Brightly colored and brown leaves alike fell from the trees, covering the soil, the sand, and the paths that led the two to the deserted corn factory. It was an old and rusted place. Only a good place if you were out and about and wanted to shelter yourself and wait out a rain before finding the nearest home. Of course there were other purposes too. Marcus liked to climb around on the wooden lofts above the place. He knew all the best hiding places around the property. He could also take advantage of tiny spaces too considering his small figure. The place had quite a lot of metal structures and things Marcus didn't know much about, but knew they used to work in helping the corn harvesting  process move quicker. The first significant detail Marcus noticed when he stepped into the corn factory was that the last night’s battering gusts of wind had blown an awful lot of fallen autumn leaves in, and they were scattered everywhere. Jay had decided for himself that he wanted to lose the crutches and start walking normally again, and Marcus said it was fine under one condition: that he would stay near him to walk. Countless times he stumbled, and he simply couldn't admit that he needed a hand to hold. He told Marcus that it made him feel- well, like a toddler all over again. Marcus looked up and gazed upon the empty lofts above them. He didn't know what they originally held, but he assumed they were at some point in the past a storage unit for bails of hay. He walked over to the metal ladder, and Jay followed him closely, obeying Marcus’ strict precautions of safety. Though he ambled along, it was more a steady pace than it had been with those obnoxious crutches. The factory smelled damp. Some sort of earthy scent that reminded him it was fall. He soon found himself almost at the very top, looking down at Jay for a moment to see how he was doing. He was doing, alright. Was he really doing it well? Marcus was to be the judge of that. “Da**it! This stupid leg-” Marcus soon reached the top and stared down at him urgently, holding a finger to his lips. Thankfully, Jay’s outburst had been a subtle whisper. They both paused for a quiet moment to be sure no monster had been lurking around. Once they were both sure that they were alone, Marcus reached his arms down. “Calm down. Just let me help you.” he whispered back and gave him a small smile that wasn't easy to hide when Jay rolled his eyes and sighed. “Just this one time.” Marcus chuckled and shook his head. “Just this one time.” he grabbed both his hands once he was a third way up the ladder and steadied him as he made his way up the rest of the ladder. The exposition of the climb left them both exhausted, their legs dangling from the edge of the wooden loft. They got a full view of the factory from up there. Not exactly the prettiest sight, but they did have each other. Marcus fished through the pockets of his jacket. “I brought something.” he said quietly and brought out a set of earbuds, and an iPod from the early 2000s, partially wrapped in it’s cords. “My dad gave it to me, I guess because he said he didn't want me to have to lose music too along with things like television and- he just wanted me to be content, even with everything going on. He wanted, and he still wants for me to have a normal life, I guess, even though, you know, things now just aren't normal.” Marcus brought one of the earbuds up to Jay’s ear and stuck it inside. He turned on the device and stuck one into his own ear, turning up the volume a bit before going through the songs. “Wait-what exactly are you going to make me listen to?” Marcus smiled and slowly got to his feet, bringing Jay to his feet to join him in holding hands. Marcus played the song. It was smooth. Slow. Sad, even. But neither of the two of them stayed still. With their hands linked together, their arms swayed silent to the movement of the song. The soft, whispery breeze let in a draft that sent a shiver through Marcus’ body, bringing him closer to Jay’s warm touch, leaning in for his soft chest.He felt those familiar strong arms around his body and was swept into a feeling that seemed other-worldly. Being held like this made him feel safe. Even in everything that was going on. He wasn't sure how to accept it. His head was still swarming with ideas and curiosities about Jay’s close feelings for him. Jay was giving off the impression pretty well that he wanted him near. Marcus wanted him near too, but- Marcus mentally slapped himself and squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to stop. All this ‘close feelings’ nonsense he just needed to cast away and forget. He wasn't meant to like his best friend. He suddenly opened his eyes a crack and looked up at Jay. He blinked. Thought for a moment. He gathered his strength, reaching his hands up, but paused just for another moment, lowering his arms to his sides. “What're you doing?” Jay asked softly and removed the earbud from his ear. . Marcus shook his head and motioned, “Nothing. I was just thinking.”