In Entity's Web

by FlooChan

Chapter 1

His heart was beating like mad. He knew that the monster that was chasing him was still here, looking for him. He managed to shake her off by hiding in the locker, but the Hag was still here, searching for him. Dwight heard footsteps coming right towards his locker, heartbeat hammering in his ears. He barely muffled a scared whimper. He’ll die now, won’t he? No doubt the monstrous woman will open the locker doors and hook him, for the second time. His chest was still aching from that, but Claudette managed to patch him up well.

The footsteps came closer and closer, so he closed his eyes in fear, unable to face the killer. He didn’t want to see her sharp teeth and those empty, hollow eyes. The footsteps were here, right here and he heard the locker door open. His whole body winced, like a turtle, he lowered his head. But nothing happened… yet he still made no move to open his eyes. He still waited for his inevitable doom, but instead of it, a whisper reached his ears.

“Move…” a familiar, rough voice made Dwight’s head snap up and eyes open. Tufts of messy black hair, fluffy white scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, green jacket that was caked with mud and blood, piercing chocolate brown eyes… it was no other than their most stoic team member looking at Dwight, waiting for the skittish man to move, while occasionally looking behind him, no doubt worried that the Hag would hop in through the window. After Dwight didn't move an inch due to shock, he sighed and snuck into the locker; not the way Jake would had enjoyed it, but desperate times called for desperate measures and calming Dwight down would have taken precious time they both did not possess.

Dwight’s cheeks flared red as his brain finally processed what just happened; Jake climbed into the locker with him, closing it behind himself. Jake’s hands rested on the back of the hideout, palms on each side of the nervous leader’s head, their chests pressed together due to lack of space. The smaller man was not sure if it was the embarrassment of having Jake so close to him or the Hag that made him heart thump like mad. Probably both. He had never been this close to anyone and he did a bad job of hiding his crush for the loner. He wasn’t sure if Jake knew about his feelings though; he either didn’t or didn’t care enough to acknowledge them… though the saboteur didn’t shun the leader.

“shh…” Jake uttered into Dwight’s ear, making the smaller male gulp as his ear was graced by the warm breath of the taller male. God, his heart was about to hop out of his chest… he wondered if Jake could feel it? Their chests were pressed together; their height difference was made obvious like this too. He didn’t feel Jake’s heartbeat… he was always so calm. But perhaps his hammering heart made him miss his? He couldn’t tell anymore.

Dwight was pulled out of his thoughts by gentle brush of something soft and fluffy against his cheek. Concentrating on the view in front of him, he saw the back of Jake’s head; the taller man had turned his head to look through the holes in the locker door, keeping watch for the Hag, meaning his unruly hair was in the smaller one’s face. Dwight was honestly surprised at how soft Jake’s hair was… it would have been soothing to run his fingers through it, but he didn’t have the guts to move a finger, let alone touch his hair.

Sound of scratching soon caught the leader’s attention. Angling his neck to look over Jake’s shoulder, he saw the Hag hop through the window. If not for the deafening heartbeat and her monstrous appearance, he would have found the way she always climbed through the windows cute… but nothing about Lisa Sherwood was cute.

The Hag looked around the room, hissing angrily at the fact that she lost her prey. She was moving towards the locker, making both men tense up. If they were caught now, it would be a very short round…

Life had a sense of humor, though… or maybe it was fate? Or the Entity? Honestly, Dwight didn’t even know anymore. All he knew that Jake’s hair was tickling his nose and he could feel a sneeze coming. A small sniffle escaped him, though he tried his best to suppress it, his eyes tearing up. Jake heard the small noise and snapped his attention towards the smaller male, in a barely audible tone mumbling ‘Bless you’ in a desperate attempt to jinx it, one hand pressed against Dwight’s mouth, though it didn’t help much. The nervous leader sneezed… but just in time, the blaring of the gates powering up rang out and made Lisa snap her head towards the exists and run off; Claudette und Laurie must have used the time the Hag spent looking for Dwight to finish the generators.

Jake exhaled. That was way too close for comfort. After the heartbeat calmed down, he slowly angled himself to exit the locker, looking back at Dwight, a bit worried if he was okay… not that he showed it much; his face betrayed no emotion, just his usual stoic, passive expression. “T-thank you…” Dwight sniffled, tears still streaming from his yes. Jake shrugged. “Let’s go.” He said nonchalantly and moved forward towards the exit gates to the opposite direction where the Hag ran. He knew Dwight would follow behind him, though he didn’t enjoy seeing the office clerk sob, they really had to get out before anything else. He didn’t know how long Laurie and Claudette could keep the killer busy. He hated depending on them in general; if one of them got caught because they dallied…

As soon as they got to the gates, Jake didn’t hesitate to open them, constantly looking behind himself, to both check if the Hag was coming their way and to see if Dwight was holding in. The nervous leader was a crying mess, standing behind Jake, nervously biting his nails. Jake learned quite quickly that Dwight did that a lot in stressful situations… for someone who was in his mid-twenties, he really was childish, wasn’t he?

Giving a loud crack and making a lot of noise, the gates opened and they both moved inside, but neither actually moved to leave the Coldwind Farm just yet. They didn’t know if they could… leaving Laurie and Claudette behind was not an option after all.

“Can you see them?” Jake turned to Dwight, who was wiping his tears. “You can usually see Auras…” he mumbled. In truth, the loner was a bit jealous of that ability Dwight had. To see if their friends were okay or what they were doing was rather practical. That way, Jake would always know when he should sabotage and when actually go and help out.

“u-uhm… wait… I…” the leader sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve, concentrating a bit and looked around, his body still trembling from the crying. “I see them… they look like they’re running…” he mumbled. “Are they safe?” Jake asked, coming closer. “…I-I don’t know… I-I don’t see them anymore…” he stuttered, fumbling over his words more than possible.

“I see the Hag, let’s go…” Jake mumbled, grabbing Dwight’s bicep and dragging the smaller male out of the Coldwind Farm. Dwight stumbled on his feet, almost falling over from suddenly being dragged. “J-Jake?” he muttered, earning a hum. Jake did that a lot, hum in acknowledgement, showing that he did listen, but didn’t have much to say to it. “T-thank you for helping me…” the nervous leader stammered.

“... you lead her to me, you know.” Jake said. That made Dwight panic. “I-I did?!? Oh god, I’m so so sorry! I-I didn’t know!” he began to apologize frantically, waving his arms; the movement made his chest ache. He guessed whatever medicine Claudette had used was slowly wearing off.

Jake stopped and turned around. He flicked Dwight’s forehead. “Stop worrying so much.” He mumbled. “It’s fine. It happens to all of us.” The saboteur gave a sloppy pat on the smaller one’s shoulder.

Dwight gulped and nodded, trying to calm his breathing. “O-okay…”
Jake nodded as well. “Let’s go, they’re probably already waiting…” he mumbled and turned around, walking along the path, till the campfire came to view, with their fellow survivors, including Claudette and Laurie.

“Oh! You’re here, thank god…” Claudette sighed in relief and came to them, no doubt to inspect Dwight’s wound.
“what happened in the first place?” Laurie asked, squinting a bit.
“Dwight ran into the house with the Hag behind, where I was. He hid in a locker; I didn’t see it and wanted to hide in the same locker. There was no time to find another hideout, so we hid together. Once you finished the gen, she came to you, so we took the other exit.” Jake spoke, completely neutrally, without a grain of emotion.

“Oh hohoho!” Meg grinned. “You hid in the same locker..? That sounds quite… cramped.” She said with a snicker.

Dwight’s ears turned red and he looked down.
“Ignore her.” Jake mumbled and walked to his usual spot, a bit away from the campfire, to keep his space.
“She doesn’t mean it in a bad way…” Claudette soothed as she began to tend to Dwight’s wound.
“Yeah, man, loosen up!” Meg agreed, though her mischievous grin did not make him feel any better. His eyes wandered to Jake, who going through his toolbox, seeing what of it was still usable and what needed to be replaced. Eventually their eyes met, as Jake raised his head to look at the nervous leader, probably curious if the wound was okay.

Dwight couldn’t keep the eyecontact… he looked away, his whole face burning red as he hid it in his palms. Why couldn’t he be normal, like the others…

Chapter 2

His heart was thumping like crazy. He was so close to the exit; he could see it, Feng Min and Ace already there, looking at him with terrified. He could hear the Trapper’s heavy footsteps right behind him, the heavy breathing of the masked man much too close. His back was aching from the hit of the cleaver that he had received before. This was it, huh? He wouldn’t make it. Oh well… that was fine. At least others got out… right? He would get a chance at rest before getting thrown back into the round. But it’s fine… he could take it.

 

He heard Evan MacMillan raise his cleaver again and he almost closed his eyes expecting a hit that never came; instead he heard a shriek right behind himself. His head snapped to look over his shoulder, watching in horror as Dwight laid on the ground right at the Trapper’s feet. The nervous leader was completely bloody, breathing heavily, a steady trickle of blood streaming out of his mouth. Jake couldn’t move a muscle. He didn’t even notice that Feng had grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the exit. All he could do was hopelessly stare at Dwight, who weakly raised his head, to… smile… at him.

 

Stupid. That man was very stupid, but Jake had already known that… As the Trapper stepped closer to his fallen friend, the saboteur sprung into life, yanking his arm away from the small woman and jumping forwards. “Get away from him!” he snarled, no longer afraid of the masked man. Evan turned his head to Jake, tilting it a bit, as if curious. “Yeah, you heard me! You were chasing me!” Jake provoked the Killer further.

 

“No… J-Jake… go…” The nervous leader mumbled, raising his head again.
“Shut up, Dwight!” he hissed.
“Feng… Ace… please…” Dwight begged the others. He knew that Jake couldn’t be hooked again… he wasn’t going to let him die this round. Jake had sacrificed himself for the team for too many times; it was time to return the favor.

 

As the Trapper stepped over Dwight, walking towards Jake, who still provokingly lured the killer to him. But he was stopped. Both Feng and Ace grabbed the loner’s arms and began to drag him to the exit; Feng alone was easy to shake off, but Ace was stronger than an exhausted and injured Jake, not to mention he had help.

 

“What are you doing?! Don’t leave him there! GUYS!” Jake yelled as he tried to shake them off, to no avail. The Trapper seemed to lose interest in Jake now and returned to the office clerk, picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder.

“We can still save him, let go!” Jake yelled again, pulling his arms again.
“Don’t let his gift go to waste, lad.” Ace muttered and pushed Jake through the exit. Jake was about to return to the Swamp, but as he tried, the tendrils of the entity poked from every side. He was blocked. The exit was blocked. He couldn’t get back in. He ‘escaped’ but the victory was bitter.

 

“Can we get him off?” Feng mumbled as she and Ace walked to the gates, looking around to watch where the Trapper had brought Dwight. Perhaps there was still hope?
“Nope. I got him off when he was already struggling with the spider leg. He won’t make it…” Ace shook his head. Feng frowned a bit and nodded. Sometimes it was inevitable…

 

Dwight’s pained scream echoed through the Swamp and the legs of the Entity loomed in the distance, pulling the leader’s body into the sky, releasing a burst of energy as it did. Feng looked down. A part of her hoped that Ace was lying and they could still go grab him. But she knew that it was wishful thinking; though a charmer, Ace didn’t lie about things like such…

“Let’s go…” the small woman said, turning around, to walk out. She didn’t look at the furious Jake, who was quietly fuming just one step away from the exit. She couldn’t bring herself to. Luckily for them, Jake didn’t say a word as they slowly made their way to the Campfire.

 

Before Claudette could even ask where Dwight was, Jake grabbed the bag with his things and walked off to the wilderness. He was pissed and in no mood for company. Especially not Ace and Feng, though he knew well that they were right. But it didn’t make him feel any better about abandoning Dwight to the Entity.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Dwight could hear Jake yell and struggle as Trapper picked him up from the ground. His bones and muscles ached; the leader didn’t even have the strength to wiggle. This was it, huh? He looked up to see Jake stand at the exit, unable to go back in; though Dwight couldn’t see the Entity blocking his path, he knew Jake could.

The leader gave him another smile before relaxing against the trapper’s shoulder. This was okay… but he still couldn’t help but cry. He was scared… the Entity grasping for him, the agony of being hooked, the torture one suffered if one didn’t make it out… it was excruciating. He wouldn’t have the chance to unwind, talk to friends, take a medikit or anything next time the Entity decides to throw him into the match.

 

But… it was worth it. Jake was often the one left behind, usually jumping in to rescue someone, never expecting thanks or anything in return. Everyone appreciated him… most wanted to befriend him, but Jake kept to himself. He was friendlier to him and Claudette, but the rest? He showed little to no interest to interact. Dwight wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was keep to befriend the weird, quiet man…

 

In Dwight eyes, Jake was amazing. He never got flustered or nervous, talked his mind whenever he felt like it, is brave, strong, resourceful, smart, handsome and just, well… amazing. Having been bullied all his life, fearing standing up for himself, he admired Jake and wished to be more like him. Brave, strong… maybe was just a bit braver now. Dwight-before-the-Entity wouldn’t have jumped into the way to save a friend, let alone have a friend to save. And yet he was still crying, like a kid as he was slowly carried to the hook.

 

He felt excruciating pain in his chest again and the crawly spider-like tendrils stab into his stomach. The pain did not end as he felt his body dissolve, leaving just a spirit; oh no, it was way worse. The dissolving body felt like Dwight was being burned alive, his skin and bones broken and cut off in small pieces. How could Jake bear this as often as he did? If he had to bear this as often as the calm-spirited one, he would probably go insane at some point. The pain didn’t seem to end either; the time here seemed to not flow.

 

He never could really pinpoint when he would wake up in one of the cursed locations, like a chess piece on a board. Though thinking was difficult, he did wonder if others felt the same way? Did they also just… wake up here? At least when they escape they feel rested, prepared, take items with them or have time to burn some kind of offering. Dwight didn’t have that…

 

Rounds after the Entity gets you are always sluggish… though there are no visible wounds, one still aches, as a reminder of the failure… and if you’re not lucky enough to find a friendly face once in, after a while it really gets to your sanity and motivation.

 

Luck has been on his side so far… he’d always find someone rather quickly, naturally being able to feel their auras, to see them at times. He had bonded to all of them, appreciated every one of them, even Meg’s constant teasing.

 

Thinking about them filled his being with hope. The pain didn’t feel that bad… remembering Meg’s bad jokes, Nea teaching him about tagging walls, Claudette listening about his crush on Jake, Ace playing cards with them and, usually, cheating, Bill’s war stories, Feng Min’s obsession with memes and video games, Laurie’s brave and comforting words, Rugby games with David… they were all a family… he wanted to return to them… sometimes, being here was much better than the real world, where working his shitty office job was all there was to his life.

 

His home was now them… and Jake… the stoic, weird, but still kind Jake that made his heart flutter…

Chapter 3

The small pond close to the campfire was one of the little good things that were offered to the survivors in this hell. The water was cold and dark, a bit menacing, but it didn’t stop the group from taking swims or just trying to scrub the blood and gore off their clothing.

Jake spent the most time here, usually doing nothing, just to be away from others, for some peace of quiet. He didn’t exactly hate the others, no, but they did get to noisy at times. Or if someone didn’t come out alive… he couldn’t bear the guilty faces of the others. He felt as if they were accusing him, sometimes, though none of them truly did. But the feeling was there. A little voice in his head kept saying ‘you should have been faster, stronger, braver…’ just like his father. Jake hated it.

Today, he was just here for the peace. Clear his thoughts. Nothing bad happened, they all escaped with minor injuries, but something still bothered him… namely the conversation... was it even a conversation? .. he had with Dwight. That had the loner seek his comfortable solace. It was annoying, feeling such things… thinking the things he did. Damn that Dwight he thought with a huff as the loner tossed his scarf on the grass next to him.

He found himself in the Red Forest hours prior… first time he was faced with a killer after Dwight had sacrificed himself for the stoic male. It’s been days, or at least it felt like days and nobody had seen any sign Dwight. Everybody was expressing their concerns vocally, except for Jake. He just got restless and everybody noticed, but nobody dared to comment, not even Ace and Meg, who enjoyed teasing both of them about their relationship.

He did do a lot of exploring now that he had the time. He went far beyond the campfire, one time barely finding his way back, if not for the sudden appearance of Entity’s crawly tendrils that blocked all other ways till he got back. It was as if it didn’t want Jake to wander anywhere. That made him even more restless.

Bright side of his tours, he found quite a lot of useful things; a flashlight, an old medkit, some things he knew he could burn to please the Entity… one thing in particular made him especially happy. A small piece of cloth, with knot tied in it. It was just a washed-out shroud, but Entity worked in weird ways. Claudette did say that she once knotted a piece of fabric for luck before burning it and she ended up in the trial right next to Nea. So he had hoped he would end up back in the game, with Dwight right next to him, so Jake could give that nervous man a piece of his mind.

