Miniature Golf, But Big Friendship

Tadashi stepped back out of the way to watch Ezra take their shot and leaned a little bit on his golf club. It was a really nice day for this outing. He watched carefully as Ezra went about setting up the shot and nodded along as they thought everything through aloud.

Ezra's ball had bounced and tumbled like a pinball all around the walls of the course but in the end it stopped almost in the same place Tadashi's had. He giggled. "Well... yeah I think you did hit it a little too hard but it was a really good first shot. At least you didn't send it into the water or anything." He smiled reassuringly at Ezra and and gestured for them to follow him onto the green. "Now we try to gently hit it into the hole over there. I would just work on trying to hit it softer this time."

With that he lined up his putter and ball and took another gentle swing. He'd hit it hard enough to get the ball to the hole and soft enough not to have it fly past but his angle was off by just a hair and the ball rolled along the edge of the hole and back out again. "...Let me just go tap it in so it's out of your way," he sighed as he made a face at the hole and then went back to smiling. He wasn't really unhappy- it had just been so close to going in. A slight tap of the club sent the ball nicely into the hole and then it was Ezra's turn to go again.

He stepped out of the way to watch with excitement as Ezra's ball rolled towards the hole, but it was clear it wasn't going to go in. Ezra was doing pretty well but they still had some work to do. Some of the holes would be a lot harder than that one. Of course Tadashi was only really one stroke ahead and neither of them were on par.

Not that Tadashi really cared at all about the score. He'd taken a couple of those short golf pencils but he wasn't even writing down the scores. It was just fun being out there spending time with Ezra.

Tadashi laughed and almost went to put his hand on Ezra's shoulder in a reassuring gesture but stopped himself short. Ezra was more particular about their personal space, he reminded himself.

"I know i'm having fun, and we barely even started. You'll get better though. Maybe by the 18th hole you'll be even better than me!" Tadashi exclaimed with a grin and pointed at the little pathway from where they were standing towards the next little putting green. "See that sign with a two on it? That's for the second hole. We just follow the paths to the next numbered hole."

It was a few more holes until the more significant obstacles began popping up. On hole number 5 there was a small section on a fake boat that had three holes you could aim for after hitting the ball up a ramp and a lower section obscured by planks of wood and a fake cannon. One of the holes would be an almost guaranteed hole in one but the others would take more swings.

"I think we have to guess which hole is the best one to go for here," he said as he looked over the part of the course they could see from where they were.

Tadashi smiled back at Ezra when they said they were enjoying the golfing too. Or at least having fun in general. If they hadn't been having fun Tadashi would have just abandoned the game and took them somewhere else.

He stood there watching as Ezra took their shot. He agreed that the center hole had to be one of the decoys. Why even have the other holes if that one just gave a hole in one? Ezra's ball went up the ramp and into the left hole and Tadashi listened with anticipation to hear where it would make the telltale sound of golf ball on plastic that would indicate it went in. The sound hadn't come and Tadashi was a little disappointed. It would have been great to have Ezra get a hole in one.

"Oh, well you did really well getting the ball into that hole Ezra," he tried to console Ezra a little bit. Though he wasn't sure he needed to- Ezra didn't seem upset by it too much. Maybe he was trying too hard to make sure Ezra had a fun time.

He set himself into the position and then hit his own ball into the hole on the right side of the course. Surely that one must be the correct choice then. The ball rolled smoothly up and into the hole, disappearing from sight. And yet there was no sound once it was through the hole.

"Huh...," Tadashi seemed confused that neither of them had picked the correct hole. Was the center one the correct choice after all? "Ok... let's go see where our balls are Ezra," he shrugged and gestured for Ezra to walk with him down the steps to the other half of that hole. He almost reached for Ezra's hand, but didn't and then was utterly confused why he had even had the thought in the first place.

Down on the rest of the green the holes form above ended in tunnels that directed the balls out towards the bottom. The left hole pointed far off to the right and the center hole pointed off towards the left. The right hole seemed to point right at the end hole but only Ezra's ball was visible down there. Tadashi's was nowhere to be seen.

Tadashi looked up as his friend laughing. Well chuckling, but it wasn't something he'd seen Ezra do before and although he felt really foolish for that whole set of events that had just happened he smiled. It was good to see Ezra was happy. Even if he had to get in a fight with a lazy golf ball stealing squirrel to make it happen.

"It's good to hear you laughing Ezra. It suits you," Tadashi grinned even as Ezra's face went back to neutral. Ezra had been saying they were having fun but Tadashi had to admit it was a little hard to know for sure until that point. He knew it wasn't Ezra's fault and he would never get upset that they didn't show emotion much but still, it was great to see a little bit of it. He'd fight an army of squirrels if he had to.

He did look curiously up at Ezra as they came close. Why? What- and then Tadashi sat there as Ezra dabbed at his face with a handkerchief. There must have been something there. Tadashi wasn't really concerned with personal space all that much but having Ezra clean his face for him made his face warm as blood tinged his cheeks a little pink from embarrassment.

"No- no, no you don't have to apologize. It um, didn't bother me I just didn't expect it. Um, thank you," Tadashi hurriedly spluttered as he stumbled over his words. Which only made it worse and finally he just sighed. "I don't think you could ever be a bad friend. You're too nice for that," he finished after regaining some composure.

Then he stood up and dusted himself off so they could get back to their game. Now that they had the ball back. Who knows if that had been the tube that would have given Tadashi a hole in one. Honestly, he didn't care. Ezra laughing was a million times better than a hole in one.