Chapter 1 – First Contact
Part A
June 14, 2034 – Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
10:12 a.m. | Trailhead parking lot | Weather: 76°F, clear skies, cicadas singing
---
The cicadas were already screaming when the first car rolled into the gravel lot.
It was an old Subaru—green, with a faded bumper sticker that read I Brake for Mushrooms. Hailey drove, as always. Elena sat in the passenger seat, silent as the trees. In the back, Layla had her head halfway out the window like a golden retriever, sunglasses perched on her curls, mouth wide open with a laugh that no one else could hear yet.
Behind them came the second vehicle—sleek, matte-gray, German. Sophie drove this one, cool and composed, even as Mira read a poem aloud in the seat beside her. Neither raised their voices. Neither acknowledged the cloud of dust the Subaru had kicked up.
The third vehicle was an unassuming white electric SUV. Julian sat in the back, hands folded, watching the mountains approach through tinted glass like they might disappear if he blinked too hard. Gabe drove. He was singing—badly—to a song only he could hear. Sajan sat beside him, silent, his knee bouncing once every four seconds.
When they parked, it was Layla who leapt out first. She hit the ground with bare legs and hiking boots, threw her arms wide, and shouted, "We're here! Fuck yes, trees!"
Mira stepped out slowly, adjusting her wide-brimmed hat, and smiled at the way Layla's chest rose and fell with excitement.
Sophie stretched, hands behind her head. Her shirt lifted. No one commented, but Julian noticed. So did Elena. So did everyone.
Within five minutes, all ten were out of their cars and standing around the faded trailhead sign. The wives moved like magnets—cheek kisses, quick squeezes, easy laughter. Sophie handed Layla a wrapped muffin. Hailey slid behind Mira and adjusted her pack straps without asking. Elena passed a thermos to Layla, who took it with a grin and murmured something low and teasing that made Elena smirk in the quiet way she always did when she didn't want to admit she liked something.
The husbands, though—
They hovered.
Gabe held his pack in one hand, sunglasses pushed up on his head, looking from man to man like he was about to crack a joke but couldn't find the punchline yet. Sajan bent over his own gear, quietly checking buckles, his back straight, his shoulders still. Noah leaned against the hood of his truck, arms folded, watching the group from under the brim of a faded ball cap. Julian stood beside him, not too close, his hands in the pockets of his technical pants. Rafa knelt to tie his boots, humming softly, occasionally glancing up with a half-smile he wasn't aiming at anyone in particular.
It was Elena who broke the silence between them.
"Introduce yourselves," she said, voice low but sharp, her eyes on Sajan.
He blinked. Then looked at the others.
Then, slowly: "Sajan Mehta. Environmental systems."
"Julian Arendt. AI and robotics."
"Noah Reid. Civil."
"Gabe Hwang. Materials science. I like long walks and fermented garlic."
"Rafael Mendoza. Biologist. Plant-based and extremely well-hydrated."
Gabe snorted. "Dude, I knew you'd be hot."
"You didn't know that."
"I guessed. Correctly."
That got a laugh. Low and short, but real.
Layla clapped her hands once, then pointed down the trail. "Nine miles today. Switchbacks, water crossing, one big climb. Who's ready to sweat through everything they're wearing?"
"I brought two shirts," Julian said.
Hailey grinned. "Adorable."
Part A — Section 2: The Trail Begins
---
The sun hit them just past the second switchback.
Not harsh. Not yet. But enough to make the backs of their necks prickle and the straps of their packs pull damp against their shirts. The forest opened slightly—a rise in the ridgeline with young saplings and bracken underfoot, sunlight filtering through in golden slants.
Sajan walked near the front, Layla just ahead of him, humming something soft and tuneless. He kept his eyes on the terrain. His boots hit the trail like he was measuring it with each step. Behind him, Julian adjusted his pack straps for the fourth time in fifteen minutes. Every time one shoulder settled, the other began to ache.
He didn't complain. But his breath was shallow, like someone who hadn't learned to breathe from their belly.
"You okay?" Rafa asked gently, falling in beside him.
Julian nodded once. "Just recalibrating."
Rafa smiled, small and warm. "Let me know if you want to swap weight for a while. My bag's half avocado."
Julian blinked. "Literal or metaphor?"
"Literal. Hailey packed four."
Julian didn't answer. But after a few more steps, his breath evened out.
---
Farther back, Gabe had found his rhythm.
