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Description
Her eyes seared as she stepped out onto the porch. The sun bit at her face as she walked down the baked pathway. Finally. The sun pierced its way through the rain clouds that seemed to rule the sky lately. It was one of those days near the end of winter where it was strangely warm and unseasonal. One of those days where you could smell summer’s slow approach months away.
A white day moth flapped its sporadic way across the lawn, alighting here and there, only to have some unseen vibration drive it away again. She stepped out onto the harsh grass. The dying winter stalks had not yet been overtaken by fresh growth. Every step crackled and left a portion of grass in a foot-shaped depression. Her steps led her to the large birch tree in the corner of the lawn. Sheets of grey bark were curling away from the new white trunk. The leaves poked out of their buds on the drooping branches. They were that particular shade of green that was so different from any other kind. It was the untainted, unweathered color that only lasts for a few short weeks; then it slowly darkens to that old, almost experienced shade of green. A light breeze kicked up and stirred the fragile leaves. They fluttered and shimmered, making the tree look like it was engulfed in chartreuse flame. She fell into a cross-legged sit at the base of the trunk.
She felt a tickling sensation on the top of her foot and saw a diminutive spider scaling her arch. Normally she detested spiders, but for some reason she did not move. Maybe it was the weather making her drowsy. Maybe it was the fact that she rather liked this particular spider. It reached a crevice between her toes. She noticed that its coloration was strikingly similar to one of her toe rings. The turquoise stone set in silver mirrored the blue spots across the grey abdomen. Her toe twitched on its own accord and sent the tiny creature scurrying back to the cover of the grass.
That was when the sliding glass door opened and he playfully came strutting out, proudly displaying the shorts he retrieved from his storage of summer clothes. What a shock to her retinas. His porcelain legs beamed the sunlight straight back to her. Too early for the shorts. He flashed a toothy grin and bounded over, shaking his shaggy hair in a decidedly canine-like manner. This was always his favorite time of year. He could change his wardrobe for the next six months. No matter if the weather turned freezing again for the next month, the shorts would remain in use. He was stubborn that way.
He hummed rather noisily and off-key until she gave him a slight swat on the arm telling him to cease. He lay down on his back and stretched out, taking up as much lawn as he possibly could with his lanky frame. He flexed his lags and feet, causing one little toe to wiggle all alone. He blinked up at her and his face promptly contorted into a violent sneeze. Allergies would never stop him from rolling himself in the grass. Several convulsive sneezes later, he was sitting up with a dazed look on his face. She always found the post-sneeze look quite endearing.
He turned around and leaned against her, his head tilted straight back onto her shoulder. He reached behind her and pulled a handful of her hair in front of him. He always said he liked it short, but since she had grown it out, he toyed with it every chance he was given. He was now knotting and twisting it into some kind of unrecognizable cord. She thought this was his version of a braid. Any inherently female skills were completely lost on him. She remembered a time when he tried to paint his fingernails as part of a costume. They had only recently managed to rid the bathroom counter of magenta smudges.
She heard several foggy-headed sniffles followed by an exasperated sigh as her newly crinkled mass of hair back over her shoulder. She chuckled at his childlike expression of frustration and grabbed his hand. Nothing extravagant, just simple touches as reinforcement. That’s what they thrived on. Never anything excessive or uncomfortable. Enough to show the combining of two minds in simple action. A slight lean, a sidelong glance, or a lopsided grin. That’s all they ever really needed.

Description
Her eyes seared as she stepped out onto the porch. The sun bit at her face as she walked down the baked pathway. Finally. The sun pierced its way through the rain clouds that seemed to rule the sky lately. It was one of those days near the end of winter where it was strangely warm and unseasonal. One of those days where you could smell summer’s slow approach months away.
A white day moth flapped its sporadic way across the lawn, alighting here and there, only to have some unseen vibration drive it away again. She stepped out onto the harsh grass. The dying winter stalks had not yet been overtaken by fresh growth. Every step crackled and left a portion of grass in a foot-shaped depression. Her steps led her to the large birch tree in the corner of the lawn. Sheets of grey bark were curling away from the new white trunk. The leaves poked out of their buds on the drooping branches. They were that particular shade of green that was so different from any other kind. It was the untainted, unweathered color that only lasts for a few short weeks; then it slowly darkens to that old, almost experienced shade of green. A light breeze kicked up and stirred the fragile leaves. They fluttered and shimmered, making the tree look like it was engulfed in chartreuse flame. She fell into a cross-legged sit at the base of the trunk.
She felt a tickling sensation on the top of her foot and saw a diminutive spider scaling her arch. Normally she detested spiders, but for some reason she did not move. Maybe it was the weather making her drowsy. Maybe it was the fact that she rather liked this particular spider. It reached a crevice between her toes. She noticed that its coloration was strikingly similar to one of her toe rings. The turquoise stone set in silver mirrored the blue spots across the grey abdomen. Her toe twitched on its own accord and sent the tiny creature scurrying back to the cover of the grass.
That was when the sliding glass door opened and he playfully came strutting out, proudly displaying the shorts he retrieved from his storage of summer clothes. What a shock to her retinas. His porcelain legs beamed the sunlight straight back to her. Too early for the shorts. He flashed a toothy grin and bounded over, shaking his shaggy hair in a decidedly canine-like manner. This was always his favorite time of year. He could change his wardrobe for the next six months. No matter if the weather turned freezing again for the next month, the shorts would remain in use. He was stubborn that way.
He hummed rather noisily and off-key until she gave him a slight swat on the arm telling him to cease. He lay down on his back and stretched out, taking up as much lawn as he possibly could with his lanky frame. He flexed his lags and feet, causing one little toe to wiggle all alone. He blinked up at her and his face promptly contorted into a violent sneeze. Allergies would never stop him from rolling himself in the grass. Several convulsive sneezes later, he was sitting up with a dazed look on his face. She always found the post-sneeze look quite endearing.
He turned around and leaned against her, his head tilted straight back onto her shoulder. He reached behind her and pulled a handful of her hair in front of him. He always said he liked it short, but since she had grown it out, he toyed with it every chance he was given. He was now knotting and twisting it into some kind of unrecognizable cord. She thought this was his version of a braid. Any inherently female skills were completely lost on him. She remembered a time when he tried to paint his fingernails as part of a costume. They had only recently managed to rid the bathroom counter of magenta smudges.
She heard several foggy-headed sniffles followed by an exasperated sigh as her newly crinkled mass of hair back over her shoulder. She chuckled at his childlike expression of frustration and grabbed his hand. Nothing extravagant, just simple touches as reinforcement. That’s what they thrived on. Never anything excessive or uncomfortable. Enough to show the combining of two minds in simple action. A slight lean, a sidelong glance, or a lopsided grin. That’s all they ever really needed.