The Sweet Smell of Wood Smoke Pt. 2
#2 of The Sweet Smell of Wood Smoke
The Sweet Smell of Wood Smoke Pt. 2
By: ToKu
Morning came with such haste Reggie wasn't even sure he had slept. The cool dim glow of blue began to illuminate the inside of the large grey tent around five twenty-five a.m. The wolf shifted uncomfortably inside his sleeping bag, savoring the warmth and hoping for a few more minutes rest before his inner boy scout wanted to get a fire going before the sun broke over the trees. He leaned over and gently kissed his wife. The sleeping wolf beside him continued to sleep soundly; the slow rise and fall of her chest, the sound of her breath was comforting in the least, but it did not help the heavy feeling that hung horribly in his own chest.
Without a sound he dressed; slipping his pants over the same pair of briefs he had worn out into the forest mere hours ago. His hat came last. The ragged thing looked ready for a junk pile, or so Nalia had said to him a few times, but it still looked good on him and it wasn't worth buying a new one if the old still had some life left in it. He only hoped that the same was true about his friendship with Rex. 'What a horrible idea this whole thing has been. If I never would have dragged him up here, this whole thing would never have happened. Rex would still be clueless of my intentions and I could have kept on lovin' him in secret.' He could only sigh and trudge onward.
The dawn-lit campsite almost seemed unreal, surreal even, and like a ghost he hobbled over to the stone pit and grimaced down at the cold ashes from the previous night's fire. He took his time placing the collected branches in a proper enough way, all the while reminiscing of the night before; the kiss, the punch, the solo excursion into the woods for a late night release. He felt shamed, dirty, horrible. He couldn't hold in his feelings like he was supposed to. Years and years had gone by without so much as a hint that he secretly loved another male, and last night just had to be the night it all came crashing down. He didn't care if he was exaggerating it or not, he knew how he felt and it was enough to make those thoughts true.
He continued on with the fire, carefully lighting a bundle of dried pine needles nestled under the branches. They smoldered and caught fire; a burning orange that soon enveloped the surrounding branches in a warm glow. At least he could find comfort in admiring his own fiery creation. That lukewarm feeling gave him enough fuel to start a pot of coffee; the rich aroma of pre-ground beans tingling his canine senses.
By the time enough light filled the sky to blot out the last few stars, he had finished his first cup of black coffee, gathered a few hidden branches they had missed around the edge of trees, brushed his teeth with a bottle of mountain water, and had set a large pot of water to boil for oatmeal. He had just taken up his seat in the large folding armchair, across from the sturdy black one Rex used, when the lumbering bear himself crawled out of his tent on the other side of camp. He was shirtless, and the fly of his jeans was down along with the button. Reggie could see signs of a 'morning wood' bulge in the white briefs below his belly and wished to god he hadn't. He got hard instantly but the look on that round black and brown face was nearly enough to kill it before it had time to get to full standing.
A large black paw came up only to scratch at a patch of unruly chest fur before simply falling back down with the other one. Rex's gaze lingered on the wolf for a moment, blank and indifferent; causing Reggie's ears to fall flat against his trucker hat; a sign of true defeat. Rex didn't seem to notice though as he turned and stumbled towards the trees closest to his tent. Reggie didn't even let himself stare after the round ass that was sure to be there if he did. Instead, he busied himself with pulling the cooking oats out of a duffle bag that contained most of their food, along with some brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and maple syrup for the oatmeal.
The painful sound of a black bear relieving himself, however, was too much to handle and Reggie was forced to go about waking his wife and rousing the tent of cubs (Though for his son's sake he refrained from calling him such). It created enough chaos to cause a slight memory lapse as he quickly dug out the Styrofoam bowls and plastic spoons. He didn't even notice when Rex returned to his tent. The next thing he did notice after his wife (sleepy eyed but freshly dressed in a light blue shirt and white shorts) helped herself to a small helping of oats was when Brianne emerged from her and her husband's tent. She seemed well rested but when the big black bear followed her out, pulling a white undershirt down over his big, black bear body, Reggie could clearly see the unrest he had in his eyes.
It was comforting and worrisome to know that he wasn't the only one to have lost a few hours of sleep. In fact, he could hardly believe that the bear had even awoken so early. He would have expected him to sleep in until noon, or even until they left.
