The West Woods

Chapter 10 : Jealousy Does Not Become You

Much to Woodie's silent delight Wes had put on a fair amount of weight as the weeks passed. Though he was still scrawny - his arms and legs still noodles and his face still slim and almond shaped - his collarbone now fell into a soft and elegant slope, rather than pushing sharply from his skin. His ribs could not be seen anymore, the skin that covered them pale and smooth. He had a glow to his eyes once more and his lips were plump and glistening as they had been the night that he and Woodie had first met in the woods.

The two of them were still sharing a bed in Wickerbottom's cabin for the time being, while Wolfgang worked on building one that would then be assigned to Wes and Woodie. During the day Woodie would help him and listen to the other talk about his days in the circus, and his adventures since he'd been stuck here, and how he'd come to travel with Willow. And woodie would take an odd pleasure he couldn't explain in Watching Wes work in his own way around the camp.

Wes spent his days mending their clothes and helping Willow gather food and cook. He helped Ms.Wickerbottom sew clothes to be stored away for the coming winter. Ms.Wickerbottom held lectures for the children - believing they should not fall behind on their studies lest they become nothing more than uncivilized - and after the children would come to Wes for entertainment. Wes willingly mimed impressions and performed cartwheels and other circus tricks. He painted their faces and made them balloon animals.

A wooden gate at the back of the town walls led to an outdoor foyer, inside was a pond and after the frogs had hidden away in the afternoon Wes would go out and fish to fill his time. A time or two Woodie had joined him, and the two sat exchanging glances. His soft lips would always pull into the smile and Woodie remembered how before the winter he had decided they were rather kissable. But a fever always broke out when he thought about it and he quickly averted his eyes, only to catch Wes miming a giggle from the corner of them.

'Boy, you sure do got it bad,' Lucy teased. Woodie had no clue what she was talking about.

All in all things were looking up. Woodie found himself happy that Wes was happy, and safe, and well fed. Wes' comfort brought comfort to him. There was however one thing that was beginning to grate on his nerves.

It was an odd thing, so he thought, to be so irritated by such a minor occurrence. When Wes was not playing with the children, or working, or fishing, he was spending a lot of time with Wolfgang. This was not so unusual, because Wolfgang was his friend, and they had been friends long before Woodie had ever known Wes. But his gut burned and curled, and his brow furrowed, and he was filled with a guilt for having such reactions.

'Jealous,' he heard Lucy whisper.

And so maybe he was.

Through autumn, winter, and early spring it had been just Woodie and Wes. Wes had doted on him. Wes had taken care of everything in the house and done the cooking. He had offered Woodie comfort, he had spent every moment he wasn't working with Woodie. Now, Woodie had to share the mime's attention with someone else.

He felt tension in his brow when the large man would pick the small Wes up and lift him onto his shoulders. He felt fire in his gut when Wes would hang off of him, and smile, and follow him about.

If this is what jealousy felt like then YES, Woodie was jealous. And he felt angry enough to own it.

'Jealous,' Lucy had whispered to him again once they were alone.

Woodie only sighed and whispered back a confirming, " Yeah."

The sun was beating down rather hot that day and with Woodie's growing envy it only seemed hotter. His body was broken in a heavy sweat while he helped Wolfgang raise the walls of the cabin. He wiped his forehead with his forearm and took a moment to rest his hands on his hip and sigh. A canteen that had been sewn together by Wes and made of animal hide hung at Woodie's waist and he uncapped it to drink eagerly from it.

Wolfgang had taken it upon himself to regale Woodie with a memory of the circus and a hot day when he and Wes had gone to the neighboring lake to swim. Woodie could feel his anger boiling again and he cleared his throat to prompt the other to shut his mouth.

"Yes?"

"What exactly are you to Wes anyway?"

The question had more bite to it than Woodie had meant it to. He bit the side of his tongue with his molars as a reminder to watch his tone better next time.

"Wolfgang and Wes are friends, I have told you this."

The answer isn't good enough. Friends. Friends had so many meanings and Woodie was unsure of how far Wolfgang and Wes' relationship went. Relationship. His hand tightened around Lucy with the tension that wound up the muscles in his neck.

"You seem awful close to Wes, eh?"

"Ohoho! Best friends, then."

"Anything more?"

There was a heavy silence between them for a time. The two staring at each other. Woodie was nearly burning holes into Wolfgang with his glaring, Wolfgang simply seemed shocked at the implications of the question.

"No," he finally replied. "We are only friends. We have never been intimate."

"Have you ever wanted to?"

'Woodie you're getting to ambitious with your questions, aren't you?'

"Shh."

There was another pause and then the man chuckled heartily and cupped his belly. He sighed and wiped a tear away from his eye from his fit of chuckling.

"Woodsman has nothing to fear! You are jealous, no?"

Woodie looked away with red cheeked shame.

"It is okay, Wolfgang has wife, Willow. No need to worry about your mime being stolen."

"Willow is your wife?"

This information was new.

"In a way, there is no priest to marry us, but we are as you might say 'an item'."

Woodie felt sort of dumb now, stupid, and rude for having assumed such things about Wes and Wolfgang.

"Besides, even if Wolfgang did have feelings for small friend, he would not try to romance another man's lover."

"LOVER!?"

Woodie was flustered! What sort of accusation was this? It weren't as though he and Wes were intimate!

"When we find you in the woods, you were both in nothing but your rabbit skins. You can not pull the wool - or in this case, rabbit fluff- over Wolfgang's eyes."

"But we're not..."

"No? Hmmn."

He could hear the sharp hum of Lucy laughing at him and he gripped her a little tighter in warning. He could hardly believe this conversation.

"I've never even considered somethin' like a relationship or anythin' like that."

"No? Well, you might want to change your mind, lumber man. Small friend is quite infatuated with you."

"Oh?"

Wolfgang only raised his brow in response and smirked. Woodie cleared his throat and looked back to their work. He shuffled over to it to begin laboring once again.

"So, you and Willow?"

"I like her fiery personality."

When dark came Wes and Woodie entered their temporary cabin and Wes removed his shirt as usual to slide into bed. Woodie lay next to him after he'd blown the candle out. He could hear the easy breathing from Wes even long after sleep had come to him. And Woodie rolled to face him, watched him, took in the sight of him in the glow of the firelight that seeped through the cracks in the door.

Wrapping his arms gently -ever so gently as not to wake him- about the mime. He scooted close, feeling the cool skin of Wes' back against his chest. He buried his nose into Wes hair and closed his eyes.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three.

Sleep.