garecares (garecares) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-11-12 00:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | #flashback |
Youthful Optimism
Who: Dusty and Gareth
What: Childhooooooooood scene!
Where: Arlington Texas
When: 1969. Wooooo The summer of love!
Notes: This is just a flashback of a childhood day in the lives of Dusty and Gareth. :)
Gareth had always made a habit of steering clear of Dusty's father. The big, brutish man terrified him, and at the age of six, when adults were scary enough as it was, the blonde waif had made the decision to simply stay away if they were too imposing. On this particular Saturday morning however, steering clear wasn't an option. Gareth had crunched his way down the dirt and gravel road to Dusty's house, only to find the other boy's fat slob of a father sitting on the porch. In a timid voice, Gareth asked him where Dusty was. The big man grunted noncommittally and slurred something about the back yard. Gareth had skedaddled to the back yard and now stood among the weedy grass and patches of light dirt looking for Dusty. "Hey Dusty? Where you at?" He called in his child-tenor. He was small for his age, too skinny with thin arms and scraped knees, and standing in Dusty's back yard, bright Texan sunshine lit the world and his platinum hair. He shielded his eyes with one small hand and called again. "Dusty? Yer Dad said you was back here!"
Dusty had been watching Gareth come around the back of the trailer, a devilish grin on his rounded face as he hung carefully from a tree limb. "You ain't never gonna find me!" he called out, laughing loud and wild afterward. He was up in the oak tree right at the back of the trailer, the huge branches hanging out over top of the roof. His hair was cropped short, almost military style, and he was dressed in a tee-shirt and his favorite shiny pants -- the kind that never shut up. He knew he wasn't supposed to be up this high, but he didn't care. No one was watching him and he wanted to get on the roof. His softball hadn't quite made it back down, and he was determined to get it himself.
Gareth looked around, blue eyes squinting against the sun. "You ain't up in that tree are you?" He called, and took a step towards the huge oak. As he stepped under the branches, shade came over his eyes and he could see a small pair of bare feet dangling far too high above him. "Hey uh... Dusty... we ain't a'sposed to climb up that high." He called it quietly, not wanting Dusty's drunken father to hear, lest he beat them both. "That's... that's really high up. Whatcha doin' up there?" His voice was nervous, frittering. Gareth was quite simply, the more anxious of the two. His mother, when she paid attention to him, was nervous and nagging, and he had developed much the same.
"I know!" Dusty shouted, all spit and fire as he swung on the branch. "I ain't dumb, Gareth! It's not like I'm gonna just fall outta the tree or something. What do you think I am? An elephant?" He stuck his tongue out at the other boy and continued onward along the thick branch his feet were touching, using the others around him for support. "I'm goin' to get my damn ball and you're just gonna shut your mouth up, y'hear?" Dusty shot the other boy a warning and started swinging out toward the roof, biting at his lower lip as he concentrated. After not quite long enough, Dusty let go and flew through the air. It wasn't enough though, and the boy scraped the edge of the roof with his fingers, yelping as he missed his mark and fell to the ground below, wailing when he landed. He immediately gripped at his left elbow, a good scrape making him think his arm was broken.
Gareth watched Dusty's fall as though he were watching the fall of Lucifer. For a scant moment, the blonde boy seemed to hang in the air, all sunshine and thin legs, and then the moment of suspension broke and Dusty fell, landing to the ground, screaming. He lay there, one hand grasping his arm and Gareth's tiny hands flew to his mouth as a gasp escaped him. "Oh no oh no oh no ohno!" It was without thought that he darted over to the smaller child, dropping to his knees beside him. "Dusty-- are you okay? He was squeaking, his voice high and panicked. "For a minute it looked like you were flying." He added and reached out, taking Dusty's arm into his own small grasp, trying to see where it was hurt. "You didn't snap it did you?" He asked, trying to calm the other child down, afraid his dad would hear.
"I think it's broken into pieces!" he shouted, flopping over onto his back, legs in the air as he groaned and whined. "Get my daddy, Gareth, I gotta go to the hospital... he's gonna kill me." There were tears in his eyes, and when he looked up into Gareth's face, the other boy would know he didn't really want to go anywhere. He flailed on the ground anyway though, making a big deal out of it and saying all the swear words he'd ever heard his parents use. He would be beaten into next week if those words were heard in front of them, but he didn't care right now. He was bordering on throwing a tantrum, and the ball still hadn't quite been rescued from the rooftop. "I ain't never gonna get that damn ball back, Gare..."
Gareth looked worried, but, observing how easily the smaller boy moved around, he figured it might not be broken. "Here man, lemme see it." He chirped, and took the arm more firmly into his hands, rotating it slowly. "I don't think it's broke D... one... one second." The blonde stood, reaching into his back pocket, and pulled out a bandaid. "Here." He knelt again and bent Dusty's elbow, putting the bandaid on it and leaning in, pressing a kiss to the bandaid. "Mom always does that, an' it always fixes it." He explained hastily -- too young to have a grasp on homophobia or masculinity, but feeling an explanation was necessary. He looked up at the roof and then over at the tree. "The ball?" He'd forgotten about it in his terror of seeing Dusty fall. Still... Taking a deep breath, the blonde boy made his way over to the tree. "Don't move none, okay. Let the bandaid work on fixin' your owch." He placed his palms against the rough bark of the tree, feeling it's grip against his soft skin, and then began to shimmy up it. He made quick work of the climbing, focusing on keeping his footing, on reaching Dusty's ball. The branch that dipped over the trailer was a little thin, but so was he. Exhaling slowly, Gareth put one foot on it, using his hands to grasp nearby foliage. Balancing carefully, the blue eyed boy began to step along the branch, his heart in his throat as it grew less sturdy and more supple. Finally he neared the end of the branch, his tiny body well over the roof of the trailer. Shifting, he grabbed a low branch and slowly slipped into a sitting position. His feet dangled just over the roof of the trailer. Swallowing, his mouth dry and warm, sweat trickling down one cheek, Gareth released the branches, grasping the one he sat on long enough to push off it and drop down onto the roof. There was a brief moment of pain in his left ankle as he landed hard, but then it was gone and he spied the ball. Goose-stepping over to it, he bent, holding the sphere up in the sunlight. "Dusty, is this it?" He asked, breathless and afraid to look down at his friend.
