Disclaimer: I don't own this, and I wrote the last bit after I watched Brokeback Mountain, nuff said.
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The party raged on in Roger's absence. With Ralph joining in, that only further made it seem like he was joining their tribe. Jack led him around the circle, and the other boys followed. Jack would raise his spear in the air yelling and yipping in triumph, and the other boys would mimic.
Ralph wasn't sure how long that went on, but it seemed to last for hours.
The fire died down with the boys' energy. Many began to sit out and watch the others, until it was only Jack and Ralph left. Both boys were tired, but something about the fire still going felt the need to dance more. Dance until the fire was gone.
The other boys watched, growing even more tired, but unable to look away, unable to sleep.
It was Eric to speak and throw everyone from the trance. "Where's Roger?"
Jack stopped and looked at the shaded, masked faces of the boys. He knew every mask by heart, even if many of the boys changed them. To him, the masks were who those boys were. For some reason, panic surged his body for a brief moment. It wasn't with worry, but dread. Roger's planning something, Jack thought. We have to stop him.
He realized how ridiculous that sounded. Roger had always been there with him. Roger would do anything Jack said, and take the blame like it was his own idea. He had nothing to fear.
Ralph stopped behind Jack, and felt dread too. But Ralph's was more obvious. He knew Roger disliked him, and wherever Roger could be, he could be plotting, angry at something.
A light rain began to fall.
"He's probably gone to bed, as you should." Jack said, sounding confident.
None of the boys groaned at being told to go to bed. They were too tired. Many of the boys just laid where they were. The rain was cool, and it wasn't raining hard enough yet to make them run for cover.
Jack grinned, picked up a stick from the fire, which was still burning and held the pig skin door of his cave open for Ralph, who crawled in. Jack took one last look around at the masked hunters, before he crawled in after Ralph.
Eric stayed up. Roger didn't go to sleep, and he knew that. It was too dark out to go find him, the beast, though he himself didn't believe in it, could be out there. Eric laid down next to Sam, facing away from him, their backs touching.
Sam smiled.
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Ralph laid down as soon as he got to his side of the cave. Jack however, stretched, and lit his fire, winding down from a long, glorious night.
"This cave is kinda cold." Jack said.
"I guess." Ralph answered, eyes closing.
Jack looked at the smaller body. "You can have some of this, if you want."
Ralph opened his eyes to see what Jack had been talking about, but Jack hadn't moved. He stayed, looking down at Ralph.
"Some of what?"
Jack sat down and said, "Some pig skin... to sleep on"
He was sitting on the pig skin, Ralph noticed but he crawled over anyway. Jack hardly moved.
"How can I have them if you won't get off them."
Jack grinned. "Well I'm not ruining my bed for you. If you want them, sleep on that side."
Ralph forced a frown as he sat down next to Jack. Jack looked into the fire, smiling. The fire's light danced around his tanned body and painted face, he looked even more attractive. Ralph looked away.
"Why don't you want to be a hunter, Ralph?"
Ralph looked back up at Jack. Jack still looked to the fire, avoiding eye contact. "I dunno." Ralph answered simply. "I guess it's cause I don't think I could actually hurt a pig."
"It's not all that bad."
"You like it."
"I like to feed my people." Jack said, firmly.
"You like the pig's blood on your hands."
Jack frowned deeply; it was true; he liked to kill the pigs. He liked how the blood was warm and how it felt over his hands. He liked being in control. He liked deciding which pig lived and which got eaten.
When Jack didn't answer Ralph laid down. It was big enough for him to stretch out, and he smiled. Beside him, he felt Jack lay down too, both boys looked up, to the top of the cave in silence.
After what seemed like hours, Jack said, "You don't have to kill a pig."
Ralph sighed and rolled to his side, facing away from Jack. "Why are you pushing it?"
Jack's voice got quieter. "You're strong. You could be a boxer, if you wanted. If you went hunting you'd only get stronger and faster."
"So what if I don't want to get strong and faster?"
"You'll always be prey." Jack rolled over too, facing away from Ralph. Neither boy said anything else, but it was a while longer until the both actually fell asleep.
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Eric was worried. Roger, though he was the type to run off and hide by himself, never did it when he could use Jack for company. Eric frowned. He'd always be a plaything to Roger. He was always was what Roger wanted him to be. If Roger wanted a friend, Eric would be his friend. If Roger wanted to hurt somebody, Eric would silently volunteer.
It didn't matter what Roger wanted. Eric would give him anything from a comforting word, to a kiss. Eric blushed in the darkness.
Sam was shaking. Eric felt his twin through his back. He couldn't say he enjoyed it. The shaking was what was keeping him awake. Every time Eric tried to move away from Sam, Sam would only move with him.
Eric wanted his own identity to all the boys, like he had with Roger. He didn't want them all to treat him like Roger, because he wouldn't stand for that. He would fight back against any other boy on the island.
Why couldn't he fight back against Roger?
Eric sighed and rolled over, facing Sam. Sam twitched slightly, from the body heat leaving him, but he didn't move toward Eric.
Eric didn't fight back, because he couldn't. There was no way Eric could out smart or out beat Roger. Roger knew every way to make Eric melt; he knew every way to stop the twin in his tracts, whether it was beating, or kissing, or something else.
As Eric finally drifted into sleep, he knew that someone else had to take care of Roger, because Eric would stay by his side. He would find Roger tomorrow morning and he'd never leave him.
