The Canoe Trip Read online

  He texted Aaron back, "Will do, probably just a half day for me. Call you on my way home."

  Aaron got dressed, washed his and Gus' coffee cups, placed them on the counter, locked Gus' door and headed home. Aaron didn't have a full time job since he retired from the military. He received a pension, and supplemental support from the government for being Mark's primary caretaker. From time to time he'd contract work for one of the large defense contractors in the area, usually from home to assist with proposals about equipment still needed for the never-ending war efforts abroad. He was also an advocate and writer for the wounded veterans group in town, and would help them with their solicitations, mailings, phone banking and annual reports. Aaron had a good life. He had two men who loved him now, and he was worried that the revelation that Mark could speak, and that Mark knew everything, might scare Gus away, he didn't want that, he truly had fallen for Gus' and he still loved Mark, like he'd said from the beginning. "Gus will understand," he thought, as he pulled into his driveway.

  Emotion hit Aaron again as he walked passed he and Mark's wedding picture. "That bastard stayed mute for three years, why, why the fuck would he hold his tongue for that long?" Aaron thought as he made his way through the kitchen into the garage. Some time fishing tomorrow morning with Gus would do his mind good he thought. There was a calmness that always came over Aaron when he was near, on, or in the water. The mechanics, techniques, and unknowns of fishing added to his relaxation. He pulled out a couple of his spin cast rods and got them rigged up, and prepared a small tackle box with a set of a dozen different baits he wanted to throw at the spot on the river he had in mind. Aaron had everything set, and organized in the corner of his garage for tomorrow, and as he stepped back into the kitchen, his pocket buzzed, it was Gus.

  "Hey fisherman, hows your day?"

  "It's been good Marine, how bout yours? Get some good sleep?"

  "I slept well, bubba, thank you for having me stay over last night, it felt so nice to sleep in your arms," Aaron replied.

  "I'm glad you stayed, I've been thinking about you all day, look forward to spending time with you this weekend. I'm off work until Monday morning, what are you up to this afternoon?"

  "I just finished rigging up my rods, and getting a tackle box packed for tomorrow, so I'm all set on that front."

  "I need to do the same, and also thought I'd hit the grocery store for some beers and food for the party tomorrow afternoon. Want to hang out? I'd be glad to have you back over to my place, we could run some errands together," Gus suggested.

  "Sounds good to me, plus I have something I have to tell you and I'd rather do it in person," Aaron replied.

  "Okay, everything alright Aaron Green?"

  "Yeah, everything is okay, good actually, just got some crazy news. When will you be home, I'm gonna hop on the shower and throw my gear in the truck but then I'll head back your direction," Aaron responded.

  "Should be home in the next ten minutes or so, I'll see you soon."

  "See you soon furry man."

  Gus was curious what Aaron wanted to tell him in person. What kind of good news wouldn't be shared immediately in excitement. He had no idea. "Guess I'll find out soon enough," Gus thought.

  Gus was making himself some lunch when Aaron knocked on the door, "It's open," Gus yelled through the living room, and Aaron entered.

  "Hey handsome, look at you in your business casual, looking all professional," Aaron chuckled as he kissed Aaron and patted him on his ass.

  Gus resumed making his sandwich for lunch, "You eat anything yet, want a sandwich?"

  "Sure, I'll take one," Aaron replied.

  "So, this news that you needed to share in person, spill it, you've got me all nervous." Gus said as he continued prepping lunch.

  Aaron took a deep breath and began, "So I was sitting right over there on your couch this morning, checking my messages on my phone, and I had a couple messages from Mark's family. One of them was a video message."

  Aaron opened up the message on his phone and played it for Gus.

  "Holy shit, Mark can talk!" Gus gasped, "That's great news!"

  "It's all a bit overwhelming. Yes, it is great news. Mark and I spoke on the phone shortly after for a couple minutes. He told me he's been able to talk for most of the time I've been taking care of him since the attack, but he has chosen not too, I feel like I'm a clusterfuck of emotions about it, I don't understand why he'd stay silent," Aaron responded. "He told me not to come out there, and to spend the weekend with you, also told me to tell you hi, and that he'd see me on Sunday, that he had a lot of catching up with his family to do, and that he liked how happy you make me, and that he loved me, and" Aaron blabbered on the brink of tears.