As Jake got back with the help of the Entity Limbs, he merely tossed the cloth into the fire, making Claudette’s eyes widen in realization, while others seemed just confused. Jake rarely dealt with offerings, on the pretext that ‘the thing didn’t need anything they could offer’. It was the loner’s way to boycott it. Or at least, attempt to.

Nobody said a word as they watched Jake walk to his usual sleeping spot, before the cloth even disappeared. Nobody dared to, even though everyone felt the need to comfort the tall man. Usually that was Dwight’s job, everyone else that approached him usually got the cold shoulder… well, so did Dwight, but there was something softer about Jake whenever it came to their anxious friend. Even Jake himself didn’t quite know why, but he allowed the office clerk to befriend him. Jake didn’t deal in friends, really. He liked his quiet. His peace. His loneliness. He didn’t need anyone… that’s why Dwight bothered the most. Jake hated admitting that he liked having Dwight around.

Jake didn’t pay attention to the camp getting ready to sleep, following his example. He didn’t hear Claudette’s good night or the quiet chatter that still took place in their small sanctuary. He didn’t care.

Once he came to, he found himself in the Red Forest… and the real frustration began. His nose wrinkled in annoyance as he thought about it, shedding his green jacket off himself.

Before he could realize, he heard footsteps behind himself. The offering had worked, that was for sure, but in truth, he hoped to see Dwight, probably already chewing his nails, grabbing Jake’s arm, prattling on about how glad he was not to start alone. As the loner’s head snapped to look over his shoulder, he didn’t even bother to hide his disappointment.

“easy, kid.” Bill said, rolling his eyes, making his way to the generator, not waiting up on the stoic male, knowing far too well that Jake had other things to do. Without saying a word, much as expected, Jake made his way through the forest to the first hook, messing with the screws till the damned meathook dropped to the wet ground with a loud noise. He had to move quickly now. Jake already knew that removing hooks was making him very, very hated among the killers for it… he had to disappear… but it was still a win for them; the hook is gone and unusable and the killer gets distracted by the noise all while Jake’s long gone.

In the distance, he saw David rummage through a chest, no doubt hoping to find something helpful. Jake’s nose wrinkled a bit; social interaction wasn’t something he desired, especially not with the rather brutish man. They didn’t see eye to eye… despite having lived in somewhat similar situations. Jake chose solace while David became a thug.

The loner walked on, walking past hooks as he brooded, in all honesty just wasting time. In theory, the chances of finding Dwight were slim, but possible… he jokingly thought to himself that he should probably check all the lockers… though that probably was quite likely way to find him… which no longer seemed all that funny now. Jake exhaled ‘will he ever learn…?’ he thought to himself, shaking his head a bit.

He would have probably wandered in circles, thinking about finding Dwight, if his hand wasn’t suddenly grabbed by the very person he was searching for.

“Jake?” Dwight mumbled, unsurely, making the stoic man turn. “Are you okay? I kept calling for you and you didn’t even react and I—“ the nervous man already prattled on, but Jake wasn’t having any of it. In the moment of surprise and relief, Jake wrapped his strong arms around the other’s shoulders. “Dwight.” He mumbled, with a silent, breathless chuckle.

Fairfield felt like the whole world began to spin. His face turned red upto his ears, flaming as if they were set on fire. A hug… from Jake. That was something he would never have even dared to dream about coming true, but here they were, in the middle of the rainy forest. Hugging. Well, Jake was. Dwight couldn’t move a muscle. The nerves and shock rendered him completely immobile. The nervous leader even forgot to breathe.

Jake soon came back to his own senses and pulled away. “…Glad you’re okay.” He said, averting his eyes, now avoiding eye contact at all costs. What was he even thinking, hugging Dwight like that..?

“G-good to see you too…” Dwight stammered, anxiously scratching at his hands, unsure what to do or say… Jake was difficult to read and seemed annoyed most of the time. Most of the time, he was annoyed.

“Let’s get some work done… There’s a generator right here… I’ll help you with it.” The loner mumbled, walking past the anxious man, to the generator. Hooks can wait…

Dwight didn’t move, just looked over at Jake, completely dumbfounded. Finding him at a generator was usually a last resort—Jake did his own thing more often than not and it did not include gens. Seeing the fluffy haired man, using his box of tools to repair the broken, rusty machinery was… another thing Dwight never expected to see.

Jake raised his head, about to scold his friend for wasting time and help him out, but before he could, blaring of a fixed generator, first one, than second made him look around. Bill and David must have been busy then… that would again distract the killer.

The loud blaring made Dwight jump. Suddenly he was reminded that there was no time to stand around and began walking to the gen… stopping abruptly, with horror-filled eyes.

“Dwight, c’mon…” Jake exhaled, looking at his nervous friend, now getting irritated. What was he waiting for?

“J-Jake… w-we have to run…” Dwight whispered, looking just past Jake
“What are you on about…?” the loner mumbled, scrunching his forehead a bit. He looked behind himself, following Dwight’s line of sight, to see a white-masked man, staring at them from over a window. Calmly… quietly… but everyone knew better.

“Shit” Jake cursed. “Dwight, split up, let’s lose him and meet at the shack. You hear me? The shack.” Jake heatedly whispered to the now frozen-up man, shoving him a bit to get moving before bolting to another direction. He kept looking behind himself, seeing Michael Myers slowly walk after him, the kitchen knife bloody and no doubt eager to sink into Jake’s flesh. He also saw Dwight hide behind a tree and watch them, scared. Good… the Shape only wanted him then. He wasn’t afraid of the killers, unlike the nervous leader. He knew how to outsmart them. It didn’t take Jake too long to lose Michael off his trail. The loner peered over a window to see the Shape walk off to the direction of another blaring generator. That was 3, if he wasn’t mistaken… almost done.

Vaulting over the window into the killer shack, Jake was immediately greeted by a tug on his sleeve. Dwight was staring at him, his brown eyes a bit worried. “A-are you okay?” he whispered, his other hand already wandering to his lips, no doubt to gnaw on his nails. The habit was getting a bit out of hand, if someone were to ask Jake, so the loner grabbed the leader’s wrist and pulled it down, shaking his head a bit.

“I’m fine. No need to lose your nails.” He assured. Dwight turned red and nodded a bit, embarrassed. Getting stopped from doing so was always very much uncomfortable. “w-we have a gen here…” he changed the subject, trying his best to avoid the subject of ‘Fairfield’s bad habits’. The saboteur looked over at it. The machinery was already humming, moving a bit, but still needed repairs. He raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the office clerk.

“W-well… you were not here… so I figured I’d actually start, instead of hiding…” the smaller male seemed to shrink under Jake’s typically cold gaze, his fingers tugging on the ends of his shirt.

“Good work.” Jake patted his companion’s head and lazily strode to the generator, knelt down and unpacked his tools, already working on the generator, this time, Dwight following after him, with a bit more confidence than before. His chest puffed up with pride as he concentrated, using the knowledge he had picked up here to repair the damage. Seeing Jake’s forehead scrunch a bit, Fairfield looked over at his work.

“i-if you do it like this…” the leader mumbled, stumbling over to Jake, nervously taking the saboteur’s hand and showing him how to connect the wire in the socket, making a spark light up and the generator gears turn.

“Huh… you are good at this…” the taller male hummed in approval.

“o-o-oh… no… I just… it’s—“ Dwight gulped, quickly his hands away from Jake’s, nervously looking around, staring holes at everything but his companion… or his general direction.

“Dwight.” Jake groaned a bit, grabbing the leader’s chin, forcing the anxious man to look at him. “Calm. Down. It was a compliment. Take it. You’re better than you think.” He mumbled, his dark eyes boring into Dwight’s.

Dwight gulped a bit. His chocolate eyes returned the intense gaze of the loner, his cheeks flaming red, heart thumping in his chest like a race horse and it wasn’t because of the Shape. His eyes flicked to the saboteur’s lips. God, the leader would have given everything to just kiss Jake. That would be his first kiss too… he never had anyone. Every single crush he had ever had never was returned. Jake was the closest to a relationship he had ever had… and it was barely anything to call a relationship.

The saboteur was not dense. He knew far too well how Dwight felt about him. His father had made sure he could read people, which was probably one of the reasons why he preferred to be alone; interacting felt like following whatever his father had told him. But this, right now, was different. Jake kind of wanted to kiss the nervous man himself. He wandered how soft his lips were… they seemed a bit chapped and hurt, probably from constant gnawing. He really needed to stop that. And the nails.

Another generator blared into life, somewhere in the distance. Jake’s head was already running, calculating how much time they’d have before the Shape came here… if the killer went to search for whoever finished the generator and then walked here, there should be more than enough time… noticing Dwight squirm a bit, since he hadn’t let go of his chin, Jake threw caution to the wind and leaned in.

The nervous leader’s eyes almost jumped out of their sockets, his ears and face turning red. Was he? Is he? His thoughts were running wild, almost as wild as his rapidly beating heart. He could feel Jake’s warm breath against his skin, he could almost feel the saboteur’s lips against own, his eyes closing, eagerly awaiting it.

A cough. Dwight never imagined he’d hate the sound of someone coughing as much as he did this very second. His eyes opened as he felt Jake’s fingers uncurl from his chin. The taller male seemed a bit irritated, working on the generator, ignoring everything. Turning his head, the nervous leader saw David, smirking. “You guys finally getting it on? I guess I owe Meg a medkit.” He said, kneeling down to the generator, on the opposite side of it than Jake was.

“W-w-what? N-no! I-it was a joke. Ha-haha!” Fairfield laughed, nervously. As if Jake had kissed him. “r-right, Jake?” he asked, as he reached for the generator with shaky hands, trying to play the situation off. His heart stopped for a second as he glanced at Jake. The stoic man seemed to be silently fuming, staring at the generator. Wordlessly he rose to his feet. “yeah.” He said, sounding angry, not his usual nonchalant tone, but definitely angry. “I’ll move to the exit.” He said and left the shack.

Jake rarely got angry. He always kept his cool head. But now he angrily stomped towards the exit, not looking around everywhere; stupid, he knew that himself, but at the moment, the killer seemed like the lesser evil. Without a care, still deep in thought, the saboteur approached the gates, still seeing no sign of them starting. He didn’t care, though. He knew that it wouldn’t be long now and he was right; as soon as he leaned on the red brick wall, the last generator springing to life echoed through the forest and the lights of the gate behind him began to flicker. Without hesitation, Jake pulled the switch down, not even looking behind himself. The loner didn’t even notice Dwight until the smaller male gently tugged on Jake’s jacket, making his head snap towards the intruder.

“I-It’s open… let’s go…” he mumbled, anxiously. He was right; the gate was already open… it annoyed Jake even further. Carelessness was not his thing. Being this emotional was not the loner, stoic Jake Park the group knew and judging from the way Dwight was looking at him, they didn’t like it either.

“yeah… let’s go.” Jake said, walking around the nervous leader, tugging his jacket away from the other’s grasp.

He didn’t see the office clerk’s dejected look. Maybe if he had seen, he wouldn’t be here, standing next to the pond, in the middle of undressing, interrupting himself by thinking. Does he really think I’d just kiss him as a joke? That I’m that cruel? To play his feelings? His forehead scrunched again as he paused on pulling the dirty white tank top over his head. Why would Dwight even like him if he thought he would just bully him? Shaking his head, he pulled himself out of his thoughts. A cold swim will help. He hoped to himself, finally getting rid of the last clothing that covered his muscular torso. His skin did not bear any marks or scars of his time in this prison; even hook wounds eventually healed perfectly… Jake figured it was probably to feed them hope… before actually trying to break them.

Exhaling, he undid the button on his cargo pants and wiggled his legs out of the dirty piece of clothing, tossing the trousers next to his boots and socks. He never minded mud or dirt much, but now he simply felt dirty. He hesitated a bit before pulling his boxers off; maybe he had a feeling that he should keep it on… maybe he had already noticed Dwight standing behind him, wide eyed, too shocked to even squeak. Exhaling loudly once more, the saboteur turned just a bit, to raise an eyebrow at the anxious companion.

“Didn’t know you were that perverted…” Jake said, watching Dwight jump a bit and look away, frantically looking for something to focus his gaze on.

“I-It’s not like that!” the nervous leader exclaimed, tugging on a corner of his dress-shirt. “I-I came to a-apologize and then you—I… well…” Dwight began to stammer and looked away. Jake snorted a bit; he found it endearing how even the tips on the leader’s ears turned red due to embarrassment. Maybe letting Dwight suffer just a bit so he’d realize his mistake wasn’t appropriate… but it sure seemed like a good idea.

The saboteur turned on his heel, to face Dwight fully. He noticed the leader peek at his almost fully nude body before frantically looking around. “Apologize for what?” Jake asked, folding his arms on his chest. “I was just playing.” He said the word with much more poison than indented… seeing Dwight’s head snap downwards made him regret it already, but his stance didn’t soften.

“I-I… I just got sick of him teasing me… I-I don’t… you… you don’t like me like that… and… it’s cruel…” Dwight began to blubber, scratching at his own wrists. That snapped the last nerve in Jake’s already strained patience.

“Dwight.” He snapped, stepping closer. “Calm. Down.” He said. “I didn’t want to kiss you just to make them all bully you. I was going to kiss you, just to kiss you.” He said and looked away. Saying something so… open like that was making the saboteur himself cringe. “Now man up, you look like a mess. Let’s go for a swim.” The loner gestured towards the pond with his head, turning around before wiggling his way out of his boxers and casually striding to the water.

He could hear Dwight gulp behind him and not much else… it took a while to hear rustling of clothes. A small smile crept onto Jake’s usually cold features; he’ll kick some courage and confidence into that fool, he was sure of it.

The saboteur was very much curious about seeing Dwight naked. Honestly, he did want to just turn around and watch the smaller one strip, but he didn’t; startling him wasn’t part of the plan. Instead, he dived head-first into the water, the chilly water washing away a lot of pent up annoyance and easing some sore muscles. Once he resurfaced for air, he saw Dwight slowly make his way deeper into the water, towards Jake. The leader’s lower body was already submerged into water, so the saboteur couldn’t catch a glimpse of his private parts and he did a good job trying to cover himself with his arms; but Jake could already see that Dwight was quite scrawny and much too thin. Did he not eat properly back in the real world? That would seem like him…

The saboteur lazily approached the office clerk, startling the nervous one just a tiny bit, making him jump and gulp. “Easy, easy…” Jake cooed, his hand slowly reaching for his friend’s shoulder. He half-expected Dwight to shrug it off and run, but he didn’t. Actually, the touch seemed to calm him just a bit. “I-I… I don’t think you’re mean… to… make them bully me… you’re quiet… and a bit rude… but you’re not cruel…” now soothed, Dwight began to blubber once more, letting his feelings get the better of him.

“I’m not.” Jake agreed. He wanted Dwight to look at him. Maybe then he’d get through his thick, anxiety-filled head, that Jake actually liked having him around. His hand wandered from the leader’s shoulder to his chin, keeping it still, so they could keep eye contact that Dwight was so desperately trying to avoid.

“Will you freak out if I kiss you?” he mumbled, lowering his voice, in case some prying eyes decided to watch; knowing some, there probably already were some.

Dwight’s eyes widened in pure shock, the poor man was now unable to formulate a word. He just stared back at Jake, returning the heated gaze he was being given. After seeing the saboteur’s eyebrow rise, the leader shook his head. “I… I won’t…” he mumbled, making Jake smile a bit. “Alright then.” The taller male said and leaned closer, but slowly, in case Dwight decided that it was just a bit too much for him. What he wouldn’t have expected was for the Leader actually initiate the kiss; now it was Jake’s turn to feel his eyes widen in surprise as he felt warm, yet chapped lips unsurely pressing against his. Not that he minded.

Jake released Dwight’s chin and let his strong arms wrap around the leader’s frail body. He wanted to make the other feel safe, show him that there was nothing to fear or worry about, just them. Their lips toyed with one another, Dwight even getting as bold as to nibble on Jake’s lower lip, though Jake regained control over their kiss rather quickly. He didn’t know how long their liplocking held; to be fair, he didn’t even notice when the smaller one wrapped his arms around his neck. He was enjoying the affectionate kiss, one he hadn’t had in quite a while, if he had one at all. He was no virgin, but Jake never really had feelings for anyone.

What felt like ages later, Dwight pulled back, his lungs greedily sucking in oxygen they so desperately needed, making the leader a bit light-headed. Jake moved his hand to rest on the leader’s head. “Easy.” He soothed a bit.
“Sorry… that—that was…” the leader uttered, still out of breath.
“Yeah. Yeah it was.”
“my first…” Dwight admitted, tilting his head downwards, embarrassed.
“First time for everything. Chin up, you’ll learn.” Jake gave him a sloppy, but affectionate pat on the head.
“…y-yeah…”
“Don’t worry… there’s plenty more where that came from.”

