An Exploit in the Wild

Joshua paddled as fast as he dared, looking back frequently making sure the other kayak was still tied to his. The sun was getting low in the western sky and the longer it took to get to a place where he just had a cell phone signal, the more he grew scared. Hearing Nathan moan while trying to keep his kayak in line just made Joshua fret more.

They had decided to spend a week in the Okefenokee Swamp, paddling in its most remote sections. They were nineteen, on their first summer break from college, and ready for some adventure. There had been a debate about going down the Suwannee River from the swamp or going to the east side and putting in at one of the places with organized tours. But they did not want to be with other tourists, so they had put in on the west side and paddled in along narrow creeks that snaked through the vast swamp. The first day they paddle east and north, camped out on an island, and got wasted, laughing at the silliest comments and the sound of an owl somewhere in the woods.

The next day, they had paddled deeper into the swamp, exploring small ponds, islands that were like oasis of wildlife or just slowly paddled along the slow-moving waters. It was getting dark before they found a suitable site in which to camp. There had been the quick preparation of a meal then bringing out of a bottle of whiskey, followed by the usual bravado of two young guys with the whole world out in front of them.

The next morning, they had gotten a late start, the sun above the tree line in the east. The day had become hot, breezeless, and humid to a degree neither were accustomed, not even Nathan who was from Baton Rouge. They had paddled along the creek in a slow languid pace until it became late and time to find a suitable place to camp. They rounded a bend when Nathan had pulled to the side.

“What is it?” Joshua had asked.

“A boat is submerged. I can see the bottom of its hull.”

That is when it happened. Nathan was paddling to stay in place, then he attempted to move sideways. Instead he rolled. There had been splashing around, Nathan trying to get upright, then the kayak popping up next to him as he came to his feet in neck deep water.

“Joshua…I hurt myself,” Nathan had called out, and Joshua still shuddered when he thought about how Nathan how sounded.

A cut above the right eye which was just deep enough to bleed. The worry was the one down the left arm, starting just above the wrist and going almost to the elbow. It was bleeding so much it scared the two of them. Joshua pulled off his shirt, tore it into strips, and wrapped the arm tightly to try to slow the bleeding.

“We need to get somewhere with cell reception or where we can get help,” said Joshua. “Let’s tie our kayaks together so all you have to do is steer.”

“Okay. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t’ worry about it. It’ll be something I’ll make fun of you for back in the dorm,” Joshua replied, eliciting a weak smile from Nathan.

They rounded another bend and Joshua immediately saw a Jon boat pulled up on the bank. It was at a small clearing, the ground beat down and eroded from frequent use. Joshua sped up, suddenly feeling hopeful of getting help. He paddled as fast as he dared, letting his kayak run up on the bank, nearing rolling him. He jumped out and pulled Nathan on the bank.

“Stay here and I’ll go see if someone is nearby that can help.”

“No, I’m going. I’m sick of sitting and need to stretch my legs,” Nathan replied, easing out of the Kayak to get on his feet.

They walked into the woods following a small path until they came to another small clearing. There was an old canoe sitting over sawhorses and a line stretched between two trees at the clearing’s edge. A snakeskin and two pelts hung from it.

“Josh, over there,” said Nathan pointing to their left.

Joshua turned to see a small cabin on piers in the edge of the woods facing the clearing. It was old, the wood weathered to a dark grey and its tin roof mottled with rust. A porch ran the width of it where a pair of dark tan pants and two plaid shirts hung to dry.

“Someone lives here,” said Joshua as he started toward it.

“Can I help you?” came a male voice from behind, and Joshua and Nathan turned to see a guy about their own age coming out of the woods into the clearing. Slung over the right shoulder was a shotgun and in the left hand a bird they would soon realize was a wild turkey. Joshua did not think about how the guy was dressed for he was too worried about Nathan.  The guy approached them in old worn jeans and a plaid shirt of blues and greens that was unbuttoned, revealing the body beneath.

“Yes, my friend got hurt and we’re looking for a way to call out. Neither of us have a signal.”

“You ain’t going to get a signal out here, and I don’t have a phone.”

“Fuck,” Joshua uttered under his breath. “How far is it to someplace we can get help. Is there a road that leads out from here?”

“I’m afraid there ain’t no road either. You have to go out the way ya come in. But why don’t ya’ll come up to the cabin and let me see how bad it is,” the guy said, looking Joshua up and down as he walked past them.

