Riley found it hard to sleep that night. It started out rough, trying to get both him and Chase situated and comfortable in a tent that was realistically made for one person. First they had started back to back but quickly realized that wasn't going to work. Finally, Riley relented and suggested the only way they would both fit perfectly was if they spooned. Chase being the taller of the two, naturally claimed the big spoon. So now here he was, Chase pressed tightly against the back of him, snoring softly. He was silently cursing himself for not bringing a bigger tent but then, how was he supposed to know that Chase wasn't going to bring one? He thought they were each bringing their own tent and he wanted something that wouldn't weigh him down while they trekked through who knows what terrain.
Chase chose that moment to, in his sleep, put his arm around Riley and pull him closer. Riley wondered if the universe was cruel or maybe he had done something awful to someone that he was now paying for. It wasn't like Riley didn't often dream about being wrapped in Chase's arms, body against body. But to be in Chase's arms when, come morning, things would go back to the way they were before was just torture. "At least he's single." Riley thought to himself, relieving some of the guilt he was feeling for enjoying this stolen moment. Nowhere to move and nothing else to do, Riley finally accepted his fate and snuggled deeper into Chase's embrace and quickly drifted off to sleep.
"Oi, mate, are you going to get up any time soon? We're burning daylight. Also, I made breakfast and it's getting cold." Chase popped his head into the tent. Riley sat up and looked around. Morning already? Didn't he just fall asleep? Chase chuckled at the sight of the freshly woken raptor ranger. His blonde hair sticking out, his green eyes slightly dulled but it reminded Chase of an aventurine stone instead of the normal emerald color of Riley's eyes. "Rough night?" Chase asked, extending a hand to help the younger man out of the tent. Once Riley was upright, Chase handed him a cup of coffee.
Riley didn't answer for a moment, just accepted the offering, blew on it and took a sip. It was perfect, exactly how he liked it. Dark roast with a few splashes of french vanilla creamer. He studied Chase for a moment, wondering how he knew his coffee preference. Finally he opened his mouth to answer. "I had trouble falling asleep. Mind just wouldn't shut up. Thanks for the coffee. How did you know how I took it?"
Chase was standing over the fire, trying to reheat the eggs and sausages he made. "Oh, you must have told me at some point." Chase replied absentmindedly. As he scooped breakfast into a plate, Riley searched his memories. He didn't recall ever explicitly telling the skateboarder his coffee order but did remember that Chase was with him a few times he grabbed coffee. He didn't think the Kiwi was paying attention. "Here," Chase broke through Riley's thoughts, handing him the plate of breakfast. "Eat up so we can get going. We have a lot of ground to cover."
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"I'm such an idiot!" Riley berated himself. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he was trekking through quicksand until it was too late and now he was waist deep in the stuff.
"You're not an idiot. It could have happened to either of us. Just don't panic, stay calm and don't struggle. I'll get you out, I promise." Chase assured him before disappearing behind some trees.
How did he end up here? Riley wondered to himself. He didn't necessarily mean the quicksand, although that was just the latest on the list of things in his life that were messed up. He just meant everything. He was a country boy, raised on a farm. How did he end up becoming the guy who was in love with his straight best friend, on the hunt for a missing velociraptor, sinking in quicksand. Once again, Riley had to wonder if he was atoning for a misdeed committed in a past life.
Chase came barreling back through the trees, a giant stick in his hand. "I'm going to pull you out with this. Try to lay on your back. It should bring your feet to the surface." Riley did as Chase instructed and slowly, the more he leaned back, the higher his feet got. Finally when he was flat on his back, legs released, Chase reached out with the stick and brought Riley to freedom. "See? Told you I'd get you out."
Riley playfully punched Chase's shoulder. "Thanks, hotshot." and accepted the older man's help getting to his feet, both of them filthy from the day's journey and incident with the quicksand. Once back on his feet, Riley surveyed their surroundings. The sun was starting to set and they needed to make camp before the light was gone. "There's a lake about half a mile south of here, I saw it when we got to the top of this cliff. Let's hike down and make camp there."
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Riley made a mental note to ask Chase where he learned to cook. Sure, they all worked at the Dino Bite Cafe back at the Dinosaur Zoo but that was just making fast food items. Burgers, fries, etc. Riley wasn't sure what to expect when Chase said he was going to make dinner but fire cooked fish wasn't on that list. Riley had taught Chase to fish when they would go on their fishing trips with Riley's brother, Matt. Chase's skills have greatly improved Riley had noted when Chase came back with four decent sized fish.
"That was some of the best fish I had ever eaten." Riley announced, reclining against the boulder he was propped against and rubbed one hand over his stomach.
"Thanks, mate. Just remember that you said that the next time the grill at the cafe catches on fire." Chase joked.
Riley stood suddenly. "It's getting late. I'm going to head down to the lake and try to get somewhat cleaner before bed." Before Chase could say anything, Riley turned on his heel and headed into the trees.
Chase scratched his head confused. Riley seemed upset about something. Why else would he abruptly leave the way he did? Did Chase say something that upset him? Chase wanted to make sure his friend was okay, he put out the fire and trailed after the green ranger.
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Riley muttered to himself as he scrubbed the sand and mud out of his clothes. For someone with the nickname, brainiac and for being one of the smartest rangers on the team, after Kendall of course, he sure was stupid. While he didn't think he ever had a chance with Chase, he thought after hearing the reason why Chase and Kaylee broke up, that Chase would just stay single. But his joke about the grill catching on fire gave Riley pause. After all, the only time Chase caught the cafe grill on fire was when he left it unattended to flirt with some girl.
