A/N: RalphxJack. Rated R for sex + stuff.

Jack was crouched, obscured by the umbrella of a mossy tree.

"You look ridiculous."

He lurched at the very human noise, jumping to his feet and whirling around, spear at the ready. Through the evening forest darkness, he could see the outline of the blonde boy standing there, one arm stretched high, his fist clasped around a low-hanging branch. Jack distantly wondered how he had managed to retain as much of his clothing in the condition that he had. Substandard, but it was there. The boy with fiery red hair suddenly felt slightly embarrassed, for reasons he could not decipher, but countered the emotion with a pronounced swagger and two clipped words.

"So what?"

"The paint, the hunting, the….everything. It's. It's out of control."

Jack turned his chin upwards. It's to make you see that I'm important. Don't you see that? Can't you tell? "I think it's great."

"I don't. It's not human."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"It's unnatural."

"Unnatural? I didn't know you were like that, Ralph. "

He had not expected the boy to use his name directly, and Ralph nearly flushed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean. You're gonna get all mad about something just because you don't know anything about it." He grinned wickedly. "You've got to try everything once."

Ralph took a few cautious steps forward, wary of his surroundings, eyes still adjusting to the twilight. "Is that a challenge?"

Cocking one eyebrow, Jack seemed immensely pleased with himself. "Yeah. I guess it is."

Ralph crossed his arms over his chest, and with a sigh, murmured. "You don't really know what you're talking about."

Jack's eyes flashed for a mere fraction of a second, but Ralph, even in the shadows, saw it anyway. "I do."

"No- Jack, things are falling apart. Stop messing around and come back to-"

-Ralph stopped himself just before ending the sentence with "me." What a silly thing that would be to say–

"- join the rest of the boys."

Jack snorted. "No. Never!"

"Are you saying that you don't want to answer to your chief? To me?" Ralph was indignant.

"Yes!" Jack fumed. "Yes, I am."

Ralph balked, furious and embarrassed at the question of authority. "I was voted-"

"Yes, yes, we all know."

"No, you voted me! Why would you have chosen me if you didn't want to listen to me?"

Caught, Jack opened and shut his mouth several times, fighting for the proper words before turning away with a huff of annoyance.

"Get away, Ralph," he muttered, broodingly. "I don't want you here. Just get out"

Ralph stuffed his hands into his armpits, cross. "Don't lie. You're not very good at it."

Jack whirled around, eyes glinting with a low fury. "What makes you think that you know me at all?"

"I didn't say I did."

"Well, then. Stop acting like you do." he took a dangerous step forwards.

"Is that the best you've got?"

"Ha, ha!"

"What?"

"Ha!" the laughter was almost manic. "You wouldn't want to see the best I've got. Ha, ha…"

Ralph pursed his lips in annoyance. The humid island air was making him light-headed, fearless, and without realizing it, he was advancing slowly as well. "You sound like an idiot, that's what."

And Jack was suddenly very much not laughing. "Say that again to me, you disgusting-"

But Ralph didn't even let him finish. "You foul-"

"I ought to –"

"You're sick, Jack, you know that? No one else would pretend to be something they weren't."

"I am a hunter!" he nearly roared.

Ralph just rolled his eyes.

"I am!" Jack had gone stock-still, straining quietly with the effort of proving himself.

"No," Ralph shook his head, his voice low, eyes slit, "You're not. You're just a boy, just like the rest of us."

Jack turned a deep crimson. In the seconds that followed, all Ralph could see was a blur of color and flurry of movement as Jack threw his spear to the ground and charged at Ralph, breaking through the two mere feet that separated them. His hands grabbed the blonde boy around the torso, and threw him backwards. Hot sand seeped into the tears in the remains of Ralph's shirt, burning against his back as he slammed against the ground with a thud. Jack pinned him down with one hand, and brought the other back to throw a punch. But just as he did, Ralph caught Jack around the waist with his legs, tightly, flipping both their bodies over so that the redhead was now crushed underneath his weight.