It did not register with Joshua to consider how he had been appraised, standing there shirtless, revealing his upper body, one that was muscular from playing sports and staying active. Instead, he followed the guy, Nathan right behind him.

The stair was weathered wood, the treads worn smooth. After climbing them, they came to the porch, finding it narrow, just enough room for a couple of wood back chairs facing out. The clothesline stretched between columns, and the breeze blew the garments back and forth, making Joshua and Nathan swing in toward the wall and as they ducked beneath them. The screen door squeaked with the stretching of its spring and Joshua and Nathan followed the guy into the dark interior.

As he scanned the room, Joshua introduced himself, feeling a need to ease the tension he was feeling. With windows on three walls, it was obvious the open living and kitchen area made up the entire end of the cabin. There was a short run of cabinetry along the wall with a gas camper’s stove sat on one end and a large single compartment sink at the other. Sitting out from the cabinetry was a small table, the top plastic laminate of greens and white, in some floral pattern and it was edged with a wide aluminum band. The legs were chrome, the finish rusting through in places and there were only two chairs, looking sad in a way, obvious there should be at least four more.

Along the rear wall with a window behind it, was a sofa and a chair that appeared to be outdoor furniture. A wood heater sat in the middle of the interior wall with a door on either side of it. Through the door near the front that Joshua could see into was a small bedroom, an unmade bed against the far wall and a desk at the window that looked upon the porch. It shocked him to see a few books anchored by a small wooden box that could be a jewelry box. If it was a jewelry box, it was the most surprising thing in the cabin.

“I’m Joshua and this is Nathan.”

“I’m Elijah but call me Eli.”

“We were paddling the creeks when Nathan accidently rolled, hitting something submerged.”

“Eli, have you got some bandages or something?” Nathan asked, stepping up closer looking pale and scared.

“Yep,” Eli replied, going to the second door. A few seconds later, he came out with a tacklebox and went to the dining table. “Come here and let me see how it looks.”

Nathan eased down in the other chair and Joshua moved to stand next to them. Eli removed the bloodied fabric from around the arm until the long cut was visible, blood oozing from it.

“Damn, you didn’t hit that submerged boat about a mile downstream did ya?”

“Yes,” Nathan replied.

“The propeller is just below the surface,” Eli uttered, as he opened the tacklebox revealing it was full of medical supplies. Tubes of ointment, bandages of various sizes, including a few rolls of gauze, and bottles of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and something neither Joshua nor Nathan recognized. “I need to clean it out. That water can make a cut like this get infected. This may sting a bit,” said Eli opening the hydrogen peroxide.

Nathan lay on the sofa asleep. He had jerked and shook when as the peroxide bubbled in the wounds, then grimaced as Eli expertly wrapped his arm then bandaged his forehead. When he was finally bandaged up, he had yawned so long and hard, it was obvious he was exhausted. Eli told them he would tell them the way out in the morning, and they could camp out on his floor.

While Nathan cleaned up in the bathroom, Joshua and Eli had pulled the kayaks up on the bank and brought the gear up to the cabin. Eli cooked venison and potatoes while Joshua took a shower putting on a clean t-shirt and shorts. Once they had ate, Nathan feel asleep on the sofa, Joshua cleaned up the kitchen, and Eli went to shower and put on clean clothes.

Joshua was at the dining table watching Nathan sleep when Eli came out in nothing but jeans. They were worn, knees blown out and hung so low on the waist they revealed the muscular form of the stomach that tapered into them. Joshua found himself looking at Eli, admiring the muscular body. Eli sat in the other chair, leaned back with his butt right at the seat’s edge and legs stretched out. Joshua found himself looking at Eli more than any of the surroundings. The smooth tanned skin, the nipples that sat high on the pecs, the long neck, long fingers of the right hand lying on the chest, the left hand holding the edge of the seat. He looked at how loose the jeans were around the waist, gapped open so much Joshua tried to look within them. He wondered how they stayed up, then wondered again about his desire to have seen them slide down and Eli step out of them.