Chapter 4

Jake knew his suspicions were true once they both got back to the campfire. All eyes were suddenly on them, some tried to act natural, some didn’t care. All conversation had just stopped. He noticed Dwight fidget, clawing at his wrists once more. The saboteur gently slapped over his fingers, making the nervous leader flinch and shrink a bit, looking at Jake, questioning. “Stop that.” The loner mumbled and sat down at his usual spot. He didn’t care about the others, but he did worry that Dwight was mentally dying from the stares.

The nervous leader felt like running… like he had to hide somewhere. Usually he could just sit next to Claudette and have her protect him from the bullying, but even she was staring, curiously. She wanted probably ask him all about it and lord did he not want to tell anyone about it.

“Just sit.” Jake’s voice interrupted his train of thought. The office clerk looked down at the saboteur, seeing him already scooted, offering him a spot under his makeshift blanket. “Ignore them.” He added in a nonchalant mutter.

Dwight nodded ever so slightly and seated himself next to his friend, hands already reach to nervously scratch his wrists, but a stern look from Jake stopped him. Instead he just fidgeted, the closeness making him blush up to his ears. This is ridiculous… we just kissed, naked and I still can’t calm down while sitting next to him!

“Hey, Fairfield! Did ya suck his dick yet?” Meg’s obnoxious shout echoed through the camp, making Dwight whine just a bit and pull his head in, like a turtle.
“Meg…!” Claudette scolded, gently slapping the teen’s arm, though she herself was curious to know what happened.
“I-I…” the anxious man stuttered, trying to find some way to tell that nothing happened, to defend himself, but he was quickly interrupted.
“Just because you suck off everyone you see, Meg, doesn’t mean Dwight does.” Jake turned his head towards the camp, his eyes warning not to mess around.

The camp was soon filled with laughter, especially from David and Feng Min.
“buuuurned!” The gamer girl said, grinning.
“Shit, Meg, had I known, I would’ve asked.” David wiggled his eyebrow and snorted.
Meg’s face turned sour. “Fuck you, Park. I ain’t sucking anybody off.”

“Could have fooled me, Thomas.” Jake’s face melted into a pleased smirk.
“Rich, coming from some hobo.” Meg’s eyes narrowed.
Jake was about to say something in return, but the interjection came quicker “Alright, alright… let’s not fight…” Claudette said, acting like a mother to a pact of kids; which she kind of was.
“I don’t have a problem with her. Teasing Dwight is just low and childish. She gets mad if someone does that to her, doesn’t she? Why should it be okay to do it to him?” Jake’s dark eyes now bored into Meg’s blue ones. The athlete’s expression turned from angry to pouty. “It was a joke, man…”
“Joking at his expense?”
“…yeah, fine, I get your point, I’ll stop.” Meg muttered and turned away.
“See… she’s more mature than you thought…” Claudette gently said to Laurie.
“Yeah… I wasn’t expecting her to actually admit being wrong.” The blonde girl hummed.
“The fuck, guys? Just because I’m 19, doesn’t mean I’m a kid!” Meg sulked even more now.

 

“Come to think of it… how old is everyone?” Nea asked, rubbing her chin. “Meg’s 19, she just said that. I’m 20. You guys? Claudette? Laurie?”
“I’m 17…” Laurie shrugged a bit.
“I feel kinda old now… 26” Claudette smiled a bit shyly
"21.” Feng said, raising her hand.
“30.” Ace grinned
“No way, old man.” Nea shook her head.
“That’s my story, darling, I’m sticking to it.” The gambler winked, making the girls roll their eyes.
“I’m 25, Claudie, don’t feel that old.” David said.
“Old.” Bill muttered, not really interested in the conversation, but nobody bugged him about it.

“Jake? Dwight? How about you two?” Claudette asked, smiling, hoping it’d defuse the situation.
“I-I’m 23…” Dwight said a bit sheepishly, but he was sure glad that the topic had been changed from ‘Dwight and Jake sitting in a tree’.
“Huh.” Jake hummed, sounding curious, his arms folded behind his head.
“Huh? W-why huh?” The nervous man asked, a bit unnerved… reading Jake was usually impossible and now was no exception.
“…I thought you were younger… than me.” Jake shrugged a bit.
“Wait. What? You’re younger than Dwight?” Meg sprang up. “Like hell! Ya can’t be, hobo!”
“…I’m 21…” Jake rolled his eyes. “Why should I be older than I am?” he mumbled.
“No way…” Nea blinked

“That… I always thought Jake was like 25…” Laurie agreed.
“why?” Jake squinted.
"You act quite older, Jake, I think that’s what the girls mean.” Claudette was quick to calm the discussion.
“Well. I guess. I’ve lived alone for what… 3 years? Had to fend to myself.” Jake said with a yawn, wiggling into more comfortable position for sleep.
He didn’t expect everyone to be overly curious now; Jake never really talked about himself, hearing it all was a surprise for many.
“Where do you live?” Nea asked.
“…my home.” Jake answered vaguely, stiffening a bit. Nobody else noticed, but Dwight who was sitting right next to him. The nervous leader eyed his friend, but said nothing.
“Well, duh, where is that?” Meg said, getting aggravated.
“I own a log cabin. In a forest.” Jake mumbled, reluctantly.
“I knew it, you are a hobo!” Meg snorted.

“I’d rather live in a forest than hear you squeal.” Jake muttered, barely audibly, so only Dwight could catch it before closing his eyes, already drowsy.
“I think we should all get some sleep…” Claudette said, closing the conversation once more, turning to get herself comfortable in her spot as well.
Dwight remained seated, watching everyone sigh and retire for the night, getting comfortable and mutter good nights. He looked over at Jake, who had one eye open, as if waiting to see what Dwight would do.
“You can sleep somewhere else… I don’t care.” The saboteur assured after they made eye contact.
"n-no, it’s okay…” The leader mumbled quietly, slowly lying down next to Jake. “I-I just wanted to thank you… f-for standing up for me…” Dwight looked down, embarrassed.

“Don’t thank me for that.” Jake yawned. “Sleep.” He said, turning over to his side.

“…It means more to you than you think… nobody ever protected me… everyone just said what I should be… should do… but nobody said ‘it’s okay’…” Dwight mumbled, scooting closer to Jake, burying his face in the fabric of the green jacket, the smell of Jake alone soothing him a bit.

Jake didn’t respond. Dwight thought he was already asleep, but that wasn’t the case. He just thought about how well he knew the feeling… being expected to do much and just… knowing it wasn’t for you. Being pressured, suffocated…

“Sorry…” he heard Dwight whisper. The smaller one must have noticed Jake stiffen up and thought he said something wrong. He should really stop blaming everything on himself… the saboteur thought, rolling over to face Dwight, lazily draping one arm over the nervous Leader. “It’s fine.” He mumbled, lowering his head a bit, nodding off quite quickly.

Meanwhile, Dwight couldn’t sleep whatsoever… his heart was beating faster than being right next to a killer…

Chapter 5

Dwight never thought he’d ever wish he would get thrown into the trials, but here he was, sitting at the campfire with Meg and Nea, who kept staring at him with dirty looks. He knew far too well that they wanted to pry information out of him… or just tease him in Meg’s case, but they kept their distance and silence. I wish Jake was here… he thought to himself. At least then he could hide behind the larger man. Now he felt so visible and vulnerable… and the girls knew that.

“Soooo… Dwight…” Nea said, after a while of silence. “How are things with Jake?” she asked, but she was friendly. Nea was nicer than Meg, though they both were dropped by the devil.
“O-Okay…” he mumbled, fidgeting a bit. God, this is awful…
“Just ‘okay’, Fairfield?” Meg sounded almost insulted. “C’monnnn, tellll us more! I mean, we could even help ya out!” she grinned,
Dwight’s head snapped upwards, to stare at Meg, eyes wide. Help? What help?
“…don’t corner him…” Nea gently poked the strawberry blonde’s arm. “It’s okay, man, take your time, we aren’t gonna eat you.” She assured, leaning back against the trunk
“…w-well… we… I kissed him…” Dwight fidgeted once more.
“Wait. You kissed him?!” Meg sprang up to her feet, shouting in disbelief.

The sudden jump of the teen made Dwight flinch and subconsciously scoot backwards. Sudden moves still made him very jumpy; even though he knew Meg wouldn’t touch him… well, at least not to hurt him. Meg must have noticed his distress, because she settled back down with a small ‘sorry’.
Nea rubbed her forehead in mild frustration… Megan was too energetic for her own good.

“It’s okay, man, if she gets out of control, I’ll stop her.” Nea said.
“Da fuck is that supposed to mean?” The athlete glared at the urban artist.
“Just shut the fuck up and sit, will you? You wanna hear the story, right?” The punk girl didn’t care about the glare much.
Defeated, Meg propped her chin on her palm, her elbows resting on her knees. “Well, Fairfield, go on.”
“W-well… h-he almost kissed me… once… at the trial… but David came…” the office clerk nervously looked at his feet, tugging on the end of his shirt.
“Yeh, we heard. That stud.” Meg snickered happily.
“I-I tried… to play if off… y’know? I—I kinda thought he was joking… I mean… why would he ever like a wreck like me… h-he got mad…” Dwight’s hand instinctively wandered to claw at his wrist… but an image of Jake giving him a stern look make him hesitate, his hand trembling just over the arm… instead he wrapped his fingers around the wrist.
“No clue, man.” The teen grinned, a bit mischievously
“Meg, cut the crap.” Nea smacked the strawberry blonde’s head. “You’re cute, Dwight. A bit unsure and weird, but you’re a good guy.” She said, folding her arms behind her head, bending one of her legs at the knee, while the other laid stretched out.

“o-o-oh… t-thank you…” Dwight blushed a bit, looking down. He rarely got compliments… never knew how to respond to them.
“No probs.” The Swedish girl merely shrugged; for her it was no big deal after all.
“So, he got mad, what then?” Meg impatiently urged the nervous leader to continue.
“W-well… he just walked off… t-the last gen was almost done… s-so he said… he’d go open the gate… left me alone with David…” Dwight tightened the grip on his wrist; it took a lot of effort not to start scratching. “And David said stuff like ‘well now you blew it’… like I couldn’t tell…” Dwight’s embarrassed expression now turned sour. “So… once we got the generator running, I followed after Jake, while David went to find Bill. Jake was all blanked out, he didn’t even notice me at all… he was fuming…” Dwight sighed, wincing just from remembering how angry Jake looked.
“Yeah… I mean… Jake’s not the one to joke around like that… I kinda get why he’d get mad.” Nea said, nodding a bit absentmindedly.
“And then?” Meg nagged.
“Well…we got back… and Jake walked to the pond… so I talked Claudette about it. She said I just go… and you know… apologize…” Dwight said, loosening the grip on his wrist. “So.. I went to find him… and he was naked…” the nervous leader’s cheeks reddened as she recalled Jake’s shapely body… but his cheeks weren’t the only spot filling with blood.

“Does he have a nice ass?” Meg’s lip curled into an evil grin.
“W-wha…?” Dwight blinked, confused by the question. It took him a bit to process it before looking down. “Fuck… yeah…” he nodded.
“AHAHA!” Meg jumped up, making the nervous leader wince again.
“Meg—“ Nea was about to get up, but the energetic teen plopped back down. “Go on, go on!” Meg mumbled.

Dwight fidgeted. “He… said he wanted to kiss me… just to kiss me… not to make you guys tease me… then he just said I should take a swim with him.”
“Did you?” Nea asked, raising her head a bit.
“w-well… yeah… then… he came to me… asked if I’d flip if he did kiss me…”
“AND?!” Meg wanted to spring up again, but contain herself.
“I… I said no… he… was so slow with it… it was nerve-wrecking… so… I kissed him instead…” Dwight fidgeted again, his fingers nervously tapping his wrist, but not scratching.
“oooooooh… way ago, Fairfield! You have more balls than I thought.” Meg nodded proudly.
“…and then you two came back to cuddle.” Nea finished.
“Yeah..—“
“hold on, Nea, I want details! Was it good?” the energetic girl kept perking up, making Nea roll her eyes.
“y-yeah! It… it was the best… had to catch my breath afterwards… couldn’t stand straight.” The nervous leader closed his eyes, fondly remembering the event.
“With tongue?” Meg questioned.
“…a bit…” Dwight blushed worse.
“ohohohohoho.” The athlete would have kittyfaced if it was humanly possible.

“so… what are you two going to do now?” Nea asked.
“I-I… don’t… know…” Dwight murmured, most likely too quiet for the girls to hear.
“Are you two a thing now?” Meg joined in on the questioning.
“I-I don’t k-know!” Dwight exclaimed, hiding his face in his hands.

“hey… man… calm down… just ask Jake next time…” Nea said, sitting up straight.
“Yeah, Fairfield, don’t sweat it!” Meg rose up to gently slap the office clerk’s shoulder, making him wince. “Maybe we can help!”
“H-help…?” he raised his head a bit perplexed.
“Yeah!” Meg and Nea said in unison, both curling their lips into grins that never meant anything good. What did I get myself into…

~ ~ ~

Slowly others began to gather. Feng was badly injured… she escaped through the hatch. Apparently they faced the Hag without having a 4^th person in their match… Bill and Ace didn’t make it through. Nea went to help her wounds. Nobody asked Feng how she was, they all knew the answer… everyone knew how hard it was to leave, knowing others died… and you couldn’t help.

Dwight couldn’t help but feel relieved that Feng didn’t mention Jake in her trial. He really hoped that the loner would come back to the campfire. It would already be rather without Ace and Bill playing cards… one time Dwight was all alone; that was probably the worst night he had ever had.

But his worries were unnecessary. Jake strode in a while later, his arm hanging a bit limply at his side, his green jacket smeared with blood, expression illegible. Claudette and Laurie trailed behind him, both looking quite sad. David wasn’t with them. Most assumed the worse, but after a while David limped into the clearing, making the girls almost cry in relief and Dwight sigh a bit. It wouldn’t be that lonely.

“Slept well?” Jake slowly lowered himself next to the nervous leader, not making a single groan as blood trickled down his arm.
“L-let me patch you up…” the smaller man said.
“Yeah… thanks.” The saboteur said, unzipping his jacket, while Dwight went to get a medkit. The loner struggled with it, moving his arm made him wince in pain and without being able to assist himself, undressing proved nearly impossible. Luckily his friend didn’t take too long to get back to the injured man, helping him slip out of the green garment and roll his sleeves up. Inspecting the large gash that went along his bicep, the leader frowned.

“Huntress?” he guessed.
Jake nodded. “Yeah. Caught me by surprise. I barely heard the humming and got a hatchet to the arm.” He admitted, the surprised rising of eyebrows not going unnoticing by Dwight. He does know quite a lot, doesn’t he? The saboteur thought to himself.
“I’m not that clueless.” the nervous one grumbled, pushing his glasses up and then tending to Jake’s wound.
“Yeah?” Jake asked, blinking a bit, trying to avoid looking at the gash.
“Well… yeah…” Dwight gave him a sheepish reply. “Observing is… kinda my thing.” He shrugged.
“hm.” Jake hummed in acknowledgement. Not that the smaller one minded; he knew Jake didn’t talk much. Probably had nothing to say.

After the saboteur’s arm was taken care of, Dwight looked at him rather worriedly. “Will you be okay?” he asked.
“Yeah… thanks.” Jake nodded, rolling his shoulders and inspecting the neatly wrapped bandage. “You really are getting a hang out this… everything.”
“…w-well… I… wanted to prove myself to you all… so… I took time observing… trying…” the nervous leader fidgeted a bit, as always finding it difficult to accept compliments… even though it made him happy, that his efforts were noticed.
“Guess you did it. Everyone knows you’re a valuable part of the team.” Jake said, stretching his legs out. Honestly, he could really go for a swim… or just relax in the pond.
“…I… don’t think everyone does…” Dwight fidgeted again.
“…Dwight…” the saboteur warned, giving him a stern look, making the anxious man look down and nod, without complaints. Learning fast, huh? Typical Dwight.

The loner rose to his feet carefully, not bothering to get his jacket or his turtleneck from the ground; his undershirt hid enough skin; not that it would have bothered him to walk around shirtless. His jumpy companion rose a worried eyebrow, unsure what Jake was going to do. “Where are you going?” he asked, sounding a tiny bit accusing. You should just rest…
“Pond.” The saboteur said, slipping into his usual emotionless persona, striding away from the campfire. Nobody seemed to pay much mind in any case.

