Chapter 14

January 1972

Ennis exited the tent one morning to find that it had been snowing overnight. He blinked in the blinding light and peered around; the snow was untouched save for a few bird tracks here and there. Ennis smiled to himself; Jack would love this.

He got the coffee going and then went back into the tent, seeing that Jack was just waking up. He watched as Jack stretched and yawned, feeling his heart filling up with love at the sight. What he would give to see this every morning, in a bed that they shared together. He wanted it so much, and every time they had to part ways he found himself wishing that next time, he would have the courage to say yes.

Slowly, he leaned over Jack and shook his shoulder gently. "Bud? Come on, time to wake up..." Jack stirred and opened his eyes, smiling when he saw Ennis.

"Mornin'...time's it?"

"Early, I reckon," Ennis answered, touching Jack's cheek. "It's been snowin' out there..."

"Really?" Jack asked, eyes lighting up. He was in some ways still the playful nineteen year old from Brokeback, and Ennis loved seeing that in the light of how difficult their lives were now. "How thick?"

"There's a lot of it. I got the coffee goin'. You ready to get up?"

"Yeah, you bet." Jack sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and Ennis felt a surge of affection for him. He left the tent once more and tended to the coffee, glad for the hot drink in this weather.

Soon after, Jack left the tent and gazed around. "Wow...this is great. Always loved the snow...don't ever really get much down in Texas. Can't remember the last time it snowed..."

"Here," Ennis told him as he sat down, handing over a mug of coffee. "Don't want ya gettin' cold, bud." Jack looked at him gratefully and started drinking, his eyes darting everywhere. Ennis could tell that he wanted to have some fun with this.

They attempted to eat breakfast before it went cold, and soon they were left with nothing but to enjoy their day together. Ennis was putting the dishes in a bag (thinking that he would have to wait to wash them, since the river was frozen over) when he felt something cold and wet hit him. He looked around to see Jack grinning, snow covering his gloves. Ennis gave a mock glare.

"Yer gonna pay for that, Twist," he growled, bending down to make his own snowball. Jack ran and he gave chase, his longer legs giving him an advantage. "Get back here!"

He threw the snowball at Jack, who stumbled before darting through the trees and turning. Even in their fun, they had to remember not to go too far from camp. He was running through the trees and into the campsite again when Ennis finally caught him and hauled him to the ground, snowball in hand.

"No, don't!" Jack gasped through his laughter, trying to wriggle free. Ennis lifted back his collar and deposited the snow down his neck, making him yelp. "Dammit, Ennis!"

"Told you," he replied, allowing Jack to flip onto his back. Both were laughing, enjoying how carefree they could be out here. Ennis had missed this; their trips were usually so full of longing that they often forgot to have any fun. The sex was always good, but he liked it when they could just do this; just play together like the best friends they were.

Jack's laughter settled down as they stared at each other, noticing now that their crotches were pressed tightly together, and that Ennis was straddling him. He went from giddy to horny in a matter of seconds, and he bit his lip. Ennis stared down at him, taking in the flashing blue eyes and pink cheeks. Jack looked good enough to eat, and Ennis could feel himself growing hard.

Jack felt what was going on, and he grinned. "You wantin' somethin' there, Del Mar?" he breathed, rubbing their hips together. Ennis swallowed and was itching to push himself inside Jack. He wanted the man so badly. "If you wanna fuck me...all you gotta do is ask."

"Can I?" Ennis whispered, leaning down and brushing their noses together. Jack kissed him.

"You sure can."

They didn't make it to the tent; Jack flipped over onto his knees, pulling his pants down just far enough for them to still protect his skin from the cold snow, but still enough to give Ennis access. Ennis pulled down his own jeans and spat into his hand, knowing that the lube was still in the tent. "Oh, darlin'..." he breathed as they started to become one. "Jack..."

"Come on," Jack murmured to him, reaching back to pull Ennis closer. "Come on, fuck me..."

Ennis pushed all the way into him and let out a gasp; no matter how many times he'd done this, it still felt incredible every time. "Fuck, you feel good..."

They moved together quickly, not wanting to be bare-assed in the snow too long. Jack pushed back with every thrust that Ennis gave, groaning as Ennis held onto him. A hand found its way south to stroke him and he let out a moan. "Oh, fuck...Ennis...you're...amazin' at this..."

"Jack..." Ennis so wanted to tell Jack that he loved him, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he tried to show Jack what he was feeling. He stroked Jack rapidly until he spasmed, shooting onto the ground beneath them. Ennis followed suit with a low growl in Jack's ear, and then rested his cheek on Jack's back.

They panted heavily for several moments, and Jack grinned. "Well...never done that before. Not in the snow..."

"Sure ain't," Ennis replied, kissing the back of his neck and pulling out. "Sure was good...you okay?" They pulled their jeans back up and Jack took his hand.

"I'm fine, cowboy. Feelin' pretty damn good." Ennis smiled at him and kissed his hand, not needing to say anything else.