Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

THE SUN BEAT DOWN hot and insistent as Ty jogged out for his next climb. He'd known it would be a muggy day, but with each passing qualifier climb, the heat seemed to press down harder on the climbing arena.

Ty tried to shake it off, but it left his hands sweaty no matter how much chalk he caked on. It had already cost him one slip he could have avoided. That wasn't too dire in the qualifier round, but if the weather kept up like this, semi-finals and finals would be brutal tomorrow.

Plus, the more Ty sweat, the less Lukas seemed impacted by the weather at all. Ty chanced a glance down the wall to find Lukas already ascending his final climb of the qualifiers.

Ty shook himself. He couldn't focus on any of this stuff. He was supposed to be lingering in last night's endorphins, buoyed through this round of the comp thanks to spending the day with Elijah. Even the memory flushed him with warmth, a different kind of heat than the persistent sun, one that simmered in Ty's chest like a candle placed beside his heart. Every time he remembered Elijah under him, following his lead, responding to Ty's every moan, that candle roared and threatened to flare out of control.

Unfortunately, that wasn't especially helpful right now, when Ty faced his third qualifier climb and needed to do a lot more than stare and daydream to get up it. Dynamic, powerful moves awaited him, which should have sent a zing of excitement right to the tips of Ty's fingers. But somehow today it didn't feel right; somehow that zing felt more like a tremble.

He'd been climbing and training for most of his life. Ty knew when something wasn't right. He just had to hope it was something minor and push past it, however. It was only the qualifiers. He should have been a shoo-in. Yet when he set his hands on the plastic starting holds, they might as well have been glass. His fingers tried to slip off before he even settled his feet. Ty had to lunge at the next move before he was ready, resulting in an awkward catch that sent him back to the mats.

He swore a murmur passed through the spectators behind him. Not as many people came to watch qualifiers. It was mostly the real hardcore fans, some locals who could easily catch both days, and people like coaches and training staff. Every single one of them would be expecting Ty to cruise a climb like this. Slips happened, but a climber at Ty's level should have exhibited more control on qualifier climbs.

Ty took a moment on the mats, chalking up slowly, drawing measured breaths like his coach had shown him. Mindset could be everything in climbing. It wasn't just how strong your muscles were; it was also how strong your mind was. Getting flustered, especially at a place like a competition, could turn the simplest moves into impossible challenges. Ty just had to calm down and get his head back into the moment. It was tough with the memory of last night competing with a vague sense of wrongness in Ty's mind, however.

He expelled a long, slow exhale, pushing out the stray thoughts along with it. Lukas was done. The spectators clapped as he strode off the stage. He'd probably gotten that last climb on his first attempt, positioning himself favorably for the semi-finals tomorrow. Being first didn't really matter at the moment, but Ty couldn't let himself fall too far behind Lukas. The lead would only widen with each round, until Ty had no hope of catching his competition when they reached the finals.

He shook out his arms and marched himself back to the climb awaiting him. This time, he set his hands on the starting hold far more deliberately. It still didn't feel as good as it should have, but Ty had a much firmer grasp this time when he set himself up for the first move.

He hit it easily, latching onto the next hold and getting his feet settled comfortably under him. The rest of the climb should have been simple. It was straightforward, at least, no clever tricks or sneaky moves. Ty just had to climb it. Easy.

That was the theory, anyway. In practice, Ty's arms shook when he attempted to push himself up toward the top of the wall. He forced himself on, despite the strain in his arms, but his hands slipped unexpectedly. He had only a split second to push himself away from the wall so he didn't hit the holds on the way down.

The crowd groaned behind him. They'd expected the slip about as little as Ty himself had.

He stood and shook his arms. Come on, just try hard. This climb should not have been this difficult. Everyone had their off days, though, and apparently this was one of Ty's. Hell of a time for his body to decide it didn't feel like working hard.

Ty tried several calming breaths. He couldn't waste too much time pouting on the mats. He hopped back on the climb, landing the first move and clambering back to where he'd just fallen. This time, Ty took it slower. His arms shook from the strain, but he didn't slip, eventually gaining a position from which he could actually grab the next hold .

He breathed a sigh of relief the moment he felt that hold. It was deeper than he expected, affording him a firm, easy grip. Ty hauled himself up the rest of the climb before his body could quit on him again, and waved at the crowd from the top.

Ty released the wall, letting himself fall back to the mats. Usually, it was an unremarkable trip back to the ground, but today Ty's stomach lurched in that moment of weightlessness between the wall and the mats. He shook it off when he jumped back to his feet, giving the crowd another wave as he jogged back into the isolation area.

Ty sank gratefully into a chair in the isolation area, immediately peeling off his shoes. Even in summer, Villars should have been at a high enough elevation to stay relatively cooler than many places, but sweat rolled down Ty's back as he slumped forward and caught his breath. His stomach was still twisting in on itself like he was in freefall. Ty hunched over, waiting for the discomfort to pass.

"Hey."

He jerked up far too abruptly at the sound of Elijah's voice. Concern twisted Elijah's face the moment Ty looked up at him.

"You feeling alright?" Elijah said. He crouched down before the chair where Ty sat.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Ty said. "It was just a tough climb."

"You don't really look fine," Elijah said .

