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Title: Didja' Touch 'Im?
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.
But Jack did come back. After a week, just as promised. He had a tired look in his eyes, the spark of happiness that was always there was gone. The girls clung to him, one on each side, until they saw their father, waiting for them outside, dressed in some of his own clothing. They ran to him and wrapped thin arms around him, fabric from their sweaters making his neck itch. He smiled at Jack, and rubbed their backs, happy to finally have his family back. A nurse helped Jack get Ennis into the car, he didn't need much help because there was a stiff cast around his torso so the bullet wound wouldn't be jostled, but she said it was "hospital policy".
The girls jabbered with Ennis the whole way back, they couldn't get enough of him. One might think they hadn't seen him in years. His and Jack's hands rested, interlaced, on the seat between them. Every ten seconds, or so, he would pet Jack's hand with his thumb, and Jack would respond with a light squeeze.
When they got home, the girls wanted only to spend time with their father. Jack knew it was a private thing, so he went to the truck to get the supplies the hospital had given him, then started to make dinner. They had wanted something fancy-ish for Ennis' return home, but then, Jack figured Ennis was never much of a fancy man, and it only would have made him uncomfortable. So they had spaghetti.
After they ate, quickly, they all went back to the living room, where Ennis reclined onto Jack, both of them on the couch. Jack's arm wrapped protectively around Ennis' torso, and the girls seemed to take no notice. "School starts up, soon, Daddy. How're me 'n' Francine gonna get there?" Junior's face took on a look of true concern for the first time that night.
"That's a toughy. Maybe Jack cain drive yeh out there on his way to work?" He looked cautiously at Jack, not wanting to offer the man's services if they weren't there to be given. Jack nodded happily, anything to make them more of a family, and the school wasn't too far out of his way, they would just have to get up early.
"Yeh girls'll have ta get up around five, every mornin' though."
"That's ok."
Ennis yawned and leaned his head back against Jack's shoulder, tired from a day of excitement, no doubt. Junior frowned, "Yer tired already, Daddy? S'only ten o' clock."
"Get tired real early honey, m'sorry."
Jack rubbed Ennis' upper arm, "S'ok, ain't it, Junior? I'm gonna take Ennis ta bed."
He rose slowly, gently pushing the man off him. He then took Ennis' hand and led him to the bedroom, the girls calling their goodnights down the hallway.
Ennis plopped on the bed and rubbed the back of his neck, watched Jack close the door quietly. "What happened with Monroe?"
They had both known this would be their conversation as soon as the girls were out of ear shot. Jack didn't look at all shocked by the confrontation. He climbed behind Ennis, straddled him, both their legs hanging off the edge of the bed, then reached his hands around and started unbuttoning the man's shirt. His hands ran over a smooth, plastic cast as the shirt fell loosely open, and he eventually stripped it off of Ennis.
"Is yer back itchy?"
"Yeah..." Ennis heard Velcro being undone, and the cast fell onto his lap. It felt so good to have that damn thing off, but he knew it wouldn't be for long. Short fingernails grazed sensitive skin, sending tingles up his spine. "So...what happened with Monroe...that's a doozy, that one." Jack voice was deep and angered, but his hand stayed steady and soft on Ennis' back. "I was goin' a take care of 'im a couple days after we came an' saw yeh, the girls were goin' over ta a friend's party. So, I headed on over ta his place, and yeh know my luck-"
"Jack, what happened?" Ennis sounded scared. He wasn't sure where Jack's story was going, but he sure didn't like the sound of it.
"It's ok, I mean, I didn't get hurt er nothin', but Monroe...Ennis, the man up an' killed 'imself. Lef' a note sayin' me er you woulda done it anyway, he didn' want us ta have the pleasure. It was...he didn' do it clean."
"Didja touch 'im?" Ennis may not have been the sharpest pencil in the box, but he knew that touching a dead person would mean bad news when someone with a badge found said person.
"Naw," Jack's fingers worked their way around the square patch of gauze that was taped tightly over the exit wound. "I just turned around an' lef'. No point in stayin'."
"No, I guess not." Ennis nodded in agreement, then turned around, putting his hand on the back of Jack's neck. "C'm 'ere." He pulled Jack in and kissed him, eventually rolling over to lie on top on the man, heard his cast clatter to the floor. Ignored it. He continued to kiss Jack as he reached his hand down to tug a denim shirt out of jeans. He unbuttoned it slowly, playing with the hair just about Jack's waist band. Jack's back arched, it had been so long; too long. His breath came in short bursts, as his lips searched for Ennis'.
Ennis pushed Jack's shirt further off of him, and then bent down to put his face on Jack's chest. He looked down to where his hand played with jeans, a buckle in his way of undoing them. "Ennis, Ennis, what're yeh doin', tryin' a gimme a heart attack?"
"Wha?"
Jack grabbed Ennis' face, pulled him back for one more, quick kiss then started to pull off his pants. "C'mon cowboy, it's been months."
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Ennis woke the next morning, naked, clothes everywhere. Jack was sitting on the edge of the unmade bed, naked, as well, head in his hands. Ennis turned over, groaning, his abs hurt something fierce; though, considering last night, that couldn't be anything to how Jack's ass felt. "Jack," he whispered quietly, felt something dribble out of his mouth. He figured it was drool, so he tried to suck it back, but when he did, it came with a sticky, metallic taste.
"Ennis," Jack turned and dropped next to him, half lying on the bed, half sitting on it. "Oh, yer ok. Thank God. I woke up this mornin', and I remembered, yer supposed keep that thin' on all the time!" He pointed at the cast, and Ennis realized the man's eyes were red from crying.
"It's ok Jack, we'll jus' make sure I have it on from here on out, ok?" He grabbed Jack's hand, swallowed some more blood and realized he couldn't keep doing that. It would make him to sick. He got up, pulled on a pair of shorts and padded barefoot to the bathroom. The girls would still be asleep, it was four o' clock in the morning. How Jack still woke up so early, no one would know.
Ennis spat into the sink for a total of ten minutes before the blood stopped coming. He rinsed his mouth out and slunk back to the bedroom quietly. Jack was lying back down in the bed, quilt at his feet, but the sheets wrapped tightly around him. Ennis laid down, slipping under the white sheet. He tucked an arm around either side of his man, and whispered: "Now, where were we?"
A/N: I felt bad for givin' ya'll such a short chapter last time, so I made this one the longest of the bunch. I would have had it up sooner, but was bein' wonky. Hope you enjoyed it :D