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row row row your boat


"I'll have you know," Ian said, as he perched precariously on one side of the little canoe, an oar in hand, "I have literally zero idea of how to actually steer this thing, so I would just like to take this moment and say that if we fall into the lake at any point, it's totally not my fault."

row row row your boat

They ended up in the water anyway, after several failed attempts on Shiloh’s part to show Ian how to do it. The truth was, he had never really understood the concept of rowing himself and he inadvertently dropped his paddle in the water. Then, as he was leaning over to get it, he’d toppled over and into the water, headfirst, with a splash.

When he broke through the surface it was with raucous laughter. They’d barely made it two feet from the dock and here he was, standing soaked in chest-deep water.

He grinned, and about two seconds later Ian would join him, his inability to paddle leaving him incredibly weak against Shiloh’s ability to rock the boat.

I only swim free

“Probably, there are so many frogs!”

Shiloh had forgotten about them, but along parts of the shore were reeds and plants that the frogs loved to hide in. Not only frogs, but there were snakes as well, and birds, and the occasional fish. Shiloh grinned thinking about it; he’d spent many a summer catching frogs.

He jumped into the water after Ian, splashing around far worse than any duck ever wood, until he’d caught up with Ian and he grabbed his hands, pulling him deeper out into the lake.

“Are you sure you don’t need your water wings?” he teased. Of course he noticed the scar, usually hidden beneath bandages, it stood out now, angry-looking. A flurry of emotions always rain through Shiloh at seeing it, anger, worry, fear. But most of all it made him want to pull Ian close to him, to hug him and reassure him that it’d all be okay. Shiloh knew what it was like, it had been a long time since he’d been comfortable taking his shirt off but he wanted to do for Ian the same thing that Ian had done for him, to let him know it was okay, that he was loved and supported and that the marks would fade, and the nightmares too.

And until they did, Shiloh’d be there.

I only swim free


Ian had never seen too many frogs up close, and he didn't really want to start now, especially not in the form of stepping on one. He wrinkled his nose a little, peering down into the water; but a splash as Shiloh jumped in succeeded in distracting him, and then he was being pulled out into the middle of the lake.

He bobbed up and down and gave his boyfriend a mock stern look.

"Don't sass me, kid, or I'll have to dunk you," he warned, and then pushed his hands through the water, sending a spray of it towards Shiloh. Ian took off, laughing manically, and half splashing, half swimming in his attempt at getting away before Shiloh could retaliate.

row row row your boat

He was being a baby, Shiloh had told Ian.

He had also said the same thing when the boat tipped a fourth time, when he’d managed to grab a snake swimming through the reeds, and chased after him with it.

sweets for the sweet

“Oops,” he said, having dribbled a bit of melted chocolate from his graham cracker onto Ian’s hand, which was currently located curled around his. “Better get that, huh?”

He lifted Ian’s hand up to his mouth, running his tongue over the offending chocolate and Ian's warm skin, giving it an extra lick for good measure. Then he’d leaned over, a devilish look on his face, and proceeded to drip chocolate elsewhere.

“Oops, did it again. Here, just let me…”

mud on the tires

Shiloh was laughing so hard he was nearly in tears, swerving them around a bend in the road, the engine of the truck roaring as he pressed his foot down on the pedal.

“If we did that you’d fly right out of the truck, and chickens can’t fly, Ian.”

They were being idiots, and he loved it.