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In complete darkness, in a slightly open meadow with several trees, the Red Kelpie and the Russell Terrier were gazing at the star-filled sky.
The only sound present was a small and controlled campfire that both had used to make some snacks. They had quickly mastered the art of making marshmallows and had brought cooking oil, a pan, some large grills, almost like those from a barbecue grill, and some condiments. Dinner was homemade hot dogs—not exactly camping food depending on who you ask, but Jack liked to boast about how he had taken control of the grill.
Rusty kept staring at the stars, strangely excited, almost as if he expected the stars to go crazy and start a rock concert-like show with lasers and dancers. For a brief moment, he looked beside him. Jack was in a similar mood, gazing deeply at the stars, but that was more common for Jack. He had a fascination with space since... what? Since he was 6 years old? Jack learned about planets, stars, and the Big Bang while the rest of the kids his age were learning to write.
The Red Kelpie smiled at Jack's silly look of excitement. He wore a beanie hat with a couple of pins on the side, which was amusing. Jack always forgot his hat when he was a kid, and now it was rare to see him without it.
Rusty kept noticing more and more details in his now "young adult" best friend. He had a couple of spots on his nose like his father, loose hairs were forming, a sign of his newly found canine maturity, and he had slight dark circles around his eyes... Jack surely stayed up until 2 in the morning online, Rusty had heard from Mackenzie that Jack didn't sleep because he wasted a lot of time online in the early morning, which is why he seemed less awake during the day.
Out of nowhere, Jack turned and looked at Rusty; the gaze of both dogs met, and both, as if it were a test of strength, stared at each other with a terrible, intense, uncomfortable, piercing look. Rusty gave up first and looked at the sky again.
Now it was Jack who was looking at Rusty attentively. Rusty had grown in a way you would expect; he was very similar to his older brother Digger when he was this age—tall, with a good physique, and a quite charismatic face. For a while, he had a fairly military haircut, and then Rusty wanted to have a rebellious side, you know, piercings and anarchism, but it seems his parents convinced him not to get piercings or tattoos, or anything permanent. The time when Rusty had a fake nose piercing was quite a funny anecdote.
"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked, still looking at Rusty.
"...it's nice to be here with you," Rusty replied. He wasn't the kind of guy who talked about his feelings, but one true thing was that Rusty was an honest guy, especially with Jack.
"Yeah, it's been a while since we went camping. I'm glad we could come to the hill. I'm surprised my mom isn't sending me a million messages to make sure I'm alive and not in the trunk of a kidnapper's car."
Both Rusty and Jack laughed a little. It wasn't to disrespect Jack's mother, a woman who cared about her son, but it was true that Jack was suffering from a bit of "too much parental love" syndrome. They worried a lot about Jack, which frustrated him, but he knew it came from a place of love.
In Rusty's case, it was somewhat the opposite. His parents always saw him as a bold, mature-for-his-age, strong, and self-sufficient kid. He didn't have to give many details, "Jack and I are camping on the hill," done, no more questions, they let him have this adventure. Although Rusty was aware that it was because he was with Jack, Rusty's parents trusted Jack quite a bit, and Jack's parents trusted Rusty quite a bit; they were a dynamic duo—inseparable friends, known each other for 10 years, and yet still there for each other.
Forever and always, Rusty had more memories with Jack than without him, 10 whole years, nothing could separate them, not a change in classes or shared hobbies. They were always together. They should always be together...
"Mate... I think I love you," Rusty said as he continued to be strangely mesmerized by the sky.
It took him a couple of seconds to register what he had just said. He had no idea why he blurted that out, why would he say something like that out of nowhere?!
To make matters worse, Jack remained silent for several seconds. Every passing second felt like years. Rusty began to feel anxious, regretting letting his guard down. It wasn't a secret that the "relationship" Rusty and Jack had wasn't... entirely platonic. There was definitely something more that Rusty sought and aspired to, contact and affection that best friends wouldn't normally give, not directly in kisses, but definitely in a physical contact that leaned towards caresses and cuddles.
Rusty had developed the very bad habit of actively seeking Jack's head scratches playfully; they jokingly called it "giving each other affection," as if Rusty were a little kid seeking his mother's head scratches while using her lap as a pillow, except here, Rusty sought his best friend to gently stroke his head while using his body as a pillow.
