[IC] two hearts in one home || r&a

[Neve]

Though it probably hadn’t been Ari’s idea of a great day out, just going out on a wander on a day like this was River’s ideal way to spend time- the weather was stunning, the sun high when they set out, the sky a muted azure, scattered with clouds. There was a gentle breeze- River could feel it against his skin, and when it tousled his hair, and every inhale was fresh and rejuvenating and this, he could already tell when he first stepped outside, was going to be a good day. Honestly, if it had been up to him, he’d have been perfectly okay with going out on his own to wander outside by himself, alone and enjoying his own company; but unfortunately, nobody was quite comfortable with letting a severe narcoleptic go out on solo adventures in the wilderness. His mother had made it very clear that she didn’t want him going out alone, and River’s first choice of companion was predictable. There was only one person he was willing to spend an entire day alone with, so if Ari was unable to come out that day, he’d be staying at home. River was definitely not the kind of boy to disobey his mother.

As was expected, when River had first turned up at Ari’s door with the suggestion on his lips of actually spending some time outside, he didn’t quite get it out in time because Ari had immediately stepped close to meet him in a kiss, and for a few fleeting, gentle moments, he kind of forgot all about it. It was kind of embarrassing, but he chased Ari anyway when he pulled away before following him inside, wondering how the hell he’d butter his boyfriend up enough to comply with his suggestions. Even River didn’t have that power- or so he thought. All it took, apparently, was sitting on his bed, with Ari’s head in his lap as he carded gently through his hair. A few minutes of that and it felt sufficient enough to finally ask, trying to keep his voice breezy and light, twisting strands of pale blonde hair around his fingers and stroking across Ari’s cheekbone with his free hand. It’s a nice day, He had offered, shifting slightly. I think we should go outside.

Naturally, Ari was initially reluctant, but caved quickly enough that it even surprised him. River had smiled and brought Ari up to meet him in a chaste kiss, hands resting at his waist until they rose. Feeling a sense of triumph, he took his boyfriend’s hand and lead him downstairs and to the front door, opening it and shutting it behind them, closing his eyes when he was faced again by rays of warm sunlight and the gentle breeze. River expertly ignited Ari’s complaints about it being too bright and lead him off down the sidewalk, not really having a clear idea of where they were going at all and deciding to let his feet do all the thinking. He let himself focus instead on Ari, who, despite trying to hide it, was clearly in a very good mood and was enjoying himself almost as much as River.

They were so distracted by eachother that, when they ended up in a very rural area, walking down country paths past expansive fields, they didn’t really notice until Ari stopped and questioned where they actually were. A few moments, and helpless shrugs later, they started laughing, joyful apathy kicking in as they decided to just wing it and get even more lost. Neither of them really cared- they had eachother. It wasn’t said out loud, though, because Ari would back out of being too sweet and River was kind of enjoying himself too much to cope with Ari being annoying. Eventually, after about twenty minutes, they decided to vault a fence into a semi-overgrown meadow. It was now mid-afternoon, and the grass was almost pale gold from the sunlight that shone through the canopy of a tree standing by the edge of a stream that cut around the edge of the field. They both gravitated towards the centre, and when River spotted some dandelions growing in multitude, he sat beside them, waiting for Ari to drop down with him.

They had been lying there for half an hour, and River was just lying on his back, his arms folded behind his head and his legs tangled with Ari’s. Ari was sat up a little, propped up on one elbow, and River could barely look at him because the way the sun hit him was painfully pretty. Everything was bathed in a warm glow and he had to keep his eyes fixated on the drifting clouds or the emotion would get too much for him. It was a miracle he hadn’t had an episode already. ”Hey,” He murmured suddenly, gesturing vaguely at the sky and then propping himself up on his elbows, nudging Ari’s feet with his own and tilting his head to the side to try and squint at him. ”Aren’t you glad I dragged you out today?” His voice was gentle and teasing, and he fell back again with a smile, his hands shading his eyes this time as he settled back into the grass, listening to the melodic whistles of the birds overhead.