  "Whoa whoa there, cowboy, it's okay," Gus interjected. Gus put down the lunch supplies and walked over to Aaron, embracing him in a full bear hug, "It's okay, you're okay, this is good news, you're okay." Gus held Aaron for a couple minutes, until he calmed down and his breathing normalized.

  "Aaron, that's a lot to think about, no doubt, and you and Mark will have a lot of time to catch back up, to ask all the why's and when's and what's, you'll get all your answers eventually, I'm sure of it," Gus said calmly.

  "Where does this put us, Gus, I'm worried about that, too?" Aaron asked.

  "Right where we are Marine, and right where we've been going, it doesn't change a thing on my end, unfortunately for you, I've fallen for you, I think you know that. I'm glad that Mark can, and will speak, and I look forward to getting to know him," Gus responded, "You had a ring on your finger when we met, and you still wear it today, if it didn't scare me off then, it doesn't scare me off now that I can actually communicate with your husband. So are you still up for it? For just seeing where things go with us, and taking them as the come, communicating about it through and through? Gus asked.

  "Yes. Thank you. I am. And as weird as it might sound, I think you're the reason Mark started talking again. He said something about how he could tell how happy you made me, and it made him happy, and comfortable enough to start expressing himself verbally again," Aaron responded.

  "Hmm. Welp, guess we'll need to ask him about that after this weekend then huh?" Gus smiled.

  "Guess so," Aaron followed.

  The men carried on with their afternoon, ate lunch, and made a grocery store run together. They made sure to grab enough beer for the weekend, and Aaron got all the supplies he needed to make a shareable appetizer to take with them tomorrow afternoon. After they put away the groceries, Gus invited Aaron to join him in the basement to give him some insight on what they were fishing for tomorrow so Gus' could get rigged up and a tackle box or two prepared for their excursion. Gus' basement was a fisherman's dream. All sorts of equipment and tackle organized with precision, there was even a trolling saltwater kayak. Aaron was impressed, and walked around the basement taking it all in. He and Gus both shared a love for their favorite hobby that most people wouldn't understand, and in the basement he saw the full extent of Gus' passion for the sport.

  "Wow Gus you planning to open up your own fishing store? This is incredible," Aaron said, as be picked through lures, and walked along the full wall rack holding two dozen different rods and reels.

  "I actually thought about opening up my own shop at one point," Gus replied, "But then I'd never be able to go fishing, so I decided against it." Gus smiled at Aaron's excitement of all of his supplies.

  "We could literally go to any body of water and you'd have the right supplies already in hand," Aaron said.

  "There's always more equipment," Gus quipped, "Plus where would I meet hot Marines who want to suck me off in the fitting room if I don't make a venture to the man mall every once in a while?" Gus laughed. Aaron's laughter followed immediately and the two embraced with a passionate kiss. "I'm still amazed that all of this has transpired in a week, it's been a whirlwind, Marine, and I couldn't be happier. I'm glad we're where we are," Gus said, looking into Aaron's beautiful eyes.


  "I am too, Gus Wolfe."

  The men's passion overtook them and within five minutes Gus' was sprawled out on the floor of his fishing den, ass up, inviting Aaron inside of his saliva drenched asshole. Aaron was the essence of versatile - an eager and passionate bottom and a patient and loving top. After getting good and comfortable with Aaron's full weight inside him, Gus flipped over onto his back. Aaron grabbed a couple of bucktail lures Gus had sitting on a nearby shelf and used the feathers to tickle Gus' nipples while he pushed into him from a kneeling position. Gus' nipples were rock hard and Aaron matched his motion to the circular motion of the feathers that teased Gus' thick pelt and stimulated his desire. Gus was in heaven. He managed to hold back his load a bit longer than the first time Aaron fucked him, but only by a couple of minutes. Gus and Aaron stared deeply into each other's eyes as Aaron picked up the pace. They both came at the exact same moment, Aaron into Gus, and Gus, without touching himself, shot three full spurts into his beard.

