A/N: Thank you to all of the reviewers. Here is your Sunday update.
Beta'd by Greg, big thanks to him for all his help.
Read.
V.
Outside of classroom 14A, Jimmy wasn't surprised to find Ben waiting for him several feet down the corridor, pacing aimlessly. Ben perked, faltering to a stop in the middle of the hall as soon as the other boy appeared, the door closing with a light click at his back. They met each other's eyes, exchanged a small smile, one that looked slightly pained on Jimmy.
"I guess I'm not going to be on patrol tonight," Ben began, his voice teetering apologetic, "I spoke to Anthony. He said he's got someone else covering it, I'm not sure who. Hal says we'll have to leave early morning tomorrow, so…"
Jimmy nodded as Ben spoke, walking hesitantly towards the other boy, his eyes trailing along the ground. He came to a stop and leaned against the wall near Ben, never lifting his gaze. He looked like he was sulking and maybe he was, he couldn't be sure of his feelings at that moment, for the most part, he was just numb. He had spent the past fifteen minutes hammering out some details with Weaver about his new assignment. He would start training the unharnessed kids in the morning, around eight o'clock. They would have a classroom, 9C, reserved, Dai would provide any artillery Jimmy felt he would need, and Captain Weaver would clear out the shooting range every day for their use around noontime.
"What did Weaver want?" Ben asked.
Jimmy shook his head, chewing his inner cheek. He couldn't figure out how to explain Weaver's proposition, and part of him wasn't sure Ben would understand or even much like it. He took a deep, shaky breath and, shoving his hands in his pockets, peered up at Ben through shaggy brown hair and thick lashes.
"Tell me that you're really okay with it," he whispered.
"Really okay with what?" Ben wondered, quirking a brow.
"Going out there," Jimmy clarified, "Risking your life. Again."
"I'm gathering intel, Jimmy. Snapping pictures is hardly a death-defying stunt," Ben returned smartly, still confused at the other boy's concerns.
"You know why Weaver is sending you there," Jimmy whispered harshly, folding his arms over his stomach and dropping his eyes to the ground again, "Dai is going to make it look like a legit unit, with a command hierarchy and all that bull, Hal is going to appease all the assholes who don't trust you, 'big brother will keep the razorback in line', and Pope…well, he's just there as back-up, because no one else is insane enough to wander into Skitter territory with three other people and just the rifles on their back. You're the one that's really expected to do all the work, to get in close and investigate that building inside and out. Now tell me you're really okay with that."
"What's there to be okay with?" Ben growled, "You're right, okay. Does that make you happy? I'll probably be the one going down there, but that's fine, no one else can. And if it's what's best for the 2nd Mass-"
"Is that what defines 'okay' now?" Jimmy cut in, ranting haggardly, "No one else can do it so it's okay that you go out there and put your fucking life on the line for a bunch of assholes who couldn't give two shits if you even came back, because no one else can do it."
Ben took a couple steps back, shaking his head angrily and glaring down the hall.
"What is with you right now?" he demanded quietly, and Jimmy looked to him, feeling an odd guilt settle in his stomach and spread painfully across his chest.
It was a good question. Ben didn't need the jarring reminder of what he already knew; the 2nd Mass would happily exploit those self-same abilities of his that they used as excuse for ostracizing him and even more happily leave him behind to a cruel, torturous death.
"Nothing," Jimmy muttered, sighing. He reached out, curled his fingers in Ben's shirt front and Ben reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged forward, their foreheads gently touching, as Jimmy quietly whispered, "Just tell me you're really okay with it. Risking yourself for them."
"It's not for them," Ben murmured, taking Jimmy's hands in his own, pressing their palms together and twining their fingers, "You know that."
Abruptly, Ben pulled away; taking a few steps across the hall and Jimmy folded his hands behind himself, waiting patiently for the group of 2nd Mass civilians he knew Ben had heard coming to turn into the corridor. The three teenagers that appeared had been chattering excitedly in low voices, but they fell silent when they rounded the corner and saw the two boys, eyeing them, or more specifically Ben, warily and shuffling quickly down the hall in silence.