He tried not to think about it though. When the hulking bear made his way to his chair, with his wife at the lead, Reggie tried to make it look like he was more concerned with his own bowl of oatmeal he had made for himself. He had added raisins with a light dash of brown sugar, the way he had always made it when he had gone camping with his father all those years ago. He spooned a healthy scoop into his mouth, trying to sink into his own chair while not looking forward and across to Rex. He found himself watching Brianne prepare two bowls for herself and her significant other. Nalia sat next to Dylan while the two younger cubs proceeded to add too much syrup to his oatmeal.
It got Reggie thinking, about what it would be like to have Rex as his wife instead of Nalia. It sounded ridiculous at first, but he didn't imagine Rex in a wedding dress. Rex stayed the same; as mysterious and as apathetic as ever, even the grey and white wolf who loved him so didn't change much. He simply imagined himself doing the things Brianne did. Doing his laundry, picking up after him, making him lunch for work. He could see him preparing a romantic dinner for the bear that he would simply eat before retreating back to his armchair without much more than a 'thanks' to watch a football game with a cold beer nested in his crotch. The fantasy hurt and filled him with joy at the same time.
The crisp sound of an aluminum can cracking open only made the fantasy even richer, though he soon realized it was from the can that Brianne had retrieved for her spouse. It saddened him a bit, but he continued to eat his oatmeal like everyone else; his toughened emotional wall preventing the tears he somehow knew were ready to flow forth like a ruptured dam. 'I would make you happy.' He thought then considered it a moment; spoon drifting back and forth from bowl to muzzle while the circle around the campfire bustled with conversation except from the two adult males. 'You would make me happy. Just being who you are...' Reggie wasn't even sure what could make Rex happy. He had never really seen the bear smile, nor really at that. He always seemed so dead emotionally. He realized it was selfish, selfish to want to be with someone for only his gratification. It was much more practical for him and Nora to be together than he and Rex. But then why was his body, his mind, his entire being screaming to be held by that massive, black, sexy beast? What was wrong with him?
When the oatmeal in everyone's bowl was gone Rex had barely touched his. He just sipped his bear and gazed into the fire with empty yet thoughtful eyes. Breanne offered to take his bowl but he shook his head and scratched at his fur through his undershirt. Reggie could only clean up while the ladies and children went on a morning stroll. Thankfully, Dylan hung back and helped with the clean up because god knew Rex wouldn't.
"How'd you sleep son?" Reggie asked as he poured some left over water into the pot to let it soak, it would have to be cleaned at the creak latter on. He knew Rex wasn't looking at him, but his presence was enough to make butterflies flutter in his stomach. The younger wolf looked up from collecting the bowl and spoons in a trash bag. He wore the same blue jeans as the night before but only a black undershirt covered his fairly defined adolescent lupine body. He shrugged and set the garbage bag aside.
"It was a little hard to fall asleep," Dylan replied truthfully. Reggie could easily guess why and didn't bother to ask but Dylan had no problem explaining. "Kevin kept kicking me on accident, and the two of them wouldn't stop talking about Yu-Gi-Oh. It's like the most annoying thing ever."
Reggie heard Rex shift in his chair and was almost too scared to look over his shoulder. He feared the bear would use last night as an excuse to tell off his son for bad mouthing his own cubs, but the deep voice that arouse didn't sound angry or insulted in the least.
"Sorry about them, kid." The black bear spoke. It was like music, like a symphony; it was torture. It made the older wolf want to cry, for joy. It was the first time he had heard him speak since they had returned to the camp last night, and it wasn't filled with contempt...only defeat. He didn't sound like himself. It was a very faint inflection. Normally a furson probably wouldn't notice so small a change in someone's voice, but he knew Rex. Knew how he talked, and he could almost hear the change in him no matter how small. "They get on my nerves all the time."
Dylan smiled and nodded his canine head in response and Reggie couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous but when the boy offered to take his bowl the feeling faltered. Rex picked up the bowl from his lap and held it out for the young wolf to take. Reggie tried not to let his ears shoot up in glee, and instead finished packing their provisions away.
"They're just young." Dylan spoke. He tossed the bowl into the bag and spun it around while holding the neck closed in his fist, sealing the trash inside. With a nifty toss the bag landed next to another that held the remains of last night's burgers. "I remember when I was their age. I'm sure I drove my dad crazy too."
