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 Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 6:57 pm
Going back to the forest felt like it should have been a bad idea, especially how things had gone last time, but Ariel had been so easily convinced by Casey. He hadn’t really even put up a fight and–to be honest, he hadn’t regretted it. Though he’d gone with trepidation and worry, the forest felt different when they returned.
Brighter. More welcoming. He kept his eye on every rustling tree and snapped his head to judge each crunch of leaves.
They’d been in no danger. Morgan wasn’t even there. Or, he was, but he was busy helping someone and wasn’t going to be back for a few minutes.
It was time they hadn’t had. The whole drop off was meant to be quick. Casey had baked him some treats and they’d brought over some fresh apples, but in his absence they could only leave them with the ranger that was there with a message to pass them on.
Of course, in the brief moment they spent chatting up the stranger it had come to light that Morgan was going to be working–here, alone!–for Thanksgiving.
A holiday he hadn’t even intended to celebrate until Casey had the bright idea that they should bring him Thanksgiving dinner as well.
So, here they were. One impromptu shopping list out of the way, and a few hours together navigating the kitchen under Harrison’s watchful eye, they were back at the park on Thanksgiving. It was a bit late in the afternoon and it seemed like it was already getting ready to be dark. The lights in the little cabin were on despite the hour. It wasn’t yet evening, but the fall sun was far lazier than the summer sun.
If Morgan didn’t want dinner, they could have a picnic. There were empty tables by the entrance–near a camera, Ariel noted–and between the gentle breeze and falling leaves, it was a perfectly relaxing sight.
He carried a backpack full of the cold things, and Casey had the warm ones. And Harrison, but she was hardly a chore.
On the way over, Ariel had lamented that it would be disheartening if Morgan was too deep in the forest to find, and he wondered if it would have been strange to leave the food and a note at the cabin if such was the case.
Thankfully, all that worrying was for nothing. Morgan was raking leaves off of the pathway. His back was to the parking lot but he didn’t seem oblivious. He was task oriented and working hard, and he must have been doing this for ages because for as far as Ariel could see, the dirt path looked completely raked clean.
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 7:53 pm
Casey didn’t know why he felt a little nervous when it came to visiting Morgan again. Maybe because they hardly knew him. But from what Casey did know, they owed him for being so kind to them. Sure, they’d brought treats and apples for him already, but Casey had promised to stop by and roast some apples with him sometime. Which meant Ariel had to come, too.
Well, he didn’t have to come, but Casey really wanted him to.
And now they were back, and the paths looked beautiful. And Morgan looked handsome in the light of the sun through the mostly bare trees.
Oh, but he wasn’t thinking thinking about Morgan! He liked Ariel a lot, after all.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” Casey called out when they were close enough, shifting the bag a little so he had a better grip and didn’t spill anything on accident. Harrison was already trotting happily towards Morgan, tail nearly shaking her off balance as it wagged.
“Did you do all of this? Wow, it looks really good-- oh no there’s one-- oh just kidding, the wind moved it before it touched the ground,” Casey breathed a sigh of relief when the falling leaf avoided the path.
“I hope you don’t mind! Ariel and I brought some food to celebrate. Oh, Harrison helped.” Because Harrison deserved all the recognition for her hard work as supervisor.
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 8:01 pm
The loudness took Morgan by surprise but his face revealed no alarm when he half turned to face the three. He seemed almost amused with Casey’s concern for the falling leaves and leaned against the rake as they approached.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” he answered, and knelt down just a bit so he could scratch behind Harrison’s ear.
“Park’s open. Tables all are, too.” He nodded towards the tables–not like Casey and Ariel needed permission to make themselves comfortable out here but they both seemed a little nervous so he didn’t mind. “You can have your pick of any one of them. No bears today, either. I’ve been all around this area so you shouldn’t be bothered.”
He stood and rolled his shoulders, ignoring Ariel’s flush of embarrassment. “Thank you for the cupcakes, they’re delicious. I haven’t gotten into the apples yet. Did you come by so I could roast them for your dessert?”
