Chapter Text
Impulse shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling utterly drowned in his graduation robes. Seriously, who decided to make these things so flowy? He was certain he was going to fall. Or at least trip. And neither option sounded particularly nice, considering everyone and their parents were seated and staring intently at the stage, which some of his peers were beginning to walk across with beaming smiles as they received their diplomas.
Impulse really couldn’t care less about this entire procession. He received his academic achievement certificates ahead of time—he claimed a very impressive first place in computer science and second place in calculus—and honestly just wanted to get his diploma and leave. Although it was nice to see Mumbo get valedictorian and Gem get salutatorian, neither of them seemed very keen on giving their speeches. He couldn’t say he blamed them; just because they worked hard, and it paid off, didn’t mean they should have to talk about their accomplishments in front of their whole cohort. Lizzie’s class president speech was much less awkward, but it was right after the very long speech given by their principal, and Impulse didn’t pay her speech the attention it deserved.
Regardless, Impulse was proud of all of them. He was also getting very bored since he had already sat through about five speeches and half his year group walking across the stage. He mustered the energy to clap and cheer for Skizz and all of his other friends who had been across so far, but now he was waiting for his turn.
Students began to rise around him, and Impulse quickly jumped to his feet and followed the conga line of teenagers until he was waiting at the bottom of the steps. He wished he felt more anticipation, more excited about closing this chapter of his life, but after a week of exams and a two-hour ceremony, he was ready to take off on his forest getaway.
“Impulse Silva-Valderaz!” The vaguely familiar music teacher turned diploma announcer smiled and beckoned him towards her.
Impulse hesitantly walked across the stage, trying to ignore the feeling of hundreds of eyes boring into his skull. At least they changed the name on his diploma from his legal name; he really didn’t need to be jumpscared with his legal name while walking across the stage.
He took the diploma with a friendly smile and shook her hand, before promptly walking off the stage.
“That’s my boy!” A familiar voice cheered before letting out a sharp wolf whistle.
Impulse didn’t have to look up to know that it was Skizz. Honestly, he didn’t want to go through the awkward process of dead-eyeing the crowd while trying to spot Skizz. Despite mostly besting his anxiety in the past few months, he still wasn’t confident enough to look into the crowd. Maybe he never would be. That was fine with him. For now, he just smiled to himself as he weaved between the rows of chairs.
Sitting back in his seat, Impulse breathed a sigh of relief as he realised the hard part was over. Now he just had to sit through the last ten minutes of students receiving their diplomas, two more speeches, and then he could go find Skizz. Everything would be fine. He never had to think about high school ever again. He had done it.
…
The second the applause ceased, Impulse was up and off, weaving between the crowd of crying and reminiscing students with practiced skill. He only had one goal in mind: find Skizz and get out of here as quickly as possible. And say goodbye to his parents before he and Skizz and the rest of their friends took off on their end-of-school camping trip.
Walking briskly, Impulse felt a smile spread across his face as his parents appeared before him, clapping excitedly and grinning as he walked over. “Hey,” he said, wrapping his arms around both of them.
“Hi, sweetie.” His mom quickly kissed his cheek, then pulled back and smiled at him with watery brown eyes. “We’re so proud of you.”
“Si! What your mother said!” His dad grinned, his eyes crinkling with glee as he wrapped an arm around his wife.
“Thanks, guys.” Impulse felt himself beginning to blush, despite all the compliments coming from his parents. He really had to get better at receiving praise.
An arm landing on his shoulders briefly startled him, but then a kiss was pressed into his hair, and Impulse felt his entire body go slack. Leaning into Skizz’s side, he instantly felt at peace. “Hey, Skizz,” Impulse twisted his head to smile up at him.
“Hey, Dimpers!” Skizz grinned widely before turning to Impulse’s parents. “Hi, Angel, hi, Erin. How are you guys?”
“Good, honey, thank you!” Impulse’s mom smiled warmly. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing well, thanks,” Skizz said cheerily.
