Epilogue

[Cherry Wine]

.

.

.

.

. "Is she always so..." Jerry trails off, following Kurtis closely as he watches him slip his hands into his pockets, basket over his inner elbow. The two walking down a stone path with shrubs and bushes beside the passage, with flowers blossoming between. Birds chirping and dancing in the sky graciously, Jerry's doe eyes wide and full of wonder as he watches them - the mere sighting of this brings a smile to Kurt's face.

"Stone-faced?" Kurtis queries, the man beside him nodding in response. The sun hangs above their heads, with clouds frolicking high above. "Yeah, she's usually like that. George is the only person I've ever met to be able to bring a smile to her face with ease." He nods to himself, diverting from the stone pathway, and onto the dirt tail, the two side by side. "She was just brought up that way. She's a lot like her mother."

"Is her mother not yours?"

"That's the thing about my siblings and me, most of us don't share a mom, only our father, Harold."

"Right." Jerry nods, the two moving to the moving to one of the tall cherry blossom trees, leaves pink and vibrant. It had been so long, Jerry personally hates the fact he couldn't remember all the things they've spoken of, knowing Kurt always made an effort to. He'd almost even forgotten how he looks, the fact Kurtis Fisher, his best friend, was so unrecognizable the first time they'd seen one another, in the flesh, after seven years, he's embarrassed, disappointed in himself for this. But he knows Kurtis is a patient, forgiving person. Even after Jerry had left him for the first time, he still had a heart of gold, and Jerry understood why Kurt had left - both times, and both for the same reason - Beth.

They were compatible, but for all the wrong reasons, codependent on one another, and they were stuck in a relationship where neither of them were happy, but needed one another. But with Kurtis, he feels better about himself, and they lift one another up, the joy and happiness they share, every moment spent together memorable. And they love, their love is a fire, burning flames of admiration and bright - full of life. This is what he loves about him, nary a dull moment with Kurtis.

And they smile at one another, admiring the man's form as he hoists himself into the tree, basket left in the grass. He drops cherries into it from his height, Jerry shaking his head at the man - picking of the cherries on the lower branches he could reach without struggle. Kurtis drops down and lifts his basket in his hand, moving to Jerry and dropping handfuls of his cherries from his basket into Jerry's. "Thanks," Jerry mumbles, beaming a grateful smile at his friend.

"No problem." He shrugs, the two making their way through the forestry of cherry blossoms and apple trees, grape vines wrapped around the bark and hanging over their heads on its trunks. Kurtis reaches above his head, picking a large batch of it and splitting it in half, placing each half in each of their carriers. "So, my sister's going to give us tastes of her wines. She produces wines made of grapes, apples and cherries. She said we could take a bottle home, so I'll let you pick." He grins, the two continuing to walk amongst the flowering trees, only a select few of the trees grow their fruits. The sunlight on his skin, Jerry appreciates his friend's complexion, eyes dropping to his hand - again, their hands brushing together softly. He could tell, this time, it's not mistake, perhaps the first wasn't either?

Jerry only blushes harder. Should I?... He debates in his mind, nervously reaching our and entwining their fingers together. We just held hands, I'm sure he wouldn't mind... He drops his gaze to the floor, feeling Kurt's eyes on the back of his head. Slowly, he turns to look back at him, finding the surprised man, with pink cheeks, staring at their hands - his grip tightening as he looks at Jerry with a gentle face.

They follow along the narrow dirt paths, where they pass and greet harvesters. Baskets filled, and returning back to the house, Kurt freezes in his spot, Jerry shortly coming to a stop as well. He watches as the man bends over and plucks a daisy, Jerry smiling as he moves to do the same. Kurtis hands his daisy to Jerry, the man blushing at the gesture, setting it down carefully in his basket, and brushing Kurt's long hair behind his ear, where he sits the flower shortly after. And they start walking hand in hand back to Roseanne's home, where they find her sitting at the picnic table, George walking out of the kitchen with a tray of various cheeses, strawberries and cherries.

They place their baskets next to them on the floor as they take two open seats beside one another, George seating himself on the one open seat left. "I see you were by the flowers." George smiles, pointing a finger at Kurt's flower. The man nods after a moment, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Roseanne shakes her head, solemn expression. "George wants to fix up the shrubs and stuff, thinks it'd make the place look a whole lot better." She states, Jerry's eyes wondering off onto the view, from his seat, the hues of pinks, yellows and greens complimenting one another - butterflies and bees hovering about, and workers carrying small amounts of buckets to a truck, placing it in the back and sending it off to another building on the other end of the farm, he sits there, starstruck. I could never make anything as pretty as this... Jerry sighs silently, Kurtis catching a glimpse of his subtle movements, and placing a hand on his instinctively, stroking his thumb over his knuckles assureadly.