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 8:19 pm
Harrison very clearly loved the attention, but she was a good girl and didn’t jump around too much. She did flop over onto her side to roll around a bit, but popped back up on her feet before she could be fussed at for getting dirt all in her fur.
Casey, of course, had to laugh. Harrison could do no wrong in his eyes and he would indulge her forever.
“Oh. Um, actually,” he grinned a bit sheepishly when Morgan suggested they could take their pick of the tables, and asked if they wanted to roast apples for their dinner.
“If you’re not too busy, I mean. We actually made this, um… well, for you.”
Wow, that was probably pretty weird, wasn’t it? They’d hardly talked, but Casey couldn’t imagine spending Thanksgiving alone! Well… okay, he’d spent it alone for the last few years, other than Harrison that past year, but now that he had Ariel in his life, he thought spreading some of that companionship would be nice. Especially when Morgan had saved them before.
Maybe saved was a bit of an overstatement, but he definitely helped them out!
“Your friend told us you’d be here alone today. Sooo… Ariel and I made some food to share. If you’d like. We’d really like you to. Harrison too. Oh, but roasted apples sounds amazing!”
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 8:25 pm
“Is that so?”
Morgan raised a brow as he looked between the two, but Harrison was a fair bit distracting. He pet her again. “That was awfully kind of you. The cupcakes were a nice enough gesture, you don’t have to do more.”
…Although, he was quite certain he could see the hope in their eyes, so it was difficult to think this was anything but a gesture of goodwill. They were being kind, even if he’d only been doing his job. Really, he couldn’t imagine sending them away.
He looked at the tables in contemplation for a moment, and then nodded. “Why don’t you two go set up at that table on the end? I’ll get some supplies for the grill and grab those apples so we can get them going. I don’t suppose you brought some brown sugar and cinnamon?”
Ariel perked up immediately, and for the first time Morgan could see him in a state of enthusiasm. “Oh! We did, actually. Yes. And a few other things. Just in case.”
Morgan’s lip twitched into a smile and he laughed. He’d been teasing; he had that and more for the oats he made in the morning, but he had the distinct impression that this must mean a lot to them, and given how Ariel almost seemed to glow he had no intention of telling him they weren’t actually necessary. “All right. Pull those out for me, too. The apples will need them.”
He gave Harrison one last scratch behind the ears before he stood. “I’ll only be a minute. You two stay out of trouble until I get back.”
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 8:56 pm
“Yes, sir!” Casey grinned enthusiastically when Morgan told them he would only be a minute and to stay out of trouble. Oh, they were very good at staying out of trouble. Or at least the normal kind of trouble. Bears and spooky woods was another story, but that’s what Morgan was there for!
“I’m so excited. I’ve been looking forward to some roasted apples,” Casey said to Ariel as he moved over to the table as directed and placed his bag down. “Good thinking with the brown sugar and cinnamon. You’re really good at being prepared. I’m really impressed,” he gushed because Ariel thought of everything.
“Here, let me help,” Casey quickly offered once he’d set everything down, not wanting Ariel to worry about getting the backpack off. And maybe he wanted an excuse to reach over and give Ariel’s hand a quick squeeze of encouragement.
He knew being in the woods probably wasn’t what Ariel was looking forward to, but everything was fine so far! And Morgan agreed to eat what they’d made! Or at least agreed to sit with them.
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Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2023 9:01 pm
Ariel gave Casey an exasperated look and confessed quietly, “It wasn’t quick thinking, I like extra brown sugar. And cinnamon repels mosquitoes, I didn’t know if they’d be out but I didn’t want to take chances.”
He waited for Casey to be in a good position and then shrugged off the backpack carefully. He’d spoken quietly because even if Morgan had gone into the cabin, he suspected Morgan might have superpowers. It was impractical, he knew, but–there was just something about him!
“Thank you,” he said, quickly turning to help unpack. “I’m glad he was here. I don’t know why I was so worried, I was going to be happy if it was just you, Harrison and I out here. I get so nervous whenever I try to talk to him, my heart goes wild. I think it’s because his muscles are so big.”
