Reassured, Dane climbed the slope, placing each step with care, as if he expected the junk to turn into an avalanche and take him with it. Not that such things weren’t possible, but fortune favored the bold.
“What did you find?” Dane asked, gasping softly when he reached Jag close to the summit, keeping his gaze on the sky.
“This is for you.” Jag smiled at him and grabbed Dane by the wrist to present him with the bracelet.
Dane rolled his finger over the brass, and Jag opened the cuff before closing it around his mate’s wrist. It was a comfortable fit too.
Dane snorted, his eyes twinkling in the sun as he smiled and rubbed his short beard. “You’re giving me jewelry now?”
Jag scooted by the mattress and pulled out the small plastic bag packed with cash. “Do you want these too? I usually give them to a friend, but you can have it if you want.”
Dane grabbed the bag with his mouth dropping open. “Oh, my God. This shit looks legit!”
Jag’s heart skipped a beat at how much Dane appreciated the gifts. In his excitement, he leaned into a firm hug, and the skin-to-skin touch gave him a headrush. “All yours then,” he said and nuzzled Dane’s ear.
The handsome face turned in his direction, and Dane kissed him with the mouth open as if he were trying to coax Jag’s tongue out. “I’m gonna tell you all about what happens after Thanos does the snap,” he whispered.
Jag delved in for a hungry kiss. Dane had been teasing him about Thanos’s plan for three days now, since first telling him the story of the Marvel heroes. Instead of continuing from when he’d left it though, he told Jag tales from the lives of all the different magical characters, some of which even took place high in the stars.
Tonight, Jag would cook something delicious for them to celebrate the new chapter in Dane’s fascinating story.
The wind felt icy as it hit Jag’s back, but he was too focused on the warm mouth sucking on his to pull away. At least until Dane did, just as their cocks started to harden.
That beautiful mouth begged for more kisses, but Dane licked his plump lips and stepped back, making his intentions clear.
“We really should go back home. I hate getting wet.”
“I know a quick way down.” Jag grinned and moved the mattress, making sure it could slide down over the smaller items filling the cavities between large pieces of junk.
Dane stared at it with a frown. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, sit, and I’ll push.” Jag patted the mattress and scooted behind it. Was this yet another of Dane’s irrational fears? “I promise there’s no bugs in it.” He couldn’t know really, but if it were infested, insects or other vermin would have rushed out or attacked the moment he stuck his hand in.
“We’ll break something,” Dane complained, but kept eyeing the sky as the clouds turned the day turned into evening.
“I’ll keep you safe,” Jag said, but by Dane’s sceptical look, he understood it was time for the big guns. “If you break something, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
That grabbed Dane’s attention. “Do you promise?” he asked but already stepped closer to the sleds of dark blue fabric, hugging the moneybag as if it were a baby.
Jag smiled at Dane’s naivety. Not because he was lying, but because Jag wouldn’t let anything happen to him. “I promise. Let’s go!”
It felt like being a kid again and playing with his brothers in the woods. Dane’s presence only made Jag realize how much fun it was to have a partner to share moments of simple happiness with. The others were good enough company, but they liked to keep to their dwellings, and so he rarely had much fun out here, occupied by survival, securing his den and surveying the junkyard for signs of intruders.
Dane exhaled, shifted his weight, as if he needed to give himself courage, but he touched the mattress, and after confirming it wasn’t wet, sat down, digging his heels into the fabric-covered sponge. “I’m ready,” he said as if they were about to take on a mountain lion.
Jag pointed out the straps of fabric in the corners. “Hold on!”
Dane grabbed one of the straps so hard his knuckles went white. Pushing the bed forward, Jag let out a joyful howl and joined his mate as soon as their ride gained speed.
But instead of braking on some of the sharp items dotting the slope, the mattress slid down smoothly, as if everything were covered in a thick layer of snow.
Dane shrieked and pushed back into Jag, as if worried they might crash into something and break all their limbs, but their impromptu sled made it safely to the gravel road, and rotated as soon as they were horizontal. The world spun, and Jag wrapped his arms around Dane, ready to break his fall with his own body.