Joshua had looked at other guys before, telling himself he was just comparing, sizing them up in relationship to his own development. All through high school he had dated girls and pretended to ignore the antics of the other guys in the shower room after P.E. or baseball practice, or their antics at some bonfire, taking out hard cocks while bragging about blow jobs and fucking. He had looked. Cut his eyes over to Brad or Jason or Matthew or…

He had looked at developing chests, bulging biceps, and flaccid cocks hanging over loose sacs. He had looked wondering about sex between guys, how it would feel, and if it were different than with a girl, knowing it would be. In college he found himself on the fourth floor of a dorm full of half-naked guys where he continued to look. His roommate gave him an eyeful all the time, and down the hall Nathan had been one of the worst (or best?) about changing clothes with the door wide open. He would strip naked without a second thought. Joshua would never admit it, but it was why he liked hanging out with Nathan. It was why he asked him to come on the trip, hoping to see him naked, and if he were lucky, maybe they would jack off together.

Now he stared at Eli, the long torso stretched out only a couple of feet away. The skin that looked smooth and firm, and arms that looked bare of hair. He scanned down the long legs to the openings at the knees seeing bare skin and the round shape of kneecaps. He let his eyes move back up the thighs, lingering over the bulging crotch, trying to imagine what lay within. Was he cut, or uncut? Was it long, thick, did it have a flared head or was it tapered, arrowhead shaped? Was Eli a virgin from living out here alone, or was he experienced, and was it with women or men?

Nathan talked in his sleep, then shifted around a little and settled back down, and Joshua turned his eyes from Nathan back to Eli. He did not see the blue eyes watching his own as he stared at the hand moving down the chest, over the flat stomach to the jeans, then fingers running along the waistband.

“Do you like to mess around?” Eli asked in a whisper.

“What?” Joshua replied, not sure he heard right?

“You heard me. Do you like to mess around? Have some fun?”

“I…I…”

“I saw you looking at me. It’s okay.”

“I wasn’t…”

“You wasn’t what? Looking? Sshhhit, man, you were looking, and it’s okay. I liked it. You can look all you want,” Eli uttered with a voice that suddenly sounded mischievous, almost evil, as fingers undid the button on the jeans and tugged down the zipper. Nothing but skin and pubic hair came into view, then the base of a cock. “You can touch me too.”

Joshua felt like he was in some dream state, the room receding from his field of vision. Only thing he could see was Eli. The upper torso, then the abdomen, the small fan of pubic hair and finally the cock. Eli spread the jeans open as Joshua unconsciously moved to the edge of his seat, leaning forward, eyes glued to the slow reveal of cock. Eli had him hooked, his complete attention on the physical nature of the body coming into view. Eli reached out with his left hand, taking Joshua by the wrist, pulling his hand toward him.

“Nathan and you never did anything? Never had any fun?” Eli whispered.

“No, but I…wanted to,” Joshua uttered as he watched Eli guide his hand to the stomach. He felt the firmness of it, and the smoothness of the skin. He moved his fingers back and forth, raking fingertips over it.

Eli let go of Joshua who did not pull away. Instead he felt an opportunity granted, the temptation to touch made too great to pretend he did not want to do it. He moved his hand over Eli’s stomach, up over the firm pecs, feeling the hard nub of each nipple, then he moved his hand down until fingers combed through pubic hair, then rub along the exposed portion of cock. He saw the length of it where it pushed upward against the worn denim fabric. It was stretched out to the right, almost to the hip and he slipped his fingers beneath the fabric and worked them along the thickening shaft.

“Yeah, that’s it, take it out,” Eli whispered.

Joshua pulled at the thickening cock until it slipped free of its confines and he held it up to see the size of it. It filled his hand and protruded above it with a flared head. He was breathing hard, almost panting, as he slowly began to stroke it.

Eli held the edge of the seat, letting Joshua stroke him. He moaned and pushed upward occasionally just to watch his cock slide through Joshua’s fist. He grew more aroused, until his cock drooled from the slit and Joshua smeared the slick down the long shaft.

“Help me get my jeans off,” Eli whispered.

Joshua moved to the floor on his knees and shifted around until between Eli’s feet. He tugged on the waist band of the jeans as Eli held his ass above the seat. The jeans slid down so easily, once again Joshua wondered how they had stayed up when Eli had come from the bathroom. He worked them down the long legs, slipped each foot free and laid the jeans to the side. He looked up, eyes moving up the long legs, to the loose sac and hard cock, framed by a small fan of pubic hair. He looked for what seemed a long time as the cock flexed and leaked on the hip, then he let his eyes move up the flat stomach, the muscular chest, long neck until he found himself facing Eli, who was staring back.