He reached forward, as though to feel Ty's forehead, but Ty leaned out of his reach. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to climb?"

"Doesn't mean I can't worry about you first," Elijah said.

Ty wasn't sure whether to roll his eyes or smile. The concern was cute, but Elijah had his own comp to worry about. And Ty was surely just a little exhausted. He and Elijah had been skimping on the sleep a little bit, staying up too late to explore each other.

Worth it.

"For real," Ty said. "I'm probably just a little tired. Go worry about your own climbs."

Elijah looked like he wanted to protest, but the staff called for his group to get ready to go out and climb, and he had no choice but to head off. He shot Ty a grimace before he went, as though to say, Don't think you got out of this that easily.

Ty wished him good luck and watched him trot out onto the mats to attempt his climbs. Elijah couldn't afford a distraction right now. He was doing better in this qualifier round than he had in Seoul. He had a real shot at getting into the finals if he could just keep climbing the way he was today. But with how Lukas and some of the other top climbers were performing, he couldn't fuss over Ty if he was going to stay in contention tomorrow during semis.

Ty let himself hunch down again. He would wallow while Elijah was out on the wall, but the second he returned, Ty would act like he felt great even if it killed him. Elijah had to make this finals round. He just had to. If he fell short again, Ty feared he'd give up for good.

No way in hell was Ty going to help that happen by serving as a distraction when Elijah was poised for victory.

He forced himself up, despite the queasy lurch of his stomach from the sudden motion. Other climbers were filtering through the isolation area, staying warm, listening to music through headphones, chatting quietly with each other. Ty wove through them to find his bag of gear sitting on a different chair. Somewhere within it lay a water bottle, which he eagerly scooped out. He was tempted to press the bottle against his forehead, but that would do little but confirm his worst fears. He took a long drink instead, insisting he was fine — completely fine! — as the water cooled his whole body from the inside out.

Some part of him knew long before he set that water bottle back in his bag that he wasn't fine. Far from it. But that would just have to wait. He had two climbs left. Then he could crawl back into Elijah's bed and feel as miserable as he liked. At least until finals…

Shit. How was he going to perform in the semi-finals tomorrow if he was woozy from qualifiers? That climb he'd just completed should not have been that rough. It was like he couldn't access the power in his own muscles.

A cheer rose outside the isolation area. Someone must have gotten to the top of a climb. Ty both hoped it was Elijah and dreaded that possibility. If it was Elijah, that was great. He'd gotten another top in only a couple attempts. At the same time, that meant Elijah was on his way back, and he'd definitely notice Ty sweating and hunching over.

Ty forced himself to stand up normally just in time. Elijah jogged back into the isolation area, smiling with satisfaction. Ty couldn't help returning the gesture.

"Flash?" he said.

Elijah's smile spread. "Yeah. Got it on the first try. But you must have also. That climb was definitely your style."

He had to be talking about the one with the jump that Ty had just completed. "Actually, it took me a few attempts," Ty admitted.

Rather than looking triumphant, concern flooded back into Elijah's face. "Really?"

Ty shrugged. "Yeah. Just dumb mistakes. It happens."

Elijah's brows knit more closely together. He lowered his voice and peered at Ty more closely. "If I flashed that, there's no way you shouldn't have, too."

Ty patted Elijah's shoulder. "Relax, man. It happens. Everyone slips sometimes."

"Yes, but…"

"Chill," Ty cut in. "Worry about your own climbs, alright? I'm f—"

The nausea hit him mid-word, a baseball bat to the stomach. Ty slapped a hand over his mouth and ran for the nearest trash can. He barely made it there before the entire contents of his stomach clogged his throat.

Elijah was there instantly, rubbing a hand on Ty's back and making sure his hair didn't droop into the muck. When Ty's stomach had emptied itself entirely, Elijah produced some paper towels and water.

"I don't think you're fine, Ty," Elijah said.

Event staff was already moving in, first aid kits in tow. Elijah held up a hand and relayed the past few moments of vomiting for the nodding medics. Then someone was softly encouraging Ty to gather up his things and follow them to the medical tent.

"But the comp…" he attempted.

Elijah stroked a thumb along Ty's cheek. "I think your comp is done for today," he said. "Sorry, Ty. Whatever you caught is pretty nasty. You could get everyone else sick by staying here, not to mention that you're in no state to keep climbing."

"But…" Even when he attempted to argue, his stomach flipped as though to remind him that he wasn't getting anywhere near a climbing wall for the rest of the day. "Shit."

Elijah's concern softened to pity. "Sorry, Ty. It's just one comp, though, right? Rest up. You'll be back out there soon."

"What about you?" Ty said.

"I'll come find you as soon as I finish my climbs. If your stomach is feeling better, we can watch the finals together tomorrow. Or we'll just stay in the room and I'll bring you soup and ginger ale all day. Whatever feels better. Don't worry about me, though. Just go with them and get some medicine."

Ty wanted to protest. Elijah should be in the finals if he kept climbing well this round. There was no way Ty would let him miss his chance just to take care of him while he puked into a hotel toilet.

But his body was weak and shivery from vomiting and the medical staff were urging him to follow them.

"You better crush the rest of those climbs then," Ty said before they dragged him gently away.