Page 30 of A Little Campfire Blues

Now to hook up the sprinkler to the hose I’d brought; glad there were spigots on the side of every cabin. A few twists and a bit of dragging that hose to a spot where they couldn’t drench the picnic table, and we were good to go. I sat and filled the tank on the cannon with bubble mix and was just getting the plug screwed on when they came tumbling back out of the cabin.

“A sprinkler!” Ezzy declared, rushing right for it in the shimmery orange speedo they’d put on.

Each time the sun hit it, new colors appeared, like a sunset playing out on that pert little rear of theirs. Barefoot in the grass, Ezzy and Axis raced towards it, giggling when Roman let out a bark and began chasing them. His swim shorts had a tail on the back and a bulldog face on the front, tongue hanging out over his package, which just made me chuckle. Axis had opted for purple tie-dyed board shorts that showed off the gargoyle tattoo on his left leg and the two purple dragons coiling up his right. I was beginning to think that might be his favorite color, since several of the ones on his arms, chest, and back were purpletoo. I wondered if he was going for full sleeves, as much of the skin on both arms was already inked up, each design being some mythological creature looking badass and fierce as hell.

Hard and soft—that was the impression I’d first gotten when I’d stared at the pair bathed in firelight, but today had given me a different insight into both. Axis, for all the I-don’t-give-a-damnenergy he put out, had a tender-hearted nature that came out in full force when he was little. Seeing him kneel beside the pond to help a duckling who’d gotten ensnared in some old fishing line had given me a glimpse of that, as had the gentle way he’d carried it back over to where the other ducks were quacking. He’d lovingly stroked its feathers the entire way and knelt silently, setting it free so it could scurry back to its family without getting so close he scared them off. Something told me that wasn’t the first time he’d rescued a hurt critter, though he’d mentioned earlier that he’d never had a pet, not even a goldfish, and wouldn’t know the first thing about caring for one.

That line about not knowing how to care for something had sounded like a cop-out to me, but I’d refrained from calling him out on it, if only because it wasn’t my place. Not yet anyway.

Roman chased them through the sprinkler while I set off the cannon, giving them something new to chase. Soon the air beside the cabin was filled with a cloud of floating rainbows the trio rushed to pop.

“Look, they’re on your head!” Ezzy declared, pointing to the bubbles shimmering on Roman’s chestnut hair.

Loose and wet, they were plastered against his forehead and the back of his neck.

“I caught one! I caught one!” Axis declared, beaming until it popped in his hands.

He scowled for half a second, then set out to catch another.

Ezzy scampered for the sprinkler, dancing in the spray. Over it, around it, wiggling their butt and hopping like a bunnyseveral times before Roman pounced on them and tickled them in the grass before helping them up again.

It was easy to picture what they’d been like as children, growing up together. The happiness, the joy in the way they interacted, left my heart feeling light and free. It was easy to join in their laughter as I fired more bubbles, creating a wall of them that Ezzy cartwheeled through. Axis tried and fell over each time, giggling, then laughing harder when Roman and Ezzy descended on him, tickling him too.

“I give, I give!” He squealed, trying to roll away and slipping in the wet grass. “Daddy, Daddy, save me!”

That was the second time today one of them had slipped and called me Daddy. What else could I do but hurry over and spray them with bubbles until they let poor Axis get up? His tanned face was flushed when he took my hand and let me help him to his feet. Then that grinning boy hugged me, covering me in water and bubble residue.

Best feeling in the world, let me tell you.

I hugged back just as tight and soon found myself the center of a hug sandwich that left me breathless and messy as hell. Not that I cared, I’d thrown a change of clothes in my bag, knowing the process of descaling the fish for supper was going to leave me messy regardless.

“This is awesome, thank you,” Ezzy said, stepping back a little.

I ruffled their hair and listened to them giggle as they tried to smooth it back into place.

“You’re most welcome, Sparkle Butt,” I said and watched their grin grow.

“That’s the best nickname ever!” Roman declared, “Better run, Sparkle Butt, or the tickle monsters are gonna get you again.”

“Rawr!” Axis bellowed before chasing after Ezzy, but not before I spotted a flash of disappointment in his eyes before he spun away from me.

Was it because of the nickname I’d given Ezzy? I’d give him one too, once I came up with the perfect one. One unfortunate thing I’d discovered over many years in poly relationships was how quickly the downfall had come after one got it in their heads that another was loved or cherished more than them. It would never work with the trio if those feelings were already coming into play, which meant I’d need to tread lightly and keep a close eye on his reactions before I got in too deep with them.

It was a real shame, though. The day had already left me wanting to claim them and give them each something to wear that marked them as mine, even if we had to work out the rest of the details from a distance.

While they ran in and out of the sprinkler, I sent more bubbles flying their way until the cannon was empty and Ezzy had sprawled on the grass, letting the water from the sprinkler wash over them. Roman joined them a few minutes later, curling up behind them, making Ezzy the little spoon, while Axis sat right beside the sprinkler, sticking his hands in the spray to disrupt it.

“Who’s ready for movie time?” I asked, grinning when all three heads turned my way.

“I am!” Ezzy said.

“Definitely,” Roman declared.

Axis licked his lips and shrugged, splashing the water more. “I’m tired. Gonna go nap.”

“You’ve had a busy, busy day,” I said. “A nap sounds like a wonderful idea.”

Nodding, he splashed once more before standing and heading in, but not before I caught a hint of wistfulness on both Ezzy’s and Roman’s faces.

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