He didn't want to, but he felt his head lift on its own at the mention of himself. His eyes locked with Rex's, his dark piercing gaze meeting his; a lowly wolf. There was a nod, a simple tilt of the head that was simply a response to the wolf's son before the silver rim of aluminum met the black lips of the bear. It was almost like they both didn't know what to do; only Rex didn't let it show beyond a second's hesitation before taking a deep gulp of ice-cold brew.
It was over so quick Reggie doubted that there was even room for awkwardness. Dylan lifted the lid to the ice chest just outside the ring of chairs and pulled out a soda. Nalia had only recently started to forget the no soda in the morning rule. Now that the boy was fifteen, it didn't seem to make much since to have a bunch of rules around a kid who never seemed to break them. It was also sort of a gift for his birthday a month ago; less rules. The words that seemed to slip from his lips were the only thing to cause a slight stir across the fire.
"Grab me a beer, son." The older wolf asked as he lowered himself back into his folding armchair that didn't creak nearly as much as Rex's had. There was a moment of silence that Reggie could have sworn he was able to hear Nalia and the others off at the stream. It was common knowledge that Reggie didn't drink very often unless the situation called for it and this situation seemed to do just that. When he heard his son digging into the ice chest he mustered his courage, looked up from his lap, and found those blank eyes staring back at him. He felt small, ever so insignificant, but he held his ground and gazed back with steady bravery. His tooth was loose and his insides felt crushed with emotion, but despite the single blow to the face, the bear seemed placid and non-violent.
Dylan padded over and held out his paw, ice-cold condensation dripping to the ground. Reggie gladly took it and watched as the teen pup took up a seat in his own chair with a soda in his other paw. It wasn't long before Reggie's stare shifted back to Rex and his ever-elusive face. He was about to say something, anything, to get some kind of conversation going, but he was saved just in time when Nalia and Breanne nearly came busting through the tree line, each with a cub in the lead. It gave him the excuse to stand and shuffle behind Dylan to get to his wife.
"Let me help you with that." He said to Nalia who shouldered a rather large canvas style bag with floral print. It was filled with his and hers and their son's dirty clothes that had grown larger over the last few days and Reggie knew it was quiet heavy by now. Instantly she glanced to her husband before making a rather sudden jerk of the eye towards where Dylan and Rex were still sitting.
"No, I got it dear." She said with confidence and finally let the hand of Rex's youngest boy go so he could trail after the older cub towards their tent where toys brought from home awaited. He truly did feel bad for Dylan having to sleep with them. "Yall three should head on up to the creak, waters a bit cold, but it feels good if you take the long way. You look like you need to wash some sleepys out of your eye honey."
She took one last glance towards where the big black bear sat supping on his cool draft before turning with a grin to follow Breanne to the table where most of the travel equipment sat. Reggie wasn't sure but he noticed something in her feminine lupine features that suggested she knew something was wrong between him and the bear. God forbid she ever found out what. But Reggie knew that as soon as Rex was told to join him that the wives had talked amongst themselves and knew something was up between them. It meant that their return from the woods last night was more noticeable than he had hoped.
"You better go with them Rex, hun," Breanne called from the picnic table as the two wolves began to gather their hygiene things. "I had to share that tent with you last night, and aside from your tossin' and turnin', I had to wake up to that awful musky scent of your dirty fur this morning."
'Tossing and turning?' Reggie thought as he grabbed a bottle of his male wolf shampoo and tossed it in his mesh sack along with his clean clothes. Dylan had one quite similar, though it took him a while before he could find a clean pair of boxer shorts. He thought about all the things that could have kept the bear awake last night and everything returned to the single kiss in the woods.
The walk to the creek was not nearly as bad as Reggie would have thought it to be. Sure, a reluctant black bear followed father and son somewhat unwillingly, but the older wolf was able to busy himself with calling out all the different types of plants and trees within sight. Biology was one of his strong subjects in school, and it was a pity that he ended up with a job that dealt with physical science, mathematics and diagnostics. He would have been perfectly content with scraping pond scum for a living....but what he did paid better and that's all that seemed to matter in the world now a days.
But despite his reminiscences of school sciences and lifelong careers, the presence of the black bear behind him kept his insides on a constant roller coaster ride with enough ups and downs to make a teenager puke.
