"Where are we going?" Tulio asked. He couldn't shake the Deja vu of being led through the jungle by an individual more adventurous than himself.
"You'll see," Chel cooed back from atop Altivo. The two men lagged behind, kicking up dust from a trail rarely traveled. Birds could be heard in every direction. Tulio was careful to favor every breath. Over and over, he reevaluated the outcome of his stunt to rescue the hospitable El Dorado. As a result, he was robbed of his fortune. Going from richest man in Europe back to transient in the mere time length of a boat crash. A difficult pill to swallow. But even he couldn't take for granted what he had come away with. A fresh face with soft features to travel alongside him. Someone proving more useful and delightful every day. But most importantly, his treasured ally Miguel. Tulio didn't believe in luck, nor did he believe in fate, and often even questioned the existence of love... But as he roamed to see another day under the warm sunlight with his crew in proximity, he knew that those things were real. Several paces behind the horse, Tulio saw an opportunity.
"Miguel..." he began softly to the man next to him, slowing his walk to an unrhythmic and timid shuffle, "I owe you an apology."
Surprised, Miguel rubbed his elbow, allowing the words to marinate. Assuming Tulio was referring to his obvious indiscretions with Chel. Or did he mean for his candid actions last night...? Miguel kept his response light in attempts to be sensitive and inviting.
"Please. No harm done," said Miguel with a polite smile. He was pleased to be on healthy terms with his partner once more. He couldn't, however, stop himself from continuing. "But, um..." The sound of walking went silent and he slowly came to a stop. Tulio halted as well and looked to his friend. Their eyes met as Miguel coyly forced himself to finish his thought. "Did you mean it?"
Tulio blinked, his lips slightly agape as he processed the question. It came to him, with flashbacks of mouths colliding as they fought, spilling the truth that they both needed to hear. He could have complicated the discussion with his usual pretty words to help dilute the intensity of what was being asked. But instead, Tulio simply put forth all of his genuine and unguarded honesty.
"Absolutely."
Miguel could feel warmth run from his core to his limbs. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Their connection lingered strong until Chel could be seen dismounting her perch from a distance.
"Tulio!" she exclaimed. The men looked to her before returning their attention back to each other. Miguel flashed a side smile. A silent blessing.
"We'll have our time," he said, his voice velvety with patience and peace. "Someday soon."
Tulio sprouted a smile of his own, hanging a hand from the back of his neck. His blue eyes were gleaming. He had left El Dorado with what he had wanted after all.
"I'd like that."
Chel wandered off of the trail into the long, green shrubbery. Miguel nodded in her direction and the two made their way to join her. As they approached, they saw her standing by a steep, rock hill side, pushing all of her might into a boulder that rested against it.
"Help me out, will ya?" she requested through heavy breaths. The two men shrugged to each other before positioning themselves on either side of her, heaving their strength forth to help move the boulder. The large rock began to roll to the side. They pushed until it settled into a divot along the wall, and the three let out audible sighs and brushed the dirt from their hands. Chel smugly waited for the boys to notice what they had uncovered. When they did, their jaws practically fell from their heads and dropped to the ground. Before them was a tiny cavern, perhaps as tall as Chel, filled with shining, golden artifacts. Both men stared in amazement at the girl's secret stash of vast wealth. The objects caught light, turning it into small, yellow sparkles in their eyes.
"Chel... you... where..." Tulio attempted, his knees barely supporting his slender body. Chel giggled.
"You didn't really think I was running gold out here to find you two dopes," Chel teased proudly. She patted both of them on their backs. "We're gonna be okay, boys."
The two knew that she was right. The world was full of darkness, it didn't matter what side of the world you came from. You could try to run from your enemies, but the bigger Miguel and Tulio's world grew, the more they learned that real darkness stemmed from the things that you cannot run from. The band of crooks would find their vindication, but they would never stop adventuring. They would never stop pushing boundaries, defying the status quo, and discovering more of themselves. And they would do it together. Whatever the future held was nothing less of spectacular. As for Miguel, he would once worry that his destiny was defined by God. Turns out he was right. His tall, clever, neurotic, handsome God. He was alright with that.