Rock 'n Roll Chapter thirteen
Genre: AU/AU
Pairing: Ennis/Jack
Word count: 2046
Warnings: English is not my native language and this is not beta-ed. Strange grammar and word choice may result from it. As far as our boys go: no warnings. I feel like adding another warning: there will be some juicy stuff in this story, but it will be few. Additional warning for chapter thirteen: mention of recreational drug use
Rating: NC 17, but only to be on the safe side. Don't get your hopes up too high, dear readers ;)
Disclaimer: Ennis and Jack belong to Annie Proulx. I don't make any money from it, and I don't want to.
Summary: Ennis is 28 years old, Wyoming-born and raised. He works on a ranch near Riverton. Jack is the same age, he lives in California. He's a former surfer and is now writing for a surfer magazine. They meet in an unlikely place.
Set in modern times. Thankfully peoples' attitudes about homosexuality have changed since 1963. Even Ennis's.
A/N: The inspiration for this story came from many sides: the outbreak of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland last year, which seriously messed with travel plans, a chat with a friend, a guy I once knew in an online community, and more. Thanks to all of them.
Feedback: Highly appreciated
Link to previous chapters: http://27bluebirds.livejournal.com/1787.html#cutid1
Chapter thirteen
There were many photos on the walls of Jack's apartment. Photos of Jack and of people Ennis thought must be part of his family. Some photos of Jack skating and many photos from the surfer world, he recognized a few of the people. A cross-section of Jack's life through the last decade they showed Jack standing tall amidst his buddies in the older pictures as well as photos with Jack sitting is his wheelchair, but always surrounded by a bunch of friends. Birthday celebrations, beach-parties, and sporting events had all found their place, scattered on several walls.
One photo captured Ennis' interest. It was bigger than most of the others, and of an intense blue that Ennis loved instantly. It showed a surfer riding the hollow of a huge breaking wave. He took a closer look.
“That's you!“
“Yep. It's my favorite photo.“
“It's perfect.“
“It's from a professional photographer, at some sponsor event. Took long enough to take it. The guy wanted one of us in a tube. We all tried for hours, but didn't get that perfect ride inside a tube. Still, he managed to get great photos of everybody. This is mine.“
“I like it. I would have loved to see you ride like that.“ Ennis' eyes lingered on the artful sample, mesmerized by the combination of the enormous wall of water and the small figure fleeting ahead of it.
“You're some years too late, friend. But you will get to see some good rides this weekend, if you want. There's a contest at Trestles. It's only middle-sized, not an ASP event. But since you missed the contest on Oahu, I thought I'd show you some good rides right here.“
“Sounds good to me. Is this your brother's family?“
“Yes. Jason and wife Hannah, Tony, he's the older one, and Ethan.“
“No picture of your parents?“
“In the kitchen, you looked at it earlier when we had breakfast, sleepyhead.“
“I'm not a sleepyhead, I'm an early riser. Comes with the job. But I think I had something better which captured my attention this morning.“
“Now what might that be?“
“The coffee of course. What did you think? That those baby blues of yours and your bedhead were so irresistible?“ he winked at Jack.
“Oh, and here's the green hair!” Ennis noticed a photo that showed Jack and Paul standing in a front yard, their arms around each other. Jack's hair was lime-green and spiky and Ennis remembered their chat with Audra on Oahu.
“How old were you?”
“Seventeen.”
“Also did drugs, like Audra?”
“Yeah, of course. Wild times, like Audra said. I liked all uppers, but plain old speed was my favorite.”
“Still doing stuff?”
“No, I've outgrown that long ago. I'm smoking some weed now and then. Sometimes for fun, at a party or so, sometimes when the spasms are bad. I qualify for medical marijuana.”
Ennis grunted, trying to digest the information.
“You got a problem with that?”
“No. I'm just, I dunno, surprised that you're so laid-back about it.”
“Look, it wasn't that extreme. It's not that I was some junkie or anything, and I'm not promoting it. It was just - it was more or less normal back then.”
“It was never normal in the world I live in.”