With the sparkling creek finally in sight Dylan's inner cub awoke and sent him darting forward to the river bank, hopping over smaller rocks and nearly leaping over a fallen branch or two. Reggie would have smiled at such a sight but he knew that he was alone with the bear, even for the few remaining steps to the water's edge, and that was plenty enough to keep what amusement he had within him at a very low decibel.
He was ever thankful for Dylan's presence however because it would have been impossible for the older wolf to even find his own shampoo within his own bag. The younger wolf shamelessly began to strip right there upon the rocky shore, tossing his discarded clothes to where he had set his own bag down. It was on accident but Reggie couldn't keep his eyes from drifting towards Rex, shampoo held loosely in his paw to reveal a slightly bewildered black bear. Reggie instantly thought exactly what the big black bear must have been thinking. They had to get naked! Why hadn't it occurred to him that that would have to happen? He would have done a well-deserved face palm if it weren't for Rex's sudden shift in attention, causing both their worried stares to interlock.
Dylan had tossed off the pair of boxer shorts he had had on, giving both older males an accidental view of his hind end; tail all a swish in eagerness to bathe like a cub in a creek. It sent both of the two adults to nervously shift through their belongings, each one trying to procrastinate longer than the other.
Reggie eventually realized the silliness of the situation and finally undid his fennel before shucking off both that and his white undershirt. Now, unlike most southern boys, and very similar to his boy, Reggie had a fair enough amount of form to him, not with overwhelming muscles like those infomercials, but he was able to retain his high school form thanks to never really being a big beer drinker. Only, when it came to letting his white briefs fall to the ground did he feel nervous. He was disrobing in front of a bear who he had kissed about fifteen hours ago. Revealing himself to a bear who had punched him about fifteen hours ago and would be seeing the bear naked, who for all his life he had held secret a love so deep that not even a bit of violence could shatter it.
The water was cold, but Dylan was already used to it, scrubbing his hair fur with his own brand of shampoo. When Reggie began to frigidly splash water onto his head, he heard a slight curse from behind. He tried to make it look like he was positioning himself better in the brisk water but truthfully he just wanted to guiltily sneak a glance of his friend, former friend, what have you. But what he saw was almost enough to grin, though for not the best reason. Rex was still mostly dressed, having only removed his flannel, his huge muscular black arms hanging out of a white undershirt like a pair of hams, but it was plain to see that he was procrastinating by pretending to look for something at the bottom of his pillowcase that he used for a laundry bag. '...but for what?'
"Lose something?" Rex's head bolted up, with almost a mix of anger and panic.
Reggie almost lost his stomach in the steady stream of the brook before he realized it was Dylan's voice and not his that had spoken. He was instantly able to agree with himself that it was a ridiculous thought, but Dylan's voice was deepening and while he didn't feel his lips move, he realized that he had desperately wanted to say something to the bear, to his friend, to his enemy...
Rex seemed to realize the same thing because the anger was suddenly replaced with embarrassment with a steady amount of panic. It was more than unusual to see him like this; the great enigmatic Rex; seemingly caught up in his own mind. It was Reggie's fault, or so he concluded. It was he who had caused this, who had hurt him and caused him to think whatever his mystery mind was thinking, and the consequences were still yet to be seen.
"If you left your shampoo at the camp you can use mine," Dylan replied with both his paws scrubbing his scalp. The cool water rushing over his front was just enough to keep his own nakedness below the waist to remain hidden, but it was almost like looking into a mirror sometimes for the older wolf. "It's not made for bears, but it's not made for wolves either. It's that new multipurpose male body and fur stuff, works great."
Reggie wasn't sure what everybody else thought about what had happened in the woods the other night, but it was safe to assume that everyone was able to see the tension upon their return. Who knows, it could have been enough to spark up a second fire, but on Reggie's side it was more like being under a weight, the greatest weight he had ever felt before. But now and again, he was thankful for Dylan being here because god only knew what it would have been like without the boy. He was a moderator, a neutral party, and it seemed like it was helping by smoothing things over.
Rex looked on for a moment, probably just as bewildered as Reggie had been, but after a few quick seconds to process the offer Rex nodded and set his pillowcase aside. Reggie tried not to watch for fear of being noticed, but while he began to scrub his own shampoo into his fur, he couldn't help but watch that beautiful bear step out of his pants. The good ol' semi was there to taunt him, and to his surprise, it was a bit stiffer than usual, a bit more, plump. He dunked his head under the refreshing stream of water, scrubbing the suds from his fur in the process. The blur of recent thoughts bombarded him again for at least the fifth time this morning. What he had done, what it will cause, how it will affect him, and how it will affect Rex all sped through his mind while he held his breath. He tried to time it right, but of course, he had to surface right as Rex was stepping down into the cold water.