The nervous leader sat where he was, watching Jake walk away. He was completely baffled, shocked to the point of being frozen up. The man, who just got a massive gash on his arm bandaged up, which he could barely move, was now headed to a dirty, dark and cold pond for a swim. Is… is he for real? He couldn’t allow that…

“Jake!” Dwight exclaimed, stumbling back to his feet and running after the loner. “Are you insane? What if it gets infected?” he scolded, grabbing a corner of his stoic friend’s shirt. The saboteur seemed rather unaffected by it though.
“...have you ever gotten sick here?” he asked, making the nervous one frown and think for a bit.
“…no…” he then shook his head.
“Have you ever gotten an infection, from hanging on one of those rusty, dirty hooks? Doubt they had been sterilized.”
“…you… mean we can’t get sick… or get major injuries outside of the trial…” the office clerk said, now falling into thought.
“Yeah. That’s my theory… since nothing dangerous has happened to any of us outside it… I think it’s just another way the Entity gives us hope to feed off…” the loner lowered his gaze. He hated saying that. Each time those words escaped his lips, he felt like there was truly no hope in this fabricated reality.
“…well… jokes on it, then?” Dwight said. “It does gives us hope… but not for it to feed off, but for us to escape. We will get out.” He elaborated, for once sounding confident and sure.

Jake blinked a bit at the smaller man. We will, huh… he cracked a smile, not a forced one, but a genuine, pleased one. “Yeah. We will.” He nodded in agreement and then turned to walk to the pond; for him there was no more reason to stand around. However, the nervous one didn’t let go.
“…can… can I go with you?” he asked, making the stoic man blink a bit and then nod.
“Sure, I don’t mind.”
Dwight smiled, releasing the grip on Jake’s shirt and hustled forward to walk next to him, instead of trailing behind the loner like a lost puppy.

The clearing of the pond looked as always; dim moonlight, curls of mist rolling over the mirror-like surface, everything was dark and gloomy… but the anxious man wasn’t scared of this place, at least not now. Not with Jake around… and yet he still didn’t know what to do. Was he supposed to just undress…? Or…? He glanced at his sabotage-loving friend to see him already attempting to disrobe, but being unable to use his right arm made him look like he was a toddler. Cute…

Dwight walked closer to Jake, a bit nervously, but still with a bit of confidence. “…want me to help?” he asked. The loner sheepishly released the ends of his undershirt and nodded. “Yeah… if you’re okay with it…”
“I-I… it would be my pleasure!” The nervous leader puffed his chest out.

“You have to be confident, man! You gotta show him you’re a cool guy, not just a pussy.”

Jake snickered a bit. “Your pleasure to get me naked, huh?” he asked, raising an amused eyebrow.
“w-wha…” Dwight’s confidence burst in seconds, throwing him back to the state of a headless hen. “That—that’s not… I…” he stumbled over his own words, turning red up to his ears, looking down at the ground underneath their feet.
“Hey, bud, it’s okay. I’m joking.” The saboteur used his healthy arm to gently pet Dwight’s much less fluffy hair. “now… do get me naked.” He grinned a bit evily.
“Don’t say that…” the office clerk whined.

“now… arms up…” he mumbled, grabbing the edges of Jake’s undershirt and pulling them up. He had to help Jake keep his injured arm in the air, but with a few minor difficulties, the white tank top was soon lying on the gravel beside them. Gulping a bit, trying his best to avoid staring at the saboteur’s lightly muscular body, the smaller male knelt down to help out with his shoes. It didn’t make the situation any less awkward, considering his eyes were more or less on the same level with Jake’s crotch. Wonder if he finds this as bad as I do… he wondered, untying the neat knots.

Jake didn’t find this bad at all. In fact, he found it hot. Dwight’s shyness was adorable and seeing him kneel just before him was really quite the sight… he couldn’t really help the wish to just take him and the slight tightness in his pants. But embarrassed? No, Jake Park rarely got embarrassed… his iron will made sure of that.

As soon as Jake’s boots were off his feet, the office clerk hesitated. Taking Jake’s shoes and shirt off was one thing. But unbuttoning his pants? And then taking them off? And his boxers too? He wasn’t sure he could manage that. His heart was already in his throat, beating like mad.

Jake must have noticed his nervousness, because his healthy hand reached for the button and undid it himself, with a bit of trouble.  “Relax… no one is here… and I’m not doing anything… unless you want to.” He muttered, trying to ease Dwight’s nerves. It did help a bit.
“I… I-I don’t think… I could… w-well—y-you know…”  the nervous leader looked down at the ground, making Jake exhale and kneel as well. “Look… I get it… it’s scary… especially when you’ve had it hard like you’ve had.” He muttered, placing one hand on the nervous leader’s head, gently petting his hair, once more soothing the embarrassed male.

“…you… you are way too nice to me…” Dwight looked down, his eyes welling with tears. “…I… don’t deserve it…”
“That’s crap.” Jake interjected, sharply, making the smaller one jump a bit and stare at the saboteur. “You’re worth nice words, compliments, time and happiness just like everyone else. Whoever told you otherwise was an idiot. Now c’mere. Stop crying.” He spoke in a strict, but at the same time gentle tone, reminding of a parent… not that Dwight knew how that was like; his parents gave him as much attention as anyone else… barely any. Hiccupping a sob, the anxious male threw himself at Jake, burying his face in the saboteur’s naked chest, allowing the taller man to comfort him, gently rub circles onto his back. Jake really is amazing.

They spent quite a while like that, sitting on the ground, holding each other, till Dwight’s tears finally dried up. After Jake wiped them away, the nervous leader was filled with a new kind of courage… he helped the taller man wiggle out of his cargo pants and then boxers, without stopping, flinching or gulping, despite it being super embarrassing. Now he could actually see Jake’s cock too; last time he got too embarrassed to even glance at that general direction. His eyes quickly shifted up to his friend’s, as if checking if he minded. Seeing the other’s laid back look and a small shrug of his shoulders, he glanced back down at Jake’s crotch, examining it a bit closer. The saboteur had a dick to be jealous of, in Dwight’s eyes. It was fairly large, certainly bigger than his own, with a cutely pink tip that was now shyly hiding under the foreskin. Though it was flaccid, the nervous one could notice it twitch just a bit, no doubt blood slowly trickling there from being so obviously ogled. Not that Dwight could say he was better; he wasn’t, his pants were getting tighter by the second.

“…well? Is it that scary?” Jake leaned back, propping himself up by having his healthy hand behind him, his eyes staring at the night sky.
“N-no… it’s… actually beautiful…” Dwight replied shyly.
Jake’s head snapped back downwards, to look at his friend, who now avoided eye contact at all costs. A hearty, cheerful chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Thanks.” He said simply, rather amused by such an odd compliment. “I’d… say the same, but I can’t tell.” He added, shrugging a bit.
“o-oh… well… m-mine… isn’t all that spectacular…” the nervous one began to ramble; he would have went on, but a snort from the loner silenced him
“I think my dick isn’t all that beautiful. Can’t I decide if yours is pretty for me on my own?” he hummed, a bit teasingly.
“w-well…”
“You don’t have to… but if you are going for a swim with me… and I’d like some help… you need to undress. I’d offer to help, but…” Jake glanced at his limp arm, gently moving it a bit, but after pain coursed through it, he left it alone.
“…y-you… you’re right…” Dwight whispered, feeling a bit defeated. Honestly, he just didn’t want Jake to see that he already had a boner… but nonetheless, he took his tie off and then undid the buttons of his dress shirt, slowly slipping out of it. It felt absolutely wrong to have Jake watch him, but the smaller male didn’t stop. Quickly, he slipped out of his white undershirt and then rose to his feet, to kick off the shoes and socks, before his hands wandered to his crotch and stopped to hesitate. Nervous, he was definitely nervous and a bit uncomfortable, but he still mustered the courage he still had inside him to undo the button and then force his slacks down, making his erection bob just a bit from the newfound freedom, though it was limited by the boxers he was wearing.

Jake hummed a bit. He was right thinking that Dwight hadn’t been eating properly before getting here; he could count every single rib on his chest. That made him frown a bit and already think of some scolding speech to give him whenever this came up; hopefully before they got back into reality so he would take care of himself properly, but that was interrupted as the office clerk rose and got rid of his pants. The slight spring of the erection didn’t go unnoticed by the loner, his eyes fixating on the spot with newfound curiosity. Was he really that hard from, what, hugging? Or was it staring at his junk? Sure, Jake was a bit harder before Dwight broke down, but… still

“You can go swimming with them on, too, if it bothers you.” Jake said lazily, noticing his companion hesitating and looked back at the sky, wondering why there were no stars.
“N…no…” Dwight muttered and slipped out of the boxers way too quickly, making him stumble and fall on top of Jake.
The saboteur groaned in pain as his arm got forced to hit the ground, the uncomfortable sensation spreading through it like lightning… but it didn’t take him long to recover and look at now very, very embarrassed Dwight who straddled his waist, mouth open as if he was trying to make a noise but was unable to. To be fair, it was a hot position… he couldn’t help his dick suddenly liven up and brush against the leader’s inner thigh, making him shudder with a tiny moan.

Now that truly got Jake’s attention. The small, innocent noise that was now making Dwight’s arms shake as he held himself up, palms pressed against the saboteur’s chest… The loner rarely wanted to hear noises from other people… but he really did want to hear more of that moan. Boy, he truly wanted to just get up and kiss the nervous man, fuck him senseless, but instead he remained on the cold ground, watching.

Dwight was dying on the inside. This was the worst, the most embarrassing situation he’d ever had… but… it was also so calm. Jake didn’t make a move; at least none that he could control. The aloof aura he was radiating was soothing, calming. No wonder ravens never got started by this fluffly-haired man beneath him. He was really a calm spirit. Instead of getting off him, Dwight decided to lean in… gently rest his head on Jake’s chest. Just feel the warmth… feel needed and loved.

Jake smiled a bit… he didn’t mind. He liked this better anyway. Seeing the nervous friend less nervous was even more endearing. Gently, his hand wandered to toy with the smaller one’s hair, gently caressing the scalp. If it wasn’t for the cold and uncomfortable ground, he would kept at it till they fell asleep, but his back was going numb and that wasn’t something he could bear.

“…hate to be a party pooper… but could we go for that swim? My back hurts… not exactly a soft bed.” Jake whispered.
Dwight’s head snapped up and he quickly pulled himself back up. “o-oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t think of that!” he said, hastily climbing off Jake and offered him a hand.
“Relax… it’s fine. If it wasn’t for the ground, I wouldn’t have complained to keep at it for hours…” the saboteur exhaled, mentally kicking himself for startling his anxious friend and gladly accepting the outstretched hand to get back to his feet. He definitely needed that cold water now, he concluded after feeling the uncomfortable need for release; it seems his pal enjoyed the embrace as well.

“C’mon.  I can’t really swim with just one arm… so… help me out.” Jake said, walking to the water. He expected Dwight to hesitate, but instead his nervous friend jumped up and bolted past him, stepping into the water rather carelessly, not caring about the cold, despite his whole body flinching. He stretched out his hand for Jake to take.
“I’ll keep you floating.” Dwight muttered with a shy smile, watching Jake blink, this time the stoic man being shocked by the turn of events. The saboteur’s shock soon melted into a smile.
“Yeah… thanks.” He said, taking the hand that he was offered once more and allowing himself to be lead into the cold water.

He’ll miss this… whether they get back, back home and he’ll never see it again… or if he died for good and never got to experience more of this brave Dwight…

But that made Jake want to spend more time with the nervous leader… even if it was just catching the doe-eyed stares… or being lead around the water, his hand held tight in Dwight’s grasp.

Yeah… he’ll definitely miss this one day.

Chapter 6

Notes:

warning. Smut. Lot'sa it.

Jake woke up with a weight on his chest that he did not remember having before he fell asleep. As his eyes opened warily, blinking the drowsiness away, trying to make out the tuft of black hair that was using him as a pillow. It took him a couple seconds to realize that the owner of the head was no other than Dwight, who laid curled around Jake’s side as if he was an oversized teddy bear, with Jake’s green jacket draped on his back, to keep warm.

The saboteur didn’t mind it; actually, it was quite nice… he just didn’t quite remember how it got to it. He remembered giving Dwight his jacket, since he noticed the nervous man shiver… then he went to help Claudette out… Jake laid down to rest his eyes and… then? Nothing. He probably fell asleep before his companion got to him.

The fluffy-haired man slowly scanned the campsite. It seemed like nobody else was here; just them. His forehead scrunched a bit. That would make sense… they were 10 people… if today there were two trials, then 8 people would be away, leaving just him and Dwight alone here, unless someone got into the game with less than four people; which did happen, but rarely. He never understood why it would happen, especially when there are people relaxing at the campfire; much like yesterday. He didn’t blame any of the three, no, but he knew that with a fourth person, they would have stood a chance.

Jake let a small hum rumble in his chest as he stared at the starless sky. It was always night in this prison. Sometimes it would get brighter, sometimes darker, but it always remained night. He could never tell time here. Back in the real world, he would orient himself using the starts, moon, the sky in general, but here? There was nothing. It was unnerving for the nature-loving man, but time really didn’t play a role here, now did it?

The saboteur exhaled and reached down to pet Dwight’s head with his injured arm, which was barely aching at this point. It probably already healed, like most wounds did… even being hooked healed quickly… and there’s usually a huge hole in one’s shoulder, but all that remains of it is a phantom pain and emotional trauma.

He wasn’t sure how long he spent just lying there, gently ruffling the leader’s hair, sunken deep in thought. He had dozed off in the comforting silence and embrace, being pulled out of the gentle slumber by a whimper that Dwight made. His heavy eyelids unglued and his dark eyes peered at his companion, who kept twitching restlessly. Probably a nightmare; many of them had them, Jake included.

“Bud… it’s all good.” He uttered, wrapping both arms around the leader’s more frail body. “Nobody’s here. No one is gonna hurt you.” He tried to soothe his friend.
Dwight blinked his eyes open, looking scared and confused.
“You’re okay.” Jake repeated himself, watching the smaller male wake up and realize there was no danger.
The leader tilted his head upwards, staring at the saboteur with the same confusion that he himself had when he woke up. “Jake…” he muttered and buried his face in the soft fabric of the loner’s turtle neck.
“I’m here. It was just a dream.” The solitary survivalist uttered, giving Dwight’s messy hair another few sloppy pats.
“It felt so real…” it took a while for him to decipher the muffled words that came from the leader’s mouth, but once he did, Jake nodded.
“They always do, huh?” he muttered.
“Yeah…” Dwight agreed and raised his head. “Are…we alone?” he mumbled.
“Yeah, seems so.” The saboteur nodded his head. “Is that bad?” his head tilted just a tiny bit
“n-no! I—I actually hoped we would be…” The jumpy man said, his cheek turning red.
Jake raised an amused eyebrow. “Yeah?” he asked, with a half-smirk.
Dwight made a small, but confident nod and then scooted upwards, making Jake watch with curiosity. He thought correctly; seeing the scaredy cat suddenly act brave and confident was certainly a turn on.

The nervous leader wasn’t all the nervous as he pressed his chapped lips (which Jake noticed being a lot less hurt than they were; maybe his scolding did some good and he finally stopped biting it?) against Jake’s soft ones. The saboteur briefly considered to not return the kiss, just to tease him, but he didn’t want to ruin the confidence Dwight managed to build up; he needed it. So here he was, rising a bit, to deepen the kiss and gain control over it, slowly forcing the leader into his lap as the taller male sat up straight. The leader seemed to be only encouraged by it, because he began to nibble on the saboteur’s lip, gently licking it occasionally. Jake let him, curious how the anxious man would continue it.

The kiss didn’t last long, though. Dwight ended up nibbling on Jake’s lip a bit too hard, making the loner groan a bit. It wasn’t a bad groan, the solitary survivalist actually enjoyed the rough bite, but the leader panicked and pulled away, bewildered and a bit scared. “f-fuck! I-I’m so sorry, Jake…” he whined.
“…why?” The loner raised an eyebrow. “I’m fine. It was fine.” He added. He frowned a bit as he saw Dwight look at him with disbelief; why is he so mistrustful? “look. I’m not a paper doll or something fragile. I can take a bit of a bite.” Jake rubbed his forehead.
“…okay…” the leader mumbled and looked down, seemingly dejected. That made the fluffy-haired man huff in slight irritation.
“Bud. C’mon. Chin up. Let me lead this time.” Jake offered and grabbed the leader’s chin, roughly pressing his lips against Dwight’s, forcing his tongue through the smaller man’s lips, making the other gasp in surprise; not that he fought against it. Maybe this will make him notice that rough isn’t all that bad.

Dwight let a little groan escape his throat as Jake’s tongue explored his mouth. Due to his inexperience, he wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the kiss, aside from letting his own tongue brush against the saboteur’s. The seemed to catch the loner’s interest, because he twirled his tongue around Dwight’s, releasing a small sigh, trying to provoke a small fight of dominance he knew he would win. Unsurely, the nervous leader, brushed his tongue against that of Jake’s, trying to pin it down, but that was exactly what the saboteur wanted; with a soft, breathless laugh, he easily wrangled Dwight’s mobile muscle down, with a victorious glint in his eyes. The leader made a bit of a displeased noise, not too amused by having been tricked, so he instinctively tugged on the edge of the loner’s turtleneck, tugging impatiently at it; in the lusty rush, the office clerk seemed to have forgotten about embarrassment altogether; not that his partner was complaining.

