Patchy filtered light streamed through the dusty old window, warming the skin on Jeremy's back. He gingerly rubbed his eyes, stirring. For a brief moment he was confused, before remembering the day prior, the pieces clicking together in his mind. Oh. Big oh. Mundy's chest beneath him fell and rose softly, making a slight wheeze with every breath. Jeremy slid to his side, to not deny him of anymore air than he already had. "Mornin roo." His husky voice vibrated in his ear. "Wassup?" Mundy's face contorted to confusion, before grunting out a vaguely amused tone. Instead of answering he opted to encase Jeremy in his arms and turn over to the side to face him. Meeting face to face, his pupils dilating like a kitten in a box. "Quit looking at me like that, it's weird." Jeremy smacked a hand over the staring man's face. "I'm sorry your highness, could you forgive a peasant like me?" He roosed, muffled. "How can you be so annoying all the time?" "I'll take that as a yes." Mundy kissed the hand residing on his face, which then flicked him on the forehead in retaliation. Jeremy made moves to get up but seeing as he was bundled up like a burrito and with Mundy's legs and arms around him, he didn't get very far. "Stay please? Mundy tried to give him his best puppy dog eyes but ended up looking more like he had walked into Demo's latest airborne sulfur bomb. "Only if you quit being an ass." Jeremy yielded, producing yet another smirk from Mundy. "I don't wanna hear it!" He snapped, seeing Mundy open his pie whole. Crawling back into his open arms, he grumbled. "I thought I'd be the needy one." Mundy littered him with kisses, making Jeremy blush, finding the gesture wholly unnecessary even though sweet. Through his torn wife-beater he could feel the keloids crossing his from his pectorals to his navel, as Medic would say. Turning over he was met with multiple of the pink scars, forming a neat y-shaped scar. "Can I?" Jeremy felt rude for staring, but his curiosity outweighed it. Mundy pulled his hand to rest on his scars, guiding Jeremy's fingers over the tissue. The scars, reflecting that of autopsies, laid beautifully on his chest, even if they were the handiwork of a mad "doctor". "Like em?" He asked Jeremy, who captively nodded. He ran his hand gently across the neat rows, finally appeasing the urge he'd had ever since he first saw them. Along with the y, a few smaller unstitched scars laid about. His fingers lingered around a particularly odd bite mark. "What happened?" "Drop bear attack. Got me while waiting for a target, and while I was fighting it off, the bloke drove away! My client was hardly pleased. Lost a fortune on that one." Jeremy shuddered, imagining whatever a drop bear could be. "What about that one?" He pointed towards a three-pointed scratch, faint and warped. "Cassowary attack." "Casserole?" "Nah, big scary ass bird really. I heard it before I saw it, if I ever hear that again I'm running this time. Thought it was a boar at first, before the damn thing tried to kill me." He went on to explain the stories behind each scar, from the average croc to the far-out cryptid tales. When he ran out of stories to tell on his chest, he flipped to his back. Between his shoulder blades was a painful, almost excrescence like mark, front and center. Jeremy didn't dare touch it, knowing how it came to be. Instead, he gently circled the skin around the cleaved flesh, mindful of keeping his fingers a good distance away. Kneading slowly, he felt the muscles relax underneath Mundy's tan skin. Gradually he worked his way down, making sure he didn't hurt his back. Once he was satisfied, he scooted closer, pressing his stomach against his back. His forehead reached to Mundy's nape, and his hands snaked their way under his arms, wrapping around his torso. "Why do you say you hate me so much, then do stuff like this?" Of course, Mundy had to ruin the moment. "Cause you're an ass, but...you're my ass." Jeremy whispered into him. "I love you too." Eventually their shared breathing stilled, only resparking into wakefulness much later. This time their waking wasn't so gentle, with the hot noon sun blaring down on them. Mundy furrowed his brow. Thank God it was April. He huffed. Earlier he hadn't wanted to get out of bed, but now, he wanted anything but that. Slowly he slid out of the sheets, trying not to wake his new-found love, which was unsuccessful. "I'm melting!" Jeremy stretched out, using the vacant space to get limber and roll about. He ended up posed like an underwear