Not in silence. That wasn't his way. He moved like a conversation waiting to happen—stepping between rocks with theatrical precision, narrating fallen logs like they were plot points. He chatted with Noah for five straight minutes about the history of trail maintenance in national parks before realizing Noah hadn't said a word in reply.
Noah didn't mind.
He liked listeners like Gabe—people who filled the air and didn't demand it back.
Besides, he was watching the way Gabe's shirt clung to his back. Not with intent. Just… noticing.
Everyone was noticing.
Sophie, walking with Mira and Elena, had already unzipped her long-sleeve technical top to her navel. Mira had pulled her hair up with a cloth ribbon, exposing the elegant slope of her shoulders. Elena had pushed her sleeves up and left them there, the muscles in her forearms flexing every time she adjusted her trekking pole.
Layla had stripped to her sports bra by mile two.
No one blinked at that.
But when Sajan took his shirt off—silently, wiping his neck with it—three of the men definitely noticed. Julian turned his head. Noah blinked slowly. Gabe made a small sound that could have been approval or a trapped bee.
Hailey took off her own top immediately after.
Balance, she whispered to no one.
---
At mile four, they stopped for water.
The trail narrowed around a bend and opened onto a flat overlook above a drop of tangled green. The sound of rushing water nearby promised relief. Hailey tossed her pack down, groaned, and flopped full-length onto the warm rock. Layla followed, tugging her boots off and flexing her toes with theatrical glee.
"Three hours and no one has snapped yet," she said. "I'm impressed. Or disappointed."
Mira smiled, unwrapping a beeswax packet of cut fruit. "We're pacing our breakdowns."
Sophie handed a water bottle to Elena, who drank without looking away from the drop-off. Julian stood near the edge, watching a hawk circle below. Rafa approached him slowly, peeling a mandarin with one hand.
"You do hikes like this often?" Rafa asked.
Julian shook his head. "I prefer constructed terrain. Predictable elevation. Air-conditioning."
Rafa held out a slice. Julian hesitated.
Then took it.
Their fingers touched.
Rafa's hand was warmer than Julian expected. Dryer, too. Steady.
Julian didn't look at him again, but he didn't move away.
---
By the time they resumed the hike, sweat had soaked through most of their shirts.
Gabe left his on the rock and kept going shirtless. So did Sajan. Rafa had worn a linen sleeveless top that clung now like damp paper.
The forest began to close in again. Ferns brushed their calves. The sound of rushing water grew louder.
"Is this where we swim?" Layla asked, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Swim?" Julian asked.
"Oh honey," Hailey said sweetly, "you didn't think we were going to not get wet, did you?"
Part A — Section 3: River Rites
Location: Shallow river bend just off the main trail
Time: 2:47 p.m.
---
The river curved like a loose ribbon through the trees—wide enough to swim, shallow enough to cross without gear. The water was startlingly clear, stones glinting beneath the surface, every ripple throwing sparks of sun back into the leaves.
"Strip or suffer," Hailey said as she stepped to the edge, boots already undone, shirt dragging off over her head. Her skin glowed with sun and sweat, freckles everywhere, her shorts already halfway gone.
Layla followed without hesitation, sports bra off in one fluid motion, breasts bare and swaying slightly as she bent to unlace her boots.
Mira stood still for a moment longer, watching the light. Then, slowly, she pulled her tunic over her head. She wore nothing beneath. Her breasts were pale and soft, the curve of her waist flowing into the flare of her hips. She stepped out of her pants with quiet grace and walked into the water as though it belonged to her.
No one said anything.
Not about the nudity. Not about the way their wives were already waist-deep, laughing, flicking water at each other like it was summer camp.
Sophie peeled off her shirt and pants as if it were administrative. Her underwear stayed on—black, practical—and she waded in behind Mira with purposeful steps. Elena followed, stripping only to her sports bra and briefs. Her body was lean, muscular, her movements efficient. When she joined the others, Hailey kissed her cheek. Elena let her.
---
The men hesitated.
Not out of modesty—well, maybe Julian. He stood at the edge of the trail, arms crossed, watching. His eyes kept flicking to Mira's floating hair, to the curve of Layla's bare ass as she bent to splash water at Hailey. He said nothing, but his mouth parted just slightly.
Gabe was the first to move. Of course.
"Alright," he said, tossing his shirt with flair. "Equality or death."
He dropped his shorts with a dramatic shimmy and ran into the water in nothing but briefs. The splash soaked Hailey, who shrieked and tackled him sideways. They both went under.
