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“I’m not climbing that.”
Steve looks back over his shoulder to where Eddie’s standing at the bend in the trail where it starts to wind up into the final stretch of elevation. It’s a steep climb, but not a terribly long one, and he plants his hands on his hips as he surveys the outcropping of rock in front of them. He turns back to Eddie.
His hair is pulled up on top of his head, and he’s wearing shorts and tennis shoes and one of Steve’s loose little workout tanks, and he looks so miserable and sweaty that Steve has to resist the urge to laugh, which. Would not go over well if he did.
“You have to,” he says instead. He knows as soon as he's said it that this is not a good tactic either. Eddie scowls, and he tries again. “Please? It's my birthday.”
Eddie groans, shoulders slumping as he bends forward dramatically, head hanging loose. He straightens up.
“So I'll buy you a cupcake.” He takes a gulp from his water bottle. “You're lucky I love you so much. And you’re lucky I’ve had such a good view, climbing all the way up here.”
Steve scans his eyes out over the trees and back to the valley they started in an hour ago, sun-dappled light making everything look soft and dreamy. He shrugs his pack higher up on his shoulders and smiles back at Eddie.
“It’ll be even better when we get to the top,” he says. “Promise.”
He hears Eddie struggling to keep up behind him as he starts up the trail, and then he feels a hand smack against his ass. He yelps in surprise, and Eddie’s arm moves up to sling over his shoulders, pulling him in to press a kiss to his temple, grinning.
“That's not the view I was talking about.”