inside

inside

   Jack's bladder woke him, and he opened his eyes. After a minute they adjusted to the darkness and he could see the flap of the tent. He slid as gently as he could from under Ennis's arm and crawled outside. The night air was crisp, but he wasn't going to be out here long, and he picked a spot not too close to the tent but not so far away, either.

   He crept back into the tent, and saw that Ennis had rolled over into the space he'd vacated, his arm still outstretched. Afraid of waking him, instead Jack crawled around behind him and pulled the end of the blanket over himself. The cold air chilled his backside; he snuggled closer to Ennis, wrapping an arm around him as Ennis had done so many times before, and gained a little more blanket coverage, and a great deal more warmth.

   Now he couldn't fall back to sleep. He was keenly aware of every point where his skin and Ennis's made contact, of the sweaty scent of his hair, the regular sound of his breathing. It wasn't but a few minutes before Jack felt his erection pressing against the relaxed flesh of Ennis's buttocks. It was heaven and torture. For a little while he tried to ignore it, hoping it would fade; instead it grew more painful until he thought he could stand it no longer.

   He could roll over and take care of it, he knew that. But the siren song of this forbidden territory, an unspoken rule between them, bewitched him. All the times he'd wanted this, and never been granted it; all the dreams and fantasies of a reciprocation that had formed over the weeks, flooded his thoughts and he was trembling when he slicked up and began to push into virgin terrain.

   It was all of three seconds before Jack felt Ennis jerk awake. He put a firm hand on Ennis's arm in hope of keeping him there, and managed to hold him still enough to avoid injury.

   "What the hell, Jack?" Ennis slurred, and couldn't articulate much more. He pulled himself away and was trying to roll over when Jack grabbed him again. Now that Ennis was awake, Jack was terrified, his heart pounding hard, but if he let Ennis know this, it would be over, and he didn't want to give up. Still Ennis made no sign of further action.

   "Just this once," he whispered in Ennis's ear. "Please, Ennis."

   Whether he was disoriented and thought he was dreaming, or he had heard Jack's voice crack in the dark...Ennis gave in. He rolled back into Jack's embrace and sighed.

   Jack kissed the back of his neck and entered him again. The sensation was nirvana; the heat and closeness of Ennis finally surrounding him; being able to hold him, to see him there, to stroke and fondle him as he moved; he was grateful that Ennis couldn't see how close he was to tears. Too soon it was over, but the ecstasy that filled him would not ebb with his climax; this was something deeper that he would keep with him, to be remembered when Ennis was far from him.

   Once more he kissed Ennis, and was on the verge of saying something...but thought better of it. Instead he lay back and drifted off, never more at peace.

   Jack's bladder woke him, and at first he thought he must have already pissed himself; he was wet. Then he realized it was semen, and smiled to himself. He slipped out from under Ennis's arm carefully as he could and crawled outside. The moon was high and small overhead as he relieved himself, then found a rag so he could clean up.

   He crept quietly back into the tent, and saw that Ennis had rolled over into his spot, his arm still outstretched. Jack stood watching him for a moment, enjoying the sweetness of his sleep-blank, pain-free expression. As gently as he could, he got down and slid into place, lifting Ennis's arm and wrapping it around himself again. Within moments, he was sound asleep.