Breaking their kiss, Jake happily pulled his sweater over his head and tossed it on the ground next to them. “Anything else you want gone?” he hummed, slight teasing note in his tone, but Dwight either didn’t notice or didn’t care.
“Everything…” the nervous leader mumbled, his face reaching in to nudge the saboteur’s cheek with his nose.
“…only if you do.” The loner smirked, leaning back just a bit, watching Dwight scurry to drop Jake’s jacket off his shoulders and then undo the tie and buttons of his shirt, enjoying the sight. It was odd to see, the usually shy and scared man undress while sitting in his lap, without much of a second thought, though he often fumbled with the buttons. Jake couldn’t help grumble a bit as the topless leader climbed off his lap, the still-clothed knee brushing lightly against the bulge in saboteur’s pants. Is he teasing me? He wondered to himself, but seeing the smaller male tilt his head in slight confusion, he scratched that thought. Why did he climb off anyways…? The loner scrunched his forehead a bit. His question was wordlessly answered as Dwight got up to take off his shoes and then pants.

The saboteur hummed in thought as he inspected the tent in his companion’s pants. He’s kinda easy to rile up, huh?
The nervous leader must have noticed Jake’s curiosity, because he suddenly got all self-conscious and knelt back down, as if attempting to hide his quite obvious hard-on. “…aren’t you going to undress?” he asked, fidgeting.
“mmhmm.” Jake hummed, again, trying to suppress the tiny eyeroll and carelessly tossed his undershirt on the ground, then leaning over to get rid of his boots and pants, much like his partner. He hid the wicked grin that wanted to adorn his face, the mischief only coming through in his eyes.

“…Jake…” Dwight whined a bit.
“What?” the saboteur looked at the nervous leader, raising an eyebrow. Of course he knew what the leader wanted, but he wasn’t getting it that easily.
“…c’mon…” The smaller one whined again, fidgeting nervously, his confidence seemingly disappearing. His chocolate-colored eyes kept flicking to the erection that was straining in Jake’s boxers, though by the looks of it, he wasn’t quite as excited as Dwight himself.
“C’mon what, Dwight? I can’t read minds.” Jake relaxed against the trunk, folding his muscular arms behind his head, looking like nothing in the world could bother him.
“…a...am…I… that… bad?” The leader mumbled, his stare directed at the ground beneath him

Shit. He didn’t expect that. Bolting back upwards to a sitting position he grabbed Dwight’s shoulders. “That’s bullshit.” He said, with a stern look. “I just wanted you to actually say what you want.” His tone turned a bit softer, putting his paw of a hand on the leader’s cheek. “Calm down… everything is fine…” he muttered, soothingly.
“o-okay…” the smaller man exhaled softly, leaning into Jake, allowing himself to rest against the taller one’s chest. “I-I’m just… so nervous…” he muttered
“Yeah… I get that…” Jake exhaled, looking back at the sky, still gently petting Dwight’s hair. “But I was just fooling around… thought you’d jump to the challenge… you already are much braver…” he muttered, gently pressing his cheek against the leader’s temple.
“O-oh…” was all the other could manage to muster.
“You okay now?” the saboteur whispered.
“mhm…” the smaller one nodded, wrapping his arms around Jake. “You’re so warm…”
The loner blinked. “…thanks?”
“no problem… I’m always cold.” Dwight continued his blubbering.
“Yeah, well… I have more muscles on my bones… while you… have barely skin over them.” The saboteur commented rather dryly. “Didn’t you ever eat?”
“o-of course I did! Just… not… much…” the office clerk avoided eye contact.

“that so.” Jake commented rather dryly, running his fingers down the leader’s side, making him inhale sharply.
“w-well… yeah…” the smaller one replied, rather unsurely, raising his head from his companion’s chest.
“You should take care of you more when we get back. I won’t be there to give you pep talk all the time.” The saboteur said, hooking his fingers under the leader’s chin, tilting his head upwards, so his dark eyes could meet the gentle chocolate ones. Honestly, he just wanted to kiss him…
“…you won’t?” Dwight’s small voice stopped Jake’s ravenous quest to devour the small man, making him blink. The loner shifted his eyes away.
“What are the chances that we actually lived close by?” he whispered.
That got the leader to think. He hated to admit it, but the saboteur was probably right; they all varied in their heritages and from talking to them all, they realized that most of them were truly scattered around the world. Seeing Jake again after this might be just impossible.
“…I’d… miss you a lot…” Dwight whispered.
“…yeah…” Jake kept avoiding to look at the leader. He seemed uncomfortable for probably the first time… that was unnerving sight to see. The saboteur was usually confident or at least nonchalant.

“let’s… let’s make it last, then? M-maybe… when we get out… we can see each other… I-I can just give you my phone number…” the office clerk continued to babble.
“…I… don’t have a phone…” Jake said, quietly.
“Address…?”
“…I don’t really have one… I live in a forest… my own land…” the loner’s voice turned quieter each time he spoke.
“…I’ll find you.” Dwight whispered, confidently.
“…what?” the saboteur seemed bewildered now, snapping his head to Dwight. “…find me?”
“You just tell me where you live. State. Nearest town. I’ll find you.” The sheer confidence in his voice made Jake really believe that. The taller man exhaled, giving him a troubled smile.
“…alright… I’ll tell you… once I finish kissing you.” The loner suddenly turned feral, as he tackled the smaller one to the ground, on top of their freshly shed clothes, his lips crashing against Dwight’s, though they didn’t linger there; he left a trail going down his cheek to the sensitive flesh of the leader’s pale neck, the brilliant white teeth sinking into it, making the anxious man squeal in both surprise and pleasure. Jake let a small breathless chuckle echo in his throat.

“good?” he asked, a smirk plastered on his face.
“F-f—yes…” Dwight responded, shivering from the breath that was on his neck.
“More?” Jake hummed, letting his tongue dart between his lips and lick the small bruise that his teeth had made; it’ll heal up by tomorrow anyways. Feeling the leader’s chin tap his head as he nodded, the saboteur smirked again and let his teeth nibble on the pale skin once more, searching around for a spot that made his companion moan the loudest; not that it was much of a challenge;  it was rather easy to make Dwight squirm. Soon enough his lips suckled a spot that made Dwight’s back arch against Jake’s lightly toned torso, making the fluffy-haired man sigh contently.

“Sensitive, huh?” Jake snickered, his nose gently nuzzling the abused skin, as if trying to make up for the damage he had caused.
“T-That—that’s not fair…” Dwight made a small whine, looking up at the saboteur. In all honesty, the nervous leader could barely hold back himself from begging Jake to just take him right there, right now.
“…I guess it isn’t…” the loner snickered a bit, letting his hand snake into the leader’s boxers, his fingers grasping the erection that seemingly sprung into his grasp. Jake used one hand to keep himself up, not wanting to crush the more fragile man under his weight (Dwight probably could have taken it, but he wasn’t about to risk it), the other moving up and down on the hard-on.
The sounds escaping the office clerk’s mouth were like music to the saboteur’s ears; mewls of pure pleasure, whimpering for more, the rocking of hips against his hand… it was quite the sight. Who knew pleasing a man would be this much fun? Jake wasn’t really straight, he had known that for a while, but he never had any experience with a man; after he dropped out of high school to rebel against his father and moved in the middle of nowhere, the only human company he had was his mom that barely visited and hikers that got lost in his woods. Someone had to tell them to get the heck off his property.

“J-jake… I-I…” Dwight whined, slapping his arm over his eyes, panting heavily. “I’m—“
“good.” The saboteur purred. “C’mon… it’s okay…” he cooed, a bit more gently as his hand picked up pace. He decided against torturing the poor man… besides, his own cock was already aching and throbbing for release, from being ignored for so long… but Jake wanted to pleasure the nervous man first. He had the feeling that the leader needed the release more than he did. Hastening his movements, the saboteur looked at Dwight, watching the other revel in the pleasure, eyes closed, lips parted, chest rising and falling as he drew heavy breaths… to see him in such a state… yeah, he will definitely miss this…

The nervous leader didn’t give Jake time to become melancholic; with a violent jerk Dwight rocked his hips against Jake’s hand for one last time, his cock twitching as hot seed streamed from the tip onto his naked stomach. Humming in thought, Jake slowed his movements, squeezing every last bit of cum out of his partner before stopping the pumping altogether. He curiously inspected the seamen, allowing the other to catch his breath, even though his own erection was aching for release of its own.

“Jake…” a plead reached his ears, making the saboteur’s head snap up to Dwight, waiting for him to finish that thought. “…I… I wanna please you, too…” he whined. No doubt he was feeling guilty about being given such service and not being able to give anything back.
“…you sure…? It’ll probably hurt…” the loner uttered, though in truth his own being wished for the leader to say yes.
“I-I…I don’t mind…” Jake’s wish either was obvious or Dwight just didn’t care about pain...

The solitary survivalist slipped out of his boxers, freeing his constricted erection before licking his fingers and using them to trace around the leader’s entrance, making the smaller male tense up a bit, before relaxing again. Jake deemed it necessary to take it slowly, drawing circles around the other’s asshole, much to his own torture, before gently prying into the whole using his middle finger. Dwight released a strangled grasp, the discomfort on his face rather obvious but he kept taking even breaths that seemed to ease his tension a bit.

For Jake, taking it slow was slowly driving him insane. He kept shifting his weight from one knee to the other, the erection throbbing painfully as he began to curl his finger in his friend’s opening. Getting rather impatient, he added another digit in, without much of a warning, earning a yelp from the leader. Somewhere in his head, there was a voice screaming at him for being so careless, but it was overtoned by the sexual tension from not having anyone close in what seemed like forever. To be fair he lost track of time of the preparing; it probably was far too short for it to be fair to Dwight, but in the feral state that Jake was currently in, he didn’t care.

Removing his fingers from the smaller one’s asshole, he positioned himself at the entrance, eyes flicking to look at the nervous leader; a part of him expected protest, fear, maybe even hate… but all he saw was him smiling, the look of love and affection, it all directed just at him. That broke the last string of self-control. He angled Dwight’s legs around his waist and after a bit of fumbling around found his way inside of the tight, warm cavern. He let his dick sink in rather slowly, enjoying the sensation of being more or less sucked in. The saboteur kept his eyes closed, listening to the whimpers and gasps the other was making, though he barely registered them. Everything sort of disappeared for a while, just the pleasure he was feeling remained.

Slowly his senses returned to Jake, making him peel his eyelids open, making his dark eyes find Dwight’s chocolate ones, darting for a passionate kiss as he slowly pulled out and slammed back in. He went in slow at first, fighting the tightness of the other’s ass, before movements became much easier and the noises Dwight made sounded more like pleasure than pain. The saboteur pulled away from the sloppy kiss to groan into the leader’s neck, now nibbling on the skin there, all while making his hips snap sharply into the other, his hands curling into fists as he used them to hold himself up.

Maybe it was the lack of practice or just the intensity of the pleasure that made him feel so close to the edge. Jake honestly wanted nothing else aside from the sweet, sweet release that he could almost taste, but his whole body froze a bit as a chilly shiver ran down his spine, making him halt his movements.

Dwight whined in protest, moving his hips against Jake’s, begging for more sweet friction, but the saboteur didn’t budge.
“Sh!” the taller one shushed him, before the question was uttered, pulling him up from the ground. “Hold on.” He commanded in a harsh tone, making the smaller one obey without question, wrapping his shaky arms around the loner’s neck, a bit confused. Jake grabbed a few clothes, his scarf and rose to his feet, moving away from the campsite, with quick, yet a bit shaky steps.

Dwight felt confusion. Why on Earth would Jake suddenly decide to just jump up and run? But as he looked at the campfire behind them, he noticed Meg and Nea there, both rather bloody, hugging one another. The others were coming back… He half expected Jake to carry him far away from the site, so they could frolic undisturbed, but before he could realize, he heard their clothes being dropped on the grass beneath them and his back was rammed against a trunk of a tree. Resting his chin on Jake’s shoulder he could see Nea… kiss Meg? He opened his mouth to comment about that, but as soon as he did, he felt soft fabric between his teeth.

“Can’t have them tease you.” Jake muttered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world as he watched Dwight try and figure out why in the heavens he put his scarf in the leader’s mouth. The question was wordlessly answered as the saboteur made a sharp thrust, making the smaller one’s vision blur a bit, a loud moan that rumbled in his throat was stopped by the white neckwear that he held tightly between his teeth. To think the loner would have been more careful and merciful, out of fear of being caught… but he wasn’t. His thrusts were harsh and fast, making Dwight’s eyes tear up, but not in pain, just in the overwhelming sensation of being ravaged. It didn’t help at all that Jake began to gnaw on his already bruised neck; all that was sensitive was being abused by the dark-eyed devil that hid in the body of a handsome angel. But he didn’t mind…

Dwight lost all track of time; he was pretty sure he had blanked out for some moments, being overwhelmed by the fucking. He only truly came to, once he felt the arms on his waist grip it to the point of bruising , the breathless groan that echoed right next to his ear and the feeling of his ass filling with something other than Jake’s cock. He had made Jake cum… that thought alone made his world spin.

The saboteur was unable to stand after that; his knees gave in and they both tumbled to the ground, both hitting their heads together and Dwight spitting the scarf out. They panted, absolutely spent, but happy.

“…is… that… how you keep quiet when you get hurt…?” the nervous leader asked, eyes darting towards the soft fabric that as just in his mouth. “Yeah… that and my iron will… I should teach you it…”

Chapter 7

Summary:

smut incoming. Sorry for the wait

The days seemed to be a lot easier for Dwight. Even in the trials, he began to act more boldly, helping everyone out, even tossing himself in the killer’s path to buy some time for those trying to wiggle out of their capturer. Everyone was quite proud of their nervous leader, who wasn’t all that nervous anymore. He had proved himself once more. Now, he rarely got teased by anyone, even Meg owing her hide to him, thus being much more friendly.

Not that anyone dared to tease the leader anymore. Each time someone tried, Jake began to glare daggers and conveniently irritate them during matches. He’d come to unhook one when it’s safe, but would provokingly take his time or just walk away if the teasing did get out of hand (he always returned a few seconds later, he wanted to make a statement after all). Nobody wanted to get on the bad side of the craftiest member of their team, especially when it was a rather antisocial saboteur.

One would think such actions would spike animosity amongst the survivors… but in truth, it strengthened their bonds. They started cooperating more instead of picking on each other; Jake stopped his quest to just anger killers to actually contribute to the generators. They were winning almost every match by now… it was almost as if the Entity was weakening their hold on them… at first only Jake noticed it… but now, everyone could see it.

But that wasn’t the only thing that changed. Dwight and Jake seemed to have little to no time to spend alone outside the matches. The group would involve the nervous leader in their activities more often, which made the anxious man very happy. He loved being together with them, without being the joke or a scapegoat. He didn’t quite notice that he was spending less and less time with the saboteur.

The loner didn’t mind… really. He was happy for the office clerk; happy that he finally found good friends, happy he could help him crawl out of his shell. But… it stung. Jake felt his chest tighten each time he saw Dwight laugh with the group… but not with him. He didn’t even steal glances at him anymore… the girls made him sleep between them, too. The solitary survivalist sighed. He wasn’t needed anymore, now was he? His eyes flicked to the ground between his legs. It was better this way… it would hurt more to lose him whenever they escaped. But he just couldn’t help but want to hold Dwight, to protect him, even if it wasn’t needed… just… just to have him as his. Jake never really felt jealousy before; he decided that he hated the feeling.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he laid down on his side, trying to ignore the laughter that echoed through their campsite. He didn’t need anyone, nor did want anyone. Convincing himself that was much harder than he thought… it used to be easy… back when everything was just ‘father said that’, ‘Jake do this’. Back when he was ‘Jake of the Park family’. But now..? Now that he was accepted for being an antisocial, nonchalant person, it was much harder.

It didn’t take him long to hear footsteps behind him. No doubt it was Claudette again, to try and convince him to join the group. He’ll say he doesn’t want to again and ignore her… like the last 10 times. Like every time.

But instead of talking, the person suddenly plopped right next to him, making Jake scrunch his forehead. Who..? Soon he felt arms around him and a chin hooked in the space between his shoulder and neck; that was a dead giveaway who decided to approach him

“…hi.” The saboteur mumbled, unsure what else to say, letting his gloved hand rest over the leader’s cold one.

“You okay?” the office clerk asked, looking up at Jake.

“Yeah. Don’t you have friends to stay up with?” the fluffy-haired man asked, trying to keep his tone neutral, but failed; the question came out as an accusation… which it was.

“I am with the most important friend, though…” Dwight said, sighing a bit. “I might have gotten a bit overwhelmed with the new ones… but… I never forgot the one who made it all possible.” He added, his chocolate eyes closing contently. “The most amazing friend… who is helpful and kind… and now a bit jealous…“ He paused. “That… makes me very happy…” he made a small pleased noise.