“You like my body?” Eli whispered.

“Yes,” Joshua replied breathlessly.

“Touch me,” Eli commanded.

Joshua put a hand on each leg and moved between them as he ran each hand upward. He moved so close he could see the nuts shift in their sac, the vein that ran the length of the cock, and how another drop fell from the slit, while he dragged his hands along the smooth muscular legs until they were either side of the cock. He felt breathless, and feverish, and aroused. He cupped the loose sac, felt the nuts move around with his manipulation.

Eli took his cock by the base and held it up, watching Joshua’s eyes go from his nuts up to it. He waved it back and forth and saw the eyes move accordingly. Back and forth, glued to it as if hypnotized by it.

“Tug on ‘em,” Eli whispered.

Joshua circled the sac with forefinger and thumb then tugged.

“Harder,” Eli uttered.

Joshua tugged harder and saw the cock flex, then release a large drop of clear pre-cum. It trickled down the side of the head, and Joshua leaned closer, so close he felt an urge to draw even closer until his lips touched it. He wanted to tongue that clear drop trickling down the head, then tongue the head. He was imagining it when the cock smacked against his lips, then smeared slick across his cheek and nose, then back under his chin. Eli was rubbing it over his face, and he captured its scent, the musty masculine nature of it.

“Lick the head,” Eli uttered.

Joshua licked the head.

“Tongue it, lick it clean.”

Joshua tongued it, then licked it clean.

“Suck it.”

Joshua put his lips to the head and parted them enough to let the cock slip through as he pushed down, taking half of it, then pushed again to take nearly every inch.

“Fuck, that’s right, push that mouth down on it.”

Joshua pushed down until the cock was in his throat cutting off his air. His nose was buried in pubic hair and he pulled back, inhaling deeply, capturing Eli’s masculine scent. Then he pushed down again.

Eli leaned forward, pushing Joshua down on his cock as he reached over Joshua’s back tugging on the t-shirt. He worked it up until at the arms and Joshua leaned back and let him remove it. He looked at the fair white skin and the muscular body within it, knowing Joshua was a college boy. He sensed it as soon as he saw him. A college boy who liked to suck cock. He wondered if there were other things the college boy would like to do. He leaned back, holding up his cock and watched Joshua move to it, with mouth open. Joshua then sank the drooling cock back into his mouth.  Using his right foot, Eli ran it up Joshua’s thigh and over the crotch, digging his toes into it. He felt the cock within, and he ran his foot over it then pushed against it, feeling it flex.

“Take off your shorts. Let me see your cock,” Eli whispered.

Joshua stood and he was obviously aroused, the front of his cargo shorts tenting out obscenely. He undid them while Eli watched. He liked him watching, eyes focused on his hands, as he undid the button, then tugged the zipper down, and let them fall to his ankles.

“The shorts too,” Eli commanded in a low voice.

Joshua pulled out the front to get them past his erection then pushed them down until they fell freely to his ankles. He kicked everything off and stood naked before Eli.

“Do I look okay?”

Eli looked at the masculine body, with the tattoo on the right bicep and some small symbol over the right pec. He looked at the white skin and how it appeared to almost glow in the dim light of the room. Was he okay? Joshua had asked and he smiled at the naivety of him, this innocence to how good looking he looked, knowing Joshua was doing something for the first time.

“Yes, you look good,” Eli replied, his tone mischievous, smiling as he said it. “Now come closer.”

Joshua moved up close and stood between Eli’s legs. He watched Eli take his cock and suck it. Took damn near the whole thing and began to work lips and tongue on it until Joshua had to brace himself on Eli’s shoulders. No girl had ever sucked him with such desire. A hand tugged on his sac until he shivered with the pain, and the pleasure of it. Another hand moved to his ass, fingers trailing up and down the cleft between his cheeks. Then they pushed between them until touching him, one finger circling over his opening. He pushed back against it wanting to yell out for Eli to do it, to punch that finger through his tight opening and bury it in him. He shuddered and moaned far too loud when Eli did it. First one finger, then two, then three, stretching him open, twisting and turning in his hole. They piston inside him as lips moved to the head of his cock and tongue pushed into the slit.