“Are you boys excited for your- what is it? Galamping?” His dad added with a wink. “I know this one is.” He gestured to Impulse with a cheeky smile. “He has been talking all about it for the past week!”
Impulse crossed his arms. “It’s glamping, Papá.”
Skizz laughed and nudged Impulse playfully. “Trust me, I’ve been hearing about it too.”
Impulse rolled his eyes playfully, letting out a scoff. “I haven’t been talking about it thaaaat much…”
“You have.” Skizz chuckled. “But it makes sense; I’m just as excited as you are.”
Impulse just smiled and elbowed Skizz’s ribcage gently. Skizz gave him a quick, playful glare before turning back towards Impulse’s parents, who were starting to bombard both of them with questions. Luckily, Skizz deftly answered all of them, making Impulse’s parents nod approvingly. Impulse knew it was all just for show; they had agreed to let him go camping the second he’d asked. He’s fairly sure they’re just glad he’s going out and doing things.
His communicator buzzed in his pocket, low and insistent. Pulling it out, Impulse flipped it open and thumbed through until he found his recent messages. There were a few fresh messages from his and Skizz’s group chat with Grian, Gem, and Scar, and the notifications were flowing through by the second.
Grian: guys what doing
Grian: i wanna go
Gem: have some patience, sir. i’m talking to my parents
Grian: but caaaaamping
Gem: god we will go in a minute
Scar: Can someone tell me where Skizzlys car is? My parents want to make sure its safe
Grian: yeah i can show you once everyone else is finally ready
Gem: ok grian i’m done now
Grian: good
Grian: let’s go
Impulse smiled at all the messages. He nudged Skizz gently, feeling bad about drawing him out of conversation with Impulse’s parents. “I think the others want to get out of here, Skizz.”
Skizz gave the messages a quick glance and let out a laugh. Turning back to Impulse’s parents, he smiled at them warmly. “I think our friends want to leave now,” He briefly moved away from Impulse to give both of them a hug. “Lovely to see you both, as per usual.”
“Yes, of course.” Impulse’s mom smiled before turning to Impulse. Her tail lashed slightly, and she eyed him nervously. “Please be careful, honey. We’ll see you Tuesday afternoon, right?”
“Yep! Only four and a half days, Mom.”
“I know, I know.” Her smile became less worried and more teasing. “Just because you’re all grown up doesn’t mean I can’t fuss over you anymore.”
Impulse laughed and pulled her in for another hug. “I know, I know. Love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie.”
Impulse pulled back to wave goodbye to both of his parents as Skizz started to pull him away.
“Bye niño! Be safe!” His dad blew him a kiss.
Impulse grinned and blew a kiss back before turning around and following Skizz to his car. He held Skizz’s hand tightly, letting himself be dragged through the crowd of thrilled students and teary-eyed parents. The noise eventually tapered off as they approached Skizz’s car, both of them met with a smiling Scar and his cane, an antsy Grian, and an unimpressed Gem.
“Took you long enough,” Gem said, crossing her arms and leveling them with her sharp gaze.
“Sorry! My parents were yappin’!” Impulse smiled at all three of them. “Anyways, hi! Are you guys excited!”
Scar grinned from ear to ear. “Yes! I’m just glad my medication is working. Really didn’t wanna be on wheels for this trip.”
“That’s great, Scar.” Skizz reached out to put a hand on Scar’s back. “Can I help you into the car?”
“Why, thank you, Skizzy Wizzy.”
Impulse stared between Gem and Grian, narrowing his eyes playfully. “Dibs not the middle!”
“Dibs not!” Gem chimed in quickly.
“Dibs not- shit!” Grian threw his hands in the air in a huff and stormed over to the door. He wrenched it open, dramatically throwing himself into the middle seat while mumbling every insult he could think of.
Impulse just nudged Gem and chuckled. “He’s feeling dramatic today.”
“Isn’t he always?”
“True.”