The temperature didn't seem to faze him at all, but the very brief and glorious glimpse of crotch before it was submerged below drifting water was enough to cause a stir in Reggie's lap. While he fought to keep his member within his sheath, Dylan scooted across the water to where Rex was and handed him the bottle of all-purpose shampoo. It was unusual to watch the young wolf converse with the bear and it actually took a moment before Reggie remembered that Rex only had an apparent vendetta against him and not his son.
"Here," Dylan chirped like a pup. The cold water was refreshing, and even Reggie could see how it could make even the youngest furs fell rejuvenated. He tried not to smile while he lifted himself out of the water a bit to apply suds to lower regions but couldn't help but chuckle at the silliness of it all. "It's for all over, and I got another bottle at home for don't worry about using too much."
"T-thanks kid." Rex grumbled sincerely and it broke the curl of a smile on Reggie's face into a grin. Luckily, he was facing the other way; scrubbing shampoo into his nether-regions so he could hid both the erection and the stupid expression on his muzzle.
"Sure thing." Reggie heard his boy say before the distinctive sound of water cascading off fur came to his ears. He sneaked a peek and saw Dylan's water leaden tail dripping behind his naked form as he made for his towel that he had hung over a tree branch. This left Rex and the older wolf alone in the water to tend to their hygiene alone. "Dad I just realized I left my iPod back in the tent. I got to go make sure it's not in pieces. No offence Mr. James."
Reggie submerged himself into the brisk water again to rid his fur of the tingling soap and hid his boner. It was times like this, hearing his son speak to Rex like that, hard as a rock, fantasizing that Rex was the other father to the boy through marriage. 'You may now kiss the black bear.' He thought and wished it so; nothing happened. Instead, he looked to his boy and nodded.
"No problem." Rex grunted with a wave of his paw. Both were thick with lather as he used both to scrub a few days of camping from his head fur. His eyes were closed and Reggie took the chance to soak up the bear's beautifully massive body. Pounds of muscles, pounds of fur, add a bit of lager and he had himself the greatest thing in the world: Rex. He was making a face too, one of irritancy, but Reggie found it cute because it was irritation to the soap in his eyes. His noses wiggled in frustration and Reggie almost wanted to splash him in the face but who knew what that could provoke. They hadn't acted like fools since high school, and even then, it was mostly Reggie as the mastermind with Rex on the sidelines looking indifferent. Never was it towards the bear either. He had never wanted to be against Rex in any way. Only now did shenanigans appeal to him. Perhaps it would lessen the tension, and perhaps it would result in him being beaten to a pulp. Maybe Rex had held back the other night, maybe he wanted to show the wolf mercy for acting 'like a faggot'. In the end, he decided to sit and watch the bear scrub until he too submerged his entire body into the streams icy depths.
It was silent, only the sound of water rushing and the excruciating noise of his thoughts kept the wolf from believing he had gone deaf. He watched the water, the surfacing bubbles, waiting for a bear to emerge but found himself continuing to wait. Then he worried, not for the bears safety, he knew Rex could swim, but because he was still quite hard below the water despite the temperature. What if he had opened his eyes underwater and saw his dick sticking up out of his lap? There'd be no way around it but he covered himself the best he could anyways.
Brown muzzle breeched the surface and Reggie wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried. He averted his eyes and hunched over, pretending to peer into the surprisingly clear depths of the stream between his legs; pesky erection appearing to wave in the movement of the water. He would have gotten out but with such an eyesore, it would have been impossible to do so without detection.
Rex sucked in a healthy breath before unleashing a great sigh, dripping water on his muzzle flying off in the burst of air. His fur clung to his body; revealing just how much definition he still had. His chest and arm muscles bulged and quivered a bit, having been exposed to colder water, but even his bigger belly was tighter than it looked when his fur was dry. Reggie couldn't make himself look away. He wasn't flat out gawking with his maw open wide but he humbly looked on, admiring, adoring, loving. Rex noticed but didn't react much beyond shifting a paw just under the surface of the flowing water; making a small rapid.
