hostage | MASK OR MENACE

I'll drink to that.

[ A clink of his can against Jesse's, followed by a quick swig. He falls into that same comfortable silence as he tucks into his food, content to not talk much about anything while they eat. Right now, this is the happiest Joel has been since Ellie disappeared. He feels her absence, terribly - she's never far from his thoughts at any given time of the day - but right now, it's not hurting as much. ]

Mm. That's pretty damn good. [ Dropping a bone to the plate that he was eating meat from, he reaches for his beer again. He hasn't quite finished his meal but he sets his plate aside to take a small break. Stretching his legs out and crossing his feet ankle over ankle, he leans back against his hand while sipping his beer. ] So, what d'you wanna do tomorrow? We could go hiking. Or we could go fishing. [ Another sip of his beer. ] Heh. Pity we don't got a little boat or somethin'. Nothin' nicer than being out on the calm water. Somethin' we oughta think about getting, huh?

[Jesse's eating slowly, picking at the meat not because he doesn't like it but because he wants to savor it. He's only halfway through his meal when Joel brings up the boat, and he looks up with another smile.]

We'll get a boat, yeah. For tomorrow, though, um... I think a hike sounds nice. Find the highest spot we can find. The best view.

[ That sounds good to Joel, and the look he gives Jesse says as much, though he can't help mildly kidding: ]

That'll be a helluva long walk. Sure you'll be able to make it that far? 'Cause I ain't givin' you a piggyback ride or nothin'.

You know I don't get tired, right?

[Joel ought to know by now, at least.]

More like I'll be carrying your geezer ass back to camp.

[ Joel breaks out into a small smile, almost huffing out a small laugh along with it. ]

Fair enough. [ He glances over at Jesse. ] Watch it on the geezer talk, though, I ain't that old.

[Jesse leans forward and gives Joel a crooked grin.]

Prove it.

'Prove it'? The hell is that s'posed to mean?

Oh, I dunno...

[Jesse sucks at his fingers and sets his plate aside.]

What do young guys get up to?

[ Joel gives Jesse a dry look. He's in a pretty decent mood, all things considered, so there's amusement hidden underneath that look. ]

Mostly stupid shit.

Dick.

[Jesse hops to his feet, only to take a few steps and crouch down behind Joel. Pressing in, he drapes his arms over Joel's shoulders, thighs squeezing at Joel's hips, and presses a kiss to the back of his neck.]

[ Joel watches Jesse get to his feet, wondering where he's going, until he realises Jesse's intentions. Joel's posture naturally becomes a little awkward at the affection, but he lets it happen. Maybe it's even kind of nice. ]

Is this you proving my point?

[ About young guys doing stupid shit, that is; an attempt at a dry joke. The warmth of Jesse's breath against his neck, though, and the warmth of him pressed up against Joel's back instantly draws Joel's attention to how cold he is out here in the open air. ]

Don't put yourself down like that.

[You're not stupid shit, Joel! Even if Jesse's doing you.

He keeps his lips against Joel's skin, hot breath in short bursts between kisses just above his collar. His arms fold beneath Joel's chin, trapping him in place. The affection will have to be endured.]

[ Winding up enveloped in Jesse's arms renders Joel without a response to Jesse's remark. He sits there motionless, his skin breaking out into goosebumps under his thick coat and flannel shirt from the hot and tender warmth of Jesse's mouth, a stark contrast to the frosty night that's growing steadily frostier. His eyes drift shut and he finally gives a hint of welcoming Jesse's closeness by resting, almost nuzzling his head back against Jesse's. He already had a feeling he knew exactly where Jesse was going with his 'prove it' talk, and now he knows for sure where Jesse was going with that.

He turns his head as if to try and look at Jesse in his peripheral vision. ]

I'm not provin' anything to you 'til we've cleaned up. Last thing we need is wild animals scavenging 'round the place.

[Jesse looks up to meet Joel's eye.]

Stop worrying so much.

[Animals haven't come around yet. He's confident they can wait a little longer. Jesse ducks down again to suck gently on the crook of Joel's neck, and his right arm drops to slide down Joel's back and around again, hand fumbling blindly for his belt buckle.]

I ain't worrying, I just...

[ Well, maybe he is a little worried. Between Jesse's mouth on his neck and Jesse's hand unexpectedly fumbling for his belt, though, Joel almost loses his train of thought. Joel quickly seizes a hold of Jesse's wrist, stopping him mid-unbuckle. ]

I just... y'know. Don't want any interruptions.

[Jesse gives an impatient thrust forward, his erection becoming obvious as it's crushed against the small of Joel's back.]

You're already interrupting.

[ It's a testament to their age difference how much quicker Jesse often reaches a point of excitement than Joel does. Even when Joel's mind is completely willing, his body can take its time catching up. Still, his eyes dart to the tent before he's looking at Jesse in his peripheral vision again. ]

Out here?