Impulse walked over to the driver’s side, catching Skizz just as he was about to get into the car. Skizz smiled lovingly as Impulse slid his hands up his neck and looked intently into Skizz’s piercing blue eyes. “You okay to drive? It’s already been a long day, and the campsite is about three hours away.”
Skizz let out a surprised laugh. “I’ll be fine, Dimpers. Besides, worst comes to worst, I’ll make Gem drive this monster truck.” He snickered.
Impulse laughed. “Oh, she totally would. Just to show you up, too.”
“Maybe I should tease her, tell her she would never be able to drive this thing.” Skizz leaned down slightly and pressed a kiss to Impulse’s forehead. “She would totally get all stubborn and take over. Then we could cuddle in the backseat.” His lips were warm against Impulse’s forehead, his smile prominent in the way his lips rested against Impulse’s skin.
Impulse snickered, pulling back and standing on his tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to Skizz’s lips. “I like the sound of that.”
“I’ll make sure to make it happen.” Skizz smiled fondly, making Impulse’s heart flutter.
The sound of hammering fists on glass snapped Impulse out of his stupor, and his gaze flicked to the side to see Grian staring at them, brows furrowed and impatience evident. “Stop making out and get in the car! I wanna go!”
His words were muffled in such a way that made Impulse start giggling, only spurred on by Grian’s frustrated glare behind the window. Quickly squeezing Skizz’s hand and giving him a loving smile, Impulse let go and complied with Grian’s request. He settled into the car, leaning against the window as the engine hummed to life and they started down the road, music blasting and excitement filling the air.
Impulse knew this was gonna be great. A camping trip with all his closest friends—and some new people; what else could he need?
…
Impulse was jerked into consciousness, his whole body practically leaping into the air as the car jolted violently.
“Sorry! Big pothole in my way!” Gem chirped.
Only then did Impulse realise he was pressed against a warm body, an arm slung around his shoulder, and a head atop his. Impulse sleepily leaned against Skizz, pressing himself into Skizz’s side and feeling warmth and happiness flood his senses. Skizz rubbed his hand up and down Impulse’s arm gently and pressed a kiss into his hair.
Impulse really thought Skizz was joking about making Gem drive. This truck was far too big for her to be driving. Although she was driving it like an absolute boss; Impulse watched as she deftly weaved through the foresty back roads like she had driven them every day. Even though she was sitting up completely straight and hunched over the steering wheel so she could see, she drove with so much confidence that Impulse felt completely safe as she navigated the woods. He really should’ve had more faith in her. She was absolutely killing it.
Impulse dropped his head back onto Skizz’s shoulder, switching between peaceful slumber and sluggish wariness for the rest of the drive. Animated chatter floated over his head, sometimes a dull hum and sometimes more animated, and sometimes even jerking Impulse awake.
It was perfect. Impulse wouldn’t have it any other way.
He finally felt the car slow to a stop, tires crunching on gravel, and the conversation becoming louder, more excited.
“Rise and shine, Impy.” Skizz kissed the top of his head. “We finally made it.”
Impulse blinked hard, light assaulting his eyeballs as he looked out the window. A vast, crystal clear lake filled his vision, stretching out towards a forested hill that spiked upwards into a mountain. Tall pine trees stuck out in the foreground of his vision, outlining a large, wooden cabin perched on the precipice of the lake. Figures were present in the distance, their laughter carried by the wind and filling Impulse’s ears as they all piled in the front door.
“Wow. So pretty.” Impulse stared, awestruck, at the sight before him. It filled him with such happiness that he couldn’t even fathom how he would articulate it.
“Let’s go admire it properly then, yeah?” Skizz rubbed his hand along Impulse’s shoulder and towards the back of his neck.