Jack didn't object to this... anything, more than once he asked Rusty, in moments of loneliness and intimacy, if he wanted him to "give him affection," Rusty would snuggle into Jack's lap and enjoy receiving scratches, sweet words... compliments. He remembered in detail how, after a cricket game, Rusty, at 12 years old, beat a group of adults late at night, just when the teenagers left the park to make way for the adults; he swore one of the adults wanted to cry. Shortly after, in Rusty's room, Jack was giving him affection, whispering that he was a star, a cool kid, a sports prodigy, and Rusty sighed listening to those words, mixed with the physical affection that Jack was giving him. He was so in love and adored that Jack spoiled him with such praise and contact that many would envy.
In retrospect, Rusty knew he had these kinds of feelings for Jack for who knows how long, literally years.
But now all this, all these "signals," suddenly seemed like foolishness that Rusty had surely misinterpreted, and now Jack must feel very uncomfortable; it was evident in that silence and how he probably stopped looking at him. Rusty could swear Jack was probably looking at him with a face that could only be described as discomfort and disgust. Rusty wanted to say something else, disarm the situation, fix a 10-year friendship that he had destroyed in seconds. Rusty couldn't bear it any longer; he turned to look at Jack, but he couldn't see his face; the campfire had finished dying, and they were alone in the dark, with the faint light of the stars and the moon giving them a minimal glow, where Rusty couldn't understand Jack's expression.
"Look... I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that."
"Oh, it's okay... it just took me by surprise," Jack's voice sounded nervous.
Jack looked at Rusty again, He was getting closer. Their shoulders brushed against each other. Rusty didn't know whether to move away or stay still. Despite the closeness, after saying "I love you" out loud, everything felt strangely wrong, as if just being in the same place was enough to make it all feel bad, even dirty.
"Do you want to talk about it?" the Russell asked, trying to sound friendly and reassuring. Rusty seemed disturbed by his own thoughts, and Jack could tell he was tense. How could he not be? "No... I don't think so," Rusty declined Jack's offer.
They both remained silent. The campfire was dead, and the slow chirping of crickets was taking over. There they were, on the hill, on a large and thick camping blanket, both looking at the infinite sky.
"...Russ." Jack spoke.
At some point, Jack had given Rusty the nickname "Russ." He used it mainly when they were alone. No one else could call Rusty "Russ," only Jack. It was something unique and intimate, almost seductive to the ear of the Red Kelpie. "Let's talk..."
Jack slowly sat up, looking at Rusty. The Red Kelpie seemed desperate to undo everything said that night, but Jack tried to calm him down. He felt Jack gently take one of his hands, squeezing it affectionately and caressing it with his thumb.
"...Jack... do you like me?" Rusty asked, confused, avoiding eye contact. It's not like he could see the Russell's face clearly, but he had started talking. "I don't know how to explain it... but... it's like we've been together for so long... that I think I like you?"
Rusty definitely didn't know what to say. Was this a confession of love? A terribly, clumsy, and miserable one, but a confession nonetheless. "I know I'll sound stupid, but, a couple of years ago, I started noticing that I got too happy with you. Talking to you, playing with you, hanging out with you... it started to excite me in a way I had never felt before," Rusty swallowed. "And I think... I like you... not just as friends... I think I like you, like like you..."
There was definitely much more that he wanted to say. He wanted to say how Jack was the cutest guy he had ever seen, how Jack's voice calmed him, how a couple of years ago when the rumor that Jack and Chloe were a couple made Rusty's blood boil, how he loved receiving affection from Jack, how he sometimes fantasized about kissing him. He had spent more nights than he cared to admit fantasizing about having Jack all to himself, kissing and cuddling in a way that only lovers would do. But he couldn't confess any of that. Not only did he not know how to express his emotions, but he was sure that saying those specific things would scare Jack away.
Rusty cursed himself. He had ruined everything. He could feel his eyes slowly filling with water, waiting to break down and cry. His voice was losing strength. Rusty wasn't the bold and brave guy everyone knew and respected. Here, Rusty was more than ready to break down in front of Jack. In a sudden movement, Rusty covered his face with his hands, elbows pointing towards the sky as the Red Kelpie tried to wipe away the pathetic tears escaping from his eyes.
"Oh, Russ..." Jack's gentle voice shook Rusty. It was so soft and understanding, so gentle... so pure...
He felt Jack's loving hand stroking his head, running his fingers through Rusty's unruly mane, grooming him affectionately. Jack was giving Rusty affection. "You're not stupid... and you don't have to apologize to me for anything," Jack whispered.