  "Goddamn Marine you feel so good inside me," Gus shared breathlessly.

  Aaron leaned down on top of him and licked up a glob of Gus' cum from his beard, holding it in his mouth for a moment before swallowing it down. "I love the way you taste, I love the way you smell, I love the way you work my ass, I love the way you hold my cock inside you, I love your handsome smile, I love your beautiful eyes, I love your thick pelt, I love you Gus," Aaron said, taking Gus' mouth in his own for a post-sex kiss as he ran his hands through Gus' fur.

  "I love you too, Aaron."

  The two men got up, and in their fishing uniforms, decided which lures Gus should pack up for the morning, based on what Aaron had already packed and where they were headed. The were going after large mouth at a spot on the river where the water flattened out for a hundred yards between two patches of rapids. Rocky bottom, with some grass patches and some deep holes. Aaron also shared that he'd caught flatheads, smallies, blue cats, crappie, and sunfish at this particular place, so the two men made some tackle choices that would allow for a wide variety of spin cast action. Gus brought a couple of rods and the tackle box with him, and the two men went upstairs to cook dinner together, and enjoy each other's company for the evening. They had a busy day planned for tomorrow and they were both excited for the adventures ahead.

  The men left Gus' house before sunrise to get to Aaron's favorite river spot. They enjoyed having a productive, and relatively clean, urban waterway that provided them an outlet for fishing close to their homes. Both Gus and Aaron were part of different conservation groups working to improve the health of the James River and had dedicated time and dollars to see it re-emerge as a healthy fishery within the last decade. Aaron's spot was just a few miles west of town, at place called Flatwater, between a couple sets of rapids, it was only a 15 minute drive. Gus parked, the guys grabbed their gear, and Aaron led Gus down a trail for a few hundred yards to the river's edge.

  Both men looked out across the beautiful river and watched as the light fog started to lift as the sun made itself known. It was time to get some lines wet. Not noticing anyone on the water, or on their way out, they felt comfortable stripping down to their river shoes and fishing naked. The two men spread out about fifty yards from one another and waded in the shallows around some rocks to see what type of damage they could do in the pre-dawn calm.

  "There we go!" Gus heard to his right and turned downriver to see Aaron hooked up on a nice fish. He watched him land the first fish of the day, a nice 3lb small mouth. "Hell yeah Marine, nice one!" Gus yelled. Aaron raised the fish up the air, kissed it on the head, and released it back into the river. "I'm winning, furry man!" Aaron chuckled and immediately threw a line back out into the water.

  Gus hooked up on one next, it wasn't a bass though, he could tell from the more gradual hit that he had a catfish on the line. He increased the drag a bit on his rod, as the fish started to run and resist the hook pulling it toward the shore. "Got one!" Gus yelled down toward Aaron who turned to see the bend in Gus' rod upriver. "Looks like a big fish, Gus!"

  "Feels like one, too," Gus responded, keeping his focus on maintaining tension on the line and letting the fish wear itself out so he could land it. Aaron started making his way back toward Gus and watched him work the fish to shore. "Damn, that's a nice catfish, Gus." Aaron said.

  Gus put his hand in the cat's large mouth and held it up in the air. It had to weigh almost thirty pounds, he thought. The fish dangled from his hand held out at nipple height, down below his knee. It was flathead. Aaron picked up Gus' camera, "Smile sexy fisherman." Gus held the fish in front of him and put on a huge smile to compliment his furry nude body. Beams of sunlight reflecting off the clear water through the river valley announced the sunrise downriver to the east and Aaron snapped another picture of his handsome fisherman. "I must have a copy of that picture," Aaron announced, as he turned the camera downriver and snapped a few more of the sunrise.