“Fuck…fuck…fuck me,” Joshua uttered, struggling with every word.

Eli slipped Joshua’s cock from his mouth and sat back, smiling up at Joshua for it amused him how consumed with lust he had become.

“You want me to fuck you?”

“Yes.”

“You want my cock in your ass, doing what my fingers were doing?”

“Yes.”

“Get on the table.”

As Joshua moved to the table, Eli climbed to his feet and moved up behind him.

“Face me,” Eli whispered.

Joshua turned and Eli saw he had blue eyes and within them, he saw a pleading. He put his hands on Joshua’s waist and kissed him. He did not know if Joshua would pull back or be accepting and he was pleased with the way Joshua opened his mouth to him. He guided him back, got him up on the table while they kissed. Then he pulled back and lifted Joshua’s legs forcing him to lay back across the table. With head hung over the opposite side and legs held up and out, Joshua lay spread open for Eli. Nothing was hidden. There was none of the earlier shyness. Hard cock laying on the stomach and the ass spread open revealing the tight opening.

Eli moved forward until his cock was pressed against the opening, and he looked over to the sofa and saw Nathan watching them, a perfect side view of his thick cock at Joshua’s hole.

Watch and learn, Eli said to himself as he kept his eyes on Nathan as he pushed the head of his cock into Joshua, then inch after inch of the shaft. Slowly he penetrated him while watching Nathan’s eyes grow wide.

“OH…Eli…” Joshua uttered as his body shuddered with the penetration, but he did nothing to stop, or even slow Eli from pushing cock all they way inside of him.

Eli turned to Joshua, looking at the fair skin grow shiny in the dim light. Sweat was beading up on it, and soon it would trickle down the sides in steady rivulets as he fucked him as hard as he could. He began with a steady pull and push back in, slow, savoring the feel of every inch being dragged through the tight opening. Then he increased his pace, fucked harder, faster, until his abdomen smacked against ass and the table protested beneath Joshua. The sound of their fuck echoed in the small room, but Joshua seemed oblivious to it, not thinking about how Nathan could not possibly be still asleep.

Eli pulled Joshua’s feet to his upper chest, feeling a push against it as he hammered his cock in Joshua’s depths. He leaned forward until knees pressed down on chest and continued to fuck. He pulled nearly out, letting Nathan see what Joshua was taking, then shoved back inward, all the way. He slowed his pace, pulled completely out, then pushed back in, making Joshua moan. He did it over and over, slowly, knowing they were being watched. He looked toward the sofa seeing the wide-eyed stare and motioned with his head for Nathan to join them.

A hesitation, then Nathan sat up and watched for a few seconds. He watched the way Eli moved at the waist, working cock in Joshua’s depths and how he kept him folded over. He watched Joshua reach out to each side, fingers just over the edge of the tabletop and he gripped it tightly. Nathan stood and began moving toward the table. He pulled his shirt off, then undid his shorts letting them fall to the floor where he stepped out of them. He pushed his boxers down revealing his erection and stepped out of them when they dropped to his ankles. He moved to the opposite side of the table, where Joshua’s head hung over the side.

Joshua lay back clutching the table to hold himself steady. With eyes closed, he focused on the feel of Eli plummeting his insides. The thrust of cock into his depths and the constant smack of abdomen against his ass. His body felt overheated, skin burning up as if feverish and it was wet, especially where he lay on the table and his legs pressed into his chest. Then he felt something rub over his lips, up and around his chin, then back to his lips. He knew it was a cock and he parted his lips taking the head into his mouth. As it pushed inward, he suddenly realized it was Nathan’s cock. He opened his eyes only to see upper thighs and sac and the place behind it. Releasing the table, he reached up to hold the thighs, feeling them move forward while cock pushed to the back of his throat.

The table rocked and squeaked as Joshua took both cocks. He heard Eli laugh, then felt an increase in pace, both cocks fucking faster. Then Eli pulled out and released his legs. He put his feet on the edge of the table as he drooled around Nathan’s cock.

“Trade places,” said Eli.

Nathan pulled free and Joshua watched him move around the table. He took Joshua’s legs, resting them on each shoulder, and shoved cock into his hole in one slow push until buried all they way. Then he began to fuck.

“Goddamn…it feels…so good,” Nathan stammered as he drove his cock into Joshua’s depths.

Eli laughed and moved to Joshua’s head.

