A Trip to Hawaii

Winter has long since been over, the snow having finally melted and the heat had fought the cold away. Today's weather would've looked promising if it weren't for the big and dark brooding clouds that refused to let the sun through their walls hovering overhead. Thunder wasn’t heard by anyone, and lightning, thunder’s frightening sister hasn’t been seen yet, either. So what was the purpose of every cloud coming together? Its gloominess brought lots of sour moods that day, but the day itself wasn’t ruined. Not yet, anyway. 

That’s what Kisaius’ group of friends chose to believe. Choose to say that the world can’t really revolve around the weather all the time. The reason for this? The group had planned a trip down to Hawaii as a present for themselves once they all graduated high school without getting held back a year. Well, Orion has been held back before, but that was before everyone met him. In a way, Kisaius was sort of glad that he had stayed back, given the fact that their group would most likely be incomplete without him. 

Orion was the leader. When he spoke, you listened. When he walks, you follow. He wants something done, you’d make sure it’s done in the way he wants. Orion is also the most trustworthy and understanding, so the traits balance out no matter how you look at it. As far as his personality goes, however, looks don’t really matter. Orion looks like your typical blonde skater boy, bright blue eyes and long blonde hair that doesn’t dare touch his ears. He always wore jeans and converse, throwing any old shirt on. But, the thing is, Orion is also very extroverted, which clashes with everything. His persona. His clothes. Even his thought process.

Most don’t care, though. They all thought that he was just a cold - hearted teenager that went out of his way to put himself in danger. Everyone except Kisaius. The ginger haired boy saw just how troubled the other is on the inside. Saw just how much everyone’s cold stares and heartless words brought him down. He was one step away, Kisaius knew, from clamming up and actually not caring. About himself or anyone, and Kisaius wasn’t having any of it. And so the suggestion of going on this trip was born. Shadowed and looked over from prying eyes and curious ears, Kisaius brought up the idea to take a trip after graduation in hopes that Orion would set his mind upon something else rather than just words that would soon fall upon deaf ears later on in life. It had worked. 

“Gang! ‘Sai just came up with an idea!” he said that day, sitting down in his seat at the table. For reasons only Kisaius knew, Orion had waited until they had left school and met at their usual ice cream shop. The one that only opened during the summer. The very place they met the third member of their group. Meilyr, said member, looked up from his phone, assumingly bored. His green eyes twinkled with both amusement and curiosity, giving away his usual ‘I don’t care’ demeanor. Meilyr was an open book to the three sitting around him, yet he was the most reserved of the four. He raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh? And what sort of idea would this be?” he wondered allowed, just as his younger brother, Vincent, and last member of their pose, showed up with their ice cream. The two raven haired boys couldn’t be more opposite from each other. Meilyr was quiet and observant, while Vincent was loud and outrageous. One yin to the others yang. “What’s we chatting about?” Vincent hummed, handing out the cups. The youngest of the group didn’t really have the best speech, either. Meilyr chuckled and ruffled his hair before returning to the conversation with a light shrug. “Orion said ‘Sai had an idea,” was the cool reply. Vincent beamed over at him, making the ginger a bit sheepish. “Yiyi, ‘Saia! Let your mindful thoughts reach our ears,” he chirped. And so Kisaius explained. The only thing he left out was that he was only mentioning it because of Orion. Vincent was on board the moment the word ‘vacation’ left Kisaius’ lips. Meilyr hummed but nodded. “Sounds like some great fun,”

And so it began. All the saving up and the begging of their parents. It didn’t take long to convince them that going would be their graduation gift from them. That’s the best way to go. Let the parents think that it was their idea. Or make them feel guilty. Kisaius didn’t do any of that. He had just left. His parents had said no to his travels, which didn’t upset the teen. Not really. The two had been arguing before he had gone home that day, so they didn’t have their minds set on straight. Didn’t do much help that Kisaius woke up to four smashed bottles of alcohol and two empty - and intact - bottles of wine scattered around the kitchen the next morning. Even without that, Kisaius knew that the answer was no. It always was, and yet he chose to go. They wouldn’t remember, anyway. The fighting and drinking does wonders. Orion lives with his uncle, who loves him to death. Meilyr and Vincent aren’t as lucky, as their parents left the earth in a car accident, leaving the two alone with their aunts and uncles. All very caring. Kisaius grew tired of feeling his gut explode at the thought of them. Sitting at their dinner tables and having heartfelt conversations. He knew that families weren’t perfect behind closed doors, but it felt as though it should be. Seeing their hopeful eyes when he showed up that day made his pain go away, even for a minute. Their cheers at his nod made it worthwhile.

