just the two of us

moving in

"It ain't much," Ennis slung open the creaky door of their new cabin, nestled comfortably in the hilly side of Brokeback Mountain.
"I wasn't fixing to move into a place that was much. I'm sick of all that hoity-toity bullshit my ex-in-laws got going on. That just ain't my way of life." He kicked his feet up onto the other side of the sofa. Ennis smiled and tuned out Jack as he rambled on about his old ways. A bit of jealousy crept into Ennis' chest as he heard Jack drone on about all the money he'd made back at that salesman operation. He knew it meant nothing to either of them but he shut up his partner with a kiss.

"You talk too damn much."
"Only 'cause you love to listen."

Ennis scoffed. He couldn't deny it.
"Get back to unpacking, Jack." Ennis jokingly hit his back.
"Oh, c'mon." Jack pulled Ennis' body next to his on their couch. It was the only other thing on the cold hardwood floor beside a mountain of boxes and a lonely king-sized box spring.

"I missed you, En. I missed you like hell." Jack was always a broken record when he came back to Wyoming after the drive. "The kinda miss that eats away at your gut when you ain't expectin'. I wasn't ready to leave Brokeback. Hell I ain't never gonna be." He continued.
"You don't gotta leave now."
"I guess you're right." Jack smiled.
Ennis gulped down the fear that the same thing would happen to him as he saw when he was a boy.
"I guess I am." He thought to himself.

"You had to have been right to get us this place." Jack grinned as he took it in, standing in the centre of the living room with open arms. The wooden floors under his heels were slightly worn with boot scuffs - which Jack would like to think had made fond memories dancing on these floors. Hugging the corner of the main room was a small cozy kitchen - and on the other side, a brick fireplace. The stairway and bathroom were the only other rooms on the first floor. The second floor was dedicated to their compact bedroom, with carpet the same colour and texture as oatmeal from wall to wall. As worn as the old place was, it held a certain homely charm that Ennis and Jack found fit for them.

"The landlady was all, 'ooh, quite a nice place to have all to yourself'." Ennis did a horrendous impression of her voice, making Jack laugh. "So I just lied to her. Said we wasn't moving in, me and you. I just couldn't bring myself to explain what we got goin' on."
"What do we got goin' on, Ennis?" Jack leaned his head on Ennis' shoulder. "What would you call this?"
"I don't know." Ennis grumbled. "...but I ain't felt nothin' like it before."

Silence filled the warm air between them.

"I guess this is love," Jack softly admitted.
"Wh-" Ennis' cheeks went bright red. "Why- I guess, yeah. I mean - sure." He avoided looking Jack in the eyes.
"En, c'mon." Jack gently rested his fingers on Ennis' chin, lifting his head to eye-level. Now there was no way of Ennis ignoring him.
"I'm not gonna be afraid to say it. We can't dance around this no more." Jack spoke with a level of secretive solemness that was foreign to Ennis.

"I love you."

"Come on now," Ennis' voice choked up. For his whole life, he was told it was impossible. All he ever knew was that love was only to be shared between a man and wife. 
The bitter, familiar phrase 'it ain't right' lingered in the back of his throat. It was lodged like a razor under his skin. Inside it hurt like hell, but he couldn't change the way he felt for Jack.

"Ennis, I mean it. I never felt this way for anyone in my whole damned life."
"Me neither." Ennis sighed. A smile cracked his serious expression as his eyes glossed over. "I love you, too. I ain't ever gonna comprehend why." He chuckled, placing his hands strongly over Jack's arms, wrapping them around his own body. "I love you." Ennis repeated quietly and exhaled. It felt like a weight lifted of his shoulders.

The cowboy's heads unknowingly grew closer until their foreheads met. Ennis held Jack's face, pressing their lips together unusually softly for him. Jack smiled against Ennis's lips, drawing him in for another gentle kiss. Ennis' breath wavered as he pulled away. Ennis wrapped his arms around Jack, pulling him into a tight hug. The other man melted into his embrace, his fingers wandering into Ennis' soft, blond hair. Jack peppered gentle kisses on Ennis' jaw and neck before fully laying down on his chest.

The soft rise and fall of Ennis' ribcage could have put Jack right to sleep, but he still had his work cut out for him in the boxes crowding the room and the back of his truck. For now, both their bodies were warmed by the evening sun setting on their backs. Jack's fingers were gently massaging Ennis' scalp now, mainly to keep him awake.

A moment passed before the silence was cut with a whisper. "Should I keep unpacking?" Jack smiled, his eyes still comfortably shut.
"Mh, dun'worry." Ennis grumbled, tightened his arms around Jack's torso. He was far too tired - and the warm, calming feeling of holding Jack's lean body wasn't something he was willing to give up . "Let's finish up tomorrow." Ennis groaned, despising the idea of getting up and ruining the moment. Jack giggled.
"M'kay, solid plan." Besides, this couch was so comfortable it could be a crime. Jack brushed a curl of Ennis' hair off his forehead and kissed him. "Goodnight, En."
"Night, Jack." Ennis murmured into Jack's neck.

Moving stressed out Jack beyond belief but the tension in his head seemed to dissipate at the feeling of Ennis's warm body and hot breath on his skin.  All was calm and the night stood still. Tonight began the first night of their new life together, and although it was on a couch surrounded by towering cardboard boxes, everything felt right.