“Doesn't mean Wyoming kids don't do drugs. Probably you'd be surprised. Besides, in Wyoming kids hop on wild horses and call it rodeo, I've seen it on the telly. That is crazy-ass dangerous to me. There are even junior events. I really don't know what their parents are thinking, but probably they'd get a heart attack if their kid tried a few hits. You know what I mean? The things you're used to seem less dangerous.”
“I bet you would have been a bull rider, had you grown up with it. I can picture you doing it.”
“Jeez, I've never been on a horse even. I don't think I'd be crazy enough for bulls. Did you try it?”
“Not the bulls, no. Went for Saddle bronc riding a few times, when I had the entry fee in my pockets.”
“Really?” Jack was impressed. “You really rode at rodeos? Tell me about it.”
“Short story. Only 'bout three seconds I was on that bronc, and the next thing I knew, I was flyin' through the air.”
“Still, that's way cool. You're a badass.”
Ennis blushed slightly and shook his head.
“Oh, look at you.” Jack took Ennis' hand and pulled him onto his lap “Here you are, doing all shy and chary, but inside there's a wild beast.” he poked Ennis' ribs with a finger. “Let's see if we can coax it out.”
He claimed Ennis' mouth with his own. Their arms went around each other, Ennis' hand cupping the back of Jack's head, fingers running softly through the thick black hair. Their kiss intensified and it didn't take long for Ennis' beast to make itself known, pressing painfully against the tight denim. Jack didn't help with the space problem when his hand pressed and massaged without opening the zipper.
“I think there's a beast almost bursting out of its stall.” he teased “Wanna hitch a ride?”
Ennis nodded and they continued their amusement on the big corner couch. When Jack finally opened the chute, Ennis started bucking into a knowledgeable hand.
The surf contest would only begin on Saturday, so they decided to take the it slow on Friday. They stayed at the apartment for the rest of the morning, talking and learning more about the others life.
In the afternoon, Jack had to make a short trip to the publishing house, then he drove Ennis around town to give him an impression of it.
“How did you get to become writer, after your accident? I mean, did you go to college?“
“For a while, I didn't finish though. After my accident, I wanted nothing but stay on the surfing circuit, somehow. San Clemente is kind of surfing media capitol, it's home to several surf magazines. I thought I might like that, get into writing, I always liked it at school, and hoped it could be my ticket to get back into the surfing world. So I started college, and went for journalism as my major. I missed the traveling, the other guys, the whole circus. One day I just tried my luck. I had read an article in Surf Magazine which was simply idiotic, the author didn't even have the facts straight. I rewrote it and marched directly into the lion's den, so to speak. I coaxed the editor's receptionist into admitting me to her boss. Was a hard piece of work, but I can be stubborn.“
“No shit!“ Ennis chipped in.
“Idiot. Anyway, I got lucky. Of course, the editor didn't give me a job. But he liked my article, even though it wasn't really good. He told me to rewrite it as an op-ed piece and come again, which I did. Still didn't get a job, but he bought that one article and had it printed in a later issue. Heavily edited, mind you. So I had a foot in the door. A while later I got an internship with next to no pay, but it was a beginning. The rest is history, as they say.“
“Boundless possibilities.“
Jack smiled about the reference. “Exactly.“
“Why does life always seem so easy when I'm with you?“
“Dunno. It wasn't as easy as it sounds in the short version, life was pretty rough then. But it's a nice compliment. Thanks, babe.“ Jack smiled at the object of his endearment and quickly squeezed Ennis' arm before putting his hand back at the hand control.
After dinner at a seaside restaurant they returned to Jack's apartment. They lounged on the couch, Jack propped up in the corner, Ennis with his head resting against Jack's lap and his feet stretched to the other side. His back was turned towards Jack and he faced the other direction. Jack softly tugged at the curls on the back of Ennis' neck and thought he had fallen asleep, when Ennis started to talk.