"No, I understand." Kurtis nods, "That's why I honestly prefer having my small farm, not too big of a plot. In the forest, so it's isolated, and near Ponds so I could fish whenever I want."

"You always loved fishing," Roseanne smiles. "You really are dad's child." His smile growing at the simple statement, and stars in his eyes. He nods slowly, over the years he'd almost idolized the idea of his father - everyone always saw him as noble, and the people who knew his exterior greater than interior, admired the man. They'd compared Kurtis to him, multiple times before, and each time he'd felt more content within. And he knows they mean it in the utmost positive way possible rather than an insult. If only she knew... He hums softly, appreciative.

"Thanks, Roseanne." And so, the day went on. They'd taken home a bottle of wine the two found delightful, and stopped by Jerry's apartment to grab a few clothing items and a few other things Kurt had told him to bring along. After, they drive in Kurt's pickup truck down to the woods, parking at the sight of his farm's picket fencing. They climbs out, leaving Jerry's belongings in the middle of the bench seat. The two walk into the house, and load Kurt's gear into the back, leaving his smaller bag with Jerry's.

And they drive off once more, leaving further down the dirt road and navigating through the large trees, until they've made it to a clearing. Parking the vehicle in the middle of this area, the duo begin setting up their tent, and Kurtis stacks stones around one another, forming a strong ring around a patch of sand. He faces Jerry with a gentle smile, the man turning away with a soft blush once noticing Kurt had looked back at him. "You want to go swimming?" Kurtis offers. He rises to his feet, dusting off his knees. "We could pick up twigs and branches on our way back. To start the fire and all."

"You don't bring your own wood, but you bring a lighter," Jerry shakes his head slowly, the man before him shrugging with his hands resting on his pants pockets, a small gap between the two. "Is that not ironic in one way or another?"

"Thing is, they chop down trees to sell 'firewood', when you could just start a fire with some leaves and bark you find lying around. Saves money, and I find it relaxing just walking around the woods." He smiles softly, reaching out and placing his hand gently on the other's shoulder - genuine concern gleaming in his eyes. "Hey, are you alright? You seem tense." He watches Jerry's movements, hands rising to his chest and fiddling with his sleeves. He isn't tense, but rather nervous. All alone in the woods with the man of his dreams, reminds him of before; but something about this time feels different to him. He couldn't pinpoint it, pondering apon something he doubts he'd get the answer for.

He shrugs, eyes glues to the lively green grass, "I just..." Would he even care? He pauses, stuck in his previous way of thinking - but forms a smile on his lips. Of course he would. He's Kurtis. He sighs softly, hating the fact he'd have to remind himself to become more vulnerable than he already is with this man. "I don't know." He shakes his head, a soft chuckle following shortly. "Something feels odd."

"Haven't been camping in a while, eh?" Kurt squeezes his shoulder gently, and moves his hands to his pockets. "I get it, sometimes you just don't have the time for certain things anymore. But it's okay, we're going to be fine." The farmer's smile, as bright as the sun in the clear skies and contagious. This calms down Jerry, comforting him. And he sighs, tense shoulders resting with his shaky hands clasping in front of himself.

"Yeah, you're right." Jerry's hand slides to his elbow, rubbing his arm in a soothing motion. "I'm sorry, I haven't been in this part of the woods... in a while." He speaks, laughing anxiously.

"That's alright," He assures, shrugging. "I'll help you around, we're going to be okay." The other nods slowly, Kurt's tranquil expression bringing warmth to him. -We're going to be okay...- Jerry grins, signaling acceptance of his kind words. And Kurtis takes his hand in his, the two abandoning the site as they begin skipping along the path - laughing with one another. They're going to be okay, he has no reason to worry after all. Right?

With their toes in the sand, shoes in their hands, they stand before the lake, and admire the colorful fish swimming in the water, vibrant frogs sitting on lily pads, and dragonflies buzzing above the water. The brunet observes a while longer, eyes gliding from the view towards his friend - staring at the man's figure as he lets his overalls hang from his hips and tugs at the bottom of his sweater. Stars in his eyes as he appreciates the man's skin, rays of sunlight shining upon his body, and he pulls off his sweater and drops it beside his shoes on the grass.