He was rambling a little bit, and he could feel his face turn pink. He was still sorting through his emotions but it was just an observation! It’s not like he was planning on flirting with Morgan or anything, he was getting all of this out now so they could enjoy dinner. Besides, who did it hurt to look? He’d definitely seen Casey staring.
Morgan knew the cabin inside and out, so by the time they had started to make significant progress on setting up the table, he was already coming out. He had an armful of things, including aluminum foil, some coal and necessities for starting a fire, a water bottle, the apples, and a few other things it looked like he’d just thrown in a grocery bag.
It was a nice afternoon, and he was surprised that they were the only ones at the park right now. Probably because most people assumed it would be closed. Although, they hadn’t really had this problem last year, the whole parking lot had been packed. Maybe because the forecast had assumed rain.
Whatever the reason, he didn’t mind, and couldn’t help but smile as he walked towards Casey and Ariel while they flitted about.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 8:43 am
“He does have big muscles,” Casey absently agreed as he glanced back over to where Morgan had gone. Not that he was looking! He was just… he noticed! But Morgan was a park ranger or something so he was probably used to doing a lot of heavy lifting.
Oh… but he didn’t miss how Ariel said his heart went wild when talking to Morgan. Or how his cheeks were flushed. Did… did he like Morgan? Or, well, they’d just met Morgan so maybe he didn’t know him well enough to like him like him, but even Casey couldn’t deny that Morgan was unfairly attractive.
Probably the muscles. Probably the little smile that he didn’t seem like he showed often but was special when he did.
Casey cleared his throat and flashed Ariel a smile, even though his heart was now racing! He didn’t think he was jealous, but even he wasn’t naive enough to know a good match when he saw one. And he thought Morgan should definitely get to know Ariel better. Even if it meant he would have to figure things out for just himself and Harrison.
“I still think you’re really smart and clever. And it’s okay. I’m a little nervous too. I know you don’t mind me talking a lot, but… I mean… I’ve yet to meet anyone as patient with me as you are,” he said to Ariel, but followed with an awkward laugh because wow he didn’t mean to make all of this about himself! Thankfully, Morgan was already on his way back over.
“Okay, so we have turkey -- not a whole thing, but we picked up some that had already been carved. Sorry. And some stuffing. And green bean casserole. And cranberry sauce… jelly? Sorry, it’s just from a can. Oh! But I made an apple pie. I really hope you won’t get sick of apples. Carrots -- did we pack -- oh yes here they are,” he sighed in relief as he pulled out the cooked carrots, and then helped Ariel with the plates and drinks.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 8:47 am
Ariel felt so easy around Casey. Like he could just exist. Even if he was nervous, even if this was again outside of his comfort zone, it was still refreshing. It was still invigorating. Casey always said something nice about him–things that Ariel wanted to believe but had doubted for a long time.
Was he smart and clever? He didn’t feel like it. But it still made his heart skip a beat and he smiled again.
Morgan nodded solemnly as he looked at the display. “Cranberry sauce is only supposed to come from a can. And no one should ever get tired of apples.” For a few seconds he was quiet, and then his face did that thing where it relaxed, and a little smile manifested again. “You came all the way out here with all of this just to make sure I had Thanksgiving dinner?”
He was unpacking his own bag when, which wasn’t much but he seemed like he intended to get started with roasting the apples soon. He wanted them to have time to cook–and having a little fire nearby would be nice.
If he’d had it his way, he’d have made a nice little campfire, but the park grill near the table would be good enough. Although, judging by the fact that the sliding lid was locked, it probably wasn’t meant for use. He doubted they wanted to hear about how it should have been nearly three times the distance from the pavilion their table was under and had been locked for safety. He had the keys, though. And a fire extinguisher, just in case.
Morgan set his bag down on the seat nearest to him and rolled up his sleeves before picking out the key he needed and unlocking the grill. His arms had a smattering of old scars; it looked like he had a dozen or so faded cuts between both arms, and what might have been from some old burns. He didn’t seem the least bit ashamed of them, and was as focused on getting these apples going as he was interested in hearing how Ariel and Casey wound up coming down here.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 5:05 pm
Oh no, Morgan was rolling up his sleeves and his arms looked so nice even with all the scars that were on them. Maybe he really had fought a bear before?? He looked like he didn’t shy away from anything.
