The Summit

Serenity in the Storm

Music: Loser - Jagwar Twin
Y'know, I really hope my characters are as exciting for everyone else as they are for me.
___

Everyone finally reached the next, small platform before the looming, jagged wall. Finnley became dizzy, bracing himself against the wall and pinching the bridge of his nose while he took a deep breath. When it had passed, he looked up only to see the deep brown eyes of Griffin.

"Hey, you okay?" He crossed his arms as he tilted his head curiously. For a moment, his hand reached toward Finnley, but apparently he decided against it.

"Yeah, just a little tired. I'll be fine." His tone bubbling with fresh anger. It was none of his business if he was okay. Obviously he was, nothing would get in the way of finishing this next wall. Griffin shrunk back, nodding and turning away from Finn as he bit his lip. At least now, Griffin was more focused on Finn's well being and not on how nervous he was.

Sarah informed them that they'd be going up in the same order as before so Finnley braced himself. They stuck to only two pairs going up at a time, even though there was a third route up.
They started their climb, Finn still leading and taking his time to pick out the best course up. It was somewhat apparent, but it still required some thinking because Griffin would follow the path he set and Griffin wasn't experienced.

Five minutes in, vertigo took over his senses. Finn pressed his head against the cool, damp stone and kept his eyes focused on a dent in the formation. It would pass soon, but he knew Griffin would be staring at him with those quizzical, concerned eyes.

"I'm fine, just resting." He gave everyone a quick thumbs up. Finally, it passed, the world stilled beneath him. He got moving as soon as he could, knowing it was unusual for him to take a break, even if he was panting from effort. The rest of the climb went smoothly, although his nerves shot up every time he had to make a risky move to keep going. When they finally reached the top, Finn sat down, not caring if his pants got a little wet. He ran a hand through his hair, taking in the view. Although it didn't feel like an overwhelming amount of climbing, they were so high up that their tents seemed more like colorful blobs.

Eventually, everyone made it up, although it took quite a while. Fortunately though, they didn't have to rope down because there was a hiking trail connected to the small platform by a bridge. The bridge swayed, the creaking of the wood almost soothing. It was advised only two people go across at a time so they did just that. Finn, who was eager to get back down to their tents, went first. Everyone else followed after him.

Hiking down and roping down were both time consuming, but hiking was much easier and less anxiety inducing. Most people chatted on the way down, but Finn was silent and so was Griffin. Finn didn't realize that his silence could be viewed as anger because he was more worried about getting vertigo again while walking. If he did, he'd have to push through it. It was embarrassing enough to stop once because of it, he wouldn't let it happen again.

A beautiful bushel of flowers pulled him out of his mind, his eyes lighting up. Finn stopped to examine them, mumbling to himself about how pretty they were. They were wild flowers, but breathtaking. He decided he wanted one and carefully plucked it where the least damage would be done. It was a soft blue color, edging toward purple in the center. The rest of the group was used to Finn getting distracted like this and also knew he would catch up. However, Griffin stayed behind, although he kept his distance.

"Isn't it pretty?" Finnley asked, his mouth slightly open in wonder at the dainty little thing.

"Yes, it is." Griffin nodded, a small smile on his lips. Finn expected him to make some flirty remark so the fact that he didn't left a strange feeling in his chest. Maybe it was admiration because Griffin did know when to keep the flirting at bay.
"C'mon, we gotta catch up." Finn took off in a jog with Griffin trailing behind. He wouldn't have noticed, but Griffin's expression resembled one of someone seeing a cute kitten.

—-

Finally, they returned to the camp. They'd left it as neatly as they could without actually packing up the tents. It was later in the day now, since they didn't start as early as they wanted.

Finn took a ziplock bag and filled it with water, shoving his wildflower in and closing the bag as much as he could to make a makeshift vase. Griffin watched from afar and Finn raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"You're staring like a pervert." Finn smirked a bit before turning and going into his tent to double check all of his belongings. While he was in there, however, his sleeping bag looked like heaven. Laying down for a second won't hurt, he thought, crawling over and laying on top of it. Finn let his eyes flutter shut, listening to the voices of everyone as they broke out some snacks. Despite his body feeling like concrete, Finn rummaged in his bag to get out a protein bar, eating it slowly and staring blankly at his lap.
Griffin entered the tent and also got out his own snacks, scarfing them down like a beast who hadn't had food in months. Finn was too tired to make any comments, finishing up his protein bar and laying back down on top of his sleeping bag.

"I'm...gonna rest my eyes for a little bit." He closed his eyes and sunk into the cool sensation of the fabric. The air was warm enough that laying there without a blanket was the perfect combination.

"Okay, some of the others are going to the bathroom so you should be okay." Griffin took a huge swig of water, giving him a little thumbs up.

It only seemed like minutes, but Finn awoke and shot up. He checked his watch. It had almost been an hour. Griffin was just entering the tent and waved at Finnley politely.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep, why didn't you wake me up?" Finn waved his arms around in frustration before rubbing under his eyes.

"You needed it. Also, you're so adorable when you sleep, like a little puppy." Griffin said nonchalantly, grabbing his bag and putting it outside of the tent after shoving his sleeping bag in it.

"You are so irritating, you know that? I'm surprised I haven't killed you yet." Finn could have been intimidating if a yawn didn't overtake the last few words.

"You would never, I'm very charming," Griffin shot him the classic finger guns, winking. Finn balled up the wrapper from his protein bar and threw it at him, actually managing to hit him. Satisfied, Finn got up and packed up the rest of his things, also placing his bag outside of the tent. Griffin was staring at him....again.

"What? You're actually starting to creep me out with how much you stare. Don't eat me or anything." Finn said, crossing his arms.

"I'd only take a little nibble." Griffin pinched his fingers together to represent how small of a nibble it would be, staring at him with undeniable confidence.

"What the hell? You're so strange, no wonder you had to be friends with assholes." It was Griffin's turn to scowl and he punched Finn right on the arm.

"I'm actually quite the charmer, as I said a couple minutes ago." He was pouting now which only gave Finn more fuel to attack.

"You truly are crazy. That must be all in your head 'cause I haven't been charmed, not even once." Finn retorted, his expression morphing into one of mischief.

"Is that a challenge?" Griffin's eyes squinted as a smug expression grew on his face. Finn knew that he was never one to back down from a challenge, but he wanted to prove that he wasn't all that amazing.

"Yes, but don't think you can win." Finn stated, leaving Griffin in the tent.

—-

They all packed up their tents and finally hiked back to the parking lot, having to stop one last time for a bathroom break. Griffin was eerily quiet and that made Finn's skin crawl. After challenging him like that, he was sure that Griffin was planning on how to charm Finn in every way he could. I just made it so much worse for myself didn't I, Finnley thought, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He knew better than to provoke a flirt like Griffin, but his competitive side got the better of him. Right now was just the calm before the storm.

___

Oh my sweet summer child. Finn acts like such a tough guy, I love him. Anyway, thank you for reading! If you liked the music, please let me know! :)

~Mey