  "Whatcha think, should we start a stringer?" Gus asked Aaron still holding and admiring the large flathead catfish he'd just landed. "Yeah, let's keep some," Aaron replied, "If we catch a few more catfish, we can fry them up for the party this afternoon." Gus took the fish over to the bank and pulled a stringer out of his tackle box. He punctured the catfish's bottom lip and ran the line through the open ring at the end of the stringer, and placed it back in the water near the bank, securing it around a small tree. "If we can get one more that size, or a few more smaller ones, we'll have plenty to fry," Aaron stated, "What are you using for catfish Gus?" Aaron asked.

  "It's one of my crappie lures, yellow, small grub, there's a few more in there, feel free to grab one. I'm just bouncing them slowly across the bottom against the current, trying to get them in holes behind rocks. Seems to work okay."

  Within thirty minutes the men had five catfish on the stringer. Four smaller 3-4lb channel cats, which they both agreed were the best eating, joined the large flathead, and that task was complete, and it wasn't even 9am yet. They then switched up their lures and started stalking large and small mouth bass again. No one had yet interrupted their peaceful fishing morning and they both stood naked, unashamed in the waters of their home river, admiring the scenery and each other as they enjoyed the morning.

  Another hour passed and Gus had successfully pulled in two nice large mouths. Aaron had landed another smallie, and a large mouth as well. He and Aaron were fishing closer to each other and enjoyed making the other pose for a picture with each fish they landed. Their morning was filled with smiles and laughter. As the sun rose higher in the sky, traffic on the river began to appear. First, a canoe, then a couple kayakers, and then the tubers started making their way into the water. Gus and Aaron had both put on a pair of shorts after a woman in the canoe that passed gasped and scolded them.

  Around 11:30 the men decided to call it quits for the day. They packed up their gear and fully reclothed. Gus grabbed the stringer and swung it over his shoulder and they made it back to the truck, tossing all their gear, and the fish in the back. Before Gus pulled out of the parking lot, Aaron leaned across the console and gave Gus a nice firm kiss, looking into his eyes, "Thank you," he said, "this has been a wonderful morning." Gus nodded and smiled, and headed back to his house.

  Gus and Aaron made quick work of cleaning the fish in Gus' backyard, and tossed them in a ziplock to keep them in the fridge until frying time. Gus retrieved his deep fryer from the fishing den and set it up in the backyard. Aaron prepared a fry batter and by 1pm the men had the fish fried, a cooler packed with beer, and were almost set for their cul-du-sac excursion.

  "Come rinse off with me, Marine," Gus commanded as he stripped off all of his clothes and left them in a pile in front of his washing machine. Aaron stripped and followed him up to his master bath steam shower. The two men took joy and pleasure from being able to lather up each other's fur and clean all the hard to reach places on each others bodies. Aaron liked being able to run his fingers through Gus' beard with shampoo and conditioner, stealing kisses th
roughout. Gus liked teasing Aaron's nipples and grabbing large handfuls of his perky butt, massaging them with soap, and smacking them gently.

  Each man got a couple fingers up the other's ass, some nice weight inducing stokes in on each other's cocks, and some good clean fondling of each other's balls, enjoying the teasing nature of it all. Gus pulled Aaron into him and they slid their hairy chests and bellies against one another, using each other's pelts as sponges while they kissed passionately and cleaned each other. Fully rinsed of soap, Gus and Aaron exited the shower and dried each other off. Both men put on a pair of jeans, without bothering with underwear, and a t-shirt. "You're a fucking sexy man, Gus Wolfe," Aaron said admiring each handsome feature of Gus' body. "Thank you, I think you're mighty handsome too, Marine," Gus responded, "You ready for some suburban rowdiness?"

  "Guess we'll take it as it comes - let's get to it."

  Gus and Aaron got in the truck and headed out to Willow Park, on the way discussing their preference for city living, and how they'd likely not see one willow in the neighborhood. Gus liked that Aaron shared his urbanist and conservation-minded views, they just added to the long list of reasons why he'd fallen head over heels for this married man in such a short period of time. "So, just to reiterate, I don't know if Jake and Bill have anything at all in mind other than just hanging out, but if they do, and we end up naked, you're okay with that?" Gus asked, with a seriousness in his voice. "100% Gus," Aaron responded, winking at him, and placing a hand on his thigh.