“My boss asked me if I met a girl.“
“What?“
“If I met a girl. He said I've changed since Hawaii. And when I asked him about the days off, he guessed I met a girl and want to meet up with her.“
"Well, what did you say?“
“Said no, I didn't meet a girl, and that I'm meeting up with some friends.“
“That's okay. Nobody's business but yours.“
They fell silent again, but Jack had the feeling more was coming. He had noticed that it was easier for Ennis to talk when they weren't face to face, so he kept playing with the dirty-blond curls and waited patiently for Ennis to form the words.
“How did you know that you're gay? Ennis finally asked.
“When I fell in love with another boy. At first I was after the girls, just like all boys, and I was together with some. But I always looked after the boys, too. Just looking, you know? There was always something, I dunno, I couldn't put my finger on it back then. Then Paolo met Sara, and that's how I met Alfredo, he's her cousin. He's from Puerto Rico and spent the summer here with his relatives. All pieces came together somehow. The four of us spent a lot of time together, Paul and Sara were freshly in love, and so were Alfredo and I. Only Paolo and Sara didn't know about Alfredo and me, they just thought we hit it right off. I was totally, madly in love with that boy, and crushed when he left and went back to Puerto Rico. After that, I knew what I wanted.“
“Did you ever see him again?“
“No. As far as I know, he's still in Puerto Rico, but I don't know what he's doing.“
“And Paul? How comes everybody knows?“
"I told Paolo after Alfredo had left. I was so broken-hearted, and of course Paul noticed something was wrong. He asked and I told him.“
“Just like that?“
"No, not just like that. There was some drama and tears. No wonder, I was sixteen, a teenager who was in love for the first time and had his heart broken for the first time. On top of that I was afraid how Paul might react. But it turned out all right.“
“And the others?“
“It came over the years. I was together with another surfer for two years, we lived together, people caught on that.“
“Did nobody ever react badly?“
“Some. But I tell you, most of them were idiots anyway.“
“If I told people about you and me, at home I mean, I don't know if I still had a job the next day.“
“Then don't tell. For now at least. I think you need a little time to get things clear for yourself, mh?“
Ennis nodded silently.
“Then take the time. But you know that some people around here will simply assume you're gay, don't you? Some of them were on Oahu with us after all. I mean, when you get to meet Sara, she knows there was something going on between me and a certain cowboy from Wyoming. That alright for you?“
“Guess so. I don't know, it was so ... so natural when we were on Hawaii. At first I was pretty scared what the others might think. And what I thought myself. I almost didn't go down for dinner the day we were on the catamaran and we kissed for the first time. But you, and the others also, included me without any questions, I just went along. And it was okay. After the first days, I thought gay, straight, what the hell, let them think what they want.“
“That's a good attitude.“
tbc
Pairing: Ennis/Jack
Word count: 2046
Warnings: English is not my native language and this is not beta-ed. Strange grammar and word choice may result from it. As far as our boys go: no warnings. I feel like adding another warning: there will be some juicy stuff in this story, but it will be few. Additional warning for chapter thirteen: mention of recreational drug use
Rating: NC 17, but only to be on the safe side. Don't get your hopes up too high, dear readers ;)
Disclaimer: Ennis and Jack belong to Annie Proulx. I don't make any money from it, and I don't want to.
Summary: Ennis is 28 years old, Wyoming-born and raised. He works on a ranch near Riverton. Jack is the same age, he lives in California. He's a former surfer and is now writing for a surfer magazine. They meet in an unlikely place.
Set in modern times. Thankfully peoples' attitudes about homosexuality have changed since 1963. Even Ennis's.
A/N: The inspiration for this story came from many sides: the outbreak of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland last year, which seriously messed with travel plans, a chat with a friend, a guy I once knew in an online community, and more. Thanks to all of them.
Feedback: Highly appreciated
Link to previous chapters: http://27bluebirds.livejournal.com/1787.html#cutid1
Chapter thirteen
There were many photos on the walls of Jack's apartment. Photos of Jack and of people Ennis thought must be part of his family. Some photos of Jack skating and many photos from the surfer world, he recognized a few of the people. A cross-section of Jack's life through the last decade they showed Jack standing tall amidst his buddies in the older pictures as well as photos with Jack sitting is his wheelchair, but always surrounded by a bunch of friends. Birthday celebrations, beach-parties, and sporting events had all found their place, scattered on several walls.