Jack struggled and shouted, but his wrists were twisted and pinned below him. Ralph's eyes were boring into his, like beacons; like stars. Too bright. Ralph did not look cocky, nor smug; not pleased nor even aware of his small victory. His jaw was set, square and serious, and he shook his head slowly. "Stop it," he whispered, and the two syllables were intense enough to make Jack reluctantly swallow the last vestige of his rebellious spirit. His limbs went limp, as Ralph unexpectedly traced one hand along the scratch on Jack's cheek. Ralph leaned forward, hands resting on the warm ground on either side of Jack's neck, trapping him there. Jack opened his mouth to make a small noise that Ralph guessed was supposed to be of protestations, but he whispered another wry "Stop it,", softer this time, before pressing their lips together.

Jack tasted distinctly of salt. Ralph had only kissed one girl in his life, one year ago, fleetingly on a playground, and it was nothing like this. This was electric and messy; this was like high altitudes, like a secret you couldn't keep to yourself. This was unabashed want and a burning kind of embarrassment, all rolled into one. Hot against the small of his back slipped a pair of gritty hands, fingertips digging into the skin. Ralph made a soft, slight whimpering noise and he felt Jack smirk against his lips, before proceeding to slide their rough tongues together.

Teeth clashed, noses bumped. Momentarily, Ralph broke for air, but Jack yanked him back down again by the threadbare collar of his shirt, the smirk on his face now more pronounced than ever. Ralph's kisses trailed down his neck, along his jawline, and he nibbled at Jack's ear, making the redhead squirm; the twitch of surprise beneath him leaving Ralph feeling significantly more powerful than he'd thought it would. He employed the tactic once more, nipping at the tanned skin taut over Jack's visible collarbone. Having grown too thin since reaching the island, Ralph could feel ribs hard against his hands as he drew them around Jack's torso. The hot touch strayed downwards, across his nearly concave stomach, into jutting hipbones and lower, lower, until he felt-

Ralph flushed and jerked away slightly, astonished not at Jack's arousal but his seemingly unconcerned air on the matter of concealing it. Such a thing was 'shameful', a word oft spoken by his mother, and it seemed obvious that Jack, or any boy of a proper age, for that matter, should know this fact, too. Oddly enough, the thoughts did not strike him as ironic, considering the nature of the act proceeding between the pair.

And so this time, when Jack pushed both their bodies upwards with the force of two flat palms on Jack's chest; Ralph lost his footing and they tumbled backwards, rolling, the front regions of both their bodies colliding unceremoniously with one another. When the movement quelled, Ralph found himself on his back again, panting slightly, neck cramped against the roots of a thick tree. His face turned a deep crimson, and at once he felt foolish for having instigated such a situation. Opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, he could only manage a few weak words of half-hearted protestation, and the smile Jack was wearing clearly said No way out now!

Jack dropped to kiss him, and the force of the impact was strong enough to pull a soft groan from Ralph's throat, dying in the heated space where their lips were crushed together. When Jack began to pull at the cloth hanging, albeit loosely, off of Ralph's body, one hand straying, not without purpose, beneath the regions of Ralph's trousers, the fair-haired boy gasped slightly against his tongue and pulled away as best he could, tucking his head to the side.

"Jack, I don't think-"

"Oh, come on-"

"I'm sorry, I just-"

Jack dragged his index and middle fingers along the inside of Ralph's thigh. "You've got to try everything once." Their eyes locked, and for a minute Ralph wondered if he was drowning, suffocating, anything but this, because this simply couldn't be happening. Jack leered, craning forward so that his breath tickled mockingly against Ralph's neck. "You never said if you were up for the challenge."

Ralph's mouth was suddenly far too dry.

"I-"

"Yes or no. But if you don't want it now-"

Jack's fingertips seemed to brand him fiercely.

"-you'll never have it."

Ralph squirmed as Jack ran his tongue up his neck, and he shuddered slightly.

"It's a simple answer, Ralph." The redhead pulled backwards, hands now pressing against the lean stomach of the boy below him. His teeth were bared wide in a cunning, ferocious grin. "Well?" Jack's hips sidled forward, and the slight catch of friction made Ralph dizzy. Without hesitation, he spat out a breathless response.

"Yes."

Try everything once.

And before he could say or even think another word, Jack's hot mouth was upon him in an instant, as if he had been expecting it all along.

I can haz review?