Impulse turned around to look at Skizz, being met with an excited, warm smile and the faint yellow glow of Skizz’s halo. Impulse blushed at the sight. He knew he would never get over the fact that Skizz’s halo only made an appearance around him. It was more flattery than he knew how to handle. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Impulse leaped out of the car, taking in the view properly and feeling his eyes begin to water as he watched Grian and Gem run to greet Jimmy, Lizzie, and Joel. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so emotional—other than that collective effervescence thing Grian taught him about. Maybe it was the view. Or maybe it was being surrounded with so much love that Impulse didn’t quite know what to do with himself.
Whatever it was, Impulse wasn’t about to deny the feeling.
Feeling Skizz’s hand slip into his, Impulse smiled up at him briefly before walking towards the house. Entering through the front door, Impulse was immediately met with a cozy but open living room currently filled with chatty teenagers.
“Impulse! Skizz! Hey, my dudes!” Ren jogged over to give them both a warm hug.
“Hey, Ren! How are you, brother?” Skizz clapped him on the back enthusiastically.
“I’m good, dude. I’m good.”
“Aye-up!” Martyn chimed in, strolling over and dropping his chin onto Ren’s shoulder. “How are you guys?”
“We’re good, dude, thanks!” Impulse smiled and lightly punched Martyn on the shoulder. “How about you two?” He winked suggestively.
Martyn shot Ren a cheeky but loving smile. “We’re good. Taking it slowly, but good.”
“I’m glad, dude.” Impulse nodded his head happily. He was glad those two had gotten back together; ever since Martyn told him about his history with Ren, Impulse had known that they would end up back together. He was glad they had.
“Impy!”
He turned around to see Pearl waving him over excitedly, arms extended. He ran over and hugged her quickly, giving her friends an awkward smile. “Hey, Pearl!”
“Hello!” She smiled down at him. “How are ya, mate? Was the drive okay?”
“Yeah, it was good. I slept for most of it if I’m being honest. You?”
“Mine was about the same, honestly. I think everyone was tired from graduation.” Pearl turned slightly and gestured for her friends to come forward before turning back to Impulse. “I think you’ve met these guys before, right?”
Impulse looked at all three of them for a couple of moments before realisation dawned on him. “Yeah, I have! On Halloween, right?” Impulse furrowed his brows and racked his brain for names. “Scott?” He hesitantly pointed to a tall-ish boy with blue hair and a friendly smile.
“That’s me!” Scott smiled and waved.
Impulse grinned and looked at the other two for a few more moments before their names sprang to the forefront of his mind. “Cleo?” He nodded to a person with fiery red hair who was a similar height to Scott. They grinned and nodded, giving him a small wave. “And then BigB, right?” Impulse looked over at a much taller boy with dark skin and even darker coily hair.
“You got it!” BigB grinned, eyes crinkling in such a friendly way that Impulse immediately felt at ease.
“Awesome! It’s nice seeing you guys again.” Impulse wiggled his eyebrows slightly. “How are we feeling about graduating? Never going back and all that.”
“Honestly, I’m not gonna miss it,” Cleo let out a wry laugh. “It was just so boring, I’ll be fine with never experiencing all of that ever again. We’ll be way more free in college anyway.”
“Yep, same here,” Scott added. “Made good friends, mostly had fun, but I’m ready to move on.”
Impulse nodded eagerly, feeling his own thoughts finally articulated in a way that he couldn’t manage himself. He’d enjoyed his high school experience—even if it was only enjoyable in the last six months—but he felt like he couldn’t get anything else out of it. He’d gained incredible friends, an amazing, perfect boyfriend, and more confidence than he ever thought he could attain. It wasn’t possible to get anything else from high school; he had reached his limit. And he was content with that.
Impulse felt Skizz’s chin land on the top of his head, and an arm snake around his middle. He leaned back against Skizz, readjusting slightly so his head was nestled into the crook of Skizz’s neck. “Whatcha doing?” He asked playfully.
“Needed something to lean on.” Skizz snickered. “Hey, guys!”
“Hi, Skizzley!” Pearl chirped, shooting Impulse a not-so-subtle wink before smiling back at Skizz. “How have you been?”
