#teeoh

❝ I know, Potter. Is why I was so hesitant to follow you to see what surprise you wanted so badly to show me. He is angry, I was thinking. Potter hates me, probably is going to lead me some place secluded and try to kill me! Because all this time, I thought you knew! But you had not opened it once in so many years of having it! ❞ It was a conversation they'd had already and Theo had grilled him for answers about why he'd stolen it, but he never really had a very good excuse for it. It was difficult to explain. He was going to give it back, only there was never a right time for it, and then it was too late and when Theo was in New York, Boris was convinced that he'd discovered the truth.

❝ Nie. Am just walking like this because I think it looks cool, ❞ Boris quipped dryly, his hand shoving against Theo’s upper arm to push him into one of the lockers. Since arriving, he’d been walking with a slight limp to his step and at one point, when they were stopped at Theo’s locker to let him gather his things for class, Boris had rubbed his hand over his knee. This time, it wasn’t his dad who was to blame since he was away at the mines for a few weeks. He only had himself to blame, but he didn’t regret it any.

❝ You know the pool at my house? No water, dried up, nothing but sand and dead bugs? Well, pool walls are at a slant, see, so I took the skateboard we found to test it out. Sort of is like a ramp, but hard when the wheel is so fucked up. ❞ Really, there wasn’t need for much of an explanation past that. The skateboard was gimmicky and they had a history of wiping out on it.

After years of being away from New Guinea, it felt nice to be back at the beach. He still missed the people and he didn’t have his pet goose or parrot, but for someone who typically hated the sun and tried to avoid being in it for too long, it made him happy all the same. This wasn’t as unbearable as Nevada had been. Plus, he was finally able to pick up where he left off with learning to surf in New Guinea. He hadn’t gotten a great deal too far into it, and he felt rusty and had to reteach himself a few things, like finding his balance and the techniques he’d been taught. Little by little he would work away at getting better. He was excited to teach Theo too, even if he did seem a little stubborn with it.

Coming up onto the sand and towards the towels and umbrella, his board tucked under his arm, Boris was soon setting the down and getting comfortable on a towel beside Theo. Already, he could feel the sun absorbing the water on his skin, even as he moved to find shade beneath the umbrella. ❝ Potter, did you see that!? ❞ He asked excitedly, referring to the way he’d managed to stand up this time without being knocked off immediately. Even if the waves were small to start with, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to even make it out to one of the big ones further at the back, progress was progress. Though, knowing him and his impulsive and reckless behaviour, he would probably attempt the large waves before he was ready for them.

Underneath the stars, Boris was laying on his back on the sand, listening to the waves crash onto the shore while he ranted to Theo about the American government and the things he thought were backwards about it; things he would change if he had the ability to. Whatever he was saying was going in one ear and out the other though, because Theo had soon informed him that he wasn’t sober enough to talk about it. It was maybe partially true, but Theo had never really engaged in those conversations with him even while sober. It just didn’t interest him the same way, and usually Boris would be ignored or told to shut up.