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Ralph awoke feeling warm. He grinned and sighed, nuzzling into Jack's bed. It wasn't until he heard a small noise of protest from Jack, that he realized how they were laying.
Ralph hadn't moved, but Jack had faced Ralph, draped his arm over Ralph's stomach, and pulled his back to Jack's chest. Ralph didn't know what to think. With the protest, Jack had moved even closer to Ralph, and moved his arm so his hand was touching Ralph's chest.
Ralph's heart began to race. He tried to calm himself down, because Jack could probably feel his pulse.
As Jack fell back into a peaceful slumber, Ralph began to calm down. It's not that he minded what Jack was doing, he just didn't know if Jack knew. He was probably just cold… yes, that's it. Jack's cold. He doesn't know what he's doing.
Ralph didn't know what time it was. He didn't hear anything, besides their fire, which was almost dead, and the light rain picking up outside. Ralph closed his eyes. He was still sort of tired. He was sure he could fall asleep again. Yes, definitely.
Ralph traced up Jack's arm, from his elbow, which was resting on the ground, to Jack's hand that was on his chest. He placed his hand over it and Jack's fingers spread, letting room for Ralph's in between.
Ralph grinned, laced their fingers, and fell back to sleep.
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The boys outside awoke with the increasingly heavy rain. They had a cave, down the mountain a short ways walk. They quickly ran down there, before they got too wet, and too sick. The rain started coming down heavier, and from the look at the sky, it wasn't going to stop soon.
The rain didn't wake up Eric. Rain always seemed to clean him, to wash away his sins and make him feel human again. His mask was slowly washing off, as with the rest of the boys. What awoke the boy, was his twin shaking him.
"Eric, wake up! If we don't get down to the caves, we'll get sick."
Eric stood up, they were the only two left outside Jack's cave. "Why don't we just go in there?"
"And disturb the Chief?" Sam sounded shocked. "You'll wake him. He'll get angry. He'll send someone to beat you."
Eric grinned. Roger would beat him.
Sam frowned. "Don't waste your time. Jack doesn't know where Roger is."
Eric shot a look at his twin, who held his gaze. Both boys were obviously angry, and a streak of lightning came down just then, lighting up both of their half painted, almost identical faces.
With the thunder that followed the lightning, both boys ran off in direction of the cave for shelter. They weren't scared of the lightning, but the thunder sounded louder than normal. The beast could have growled just then.
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Jack awoke to the sound of thunder as it echoed off the walls. He grumbled and kept his eyes closed. He wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, but he had been having the most wonderful dream.
He couldn't remember exactly what it had been about, he remembered a fire and dancing, and Ralph was there. He smiled in the darkness of the cave. Ralph was dancing with him. Ralph had joined the hunters. Ralph had chosen to stay with Jack.
Jack took in a deep breath. It even smelled like Ralph. Jack opened his eyes and blinked, trying to get an idea about what time it was. It was dark, from the storm, and the fire was just embers. He would have to blow on it quickly, to start again.
However, right in front of him, was something tanned that he wasn't use to seeing. It wasn't until he tried to move his hands that he realized where they were. He blushed and quickly tried to untangle his hand from Ralph's.
'Be careful, Jack. You fool. You're lucky Ralph didn't wake up. Who would respect a chief that liked other boys?' A strange voice in his head said. He sat up and leaned over Ralph.
Ralph was holding his hand back. "How am I suppose to get out without waking him?" Jack said out loud.
'Don't wake him. If you wake him, he'll know you like him. He'll know everything about you, Jackie. Every secret desire you have for him. Be cautious. Don't let him know.'
Ralph stirred. He let go of Jack's hand to rub his eyes, and Jack quickly pulled his hand away, rubbing it, like it was asleep.
Ralph sat up. "Wha's that noise?"
"Just a storm." Jack hadn't even heard the other clasp of thunder over his own heart.
"Oh." Ralph yawned and held his hands over the few embers that was once their fire.
Jack leaned over and blew on them lightly, trying to get them to start up again. After a few seconds, he got a flame and put some dry leaves they had in the cave on it.
Ralph was grinning. "You're so good at this stuff."
"What stuff?" Jack felt himself blush.
"Everything. You're good at hunting and making fires and leading the boys. You're a natural."
Jack looked at Ralph. This wasn't fair. Ralph knew. Jack could tell by the goofy look on the other boy's face. It was mocking him. It was yelling at him, 'He knows what you want, Jack. And that's something he's not going to give you.'
Ralph looked at Jack and smiled. He reached out his hand and brushed some hair from Jack's face, taking off some of the white clay as he did so.
'You want him, and he's not going to just give it to you, you have to take it.'
Jack looked over Ralph. He was still smiling. He looked tired, but he was smiling. He knew. Now all he was going to tell all the hunters. 'Look it here. Your chief likes boys.'
'Take it, Jack. Take what you want.'
"No." Jack found himself whispering.
Ralph looked confused. "Jack?"
'Take it!'
Ralph had barely gotten the word from his mouth before the hunter had the younger boy by the shoulders and was wrestling him down. "Jack?" The voice was distant, even to Ralph, as the two rolled around for dominance. Jack won, and pinned Ralph down before he leaned over and kissed the younger boy.
It was clumsy, with awkward hands exploring each other's faces and backs. Ralph struggled underneath Jack, and finally got the stronger boy around, on his back, with Ralph on top, and kissing and exploring continued as the storm raged on inside both of them.