[jakob]

Ari wasn't really the type of person to appreciate the outdoors. When it was sunny out after weeks of grey and rain, he wouldn't comment on it cheerfully as expected, and generally he didn't complain about any oddly cold or unusually warm weather ("the Earth has seasons, does no one notice it gets cold around October, happens every year, why are we so shocked"); basically, Ari really didn't invest himself in his surroundings. His primary goal - to get indoors where he could laze around as much as he wanted - was enough to distract him from whatever the environment offered. More than he liked to observe nature or explore the area, Ari would rather have at least five different sources of entertainment around him, none of which he really paid attention to. Scene: Ari underneath three blankets, a television on full blast for background noise, phone at his side for receiving messages, laptop on the other open with whatever caught his interest, tablet in his hands on which he did nothing productive, and finally a book lost under the covers that he'd intended on finishing months ago. Typical night seven days out of the week, for him.

River, though, his better half, was more adventurous, and ironically enough he was confined to his home too often to do anything about it. It made logical sense, really, because he looked like some kind of forest nymph anyway, so he should have a connection to nature somehow. In all the inevitable times they'd been wandering about together, it seemed like the sun caught him directly, the oblique rays finding gold in his hair or the cornflower blue of his eyes to illuminate and emphasize. They passed gardens or trees with low hanging branches and River never failed to interact with them somehow, pointing out a particularly bright tulip to Ari or touching the branch that drooped as if it wanted to reach him anyway. If he didn't have this uncanny ability to make every little thing he did endearing - or maybe it was just the fact that River himself was endeared to Ari - then Ari might have been annoyed by it all. But usually he feigned a deep interest in the tulip or poked the leaf that hung closest to him, 'cause it was River.

So maybe he didn't need that much convincing to overcome his hate for any place not air-conditioned when River was involved, but River didn't seem to realize his effect on Ari. It was probably lucky, because any time River planned on trying to drag him into something, he'd act sickly sweet 'til Ari gave in - Ari eventually learned to just push it as subtly as possible. When River first appeared at his doorstep he really didn't even consider that being the case for today, and instead just gladly kissed him because so many hours apart was apparently awful, barely fitting in a greeting before he led River inside. Ari made the actual connection once they'd settled into a peaceful position on his much-too-large and much-too-blanketed bed, having almost fallen asleep with River's fingers drifting through his hair.

When River made his offer Ari pushed it as per usual, enjoying having his hair toyed with and feeling oh-so-special with the way River was being so tactile. He made it last a few minutes before deciding that he could probably get the special treatment even when they were out, and luckily, he was very quickly proven correct. He interlaced his fingers with River's, staying at his side even when he was greeted by the sun's invasive rays and the breeze messed up his hair (and he kind of complained about it, admittedly). Ari tried to imagine multiple times where they were going, what mischief River had planned, and at times really didn't know where the hell they were in the moment, even. And then he came to terms with the fact that River had no guidance at all and they were going nowhere in particular. Part of him sort of panicked, 'cause what if they couldn't get back, or what if he didn't get cell service, so on. The other, though, was intrigued by the idea of getting lost with River. The latter part won out, big time.

In fact, he preferred that careless and lovesick part of himself so much that he totally forgot to worry about how far they got or keep track of what paths they had taken, and when they landed in an area he'd never seen before he suddenly remembered all of it. It looked so country, total opposite of urban life and suburbia and therefore a different planet to Ari, that he was concerned enough to ask River for half a second - and then both of them opted not to dwell on it. Instead they let themselves end up in a meadow untouched by any mowers or city planners and for the first time Ari's attention was caught by the milieu enough to turn him away from River. Naturally their legs carried them to the center of the field, Ari's fingers still loosely locked with River's despite the hours passed or the occasional split-up. He finally let go before River dropped down right near a gathering of dandelions, only to immediately join him on the ground.