When the group had disappeared from sight, Jimmy closed the distance between himself and Ben and pressed a hasty, clumsy kiss to the other boy's mouth.
"You know," Jimmy mumbled shyly, "Neither of us have anything to do now…not until tomorrow morning."
"Yeah…that's true, I guess," Ben returned, scrunching his brow. He obviously found the comment curious, given that Jimmy hadn't mentioned being taken off patrol, but he didn't press the matter, "And you know, we were rudely interrupted earlier."
"Yeah, it was a little rude," Jimmy agreed.
"A little? It was very rude," Ben argued.
"So…did you still need me to…uh…?" Jimmy trailed his fingertips downward along Ben's shirt front, eyes fixed on the other boy's chest and cheeks blistered with heat, "…take care of…for you?"
"No, actually," Ben answered sharply, "Now that you mention it, I seem to recall being told to take care of that myself."
Jimmy flinched, pulling back slightly, an odd pinch on his heart. He'd been harsh earlier, but it hadn't occurred to him that Ben might actually be angry about it. His stomach knotted and he chewed his inner cheek, hating that feeling jabbing into him. Maybe he had crossed a line that there was no coming back from, things would begin to unravel between them, and he would lose Ben forever.
Ben shifted away and started down the hall, calling smugly over his shoulder, "But, if you still need it, I will gladly take care of…that…for you."
Jimmy flustered, feeling hot headed suddenly. Or maybe Ben was just a vengeful bastard.
"Who says I need you to?" Jimmy snapped, jerking a glare the direction Ben had wandered but the other boy had already turned around the corner out of sight. He sighed petulantly, glared down the empty hall a few seconds, and then begrudgingly followed after Ben.
There were a couple unspoken rules about using the 'First Night'. If the door was open, it was up for use. If the door was closed, it was occupied, do not disturb. Unless you intended to use the First Night there was no lingering around it, for the privacy of others that wanted to use it. If you did happen to see someone going into the First Night, you didn't ask them about it, or tease them, because they may not be aware of the First Night's explicit use, and might let it slip to the wrong people, like Cheryl, and ruin it for everyone.
Jimmy and Ben approached the First Night at the perfect time, most people were inside getting dinner or off on patrol, so the bus's door was open and there wasn't anyone around to spy them climbing onboard, not that that was ever a problem, both boys were fairly skilled at slipping into places unnoticed out of necessity.
Jimmy closed the door and immediately found himself crushed in a breathtaking kiss, Ben's arms wrapped around his shoulders and waist, drawing him into a tight embrace. Their bodies were melded together, flushed, and the heat swarmed their heads and swelled in their abdomens, flooding into eager parts of their bodies anticipating the erotic sensations that were soon to follow that deep, implicit kiss.
Together the boys stumbled to the back of the bus, dropping unnecessary items along the way: guns, knives, loose garments. Jimmy started to remove his shirt and Ben growled low behind him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders from behind and tugging him backwards, pressed against Ben's chest.
Ben set his hands over Jimmy's, guiding them up under the t-shirt and slipping them up along the shivering bare skin there, as Jimmy's continued to draw the fabric upward, Ben's hands dragged back down along that same pale flesh, his mouth dropping kisses up along Jimmy's spine and across his shoulder blades.
Jimmy tugged his shirt entirely off and let it fall to the floor, gasping involuntarily as Ben held him in place and claimed his neck between tightly grasping teeth, sucking and gnawing at the skin.
"Ben," Jimmy complained, his voice barely a whisper as he gulped in air, half-heartedly pushing the other boy's mouth away, commanding, "…not another one."