They really were alone, again for the first time since last night and there was tension, but it wasn't unbearable. They sat their together, only a few feet away from the other, eyes skirting away; not avoiding the fur across from them, but never lingering for too long. In Reggie's case he could stare until he was noticed, then shift to the water before Rex would in turn shift his attention. It was a childish game of tag almost. Neither could quite find the right thing to say. Reggie had a million thoughts, a ton of things to spout off, but nothing that could accurately and safely explain himself and what he had caused the previous night.
"Listen," Reggie almost thought he spoke but he hadn't moved his mouth, his teeth were glued shut, so to speak. He looked up from the shallow waters and found the black bear with his forehead in his paw, shaking his head slightly as if regretting something he had done or was about to do. Reggie still couldn't find the words he wanted to intercept whatever he may say, so he held his breath and waited to hear what the bear would say. Rex pressed his thumb and index finger to either side of the bridge of his nose and squeezed. Reggie hoped he wasn't causing him any pain and vowed to never allow his urges get the better of him again. "I don't want to pretend to know everything; what's wrong or right comes down to whether it has a good or bad effect on your surroundings. There are always the things the good book says, but you know I've never really given it very much credit. I didn't mean for...What happened was..."
Reggie almost couldn't believe Rex was saying this; not after what happened last night and the tension that followed, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to have the same friendship he had had before. Now, was he actually trying to apologize for what happened?
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I over reacted," He continued, lowering his paw from his face but continuing to stare down into the water. 'He really is apologizing...' Reggie thought disbelievingly. "I don't know what made you do... 'that'. I never thought you were like that. I mean, I don't know if you are, but it seemed that... Well..."
Reggie could tell that the bear was having trouble getting his thoughts out. It was a wonder really. He knew the bear wasn't a blank, black, canvas, but by the way he always seemed to just sit or stand there, staring absentmindedly all the time, one would think nothing was ticking up top. But Reggie knew. And here was the proof. Rex had been thinking about what happened the whole time, trying to think of something to say to such a foreign experience. In high school, being gay meant being bullied, being gay meant you had diseases. It never bothered the wolf because he knew he wasn't gay, not like the others. He had only ever found one male attractive. One black bear.
"So you don't want to beat the shit out of me?" Reggie spoke softly, keeping his eyes on the bear. Those dark eyes shot up and stared at him hard, his muzzle twitched along with a fuzzy, wet, ear.
"Why in hell would I want to do that?" He spat a little too venomously. Reggie knew it was a little too soon to try and poke this bear with a stick like that, but he had the right to. A fist in return for a kiss is hardly a fair trade. Reggie took a breath and opened his mouth with his head back enough so he could place a finger on his loose tooth to wiggle it so the bear could see. This seemed to be a knife in the back because Rex hung his head; round ears slumping a bit in shame. "I'm awfully sorry Regg, you just sorrta threw a curve ball at me last night. I didn't know how to react. I was angry, confused, ashamed."
'He didn't say disgusted...' Reggie couldn't help himself from thinking. The wolf was jumping to conclusions but it was obvious that the bear was admitting to have overreacted to a kiss from another male. It would probably end with them making up and continuing with their lives like nothing ever happened. He could live with that. Reggie would keep of loving him and Rex would continue to be unaware, unless he told him the truth. How would he react to the truth? That he had loved him since high school.
"I didn't mean to hurt you none." The wolf confessed. It was so close to coming out. He wanted to come clean and confess his love for the bear but that could make things worse and things were already going so well if you took into account the things that have transpired. Those words seemed to hit home a bit too. Rex shifted in the water and he had all the right to. The water was starting to get to the wolf and he knew the cold could still penetrate the thick padding of a black bear.
"Hurt me? How'd you have hurt me?" Rex spoke, looking towards his pillowcase and his towel.
"I meant mentally, I guess." The wolf replied, also longing for his towel and the embrace of his buddy, though the second still seemed unlikely. 'Just tell him how you feel. Tell him you love him. Say you want to live with him, grow old with him and spend every night in his arms.' "I don't know what got a hold of me Rex, I just... You yelled at me, then you apologized and I had some matches and it almost felt right.
"How does... How does ki... How does t-that make me hurt?" Rex mumbled diffidently. Reggie could tell it was impossible for him to say the word 'kiss' and he could understand why. It was a word he used only in his mind. Sure, he had asked Nalia to kiss him before, but that was his wife and this was Rex.
