Disclaimer: Not mine. Warning: Subtle romance. Okay, maybe none at all. Enjoy!
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Jack kneeled beside Ennis who was lying helplessly on the tent's floor. Jack lowered his face close to Ennis, he wanted to be as close to Ennis as he could and Ennis appreciated this very much.
In the already cramped place, Grimm soaked an end of a rolled-up rag with gasoline.
He turned around to look at Ennis. The rag still in his hand.
Ennis looked at Grimm. His eyes focused on the gasoline-soaked rag in Grimm's hand.
Jack looked at Ennis. He grasped one of Ennis' hands to comfort the man.
"Jack, do you mind giving Ennis your belt?"
"Why?" growled Ennis. He was turning pale. The wound was still bleeding.
"In case you screamed. Again."
"No one's gonner scream… this time…" Ennis stated in short breathes. His vision is getting blur. He did not know how much blood has he lost and how much his brain is lacking of oxygen.
"If you won't scream, then I will. But one screaming man is enough for tonight" Grimm folded the belt Jack gave him and stuffed it into Ennis' mouth. Ennis grunted in disapproval but Grimm ignored him.
"Jack, I need your help…" Grimm told Jack.
"Sure, What am I ta do?"
"Be beside the man. Distract him."
Ennis heard the word 'distract'. That doesn't sound good. "Haf yeh ever… done this ter… anyone?" Ennis said with a stuffed mouth and looked at Grimm. Jack had a small wet towel on Ennis' forehead to cool him down.
Grimm mulled over the question.
"You're my first patient."
"Ah… Shit…"
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"Now, Ennis. Calm down. I'm gonna stuff the soaked end at your wound. I will burn the rag so that when it ends… your skin will be attached quickly and so stops your bleeding." Grimm explained briefly.
"Say what? Burn?" Jack looked up at Grimm in disbelief.
"Well, if you say it on a happier note, it won't sound as bad,"
"Yeh crazy, yeh lil' piece a shit! Ya'll kill him!" Jack bellowed.
"Trust me, please."
Jack glared at Grimm one last time before he looked back at Ennis.
"It's goin' ta be alright… Alright, En…" Jack whispered close to Ennis' ear. Ennis shuddered at his words but he only leaned closer to Jack, to feel and smell Jack.
Jack's hand clutched around Ennis hand and Ennis clutched it back. Their fingers entangled in one. Grimm put the gasoline-soaked end of the rag at Ennis' wound. He lit Jack's lighter on the other free end and let it get engulfed in small red blaze. Ennis looked on in horror at the sight.
Jack's other hand reached for Ennis' cheek, gently forcing him to look directly at Jack's face. "Ennis, En, look at me… don't look there. Look at me… En…" Ennis' tears were about to escape when he looked at the sad blue eyes. He wasn't going to cry, not now, not in front of Jack. Jack does not need to see him suffering now.
The fire had eaten almost a quarter of the rag.
"En… remembered the time when we were sheepherdin'? Yeh liked the nature, En… We always had beans fer dinner…" Jack's words shook a little bit from fear and so is Ennis' whole body. He was trying o focus on Jack. Damn, he was in a total mess now.
"En… yeh were always complainin' about beanfarts ev'ry night… We always looked at the stupid sheep ev'ry day…"
Half of the rag was engulfed in fire. Ennis could feel slight heat but Ennis laughed small from what Jack said.
Jack's mouth curved upwards into a little tired and relieved smile. He joined the short laughter too.
"En… remember Brokeback Mountain? Got us good, En… Got us good… En… the days here were so beautiful…"
The fire was just a few inches from the wound.
Jack was now trying hard to distract Ennis from the upcoming pain he will have in a few seconds.
"And they are still beautiful now, ain't that right, En…?"
Ennis did not answer but he grunted loudly from the hot pain when the gasoline-soaked end of the rag caught fire.
"ARRGH!" Ennis bit hard on the belt stuffed in his mouth. It was lucky that the belt was there. Ennis looked into Jack's eyes who was ever faithful beside him. Jack had his other free hand on Ennis' coarse face, trying to calm him down. Jack leaned closer and tried to hush Ennis. Ennis' hand was digging deep into Jack's palm where Jack accepted it without protest. He let Ennis released all the pain and at the same time trying to soothe him. Their noses were touching each other and even under the shadows, Jack could see the pain in the man's brown eyes.
The fire slowly subsided and there was the horrible smell of burnt flesh and fabric. Grimm removed the burnt rag exposing the wound now closed but covered with what seemed to be white bubbles.
Ennis's silence was awful to Jack's ears. "I think ya killed him…" Jack told Grimm as he checked up on Ennis.
"No… he just fainted… I'm just gonna wrap up this wound."
Jack watched as Grimm did his job. Jack felt nauseated by the acrid smell inside the tent.
Grimm noticed this "Do you want to take some fresh air instead of this smell?"
"Sure… aren't yeh gettin' out?"
"After
I wrap this up,"
"Yeh sure stand the smell."
"I'm Grimm."
Jack crawled out of the tent. There was the same horrible feeling again.
"Oh, here comes…"
Jack rushed to the nearest bush and vomited his guts out. His body was letting it all out after the tiring run, seeing Ennis suffered and the smell. Jack didn't want to admit that he had his limits but now here he is with the vomit.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and washed his face at a nearby river.
Jack looked at his reflection inside the lapping water. His face was ageing and tired-stricken. Even he did not recognize himself as the jolly and energetic guy he used to be. Jack splashes at the water angrily.
"Who the fuck are ya!" he yelled at his own reflection. The image broke apart from the ripples then it recovered again. He saw the exact same face looking back at him.
"Huh…" Jack sighed and walked away to the campsite.
When he got back, Grimm was lying beside the fire. He did not bother to clean himself up and just slept there. When Jack passed him, he muttered a silent 'thank you'. Jack opened the flap of the tent and there Ennis was lying on the floor. His wound neatly wrapped in new bandages. He wasn't bleeding as bad as before. In fact, Jack thought the gasoline worked that Ennis must have stopped bleeding. Jack sat cross-legged next to him. He looked at the face of a man whom he had known for more than a decade. He was breathing normally and Jack assumed he was sleeping.
Jack admired his lover's body. The broad shoulder made the perfect comfort at night and going down led to his well-muscled body. Ennis' fine chest then there was his waist. The worn-out jeans were filled with Ennis' perfect legs. He loved Ennis' body on a whole and loved it more when Ennis moved around casually, his legs walking, his hands either busy working or making love or his sweet brown eyes give loving glances at Jack.
Jack leaned down and kissed Ennis' left ear.
"I love ya, cowboy…"
The kiss traveled down to his neck
"Why are yeh so afraid…"
The kiss landed on Ennis' collarbone.
"Nobody's gonna kill us…"
Jack cried silently into the collarbone. Jack's hand was rested across Ennis' chest, feeling the slow movement of Ennis' chest going up and down. Jack was now lying really close at Ennis' sides, not daring to let go.
"Ennis… I loves ya…"
The whole world went into stony silence.
"Loves ya so much…"
Jack cried again, his tears the only white pearl of the night.
The threesome was asleep when late night came and Brokeback Mountain presented its natural orchestra to lull them to an even deeper sleep.
-to be continued-
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It's not the end yet… If there are any mistakes, forgive me cos I had been looking at the monitor for so long my eyes are sore. He,he…
