Chel might have known this since earliest childhood, but Miguel and Tulio had learned the hard way that you did not sleep right next to the water unless you wanted to be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
So they had taken to get water from somewhere not-their-sleepingplace with the gourds that Chel had expertly hollowed out for that purpose. They weren't proper calabashes yet she had told them; they would need to be dried for a good long time for that, but they had to do for the time being, even if the water tended to smell foul after a while and couldn't be kept in there too long.
In any case, it was Tulio's turn to fetch it and it therefore came as no surprise to him that he was meandering through the jungle on his own, carrying a stick across his shoulders from which four improper calabashes of fresh water were hanging. The horse was a surprise.
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.
„Altivo? What are you doing here?", he frowned. After all the place where he had left the others was still a number of fern trees away and Altivo didn't usually wander off too far. The horse snorted and whinnied in a way that he couldn't quite interpret. Tulio's eyes widened in sudden angst and he whipped his head around to the direction of the campsite. „Did somethi-" He didn't even get to finish the question before he was interrupted by a loud scream. It was Chel.
It was also the good kind of scream. The one you really like hearing. Followed by a stream of „Yes! Yes! Yes!", in what he instantly recognized as Miguel's fucking voice.
His face fell.
„Oh.", he said.
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Tulio considered extending his water-getting trip but the rumbling of his stomach was a definite no. He wanted diner, fucking partners fucking be damned. Before he left he turned his head to Altivo and said sympathetically: „Well, I'm going back anyway, but I guess you can stay here if you want." After a moment's thought he added: „But don't wander off too far, you hear me?" He shook a finger warningly. „Miguel would kill me." He felt a bit silly talking to a horse like this but on the other hand he could swear it's neighing sounded like agreement.
He pushed his way through the foliage to ever louder sounds of ecstasy until he reached their place for the night.
Chel was on all fours, wearing nothing but her top. Miguel, sans shirt but with his pants still pooling around his feet was kneeling behind her. He was fucking her hard, with one hand clasping a hip and the other between their legs, stroking her. Tulio smirked to himself. It was kinda hot seeing his lovers like this, especially when they didn't even notice him.
He admired the view until something caught his attention that instantly evaporated all the pantsfeelings he might have had.
„Hey!", he yelled, which instantly made them jump out of their skins and nearly fall over.
„What the hell do you think you two are doing?!", he said angrily and set the calabashes to the ground. Miguel raised an eyebrow at him.
„I am fucking Chel.", he said coolly. „Or is that not allowed? Do I have to ask your permission to get time alone with her?" His voice got louder and sharper towards the end with his temper clearly rising. This was still a somewhat sore spot.
Tulio had never thought it possible that one could employ the phrase 'fucking defiantly' and have it be an accurate description of what was happening but that was exactly what Miguel was doing. Chel, who was currently in no condition to participate in the conversation, waved an arm vaguely in the direction of her behind.
„Uuuh...what...oooh...what he said", she managed.
Tulio smacked his hand on his face in exasperation and drew it down over his gritted teeth, forcing himself to stay calm.
„Miguel", he began. Pointed look. Then crossed his arms and said with as deadpan an expression as only Tulio could muster: „I'm not mad at you for fucking. I'm mad at you for Fucking. My. Food!"
That did get them to stop.
„Say what?!", they exclaimed in unison and stared at him.
„You" Tulio pointed his two index fingers at them. „Are Fucking. My" He pointed his thumbs at himself. „Food" He looked demonstratively at something beneath Chel's knee.
They glanced down. Squashed under Chel's leg was a large leaf and the pathetic mushed remains of what had been the assortment of fruit and berries Tulio had picked out for himself earlier.
„Oh.", said Miguel as he realized what had happened, anger being rapidly replaced by a guilty expression.
„Oh! Oh no!", said Chel and her hand flew up to her face. „Oh Tulio, I'm so sorry. I thought I felt something squishy..."
„You're not making this better.", Tulio replied flatly, arms crossed again.
„We're...we're really sorry.", said Miguel and at least had the decency to look properly contrite.
„Oh no, no no no, it's quite alright", said Tulio snootily and waved a hand in mock generosity as he walked over to where he had spotted two more leaves filled with various edibles. He flopped down on the ground and pulled them towards him. „I'll just take these." He took a bit of fruit from what he knew was Miguel's 'plate' because it didn't have avocados and started to chew, pointedly staring at them with a raised eyebrow, daring them to complain.
„Oh, don't let me keep you", he said and waved at them with a way too broad smile on his face as he scooped up another handful of berries – this time from Chel's leaf – and popped them into his mouth ostentatiously one by one. „Carry on."
„Tulio-", Miguel began and attempted to slip out of Chel but was stopped by her. She was obviously not impressed by Tulio's act.
„Hey, I'm taking him up on that offer.", she said, cocking an eyebrow. „I'm not done yet."
„Oh, ok. Um..", said Miguel, clearly torn between wanting to apologise to Tulio and very much wanting to keep going. He turned to Tulio and gesticulated vaguely towards Chel. „Do you...do you mind...?", he asked.
„Seriously? Now you're asking me?!"