Trying to relax

After having brought Jim back at the tree, Ping walked back in the forest and kept walking until he reached the falls. He didn't realize he was going there, but when he reached the place he decided to stay: the sound of the water was really relaxing. Tulio was right: it really was beautiful...
He just layed down on the grass and closed his eyes

Tulio slantered into the opening, smiling when he found Ping sitting down.
"I had a feeling I'd find you here," he said, smiling at the boy as he sat down next to him.
Obviously, he had checked the entrance and the living room before walking all the way to the falls, but once he had not found Ping anywhere near there, he had assumed there was nowhere else he would be.

He jumped a bit when he listened a voice, but he relaxed again when, turning, he found out it was Tulio "Hey" he smiled to him, laying again on the grass. A part of him wanted to ask where was Rose, what had he done, but he just ignored this part of his mind, both because it wasn't his business and because the other part of him really didn't want to know the answer

The dreamy smile wouldn't escape Tulio's lips as he looked towards the waterfall once again.
He wondered where Rose was... what she was doing now... was she still in his room? Was she as happy as him?
He shook his head trying to rid himself of the thought, but his smile remained the same.
"What are you doing out here for?" he asked as he finally looked at Ping.

He kept his eyes closed again for a while, but when he reopened them he couldn't not notice Tulio's smile... at his question he just shrugged, he was just... relaxing... but when he replied to him it was to ask him "Why that smile?" he didn't know if he actually wanted to know the answer, but... he had to ask...

"Oh, it's n-" he started shaking his head, but then he simply laughed.
What he had been about to say wasn't true. It wasn't true at all, and he couldn't find one good reason not to tell him.
"You will never guess," he said excitedly, smiling wider.
"I think I am... getting married!"

Why did the news hit him like a punch in the stomach? He opened wide his eyes in surprise, for a short second that it seemed like a millenium he couldn't breath anymore, his heart stopped to beat, his mind went blank, his mouth dried...
"Hey! Congratulation!" he managed to exclaim, faking pretty well a wide smile and punching playfully his shoulder "Who's the lucky girl? Rose, right?"
he was faking like the best of the actors, but inside... deep inside of him he wanted to scream... but why? He didn't know... or, well, he didn't want to question himself... but it was wrong: he should have been happy for him, Tulio was happy, he should have been as well...

Ping's wide eyes scared him for a second, but when he broke into a smile, Tulio thought it had all just been the surprise hitting him. Honestly, hadn't he felt the same surprise? He couldn't blame him. Tulio wasn't the marrige-type.
"Who else than the more beautiful girl alive?" he sighed dreamingly and laid down on his back in the grass.
"Even her name is so beautiful, I swear the birds sing it every morning," he said and closed his eyes, thinking of her flawless face. What was happening to him that he acted like this?

the more beautiful girl alive... sure... Ping felt a deep sadness invading his mind and his whole body. Why had he to feel that way?
"Well... again, congratulations!" he smiled again, but his smiled turned into a sad expression as soon as he closed his eyes and couldn't see him anymore.
He hated those feelings! He had to do something... couldn't just stay in that way... he raised, looking around: maybe he could go hunting... but Tulio didn't like it and he actually wanted to spend time with him... maybe fighting again... or swimming... but, no... he couldn't get undress...

He opened his eyes looking out over the water.
"I never thought a woman could make me so..." he paused, what was the word he was looking for?
"Happy..." he sighed as he once again closed his eyes. Yes, that was the word.

He came closer to the water, giving his back to Tulio: he didn't reply, he just didn't know what to say... he felt just so messy inside, and it didn't feel good...

Tulio opened his eyes to see Ping standing by the edge of the water.
His smile grew wider and more playful as he quietly stood up and ran to the edge of the water.
He sprinted towards the water silently before he ran past Ping and swandived straight into the water with all his clothes still on. Nothing was more refreshing than this, and after last time he had learnt his clothes dried up fairly quickly.
So what was the damage really?

