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The rest of July was rather mundane. Various friends came back into town, or I'd find time to hang out with those who were still in town and we would get together for coffee or a meal. Some of them, I introduced to Craig, and some I didn't. It turned out that he was a consummate Munchkin player, and so a few of my closer friends made time at least every other week to play. There was one friend in particular, a shaggy marten named Stuart, that I really wanted him to meet. Stu had been my best friend in high school, and though we had both expanded our circles in college and had gone in different directions to school, we still kept in constant contact. Stu was studying forestry at Washington State, and had stayed in Washington doing a project in Mount Rainier National Park for the first half of the summer. The project completed, we threw him a Munchkin party for his return home. Before college, Stuart was also the only friend who knew I liked guys. But since he had been incommunicado all summer, I had not had a chance to tell him about my foxy new boyfriend.

My parents had gone to bed, and we were in the game room in the basement, lounging on the orange-plaid, seventies-style couch that had been placed there, a sacrifice to the messiness of casual partying. Stu usually came with me to Zion, so we were discussing the backpacking trip.

"The doctor says my ribs look good, and I should be ready to go off light duty next week, after my next checkup," Craig said. "That gives me about two weeks to get my strength back up to carry a pack."

Stu waved that off. "Oh, no worries, there. We usually pack light. A feather-weight gas stove, freeze-dried food, a filter pump and iodine, so we don't have to lug in several gallons of water, and we sleep in hammocks."

This left me looking thoughtful. A hammock could put Craig several yards away. I didn't like that idea. "I might go for a tent this time," I pondered. "As long as we zip it up right, we shouldn't get any scorpions or tarantulas visiting."

Stu looked surprised, then waved it off. "Whatever you say, man. The hammocks were your idea in the first place, since you're such an arachnophobe! What makes you want a tent this time?"

"I think I'd just like to try something different," I defended, looking right at Craig. He got the message, but I don't think Stu caught it, yet. I realized that I would have to explain things to him, when we could sit down and really talk.

The conversation turned to the packing list. A month out was a good time to check gear and make sure nothing needed replacing, so we worked for about another half hour on what we'd need, and checking the gear at my house for wear and tear. Finally, we were back on the couch, enjoying the last half of one of the two six-packs of Summer Ale that Stu had brought from Washington and given over to the evening's festivities.

"So, Craig," Stu began, as he inspected Craig's frame pack, which showed wear from his misadventure in Nebraska, "what were you doing stranded in Kearny, in the first place?" All of our friends knew that I had picked him up as a hitchhiker, but we had left out certain... details... in the telling.

"I was heading to Chicago, with my two best friends," Craig started. "We got into an argument--"

"He came out," I interrupted. To Craig's sharp gasp, I turned his direction and explained, "Stu knows about me, Craig. It's OK. I want him to know this." I don't know why I hadn't prepped Craig on Stuart ahead of time. I guess it just slipped my mind; because I felt so natural and open around the both of them, I guess I had forgotten that there were things they didn't know about each other.

Stu looked at us with sympathy, then curiosity, then his eyes went wide with understanding. "Wait, are you telling me that they left you, because you're gay?"

Craig nodded. We had not talked about the events since the trip to Cedar City for the identification, and I could see that the memory was effecting him; his tail was flat, and his ears were drooping. I rubbed his knee, and answered for him. "It turns out that Cedar is not the friendly place we thought, if you don't fit their idea of what's normal," I said. "They abandoned him at a lunch stop, and he was forced to slum around the city for a few days before I found him and brought him back to Utah."

"So he didn't really get into a fight, then, did you?" Craig shook his head.

"No, but it's true enough for people who don't know. His so-called friends sent some messages home, and the local gang attacked him when they found out he'd made it home. We've got four of them busted, and two more at large. If they don't catch them soon, the trial for the guys they do have will happen around Christmas time. If they do get all six, they will try to move it up to October, hopefully at the same time as Fall Break."

"Oh, wow. I'm so sorry to hear that, Craig." Stuart paused, then shifted the subject. "So what's this got to do with me knowing that you're gay, Toby."

Suddenly, we were both grinning. I put my paw in Craig's. "Guess," I answered. "As if you haven't already."

"You finally have a boyfriend!" he cried.

"Shh!"

"Right. Parents. But they're two stories up, and asleep. They shouldn't hear anything."

"Still... they don't want Craig to be a 'bad influence' on me. As far as they think, I'm just rescuing a new friend, who turned into a great new business partner, since Teagan left this winter."

"You think they can't smell the sex?"

"We haven't had any."

"You're joking!"

"Nope. Except one day in the shower, and the soap covered that up. Really, we've both been too busy with the business, and with my recovery," Craig answered.

"Nice that you automatically assume we're at it," I feinted.

"You forget who you're talking to, Tob'. I know how bad you wanted to explore, and how much you hate the guys you know are gay at school."

Craig looked at me. "Do what now? You don't hide behind homophobia in Lincoln, do you?"

"No. The guys I know about are all either intolerable jocks, or so effete that most people aren't sure they aren't girls, at first."

"Oh. Those types."

"The ones I can identify, anyway."

"So the tent..." started Stuart.

"Yeah?"

"You want him close by, rather than hanging several yards away between the next good pair of trees. Which in Zion are few and far between."

"Yeah."

"I hope you don't keep me up all night."

"Not unless you want to join in?" I laughed.

"Not a chance!" He grinned. "I'm cool with you, but that's you, and I'm me. I still like girls. Hips, bust, and all that good stuff."

"Too bad," I drawled. "I bet a three way would be fun."

Craig smacked my shoulder. "You'd better get my permission, first."

"Come on. Don't you think Stu's hot enough?"

"That's beside the point. You didn't ask me, first. Just go around inviting your best friend into our bed, when we barely get any time in our bed by ourselves!"

"Fair enough. Do you mind if I invite Stu into the tent? He'll probably say no, but it never hurts to ask."

We turned to my best friend together. Stu's jaw was working, but no sound came out. After a few moments checking him out, Craig said, "Yeah, he's plenty hot. I like his heavy tail, too. I bet there's good stuff under there. Go ahead and ask."

"Hey!" Stu finally managed to say something. "What's up with you two?"

We both collapsed into laughter, and Stu, finally catching that we were teasing him, joined in. A few moments later, we heard the door to the stairs open, and Harper came stumbling down, bleary eyed. "What's going on down here? It sounds like a herd of elephants are having a rock concert."

"Oops! Sorry, Harper. We were just telling some of those real bad jokes," I apologized. "We'll keep it down."

"OK, then. You'd better. Your dad and I both have long days tomorrow. Come to think of it, so do you, so do get to bed sometime, hey?"

We all agreed in chorus, and got up to start cleaning up the remains of the party.

"Nice to see you, Stuart. Welcome home."

"Thank you, ma'am."

With that, she turned and headed back upstairs. Once the door closed, Stuart asked more quietly, "So what trails do you guys want to explore? Or will there be any hiking this year? Will I have to hike on my own, while you two use the tent all day?"

"I promise, we will behave." Craig crossed his heart.

"Sometimes," I replied, doing the same motion.

"Riiiiight." Stu tossed the Park Service forestry reports at me, and scooped up the serving dishes, to take up to the kitchen. "See what looks good this year. Have some suggestions by the time I come back down."