Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Ty
A RHYTHMIC SLAPPING rang through the night.
Ty moaned, the cock in his mouth muffling the sound. Above him, Elijah groaned, though he managed it far more quietly than some of their camping companions.
They hadn’t planned on such a busy night, but after all those stories around the campfire … then the sounds that started emerging from the other tents… Well, what was Ty supposed to do? Just lay there in the dark next to a sexy man and ignore it? Hell no.
Elijah might have murmured some platitudes about how they should get their rest, how they were being rude, but the moment Ty started touching him, he gave up the ruse. Ty was still humming with satisfaction from Elijah’s excellent work while he endeavored to return the favor. Soft grunts encouraged him — both Elijah’s and those of whoever was having such a good time in one of the tents nearby. Ty didn’t want to think too hard about who it might be. It was enough to know everyone here was so stupidly enamored with their partner that they couldn’t hold back for even one night.
WAS THE SUN A LITTLE brIGHTER the next day? It sure felt that way when Ty crawled out of his tent to stand in the patchy sunlight dappled through their campsite like marbles scattered across a tabletop. It squeezed between the treetops, shifting and dancing as a breeze raked its fingers gently through the leaves knitted overhead. The world smelled of dirt and grass and the dew burning away as the earth woke.
Ty stretched his arms overhead, soaking it all in. It was cool enough yet that he threw on a hoodie before padding softly around the campsite in search of his jet boil and coffee supplies. No one else was awake yet, but he was betting they’d be damn grateful for some coffee when they eventually roused.
Especially after such an entertaining evening…
Ty smiled to himself. Normally he wasn’t a morning person, but he was too excited to sleep. If it weren’t for the delicious second orgasm Elijah had gifted him last night, he might not have slept at all. He’d always had high hopes for this trip, but things were going even better than he’d planned. This ragtag group of queer folks came from multiple countries, multiple backgrounds, multiple pieces of the LGBT rainbow even. Yet when they were all together, they were like a little family. They supported each other. They teased and annoyed each other. They let each other exist without judgment or fear and be themselves to the fullest while they were all here in this little pocket of queer space.
For Ty, there was no better evidence of that than last night and everyone just being with their partners joyfully and freely. Ty looked forward to them all emerging from their tents with sex hair and love-glazed eyes.
The first to do so was Jude. He zipped his tent up slowly, as though every creak pained him. Then he stood and blinked blearily at the campsite. He smiled when he found Ty beside the campfire with the jet boil.
Jude padded over and squatted beside the ashes of the campfire with Ty. “Making coffee?” he said, voice scratchy with lingering sleep.
“Yeah, figured everyone would want some,” Ty said. “And the smell might be a nice way to wake up.”
“You’re an angel, dude,” Jude said. “Lemme just wake up a bit and I’ll help you. I brought some stuff to make pancakes.”
“That sounds great.”
Jude nodded and trudged away, heading for the campground bathroom. It was primitive, little more than a port-a-potty in a fancier enclosure, really. And they’d all been brushing their teeth with water at the campsite. But that was part of camping. Things got a little rougher, a little dirtier, a little more rustic. Everything from brushing your teeth to making coffee in the morning took a bit more effort than it would at home, but the reward was waking up to the smell of fresh earth and spending your day on some of the most beautiful rock America had to offer.
Jude returned with his cooler and set to work preparing a few things. He had a small portable stovetop that unfolded to reveal two burners. Jude propped it up on its retractable legs, then set out batter, milk, eggs, a mixing bowl, cutlery, plates and a spatula for making the pancakes.
“Not bad,” Ty said. “I didn’t know you were that much of a camper.”
“I wasn’t, really, but I’m getting better at it,” Jude said. “When I visit Finn, we’ve been going out to Squamish. It seemed like it was worth it to invest in some decent camping stuff so we don’t live on protein bars the whole time.”
Ty smiled to himself. It wasn’t just the gear that had improved. Jude’s pancakes were some sort of “high protein” mixture that would give them all more than just empty calories to work with today. And Ty was pretty sure he’d spied fresh fruit in Jude’s cooler as well.
“Finn is really having an impact on you,” Ty said. “You’re changing, man. I barely recognize you.”
He exaggerated every word, even pretending to swoon just for dramatic effect.
Jude punched him playfully in the arm. “I am,” he said. “And it’s for the better. You remember what a mess I was.”
Ty wouldn’t call it being a mess. Jude had always been a steady force in Ty’s life. He was a year older than Ty and had consequently spent a year longer as a professional adult climber. When Ty came up through the ranks to join the U.S. team, it had been Jude who’d taken him under his wing. He’d shown Ty everything from which hangboard was the best one for training on to which restaurant to eat at when they flew to Seoul for a competition. Jude had become his rock, his best friend, someone who helped Ty transition into this strange life he now lived.