Ben let out another almost frustrated growl that rumbled in his chest, and he spun Jimmy around, pressing a hard kiss to the other boy's mouth, walking them back until Jimmy slammed roughly against the far back of the bus. Jimmy grimaced at the hit to his shoulder blades, but never broke away from Ben's insistent hold on his mouth. Ben's actions so-far were a little more passionate than his usual gentle fervor, but Jimmy didn't dwell on why that might be, chalking it up to pent-up sexual frustration from their earlier encounter.
"Can't help it," Ben murmured hot against Jimmy's lips, before trailing kisses back down to Jimmy's neck, "You taste good."
Jimmy flustered at the confession, the heat rushing from the roots of his hair to the very tips of his toes. He wrapped his hands in Ben's t-shirt and tugged at it meaningfully, moaning when Ben's tongue dragged along his collar, down his sternum, and then paused to thoughtfully taste a slightly hardened nipple that was then teased gently between teeth.
"Oh shit…Ben," Jimmy whimpered, eyes widening slightly, surprised at the new action and, with his hands underneath Ben's shirt, his fingernails sunk into Ben's exposed back in response. Ben groaned, playfully lapping at the tender nipple once more before he claimed Jimmy's mouth again, pushing the boy firmly against the back of the bus and holding him there with his entire body.
Jimmy gestured Ben's shirt again, jerking on the fabric almost angrily, and Ben grunted, pulling back a moment, his look exasperated, as he relented, ripped the garment away, and tossed it aside.
"So stubborn," he muttered, sinking against Jimmy once more and eagerly dove his tongue into Jimmy's mouth and seeking the deepest crevices of that warm, slick orifice to explore and press into until Jimmy was finally forced to surface, gasping desperately for air.
Ben fumbled with Jimmy's trouser button, giving the other boy a chance to catch his breath, before pushing another kiss against his mouth, and undoing his trousers altogether. He slipped his hand along the top edge, loosening the garment and absently brushing against Jimmy's erection as he worked at exposing it, causing the other boy to shudder and murmur hot and ecstatic against Ben's lips. Ben knew the other boy was close to the edge, and the thought of it only served to further excite him, flooding heat into his own throbbing arousal.
God, Ben loved the sound of Jimmy panting, moaning, whimpering, he loved the feel of the other boy, soft and vulnerable, wriggling beneath him, he loved the smell of that boy, the same as his taste, a strangely perfect mix of salty and sweet, like caramel popcorn. Ben's senses were on overdrive, and every sensation was Jimmy. Adrenaline rushed through him, an endless stream of energy.
As Ben's fingers encircled Jimmy's hard-on, working it in and out, his mouth found skin to press against, to massage, to suckle. Jimmy distantly returned the attentions at first but eventually his own mouth simply latched onto Ben's shoulder, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as he peaked, his teeth biting into flesh hard enough to draw blood, his typical bizarre attempt to contain any verbal reaction, his fingers raking lightly down Ben's backside, body shuddering with the orgasm, seed spilling on the bus floor.
Jimmy grimaced, vaguely, oddly noting, "…have to clean that…"
"You'll have to clean that," Ben corrected, amusedly, smirking as he felt Jimmy's fingers awkwardly toying with his own trouser buttons.
Jimmy watched his own hands dazedly as they attempted to undo Ben's trousers, his forehead rest heavy against Ben's shoulder. After a couple seconds, to somewhat still his fleeting heartbeats, Ben brought his own hands down to help Jimmy, despite the disgruntled glare he received, and he kissed Jimmy frantically as Jimmy worked at his erection.
Jimmy's touch was this strange kind of agonizing. His hand lingered in all the right ways, along all the right areas, masterfully drawing out every erotic sensation in one simple, back and forth motion. His mouth perfectly complimented the actions of his hand, pressing flighty, butterfly kisses across Ben's jawline, nibbling his ear, faintly dotting his cheeks and nose, and gently massaging his mouth. When Ben finally peaked, everything Jimmy had built up inside of him, ripped out and dragged with it a low, bellowing groan that thundered in the back of his throat and down into his chest and stomach. Then he collapsed against Jimmy, spent.
