Caelan thrummed with anxiousness. He could feel his stomach in his throat. He was in a game of Tug o’ War with some unidentifiable beast and Caelan wasn’t sure he could take losing. Caelan also wasn’t sure that he had enough wherewithal to win, either. His hands gripped the rod and reel, enough so that his knuckles flashed white. He wasn’t going to let this damn thing go and disappoint them both.<br/><br/>He dug in with his heels, brows knit as Dusty settled in against his side. The man commented with ease that Caelan needed to tire his catch out. Considering how his muscles were already aching, Caelan didn’t consider that to be too easy a task. “Mmpfh,” he responded, sweat beading on his forehead. He needed to start lifting weights or heavy pieces of metal from the scrapyard if he was going to survive this in the future.<br/><br/>Caelan leaned back until his shoulder blades pressed to Dusty’s chest. He concentrated on this challenge rather than the large hands grasping his hips. He did feel a certain sense of strength and comfort knowing Dusty was there to help should things go awry. “I’m gonna get this damn thing.” Caelan grunted, not sure if it was a promise to himself or a declaration to Dusty. Patience was not his strong suit, so it remained to be seen.<br/><br/>“No wonder you’re ripped.” He chuckled through a clenched jaw. “We may have to compare muscles after this.” Caelan might just take Dusty up on that swimming lesson. He’d need the cool down and these waters didn’t seem friendly enough for a quick dip. Especially not with those prickly Catfish.<br/><br/>Caelan continued beckoning the fish closer with Dusty’s encouragement. The reel slipped from his hand a couple of times, but Caelan managed to catch it before the thing had too much room to run. He gave slack and pulled it back, give and take, give and take. Caelan struggled with it for some time, but Dusty’s hands were always there, firmly gripping him. After a while, Caelan could tell that the fish was growing tired. Maybe he was regretting biting onto that shiny thing in the water. Caelan could only hope that this duel was worth it. He wanted to upstage Dusty’s catfish catch. He wanted to make him proud.<br/><br/>The blond stumbled backwards into Dusty as the fish broke the water’s surface. He maneuvered the rod as best he could, unceremoniously swinging the fish over and onto the floor of the boat. It laid calmly, it's tiny side fin flapping like a piece of paper in a gentle breeze. "What is it?” Caelan rasped, his hand gripping Dusty’s wrist behind him while he stared at the thing. It was mostly green from what he could tell, reminding him of the algae he had just picked from his hook. The fish was much larger than the catfish caught by Dusty, a fact that hadn't quite dawned on him yet. It looked like a plain ol' fish, but after Dusty's explanation of the outer anatomy of the catfish, Caelan wasn't eager to poke and prod.