Time definitely moved slower here, but he was still fully conscious of the fact that the sun would go away eventually although it still painted the sky brilliantly. The point was that he had to spend that time wisely, and focusing on the good thoughts in his head and actually saying them outloud rather than being completely unavailable would probably be a welcome addition to an already nice day. Caught up with studying all the features of the world he barely took the time to see usually, Ari stayed propped up on his elbows, grounded by the way his and River's legs tangled together so easily. Hey. Ari looked over at River without thinking that maybe he should prepare himself first and was promptly taken aback by the way he was basked in light, stray dandelion seeds all caught up in his hair. He looked dumbfounded for half a second before grinning at him, taking one arm out from beneath him to brush a wisp from his hair and then quickly smooth his thumb over River's cheek. "Hey to you."

Aren’t you glad I dragged you out today? He hadn't followed his gesture since he'd been so enthralled by River himself, but it was easy to infer why he might've been glad. To River, though, he probably thought it was just the sun or the scenery that Ari should be happiest about, 'cause he was dumb like that. Ari figured he should remind River of his priorities. He adopted a matter-of-fact voice to counter River's teasing one. "You didn't drag me. I would've gone easy," he said, distinctly recalling every time he successfully turned down invitations from River only to chase after him and say he'd 'changed his mind.' The answer was pretty much always yes when the question came from River. "I just like when you do this..." He leaned over River once he was flat again, curling one hand against the grass at his head and carding lazily through his hair. "...but now I realize this is much better, yeah." It wasn't often he was agreeable, but. Something about the circumstances kind of shifted his attitude - and banter was evidently the alternative. "Was it your plan all along to get lost? I'm feeling very, how you say, kidnapped. We're gonna have to ask a farmer for directions."

[Neve]

River was, in some ways, much more easily entertained than Ari, who couldn’t squeeze much fun out of aimless wanders in the sun, and wasn’t entranced by all the colours and sounds of the outdoors. He didn’t seem to care much for nature, unlike River, who was sort of linked to everything at its most basic by his name, and his family; with siblings named Summer, Rain, Liberty and Joaquin, who had changed his name to ‘Leaf’ to fit the theme, it was difficult to imagine a life where that natural love wasn’t ingrained in them from childhood. Ari had a rich mother but no siblings, and evidently didn’t get out very much. His idea of a fun day was curled up on the couch, on his phone, laptop and tablet at the same time all while watching something trashy on TV. He had a large house, but usually confined himself to two rooms- the kitchen and his own bedroom. Unless, of course, River was round, which was more often than not- in which case, River, still enthralled every time no matter how often he was over by the sheer size of Ari’s house, would wander around constantly, barely stopping to even pay attention to Ari. Unless he wanted something- like today.

Ari was something of a pushover and even River, who didn’t tend to make a habit of taking advantage of people, knew how to get what he wanted from his boyfriend- in this case, cooperation, and even faked enthusiasm about the prospect of heading outside for once in Ari’s life. If he was allowed, River would probably have just headed out on his own- but his mother wasn’t having it. Ari was the natural first choice. So, after about thirty minutes of River sucking up as best he could, he had successfully recruited him along on an adventure, and two more minutes later, they were outside, looking very golden in the sunlight, fingers interlaced as they set off to nowhere in particular. At least, River did. Ari apparently thought River knew where he was going (a foundationless belief; River never really knew where he was going, generally and physically).

Ari, however, was much more organised- but also much more perpetually stressed out, much more akin to complain, much more inclined to lose it if he didn’t know what was going on. River, though useless at anything to do with organising or arranging anything, was much more laid back. He wanted to go with the flow. His entire attitude and aura was simultaneously lazy and flowing, with direction but not purpose, like the running water for which he was named. He didn’t care much for the final result of things and rather found pleasure in the journey, the process; and in this case, the route they were taking and the things they saw were more forefront in his mind than things like i don’t know where we are, And what time should we leave to get home before it’s dark and Ew, I’m going to have to ask for directions. All of these things were for Ari to unnecessarily worry about.