“Suck,” said Eli.

Joshua sucked, while holding onto the tabletop. Eli leaned over him and took his cock, sucking it into his mouth.

The room echoed the moans and grunts and the sound of the table protesting beneath Joshua. Then Joshua began to shudder, moaning louder around Eli’s cock. Then he came, filling Eli’s mouth with cum. As he came, suddenly his own mouth filled with cum.

Once spent Eli stood and watched Nathan hammer cock into Joshua. The lean body sweated with its exertion. Then Nathan cried out, slammed his cock all the way inside of Joshua and shuddered with release.

Joshua woke to find Eli was not in the bed, just Nathan to his left. He stretched, then sat up, listening out for Eli, wondering if he was in the cabin. He eased out of the bed and saw their clothes were neatly folded and on a side table. While dressing, he watched Nathan sleep, smiling at the naked body laying fully exposed, the cover pushed down to the calves. How many times had Nathan fucked him the night before? Was it two or three times? He lost track, what with Eli also fucking him at least three times, maybe four. He remembered how cum trickled down his leg when they had headed the bathroom to shower together, then how they lay in bed together, touching and stroking bare flesh while kissing and whispering about what they had done.

The living area was empty, and Joshua eased out onto the porch, looking around the clearing, wondering where Eli had disappeared. The there was movement, and Eli came out of the woods carrying a stringer of fish. Shirtless, wearing just worn jeans, Joshua admired the masculine body as it approached.

“You just catch those?” said Joshua just loud enough for Eli to hear him.

“Yep. Breakfast. Is Nathan up?”

“Not yet.”

“I’ll clean these and cook them up. You get Nathan up and be ready to eat in about forty-five minutes,” replied Eli, looking up with a wicked grin.

Joshua knew what Eli was inferring, and he nodded his head, backed away from the railing and eased back inside. At the foot of the bed, he removed his clothes, then climbed on the bed on hands and knees, straddling Nathan.

He kissed the right knee, the thigh, the flaccid cock, then dragged his tongue over the sac, manipulating the nuts within. He kissed the abdomen just above the pubic hair as a hand came down on his head, the fingers combing through his hair.

“Suck me,” Nathan whispered.

Joshua moved back to the cock, saw it roll over and begin to stretch out. He bent to it, licked the head and up the shaft. Then he put his lips back on the head and sucked it into his mouth. He worked his lips and tongue on it until it was rock hard and filled his mouth. He pulled off, panting for breath. Then he moved over Nathan, straddled his waist, and held up the wet slick cock. Hands rested on his thighs, the fingers working the muscle as he eased down. The cock touched him, pressed against his tightness, then stretched him open. Downward he moved, taking the head, then inch after inch of the shaft.

Joshua began to move up and down, letting more of Nathan’s cock push into his depths until he was bouncing off of Nathan. He rode him with a roughness that was desperate for release. He leaned back, took his cock in hand, and stroked it in rhythm with their fuck. A fast, furious pace, not holding back. He came first, cum flying up in the air and spattering his chest and stomach. He shuddered with the release and hammered his ass down on Nathan’s cock.

Nathan grabbed Joshua’s ankles and shoved upward with every ejaculation from his cock, until he too was spent.

Joshua climbed to his feet and held out a hand to help Nathan up.

“Shower with me.”

It was mid-morning when Joshua and Nathan were loaded up and pushed from the bank. Eli had given them directions on getting back to where they put in, pushed each one away from the bank and told them to get going for it would be near dark before they made it.

For over an hour they paddled quietly, each lost to his own thoughts. They rounded a bend and saw a landmark they recognized. A dead cypress tree with a nest in the top of it.

“Hey Joshua?”

“Yeah?”

“Had you thought of sex with me before last night?”

Joshua paddled up next to Nathan, looked over nodding his head. “Yes. Had you ever considered it before?”

“I guess…I mean, yes, I’ve wondered about it, but never seriously.”

“Would you do it again?”

Nathan smiled. “Yes, I would do it again…with the right person.”

“And could I be the right person?”

“Depends.”

“Depends? Depends on what?”

“If you wake me up sucking my dick every morning,” Nathan joked, then he turned to Joshua with a serious expression. “I find myself thinking of being with you…you know…”

“Like a boyfriend?”

“Something like that. I would try it.”

