Not allowing himself to wait for Lili to react to the shock of his confession, of sorts, Ian stood, “I guess, as the security guy, this is my next task?” he called down to the other men as he stood up from his seat next to her.
“What would that be, then?” Jared called back as he and Kyle looked up toward Ian.
Rather than answering with words, Ian began removing the holster and dropping it to a spot next to where Lili looked up at him, obviously still taking in his words of only a moment earlier. He then dropped the weapon belt as well and proceeded to begin removing his boots.
“You’re going in?” Lili asked shakily as he finished removing the boots, setting them atop the pile of artillery as well.
“Hey, it’s a nice enough day, and it’ll be a lot quicker way of discovering if the water’s safe, than waiting on the boy fishermen down there.”
“But, you just took off all your guns,” Lili pointed out worriedly as she gestured to the pile next to her.
“Oh don’t worry, I always have a gun,” he smirked before turning away from her and beginning to pull off his t-shirt as the other two just looked up at him in disbelief as he dropped the t-shirt to the ground by Lili too, once again exposing that impossibly chiseled torso.
Lili couldn’t help keeping her eyes on him as he then proceeded to undo the jeans as well, before pulling them away from the rest of that perfect body with a lack of any and all self-consciousness, not that he had any reason for even an iota of such a trait.
“Please tell me you’re not gonna…” Lili began, only to be cut short as he began ridding himself of the black boxer-briefs. “Oh god, you are,” she swallowed the last bit of her sentence as he finished pulling them off his legs, giving her more than an up close and personal view of that equally perfect behind of his.
“What?” he scoffed as he glanced back at her over his shoulder. “I mean, you’ve already seen every other dick on this planet. Just want you to be able to have options,” he teased before dropping the last of his clothing next to her and moving to leap off of the rock they had sat upon, to land with a huge splash into the water below, despite all the looks of disbelief his companions currently wore.
“Ok…” Jared began as he wiped away a few drops of water he had gotten hit with upon Ian’s landing, “guess we can save the fishing for later,” he added under his breath as he shook his head at Ian once more.
“So, anything tryin to kill ya in there?” Kyle asked as Ian moved through the water a few moments later.
“Don’t sound so disappointed, Kyle,” he teased.
“I’m guessing that’s a no,” Jared returned to the younger teen.
“Well hell, I could use a bath anyway,” Kyle shrugged as he also discarded his previous task to move toward the water, removing his own shoes as he did, which just caused Jared to shake his head again as he glanced at where Lili had now moved to lay upon her stomach up above them, grinning down at the water below, where Ian continued his swim.
“So, I guess that’s the consensus? Nice day for a swim-slash-bath?” Jared shrugged as he looked back at where Kyle was also dropping his t-shirt to the ground.
“Seems like a nice enough way to spend the afternoon,” Lili smiled her approval down at them, though, she herself, was still laying atop the boulder, seeming to enjoy the show, rather than joining in on it just yet.Kyle then finished pulling off his jeans, before glancing back up toward Lili with a bit of a nervous breath.“What?” she smiled down at his pause in removing the last of his clothes.
“You’re just gonna watch?” he asked her with a nervous grin.
“Not like she hasn’t seen it before Kyle, right?” Ian had to tease, as Kyle’s cheeks reddened a bit. “And that goes for you too, Mr. Sensitive. May as well join us in feeling like a couple pieces of meat, here.”
“Yeah I’m sure you performed that striptease earlier cause you hate being exploited like that,” Lili teased Ian right back.
“Hey, I’ve wanted to take my clothes off for you for years. I claim no innocence here,” he chuckled. “Speaking of innocence, get your ass in here Kyle.”
“Shut up,” Kyle shook his head, then took a deep breath before forcing himself to finish undressing before quickly heading into the water as well.
“Aren’t you going in?” Lili called down to Jared a moment later.
“Aren’t you one to talk, up there, all fully clothed and everything,” Jared smiled up at her.
“I’m allowed to be shy. Only one of you has seen me naked,” she teased again, which of course caused another blush in Jared.
“Yeah, ditto,” he chuckled.
“Oh don’t worry, Jar’, we’ll be gentle with you,” Ian smirked.
