Electrifying

"You are too, that’s why I brought you something!" He handed Volkner a wrapped box. "They’re cupcakes, just telling you so you don’t shake it or anything. I didn’t know what flavors you liked best, so I got you a few different ones."

A small smile crept onto his face as he tore the paper to shreds, pulling out one of the baked goods. "You want one?" He held it out to the other, still trying to figure out how to say thank you.

"So… adorable…" Volkner probably would be startled by him appearing out of nowhere like that, but it didn’t even cross his mind to announce his presence. "Where do I get a matching one, huh?" He grinned.

He shrugged and placed his mug of cocoa down, leaning against his desk, staring the other up and down. "....Your cute when you all giddy."

"Are — are you sure that — ?" He didn’t want to embarrass Volkner, so he cut himself off before he could ask the question. "You’re doing really well, honest. Most people wouldn’t even make it that far on the first try. I believe in you." He grinned up at Volkner before remembering that Volkner wasn’t watching him. Hopefully, anyway, because that would mean he was looking down again. 

"..."At least Roark's words were encouraging to say the least. He looked up at the wall once more, taking another step up. Alright, that as high enough. "Yeah...i'm getting pretty tired..." That was the reason he was going to use, not the fact that he was terrified of heights. And with that he repelled his way back down, landing on the ground with a soft thunk a,d tried to keep his knees from buckling under him. 

"I can let you down, if you want," Roark said hesitantly from below. "Or if you need a rest, you can just let go and I can hold you there. I probably should have mentioned… it’s better to look up than down."

Thing had been going well till he almost got to the top where the rocks were smaller, fewer, and further between. He had just stepped up onto another foothold when... "Haa!" His foot slipped right out from under him, face meeting wall in a rather unpleasant collide. He adjusted his foot, regaining his bearings and accidentally looked back down. It wasn't a long look, but it was enough to make him cling to the wall. 'Come on Volk...you can make it.'

With a nod, he tightened the helmet, then put his hands on Volkner’s shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. I won’t judge you no matter what.” Awkwardly, he leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He… wasn’t too great at this whole public-displays-of-affection thing. It just made him feel flustered, and if he didn’t concentrate, well, maybe he would actually drop the rope. Nah. I’m exaggerating. But… “Anyway, you can start whenever, then.”

He made it about halfway up the wall before taking a small break, his arms already starting to feel a bit tired. More so his fingers than anything. He took the time to look out at his view, seeing most of the arena from here, that is until he looked down. The moment he did his stomach dropped, head swiftly turning back to stare at the wall. "Holy shit..." He muttered to himself. The fact that he was this high up and the only think preventing him from falling was a rope. Well...and Roark, but still. 'Don't think about it, just keep going...'

A shrug. “I’m not sure how much me demonstrating would really help… it’d probably just seem like I was showing off. So I think you should try first. I’ll stay down here and belay you — you know, hold and adjust the rope as you move up. I promise it’s secure. You could let go with your hands and feet and you wouldn’t go anywhere, whether you just wanna rest or if your foot slips or something. So in that sense, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m a pro. Um… I know I’m usually not too great at inspiring confidence, but I promise this is something I’m actually really competent at? Haha.”

Eventually they made it down to the landing, Volkner's eyes following the different colored rocks all the way up to the top where a bell sat. That was his goal and that's what he had to reach. "I trust you Roark, you don't have to go into all the fancy technical stuff." He chuckled and stole the others helmet, clipping it on. "Uhh, could you help get this adjusted..." He pointed at the helmet. 

Roark was practically glowing with excitement when he pulled Volkner into the building with the rock wall. “You should get some of the shoes with the grips on the bottom — you can ask at the counter, and I’ll set up the belaying, like, the rope and stuff, and you can borrow my helmet if you want — ” Realizing he was speaking too fast, he laughed a little. “Sorry, it’s just rare that I get to do this with a, erm.” He had almost said friend, which would have been rather clumsy. “With — with someone I really care about.”

"Aww, it's alright Roark. I like doing things with you anyway." He nodded, somewhat lost as he walked up to the counter, getting his shoes and finding his way back to Roark. "So...how's this going to work? Am I just going to climb up that thing?" He pointed to the wall then back to Roark. "And what about you, are you going to show me how it's done?"

Roark wasn’t even aware of the effect his boisterous cheerfulness was having on Volkner. It was his default emotion whenever something he liked was brought up, and he was having a hard time containing his enthusiasm. “Yeah, it’s a rock wall. You don’t have to worry about it, I’m belay certified and I promise I won’t let you fall.” He rested his head on Volkner’s shoulder and stared up at him. “C’mon, eat something already so we can gooooo.”

"Good, if you let me fall I might just have to make you stay here with me and take care of me till I feel better." Finishing up his cereal and changing into a shirt and jeans. "Ready when you are" He called from the bathroom, brushing at his hair

"C’mon, let’s go rock climbing," Roark said again, ruffling Volkner’s already-messy hair with one hand. For some inexplicable reason, being exponentially more awake than Volkner was gave him confidence. "Or I guess eat breakfast first, and then go. It’ll wake you up! And if you wake up now, we can have the whole day together. All those glorious morning hours." Roark wasn’t too keen on staying up through the night. He got tired fast, and then he would be grumpy. The only way to get past that hurdle was to get drunk, and… that was never a good idea with him. “What do you say?” He slung one arm around Volkner’s shoulders and stared at him with a pleading, almost childlike expression.

"Cheater..." He mumbled, pouting as he looked away. How could you say no to a face like that? He just had...this brightness about him that he'd never seen before. Was he really going to be the one to crush his hopes...the answer was no. "Yeah yeah we can go, it's only fair." He sputtered through a yawn. "I did tell you i'd go rock climbing with you." He shook is head once more, trying to force his eyes to focus. "What...kind of rock climbing is it? Is it just a rock wall or something?" He questioned, wondering into the kitchen to lean against the fridge in a sad attempt to open it.

  Roark knocked once on Volkner’s apartment door. “Hey, it’s time to rise and shine, Shining, Shocking Star of Sunyshore! It’s time to go rock climbing!”

He forced himself to stand upright once more, rubbing at his face to wake himself up. "Here, get inside." He mumbled, taking Roark's wrist and pulling him into the house with another tired yawn. 

"Hey, you’re making my hair all static-y." He flicked Volkner lightly in the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, static electricity, I know. You don’t have to say it."

"Well, i'm hungry. Do you...have class stuff you gotta work on or would you like to go grab a bite."

"Aw, what if I was gonna dye my hair too so that we matched?" he asked jokingly. "We could have started our own… rock band.”

"Hmm, I dunno, maybe next time i'll dye my hair red so we can match." Yeah that was really lame.

"Yeah, you do look better blond," Roark admitted. "But honestly, it’s fine. I’d look even stupider with black hair. Not that you look stupid…" A weak grin. "Okay, maybe a little bit stupid. But nothing fatal, haha."

"Yeah...maybe a little." He sheepishly nodded. "It's alright though. I like redheads." A hand came up to tussle Roark's hair. "I'll get it washed out."

Cue awkwardly stepping up and hesitating before hugging Volkner for a brief moment. 

"I uhh..." And you got him just a bit flustered Roark, way to go! He just puts his arms around his redhead and pulls him into another hug. "...Thanks...I'm still washing it out though...I look better blond."