One photo captured Ennis' interest. It was bigger than most of the others, and of an intense blue that Ennis loved instantly. It showed a surfer riding the hollow of a huge breaking wave. He took a closer look.
“That's you!“
“Yep. It's my favorite photo.“
“It's perfect.“
“It's from a professional photographer, at some sponsor event. Took long enough to take it. The guy wanted one of us in a tube. We all tried for hours, but didn't get that perfect ride inside a tube. Still, he managed to get great photos of everybody. This is mine.“
“I like it. I would have loved to see you ride like that.“ Ennis' eyes lingered on the artful sample, mesmerized by the combination of the enormous wall of water and the small figure fleeting ahead of it.
“You're some years too late, friend. But you will get to see some good rides this weekend, if you want. There's a contest at Trestles. It's only middle-sized, not an ASP event. But since you missed the contest on Oahu, I thought I'd show you some good rides right here.“
“Sounds good to me. Is this your brother's family?“
“Yes. Jason and wife Hannah, Tony, he's the older one, and Ethan.“
“No picture of your parents?“
“In the kitchen, you looked at it earlier when we had breakfast, sleepyhead.“
“I'm not a sleepyhead, I'm an early riser. Comes with the job. But I think I had something better which captured my attention this morning.“
“Now what might that be?“
“The coffee of course. What did you think? That those baby blues of yours and your bedhead were so irresistible?“ he winked at Jack.
“Oh, and here's the green hair!” Ennis noticed a photo that showed Jack and Paul standing in a front yard, their arms around each other. Jack's hair was lime-green and spiky and Ennis remembered their chat with Audra on Oahu.
“How old were you?”
“Seventeen.”
“Also did drugs, like Audra?”
“Yeah, of course. Wild times, like Audra said. I liked all uppers, but plain old speed was my favorite.”
“Still doing stuff?”
“No, I've outgrown that long ago. I'm smoking some weed now and then. Sometimes for fun, at a party or so, sometimes when the spasms are bad. I qualify for medical marijuana.”
Ennis grunted, trying to digest the information.
“You got a problem with that?”
“No. I'm just, I dunno, surprised that you're so laid-back about it.”
“Look, it wasn't that extreme. It's not that I was some junkie or anything, and I'm not promoting it. It was just - it was more or less normal back then.”
“It was never normal in the world I live in.”
“Doesn't mean Wyoming kids don't do drugs. Probably you'd be surprised. Besides, in Wyoming kids hop on wild horses and call it rodeo, I've seen it on the telly. That is crazy-ass dangerous to me. There are even junior events. I really don't know what their parents are thinking, but probably they'd get a heart attack if their kid tried a few hits. You know what I mean? The things you're used to seem less dangerous.”
“I bet you would have been a bull rider, had you grown up with it. I can picture you doing it.”
“Jeez, I've never been on a horse even. I don't think I'd be crazy enough for bulls. Did you try it?”
“Not the bulls, no. Went for Saddle bronc riding a few times, when I had the entry fee in my pockets.”
“Really?” Jack was impressed. “You really rode at rodeos? Tell me about it.”
“Short story. Only 'bout three seconds I was on that bronc, and the next thing I knew, I was flyin' through the air.”
“Still, that's way cool. You're a badass.”
Ennis blushed slightly and shook his head.
“Oh, look at you.” Jack took Ennis' hand and pulled him onto his lap “Here you are, doing all shy and chary, but inside there's a wild beast.” he poked Ennis' ribs with a finger. “Let's see if we can coax it out.”
He claimed Ennis' mouth with his own. Their arms went around each other, Ennis' hand cupping the back of Jack's head, fingers running softly through the thick black hair. Their kiss intensified and it didn't take long for Ennis' beast to make itself known, pressing painfully against the tight denim. Jack didn't help with the space problem when his hand pressed and massaged without opening the zipper.