“Good, good. I actually came over here to ask Big Bopper over here when he wants to start dinner. I know it’s early, but personally, I am starving, dude.” Skizz rubbed his stomach emphatically.
BigB chuckled, reaching out to pat Skizz’s shoulder. “We can start anytime, man! If we start cooking right now, it should be ready by about five, which I think is the right time for dinner. Especially because most of us didn’t really eat lunch.”
“Yeah, man!” Pearl whined playfully. “I’m hungry!”
Impulse felt Skizz’s body shake with mirth, accompanied by hearty laughter.
“Okay, Pearl,” Skizz said. “We’ll get a move on. Come on, Bopper!” Skizz pressed a kiss to the top of Impulse’s head before walking away, closely followed by BigB.
“Thank you, Skizzley!” Pearl turned back to Impulse with a smile. “Wanna sit?” She gestured to the couch. “They’re probably gonna be a while.”
“Yeah, let’s chat some more!” Cleo grinned and plonked themselves down. “We can get to know each other a bit before we all split off!”
“Yeah, what else is this little trip for?” Scott added.
Impulse grinned and sat down next to them. He let the conversation fill his ears, piping in occasionally when they asked him a question. It was nice to talk to them like this, even if Impulse wasn’t sure that they would stay in touch over the summer. Just being around them was enough.
…
“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.” Ren strummed enthusiastically on his guitar to accompany his singing. “Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.”
“Whoo!” Martyn cheered, pressing a kiss to Ren’s cheek.
“So make the best—” Ren let out a flustered laugh. “—Of this test and don’t ask why.”
“It’s something unpredictable!” Skizz yelled, squeezing Impulse’s shoulder and giving him a happy smile.
“But in the end it’s right!” Impulse added on with a fond laugh.
“I hope you had the time of your life!” Everyone else chimed in, their voices blending unharmoniously, but still full of joy.
Impulse laughed as Ren fumbled a note from everyone’s outburst, before continuing to sing and play as though nothing happened. Impulse looked around at everyone huddled together, some with blankets cast over them despite the fire still going strong. Pebbles crunched beneath their feet as they shifted around, intermingling with Ren’s singing and the gentle evening breeze. The sun slowly sank into the horizon, filling the sky with a stunning display of oranges, reds, and a slight purple hue brought about by the appearance of the moon. The tall pine trees stuck out against the sky, almost like a shadow looming over them.
It was beautiful. Impulse had never been to this spot before, despite it only being a couple of hours away. He knew he would be coming back here as soon as possible.
“It’s something unpredictable!” Skizz sang again.
“But in the end it’s right!” Everyone else added.
“I hope you had the time of your life!” Ren dramatically strummed the guitar to finish the song, then stood up and gave a small bow.
“Yeah, Ren!” Pearl clapped and wolf whistled.
The applause multiplied in an instant, accompanied by cheering and shouting that made Ren go bright red and sit back down. “Oh, stop it,” he said.
“Never!” Martyn laughed and slung his arm around Ren’s shoulders.
Ren sighed fondly and leaned into Martyn’s side as he looked out at the group expectantly. “Any other song requests? Anyone?”
“I kinda wanna go for a swim,” Lizzie mused.
Ren looked at her confusedly. “What song is that?”
“No, no, I want to go for a swim.” Lizzie pointed at the lake emphatically before looking around at everyone. “It was like seventy-five degrees today, surely the water is warm?”
“Only one way to find out!” Martyn jumped to his feet and bounded towards the water, ripping his shirt off in the process.
“Wha- Martyn!” Ren yelled, getting up and following him in.
Impulse watched as Cleo and Pearl looked at each other, shared a smirk, and leapt to their feet. They bounded down to the water, haphazardly chucking their shirts to the side before they dove in, headfirst. Cleo let out a squeal as they emerged before waving at everyone still on the shore.
“Get in here! It feels great!”