He turns to Jerry - a blush forming on their cheeks the moment their gazes meet - and Jerry starts growing nervous, fiddling with his fingers. "You coming or what?" Kurtis queries, overalls falling to his ankles. He kicks them off his feet, places his spectacles atop his clothes, and moves towards the lake. His skin glowing in the light, hair swaying due to the gentle breeze, and freckles scattered along his shoulders, Jerry only blushes harder. After a few moments, he too begins stripping from his clothes, remaining in his underwear like his partner, and he follows the other towards the pond.

And they stand in the body of water, the stillness resting above their knees, getting used to the temperature of the water. A warm, gentle feeling caressing Jerry's palm and he turns his gaze towards it - his blush a deep red as he watches Kurt's hand delicately wrap around his. Meeting his heterochromia eyes, he smiles. And Kurtis turns to face Jerry, holding each of his hands, and tugs his wrists along with him whilst he walks deeper into the lukewarm water. And they stop as the water reaches their chests, hands clutching one another's calmly. And they stare into one another's eyes, the world blurry all around, except for Jerry - well, partially not. Jerry chuckles at Kurtis squinting his eyes, smile stitched on his lips as Kurtis pulls him closer. His hands gliding through the water, and onto Kurt's broad shoulders, the farmer rests his arms around Jerry's waist, the two meeting in the middle with a simple kiss, short and sweet.

"Thanks for joining me, Jerry." Kurtis speaks softly, removing himself from the man and drifting away.

"Don't- don't mention it." Jerry smiles, trying to swim after him. A smirk forms on on Kurt's face, a spark of playfulness twinkling in his eyes. Kurtis swings his wrist forward, sending a surge of water towards Jerry's face - catching him off guard. "Hey!" Laughter erupts from the two, laughter full of glee. And they begin splashing one another, each wave progressively growing larger, until they finally come to a truce. The two backfloat on the surface, cloud gazing for a little while, before they decide to return back to the clearing with twigs and sticks they'd picked up along the path.

They sit on a log they had pulled to the spot, basking in the sun as they rely on the heat to dry their bodies. They stare blankly at the pot, being held above the fire by a stand, cook their bean stew, and bowl a small pot of water. "You're really good at this," Jerry compliments, subconsciously slouching in order to hide his chubby stomach. "I mean, this is way better than how we used to camp."

"Sleeping in a termite infested log?" Kurt stands, scratches his hip as he pokes at the burning wood. "Nah, that was the life." Jerry chuckles, admiring his friend as he takes the pot off of the stand, and pours the boiled water into two separate cups of coffee and sugar. "Thank you for coming along, Jer. I missed this." He seats himself beside the brunet, handing him the orange cup, and keeping the coral mug for himself.

"I did too," Jerry smiles, reaching over and taking Kurt's hand in his own. And they stare into one another's eyes, gazes gliding towards the sky - watching the sky fill with hues of red, birds soaring in flocks, and the sun sets with ease. They hold one another gently, sipping on the warm beverage. Everything felt right, this was the way things should be. And as they move to grab a blanket, wrapping it around one another as they make s'mores. Perhaps this was how everything should have been, perhaps not. But they couldn't care less - they were full of joy, warm in one another's arms and feeling safe under each other's gazes.

And they seal the evening with a kiss, the sky a vibrant blue and deep purple, with stars dancing behind the clouds.

"I love you, James." Jerry speaks aloud, smiling softly at the sight of the other rolling his eyes.

"I love you too, Gerald." And with that, they cling to one another, a shared comfort between the two as they hum along to an old song they once knew. "Oh, hold on." Kurt smirks, leaving to their tent and pulling out an acoustic guitar, gesturing to it as he seats himself back in his spot. "What should I perform for you?"

Jerry beams at this, posture straightening. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this." He chuckles, masking his disbelief. This all felt fabricated, unreal, but he knew it was. Everything felt real when he was with Kurtis, but at the same time, a daydream. Kurt strums the strings, creating a slow, gentle rhythm - a familiar rhythm, which arises an almost vague memory in Jerry's mind. And Jerry smiles wider, softly singing along with Kurtis, off-key and with a giggle in his voice. The two happy with one another, singing the song Kurt had wrote for him all those years ago.

Unaware of the two sets of eyes observing their movements from afar.

[16 August 2022]