The Red Kelpie slowly removed his hands from his face, looking at Jack. The image was now blurry, but he could make out that Jack was smiling at him. Jack lay down next to Rusty, facing him, while continuing to give him gentle and slow strokes. Rusty couldn't help but make a few odd noises as Jack comforted him. Growls and whimpers came from his more canine side.
"I just... feel like I messed up—"
"You didn't," Jack interrupted.
"I don't know why I said—"
"Shhh, Russ... you're okay... we're okay..."
It happened then, Rusty opened his mouth to continue speaking, but Jack shushed him and asked him to be silent for a moment.
Jack got up and sat down, cross-legged, took out his phone, and looked for a lamp they had brought, turned it on, and the light blinded them for a brief moment. Finally, after all this (somewhat melodramatic) moment of anguish, Rusty could see Jack's face properly, Russell had also cried to Rusty's surprise, he seemed anxious and nervous, and one of his feet kept shaking, a clear sign that Jack was more anxious than usual, but a big smile could be seen on his face, Rusty heard the interrupted noise that Jack emitted while trying to keep things under control.
Rusty imitated Jack's movements, got up, and sat down with his legs crossed, the lamp providing light to their feet, he looked into Jack's eyes, and couldn't help but sigh. Jack tried to find strength in his words, but he seemed as defeated as Rusty was, but he couldn't help wagging his tail as he prepared to speak. Rusty's mind was racing, thinking of any combination of responses Jack might give him, maybe he would give him a reassuring speech like "It doesn't matter, you'll always be my best friend" or something like that. The fact that Jack wanted to console him in such a brutal moment was one of the main reasons Rusty had fallen in love with him.
"Do you know something, Rusty?" Jack finally spoke, "I think I have something to confess to you in return..." The ears of the red kelpie perked up in surprise, he was attentive to every little movement of Jack's, he was on edge. "R-Re-really? What is it?"
"... I think... I like you too..." Rusty felt like he had lost his common sense for a moment because of this, and what he had just heard seemed like a stress-induced hallucination. "No, scratch that, I KNOW I like you... for some time now." Jack paused for a moment, while it seemed like he was trying to continue explaining, looking nervously and perhaps even a bit fearfully at Rusty. He exhaled through his nose, took a breath, and was ready to say words he thought he could never say.
"For a couple of years now. I like you, a lot. I remember... being around 12 years old? Maybe even 11... and playing with you... you know, playing army, sports, playing on my console, doing homework together. Etcetera, etcetera, and thinking... “I love him”, but I thought it was silly and didn't say anything..." Rusty nodded as an answer. "But then around 13... I realized I really liked you! Like like... I also realized that... I think I like boys, in general..." Jack had just come out of the closet. "But I was afraid that... you would see me badly, that it would make you hate me-"
"I would never hate you for that," Rusty interrupted unexpectedly, it wasn't the best moment to do such things, but genuinely if Jack had confessed to being gay (or maybe bisexual? Rusty wasn't sure, maybe he would ask for more details later) a couple of years ago, Rusty would have accepted him, without a doubt, and he wanted to express it, even if he ended up interrupting.
"I know that now," Jack picked up the thread, "anyway, I was, afraid, in general, of everything and everyone... I was afraid that, in one way or another, our friendship would break... and I couldn't bear to lose you... so I decided to keep both things... my sexuality... and my crush on you... quiet."
Rusty nodded, and saw how Jack seemed to relieve a huge amount of stress from himself, a couple of minutes ago Jack seemed to be all calm and in control of the situation, now Jack was even more nervous and emotional than Rusty. The red kelpie approached and tried to comfort him, in the same way, that the Russell had comforted him a few moments ago, gently holding his hands, and looking into his teary eyes, their fingers intertwined as they slowly smiled at each other while a couple of tears fell from their eyes.
"Jack... would you... would you like to... be my boyfriend?" Rusty was tempting fate, but he was so in love that he couldn't help it. "... I'd love to, Russ... I'd love to be your boyfriend." He was so in love with this dog, and hearing that this dog loved him back just made his world feel complete.
Rusty would have kissed Jack here and now, the only thing stopping him was his self-control, and he knew that, at this precise moment, Jack was also at his limit, and maybe things like sudden intense kisses could shake him in the wrong way-
"Wow! -" Jack lunged at Rusty and kissed him, which surprised him, but well, it made sense, Jack was a boy, and starting kisses is what boys do! Right? So Rusty happily embraced Jack with affection and passion and started kissing him back.
For a brief moment, they were in Paradise.