“I…I’m not jealous…” the saboteur averted his eyes, staring in front of himself rather sulkily.

“Okay… you’re not. Is this okay then?” the leader mumbled.

“…yeah…” Jake muttered, slowly and unsurely wiggling closer to his companion.

“…will you ever tell why you live alone?” he heard Dwight’s drowsy question.

“…maybe… tomorrow… if we have the time…” the saboteur exhaled, giving in, but he didn’t receive a response. His smaller friend was already asleep… not that he minded… it was okay, because it was Dwight.

~ ~ ~

Jake honestly expected to wake up in a trial… he had a hunch that the Entity avoided leaving him and Dwight together, whether it was at the campfire or being faced with a killer, they were always separated… which was probably the reason he was so surprised to find the other in his arms, resting his head against the green fabric of his jacket. Shit… I promised to tell him the deal with my dad, didn’t I..? The saboteur grunted to himself. No doubt this was the reason why they were alone at the camp.

Honestly, the loner felt a bit scared… to tell the leader of his past. Will he treat him differently? Or will he just laugh at Jake… call him stupid, a spoiled brat for denying fame and money… all the things he had heard before, told by those who didn’t understand it… all the things he had told himself, for being too weak to withstand the pressure. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to turn from the ‘hobo Jake Park’ to the ‘Jake of the famous Park family’. He just wanted to forget that life, to put it behind him. Why did it always follow him?

Dwight began to stir in the saboteur’s grasp; the larger male didn’t even notice that he was holding his breath and crushing the leader from the tension. Letting a small choke escape his throat, the smaller man began to push against Jake, trying to loosen the hold.

“J-jake… I-I can’t… breathe…” he gasped out.

The saboteur’s head snapped downwards to the squirming man, his dark eyes widening in surprise as he instantly released him. “Sorry…” he uttered, sheepishly, sitting up, watching Dwight regain his breath.

“Did you have a nightmare?” The leader asked once his breathing returned to normal, while grasping for his glasses, to be able to see his companion clearly.

“…no. Nightmares aren’t real.” The fluffy-haired man said and exhaled, rubbing his forehead.

“…did… something happen? Can I help?” Dwight instantly crawled closer, the concern for his friend obvious.

“…not really…” was all the saboteur whispered. He took another deep breath and raised his head, to lock looks with the nervous leader.

“You wanted me to tell you about why I live in the forest.” Jake started, his fingers already curling to fists.

“Yeah. I did. I am kinda curious why someone of the Park family would live in the middle of nowhere.” His friend said, his eyes darting to look at the saboteur’s twitching fingers.

“Well… I—wait.” He was about to explain his situation, but the realization of his companion’s words left him speechless, his eyes widening.

“What? The Park company crossed my desk several times… and I’ve heard rumors from co-workers… never paid any of it much mind, but after you told us your last name, it rang some bells. I have to say… you look a lot like your father…”

Jake tilted his head up, releasing a breathless chuckle. “Is… is that why you wanted me?” he whispered, sounding bitter. His fingers were already turning white under his gloves.

“No.” the nervous one lightly shook his head. “I fell for you before you told us your last name.” Dwight said simply, taking the saboteur’s hands into his. “Besides, I met this Jake Park. Not the businessman Park. I think I like this broody, antisocial, weird Jake a lot more than I would like the other.”

“You…” Another breathless whisper was all the loner could manage to utter, his head slowly tilting downwards, to look at Dwight.

“It’s kinda odd to see you search for words.” The leader admitted, pulling a bit of a grimace.

Jake snorted slightly, his face a mixture of amusement and sadness. “C’mere.” He whispered, wrapped his arms around the smaller male, resting his fluffy-haired head against his.

“…you don’t want them to know, huh? So… they’d not be after your family’s wealth.” Dwight guessed.

“…I’m not that person… not the person my father wanted to be… never was… so I left… walked away from everything. Never been happier…” Jake whispered.

“…sounds lonely…” the office clerk let his hand ruffle the loner’s wild hair.

“…it wasn’t… it would be now… without you guys…” the saboteur admitted, sinking his head deeper onto the leader’s shoulder.

“…I told you I’d find you… I won’t leave you…” Dwight promised, smiling softly, kissing the taller male’s cheek. “…you don’t have to tell me anything. But maybe it’ll be easier for you?” he offered. “…I know I felt better after I told Claudette what bothered me.”

Jake sighed, the noise muffled by the fabric of Dwight’s shirt. “…Maybe.” He agreed and slowly raised his head, sitting crossed-legged in front of the nervous leader, his hands resting aimlessly on his lap, dark eyes staring holes in the ground beneath him.

“…My father moved to the States when he was young. Charismatic, had a small company that was failing… he was a snake, really.” He said, his finger dabbing the ground in mild annoyance. “He met a young woman, when he moved here. Jennifer Park the daughter of the man who’s multi-billion company was known across the globe. She fell in love with him, deeply and blindly and all he wanted was her name and status. They married soon after her father grew ill; he took her name, and eventually became the owner of the Park Industries. Mother didn’t care… she still doesn’t even notice him wanting her money and not her.” Jake exhaled.

“…did he ever hurt you? Or her…?” Dwight whispered.

“Physically? No. He is too smart for that. He plays a different person to her… she doesn’t even notice his disgusting side. Maybe she doesn’t want to see it? Ignorance is bliss…” The saboteur shook his head. “She gave him two sons… Alex and me… maybe that’s why I got so attached to the Toolbox…” he hummed in thought.

“It has Alex written on it…” The leader said, making the the loner nod a bit.

 “We always were two different people. Alex always ran after father… watched him work, tailing behind him. He was dad’s angel boy. I was always more outdoorsy… loved being with animals… and was mother’s favorite.” He said, smiling a bit. “…she’s probably worried to death.” He exhaled.

“…it… must be nice to know… that there’s still someone waiting for you… when you get back.” The nervous leader hung his head low.

“What about your parents?” Jake scooted closer to the leader. “Aren’t they worried?”

Dwight gave him a bitter smile. “Maybe if they sobered up and actually remembered having a son…” he looked away. “…I’ve been living alone for a while. They didn’t want a failure in their house.”

“…why didn’t they move then?” The saboteur uttered, making the office clerk’s head snap towards him. Jake was pissed. He could see the way the dark eyes flamed with anger.

“…pardon?” the smaller one asked, as if thinking he got it wrong.

“They failed to show their awesome son the love he deserves.” the stoic man grumbled, now it was his turn to avoid eye contact, sheepishly poking the ground again.

“…well… if they had… I probably wouldn’t have met you… so… It’s okay.” Dwight wrapped his arms around Jake’s neck. “You’re really the best thing that ever happened to me. I’d get caught in this nightmare again and again, if it meant seeing you…” he added, nuzzling his nose into the fluffy hair of the taller male.

The saboteur let out a breathless chuckle as he wrapped his arm around the leader’s waist. “Thanks… but I think we don’t need the Entity anymore. I live in a forest near Seattle.” He said, using the other hand to gently run his fingers through Dwight’s hair.

“…Really?” the jumpy male blinked and pulled away, looking at Jake with bewilderment.

“Yeah? Why?” Jake seemed confused, his forehead scrunching again.

“…I live in Portland… that’s… that’s not that far away at all!” he said, almost glowing with joy. “How will I find you, though…?” his hopes were a bit lowered now; Seattle had a huge amount of forests around it…”

“mh… it’s not too far away from the road… was it the I-90…?” the saboteur squinted, but then shook his head. “Look. We’ll just meet in the city when it comes to it. As much as I would hate it.” He said, giving Dwight’s head a gentle pat.

“…Jake?” the nervous leader suddenly began to fidget.

“mh..?” he acknowledged the question.

“…could we… I mean… we’re… alone…” Dwight whispered, staring at the ground now. “I-I-I mean… i-if you want to… we—we don’t have to…”

“…hm? Sex?” the stoic male asked, blinking a bit, not too sure what the other wanted from him.

“…Y-yeah…” the office clerk murmured, obviously embarrassed.

“…Not here. Last time we almost got caught… Meg and Nea can risk being caught all they want, I’d much rather keep my peace.” Jake said, slowly rising to his feet, pulling Dwight up with him.

“…y-you saw that too?” the leader tilted his head.

“What? Them kiss? Often, yeah.”

“oh…”

Jake motioned for the other to follow as he left the clearing of the campfire, walking to the direction of one of the abandoned buildings he had found on his exploration tours; he knew that nobody else dared to venture as far out, though the last person who would have done it would be the one following behind him, who was now clinging to the edge of his jacket.

“Scared?” the saboteur asked, trying to hide his smirk.

“I-it’s creepy… is there nobody here?” he asked, looking around.

“Not a soul. I found my favorite tool box here. I wonder who Alex was.” The taller one hummed in thought.

“That… that’s creepy…” Dwight pressed closer to the stoic male, who merely sighed a bit. I guess some things won’t change, huh? He lightly shook his head, but the smile didn’t disappear.

“…Too creepy to have fun? We can turn around and just wait for others…” he stopped to look at the office clerk who was trailing behind him like a puppy, hand over his mouth, almost like he wanted to bite his nails, but was fighting against it. The smaller male bumped into Jake and would have fallen on his ass if the other one hadn’t grabbed his arm to keep him steady.

“Wha..? W-well—no! No, I’m okay!” the nervous leader exclaimed after realized what his friend had suggested, trying to puff his chest out with confidence.

“Atta boy…” Jake nodded with approval and turned around again, scanning the area for a more comfortable spot for them to settle.

Dwight’s shoulders drooped as soon as the dark, piercing eyes were off him. What did I get myself into this time…? He thought with a barely audible whine, which the saboteur picked up, judging by the small flinch in his usually stoic stance. His chocolate eyes glued into the fluffy-haired man, the way he dusted a spot for them to sit and took his jacket off, to use it as a cushion. Everything he did, everything he said… his all being, was just well thought out, smart, quick and brave. Jake was amazing all around. Something Dwight could only hope to be… in his dreams, perhaps. All he was a failure. Just like father always said.

“—Earth to Dwight… bud… you here?” The nervous leader came to from the gripping on his hand and Jake’s worried eyes staring at him; the taller male was hunched over, just to be able to make eye contact with his shy friend

“o-oh… sorry, I… spaced out.” Dwight muttered, shaking his head a bit. Stop it… you’re making him worry…

“…you don’t say…” he muttered, frowning. “…you sure you’re okay?” Jake took his gloves off, pressing his palm against the other’s forehead.

“…we don’t get sick, remember?” the leader gave him a bitter smile.

“…still…” the saboteur sighed. “We can just hang out, if you don’t—“

“I asked, Jake…” the office clerk reminded him.

“…so?” Jake raised an eyebrow.

“…I want to…” the nervous man fidgeted a bit.

“Then relax…” the saboteur exhaled and pressed his lips against Dwight’s, letting his hands rest on the smaller one’s hips, gently rubbing them, in a small attempt to calm him.

Jake’s calm spirit did soothe the jumpy man; even though the situation and location set the leader’s nerves on edge, he found himself relaxing in the embrace of the other, letting his own arms snake around the saboteur’s neck, returning the gentle kisses with a bit more heat, only encouraging the loner to be a bit more aggressive. Not that the taller one minded. He felt a bit more at ease, seeing the other one let loose and slowly gain confidence.

“Jake…” Dwight suddenly pulled away to utter the other’s name, which was music to his ears.

“mmm?” he purred, his lips now moving to nip on the leader’s ear.

“y-you… nnngh…” the nervous man couldn’t make out words as Jake nibbled on a particularly sensitive spot on his lobe, his teeth gently scraping the skin.

“mmmmm?” the murmur was now much more feral, much more mischievous;  a side of Jake that barely saw daylight… which was kind of ironic, since this world had none to show.

This time the office clerk didn’t even attempt to make out words, allowing himself to moan as the stoic male abused his ear and then trailed down to bite at his neck, making the smaller one gasp and tangle his fingers into the fluffy hair, gently tugging on the soft locks. Jake groaned in response, letting his teeth sink a bit deeper into the sensitive flesh. The loner slowly pulled them backwards till his back hit the wall of the abandoned building, allowing his body to slowly sink into a seating position, pulling Dwight down with him. The smaller one didn’t hesitate to make himself comfortable in the stoic man’s lap, letting his knees rest closely to Jake’s thighs, straddling him. Under normal circumstances, the leader would have gotten way too nervous to do anything, but his chocolate eyes met the solitary survivalist’s dark orbs. He remembered how often the office clerk saw those very eyes glare at him, eye him and the others with annoyance… but now, all he saw was curiosity, playfulness  and affection.

“Jake…” he whispered, unable to muster much else, watching the said man pull away from his quest to mark the anxious man in every way possible.

“…what is it?” the fluffy haired male asked, reaching to gently brush over the large hickey that now adorned Dwight’s neck. He was rather proud of it, but he felt a bit guilty as well; did his friend not like it? The thought made Jake’s forehead scrunch a bit.

“I…” the leader began, still staring into the other’s eyes, unable to form the words he desperately wanted to say.

“…It’s okay…” the saboteur uttered. He didn’t know what the nervous one wanted to say, but it seemed to make him uncomfortable and he didn’t want that. So he put a hand on the back of the office clerk’s head, pulling him to his chest. “Whatever you want to say… It’s okay. It can wait. I can wait.” He soothed, pressing a gently kiss onto Dwight’s forehead. “No need to force yourself.”

The leader’s eyes widened. Jake’s kindness and acceptance never ceased to amaze him. Never before did the anxious man felt so… right, so understood. Not in a million years would he had even dreamed about a devilishly handsome man such as Jake, wanting him, understanding him, helping him. But here they were… in less than perfect location, but in a perfect embrace, just like in some novel. If my dad knew I loved a man… boy… would he get mad.

“You feeling better, bud?” Jake asked, gently poking Dwight’s nose, pulling the leader out of his thoughts. He blinked and glanced down at the finger that rested on top of his nose, looking absolutely silly with his eyes crossed. The saboteur snickered a bit, moving his finger away, a bit fascinated that the anxious man followed his movements.

“Answer the question…” he hummed

“I—what was the question…?” the other pushed his glasses up

“I asked if you were feeling better.” The stoic man moved his hand to the other’s chest, making the smaller one glance down at himself and then concentrate on the fluffy-haired man’s face.

“I am.” He nodded, firmly.

“good.” Was all Jake said, before he grinned mischievously, his nimble fingers starting to work on unbuttoning Dwight’s dress shirt.

The leader did not fight it. In fact, he was rather intrigued; every time they both got naked, the saboteur insisted that he undressed himself… the anxious man had an idea why; probably didn’t want to startle or corner him… and if he was honest with himself, it probably would have scared him. The jumpy man was once more smitten… the saboteur really did think everything through. He wished he could do that…

The cold air that bit his now naked flesh made Dwight shift back out of his thoughts and into reality. He felt calloused fingers trail down his side, exploring every nook and cranny of the leader’s torso. Raising his chin, the office clerk noticed a small worried frown that was Jake’s expression. It made him worry… was something wrong? The office clerk was about to ask, but the stoic man was quicker.

“…it bothers me… to see you this skinny. Makes me want to sit you down and shovel a huge steak into your mouth.” The solitary survivalist stated, as if it was the most normal thing to say, his expression turning just a tiny bit sulky.

Dwight couldn’t help but laugh. The way the Jake had worded it and the pouty, a bit childish expression on his usually cold face made him crack up.

“You—I… hahah! You’re really adorable!” he said, doubling over, holding his own stomach as he laughed.

The saboteur himself blinked. He didn’t find it that hilarious or understand how it was adorable. That made him sulk just a tiny bit more. “I don’t see how it’s so funny…” he mumbled and turned away.

“S-sorry… just… who the heck says that?” Dwight wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, giggling still, though he was able to sit straight, without convulsing.

“…I do, I guess?” Jake raised an eyebrow and looked back to his friend, his lips curling into a bit confused smile. Sometimes, that man was just a mystery to the loner. But he sure was an intriguing mystery. It didn’t help his bafflement to suddenly have the leader’s hands on his cheeks.

“What would I be if I haven’t met you…” the shorter male murmured and kissed him, making the solitary survivalist’s eyebrows rise. He didn’t quite expect it, but enjoyed it nonetheless, returning the passionate kiss, his hands returning to their quest of undressing the one in his lap. Dwight didn’t mind, he actually helped Jake out, before moving his hands to undress the saboteur himself.

Both of them took quite a while to just explore their naked bodies; a gentle brush here, a lick there, heated stares, kisses… both seemed to forget the world they were in, the troubles they both had experienced. Once more, they were entranced by one another, by the lust and need for the closeness, the intimacy. Both of them had a different way of expressing it; Dwight was a bit more reserved, focusing on pleasing the other, taking his time, but didn’t brave to touch the saboteur’s erection that was twitching so close to his own.