Noah looked at Rafa. Rafa looked at Sajan. Sajan raised an eyebrow.
"What?" Gabe called from the river, laughing. "Scared of a little skin?"
Rafa shrugged, pulled his shirt off in one smooth movement, and dropped his pants without hesitation. He stepped out of them like it was his backyard. His body was thick and solid, strong with softness beneath. He moved into the river without fanfare and didn't look back.
Noah, red-faced, pulled off his shirt and stepped behind a tree to remove his pants. When he emerged in boxers, his chest mottled from the sun, no one looked too long—but no one didn't look either.
Sajan dropped his shirt with calm precision. He didn't remove his pants—just unbuckled them, slid them down to the knee, and stepped into the water in his dark athletic shorts. His body was lean, lightly muscled, with burn scars in delicate arcs along his left side—old, faded. He waded in up to his ribs, then ducked under.
Julian remained on the bank.
Mira looked up, eyes narrowed gently.
"You'll regret not feeling this," she said.
Julian swallowed. His fingers hovered at the hem of his shirt.
Then, wordlessly, he unzipped his tech fabric long-sleeve, pulled it off over his head, and stood still while the others turned to him—curious, waiting.
He unbuckled his pants. Stripped to boxers.
And walked in.
The water hit his knees like glass. He flinched. Kept going. His body was pale, dotted with freckles and thin scars—chest narrow, legs surprisingly strong.
No one stared.
But everyone saw him.
---
The moment shifted.
They weren't just cooling off anymore.
They were revealing.
Bodies collided. Not with friction—just with gravity. Rafa moved past Sajan, brushing against his chest. Hailey slid her arms around Layla from behind, fingers drifting across her stomach. Sophie ducked beneath the surface and came up between Mira and Elena, water running down her face like light.
Gabe floated backward into Noah, who caught him without thinking.
They stayed that way for a breath too long.
Julian found himself beside Mira. Their hands brushed.
She didn't say anything.
She just took his hand, turned it over, and pressed her lips to the inside of his wrist.
He trembled.
The river murmured around them.
And above, in the branches, a bird called once, twice—and flew.
Part A — Section 4: Camp Geometry
Time: 5:12 p.m. | Setting: Riverside clearing, half-mile off trail
---
They dried off in pieces.
Hailey stretched herself out on the warm rocks like a lizard, arms above her head, eyes closed, hair fanned wide. Mira sat cross-legged beside her, toweling her own hair with slow, deliberate rhythm. Layla wrung out her shorts and draped them across a branch like prayer flags.
Sophie pulled on her underwear again, but not the top. She sat bare-chested on a low stump and combed her fingers through Elena's short-cropped hair while Elena chewed silently on a piece of jerky. The women were comfortable like animals—no tension, no adjustment. Just sun, skin, and movement.
The men stayed wet longer.
Gabe drip-dried on purpose, refusing to towel off, walking shirtless and smug through the camp like a lazy storm cloud. Rafa tugged his shirt over his head halfway, then left it hanging loose around his neck. Noah dressed quickly, but not before Julian saw the curve of his lower back, the line of his spine, the faint dark hair down the center.
Sajan was already repacking gear with quiet precision, his skin still damp and shining. Julian dried with quick, sharp motions, then sat beside his pack and did nothing with his hands for a long time.
---
The campsite had no fire ring, no signs of use. Just soft earth beneath towering pines and one wide boulder in the center that would serve as a table. Sophie had marked it as a possibility on the map; Layla had insisted on checking it out.
It was perfect.
Two tents on one side for the women, three on the other for the men.
No one said the division aloud. It just happened.
Layla dragged her sleeping mat out into the open. "It's not a real trip if I don't wake up damp with twigs in my underwear."
Hailey laughed. "Romantic."
"Rustic."
"Bug-ridden."
"Nature," Mira whispered, smiling into her knees.
---
Dinner was slow.
They sat in a loose circle around the boulder—some cross-legged, some reclined, Hailey leaning her head against Elena's thigh. Sophie handled the Jetboil. Sajan passed out protein bars like currency. Rafa sliced avocado with a pocketknife he claimed was ceremonial. Gabe found a way to tell three unrelated stories that all ended with someone falling into a compost toilet.
Layla pulled out a tiny Bluetooth speaker and cued soft jazz from her phone. No one complained.
