, maybe I'll be able to get a leave for a few days? …Who knows".

"Oh, gee, that might be too long," the other bit back, sarcastically. He opened his eyes again, blinking, as if he'd forgotten the sun was so up in the sky.

Jack stood up unceremoniously, peeling his shirt off and throwing it on the ground, as he started walking towards the water.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Robby sat back up, lifting a hand to shield his face from the light. "I'm not done talking."

Jack smirked, the water was already up to his calves. "I'm done listening."

Robby wanted to be mad, at how easily he got brushed off, once again. But all that came out were a groan as he got on his feet, and the corners of his mouth quirking up, as much as he tried to avoid it. He couldn't fight Jack, couldn't stay mad at him for more than three hours. He has never been able to, never will be.

He moved towards him, albeit without immediately setting foot in the water. He crossed his arms, a failed attempt to appear threatening. "This isn't over Jack. I'm serious"

But then Jack held out his hand, waiting for him to take it. And he knew he was done arguing for today.

"Can we have this day to ourselves, mh? Please?" Jack pressed on, gripping at the other's arm as he gently embraced him. He genuinely looked like an angel in disguise.

Robby flinched. "Fuck, it's cold…" he hissed, yet Jack was just trying to hold him. "Please…?" He whined childishly, dragging out the plea. At this point he was full-on squeezing the brunet. And that's when Robby gave in.

"Okay, yes, I get it— you're starting to hurt me Jack," he wheezed, his signature grin finally appearing on his face.

"There you go." Jack hummed smugly, planting a kiss on Robby's cheek, before releasing him with astonishing smoothness, letting his hand drop and intertwine with Robby's, pulling him further back, where the water rose.

The water was cold, and at first, the sun which had first seemed like a warm miracle in this chilly day looked rather useless. But then they started splashing each other, and it was only a matter of time before Robby took his revenge on Jack for his 'excessive nonchalance' (as he called it) by dunking his head underwater.

He emerged, sputtering and coughing, and while Robby laughed at the scene, he shook his head like a wet dog; beads of water were flying everywhere, some of them even landed on Robby, who tried to shield himself.

"How much did you drink?" he giggled.

"It's not that funny. We're not twelve anymore Michael"

"Oh, I find it very funny, without a shadow of a doubt," he smirked, biting his lower lip.

"Yeah?" the blond took a step forward, sliding his hands around the other's waist, damping his shirt, "how funny, exactly?" he mumbled, before sealing Robby's lips with his.

The latter pulled back briefly, with a giggle. "Oh, soo funny. Hilarious, I'd say." he hummed playfully, before diving back in— not underwater.

They spent a good few minutes there, surrounded by the water up to their hips, chuckling in between kisses and nipping at each other's lips just to be annoying. Jack wrapped both his hands around the hem of the brunet's shirt and pulled it up and off his head, thowing it over his own shoulder, just so he could splay a hand on Robby's chest. "Much better…" he hummed, contently.

When they got back to the shore the sun was officially high up, and their shorts were completely soaked. They let them dry off on one of the towels, while they curled up on the other, and for some time they just laid there together, letting the sunbeams sink in.

They ate a couple of sandwiches they had gotten at a gas station on the way, both of which looked kind of concerningly unhealthy; nonetheless, Jack wasted no time in making fun of Robby and his "veggie" option which, to be fair, looked even worse.

"It's… it's not so bad, look…" Robby tried to convince him (when in fact he was just trying to convince himself). He lifted one of the bread slices, expecting to find four different types of vegetable, including tomatos, as it was written in the packaging. Much to his disappointment, everything between the bread was mushed togheter in a green-ish looking… substance. Jack couldn't stop laughing, obviously, but he still offered a bite of his turkey sandwich. They ended up sharing it

They spent the afternoon kissing, talking, laughing, and kissing again. They took a little nap, before going for another dip. Jack told Robby he had put on sunscreen while the other was still sleeping, a blatant lie. They also spent part of the afternoon rolling around the little sand there was, scratching their backs as their spines hit the pebbles over and over— as if they could care. Then the evening approached, and the blond started showing signs of sunburn on his shoulder. And the other scolded him.

Jack even suggested a midnight skinny dipping session, but aat that point it was starting to get too late and as much as they both wanted to, they had to leave soon if they wanted to get a few hours of decent sleep before lectures started in the morning.

"Are you sure I can't convince you? You could miss first period, you know. Or just… drink an inhuman amount of coffee to survive it," Jack had suggested. He was getting in his way as Robby started to gather all their things, trying to win his consent by placing a few gentle kisses here and there on his neck, which only served to distract the brunet.

Robby sighed loudly, before glancing at him. "You're insufferable. We'll do it some other time, okay? Now help me with this towel," he said, in a voice that made it clear it was non-negotiable. Jack was about to argue 'When?', but that would have set them back where they started this morning. And he didn't wanna end one of the best days of his life so far with an argument. So his lips quirked in what could've been a smile, and he helped Robby fold the towel.

Jack had insisted on driving on the way back. Robby had offered, but he knew he didn't stand a chance as soon as Jack had said 'I'll take the wheel'. From the moment they got in the truck, the ride was quiet. They let the night wrap around them like a huge blanket, and they could peacefully observe it from their little bubble.

Only half an hour in, Robby was already out like a light. Jack had watched his eyes droop for ten minutes at least, before they finally closed. There was some country song playing, but the volume was so low you could barely hear it. He kept his eyes on the road, of course, but from time to time he turned his head to watch his friend sleep. A faint smile made its way on his face without him realizing. At one point he even slowed down, just so the ride back would last a little bit longer, just a little bit.

It was just him and the dark road. Him, the silence of this ungodly hour of the night, and Robby's presence next to him. He felt comfortable. He wished he could prolong this moment as much as he could. Or at least he wished he could mentally record the sight of the brunet, slumped on the seat next to his, sleeping peacefully— he too had a faint smile on his face, barely visible really. But it was there.

At one point, while he turned his head to check on Robby for the hundredth time, he noticed something peek from his hand. It was easy to miss, but he saw it. He reached over, and noticing Robby's hand was holding it loosely, Jack carefully slipped it free. It was a polaroid. It was a polaroid of a kid, around five, maybe six, smiling to the camera. Still fresh in his mind, he immediately recognized that same rocky beach.