"…and I'll clean that," Ben joked after a moment in a low, haggard tone and Jimmy laughed a bit, though it sounded faraway.
Ben straightened; kissed Jimmy, a sweet, innocent thing, without expectation, and then they broke apart and cleaned themselves a bit, adjusting and redoing their trousers.
Jimmy started for his shirt, but staggered suddenly towards one of the seats and fell onto it, about toppling over backwards except Ben swept swiftly forward and caught hold of him, kneeling beside the seat to grip the other boy's arm and net a hand behind his head. Seated upright, Jimmy's forehead fell lazily forward onto Ben's shoulder. Ben frowned, his brow wrinkled, as he stared down at the other boy in concern.
"You okay?" he wondered, an almost imperceptible quake in his soft voice.
"Yeah," Jimmy murmured, "Just…suddenly…really tired."
"You don't sleep enough," Ben remarked and Jimmy rolled his eyes but said nothing.
They sat like that a few moments, Ben loosely cradling Jimmy against him, providing a much needed support. Then a sound at the bus door front startled them, Jimmy pulling back and the boys' eyes locked, widened. The door started to swing open, and someone could be heard at its front, beginning to clamber up the stairs.
"Who the hell…?" Jimmy hissed, as he dropped instinctively to the floor between the seats, his slender body squeezing easily into the cramped space. He pulled his knees up to himself hopefully out of sight and leaned his head back heavily against the bus wall.
"The fucking door was shut," Ben griped, sliding up onto the seat beside Jimmy, rolling over to his back, leaning up a bit to keep his spikes off the seat, and pulling his legs in, relaxing his own head against the bus wall.
From their positions, Ben and Jimmy couldn't see the two figures that had clambered onto the darkened bus, but they heard the door slide shut, and then the hushed conversation that followed.
"What are we doing here, Jamil?" a soft, shaky voice questioned, "I'm still needed in the infirmary…"
'Lourdes', Ben mouthed at Jimmy and Jimmy pulled an incredulous face.
'No fucking way,' he returned silently.
This had to be a moment for the history books, an event of biblical proportions, paramount to that first day when God declared 'let there be light'. Lourdes, 2nd Mass's very own Virgin Mary, was onboard the First Night with, from the sounds of things, a strapping young man. Though neither boy was very familiar with Jamil, they knew he was a handy-man of sorts around camp; he helped out Uncle Scott a lot.
As far as they were aware, he had no known connection with Lourdes, but the twenty-something year old girl was friendly with everyone and the boys didn't actually pay all that much attention to her interactions, so it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that she'd formed some bond with Jamil at some unknown time.
Ben and Jimmy exchanged a look, were they about to bear witness to Lourdes's Christening into a life of lust and sin? Ben wrinkled his nose in disgust and Jimmy smirked at him.
"I just wanted to talk," Jamil replied, his voice low and husky.
'Yeah right,' Jimmy mouthed and Ben bit on his own hand to stifle a laugh, silently slapping the other boy's shoulder as a warning to: shut up.
"Make sure you were alright," Jamil continued, his tone lined with emotion, "I know it's been hard on you lately, all the wounded coming in…all the recent deaths."
"It has been hard," Lourdes confirmed, she was walking around the front, her footsteps could be heard clacking against the bus floor, "But I guess these are the times we live in." She faltered, her voice breaking a little as she whispered, "I have to believe that there is some greater purpose to all this madness. There's a reason for everything."
Ben glanced to Jimmy, who had pressed himself as far back into the bus wall as he could, his eyes screwed tightly shut.
Reason for everything.
Ben wanted to hate Lourdes for that statement and for the reaction it created in the other boy. It was foolish to think that way; it broke hearts to think that way. There was no reason, none that was good anyhow, to take from a thirteen year old boy everything, heart and soul, displace him entirely, and then force his hand to end the life of the one person who ever loved him completely, unfalteringly, and without condition. And if Lourdes really wanted to spout that crap within Jimmy's hearing, well then, the Skitters could have her.