Wait, was he asked a question?
“Is that weird?” Casey asked out loud, and then winced when he realized it. His face flushed a bit and he laughed awkwardly and rubbed the side of his neck just to give his hands something to do. Harrison was busy getting up in Morgan’s business, trying to see if anything he brought was for her.
“I mean… yeah, kinda?” he admitted and then paused to cast a glance over at Ariel. He hoped he wasn’t saying things he shouldn’t. He tended to overshare but… maybe Ariel would shut him up before he embarrassed both of them.
“Oh… I hope you don’t mind. I guess we should have asked first. But it’s Thanksgiving! And you were going to be here by yourself. Oh… uh… unless you like being by yourself in which case wow that’s… that’s kind of rude of us to just show up unannounced,” Casey cringed.
“It’s just, I mean, you were so nice to us and helped us out and we didn’t have time to really say thank you before, so…”
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 5:52 pm
“I like being by myself,” Morgan admitted, once more letting himself get distracted by petting Harrison. He assumed Casey and Ariel weren’t going to mind a little bit of dog fur in their food, there wasn’t much to be done about it. “But I like being in good company, too.”
He looked over his shoulder, obviously deliberately, to make sure they knew that this was not an unwelcome gesture. “It’s been a long time since I did anything for Thanksgiving. I mostly volunteer so the others can be with their family. Never occurred to me to try and convince anyone to come out and keep me company.”
Morgan didn’t really seem like the sort who would have gone out of his way to keep company. He was happy just being surrounded by nature. He looked happy to be where he was.
He looked happy to be brought food, too.
“You don’t need to bring me gifts every time you come by,” he reassured. “But I like that it’s getting you out into the park. Three times so far, that might be a record. Next time you’ll have to come with me on a guided tour. The waterfalls are a little dangerous this time of year, but it’s beautiful. And you won’t get to see the falling leaves like this for much longer. Harrison will enjoy it. But if you two aren’t up for a hike, I won’t bother swapping phone numbers.”
“Waterfalls?” Ariel blurted. “Out here, so close to the city?”
Morgan’s lip twitched into another smile, and he started laying out some coal on the grill. “A few of them, yeah. That part of the path is blocked off, we don’t want anyone getting into accidents.”
“Or running into bears?”
“That, too. But I wouldn’t let a bear get either of you. Or Harrison.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 5:57 pm
Casey’s shoulders sagged a little when Morgan said he liked being by himself. But then he perked up when he said he liked good company.
Oh, but were they considered good company? He didn’t know. But Morgan liked that they were at the park, so that was good, right? He even said he wouldn’t bother swapping phone numbers with them if they weren’t interested in hiking --
Wait, was he asking for their phone numbers, or was Casey misunderstanding…? Maybe he was just saying not to bother coming back if they didn’t like hiking? Oh… but…
Casey felt his face flush again.
“I’ve never been hiking,” he mumbled sheepishly. “I’ve never seen a real waterfall either. I mean, I guess artificial ones count, so… that’s not really…” Oh, he was saying weird things that didn’t quite make sense. But his family definitely hadn’t been the type to want to go out into the wilderness, much less hiking.
“But I like going out for runs with Harrison! And I bet Ariel would be great at hiking. Do you need a lot of equipment for that? Uh… like… rope and helmets? Or… I guess those fancy backpacks with a tent and cooking set.”
Somehow he had the feeling that he’d seen the wrong things on television and in movies. Was hiking around Destiny City really that involved?
“Oh, but thank you for not letting any bears get us.”
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 6:12 pm
“Artificial ones do not count,” Morgan said, and though he was firm it was clearly out of passion. It was a wrong that must be corrected.