Jared just shook his head as he looked at all three of the expectant looks, “God, such peer pressure,” though he allowed another small laugh.
“Oh lord,” Lili snickered as she finally pushed herself back up from the rock, and started down the incline once again.
“Wait, is she actually coming in?” Kyle asked as he saw her make her way down to the water’s edge, next to where Jared also watched her approach with a bit of his own anticipation.
“I’m here to pressure Jared,” she teased as she stepped in close to him, allowing herself to move to her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss upon his cheek.
Jared swallowed a bit as she continued standing close to him, her fingers moving over his arms lightly, “Going in the water with them, or staying here with you? Exactly which result do you think you might be more likely to get, honestly?” he asked her with a bit of deviousness to his own smile.
She smiled up at him before moving to begin pulling his own shirt up from his waist, “If you won’t get undressed on your own…” she told him with a playful condescension.
“When did you get so dominant?” he asked her with a smiled whisper as she finished removing his shirt a moment later.
“Just cause I let you be on top the first time…” she teased back, causing a blush in him, and even more attentive expressions from the two who waited at the nearest bank of the river’s waters.
“Ok, ok. I give up,” Jared smiled as he stepped back.
“Give up?” she asked innocently.
“I’ll go ahead and undress myself, if for no other reason, than in the interest of still being able to walk once I do,” he added with a nervous laugh as he finally moved to begin taking off his shoes as she just chuckled at his easily gained submission.
----------------------------------------
As evening came around on their fourth night there, the group agreed to attempt making a secondary camp by the river. It was the consensus that that would be where they would most likely be spending much of their time, while also not being too terribly far from the pod, in case a need for shelter did arise.
It was nearing ten that night when Ian and Kyle had gone to get the last of the supplies they assumed would be needed there at the new camp. Lili had found a seat between the fire they had made upon the river bank and the water’s edge, where Jared was currently attempting to spear a late dinner for the group.
As a thought occurred to her while she watched his latest attempt, she couldn’t help letting out a small giggle, which of course caused Jared to turn back to her with a raised brow, “I told you not to eat that blue mushroom,” he teased.
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“Ha ha,” she returned flatly, though still wore a small smile. “I was just thinking, I’ve watched movies and stuff from Earth where people went camping, never thought I’d be doing it, like, ever.”
“Me neither,” Jared agreed. “I just hope that camping trips don’t all honestly come with bears, or what else was popular? Guys in hockey masks?” he offered.
“Well, my psychic abilities, what little I have, are leaning away from the possibility of deformed, masked killers, at least,” she assured.
“Oh no, that still leaves the bears,” he returned with mock seriousness. “Guess I better get another vision quick,” he added with a small even if slightly unsure smile.
Lili then looked down briefly at his statement, before speaking up a moment later, “I never apologized to you.”
That easily drew Jared’s attention away from where he was standing at the water’s edge in his boxers, following their earlier swim, and making another failed attempt at spearing a fish. “For?” he offered warily.
Continuing to look down guiltily, “I know you didn’t want anyone else to know about the visions…and stuff...” she added more quietly.
“Well, the visions are at least getting clearer, and somewhat helpful…in a very stress-inducing way,” he added with his own sigh.
“I definitely hear ya about the stress,” she agreed in a near whisper, as the facts of his latest vision of the future never had left her mind for more than three seconds since hearing them.
Seeing her obvious worry about those very facts of her future, Jared attempted to do what he could to assure her of all of their chances at surviving. “Guess I haven’t really tested out the other ‘stuff’ to see if it’s improved too,” he offered, looking back at her for moral support in the face of the source of a great deal of his own apprehension in recent years.
“The other stuff?” she asked quietly, her eyes finally turning back his way in the fire light.
“Come on,” he smiled as he set the spear aside and gestured for her to join him in taking a seat at the water’s edge.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you,” he smiled back at where she slowly made her way toward him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I had a bit more luck when you were my anchor than…other times,” he decided on, in reference to instances of randomly shattered glasses that tended to get that way when he didn’t have a so-called anchor, even if only mentally.
“Ok,” she swallowed a little nervously as she moved to take a seat next to him. “So what exactly are we tryin to move? A rock or something?” she asked warily.
