For the Ones Still Waiting to Be Heard”
by
- My Little Road Trip
- Vagabond Tracks
- Camp Pride: The Outreach Tour
Joshua and Colin built Camp Pride—a place where LGBTQ+ youth could breathe, belong, and finally be seen.
But not every child can make it to camp. In small towns across Virginia, there are kids still waiting. Still hiding. Still wondering if anyone will ever come looking for them.
So Joshua does what he’s always done when the world falls short. He builds a way forward.
With his Outreach Playbook in hand—a blueprint born of experience, compassion, and hard-earned truth—he and Colin take Camp Pride on the road. Alongside David and Nate Gardener-Reese, Trent Peterson, and Alex Mayfield, they set out across sixteen days and six rural towns, carrying more than supplies.
They carry hope.
But what they find will test all of them.
Young people holding their breath. Parents caught between fear and love. Communities where a single conversation can feel like a line drawn in the sand. And not everyone wants them there.
There are still voices raised in anger. Doors that close before they can knock. Moments where showing up doesn’t just take courage—it carries risk.
And beneath it all, a quiet, unrelenting question: Can you change a life… just by showing up?
For Colin, the journey becomes something else entirely. Because he’s learned—again and again—that love doesn’t always save people. And this time, he may have to face what that really means.
Some journeys are measured in miles. This one is measured in courage… in connection… in the fragile, stubborn belief that someone, somewhere, will finally say: You matter. We hear you. Hold on. We're coming!
Illustrators:
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: M-M
Heat Level: 4
Romantic Content: 4
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay, Lesbian
Protagonist 1 Age: 36-45
Protagonist 2 Age: 36-45
Word Count: 72804
Setting: Six towns in the State of Virginia
Languages Available: English
What if he opened another door and was too late again?
He inhaled deeply, hearing the tremor in his breath, feeling his heart quake inside him. He felt the warmth of Joshua’s body next to him and leaned toward it, his forehead light against Joshua’s back. Barely touching. Not wanting to wake him.
But Joshua felt it anyway. Not his touch–his need. He turned in bed, easing closer to Colin until their bodies touched down their entire length. “Sweetie?” he whispered. “Talk to me.”
“Don’t want to start a 2 a.m. session,” Colin murmured, nuzzling against Joshua’s cheek. “I’m OK.”
READ MORE“Just take a deep breath and tell me what you were thinking about ten seconds ago, and let the guy with two PhD’s in psychology tell you if you’re OK.”
Colin gave a deep sigh.
“Right. Now tell me.”
“About opening that fucking door. That’s what I always end up thinking about.”
Joshua nodded, his hand moving in a slow circle on Colin’s back. “My darling, I wish to god there was something I could say or do to remove that horrid memory from your mind. But I promise you this. I will give everything I have to give to be sure no child we come into contact with ever makes that choice, or even thinks about it.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I can’t promise the outcome. No. But I can promise you my whole heart and soul will go into the effort. That I can promise. That I do promise.”
Colin was quiet for a long moment, his face pressed against Joshua’s shoulder. Then he whispered, “I know you will.”
“We’ll do this together,” Joshua murmured. “Every step. Every town. Every kid who needs us. Together.”
“Together,” Colin echoed, and felt something in his chest loosen just slightly.
He couldn’t save Kathy. He’d opened that door twenty-three years too late, and nothing—not all the therapy in the world, not all of Joshua’s love, not all the kids they might help in Farmville or Wise or anywhere else—would ever change that.
But maybe that wasn’t the point.
Maybe the point was showing up anyway. Opening doors while there was still time. Being present for the kids who were still here, still fighting, still hoping someone would see them.
We can plant the seeds.
Colin pulled back just enough to meet Joshua’s eyes in the darkness. “Two weeks,” he said quietly. “Mid-June ’til July.”
Joshua’s hand came up to cup his face. “Two weeks.”
“And then we come home and figure out what comes next.”
“And then we come home,” Joshua agreed.
Colin nodded once, then settled back against his husband’s chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The fear was still there—probably always would be—but so was something else now. Something that felt almost like peace.
They couldn’t save everyone. But they could show up. They could try. They make a beginning.
For Kathy. For Kyle’s student. For all the kids still standing in hallways, still trying to decide if anyone would care if they opened that door.
We’re coming, Colin thought as sleep finally began to pull him under. Just hold on. We’re coming.
COLLAPSE