Lizzie jumped up, holding out her hand to Joel expectantly. He grabbed it with a small grumble and let out a shout as she pulled both of them into the lake. Gem was quick to follow, giving Grian a firm look from the shore, which coaxed him in almost immediately. Scott dove in, and BigB let out a scream as Cleo tackled him into the water despite him barely having gotten his feet wet.
“Come on, Tango!” Jimmy pleaded, trying to drag Tango to his feet.
“No!” Tango crossed his arms and shook his head. “I don’t wanna go bald in front of all these people! So embarrassing!”
“I’ll go with you, Jimmy!” Bdubs said quickly, before Jimmy even had time to sit back down.
Jimmy smiled and gave Bdubs a quick side-hug. “Thanks, dude!”
“No problem.” He winked at Jimmy. “I’ll race ya!” He said, taking off within the same instant.
“Hey! Not fair!”
Impulse laughed before turning to look at Skizz expectantly. “So…”
“Come on, man!” Skizz sighed. “You know I hate cold water! And my wings, dude,” he gestured to them dramatically, “I just preened them!”
“I’ll preen them for you after!” Impulse countered, getting to his feet and putting on his best pleading look. “Pleaseeeee?”
Skizz’s face turned light pink, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Fine! But I know it’s only because you wanna see me shirtless.” He nudged Impulse playfully.
Impulse nudged him back. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Come on, dude!” Etho groaned, appearing behind them. “I’m right here!”
“Are you coming in, Etho?!” Skizz clapped excitedly.
“Only cause it’ll annoy Tango,” he snickered.
“Good idea!” Impulse laughed, pulling his shirt off and dipping a toe in the water. It was cool, but not cold—more pleasantly refreshing, given that it wasn’t that warm outside currently. He waded in up to his waist before turning around and looking at Skizz and Etho expectantly. “You guys coming in or what?”
Skizz sighed, took his shirt off, and hesitantly walked into the water. He started flailing almost instantly, waving his arms about and shrieking like a banshee. “This water sucks!” He yelled, launching himself forward in a desperate attempt to get to Impulse.
Impulse giggled as Skizz tumbled into his arms, holding on tightly while shivering maniacally. “Didn’t know your voice could get to that octave, Skizz.”
“Shut up! It’s cold!”
“It’s not that bad,” Etho chuckled, appearing next to them.
“You have Canadian blood. Doesn’t count,” Skizz retorted, splashing Etho while keeping his arm firmly tucked around Impulse’s waist.
Impulse zoned out Skizz and Etho’s bickering in favor of looking out at everyone else playing in the water. Martyn and Ren had swum out about seventy feet and were just lying there, staring at the sky. Jimmy and Bdubs were tackling each other into the lake and hollering playfully. Gem and Pearl were twirling each other around. Scott, Cleo, BigB, Lizzie, and Grian were all swerving around Joel, who was intermittently shouting “Marco!”
Looking back at the shore, Impulse saw Mumbo and Scar curled up next to each other by the fire, a blanket thrown over their legs. Mumbo stood up, grabbed his camera, and started snapping photos of everyone.
Unsurprising. Someone had to take the photos, and Mumbo was always up to the task.
Looking past Mumbo, Impulse watched as Tango visibly grumbled, screwing his face up before ripping his shirt off and sprinting down to the water and practically cannonballing into it. Jimmy and Bdubs jumped back as they were showered with water, before immediately clapping Tango on the back. Jimmy quickly pressed a kiss to his cheek before pulling him completely underwater while Tango flailed and squawked.
“Heyy!!” Skizz called with a big smile. “He made it in!”
“So much cold!” Tango shouted back before being pushed into the water again by Bdubs. He resurfaced with a grumble, patting his head to find that he was utterly hairless. “Jerky!” He shouted, lunging at Bdubs.
Etho let out a defeated sigh. “I’m gonna go break that up real quick.”
“Have fun!” Impulse snickered as Etho frustratedly waded away.
As soon as Etho was over by Bdubs and Tango, Skizz spun Impulse around so they were facing each other. “Hey, Dimpers,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around Impulse’s waist and pulling him in.