It had been a no-brainer to come out to Jude before anyone else on the team. Ty had always known he was gay, but he hadn’t said it to his team, afraid it could affect how his new teammates saw him. Even though he’d believed Jude was straight at the time, he’d gone to him first when he made the decision to let the team know. And nothing had changed between them. Jude hadn’t even blinked, supporting Ty through that journey as well.
It was the greatest honor of Ty’s life to help Jude come out now that it was his turn. Though, it hadn’t exactly been a huge shock when Jude shyly told Ty he was interested in someone.
“That’s awesome,” Ty had said. “What’s her name?”
“That’s the thing…” Jude had said.
Even over the phone, his voice had been hesitant. It had been the middle of the climbing season. Jude called during a one-week break between comps, saying he had something super important to talk about.
“This person…” Jude said, “they’re not a girl. But they’re also not a guy. I … I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s all new to me, but…”
“But you like them?” Ty said.
“I do. A lot.”
Ty had beamed at his phone. “That’s awesome, dude.”
“Is it? I … I always thought I was straight. I never imagined… But it just kind of happened and I don’t even know what I’m doing but I just know I want to give it a shot.”
“Hey,” Ty said, cutting into the rambling. “Jude. Listen to me. Whatever you feel, it’s real. And it’s awesome. You sound like you really care about this person. Do they like you too?”
“Yeah,” Jude said. “Yeah, I think so.” He issued a shuddery little laugh.
“Then that’s all that matters. You’re intelligent adults. This might be new for you, but you’ll figure it out. Ask what they like. Tell them what you like. This isn’t rocket science, okay? You like each other. You want to make each other feel good. So you will.”
There had been a long, long pause over the phone. Then Jude sighed, his breath shaky.
“Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m … I’m really happy about this. I really can’t wait to see them again. They’re amazing, dude. I don’t even know how to explain it. I just feel … a lot of things around them. But what if they hate me for being new to this? What if I do something wrong? What if I mess up on pronouns or something?”
“Then you’ll apologize and it’ll be okay,” Ty said. “No reasonable person is going to hate you if you’re sincerely doing your best. We all mess it up sometimes. It’s okay.”
“I just don’t want to hurt them.”
“You won’t. You can’t. You don’t have it in you. You care about them, right?”
“So much. It’s crazy.”
“Then you’ll be fine. Give yourself a chance to do this, Jude. Trust yourself to learn whatever you need to learn. You got this, okay?”
“Okay… Okay. Yeah. I’ll try. I really, really want this work out.”
Ty wished he had been there in person to hug Jude in that moment, to celebrate how stupidly in love he obviously was, how drunkenly smitten. He’d had to wait until they all returned to the competition circuit. But he didn’t have to wait today.
Ty reached over, squeezing his arms around Jude, who nearly dropped his bowl of pancake batter.
Jude just laughed. “What’s that for?”
“I’m just happy for you, man,” Ty said. “You seem really good.”
Ty backed off enough to catch Jude’s shy smile. “I am. I really am. It’s not always easy. All the traveling and stuff. But it’s definitely worth it.”
Ty squeezed his shoulder. “Good. You deserve it. Once I got with Elijah, you barely had a roommate for the competitions. You were alone all the time. I felt awful when I realized.”
“No,” Jude said. “Don’t. Please. You were so happy. I’d never take that from you. You deserve it too.”
“Well, I’m just glad we’re both here now.”
Ty passed Jude a fresh mug of coffee, then poured one for himself.
“Cheers to being happy and gay,” he said.
Jude broke into a wide smile. “Cheers.”
They clinked their mugs together. It felt like the start of something new, a different phase of their lives. They’d taken turns guiding each other here, their friendship holding strong throughout all the ups and downs, all the confusion, all the changes. It hadn’t always been an easy journey, but in this moment all the difficulty felt more than worth it. They were here making coffee and pancakes for their partners and their friends before everyone set off to climb together, this weird, queer group they’d collected around themselves. Even with the bumps in the road, Ty wouldn’t change a thing about how they’d gotten here.
Soon, the smell of fresh coffee roused more of their companions. The others clambered from their tents sleepy eyed and sex-haired and grumbling, but before long they were all gathered around the campfire clutching mugs of coffee. Jude furiously flipped pancakes, filling up plates as fast as he could with Ty beside him to help him dole out syrup and fruit and creamer for the coffee. Between the two of them, they got their strange little group fed and caffeinated. Because Ty and Jude made a damn good team. And they always would, no matter where life took them.