He almost loose his balance when he ran past him, splashing in the water: he tried to protect himself, covering a bit with the arms, but when it calmed down he reached the board of the river "You're crazy!" he said laughing

"Just crazy enough for you to love me," he laughed and winked playfully at Ping before he quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the water together with Tulio. He dived quickly and swam away in case Ping would get angry with him, but all the same he simply laughed when he returned to the surface.

He didn't know how he managed to keep smiling quiet and not blush at his phrase, but then he got immediatly distracted when he grabbed his wrist pulling him into the water. As soon as he realized that he was in the water he got scared, really scared: he could notice the bondages... he could realize... he could... when his head went out of the water, he breathed deeply, his eyes wide opened for the surprise and the fear, but then he sighed instead "I-it's b-better if i g-go out..." he said tensed giving his back to Tulio

Tulio swam back and grabbed Ping's wrist, pulling him closer to Tulio.
"Or you could stay and have some fun with me," he smiled playfully at the boy before he let him go.
Even if he had let go of his wrist, he was prepared to grab him again if he tried to leave.

When Tulio grabbed his wrist and talked, he felt his heart pound: He turned, surprised, and for a moment he even seemed to be intentioned to stay. he wanted it so badly... to stay with him, to keep playing with him... but in the end he turned again "N-no... it's... it's just... bettere... if I..." he mumbled moving again toward the board

"Oh, stop it!" Tulio exclaimed laughing before he swum around Ping to block his way.
"Have some fun will you?" he asked and winked charmingly before he leaned back towards the edge of the water, watching for Ping's responce. He wanted him to stay.
Ping had seemed so out of it lately, and Tulio was just trying to make him feel better, trying to make him lighten up and be happy for a change.
He didn't even know what was bothering Ping, maybe it was the same thing that had bothered him that night when he had tried to... Tulio didn't want to think about it, but Ping sure didn't look happy lately.

He swallowed: he was so tempted, he wanted to badly to stay... but what if... if... he shaked his head, he should have gone crazy, cause instead of moving again toward the board he swimmed toward Tulio. He still seemed tensed, and embarassed, but at least he had decided to stay

"Good," he smiled charmingly at the boy when it became clear he would stay.
"Race you to the other end?" he laughed and kicked the edge of the water, racing through the water like a bullet before he started swimming towards the end. It was a cheating quick start, but the water was really big, and he had no doubt Ping could catch up to him if he was fast enough.
However, Tulio's slender body was great for swimming, and even if his heavy wet, clothes kept dragging him down, he still moved gracefully through the water.

Tulio didn't even gave him the time to answer, but as soon as he started swimming he couldn't help but scream at him "Hey! That's cheating!" and immediatly he started to swim following him: he was a good atlet, and knew how to swim pretty well, expecially with clothes since, for obvious reasons, he had always swam with other people around with his dresses on, but he kept himself a little behind him, paing attention to not swim too fast and move too much his dresses, with the risk to show too much to Tulio

Tulio dived, knowing from experience he could swim faster deeper in the water.
As he did so he quickly unbuttoned his shirt and let it float to the surface.
It was much easier to swim without heavy clothing on, and though spending the time to unbutton his shirt cost him to loose a lot of distance from Ping, he was still in the lead and kept swimming, even faster now that he was deep in the water.

He kept swimming, barely breathing occasionally, but still being focused mainly on his clothes: even if he would have liked win, he couldn't allow himself to do something like that risking to be discovered

Tulio finally reached the other end of the water before Ping, and turned to smile at him cheesily.
"I wi-" he started, before he looked down and saw the bandages covering Ping's upper body.
"What happened?" he asked honestly concerned. As far as he knew, there was only one possible explanation as to why someone would bandage themselves. What had Ping really been doing when he left for those few days?

He stopped to breath, ready to tell Tulio that he was really a cheater, when he noticed his glance, he looked at himself only to see that part of the shirt was slipped revealing the bondages: he felt a cold chill down his spine. He froze. It really had been a stupid idea, why did he think to could do it? Trying to stay calm, he fastly covered himself again.
"War's wounds..." he replied, finding fastly the reply that seemed more convincent, without can hide the embarass: but after all it could even seem that was only because of the scars. A lot of young men weren't happy to show scars that had mutilated their body, Ping could easily be one of them...