“Hey,” Impulse whispered back, winding his arms around Skizz’s neck.
“I’m really happy to be here with you.” Skizz pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Wouldn’t wanna be with anyone else but you.” He pressed another kiss to Impulse’s horn.
“Ditto, Skizz.” Impulse leaned his face into Skizz’s neck and sighed happily. He didn’t have the words to describe how perfect his life felt right now. But he knew he didn’t need them. Skizz understood him just fine.
Impulse stayed that way for as long as he could, until he felt the ground drop from underneath his feet as his legs were swept away. He went crashing backwards, falling into the water with a splash. As he thrashed his way to the surface, he heard the signature sound of Skizz’s giggling. Skizz smiled down at him as he blinked the water from his eyes and put his hands on his hips. “What was that for, huh?”
“Couldn’t help myself.”
Impulse wasted no time tackling Skizz into the water, delighting in the sound of Skizz’s shriek.
“You suck!” Skizz blubbered, spitting water from his mouth as he stared at Impulse playfully.
“You did it first!”
Skizz looked like he was about to tackle him again, but was quickly stopped by Grian shouting for their attention.
“Guys, guys, guys!” He waved them over. “Come here, I’ve got an idea!”
Impulse laughed. Grian always had some big idea whenever everyone was together as a group. He grabbed Skizz by the hand and tugged him over, where everyone was beginning to gather.
“Okay, okay.” Grian looked at everyone excitedly. “How do we feel about playing sardines in that big old house over there?”
“Yes, yes!” Gem replied, clapping gleefully.
“What’s sardines?” Skizz asked, leaning his head against Impulse’s.
“Reverse hide and seek. One person hides, we all go looking, but when you find them, you join them.” Grian smiled cheekily. “It’s not complicated, I promise. But we have to play this; look at how huge that cabin is! It would be sacrilege not to.”
“Can we lie down first?” Ren asked, gesturing to the sky. “We’ve been out here for so long, the stars have come out. We gotta do some stargazing, my dudes!”
“Come on then,” Grian said. “We can dry off for a bit and then play.”
Everyone started making their way back to the shore, teeth chattering and bodies shivering as they acclimatised to the now cold night air. Impulse flopped onto the blanket they had left behind and waited for Skizz to sit down next to him before wrapping it around both of them. Lying on his back, Impulse nestled himself into the crook of Skizz’s neck and wrapped his arms around Skizz’s body with a contented sigh.
He looked up at the stars, all of them blinking comfortingly down at him against the black canvas of the night sky. A gentle breeze grazed his skin as he stared, awestruck at the beauty of it all. While their hometown wasn’t that big, it had enough light pollution from the main city that it was impossible to see the stars this brightly. But out here, with the nearest town being a thirty-minute drive away, everything was clearer, the stars shining the way they should be.
It really was perfect.
With the stars glowing positively, Impulse found himself with a new sense of hope. He’d never imagined that his life would be the way it was now. He always thought he would fade into obscurity, working a dreary job and surrounded by nothing that filled him with genuine happiness. But, after the best year of his life and now having more love in his life than he ever thought possible, he had hope. Hope that his life would turn out the way he wanted it to, even though he never dared to dream it would. But now he knew good things were coming his way. He’d had the best year of his life, and it would only go up from here.
“Whatcha thinking about, Dippledop?” Skizz pressed a kiss to his hair.
How could Impulse respond to that? He was thinking about everything. Everything he had ever been, everything he could be. And deep down, he knew there was one reason for all of this hope, that these dreams would be coming true. “You, Skizz.” He replied, twisting his head around. “I’m thinking about you.”
“Oh, stop it,” Skizz laughed.
“It’s true, Skizz.” Impulse sat up so he was leaning over Skizz. “I wouldn’t be here without you, in more ways than one. You saved my life. So yeah, we have all these beautiful stars in front of us, and a whole life to live, but I’m still thinking about you. Always will be.”
