Re: [Climbing: Patrick & Newt]
Patrick was glad to leave the subject of his sibs at the door. This was not a permanent thing, since he always thought of them, but it was a temporary thing, a required thing, man. He could not live in that place where his fam was always a mess. Perhaps this made him weak, but it was just so, and it felt like things had been most overwhelming since his return. He knew, though he only remembered it vaguely, that he had felt this way before his departure, also. It seemed to be a constant, and the dude needed a break. He did not think it would be bad for Newt, either, leaving this shit at the door.
Perhaps the teasing with the carabiner and rope went further than Patrick normally went, but this was all right. This felt all right. He was not, at present, overwhelmed by the interaction. The dude watched Newt's face. He watched as Newt's gaze slipped down, and he watched as Newt's gaze flicked upward again. He grinned again, a wide and broad Gunster grin. Dude knew what he was doing, man, and something had just pushed him far enough, today, to do it. All right, so it was not some massive move or accomplishment, but it was an unspoken invitation for Newt to touch (in a most specific way) in public.
So, all right, he watched Newt's fingers on the carabiner. He inhaled slightly when the dude's fingers brushed beyond warmed metal, and Patrick was anticipating that tug. Of course, the tug did not immediately come, and Patrick's gaze dropped and hung upon the hitched finger doing the tracing. It was an action that resulted in no physical contact, and Patrick glanced up, questioning, just as Newt tugged.
He laughed. "All right," he said, because he had been had, and he admitted this. But, man, he was no idiot, and he tugged up the hem of that ribbed tank, pulling the fabric up to his chest, and he looked down at the carabiner, giving it a most thorough (and bare-belly) examination. "I think this is sturdy," he finally said, letting the shirt fall once more to its natural resting place below his navel.