After feeling satisfied that he got his clothes as clean as they would get, Riley placed his shirt and shorts over a tree branch to dry. He took a quick glance around, just to make sure he was alone and then removed his underwear. He made his way over to the water's edge and walked in until the water was around his ankles. He shivered slightly, gave his body a minute to adjust and proceeded to walk into the lake, taking little breaks for his body to adjust.
Unbeknownst to Riley, a pair of hazel eyes watched him from the trees.
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While Chase made his way to the lake, his mind ran over their last conversation wondering if something he might have said upset the younger ranger. Sure, when they first met, they butted heads but since then have grown incredibly close, to the point where Chase considered Riley his best friend. He was sure if he had upset Riley somehow, Riley would have told him. He must be upset about Penny, the velociraptor.
After changing the past and creating their own pocket dimension where dinosaurs were still alive, they each had a chance to bond with the dinosaurs they represented. They all became alpha's in a way and despite the terrifying portrayal in media, the velociraptors adored Riley and he adored them. Riley must be taking this harder than I thought, Chase concluded.
Just as he was about to break through the trees that lined the late, a flash of movement caught his eye. Riley had just hung his clothes over a tree branch and was in the middle of removing his underwear. Chase knew he shouldn't be watching. It was an ultimate form of invading Riley's privacy, yet he couldn't bring himself to look away. He knew Riley was a healthy young man but he never noticed how lean and muscular he was. Thanks to the full moon in the sky, Chase got to see every inch of Riley's body.
Across Riley's firm chest was a thick patch of light hair. Chase had seen Riley shirtless before but somehow never noticed that about him. As Chase's eyes trailed lower, he took in the way his muscles flexed with every movement. He noticed how firm and round Riley's butt was. Finally Chase's eyes settled on a part of Riley he never expected to see and not that he wanted to admit it, but he was impressed. "He's a good looking guy," Chase thought to himself, "I wonder why he doesn't have a girlfriend."
When Riley was finally submerged in the lake up to his neck, Chase took a deep breath and loudly continued his way to the lake, alerting Riley to his presence.
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Riley had just started to relax and unwind in the lake, feeling a little cleaner than before he entered. It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear which allowed the full moon to illuminate everything. The reflection off the lake was like something out of a painting. Riley closed his eyes, listening to the crickets and the owls sing their nightly medley with the rest of the nocturnal creatures. Suddenly something big and loud was crashing through the trees and Riley's eyes flew open.
"How's the water?" Chase called from the shoreline. "I figured you were on to something about trying to clean up."
Riley squeaked a little and sunk a little lower in the water. Once again, the universe decided it wanted him to suffer. Riley realized that Chase was awaiting his answer. "Umm, the water is actually really nice" Riley realized his didn't have a towel, didn't have anything that could shield his naked body. He had no choice, he was stuck in the water. Suddenly, his body started to heat up when he realized what Chase was doing. He tried to avert his eyes but found they kept trailing back.
Chase was already down to his underwear and could feel Riley's eyes on him as he stripped. It was only fair after having witnessed the younger man's private moments. Chase hesitated as his fingers found their way under his underwear. He had been naked in front of blokes before, wasn't sure why this time it felt different. "Fair is Fair" he thought and before he could back out, dropped his underwear.
From the water, Riley gasped when Chase turned to face him, giving him an eyeful of his manhood, forgetting that the lower half of his face was submerged in the water. Riley started coughing, trying to expel the water from his lungs.
"You okay, mate?" Chase asked, waist deep in the water, concern for his friend. He relaxed a little with Riley stopped coughing and gave him a thumbs up.
"I thought something touched me." Riley lied, to embarrassed to admit he was in awe of Chase's body.
Chase chucked a little. "Well I did catch dinner from here, so it's possible."
Riley gave a weak chuckle. "True. Well, enjoy your bath." Riley started to swim away when Chase stopped him.
"You're going to bed still dirty, mate?" Chase asked. Riley stopped and turned back. "You have a lot of dirt in your hair."
Riley took a deep breath and dove under the water. A few minutes later, he surfaced. "Did I get it?"
Chase swam a little closer, inspecting the blonde. "Nah, there's still some stuck in there. Here, let me." Chase got even closer, making Riley's heart beat uncontrollably. He could feel heat pooling in his groin and mentally scolded himself. Now was not the time for his manhood to come alive.
Suddenly a smirk appeared on Chase's face and Riley instinctively held his breath and thankfully he did because a moment later, he had Chase's arms wrapped around his chest, throwing him underwater.
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Riley supposed that he could cross naked wrestling off his bucket list, not that it was ever there to begin with, Riley mused as he dozed off to sleep. What was supposed to be a relaxing solo bath in the lake turned into two friends horsing around. Riley started to relax after Chase started wrestling and tickling him. He didn't even get self conscious about their naked bodies brushing together. The long eventful day eventually caught up with him as he was on the brink of passing out.
He assumed Chase was sleeping already because although he wasn't snoring, he was breathing steadily. It wasn't until Chase put his arm around him like he did the night before and brought their bodies closer did Riley finally succumb to sleep, dreaming of kissing Chase on a romantic moonlight swim.
As Riley drifted off to dreamland, Chase laid awake thinking about their swim and why the close proximity of Riley's naked body to his was causing his heart to speed up. Without thinking, Chase snaked his arm between Riley's arm and side, placed his hand on Riley's chest, pulled him close and drifted off to sleep.