Jake on the other hand, turned feral, rough, yet still calculated. He abused every sensitive spot he could find, leaving bruises and bites wherever he could, claiming the more frail man for himself. He didn’t shy away from anything, often bucking his hips to make their cocks brush against one another, just to see the office clerk become more of a moaning mess than he already was. He was thoroughly enjoying it and he knew far too well, that Dwight did as well.

“J-Jake…” the leader suddenly whimpered, moving his head closer to the saboteur’s, his nose seeking to nuzzle the fluffy-haired man’s locks, gently nudging the head so he could get a kiss. The loner seemed to pick up on it quite quickly, releasing the bruised patch of skin and turning his head to kiss the anxious man, his tongue slipping past Dwight’s lips without hesitation, battling the other’s tongue till it was pinned underneath.

Dwight couldn’t take it anymore. With a whimper, he closed his eyes as his cock twitched violently, spilling his seed all over Jake’s chest. Not that the taller one minded; in truth he was proud to see the leader reach an orgasm, a small stroke for his ego. But now, his own dick was demanding pleasure the other had received. In a lusty haze, thinking outside the box proved difficult for the saboteur; all he wanted now was to chase his own release, thus, before the anxious man recovered, he lifted him up and angled his throbbing erection into his companion’s tight asshole.

The office clerk yelped in surprise, but he wasn’t in pain; the thought alone of having Jake inside him was enough to tone the slight discomfort he might have felt out. Moaning till his throat ached, the leader moved his hips, grinding them against Jake’s, making the taller man huff in pleasure; even release an occasional throaty groan. He didn’t know how long they were at it; all he knew was, he was spent. He admired the fluffy-haired man’s stamina, but he, too, was coming to his limits. With a sloppy smack, the loner thrust forward one last time, cumming inside of the leader, biting his shoulder to muffle the moan that threatened to spill, listening to the melodic sound of the anxious man’s moans.

Time seemed to stop flowing for the two of them, cuddled up together in an abandoned building, both rather dazed… a weird thought popped in Dwight’s head; it was just like getting sacrificed… everything else stopped existing. Only this was much more pleasurable… and it gave him hope and courage. They will get out of here.

And he will most surely make Jake moan in the real world as well.

Chapter 8

Jake felt this world fall apart. At first it was subtle, just a feeling that the Entity was weakening. Then he started to notice it physically; places he had visited were disappearing. He was no longer able to explore further, there was just nothing there. He would end up looping back to the campfire, as if he had been walking in circles all along. The matches they had against the killers became shorter as well; at times it would even seem like the monsters just… let them go. Everyone noticed it. Everyone was much happier now, more hopeful, braver and stronger.

Maybe that was the reason why the saboteur was not too surprised as he felt the ground shake. The girls squealed in surprise, Ace cursed lightly as his cards scattered around, David and Bill both jumped up and Dwight began to rouse from his sleep, rising from the comfort of Jake’s lap. The loner was still, unaffected by the shaking. We finally did it, huh?

“J-Jake? What’s going on?!” the leader asked, clinging to him, scared. He wasn’t the only one looking for an explanation; all eyes were now directed at him, as the solitary survivalist calmly sat through the shaking.

“The Entity can’t hold this world anymore.” Jake said calmly, seeing as the ground cracked right in the middle of the clearing, making Meg and Claudette squeal again and jump away from it. “It’s falling apart… and we’re getting out.” He added, wrapping his arms around Dwight, gently brushing his cheek against his. “We did it…” he muttered.
“w-wha…?” the leader mumbled, confused.

“It’s… over?!” Meg yelled and looked at Nea, who seemed just as shaken.
“…We… won…” Claudette whispered, but didn’t sound too joyful. Perhaps none of them were… of course, they wanted to get out… but they also wanted to see their friends.
“Let’s meet guys!” Feng said, jumping to the side as the ground cracked beneath her feet. Everyone was jumping as the ground was falling apart, bright light shining from the rips. Everyone was panicked… aside from Jake and Dwight.

 “Take care of yourself from now on…” The saboteur whispered.
“I’ll find you.” The leader grabbed the taller one’s chin, forcing the stoic man to look at him. “You hear me?”
“I know you will…” a gloved hand rose to cup the office clerk’s cheek.
A shriek from Laurie made them jump as they saw her fall into one of the bright cracks. They didn’t have much time, did they? The leader swiftly undid his tie and wrapped it on the fluffy-haired male’s wrist. A promise. A reminder.
Jake got worried now. “Dwight!” he said, urgently.
“Yes?!” the jumpy man was now scared; everyone was slowly disappearing and the light was blinding. He could barely see Jake’s dark eyes, despite being so close.
“I—“ love you.

He didn’t get to finish that. The light swallowed them, everything just disappeared into emptiness.

~ ~ ~

The soft beeping was irritating. The numb feeling in his arms as well. He felt like he was drunk, yet at the same time, completely sober. Nothing seemed real, opening his eyes was another challenge he couldn’t seem to beat.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

What was that damned beeping about, anyways? He felt his forehead scrunch a bit. He just had to know. Where was he? Trying his best to rip his eyelids open, Jake mustered all of the little strength his body had, only to be blinded by bright sunlight, forcing him to let his eyes flutter shut.
“Jake? Jake, my baby, are you awake?” a feminine voice, soft and kind, painfully familiar and so dear… it made his heart sting.
“Mom…?” he uttered breathlessly, trying to open his eyes, trying to get accustomed to the light.
“You’re okay… you’re alive…” a sniff. Was she crying? How long was he gone…?
“…what… day is it…?” he muttered, turning his head, barely making out the shape of his worried parent. He looked nothing like her. She had vibrant green eyes that were now welled with tears, petite form which he towered over as soon as he hit puberty and the soft, caramel curls that were pulled up in a neat bun, she looked so different… Dwight was right, he did look a lot like his father, huh?
“You were gone for 6 months… some hikers found you passed out a week ago… it took a while for people to actually contact me…” she wrapped her arms around him, crying softly.

Half a year..? They were inside that dreaded place for that long? He wondered when mother noticed him gone. Maybe it was even longer, depending when she visited… she did come check in once a month and she did visit just before he got pulled in… he wondered how his cabin looked. Probably very dusty… and his garden was probably already wilted.
“…was… I alone?” Jake asked. Maybe the Entity spat them out on the same spot.
“yes… where were you...? 6 months, Jake… you were just gone… I thought the cabin was good enough for you, to be away from you father… why would you just disappear without saying anything…” she whined. “I would have helped you if you wanted something else…” she let her tears drip on Jake’s face. Oh boy…
“Mom… calm down… It wasn’t like that.” He said, giving her head a sloppy pat. “…did… I have a tie on me?” he changed the subject. He needed to know… was it all a dream? A hallucination of sorts? Did he really meet Dwight…?

Mrs. Park looked up, a bit bewildered. A tie..? She couldn’t imagine her son in formal wear, despite having seen him in a suit on a few occasions. Then she perked up a bit. “…around your wrist… yes… but…”
“…mom… can you help me find someone?” Jake asked, a bit hopeful, slowly rising to a seated position, his muscles aching, perhaps all the time running away from the Entity did take its toll.
“Of course… but who…?”
“A friend. Someone very important to me.” The saboteur’s dark eyes bored into hers and she nodded, understanding.
“…well... who is he?”
“Dwight Fairfield, 23, around half a foot shorter than me, brown eyes, black hair, wears glasses. Works in an office… lives in Portland. Should have gone missing around the same time I did.” Jake named information he could remember on top of his head.
“Jake, sweetie… what happened..?” his mother asked, worriedly.
“…you might want to sit down.” The loner said. It was going to be one hell of a story.

~ ~ ~

Jake had to admit, he had missed his home; the smell of pine forest, the soft howl of the wind, the crackling of the fire in the fireplace… it was soothing… comforting. Though every louder crack made him a bit jumpy, his startled heartbeat made him weary. It was stupid, he knew that, but he couldn’t change it. Curling into the blanket next to the fireplace he scanned the cabin. It was much less dusty and dirty than he had expected it to be; mother had people clean it and keep it in shape, as well as his garden while he was gone. Another thing he was grateful about, winter would had been a bit harsh without his produce.

The saboteur looked over the paperwork his mother had brought him, everything she could sniff out about Dwight Fairfield. Nothing he had said was a lie. His parents were known drunkards and Dwight was often in counseling at school due to the emotional abuse. He left home as soon as he finished high school with average grades, moved to Portland, living in a small apartment, working as an office clerk… went missing around the same time Jake did. No information about his whereabouts, nothing. He vanished into thin air.

He was worried, no doubt about it. Did the others not make it through? Or… maybe Dwight wasn’t identified yet? He had no real family nearby according to the paperwork, so nobody would had been contacted… or… or maybe was found too late? Jake was still a bit under the weather himself, even with the best medical care the country had to offer, thanks to his mother… but Dwight? After more than 6 months, whatever insurance the leader might have had, would probably turn its back on him.

The stoic man rose to his feet, allowing the heavy, but soft, blanket slip off his shoulders and pool at his feet. He couldn’t just sit around doing nothing… He had to go, do something, even if it was useless, even if he wouldn’t find him. The dark eyes flicked to the red and black tie that was once more tied to his wrist. They made a promise. Jake always kept his promises. So, he peeled himself away from the comfortable warmth of the fireplace, walking to the heavy closet in the hallway, pulling a beanie over his fluffy hair, arms slipping into his windbreaker as he moved outside, to the porch, where his trusty trekking shoes were already waiting for him.

Usually, the loner wouldn’t have locked the cabin door; nobody came here, but the Entity had him a bit paranoid, the lack of security and privacy got to him. Hearing a familiar click of a locked door, he stuffed the key into his pocket and turned on his heel. To be fair, Jake didn’t know where he should go. Or why he was going. It was just a feeling in his gut, intuition. Something called him to the dimly lit woods, even though the whole atmosphere set him on the edge.

The forest used to be soothing, comforting, calming… but not? Every longer shadow wanted to make him jump. Every noise made him want to duck. He felt watched, as if he could turn around to see the Shape’s white mask, watching him. Every paler branch made him think of the bear traps, making him eye his footing, to beware a danger that was not there. The solitary survivalist no longer felt as welcome here as he used to be. Maybe mom was right… maybe I should get therapy… but they’d probably just lock me up, after hearing a wild story of monsters and killers.

Jake wandered the forest aimlessly, every clearing reminding him of the campfire. A phantom laughter of Meg and Nea echoed through him. He closed his eyes and saw the faces of people he came to call friends. His head lowered, hands trembling a bit. Damn it, Dwight, where are you…? His eyes opened and he focused on the tie around his wrist, the ends of the flimsy knot fluttering in the breeze, a sigh escaping his lips. 

I’ll find you.
We’ll make it!
We’ll escape here.
I promise…
Jake! You scared me…
Jake… you okay?
Jake…

Memories came flooding back to Jake. Dwight’s smile, nervous twitching, the brave face he put on, to encourage others, how he always sought his attention, the loving looks they exchanged, the sex... his hand began to shake, his fingers curled into tight fists. The blasted Entity found a way to get under his skin even here.

“Jake…” he could hear the leader’s weak, soft voice still echo through his ears. This isn’t fucking fair…
“Jake…” it sounded again, reminding him of the time he was near death, left to bleed out. God knows, he had seen that happen much more often than he’d ever like.
“I… found you…” Dwight sounded so out of breath, so weak, completely powerless. The saboteur’s forehead scrunched. He didn’t remember a situation where the leader said that… a hand came to his view, suddenly resting on his gloved fist, making the loner’s head snap upward, to see the very man he went out to look for, still dressed in that stupid office worker attire, his skin pale and turning blueish, his whole body trembling in the cold. Jake couldn’t make a sound, just stared at the elated looking man in front of him.

The rush of relief and happiness drowned down the adrenaline and determination in the leader’s blood, removing the only fuel that kept him standing. Exhausted, cold and hungry, the nervous man felt himself collapse, but warm, sturdy hands caught him before he could hit the ground.
“Dwight!” Jake exclaimed, finally breaking free from the trance. The smaller one saw a very familiar emotion in the other’s eyes: fear. He really wanted to encourage his messy-haired friend, to tell him ‘I’m okay, Jake!’, to get rid of that scared expression the saboteur was wearing, but keeping his eyes open was already a challenge. He was just so tired… he felt his consciousness fade completely, only his name reached his ears, but he couldn’t respond.

“God, you’re ice cold…” Jake uttered, a bit panicked, quickly slipping out of his jacket to wrap the unconscious man into it and then picked him up, bridal style. The saboteur only had one thought run through his head. I have to bring him home. This was probably the first time he ran back from one of his hikes, without regard for proper breathing, danger or whatever that had bothered him earlier. As soon as the cabin came into view, he mentally cursed himself out for locking the door. Struggling with Dwight’s weight, he pulled the key out of his pocket and after a couple of failed attempts, he managed to unlock the it, shoving it open with his hip, the dark eyes darting to check on the unconscious Leader ever so often. “Hold on, bud, we’re here…” he muttered, bolting to the living room, to the still crackling fire. Jake had never been more glad to have carelessly left it going.

Gently, the saboteur laid Dwight on the soft cushions in front of the fireplace, wrapping the shivering male in the blankets, then added some wood into the pit, to keep it going. Another worried glance towards the leader was made, making the survivalist’s stomach churn… in the light, the smaller one seemed so much worse, much paler, lips turning blueish. The fluffy-haired man rarely got scared, but now, he really was… scared that Dwight might just die and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Standing up, he walked to one of the shelves, taking a satellite phone off it, his eyes still trained on the freezing man under the pile of blankets.
“Desperate times…” he uttered to himself, dialing the only phone number he knew by heart. The saboteur had never needed it before… it was more of a just in case, and he was now glad he did have it.
“Jennifer Park, hello.” A familiar voice reached the loner’s ears… boy, was he glad to hear it; it soothed his panicked soul.
“mom, it’s me… I need you.” Jake didn’t even try to hide the desperation in his voice and that unnerved his mother; she knew that something was terribly wrong.
“Jake, sweetie! What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?” She whined. He could hear her rustling; she was probably already in bed. How late is it..?
“I’m fine, mom… it’s Dwight. I found him. He found me…” he let his words trail off, the worried dark orbs once again stalking the leader’s trembling form.
“I’m on my way.” Mrs. Park said, hanging up, letting Jake listen to the beeping of a dead line.

The saboteur felt useless now. All he could do now was wait, huh? Wait until his mother showed up or the anxious man woke up. Slowly, he approached the bundle of blankets that kept warming his friend, kneeling down to him. The survivalist took Dwight’s glasses off his nose, placing them carefully on the nearby coffee table; he knew how blind the leader was without them, so it was best to keep them safe. Then he laid down next to him, wrapping his strong arms around the shivering body of his companion.

“Hold on, bud… She’ll be here and she’ll bring help… she is very reliable…” he whispered, knowing that the unconscious man couldn’t really hear him, but he gently nuzzled his cold cheek regardless,  hoping his body heat would help as well. Jake was never more glad that his mother was as caring as she was, knowing that she would waste no time to get here.

~ ~ ~

A knock startled Jake out of the comfortable dosing; holding Dwight became rather soothing after the leader stopped shivering, just sleeping comfortably, even instinctively cuddled against the saboteur. Carefully ungluing himself from the sleeping man, he got up and walked to the door, opening it to have a very worried petite woman throw herself at him.
“Jakie, sweetie! You’re okay?” She asked, worriedly brushing his fluffy locks from his face.
“I’m okay…” he said, shaking his head a bit, peering over his mother, to see another familiar face. “Doc…” he murmured, smiling a bit at the sight of their family doctor.
“Jake, my boy, you’ve grown.” He hummed a bit, eyeing Jake from head to toe.
“You haven’t changed.” The saboteur returned the pleasantry, but then glanced back to his mother, with urgency. “He stopped freezing, but… he doesn’t look good…” he muttered, lifting the much smaller woman into the air, making her squeak and turned around, to get her inside of the cabin.
The doctor snickered behind them, following them into the living room, where Dwight slept.

“Oh dear, he looks so pale…” Jennifer Park knelt down, gently putting her delicate hand to the leader’s cheek. “Still way too cold…” she shook her head. “Barely skin and bones, poor boy…” she muttered.
“Yeah…” her son said, frowning.
“Worry less, boy, I’ll check up on him. Jen, dear, make some tea, let’s wake up the boy.” He said, seating himself on the floor next to the pile of blankets.
“I’ll make some warm soup while I’m at it.” Jennifer said, nodding and left the room. As soon as she left, the desperation in Jake’s voice returned.
“Help him, doc…” he muttered, his dark orbs watching the sleeping man.
“If he’s anything like your case, he should be just fine, lad, though you do have a bit more weight on your bones.” The older man snorted a bit, making the saboteur exhale.
“Yeah… guess he didn’t eat properly…” he murmured, watching the man pull the blankets that warmed Dwight down, to examine his glands and bones for any fractures, checking his breathing and blood pressure, making sure that there was nothing immediate that needed to be done.
The loner kept vigil over them, watching. The examination seemed to take forever to him, but judging by the fact that the tea wasn’t ready yet, it really wasn’t all that long.