Once the four had reached Hawaii, the first thing they did was go to the beach. They wanted ice cream. They wanted to feel the sand between their toes. Wanted to be whole, despite being surrounded by strangers on a tiny island. The first four days were all they could ever ask for, with beautiful sights and amazing food. But, by the fifth day, the cold that started on the second, intensified by the last. The clouds had shown and people were now hiding up in their homes. But that had passed by noon, so where these heavy clouds came from made Kisaius very upset. He knew what it meant. He knew what kind of clouds they were. And by rushing his friends inside as soon as the first snowflake landed on their table, only confirmed their suspicions. That Kisaius hated the cold and what usually came after it.

“Aw, is Kissy afraid of some slightly frozen over water?” Orion teased, using the nickname he gave the other as children and laughed at the playful glare sent his way afterwards. Kisaius hated every last bit of it. The cold, the snow, the winds, the cleanup after depending on how much decides to fall. The list goes on, and Kisaius was too upset to list them all. The ginger huffed and stared out the window, watching the snowfall around him. His mood matched the angry and cold sky outside, the wind howling making it even worse. Kisaius then yanked the curtains shut and whirled around once he heard the television. The Weatherman up in Massachusetts states that Hawaii will be hit with an unexpected snowstorm. They all said it, actually. Kisaius groaned and hung his head in his hands, fighting the sudden urge to cry. This was supposed to be their vacation. Their Getaway. Their time spent away alone together and away from their parents. From family. And it all got ruined by a stupid snowstorm.

“Hey, now! This isn’t so bad! It’s perfect, actually. We’ve been so busy trying to be outside and meeting new folks, that we haven’t spent any fun time with each other,” Orion spoke after a while, Vincent turning off the tv. When Kisaius didn’t answer, Orion took a worried glance at his friends before grinning. Startled by the sudden grab of his hand, Kisaius looked up to find Orion really close to his face. Kisaius’ face heated at their closeness, their lips only inches away. “I know your secret,” Orion mumbled before springing back with a smirk. “Let’s play spin the bottle!”

Two hours after the game began and the two brothers had gone to bed, Kisaius and Orion had stayed awake, sprawled out on the living room floor, panting heavily. They had just had a major pillow fight and were now resting. The silence between them grew, but it wasn’t angry at them. Kisaius knew that Orion understood why the trip was needed. Kisaus needed a way out, and Orion needed a reason to escape. The two boys were content in each others’ presence, loving the silence surrounding them. And yet, they also knew that it had to be broken. “Hey, Kissy?” Orion whispered, grabbing the ginger’s attention. “Hm? Yeah, Oreo?” Kisaius yawned, licking his lips. There were so many unnatural and sinful things going through the male’s head at the moment. And they all circled around Orion. “I just wanted to thank you. For this,” Orion said softly. Kisaius remained silent for a moment before sitting up and looking down at him. His bright blue orbs glistening in the dimly lit room. 

The wind outside screamed at them, and Kisaius found it to be both amusing and very tempting. Amusing because he loved the sound and it reminded him of his parents, and tempting because he wanted to just walk out and let the storm take hold of him. To take away all his problems and his life with it. He then shrugged lightly. “Sure, Orion. Anything for you,” he said. The temptation to just bend down and rest his lips on his own. Wanted to feel the warmth of his lips and the comfort of his arms. So many fantasies filled the ginger’s head that he didn’t realize that Orion had already sat up and moved closer to him. By the time he noticed, they were only inches away from each other once more. Soon, the cackle of the fire behind them was the only sound that reached their ears, their own body heat radiating off to the other. Kisaius knew nothing would happen between them if he didn’t make the first move, since Orion would overthink his actions and retreat back into his own state of mind. Closing his eyes, Kisaius leaned in and planted a light kiss on his lips. It was a few moments before Orion kissed back, their loud smacking drawing out the other two. “What are you two still doing- oh! Finally! Hey, Vinny! It finally happened!” Meilyr called out, grabbing his brother with a grin. Kisaius pulled back in mock horror and leaned against the couch, just as the other two returned. Laughter returned to the room before everything got serious.

“Hey, Saia? We know the reasoning behind us going far from home,” Vincent tried. Kisaius blinked. Real reason? The only reason was because of Orion. “But, there isn’t a real reason,” he countered, confusion and slight panic consuming him. Meilyr sighed. “Yes, there was. You wouldn’t have suggested this without one. You wouldn’t come to Hawaii, let alone suggest it. We know that you did it to escape your parents,” he whispered. Kisaius tensed at the mention of them, but then sighed and relaxed, leaning his head back. “Yeah, okay,” was all he said. It was silent for a moment before a pillow was thrown in his direction, everyone grinning. “Plus, you owe us a pillow fight,” Meilyr chirped. “And me a rematch. Vincent laughed, making Kisaius chuckle. And so the childish fight began once again. A fight between a group of close friends. A lost leader, the broken ginger, a goth kid, and a young cowboyish kid.

Just the four of them.