Joshua coasted up to the dorm on his bike and hopped off just before the steps. The fall semester had started off rainy and wet, but after a week, they were now enjoying a bit of warm weather. One last tease of nice weather before fall would be upon them. He carried his bike up the steps and rolled it into the dorm. The elevator carried him to the second floor where he slipped his key into the lock. The room was dark, the blinds closed, lights out, but there was enough to see Nathan napping in his bed.

Bike set aside, backpack on the floor, Joshua pulled his shirt off, then shorts and boxers. He eased down on his knees next to Nathan’s bed, pulled the cover back revealing the bare torso and blue boxers. He manipulated the cock within them, fishing it out the fly. Then he leaned over and took it in his mouth.

At the start of the semester with a little maneuvering, they were dormmates, allowing them all the privacy they desired. The other guys knew something was up, but Joshua and Nathan had not confirmed their suspicions, letting them guess until they were ready to confess. But it was obvious. The shared smiles when in a group, the casual way they touched each other, and how their door stayed closed. To anyone who dared put an ear to it, there would be no doubt., like now, Joshua moaning and urging Nathan on.

Joshua was on his back, legs around Nathan’s waist, taking the slow push of cock into his depths. Nathan lay on him, their bodies undulating against each other as they fucked. And it was a slow fuck, unhurried, one that would last until both were exhausted. Then they would shower together and crash in Nathan’s bed for a much needed nap.

_______________________________

Their kayaks were still on top of Joshua’s 4Runner, strapped down for use in a day or so in another location of the swamp. Today, they were in a hurry, had a destination they wanted to make as quickly as possible. The rented Jon boat was ready for them to push off, loaded with some gear, food, and water.

Nathan sat in the stern to maneuver the small outboard motor with Joshua in the bow, map in hand ready to guide them to their destination.

They had poured over satellite images, detailed maps of the swamp, looking for Eli’s cabin. But with it under the tree canopy, they had to look for small clearings that looked right. One near the creek they had been on. Map marked, they set off to the place they were sure was it. They wanted to visit Eli, just to tell him what it had meant when they had met last summer, and to bring him some supplies he could use.

Motoring up the creek instead of paddling, cut their time substantially, and before long they were at the place where a Jon boat had sat last summer. But the bank was empty, and had new growth overtaking it.

“Are you sure this is right?” asked Nathan.

“It’s got to be it. It’s just grown up…like no one has been on the bank in a long time,” Joshua replied.

Nathan steered them to the bank and Joshua watched a moccasin slide into the water.

“Shit…get closer to the bank,” said Joshua.

“What is it?”

“Damn snake just slithered off the bank.”

“Well, he should be gone by now,” Nathan replied, chuckling.

Nathan drove the bow into the bank and Joshua stepped over it onto the muddy bank, struggling to gain firm footing. He pulled the boat up on the bank and helped Nathan step out, then they turned toward the woods, looking for the path.

“It’s really grown up,” Nathan whispered.

“Over there, there’s the path. It’s still visible under the trees,” said Joshua, leading the way.

They came out into the clearing finding weeds and grass waist high. The canoe was gone, only the old sawhorses left behind. They eased through the new growth, watching for snakes, making their way to the cabin.

The cabin looked more forlorn than before. It was quiet with no sign of Eli. Up the stair, covered in debris from the trees, they found all the windows were up and the door standing open, the screen door held back with a rope tying it off to the railing.

“What the fuck,” Nathan exclaimed as he followed Joshua inside.

The furniture was in the room as they remembered it, the table with only two chairs and the old sofa at the back wall. The only missing items were things from the kitchen. In the bedroom they found the bed but no clothes or personal effects. Eli had packed up and left, leaving the cabin open. It was obvious some time had passed by the signs of animals being in the house. A bird’s nest was on the top shelf in the kitchen and the mattress had been gnawed or clawed open.

“Why leave it like this?” asked Nathan.

“Giving it back to nature?” Joshua replied.

There was no need to linger, and Joshua headed out the door and down the stair, followed by Nathan. Nathan stopped halfway down to look at the cabin one last time, then he descended to the ground and caught up with Joshua.

They motored back at a slow speed lost to their thoughts. They were nearing the place they put in when Joshua turned to Nathan.

“Where do you think Eli went?”

“I couldn’t begin to guess,” Nathan replied, as he turned toward the boat ramp.