Chapter Text
Teacher: Children, write down the sentence: "The fish sat in the tree."
Student: Do fish sit in trees?
Teacher: Well... It was a crazy fish.
As an inhabitant of a planet completely covered in water, Darem was accustomed to seeing this water in a variety of forms and states. Vast masses of saltwater—mirror-smooth, transparent for tens of meters deep, or, conversely, churned into gigantic, wrinkled waves. The raging foam of whirlpools. Walls of rain in the tropics. Thick steam rising from the water in the heat of the equator. Massive ices closer to the poles. Pools and fountains in the underwater halls of Khionian public buildings.
But until now, he had seen such a strange thing as waterfalls only on alien shows, and he had no idea what they looked like up close.
Climbing trees turned out to be relatively easy, and Kyle was always nearby, ready to help—share an advice, provide support, offer a hand. Darem immediately memorized the most important rule for beginners: have a support for both hands and both feet, and, without a safety tether, change one support at a time. Kyle, being an experienced tree climber, didn't follow this rule himself. It was perfectly easy for him to catch his knees on branches, flipping upside down, or to hang by one arm and swing before grabbing the next support at a terrific height above the ground. Darem's impudence was urging him to imitate Kyle's spectacular gymnastic feats, but the Khionian kept such urges under control for now.
It wasn't because he was scared—he simply didn't want to cause Kyle any unnecessary trouble. Darem realized this as he followed Kyle through the hatch onto the wooden platform, and for a second he dangled by his arms, loosing his feet support for a moment. Kyle grabbed Darem's forearm, instantly throwing himself on the floor near the hatch, and only let go when Darem pulled himself up and climbed safely onto the platform.
After that, Kyle simply had to ridicule Darem for his clumsiness, and it would be necessary to respond. Darem had already been turning over a sarcastic comment in his head, but he never got the chance to voice it. Kyle, having confirmed that Darem had risen to his feet, merely nodded approvingly and turned, looking around.
And there was plenty to look at. All around, the same green sea splashed with a soft sound. But here the sky was visible, clear blue, hot to watch, and the treetops, swaying in the wind, were gleaming through the sun.
'How high have we gone?' Darem asked, stunned, approaching the platform's railing.
'Forty-six meters,' Kyle replied. 'Not much, if you take the elevator. About... the fifteenth floor?'
Worry crossed his face.
'At this altitude, the pressure difference is already having an effect. Are you feeling dizzy? Any ringing in your ears?'
'It doesn't even make me sick,' Darem snapped, to which Kyle responded with his usual smile, so Darem couldn't resist asking point blank,'How come you don't get tired of smiling?'
The blond laughed:
'Should I?' he suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Darem more closely, 'Hmm. Do you take some effort just to smile?'
'Shouldn't I?' Darem, in turn, didn't understand him.
'For humans, smiling is a reflexive expression of emotion,' Kyle explained. 'Without conscious effort. And without spending effort, there is no tiring. Is it different for the Khionians?'
Darem hesitated, unsure of what to say. The demands "smile", "stop pouting", and "put on a normal face" had haunted him for as long as he could remember. He simply hadn't considered whether other Khionians' smile was a reflex. But he wouldn't tell Kyle that! So he shook his head vaguely and turned away. The wind blew across his flushed cheeks, stirring the branches around him—not like waves that come and go, Darem thought—because the branches stayed in place, their swaying irritatingly repetitive. The reflections from the leaves were, in places, as bright as the reflections from the water. He noticed that he was indeed feeling a little dizzy.
What nonsense. He is capable to a deep dive and an exit into the vacuum of space, what did those forty-six meters of altitude matter to him? He stubbornly flared his nostrils and nodded when Kyle asked if he was ready to move on, pointing to the rope that descended slightly toward another tree.
'From here on, only with a safety equipment,' Kyle warned, wearing a set of straps with carabiners. Before Darem could even figure out what the harness reminded him of, the blond smiled innocently and asked, 'Now I look even more like an otter, huh?'