ad, trying to look sexy but ended up looking more tired than anything. He yawned and fell back onto the bed. "What's on today's agenda?" he asked, following Mundy's half-dressed form with his eyes. "We're going to my mate's store!" Mundy said with a pleased smirk. "We need more food... and I also haven't seen him in a while." He grinned. "Oh, sweet!" Jeremy rolled out of bed and made his way to his suitcase, packed high with his wardrobe. After finding an outfit and some refreshments to their appearances, they were off. "How far is this guy?" "A decent drive, maybe 35 minutes? If I speed, we'll be there in 25 though." Alright. So, uh, what's this guy like?" "He's probably the only other aussie that's ever shown me human kindness, so pretty good bloke I'd say." The van streamed past trees and temperate desert, kicking up dust. Their chatter went on till they reached a sort of clearing near the road, housing a dilapidated old shack in the middle. Stepping out of the van, Mundy shielded his eyes. He approached the door, knocked before stepping inside the seemingly empty shop. He motioned for Jeremy to follow. From the dark, dusty shelves materialized, still stocked with goods. "Barney?" THWACK! "Ow!" A man struck Mundy with a wooden oar in the face. "Holy Dooley! Mundy? Is that you-I'm sorry mate-" The strange man pulled Mundy up, still clutching his nose, which appeared to be bleeding. "Nice to see you too, Barn." He said nasally. "I'm real sorry, I thought you were a looter!" he offered him a rumpled tissue from his pocket for his nose, in which he noticed the man hiding behind him. "Who's this?" "I was gonna introduce you, before you hit me in the face! Why were the lights off in the first place?" Barney looked guilty and grimaced. "I'll take that as a "I forgot to pay the power bill". Mundy sighed and let Jeremy take his place in the conversation. "I'm Jeremy, nice to meet you, Barney." The older man shook his hand and smiled. "You American, mate?" "Yup, Bostonian. Do you own this shop?" "Hardly." Mundy answered for him. Barney gave him the stink eye. "What kind of stuff do you sell?" Jeremy asked, interrupting the aggressive eye fight. Barney's eyes softened when they shifted back to Jeremy. "Well...basically everything. Supplies, ammo, food..." Jeremy's interest peaked at the mention of food. Barney, seeing a new customer brewing, led him away for a tour. Mundy was left with a lot of questions, primarily about Barney's situation. Since when had he gotten so old looking? The gray around his hair stood out like a shag in the sea, making him look twenty years older. At least he still seemed the same personality-wise, annoying as ever. The other two were becoming fast friends, connecting over their shared mild hatred of how annoying Mundy could get, Scout's grocery basket progressively getting fuller by the minute. "Can you afford that mate?" Barney asked, pointing towards the overflowing basket. "Can I tell you a secret?" Barney nodded. "We don't look like rich folks, but we sorta are." He motioned over to Mundy, who was minding his annoyed business in the practical section. "he's got the lot of it, but he hates the fact." Barney looked surprised. "Then I hope to God I'm on his inheritance." They shared a laugh, spiraling into a friendly interrogation on how they acquired the wealth. When the shoppers both had collected what they wanted, they went to pay. "Still a penny-pincher?" Barney motioned to Mundy's basket, barely lined to the bottom with ammo and other odd bits and pieces, obviously trying to save money, with was completely unnecessary. "Still trying to hustle?" Mundy competitively smirked, or better scowled at him. When he wasn't looking, Jeremy slipped a couple extra hundred dollars in his pay with an empathetic wink. Jeremy eventually had to drag Mundy away, trying to argue over an old grudge. Once they were back in the van "What's your problem with Barney? He seems like a pretty cool guy to me." "If you knew him like I did, you want to kill him to. Just got a little reminder of how much he pissed me off." Jeremy rolled his eyes, but inside he was happy, partly with his purchases and with meeting Barney.
AN: I really had fun writing this chapter, and yes Barney Calhoun C: Please give me criticism! I beg thee! Listen to Wayne newton's Danke Schoen btw. And I know updating's been a little slow recently, but I promise more is coming! Also scouts a bit of a tsundere lol
Scunt: I try to make it as natural as possible, thank you for the reassurance!