Julian ate in silence, eyes flicking occasionally to Gabe's chest, then to Mira's fingers, then to Sajan's hands as they twisted a napkin into perfect folds. He didn't realize he was staring until Sajan looked up.
Julian looked away.
---
The fire wasn't needed for heat, but they built it anyway.
Noah and Rafa handled the structure—triangle method, dry kindling, minimal smoke. Mira and Sophie sat shoulder to shoulder nearby, sharing a packet of trail mix, fingers grazing in the bag. Layla leaned back against Elena's chest. Elena's arm rested loosely around her stomach.
When the flames caught, everyone shifted closer.
The circle drew in.
The air thickened—not just with heat, but with attention.
Every glance lingered half a second longer. Every movement left something unsaid.
Rafa pulled his hair back and twisted it into a knot, exposing the dark line of his neck. Gabe handed him a water bottle without speaking. Their fingers touched. Neither looked up.
Hailey rested her chin on Sophie's shoulder and whispered something. Sophie smiled. Mira touched Sophie's knee. Layla watched. Elena watched Layla.
Julian stared at the fire like it owed him something. His knees touched Sajan's.
He didn't pull away.
---
Later, someone produced a flask.
Elena passed it first to Layla, who drank with a theatrical sigh. Gabe toasted "to the noble tradition of peer pressure" and took a long swig. Sajan drank with one eye on the fire. Julian refused at first, then took a small sip and coughed. Sophie rubbed his back once, lightly.
---
"Everyone's still married, right?" Layla asked suddenly, reclining fully across Elena's legs, arms stretched like a cat.
"Technically," Sophie murmured.
"Currently," Hailey corrected.
Mira grinned. "Permanently, at least by state standards."
"Legally," Elena said, "but not exclusively."
The men fell quiet.
Gabe raised an eyebrow. "Are we talking theoretical polygamy or actual logistics?"
Layla reached over and put her hand on Sophie's bare thigh. Not subtle. Not performative.
Sophie covered it with her own.
Gabe's mouth opened slightly, then closed.
Julian stared at the flames again, very still.
No one pushed it.
But the firelight flickered like it knew something had already changed.
Part A — Section 5: The First Night
Time: 9:38 p.m. | Location: Riverside campsite, Smoky Mountains
---
The fire had dwindled to its glowing heart.
Pine needles whispered overhead. Someone had hung a lamp in the trees—low light, amber, casting soft shadows across bare arms and half-zipped jackets. The warmth from the rocks under their mats seeped into bodies already softened by food, by laughter, by the subtle weight of being seen.
The women drifted toward their tents first. Mira stood and kissed Sophie on the forehead before crawling into the far tent. Layla stretched, spine arching under her thin shirt, and murmured something to Hailey, who giggled and followed. Elena stayed behind, cross-legged, silent, until Layla leaned out of the tent flap and called her by name—not loudly, just enough—and Elena rose without a word.
The men lingered.
Julian sat near the fire, arms folded over his knees, staring into the coals like they held a solution to a question he hadn't asked yet. Rafa lay on his side nearby, head propped on his pack, slowly peeling the label from an empty water bottle. Gabe sat with his legs outstretched and hands behind him, watching the stars between the tree branches.
Sajan was the first to rise.
"Anyone need anything from the gear bags?" he asked, already brushing ash from his pants.
Noah shook his head. "I'm good."
Julian said nothing.
Sajan hesitated, then looked at Julian directly. "You warm enough?"
Julian looked up. His face was caught in half-light—soft jawline, mouth slightly open, eyes unreadable.
"I think so," he said. Then added, "Thanks."
Sajan nodded once and disappeared into the trees, quiet as breath.
---
Noah and Gabe set up the men's tents close together—two on one side, one left empty. No one had said why. It had just made sense to leave an option open.
By the time Julian approached the tent he'd been assigned, Sajan was already lying inside, blanket pulled up to his chest, shirtless, eyes closed but not asleep. The space smelled faintly of cedar and soap. His body was curled slightly toward the center, leaving space.
Julian stood at the entrance for a long moment.
Then he stepped inside.
---
The sleeping pad was wider than expected.
Julian sat first, then slowly lay back. He didn't speak. He didn't look at Sajan. He focused on the sound of the fire crackling outside, the low murmur of Gabe's voice in another tent, the soft zip of fabric against someone's skin.
He felt Sajan shift—just slightly. Not closer. Not away.
"Do you mind?" Julian asked suddenly, quietly.