"Well, I think I know the reason for me," Jamil announced earnestly. He paused, took a few steps, towards Lourdes presumably, maybe snatched up her hands in his own, looked deep into her eyes, "The greater purpose intended for me, when those aliens invaded. It was so I could meet you."
Ben softened his gaze on Jimmy, feeling his initial anger unravel. Jimmy flinched slightly at the words, his features loosened but his eyes remained closed. He had his arms folded over his stomach, his fingernails biting into the flesh of his own forearm.
"I know it sounds terrible," Jamil confessed, "Maybe even a little selfish. After all the lives that were lost, all the horrors that we've witnessed...but, I can't help feeling that…in a way, it could be almost worth it, because the one good thing that came from it was having you in my life."
Maneuvering wasn't easy in the cramped space, especially when trying to be noiseless about it, but somehow Ben managed to shift himself so that he could brush a kiss to Jimmy's temple. Jimmy stirred, peeking his eyes open thinly to meet Ben's intense gaze.
"Jamil…" Lourdes murmured, clearly awestruck by the romantic words.
Ben held his hand out, his eyes locked on Jimmy's, a meaningful emotion surging through them, and tentatively Jimmy lifted his own hand up to meet Ben's, watching interestedly as their palms fitted together; a perfect match.
"We probably never would've met if not for the war," Jamil insisted, "And for me, that's reason enough."
The boys laced their fingers and Ben buried his face against Jimmy, as Jimmy leaned into him. They could hear Jamil and Lourdes at the front of the bus, from the sounds of things exchanging a brief kiss before they would head back into camp, but who were Jimmy and Ben to care what was between those other two? They had their own reasons.
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A/N: Okie, no double update this weekend. I know, I know...but I'm kind of hoping the overdose of Ben/Jimmy lovin' will tide you all over until next Sunday. Anyhow, I kind of like this chapter because of the emotions that come out but I kind of don't because it almost feels out of place to me (it probably could've been better off as a one-shot). I wanted certain things to be expressed out loud between the boys, but I knew neither one would say these kinds of things (maybe a drunk Ben would but otherwise...) so I needed someone else to say it, hence, Lourdes and Jamil. Also, I kind of liked Jamil, so this way I was able to intro his character and give a sucrose drenched Ben/Jimmy moment.
Right, tell me what you all think!
Also, to kind of put into perspective how much longer this story is going to be than First Patrol: First Patrol was roughly 109,000 words finished, this story is already at roughly 95,000 words and its not even a third of the way finished yet. Admittedly, it is a far more complex story than First Patrol. So, yeah, I hope most of you like long stories.
Reviewers, whom are my lifeblood: WhisperMaw, I won't even pretend to understand the playoffs being distracting...not much for watching sports, sorry. Oh well, I'm glad you were able to pry your eyes from the game long enough to drop in, tho :) ! DancerIntheDark101, cool, I'm really glad to hear you dig it. I hope how the assignment plays out doesn't disappoint. Haley, it was the "awwww" that gave it away. I'm glad to hear you're excited, because I've got some big plans for both Jimmy and Ben in this story! IcicleLilly, I always worry that I've got the characters wrong, so I'm relieved that you think I write a good Weaver. Thank you! Cookie97, it is sad for Ben and depressing about Jimmy. If it eases things a little, Jimmy trusts Ben more than anyone else. That's a good insight on the Jimmy inner cheek thing. Yes, Ben would feel it when they kiss, but no, he would not say anything. Facepalmer123, thank you, I will try! Heracratzarism, glad you think so...I can't answer that question, you'll just have to wait and see. :) Guest, I'm sorry, no double update this time. I hope you won't cry tho! You'll have to wait a little longer to see how Jimmy's new work and Ben get along.
Thanks for stopping by everyone! I'll see you all next Sunday.