He rolled the idea around and frowned, lying back down with his hands folded together behind the back of his head. He lay like that until he fell asleep, not sure of how long that was, but he woke up with the sun in his face, shining bright through the top of his tent.
With a groan, he surged forward and unzipped the side, crawling out and stretching. He’d slept in sweats and an undershirt, and the cool air brushed against his skin. Collin was already awake, brewing coffee on a camp stove, his eyes lingering on the thin strip of skin over Max’s waistband.
Max dropped his arms and tugged down the hem of his shirt, and Collin quickly looked back at the coffee.
“Alright, Max? Sleep well?” he asked.
Max walked around the fire and sat down on the stump nearest Collin.
“Not the best, but it’ll do. You?”
“Always do when I’m camping,” Collin answered. “I love being outdoors.”
“Your back though?” he asked as his own twinged from the long night on hard ground.
Collin laughed softly. “I’m not that old. Not yet, anyway.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Max blushed.
“He’s dignified,” Spencer interjected from inside his tent. He unzipped it and fell onto the ground, then jumped into a standing position, brushing dirt and pine needles away from his legs. He was in coordinating pajamas, which didn’t surprise Max in the least.
“I’m what now?” Collin chuckled and produced three blue and white speckled aluminum cups from his pack.
“Dignified,” Spencer said, managing to get himself onto one of the logs around the fire.
“That’s a nice way of saying old,” Max clarified.
Collin reached up and self-consciously touched the hair just above his ears. It was a little bit gray, but Max had thought it made Collin look attractive, seasoned….practiced. He shifted his weight and reached out to move Collin’s hand out of the way.
“You’re not old. It’s nice to be outdoors.”
Collin smiled, but it was fleeting. He poured three cups of coffee and passed them around.
“We have enough time to eat, but then we need to get on the trail,” Collin said.
“How far is it?” Spencer asked, and Max fought back a groan.
“Miles,” Max answered, thinking again about what he’d do or not do if Spencer tumbled into the river later today.
“Play nice,” Collin chided, frowning at him.
Max felt properly shamed by the look, and he took his coffee and swallowed a mouthful in silence.
“It’s three miles,” Collin said to Spencer. “But it’s a mild hike. You should be fine.”
“I know I’ll be fine,” Spencer said, matter of fact. “I bought a bunch of that moleskin stuff before I came so I just need to trim it up and put it over the spots on my feet that hurt. Or maybe this silicone blister stuff I got. The girl at the store said that would be best, but I wasn't convinced so I got bo…”
Spencer stopped speaking and licked his lips, his face and throat bright red.
“I’ll stop talking now,” he said, looking away from Max’s hard stare.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s eat,” Collin said, and Max looked down in shock at the plate Collin handed him. He hadn’t even noticed Collin preparing anything besides the coffee, but there were eggs there, which had no doubt just been made of powder, and a piece of dry toast.
“Thank you,” he said, shoving a bite of eggs into his mouth.
They tasted like watery cardboard, but he worked through the meal with minimal complaint. Spencer, on the other hand, griped and groaned before disappearing into his tent and coming back with a Clif bar and plastic container that looked like it had a protein shake in it.
“You brought your own breakfast?” Max asked, choking down another bite of eggs, wishing he’d had the foresight to have done so himself.
“Of course,” Spencer answered, like it was the most basic thing on the planet. “Don’t look at me like it’s some ridiculous thing. You brought a s’mores kit. Not even just the things to make s’mores, but a premade kit of s’more making ingredients.”
“He’s got a point,” Collin offered, and Max gave him a halfhearted glare.
Max shoveled the rest of the food into his mouth and shoved the plate back in Collin’s direction.
“I’m gonna take a piss.”
He wandered into the tree line, far enough from the campsite but not so far he’d get lost. He could still hear Collin and Spencer talking, the light lilting sound when Spencer laughed at something, and the rough rumble of Collin’s answer to him.
Max pissed and headed back to the campsite, forgoing the fire to go back into his tent. He dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, putting on a clean pair of waterproof socks before lacing up his boots. He put his sweats back into his bag and rolled his sleeping bag. He strapped it all together and tossed it out of the tent.
He sat back on the stump beside Collin and waited.
“D’you want more coffee, mate?” Collin asked, holding out the pot with a grin. “You look like you need it.”
Max let Collin refill his cup.
“I’m gonna do that then, too,” Spencer said, falling into an awkward silence upon Max’s return. He vanished into his tent without another word.
“You’re both beginners out here,” Collin warned him in a hushed tone, eyes darting between Max’s face and Spencer’s tent. “Stop trying to act like you’re better than him. Those boots you’re wearing were new once, too.”
Again, Max found himself feeling properly shamed.
"He's not going to get you killed, you know." Collin rolled his eyes at him. "If the trail or river were that dangerous, I wouldn't take newbies."
"I thought nature was unpredictable."
"Within reason. My dad and brother were doing these tours years before I got here, and no one’s ever died. You’re both going to be fine," his voice dropped into an even deeper rumble as he leaned in and pressed his hand to his heart. “I promise.”
"I'm ready." Spencer’s voice shattered the moment between them, and Max let out a shaking breath as he turned his head in the direction where the other man had gone.
Spencer threw his backpack out of the tent, then spun on his heel. Max watched him struggle to disconnect the tent poles before Collin sighed and stood up to help him. The two of them finally got Spencer’s tent disassembled and tucked into his bag, and Collin made quick work of his own tent. He packed up the camp stove and collected their dirty plates and cups, then hoisted his bag onto his shoulder.
The three of them began the hike, and it was like Collin had promised.
Mild.
The weather was calm, the sky blue, and the sun bright. A few gray clouds blew in from the east, but other than that, there was no breeze. Max stepped over a fallen log and inhaled a deep breath of the fresh wilderness air. He focused on Spencer walking in front of him, doing his best to block the teasing lightness of Spencer’s voice calling him Daddy the day before.
Max wasn’t a Daddy. He didn’t want to be anyone’s Daddy, but the thrill of someone finding him appealing sparked low and dangerous in his gut. He tried to not notice the way Spencer’s slim ass filled out his jeans or the way Collin’s strong forearms flexed when he reached out to help them both across a small gap in the trail.