“I was thinking something more useful,” he offered as he looked back to see if Kyle and Ian were any closer to returning yet, before taking a deep breath and covering her hand with his.
“Like?”
“Well, the spears obviously aren’t working,” he smiled before turning his eyes toward the gentle flow of the dark water in front of them.
“You mean a…” she smiled wider as she looked over at him.
“Only one way to find out,” he answered with a deep breath before focusing his concentration on the water as he gripped her hand more tightly.
After several moments one of the strange greenish colored fish that patrolled the waters did finally rise slowly to the surface, and then above, Jared’s eyes following it intently on its journey from the water to a resting place on the shore near them, where it gasped for its last few breaths before finally giving in, as Lili just watched in amazement.
“Oh my god,” she giggled as she let go of his hand to move around him and get a better look at the creature.
“Wow,” Jared sighed in relief. “And to think, that was way easier than the last three hours I spent poking the riverbed,” he chuckled.
“No kidding: Magic does tend to be easier,” she smiled back at him.
“Or is it science?” he grinned back as he moved to pick up the fish and take it back to the fire.
“Either way, it’s fucking amazing,” she exclaimed as she moved to place another kiss over his cheek.
“What’s amazing? What kind of fun did we miss?” Ian had to ask as the two finally appeared at the tree line.
“Jared finally got a fish!” Lili offered.
“Shut up, Ian,” Kyle beat Ian to the words he was about to speak.
“Like I was gonna say anything?” Ian returned with mock innocence.
“Oh no, not you,” Kyle returned smartly, before dropping another tent and pile of bedding several feet off from the fire, then going to take a look at the elusive fish.
“Nice, huh?” Jared smiled as Kyle moved to inspect the nearly twelve inch long amphibian.
“So what was the trick, finally?” Kyle asked as Ian went about setting up the first tent.
“Lili’s a good luck charm I guess,” Jared smiled back at her knowingly.
“And, why is there no hole in the fish?” Kyle asked more slowly.
“Cause it’s dark,” Jared mumbled as he took the fish back and moved to find a spot to attempt to prepare it.
“Kay then,” Kyle returned with a raise of his brow as Lili bit her lip with the same knowing glance back toward Jared, and then moved to follow him to a place to begin operating on their late supper.
Kyle shook his head back at them before returning to help Ian with the tent. After a moment, Ian looked up at his companion, “Why the perplexed look, young one, it’s only a tent.”
“Huh?” Kyle asked as he looked up. “No, it’s not about the tent,” he scoffed as he cast another look back at where Lili made a disgusted groan as she watched Jared begin gutting the fish several feet off.
“Care to share?” Ian prodded.
“Seriously, there was not a mark on that fish,” Kyle told him furtively.
“You so need a hobby, man.”
“Gee, I thought you’d say I needed to get laid,” Kyle scoffed.
“What other hobby could you find around here?” Ian chuckled.
“So you’re not even slightly worried that he’s like the fish whisperer now, too?” Kyle attempted to ignore Ian’s latest comment and continue with his previous concern.
“The fish whisperer?” Ian just had to repeat with a mocking grin. “Does sound kind of dirty,” Ian offered.
Kyle sighed heavily as they finished setting up the tent, “Just figured, security guy, might wanna know a thing like that.”
“Like what?” Ian just had to laugh.
“He caught a fish without actually even using the spear, apparently,” Kyle repeated pointedly.
“Oh my god. We’re all doomed,” Ian told him with feigned terror.
“You mean that that doesn’t strike you as the slightest bit odd, like at all?” Kyle returned in frustration at Ian’s lackluster reaction.
“You’ve both gotten more action than me in the last week.So, I think that fact has now made me completely unshockable,” Ian stated with conviction as he moved to reach for the bedding.
Kyle just shook his head as he watched Ian continue preparing the first of the night’s sleeping quarters. Then the younger just had to speak up again. “I never thought you would be the one so affected by my first blowjob. Damn you must really like her,” he stated plainly before moving off to join the dinner preparation, leaving Ian to sigh loudly after him, before forcing his attention back to his own task, as difficult as that truly was at that point.