The entire trip, they hadn’t unlinked hands, save to jump fences or something. Only now, when they settled in the middle of a golden-green field, the grass thankfully long and cool against their skin, did they break apart, only to sit close again, making sure to retain contact somehow at all times. Their legs were tangled lazily as they kind of stared up at the clouds, basking in the brilliant sunlight that hadn’t faltered once. River had considered taking his shirt off a few times, but he was too tired from the heat to actually follow through, instead toying with the idea by curling his fingers experimentally around the hem of his shirt. Hey to you. River smiled slightly, treasuring Ari’s touch for a moment before opening his eyes more and posing a question. You didn’t drag me. I would’ve gone easy. River scoffed, his head lolling to the side lazily as he raised his eyebrows, as if to say yeah, right. ”I doubt it.”

I just like it when you do this. River knew what he was referring to before Ari even demonstrated, and he laughed gently, shrugging one shoulder and nodding his head knowingly. But now I realise this is much better, yeah. He knew it. River didn’t have it in him to look smug, but felt it anyway, shifting onto his side and reaching out to prod at the very typical stretch of skin between Ari’s shirt and his jeans. It was warm. Was it your plan all along to get lost? I'm feeling very, how you say, kidnapped. We're gonna have to ask a farmer for directions. River laughed again, louder this time, and just looked a little lordly, propping his elbow up and leaning on his hand while his other arm reached out and tugged on Ari’s shirt, attempting to get him to move a little closer. ”Or we could just stay here.”

[jakob]

River didn't seem to believe him in claiming that he'd have gone with him easy, and Ari's suspicions that he was ignorant to his own power were confirmed. Should he be outright about it? Maybe that'd give River a big head - or he'd use the knowledge to his own advantage in the future. Ari didn't really care, though, instead thought more about how it might give him a very slight ego boost at least. I doubt it. Ari shook his head, a tiny smirk finding its way to his lips. "No, really," he said, pulling up the shoulder on the arm unoccupied into a shrug. "It's become habit to make your life difficult, but I'm pretty sure I'd say yes to anything you ask me to do at this point." An unnecessary amount of information, but in the back of his mind Ari was maybe somewhat worried that River didn't realize the role he played in his life just because he tended to be so closed off.

He continued his efforts to make up for his cynicism - apparently the sun or the fresh air or some kind of toxic pollen had made its way into his system and temporarily gave him an exaggerated sense of empathy, or something - and kept his hands just a little tangled in River's hair even after he'd combed through it. In something like a response River explored the exposed skin from his shirt riding up on his hips and Ari raised an eyebrow at him as he spoke, curious but not opposed, until he'd finished being half as plaintive as usual. River mirrored his position and urged him closer with a tug on the front of his shirt and Ari went easy, staying at his level best he could. Or we could just stay here. Ari paused, looking like he was really considering it and laying out future plans with this new information, then shrugged amusedly. "Fine by me."

Ari leaned in to quickly kiss River's cheek, as if he really had to sneak around to show him affection, or something, and let his elbow out from under him, effectively switching the positions they'd been in. He wrapped his hands round River's waist, attempting to pull him down with him so they were actually pressed together, evidently trying to get as close as possible even though he didn't really need the extra warmth nor was he exactly starved for intimacy. Just a whim, he supposed. "You mean forever, right? 'Cause we can just live out here and eat dandelions. Might go crazy from talking only to each other, but, y'know, it's whatever." Ari grinned, squinting in the sunlight, and allowed himself to actually entertain the prospect of just him and River alone- officially. Not actually living in a meadow like some kind of fae, of course, but realistically.

It was his own fault summoning the picture to his own brain, but he quickly became likened to just the idea of it. Ari was only a teen and yet let himself fall victim to these kinds of dumb passing fantasies (and not even real typical fantasies, either; what kind of high schooler thought about getting all domestic like that at the most minor provocation), and even to the version of him whose edges were softened by a trip outside with his boyfriend, it was a little embarrassing. He ended up just smiling a little crookedly at River, not bringing it up directly and trying to move on from what appeared to be an actual human emotion other than his usual order of some variation of 'irritated.' "Thank you, by the way," he said, more quietly, holding River's gaze carefully. "For taking me with you. Though I guess you probably didn't have a choice." He smirked again at the idea of River's mom badgering him just before he walked out the door, which had probably been the case to a T. "In case you couldn't tell, I don't go out much."