Darem looked at him in surprise and… burst out laughing. Sure, Utal and Runrum's walking harnesses looked different, but the equipment reminded Darem of exactly those. Kyle had just realized it first.
Still laughing, Darem allowed Kyle to equip him with an identical harness, listened to the instructions, and confirmed aloud that he understood everything.
'You'll see the first waterfall on the left,' Kyle warned. 'Don't forget to slow down at the end. If you forget, it's okay, you'll just bump into me.'
Darem promised himself he wouldn't forget to slow down as he watched the figure in the black uniform rapidly recede, clutching the roller sliding along the rope. He tugged first at his own pulley, then at the safety tether, testing their reliability. Forty-six meters no longer seemed insignificant. Or maybe... well, refuse it? Maybe Kyle had lulled him into complacency for so long so he could pull a more wicked trick on him?
No, back down now, and tomorrow the entire War College will know what a coward you are. And Jay-Den will be the first to know... Besides, you can't even climb down this tree alone.
Darem grabbed the pulley and stepped forward, trying not to close his eyes. The air rushed across his face, knocking tears from his eyes, forcing him to turn away. Well... what did the blondy say about the waterfall on the left?
The trajectory of the move carried Darem into an open space, where almost half the park lay spread out beneath him—or so it seemed at first glance. But what immediately captured his attention was a nearly vertical stream of water in the distance and slightly below, framed by lush vegetation. Darem nearly yelled with delight, trying to discern every detail while simultaneously beginning to enjoy the previously unknown sensation of flight.
At the last moment, already sinking into the leaves, he remembered the pulley's lock and pressed it—too hasty! Darem felt as if the momentum would wrench his arms from his shoulders, but Kyle emerged from the side and wrapped his arms around Darem's chest, slowing the impact with his weight.
'Let go!' he ordered, and when Darem released his grip, Kyle pulled him to a fork in the tree where he could catch his breath without risking falling.
'Cool! Holy shit, this is so cool!' Darem breathed, completely sincere. His heart was beating faster, and his words were interrupted by uncontrollable, delighted laughter. 'Holy shit, what a fun you guys are having here! I want more!'
Kyle beamed silently, and for the first time, it seemed, Darem felt no internal resistance about it.
'I'm sorry Jay-Den's missing this,' Darem blurted out before he realized his words were ambiguous. He honestly felt sorry for Kyle at that moment, but it could also suggest he was gloating... could it be that he was really gloating somewhere deep down?
Kyle grinned brightly:
'He wouldn't have come here anyway. "Klingons... don't fly...",' he imitated Jay-Den's deep, muffled voice rather accurately.
'You said you'd invite him to the park...' Darem began suspiciously, recalling the conversation that preceded this walk.
'I said I wouldn't invite him to a bar because he doesn't like it there,' Kyle reminded him, still smiling brightly. 'And then you asked where I like to hang out, r-remember?'
The thought seemed too heavy for Darem to bear, so he leaned against the tree trunk and thought, replaying the entire conversation over and over in his head.
Indeed, Kyle didn't say a word about inviting Jay-Den to the park.
In fact, he only said he liked it here. That he felt like himself here. It was Darem who suggested...
So, with the begin...
They're not here because Kyle asked for that?
But then... who did?
No, wait. Yes, Darem started this conversation, but Kyle skillfully turned it to his advantage...
While Darem frowned, trying to get his train of thought back on the rails, Kyle didn't rush him. Instead, taking advantage of the moment's rest, he leaned back against a tree, pulled one of the snacks he'd stashed in his pocket, and started to chomp it. Darem's head snapped up at the sound of the crunch, and he almost barked "Drop it!" out of habit.
The next moment, he was overcome with laughter.
Yes, he really did want to go for a walk with someone who didn't demand anything of him. Here we are.
And it seems Kyle isn't the only one enjoying it.