Skizz stared, astonished. His halo began to glow above his head, golden and bright and blocking out the meager light that the stars were providing. “Really?” He murmured.
“Of course.”
Skizz breathed out a laugh. “I love you, Impulse.” He pressed a kiss to Impulse’s lips, slow and sweet, before pulling away. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Neither do I.” Impulse laid back down, his head on Skizz’s chest, and relished in the gentle thrum of Skizz’s heartbeat. “One question, though.”
“Yeah?”
“How on earth did you go from calling me Impy to calling me Dippledop?”
Skizz let out a loud laugh, his body shaking with mirth. “I could explain it to you, but I have a feeling you don’t wanna hear all of it.”
“Yeah, I know all the nicknames you’ve given me. Just wondering how you’ve come up with so many.”
“It’s how I show my love!”
Impulse rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Skizz’s waist again.
He still couldn’t believe how far he had come with Skizz. From being the boy Impulse once thought was weird for talking to him, to the boy he became hesitant friends with, then good friends. The boy whose touch he once recoiled from, but now leaned into without thinking, wanting the closeness without feeling even slightly uncomfortable. The boy who noticed everything about Impulse, and had committed his life to making sure Impulse felt seen and heard and appreciated. The boy who made him feel safe, who made him comfortable, who made him feel like he could do anything. The boy he loved. The boy he wanted, for as long as they were meant to have each other.
Looking at it like that, Impulse knew he was unbelievably lucky to have met one of the greatest people in the world at such a young age. And Impulse knew he wasn’t gonna let him go.
“Is it sardines time yet?” Grian called over the crackle of the fire and the quiet chatter.
“I reckon,” Joel replied, and the sound of him getting to his feet filled the air. “Can I hide first?”
“Fine,” Grian grumbled. “You’ve got three minutes!”
“What?! The house is like two hundred feet away!”
“Better get moving then.”
“For goodness' sake,” Joel muttered as he began to run away, the gravel and sand crunching beneath his feet.
Impulse chuckled as the door of the house slammed dramatically, and everyone else started giggling.
“He’s gonna be in such an easy spot,” Lizzie remarked.
“Oh, one hundred percent,” Grian laughed.
“Have some faith in our boy! He’s got this!” Jimmy cut in.
“I hope you find him last, Tim.” Grian retorted.
“Hey, now.”
Impulse sat up, listening to Jimmy and Grian bicker while he looked at everyone spread out across the shore. Gem and Pearl were leaning against a wooden log, whispering to each other while they cuddled beneath a blanket. Scott, Cleo, and BigB were sitting in a circle, sharing a bag of candy. Tango and Jimmy were lying on their backs, with Jimmy’s wings spread across both of them while he continued to argue with Grian. Bdubs was backed up against a rock, with Etho’s head in his lap while he stroked his hair. Ren and Martyn were by the fire, with Martyn’s head on Ren’s shoulder. Scar and Mumbo were on each side of Grian, growing increasingly frustrated with Grian’s insistent yelling.
It was comforting, knowing that while everyone was going their separate ways in a few months, they still had this time together, enjoying the company and celebrating their escape from high school. Impulse thought he should be sad that this chapter of his life was coming to an end, but he was simply grateful that they had this time together.
“It’s time!” Grian shouted, leaping to his feet. “Everyone, up! Time to go find Joel!”
Impulse chuckled and stood up, holding out his hand to Skizz. “Come on, time to win this game.”
“So competitive,” Skizz snickered, grabbing his hand and jumping up.
“You’re used to it.”
“That I am.” Skizz interlocked his fingers with Impulse’s and pulled him towards the house.
Hand in hand with his boyfriend, Impulse felt an overwhelming sense of peace as laughter soon filled the house while everyone searched for Joel. He was done with high school forever, he was surrounded by the most amazing friends, and he was with the only boy he ever truly wanted.
Everything was as it should be. And Impulse couldn’t be more grateful.