(no subject)

[e_delmar]

Ain't nothin' but a normal room. Pretty one, too, if'n you don't think too hard on what's goin' on in there. Ennis' sleeping more now, at least -- the drugs help with that -- but he's still awake a lot (and damn grumpy about it, too. But he ain't no less grumpy about the sleep, neither).

But he's there, and at least that's something.

Comments

[jack_f_twist]

Near by, there's a chair been set up by the window, and right now it's tipped back by the weight of the cowboy sitting in it, his boots crossed one over the other up on the bedframe and his hat pulled down over his eyes. Jack ain't been sleeping so well, himself, so maybe it's good that his chest is rising and falling so slow and even like it is, arms crossed over it.

Still, if Ennis is up, chances are good he'd want to be, too.

[e_delmar]

Hard to tell when Ennis'll be up and when he'll be sleeping, and mostly he's been sleeping lately. But he turns on his side some, shifting uncomfortably and cursing at the fact that the woman from town (the woman with the drugs) ain't there.

Jack's there, and it surprises him, though he figures maybe one of these days it should stop surprisin' him, but it keeps doin' so anyway. Could be it makes him smile, all things aside.

[jack_f_twist]

Well, Jack catching forty winks shouldn't be much of a surprise--weren't he the one always falling asleep when he was supposed to be watching the damn sheep?--but that chair seems to have become his new home, for all the time he's been spending in it, between trips back to the Bar for--

Uh, for company. And a beer or two.

--and doing some chores for Sallie.

Still, seems like most times Ennis wakes up for a bit, he's sitting right there, sometimes working on some tack or sitting whistling to himself, and sometimes catching a few minutes of sleep like he is now.

[e_delmar]

And Ennis can't help but think Jack needs his sleep, so he don't wanna wake him much. Seems he don't got that much of a choice, as the coughing starts and won't fucking start, and he's cursing before he knows it.

[jack_f_twist]

The chair tips forward, and Jack tips with it, and his reflexes are just as good now as they ever were so he catches himself and pushes his hat back to look up. Something wakes him, he looks to the bed to see how Ennis is doing, and he relaxes a little, but only a little, after he's reassured himself.

"Hey," he says, getting up and stretching. He pours out some water, holds out the glass to Ennis.

[e_delmar]

Ennis nods, and he means somethin', but s'hard to tell what. The waters good (god, cold and wet and something) and he drinks a little too much of it, water spilling out over the cup, from the edges of his mouth. His hands shake as he passes the glass back to Jack, arm coming up to wipe at his face, embarrassed.

[jack_f_twist]

Jack's looking steadily away (hard to say if he had been the whole time or only as Ennis'd spilled it), and his hand's steady and gentle as he takes the glass away, puts it back on the table where it belongs, and sits himself down on the side of the bed like that's where he belongs.

"Been gettin' some good sleep. You hungry, or anything?"

[e_delmar]

Ask Ennis, that's right where he belongs, but it ain't like he's gonna say so. He shakes his head, swallowing now that his throat ain't bone dry.

"M'alright."

And it ain't true -- it ain't anywhere near true, but it's an answer to his question.

[jack_f_twist]

"Well, good."

Jack's weather-beaten (but still young, impossibly so) face cracks into a grin.

"Cause Sallie's off somewheres 'n I sure as hell ain't cookin.'"

[e_delmar]

Ennis laughs, his laughs falling into a cough, falling into Ennis rolling onto his side.


"You-"

He struggles for words through the cough.

"You'd be killin' me off early."

[jack_f_twist]

"Lived through it up on the mountain," Jack reminds him, though his smile seems kinda forced. He reaches out, lays a hand on Ennis' shoulder.

[e_delmar]

Ennis reaches back, puttin' his hand on Jack's, but he don't turn around, not yet.





"Guess I did."


His words're even more quiet than lately.

[jack_f_twist]

They're hard t'hear, but then Jack's had plenty of practice trying to hear whatever Ennis might be saying.

He's always had something to say, someway to fill up the long silences up on Brokeback before it turned out Ennis could talk after all, but even Jack ain't got much to say these days. His hand turns, though, and grips Ennis' surprisingly gently.

"Came 'bout near to it, though. Fucking beans."

[e_delmar]

"Fuckin' beans," Ennis agrees, and he shifts slowly, wincing as he does, turning back to Jack with something like remembrance and something like happiness shining through the fog.

[jack_f_twist]

"Had us some good times, though, anyhow, huh?" He squeezes the shoulder under his hand, but not too hard.

Hard to think he's gotta be so careful, these days, when Ennis could always give just as good as he got, and usually better.

[e_delmar]

"Real good."

The words are forced out, but not because he don't mean 'em. Time would've been he'd've told a joke or said something else, but sometimes words are hard to come by, and not just 'cause he can't think of them.

[jack_f_twist]

"Sure 'nough."

His rough hand twitches, like it wants to move down Ennis' arm, but it stays right where it is in the end, warm and steady on his shoulder.

[e_delmar]

The hand may not move, but Ennis does, closer and into the touch, lookin' up at Jack with somethin' in his eyes he ain't never been able to put into words.

[jack_f_twist]

He takes a breath.

And another one.

It's quiet here, and there's only a soft rustle of cloth as he moves to lie down, carefully, along the edge of the bed, and presses himself through the bedclothes up along the lanky--skinny now--length of Ennis' body.

[e_delmar]

Ennis curls into him, feeling almost pathetic and not caring, not one bit. Jack-


Jack's there, and he's solid and he's warm and Ennis reaches out, trying to wrap his arms around him, cursing his body every bit of the way.

[jack_f_twist]

Jack reaches up to take off his hat, set it on the floor, and he talks kinda low and continual; 'bout the girl he'd met at the bar, 'bout Trina and how she was asking about Ennis.

Easy stuff, nothing so important.

[e_delmar]

And could be Ennis says to say hi to her, if he remembers to, and listens and listens and just-




listens like he ain't never really took the time to listen to Jack before.

[jack_f_twist]

It ain't the same, being in the bar without Ennis, but Jack's had to go back a couple of times now, so he can talk about the horses, and how seems like some of the workers've just clean run off, but they're still doing just fine.

He says Tequila's been moping, missing Mal and missing Ennis. Says Sallie beat him at cards the other night.

Jack never was good at card games.

[e_delmar]

And Ennis starts to say somethin' about Jack and the horses, make a joke, but he loses track and just breathes in Jack and Jack and more Jack. It's hard, sometimes, to concentrate on this or that, or remember the way somethin' feels or smells, but never this.

[jack_f_twist]

Somewhere Jack's voice falters, but his arms don't, and maybe he keeps talking and maybe e don't, but somewhere in there the word "darlin'" slips in, just as natural as could be, and Jack doesn't stop to contradict himself, just holds on, tight and gentle as he can.