Just Do It (TannerBraungardtxDylanMitchell)

11: Cliff Jumping & Fear

They stood at the edge of the cliff, staring out at the beautiful aqua-blue water several stories below. It rolled gently against the bluffs. Their hearts raced. Adrenaline pounded in their ears. The longer they stood there, the farther down it seemed.

Dylan kicked a small rock over the edge, watching it disappear into the blue abyss. "I'm not going first."

"Okay, it's not that high. I'll go." Tanner shrugged.

The trio lived for excitement and adrenaline. Though overall they weren't the most athletic bunch, they had the energy and means to make life an adventure, and cliff jumping into the oceans of Hawaii was definitely adventurous.

Tanner took a few steps back, then with all the will in his bones, hurled himself into the air. When he hit the water, his stomach leapt into his throat. Complete exhilaration flooded him as he broke the surface.

"Dude, that was fricking awesome! Send it, Mylan!" He screamed.

Dylan regretted jumping until he was submerged in the surprisingly warm water and experienced the same exhilaration. Next was Quentin and naturally, he too felt the same.

They floated around, slowly making their way to the artificial rock staircase carved into the cliff. The second jump was less scary, and fun as hell. They discovered a little cove within the cliff- an area where the rock had eroded into a cave where the tide almost violently collided in a whirlpool. The water shimmered every color against the gray walls. They danced mesmerizing patterns. Quentin climbed the stairs to the surface while the other two braved the waves to make it onto a raised platform of rock above the water.

Tanner pushed his wet hair off his forehead and smiled dreamily at Dylan who looked so hot in nothing but a pair of green swim trunks and sporting a slight tan to his fair skin. Their lips tasted salty as they kissed, but neither of them minded. It was just nice to get away from everyone and be able to kiss.

The kiss turned into full on making out. Tanner's fingers laced through Dylan's tangled, wet hair, pulling him closer, closer. They felt suffocated in a good way. The humidity of the cave pulled the air from them. Now sweat dampened Tanner's hair, plastering it to his forehead.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa-" Dylan gasped, "-way too fast."

He stood up abruptly, nearly slipping off the wet platform. Tanner pouted at him pitifully. Dylan just caught his breath, slowly, trying to comprehend what just happened. He felt panicky and scared, though he didn't know why. He just grew conscious of the legs wrapped around him and the tongue drawing across his bottom lip. It was too much.

He sat back down. "Okay, let's not, uh, do that again. I'm still, you know..."

"Freaked out about dating your best friend."

Tanner's tone was bitter.

"Babe, it's not like that-"

Before he could say anything more, the blonde had jumped into the current and began swimming away. After several long moments, he followed.

Kim was relieved as all hell to spot the boys walking up the hill. Being the protective, slightly erratic mother she was, she thought they had gotten caught in the undertow and drowned. She pointed a veined finger at them as she lectured them about how much they scared her, of course after having nearly hugged the life out of them. Tanner and Dylan hadn't realized how long they'd been gone. They felt like assholes.

"Mom, I'm sorry! We're fine." They assured her.

"Never pull that shit again."

They nodded. Kim forbade them from going off on their own for the remainder of their day- Not that Dylan minded all that much. He figured they shouldn't be alone again for a while anyway.

The sun was brighter than they were used to and the air more humid. Complaints were for frequent than anything. Only Tanner and Quentin were having a good time. Everyone lounged lazily along the beach while an old knee injury put Dylan on the sideline. He sat, mindlessly massaging the sore joint, on a bench overlooking the bluffs. From there, he could stare at Tanner without it being obvious. He thought about the way they kissed, how it felt so different. It was sensuous and needy, unlike before. He didn't like it- how all that skin-to-skin contact stirred these feelings from the pit of his stomach. It was confusing.

An piercing scream blew downwind with the breeze, bringing Dylan back to the present, not that he was sacred. He would know that scream from anywhere. It was Tanner. His voice was a squeaky mix of laughing, squeals, and semi-coherent words. It happened when Tanner got so excited he didn't know what to do with himself. Dylan realized it was the most adorable sound in the world.

"Dylan! Guess what!"

Tanner had obviously just made his way out of the ocean as he was dripping wet- and glowing with excitement. He was out of breath. Dylan braced himself for the wet impact.

"I did a quad!"

Dylan decided that sometimes Tanner was a little into flips.

"Awesome, dude."

"You're not mad, are you?"

"No."

"Good, cause no one's looking. "

Tanner quickly pressed his sunburnt lips to Dylan's, savoring the too-short moment. Kim calling Dylan's phone interrupted them and they jolted apart. Tanner pushed his wet hair back and stood up. Without a word, they walked back to where everyone was packing up.

The sunset as they drove away was unlike anything they had seen. The sun was a huge drop of gold surrounded by a rainbow of orange and pink. Under the sun, the ocean shone an odd silvery-blue that was simply stunning. Dylan and Tanner watched it get smaller and smaller through the back window of their rental van- sitting a little closer than necessary.

Everyone was burnt red, exhausted, and sore by the time they got to their room at the resort. Hawaii was beautiful, but already it was kicking their asses.

Tanner stood by the wall mounted TV, debating where he'd sleep. He, Dylan, and Quentin had their own room with two bed. Quentin was passed out on one and Tanner figured Dylan probably wanted some space. It stung.

"Um...Can I, uh..."

"It's up to you."

Dylan didn't even bother with looking up from his phone, which made Tanner's decision for him. He crawled under the covers next to Quentin, back turned to his boyfriend.

"We're okay, Tanner."

"Okay..."

It felt weird not having Dylan's arms around him.