morrobay1990

Title: “...sparks flying up...”
Author:

morrobay1990
Genre: au
Warning:
Word count: 925
Disclaimer: Jack & Ennis are AP's
♥ Jack

The third in the series, beginning with “...and he found ways to spend it.” and “...quit if he had to...”
Amazingly, they have not been deleted, both are still in my journal.

Without getting up he threw deadwood on the fire, the sparks flying up with their truths and lies, a few hot points of fire landing on their hands and faces, not for the first time, and they rolled down into the dirt.

Jack quickly calculated the number of hours head start Ennis had gotten...he and Michael had gotten back to the motel about eleven last night, when Ennis must have seen them together, and he surely took off right away...now it was seven thirty...Jack would bet the farm that Ennis was home and, about the time Jack got there, would be waking up with a bitch of a hangover. Well, maybe he'd be easier to talk to like that.

He felt oddly calm about the situation in which he found himself, surprised that he wasn't more panicked at having Ennis find out that he had been with another man.

Well, now it was out in the open – Jack had been with another guy when he couldn't be with Ennis...and Ennis would have to face up to the fact that Jack needed what he needed...what he wanted was Ennis, but Ennis made himself unavailable, and Jack wasn't the kind of man to deny himself much.

Ennis was a creature of habit.

Jack knew he wouldn't stay in Denver or even Colorado...he'd hightail it back home...the only place he felt what passed for comfortable to Ennis. Jack could hardly believe that he'd even left Wyoming.

But he had left. He'd gone to find Jack...gone after him...there was something there, after all...more than Jack had thought all these years.

Well, how the hell was I supposed to know he was gonna do somethin he'd never done before, I swore he'd never do something like that...

What was he going to think after seeing Michael and Jack together?

And what about Michael?

Michael was the first one who had ever been able to make Ennis fade...not for long, but he'd done it. If it wasn't for Ennis...

Well, didn't matter. Now that Ennis had seen them, Jack was going to give him an ultimatum – something had to change, or Jack was gone.

He got into Riverton at three and found the post office on the main street, got Ennis's address from the lady behind the counter without a problem, even directions to his place.

Jack pulled up to the trailer, thought to himself that it wasn't exactly where he pictured Ennis living...but that was part of their problem, wasn't it? They didn't really know anything about each other.

He got out of his truck and knocked on the door...no response...so he pounded on the door with his fist, at the same time turning the doorknob, just in case...

The door opened, and he stepped into the cramped space...looked around at the tiny kitchen with its small wooden table, two chairs, chipped formica counter, faucet dripping on the single plate in the sink.

He looked to his left and saw Ennis sitting up on a twin size bed, hunched over, head in hands, a hangover for sure...an empty glass and two-thirds empty bottle sat on a small table by the bed.

Jack's heart clutched in his chest...he loved this man, would do anything for him...would never even know Michael existed, if only Ennis had been there. How could Ennis throw that away?

“Ennis.”

He didn't expect an answer and didn't get one. He walked over to him and put a hand on Ennis's head...

“Back off, Jack...get out.”

That he expected.

Ennis wanted to get up and lay him out with one punch, find out what the hell he thought he was doing coming to his place, find out why he was fucking another guy...and he would have done all that, except for the fact that he couldn't hold his head up.

“I ain't goin nowhere. I'm gonna sit right over there in that chair til you're sober, then we're gonna talk about this...one way or another we're gonna have this out today.”

Ennis laid back down on the bed and turned away.

Ennis became aware but didn't open his eyes, tried to assess the physical damage...headache was better, and he didn't think he'd puke right away. Emotional damage a different story...

He got out of bed and immediately saw Jack sleeping in the chair, feet propped up on a little stool, stretched out with those long legs...

“Jack.”

Jack opened his eyes, “You sober?”

“What are you doin here? Takin a helluva chance showin up...prob'ly all over town by now.”

Jack pushed the stool away and stood up, wincing and rubbing the small of his back. “You think I'm stupid? I told that lady at the post office I was an old family friend from Sage, just passin through, visitin a friend...no harm in that...she thought it was nice.”

“Well, pass on through, then.”

“Ennis, I told you when I got here, but then, you were drunk as a skunk so you don't remember...we're talkin about this, about what happened, we're gonna settle...”

“You wanna talk about me seein you pullin another guy into a motel room? That what you wanna talk about? Cause I don't...ain't much point in you and me talkin about anything.”

“Okay then, I'll talk.”

He didn't know how to start, but there was no going back. Ennis was going to find out a lot of things he'd been hiding from, and probably didn't want to know.

“Told you that first time back in '67 what I wanted...us to get a place of our own. You put me off year after year, but I kept waitin...and now it seems for sure like it ain't never gonna happen.”

It had seemed like the right thing to do until this second...but now he had no idea how to bring up the fact the he'd been with Michael...and what it all meant.