“He’s a strong young lad, Jakey. Needs food and water, warmth and rest and he should get back on his feet in no time.” The older man eventually concluded his check-up.
“Can we wake him up now..?” The young Park asked, a bit impatiently. He really just wanted Dwight up and awake.
“…I’d prefer that he rests… but maybe that soup and tea Jennifer promised would good him some good. I think you wouldn’t be able to rest yourself if you didn’t see him fine, hmm?” the doc raised an eyebrow, making the survivalist avoid eye contact. “Try, if he doesn’t rouse, let him sleep.” He added, a bit more gently now, making the fluffy-haired man not and scoot closer to his companion.

Jake gently grasped the leader’s shoulders and shook him a bit. “Dwight… Bud. Can you wake up…?” he pleaded, causing the smaller one to grumble in annoyance.
“You know, I never expected to see you be such a softie for a man, Jakey.” The doctor said, humming in thought.
“Yeah?” Jake blinked, looking up.
“You were always a handsome man, Jake, a bit of a heartbreaker, but it’s to be expected, all the girls swarmed you.” The elder said, smirking a bit.
The saboteur frowned, as the memories flooded his mind. “Yeah… it was annoying. They wanted Jake of the Park family, someone that didn’t exist. Not just Jake.” He muttered, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his tone.
“The Jakey that likes to be alone in the forest?” The doc snickered a bit.
“The Jake that’s a bit cold and antisocial… but kind… brave and smart…” Dwight’s tired voice sounded, making both men look at him; the doc with curiosity, Jake with relief.
“Dwight…” he uttered, hugging the smaller male, rubbing his cheek against the leader’s.

The display of affection made the doctor smile gently. “Quite the lover birds, aren’t you, lads?” he asked, making the anxious man blush.
“Doc.” Jake barked a warning to not mess around.
“Come now, Jakey, it is rather obvious. Your mother will be very happy to see you this affectionate towards someone that is not family.” The elderly man said, making Jake frown a bit and look away. He peeled himself off the nervous leader, sitting down next to him, watching the smaller one slowly rise to a sitting position.
“Jake… did… do you have my glasses? I can barely see…” he admitted, wearily.
“Yeah… didn’t want you to break them…” the saboteur reached for the neatly folded glasses and passed them to Dwight, with mild issues of his friend not being able to coordinate well. As soon as he had them on, his glance landed on the doc.
“…we… where are we, Jake…? And… I… don’t think we’ve met, sir…” the office clerk was a bit timid now, unsure how to act.

“You’re in Jakey’s house, young man. I am Arthur Peterson, the family doctor of the Parks. Your friend here got a bit worried and called his mother to get you help.” The doc said, curling his moustache between his fingers
“O-oh… sorry, Jake… I didn’t mean to be a bother…” he whispered, gently poking Jake’s hand, but the stoic man only grumbled in response. The leader than turned his attention back to Arthur. “I am Dwight Fairfield. A friend of Jake’s.” he said
“Pleasure.” The doc nodded.

“Jake, sweetie, could you help me out?” Mrs. Park’s melodic voice echoed from the kitchen, making Dwight blink and turn his head towards the doorway. The loner himself wordlessly rose to his feet and walked out, leaving the leader alone with doctor. Trying not to embarrass himself and say something stupid, he decided to just crawl closer to the fireplace, enjoy the warmth it was radiating.
“Did you really come all this way, just to find Jakey?” Arthur asked. “You could have gotten lost…” he didn’t mention death, though that scenario would had been likely.
“Well… I did ask around… those that seemed to be here often knew of him, so I knew I was on the right trail…” Fairfield tilted his head towards the elderly man.
“You really like him, hmm?” the doc hummed, smiling a bit.
“Yeah… he’s amazing… has saved my hide multiple times… is kind… helps with my anxiety…” a small, shy smile crept onto Dwight’s lips.
“Jakey has always been a good kid. Turned quiet due to his father, but he’s a nice person.” Arthur nodded.
“He truly is.”

“Here we go, tea and soup for everyone!” Jennifer sang out, with her high, melodious voice, walking in with a tray that had mugs of steaming hot tea. Jake stood right behind her, with a more neutral expression than his mother, also holding a tray with a pot of soup and spoons and bowls for it. He knelt down next to Dwight, setting the food next to them, already readying a meal for his companion.
“Dwight, hello, you are awake, wonderful!” Jen smiled and sat down on a cushion, following her son’s example, putting the tray on the ground nearby. “I am Jennifer Park, Jake’s mother.” She said, smiling softly.

He could really see where Jake got his calm spirit and kindness from. His mother seemed to be quite the ray of sunshine, making the leader feel comfortable in her presence immediately; she seemed to soothe one. “Hello, Mrs. Park.” He said, bowing his head a bit. “Thank you, for taking such good care of me, there was no need to cook…” he said, humbly.
“Aww, he’s so cute!” she giggled. “Dear, just call me Jen. Any friend of Jakey-poo is a friend of mine. And it is no trouble, just eat up.” She added, smiling calmly.

Dwight noticed Jake cringe from the ‘Jakey-poo’, but otherwise said nothing, handing the leader his bowl of soup. “I will, thank you, again.” He said, taking the warm bowl into his hands, letting a soft sigh escape his lips; it did good to hold something warm. Without hesitating, he took the spoon and began to eat, his eyes widening in surprise. “It’s really good…” he said

“Mom does make the best soup.” Jake said, handing the others their dishes, his dark eyes flicking to watch the anxious man from time to time, before serving himself a bowl of soup.
“I learned quickly, seeing how much it helped you get better whenever you got sick. I think it was less the soup and more the fact that I made it and not the maids that got to you, though.” Jen giggled
“…yeah… probably. Father never did much for me. Only let others do things.” The saboteur shrugged and focused his eyes on the carrot floating in his dish.
Jen seem to avoid eye contact now as well, sipping her tea. It seemed that topic ‘Mr. Park’ was still a sensitive… neither wanted to talk about it.

The rest of the evening was spent in comfortable silence, with only occasional chatter between Jen and Arthur. Dwight turned tired rather quickly after finishing his food, resting his head on Jake’s thigh and eventually falling asleep. The saboteur didn’t mind; his hand went out to gently pat his hair, while listening to his mother’s stories.

Hours later, they both went on their way, claiming to have business in the morning, but both just wanted to give Jake and his sleeping companion some privacy. Waving them off, the loner exhaled, rubbing his tired eyes as he returned to the pile of cushions where his anxious friend slept peacefully. Overwhelmed with sudden exhaustion, the fluffy-haired man laid down close to the office clerk, pulling him closer to his chest and dozed off himself, listening to the soothing sound of the fire crackling, just like at the campfire.

Chapter 9

Summary:

that's it folks. Thanks for sticking around

Dwight roused from his sleep, disturbed by the bright light that shone through the window of the cabin. He peeled his eyelids open and quickly covered his sensitive eyes from the harsh daylight, trying to get accustomed to it. Where am I? He thought, his mind and body still rather groggy and it didn’t help that he could barely see right without his glasses; the surroundings looked even less familiar this way. He tried to piece together what had happened, trying to remember where he’d put his glasses.

The leader didn’t have to think for long as a living reminder began to stir at his side, rolling over to face the anxious man, throwing a strong arm over him. Even without the glasses, he couldn’t mistake the tufts of fluffy black hair. Jake… Now here remembered… freezing in the woods… seeing Jake in a dream-like state, meeting his mother and doctor, warm fire. Didn’t the saboteur take the glasses from him? Probably put them somewhere safe. He really wanted to get up and search for them, explore cabin, see the place Jake called home, but the warmth radiated from the saboteur and the comfort of his embrace was far too inviting. He couldn’t force himself to get up, so he turned on his side, to face his fluffy-haired lover and scoot even closer.

The loner stirred just a bit from the movement, but after releasing a deep breath and subconsciously tightening his hold on Dwight, he made no sign of waking up. He needed the sleep himself; after returning from the nightmarish world of the Entity sleep was a hard thing to do. The leader gently wiggled his hand up to the stoic male’s head, gently petting his black locks. They were even softer here, washed with actual shampoo. A warn shower would delightful. He mused to himself. A change of clothes as well… I wonder if anything of Jake’s would fit me?

The anxious man dozed off in the comforting embrace of the taller man, only waking up again once Jake himself began to stir. With a sleepy grumble, he peeled his dark eyes open, scanning his surroundings before focusing his gaze on Dwight, giving the smaller one a sleepy grin. “Morning…” he muttered with a yawn.
“Morning. Feels weird to say that.” The leader replies, smiling at the cute sight of a tired Jake.
“Yeah… seeing sunshine is like a gift…” the saboteur agreed, briefly caressing the anxious man’s cheek, before rising to a sitting position, stretching, making his joints crack as he did.

His companion followed the example, sitting up and rolling his shoulders. Only now did he notice how tense his muscles were, all in knots. He was a mess, per usual.
“Jake…? Where did you put my glasses?” he asked.
“Hm? Ah, shit, right…” the loner sheepishly rubbed his forehead, handing the office clerk his glasses. “You can barely see without them…” he added.
Dwight nodded, putting them on, looking around the room, now seeing everything clearly. The saboteur noticed it. “It’s not much, really. But if you need anything, just ask.” He said.
“W-well… a shower… and some clean clothes… would be nice…” the nervous man fidgeted, half-expecting Jake to laugh at him

“Sure. I probably have something that would fit you… as for the shower, I only have a tub, but I think it’s even better for you. Just go to the hallway and then the door on the right.” The loner said, pointing at the door behind him, getting on his feet and lazily shuffling through another door, which as far as Dwight could see, led to the bedroom.
The nervous leader remained seated for a bit, before unsurely standing up and wandering out through the door into the corridor. “door on the right…” he mumbled to himself, heading to the only door on the right, unsurely opening it to find a rather spacious bathroom, with a large bathtub. Even in the middle of the forest, the whole cabin screamed of expensive… but it was no wonder, as Jake, whether he liked it or not, was still a Park.

Toying with the faucet, Dwight got the water to the temperature he liked and began to undress. He felt a bit uneasy, since he was not used to showering and bathing outside of his house; the nightmare world was one of the exceptions he made, but he didn’t really have a choice there, now did he?
A knock on the door made him jump and drop the dress shirt he held in his hands.
“Dwight? Can I come in?” Jake asked. Gulping down his panic, the leader steeled his nerves.
“Y-yeah…”
The saboteur seemed to hesitate for a bit, hearing the unsure tone in his friend’s voice. He slowly opened the door and peered in. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah! Yeah… just… jumpy…” the office clerk said, rather sheepishly.
“…yeah, I get that… noises tend to get me alert as well…” the fluffy-haired man exhaled and walked to the sink. “Here, some clothes. Should fit you, or at least not fall off immediately.” He said, lying the neatly folded clothing on the edge of it.
“Thanks… you’re always saving my hide.” The nervous man smiled at his friend, genuinely happy.

Jake smiled and shuffled over to Dwight, wrapping his arm around the smaller man’s shoulder. “My pleasure. Don’t mention it.” He said, planting a kiss on the leader’s temple.
The office clerk relaxed immediately. He didn’t know if their relationship would be the same when they got back; maybe Jake didn’t feel like dealing with him once they were out… maybe he wanted to be just friends. But now… now he knew, nothing changed. Jake didn’t change. He was the same old, antisocial, quiet, but kind Jake.

Before the saboteur could pull away and leave the room to give the anxious man his privacy, Dwight wrapped his arms around the fluffy-haired man’s torso, resting his head on the lean chest. “Stay?” he asked, pleadingly, even though he didn’t intend to sound that needy.
“Sure.” The loner said, gently petting the office clerk’s hair.
“Thank you…”
“C’mon, bud, stop thanking me.” The stoic man flicked his companion’s forehead.
The jumpy man grumbled a bit, playfully slapping Jake’s hand away, making the taller man snicker.
“…The tub’s big enough for two…” The leader mumbled.
“Oh yeah?” Jake smirked a bit. Dwight didn’t dare to look up, simply nodded. “I guess a bath won’t hurt.” The saboteur hummed and peeled himself away from the office clerk’s embrace, to undress.
The smaller man smiled a bit, returning to disrobing as well, before stopping the running water, climbing into the spacious tub, enjoying the slight sting the hot water had on his chilly skin.
“You sure like your water warm.” Jake raised a curious eyebrow, following his friend’s example.
“Well… yeah…” Dwight sheepishly scratched his head. “I haven’t had a tub in my house since… since I moved from my parents place. Was stuck with a crappy shower for years…” he admitted. “…now I don’t even have that.” A heavy exhale escaped the leader’s lips.

That made the saboteur perk up from his comfortable lounging. “What?”
“W-well… since I was gone, I couldn’t pay rent… and didn’t show up at work… so… I got fired… and lost my apartment.” The smaller male mumbled, letting himself sink deeper into the water. He felt absolutely ashamed.
“You can stay here.” Jake said, moving to pull Dwight close to his chest. “It’s not your fault… I probably would have lost my place too, if it didn’t belong to me… I was lucky my mom took care of this place…” he muttered, trying to soothe the nervous male.

“Your mom is so sweet…” the leader mumbled with a sniffle. He tried his best not to cry, but he was losing that fight.
“Yeah… I was lucky…” the saboteur felt like a broken record, gently swaying from side to side, noticing that his soothing attempts were failing.
“I-I wish I was that lucky…” Dwight mumbled.
“She’ll look out for you too, from now on. I’m not letting you go… you’re important to me…” Jake whispered, a bit sheepishly. Saying such mushy things out loud made him cringe, but he did think that.
The leader froze in shock. He didn’t expect the stoic man to suddenly admit his feelings so openly.
“…I wanted to tell you it before the Entity’s world collapsed… I… I do love you, Dwight Fairfield.” The loner made his companion look him in the eyes.

The nervous man was completely flabbergasted, staring at his companion as if he just said the Earth was a triangle. He couldn’t believe his ears.
“Stay here… please?” Jake asked, booping Dwight’s nose.
“I—I love you too, Jake!” the boop seemed to have rebooted the leader’s brain and he threw his arms around the loner. “I don’t ever want to leave.”
“Then don’t.” the saboteur mumbled, rubbing his cheek against that of the office clerk. “I’ll take care of you. We’ll make it.” He mumbled.
“…We’ll make it…” Dwight nodded in agreement.

 

~ ~ ~

Dwight sat down on the steps of the porch, tightening the blanket around him, stirring his tea, eyes never leaving the sight before him.

Jake was dressed in his typical attire, just a beanie that covered his fluffy head. He threw a Frisbee, making the large golden retriever run after it with a happy bark, jump and catch it, then happily return it to the owner.
“Good boy.” The saboteur praised, petting the door, taking the toy and readying to throw it again.

Dwight smiled, watching them both play. The chilly wind got him shivering already, but he didn’t mind at all. Seeing Jake happy always did wonders to him. Warmed him from the inside and no chilly wind could beat it. He was quite concentrated on his playing beloved ones, till a small snowflake swirled in the air in front of him. He got his hand out from under the blanket, letting it land softly on his skin. “It’s snowing…” he mumbled, looking up at the cloudy sky that was visible through the naked trees.

Jake paused his game to look up as well, humming in thought. “It is.” He agreed. “It’s snowing, boy.” He said to the dog, which simply tilted his head. He soon noticed the snowflakes and barked happily, jumping in the air to catch them, seemingly having fun.

“It’s been years… but I still get surprised when we get snow.” Dwight admitted. Jake blinked and looked at his lover. At first he didn’t quite get it, but quickly caught on. “Yeah… it is a reminder that all of this is true.” He nodded. The leader did as well, agreeing.

“3 years…”
“Yup. Three years.” The saboteur agreed, coming closer to Dwight, since Quentin seemed to have fun by himself, trying to eat the snowflakes.
“…We were just strangers in a nightmare three years ago…” the ex-nervous man said, smiling a bit, remembering those times.
“And now we’re here, living together. With a dog.”
“And probably, soon, a kid.”
“Stop saying probably, if mom said she will make it happen, she will.”
“Jen always gets what she wants…”
“She does. Not that I said okay just because she wanted grandkids.”
“You’ll make a great dad.”
“…so will you.”
“We’ll see…”
“C’mon, you’re freezing. Let’s go inside.” Jake urged. “Quen, c’mon.” he whistled. The golden retriever barked in response and scuttled to his owner, who offered Dwight his hand to stand up. Yeah, the snow did remind him that this world was real. That he was here, alive, happy… so much better than he was, with Jake at his side… yeah… life was good… and certainly worth the pain he went through to get here.