[ In the freezing goddamn cold? ]

[Jesse hisses in frustration, pressing his face into Joel's shoulder for a moment. It's a hundred excuses to protest with him tonight. No, the cold doesn't bother Jesse. Not like it bothers normal people. But if Joel's going to keep whining about it, Jesse's going to have to relent. He disentangles himself from Joel and gets to his feet.]

Alright already.

[ Maybe Joel is proving Jesse's point that he is an old geezer, with his finicky and set ways of preferring to do things. And in fact, when he climbs to his feet and adjusts himself in his jeans, he stoops down to pick up both Jesse's plate and his own plate, because it's going to bother the hell out of him leaving meat out in the open. He's spent far too many nights camping out in the open wilderness to ignore little details like that. He makes haste with dealing with the plates, though: he stashes them both in the portable cooler with the beers for now, and locks the cooler shut. He'll deal with it properly later, but for now, no animals will be able to get to it.

But then, without a word, he heads for the tent, and as he ducks inside, he resumes unbuckling his belt where Jesse had left off. ]

[Yes. Point proven. Jesse rolls his eyes as Joel wastes time clearing the food away, but at least it doesn't take long, and he follows Joel into the tent. Practically on top of him, actually, as he pushes Joel's hands away to get at the belt himself.]

Warm enough now?

[Can't help teasing as he moves on to the fly. Just a couple swift, expert flicks before those jeans loosen and his hand's sliding in and down to grasp Joel's cock and start working him up.]

Dunno why you couldn't just wait 'til we--

[ A mildly surprised, "Mm," escapes him at Jesse's hand pushing into his jeans. He's not hard, though the way Jesse starts stroking him causes an instant heaviness in his cock, making it start to lengthen and grow heavier in Jesse's hand. If Jesse is trying to make Joel shut up, it works. Joel doesn't bother finishing what he was going to say, just snags the sleeve of Jesse's coat and tugs to urge him a little closer. ]

You're goddamn impatient tonight. [ A murmured observation far more than a complaint. ]

Do you have any idea how long it's been?

[By which he means: Do you have any idea how much I've missed you? Because it isn't about the last time he fucked someone. It's about how long he's been separated from Joel - so damn far away that Joel's existence was wiped from his mind - and all of Jesse is aching to return to their life together.

They had something like happiness, didn't they? Didn't they love each other as much as they were capable?

Jesse hooks his free arm around Joel, pressing closer to nuzzle up against him, stroking him with inexhaustible urgency.]

[ Joel lets Jesse pull him close, his eyes falling shut. A soft shuddering breath escapes him from how Jesse is stroking him. He's kept everything contained ever since bringing Jesse home from Will's place; he's done nothing except shove away thoughts that keep creeping into his mind and determinedly try to pretend everything is back to normal. Jesse nuzzling up against him, the closeness of him, his familiar scent and his familiar warmth and familiar touch starts causing Joel's resolve to crumble.

Joel's hands fumble underneath Jesse's coat and slide up along his sides and around to his back, and he presses his cheek against Jesse's cheek, another shuddering breath jarring from him. Then he's turning his head to find Jesse's mouth with his own. Joel never usually initiates intimacy and there's almost always a resistance whenever Jesse tries to kiss him. There's even a hint of hesitancy in how he meets Jesse's lips now, but there's also something desperate and longing about it: everything he can't bring himself to say suddenly starting to spill out in the way he crushes his mouth against Jesse's, while his hands grab at Jesse's back, fingers digging in, grabbing at the material of his shirt, all while breathing heavily and muffling a hitched gasp against Jesse's lips. ]

[He doesn't expect the kiss, which makes it that much better. Jesse knows how difficult it's always been for Joel - to form connections and to lose them - and he can taste that struggle on Joel's lips. His heart skips a beat, his own lips parting to accept Joel and to comfort him. And to take for himself, too, because Jesse knows he deserves this as much as anything else. He's glad that Joel missed him. He needed someone to miss him.

Jesse shifts as Joel takes hold of him, his spine curving under the pressure of those possessive hands, his cock throbbing painfully in his jeans and pulsing against Joel's thigh. He moans softly into Joel's mouth but his right hand doesn't slow its work, persistent as Joel thickens in his grasp.]

[ The kiss soon breaks from Joel needing to take a deep breath of air. He doesn't pull away, though; he presses his forehead against Jesse's with his eyes still shut. He can feel Jesse's hardness pressing into his thigh and he can sense Jesse's neediness in the way Jesse is jerking him off, and his chest knots up tighter with his own neediness fighting its way to the surface. It's a scary, out of control feeling, scary enough to warrant shoving Jesse away from him, and in fact his hands slip free from under Jesse's coat to press against his chest like he's about to do just that.

He swallows hard and tries to think through the sound of his pulse pounding in his ears and the burgeoning pleasure pooling in his groin, and then simply just... gives in. His hands begin fumbling with the buttons on Jesse's shirt and he makes it halfway down the column of buttons before losing patience and ripping the shirt open the rest of the way. His strength makes it seem like Jesse's shirt is made of nothing but paper, with buttons flinging off in different directions, and both his hands begin shoving both the shirt and Jesse's coat off his shoulders. ]

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