He pulled out his phone. It was clearly some underground phone; it had no recognizable logo and seemed too sturdy to be anything on the mass produced market. There was nothing custom about it–a simple case in a simple color, with a generic background. It didn’t even lock. He pulled up his contact list and handed his phone to Casey. “Put in your contact information if you’re interested, we’ll figure out a good time.”
Phone relinquished to Casey, he turned back to the grill. He worked quickly, between spreading out a sheet of aluminum foil and slicing into the apples a bit. He’d brought a stick of his own butter, and helped himself to the brown sugar and cinnamon Ariel had set out on the table for him. He sprinkled some salt and a bit of lemon juice, but his supplies were limited to what they had in the cabin.
“You don’t need anything but good shoes for hiking, and I won’t take you on a rough path. Might not be as well kept as the one I was just working on, but it’s not too bad. I’ll bring a bag of first aid and supplies, all you have to do is bring yourselves. And some sandwiches, and a lot of water.”
Ariel was quiet for a moment and looked at Casey. He was chewing on his lip thoughtfully, and then he looked towards the forest like he could not believe there was a waterfall within walking distance. He wouldn’t go alone, but he would go with Casey. Even if he was a little worried about crowding Morgan, but–why would he have offered to take them on a guided tour to a waterfall if he was unhappy with them being here? Oh, unless he planned to kill them and hide their bodies out in the woods where no one would find, but–
No, that seemed silly. That should not be the first place his mind went. Especially when Morgan was being nice. And there were cameras all over the park, he’d seen them himself.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 6:31 pm
Casey laughed quietly, and a little awkwardly when Morgan passionately told them the artificial waterfalls didn’t count to see. He hoped he didn’t offend him, and he could feel his cheeks flush again.
But they weren’t nearly as dark as they got when Morgan handed his phone to him. Oh, and he absolutely wasn’t going to drop it or anything crazy like that!
He blinked in mild confusion and surprise, but quickly focused on typing in his name and phone number, and then handed it to Ariel to do the same. Although it wasn’t as though Morgan couldn’t just contact him and they both showed up anyway.
“Um… when you say good shoes… you mean, like…”
No… no, he wasn’t going to ask. He wasn’t going to ask if Morgan meant shoes for walking or running. He had shoes he wore for running, and when Casey realized that in his flustered state he was going to ask a silly question, he simply stopped and held up his hand to show Morgan a thumbs up. He was not that obviously! He just was flustered and not thinking properly.
“Good shoes, got it,” he said with a nervous laugh and busied himself with making sure everything they’d brought was set out. All that was left was to wait for Morgan to join them.
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Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2023 7:16 pm
A part of Ariel wanted to insist that if Morgan wanted to talk to him that he could just talk to Casey, but…
He started to type his name in–misspelled it, had to repeat it–oh no, twice–and then he had the horrible task of trying to make it through his actual phone number…
Ariel didn’t look up from the phone while he worked but he already felt silly that this was such a simple, but arduous, task. How was he supposed to be trusted to go hiking when he could hardly type?
Morgan watched the two of them with curiosity, and one brow slowly raised on his face. He decided to pretend like the apples needed more attention and he wrapped them up in the aluminum foil before he pulled out a long-necked lighter and a bit of balled up newspaper to light the grill.
It caught quickly, but Morgan seemed determined to make sure this fire was safe so even if it seemed like a tame fire, he kept his eyes on it.
“Good shoes like you won’t get blisters, and thick soles so you don’t feel so many rocks. Flat is important, don’t show up wearing high heels unless you want to torture yourself. Boots are the best, but I’m not going to take you on a full trek through the mountainside. There’s a path to where I want to take you, it’s just not well maintained. There were some floods over the summer and we haven’t had the resources to reopen the area. There are a few fallen trees blocking the path, but the water level’s gone down since it’s not raining so much these days.” He eyed their footwear briefly and then concluded, “What you’ve got on should be fine, as long as you don’t mind if they get a little dirty.”
The apples had time to bake and the grill was letting off a pleasant warmth. Ariel was holding out his phone so Morgan took it with a smile.
“Do you two say grace or anything? I’m a little rusty on these traditions.”
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