"How does a punch make me hurt?" Reggie replied. He was being sarcastic but he knew it to work sometimes on the bear; made him see logic sometimes. He wasn't usually unreasonable, but he had his moments. "It's something I don't like. Who actually likes to get punched? No one, and you obviously didn't like it when... When I kissed you."
Boy was he pushing it a little too far, but it got the right reaction. Rex didn't bulk up in rage or glare through dark mysterious eyes but instead looked defeated all over again. It made the wolf wonder what the bear was thinking, if he was waging a war inside his mind, and if so, what was it against? He had countless ideas of what it could be, but knowing Rex, couldn't even begin to guess at what it could be.
"Maybe we should talk about this with clothes on." Rex grumbled and shifted through the water one last time. Their eyes met and an unspoken question seemed to settle in both their minds. If kissing was hard to talk about then getting dressed after taking a bath would be unsettling. They both had had to act normal in front of Dylan, but now he was probably back at camp rescuing his iPod from destruction. They were all alone and Reggie wasn't sure what that meant.
"Yeah," Reggie agreed but wasn't sure what he was going to do about his hard-on that didn't seem willing to die. Rex nodded and took a breath and rose. The water made way for his large form and there almost seemed to be a void in the water for a millisecond where his body had once been. Now, only a black bear stood with only his knees buried beneath the current of the stream and the glorious semi had become a full-fledged erection sticking up out of a dense thicket of black fur.
It was probably the fattest penis Reggie had ever seen in his entire life, though not very long, he didn't think it possible to even fit his entire paw around the width. It was the greatest thing Reggie had ever set his eyes upon, and that's without being facetious. It stood glistening wet and pink in the sunlight, dripping not just with stream water above his massive pair of furry orbs that hung like dead weight. He must have been letting out a steady stream of pre the entire time they had been bathing. It also reminded him that he was still quite hard and had a perfect excuse not to be ashamed when his own prick emerged. Truthfully, he wanted to lean forward and take the pulsing meat into his muzzle, but Rex turned and stepped up out of the water and made for his towel. Reggie was left with doing the same.
He rose with slightly numb legs, product of the cold water, and hobbled out of the water with his eyes on the bear's large dripping ass. Because he was endowed with a much more extended length and sizable knot, walking with a hard-on was always a challenge. It bounced and wobbled back and forth as he marched to his mesh laundry bag. Rex had turned, rubbing his towel through his chest fur as Reggie wrapped his around his shoulders. Those eyes fell immediately to the protruding mass of wolf-hood and after a slight moment of bewilderment he smirked and shook his head. Reggie felt himself blush harder than he ever had in his entire life. It was the first time he had ever been exposed like this before the bear and it was ever more as wonderful as he ever could have imagined.
Dressing was a challenge for the both of them. Pants came last as it was difficult to stuff either of their erections into their pants. Reggie's had to be painfully bent to the side and poor Rex had to simply stuff it inside to press uncomfortably against white briefs and denim. Luckily, once they both had their flannels on both erections were beginning to die. They both chuckled at the silliness while they packed their stuff away into their bags. It was all Reggie could do anyways. Again, he couldn't think of something to say that wouldn't send both of them to skirting the other's stare. It ended up being Rex who spoke first.
"Think you might be up to do some fishin' down at the lake?" He asked and Reggie couldn't help but feel his heart flood with a strange type of joy. It made him antsy and fidgety as well as making it hard to reply to his friend. Rex never wanted to do things like that. He refused to let his mind jump to conclusions but again it wasn't even necessary. He had been worried about his erection and weather his friend had or will see it only to find that he had had one all along. "It's just; Dylan or someone could come back any moment. I uh, wouldn't want anyone to...you know, find us."
"You mean?" The wolf asked simply bewildered. His stomach dropped but it came back rather quickly. He couldn't stall now when the one thing he had been dying for, the one thing he ever prayed for, had a chance of coming true. Rex looked rather embarrassed now. He was licking his lips like he did when he needed a beer. "Are you sure you're not drunk?"
"I've had one beer." Rex exclaimed but with a soft undertone that spoke louder than his words.