Dusty watched as Gareth put the band-aid on his arm and kissed it better for him. His own mother had done that on a few occasions, so the action wasn't unfamiliar... just a little strange coming from Gareth. Still, already the hurt had started to fade somewhat and he nodded agreeably. Gareth was probably right. He should lay still until it stopped hurting. Watching as the other boy started to climb his tree, Dusty stood up, cradling his arm to observe how Gareth handled what he hadn't been able to accomplish. When at last Gareth made it to the roof, Dusty nodded, smiling when his ball was held up. "Yeah, that's mine alright. You should toss it down here, and then come down. We got stuff to do today." This stuff included things like swimming in the pond nearby, torturing the neighbor dogs and throwing rocks at trains if they could catch any.
"Yeah, okay." Gareth agreed, tossing the ball down to his friend. Just how he intended to get down hadn't exactly been thought through however. Looking back at the tree, he decided that it was probably the best option and the blonde moved back toward the branch, grasping it's thinnest part and pulling. It gave enough for him to inch his fingers along it until he reached a thicker part, then he wrapped his arms around it and hoisted his legs up, wrapping them around the branch. He shimmied up it, until he was hidden among the foliage, and reached out with one trembling hand to grab another branch. The descent was a little more difficult than the climb, but he made it down and landed on his feet at Dusty's side, grinning proudly. "Not bad huh?" He preened, and then reached out, hooking one arm around his friend's neck and pulling him close. "See, thats why yer goan keep me around." He teased, and pressed his knuckles against the older boy's head, giving him a light noogie, the same ones his brothers sometimes bestowed upon him.
Dusty immediately retaliated, squirming when Gareth's arm went around his neck. "Hey!" he whined, laughing but irritated at the same time. "You let me go... you stupid butt-head..." He pulled back, dancing on his feet, trying to get away from his friend. Lucky for him, he was slightly heavier bodied, and after a lot of work and persistence he dragged them both to the ground. His arms went around his friend, the slender body easy to pin beneath him. "You better watch yourself!" he warned. "You ain't as clever as you think!" He laughed harder, breaking the headlock entirely to grab for Gareth, his arms encircling the other boy's head.
Gareth felt himself going down and called out, knowing Dusty would gain the upper hand, the other boy always did. "Nuh-uh, you ain't goan win!" He cried between bright peals of laughter. It was a pure and perfect moment, two children, young and alive and vibrant with innocence tousling on a dingy and dying lawn on a warm Texas spring day. As Dusty's scrawny and warm arms went around his neck, the slightly taller boy twisted, trying to get out of being locked in. It didn't work though and he found himself in his friend's grasp. He grunted in between his gales of laughter and let his hands drop down to Dusty's sides and stomach, knowing the other child was supremely ticklish. He began to run his fingers along those sides, tickling him through the fabric of his tshirt.
Immediately Dusty reacted to the tickling movements, unable to help himself as laughter took over. His grip weakened significantly and he squirmed, falling off of Gareth to land on his back beside him. Reaching out, he grasped at and bat at the other boy, trying to keep him back, make him stop. "You leave me alone!" he shouted, cackling loud even as he tried to put on a big front. He wasn't quite kicking yet, but if Gareth made a move to worsen the tickling, it was likely to get to that point. "I'm gonna die! I cain't breathe!" Dusty was already gasping for air, unable to calm himself or just block the feelings.
Gareth didn't dare stop, having Dusty at his mercy was a rare occurrence and he wasn't about to let it go. Instead of stopping, Gareth leaned forward, using a shoulder to knock Dusty's hand away and continue tickling him. He shifted his weight, now climbing atop the blonde, between his legs, and began tickling with real fervor, a bright grin striking his features. "Nu uh! Not till you say... Not till you say "Gareth is the greatest ball getter an' tree climber on the planet!" His hands moved slightly, finding the most ticklish spot he knew of. As he moved to reach it however, he lost his balance, and his weight tipped him over the edge of the small hill they were on. Without thought he grabbed at Dusty, trying to regain himself, but instead they both went rolling down the hill, landing in a small and grassy ravine.
"I ain't gonna say that, not never!" Dusty screamed, fighting all the harder as he was mercilessly tickled. When Gareth started to tumbled, Dusty went with him, not struggling to stay upright. It seemed like an adventure, and they both loved rolling down hills anyway. He yelped as they came to a stop at the bottom and took in a deep breath, his small chest expanding as he laid next to Gareth, settling, trying to calm down. "You almost killed us," he said, turning to stare at his friend. "We almost died on the way down that hill, Gare. You woulda felt real bad, knowing you done killed us both. You're lucky we ain't livin' on a cliff."
Gareth was laughing as they landed, Dusty at his side, the smaller boy breathing heavily close to his ear. He listened as the young man went on and on, chastising him for his carelessness, which was, in a way, ironic. Dusty was usually the careless one. He smiled, shifting, leaning up on his elbow to peer at his friend, smiling serenely. "Nah Dusty. We ain't never goan die. Never in a million years." He laughed, throwing himself back onto the grass and stretching out, enjoying the warmth and the scent of the earth. His gaze locked on the sky, the clouds above, and he pointed up at a particular cluster. "Lookit that one. It looks like Bugs-Bunny."