Sajan turned his head. "Mind what?"
"If I stay. Like this."
Sajan paused. Then: "Not at all."
Julian exhaled. Something left his body—something small and coiled and quiet.
Sajan didn't reach for him. But his presence pressed close.
Their arms weren't touching. But they were aware of each other.
---
In the other tent, Gabe whispered something that made Rafa laugh—low and breathless, like he didn't want to wake the trees. Noah said nothing, but the quiet between his exhales was different now—slower, heavier, listening.
---
Julian turned his head, just slightly, and whispered, "I think today went okay."
Sajan smiled. Not visibly. Just in his breath. "You didn't run."
"Yet."
"Tomorrow's steeper."
Julian made a small sound. Then: "You smell like campfire."
"You smell like lemon detergent."
Julian smiled into the dark.
Sajan shifted again, just enough for their arms to touch.
The contact was warm.
Neutral.
Terrifying.
Comforting.
Julian didn't move away.
He breathed.
Sajan let him.
And outside, the fire sighed its final ember.
Part A — Section 6 (Final): Something Has Begun
Time: June 15, 2034 | 6:03 a.m. | Smoky Mountains
---
Dawn arrived in fragments.
First in the breeze—cool and damp, stirring the corners of tents and the edges of dreams. Then the birds—noisy, indignant, unapologetic. Finally the light itself, soft and gold, sliding through the trees like a lover coming home.
Julian woke slowly.
He didn't open his eyes right away. He registered the warmth of the pad beneath him, the sound of someone—Gabe?—snoring lightly from the tent beside theirs. The rustle of leaves. The faint shifting of breath behind him.
Sajan was still there.
They hadn't moved much during the night.
Their backs were almost touching.
Julian turned slightly. Sajan lay on his side, eyes closed, lips parted. His arm curled loosely against his chest, the line of his shoulder visible above the blanket. His skin, lit by the rising sun through tent fabric, looked almost amber.
Julian exhaled slowly.
He didn't want to get up.
Not because of exhaustion. But because this moment felt like it might slip if he moved. Like stillness was the only way to hold it.
Eventually, Sajan stirred. He didn't open his eyes, but he said, voice rasping and low, "Mmm. Coffee."
"There isn't any."
Sajan's eyes opened halfway. "Then I'll die here."
Julian smiled.
Just for a second.
---
Outside, Mira was already crouched beside the river, hair pinned up with a twig, brushing her teeth with an eco-strip and humming quietly. Layla stretched nearby, naked from the waist up, arms above her head, spine long and unapologetic.
Sophie emerged next, already dressed, already tying her boots, focused and graceful. Elena followed, slower, dragging fingers through her hair and glancing once—only once—at Layla's bare back as she passed.
Hailey was last. She yawned like a lion, scratched her stomach, and wandered barefoot toward Mira like the day didn't care what she wore.
The women gathered without calling it a gathering. Someone handed someone else a snack bar. Mira lit a small camp stove. Sophie poured water. Elena sat on a rock and said nothing.
They didn't need to speak.
They were already close.
---
The men emerged more carefully.
Gabe looked wrecked but satisfied, his hair sticking up in one direction, the waistband of his sleep shorts askew.
Rafa followed, already tying a sarong around his hips like he was on vacation, humming under his breath.
Noah nodded to the group, gave a small grunt that might have meant "good morning," and crouched to check the water filter.
Julian stepped out of his tent last. He blinked against the sun, rubbed one eye, and glanced behind him. Sajan came out moments later, stretching his arms with a quiet groan. His fingers brushed Julian's back as he passed.
Julian didn't flinch.
---
Breakfast was light. Dried fruit. Hot water. Quiet chewing.
Layla sat beside Mira and leaned her head against her shoulder.
Hailey took Elena's hand without asking.
Sophie whispered something to Sajan and smiled when he answered.
Julian watched all of it. Then looked down at his hands.
They didn't feel empty.
They felt ready.
---
As they packed up, Gabe leaned over to Noah and whispered, "So… would you say this is going well, or are we in some kind of pre-orgy forest cult?"
Noah didn't look at him.
But he said, "Yes."
Gabe grinned.
---
Just before they left the clearing, Mira paused.
She turned a slow circle, taking in the crushed grass, the stone still warm from the fire, the scattered leaves.
Then she whispered, under her breath, "Something has started here."
No one heard her.
Except Julian.
He met her eyes across the space between them.
And nodded.