Reggie grinned took a step closer, they were only about five feet apart but even that wasn't enough for Reggie. He had to feel him, his presence, his being. Rex looked up and into his eyes, ursine and lupine met and before the wolf closed the gap the unspoken words that always seemed to be present in situations like this became clear. Reggie's paws found themselves on the exposed forearm fur that was thankfully exposed thanks to Rex's rolled up sleeves. He stared into those dark eyes and drank in the mysteries they held. Rex looked unsure, inexperienced, but he held his ground and didn't panic. It was new to both of them, only, as far as Reggie knew, he was the one who had dreamed of it for so long.
"All these years Rex," He spoke and the bear listened as wolf paws caressed his fur, slipping to his belly before rising up along flannel design. "I've kept a secret I've wanted to tell you so badly I'm surprised I didn't flat out die from it. I remember all the times we hung together, worked out together, showered together, ate together, and slept 'near' each other."
Rex just stared, not sure what to say but not worried about the direction of the conversation. Reggie knew that this was all coming out a bit too fast, maybe the bear didn't know how to handle it handle it, but Rex didn't seem poised to attack or stomp off through the woods again so the grey wolf waited and hoped he was reading his body language correctly.
"I think I know what it is." The black bear spoke softly, looking as shy as a schoolgirl; if that comparison was even possible for such a big guy. "I remember too. I always pretended it wasn't there. I could tell when you were giving me that look and honestly, I think I'd need a few more beers in me before let you fuck me."
"WHAT?" Reggie burst. It sounded so preposterous that he couldn't help himself from laughing outright. The expression that painted Rex's face didn't help either because he looked like a confused cub that had just been told that he wasn't getting a gift for his birthday. The last thing the wolf had expected the bear to say was that he was willing to be fucked. All these years Reggie had imagined himself as being on the receiving end of Rex's fat little cock. To think that he had thought anything else was just absurd. "You mean, you thought I wanted to... T-to do you?"
He was still in stutters but not from fear or the unknown. Rex would have gone dark red if it weren't for his black face fur. His eyes shifted and his muzzle worked as if he was trying to find something to say. Reggie almost wanted to let him shuffle his foot-paws back and forth just to soak up the pure insanity of all the years past.
"I just figured that... Well, I didn't think you were a fag or nothing like those guys in California or nothin', so I figured you'd just want to do something like that. You're always staring at my ass, and...well, if you don't want to fuck me then what...?" Rex paused for a moment, trying to guess what Reggie could possibly want with him and when the answer dawned on him Reggie wanted to laugh again but he swallowed his giggles and waited for the bear to speak. "You mean... you want me to... you want to get... Reggie I didn't think you'd want to catch, I always thought you were a pitcher maybe."
Rex's baseball analogies were enough to make Reggie roll his eyes but he smiled and leaned into the bear and kissed him, not afraid of another fist that may or may not come. He didn't flinch away nor did his paws leave his side. It was a simple kiss, just like the one from last night. No tongue, no saliva, just lips to lips, bear to wolf, friend to friend.
"I've loved you since high school, Rex." Reggie spoke when there was only an inch between their muzzles. He could feel his breath ricochet off black fur as well as warm bear breath from his buddy. It was and intoxication that any number of beers couldn't produce. "I loved being around you, your very presence got me through a lot of tough times. I wasn't sure you even noticed, but I loved being your underdog. Rex and Regg, always together, always apart. At least that's how I thought it would always be. To be honest, it was kinda torture."
Rex looked guilty, but Reggie fixed that by wrapping his arms around the bear's wide torso where his large black paw pads pressed warmly into his back. It was more than a hug. He was holding the one he had loved the most for the first time in his entire life, and it felt good, so good.
"It's my fault." Rex spoke and even though it was sort of true, Reggie shook his head against Rex's chest.
"It's no one's fault." He said honestly. "I wanted you and you thought I did and we were both too shy and stupid to do anything about it."
"So do you want to go fishing?" He asked and Reggie could feel that stiff member through the two layers of denim that separated each groin from the other. The odds of them getting anything done here was slim, the wives knew where they were and all Dylan had to do was show up to ruin any love they could brew. "Maybe we can take a six pack to share before we let our, um, rods fly."
He never knew Rex as having a sense of humor, but here he was using baseball and fishing metaphors for gay sex. Reggie just chuckled and held tight to his buddy, his friend, his bear. When Rex's arms rose and closed around his arms and back he felt full and complete. If pretending to fish was his ticket inside the bear's pants then so be it, despite how silly it was.
"To the lake then." Reggie spoke, but made no attempt to hurry away from such a warm and delightful moment.