“I think there's a beast almost bursting out of its stall.” he teased “Wanna hitch a ride?”
Ennis nodded and they continued their amusement on the big corner couch. When Jack finally opened the chute, Ennis started bucking into a knowledgeable hand.
The surf contest would only begin on Saturday, so they decided to take the it slow on Friday. They stayed at the apartment for the rest of the morning, talking and learning more about the others life.
In the afternoon, Jack had to make a short trip to the publishing house, then he drove Ennis around town to give him an impression of it.
“How did you get to become writer, after your accident? I mean, did you go to college?“
“For a while, I didn't finish though. After my accident, I wanted nothing but stay on the surfing circuit, somehow. San Clemente is kind of surfing media capitol, it's home to several surf magazines. I thought I might like that, get into writing, I always liked it at school, and hoped it could be my ticket to get back into the surfing world. So I started college, and went for journalism as my major. I missed the traveling, the other guys, the whole circus. One day I just tried my luck. I had read an article in Surf Magazine which was simply idiotic, the author didn't even have the facts straight. I rewrote it and marched directly into the lion's den, so to speak. I coaxed the editor's receptionist into admitting me to her boss. Was a hard piece of work, but I can be stubborn.“
“No shit!“ Ennis chipped in.
“Idiot. Anyway, I got lucky. Of course, the editor didn't give me a job. But he liked my article, even though it wasn't really good. He told me to rewrite it as an op-ed piece and come again, which I did. Still didn't get a job, but he bought that one article and had it printed in a later issue. Heavily edited, mind you. So I had a foot in the door. A while later I got an internship with next to no pay, but it was a beginning. The rest is history, as they say.“
“Boundless possibilities.“
Jack smiled about the reference. “Exactly.“
“Why does life always seem so easy when I'm with you?“
“Dunno. It wasn't as easy as it sounds in the short version, life was pretty rough then. But it's a nice compliment. Thanks, babe.“ Jack smiled at the object of his endearment and quickly squeezed Ennis' arm before putting his hand back at the hand control.
After dinner at a seaside restaurant they returned to Jack's apartment. They lounged on the couch, Jack propped up in the corner, Ennis with his head resting against Jack's lap and his feet stretched to the other side. His back was turned towards Jack and he faced the other direction. Jack softly tugged at the curls on the back of Ennis' neck and thought he had fallen asleep, when Ennis started to talk.
“My boss asked me if I met a girl.“
“What?“
“If I met a girl. He said I've changed since Hawaii. And when I asked him about the days off, he guessed I met a girl and want to meet up with her.“
"Well, what did you say?“
“Said no, I didn't meet a girl, and that I'm meeting up with some friends.“
“That's okay. Nobody's business but yours.“
They fell silent again, but Jack had the feeling more was coming. He had noticed that it was easier for Ennis to talk when they weren't face to face, so he kept playing with the dirty-blond curls and waited patiently for Ennis to form the words.
“How did you know that you're gay? Ennis finally asked.
“When I fell in love with another boy. At first I was after the girls, just like all boys, and I was together with some. But I always looked after the boys, too. Just looking, you know? There was always something, I dunno, I couldn't put my finger on it back then. Then Paolo met Sara, and that's how I met Alfredo, he's her cousin. He's from Puerto Rico and spent the summer here with his relatives. All pieces came together somehow. The four of us spent a lot of time together, Paul and Sara were freshly in love, and so were Alfredo and I. Only Paolo and Sara didn't know about Alfredo and me, they just thought we hit it right off. I was totally, madly in love with that boy, and crushed when he left and went back to Puerto Rico. After that, I knew what I wanted.“
“Did you ever see him again?“
“No. As far as I know, he's still in Puerto Rico, but I don't know what he's doing.“
“And Paul? How comes everybody knows?“
"I told Paolo after Alfredo had left. I was so broken-hearted, and of course Paul noticed something was wrong. He asked and I told him.“
“Just like that?“
"No, not just like that. There was some drama and tears. No wonder, I was sixteen, a teenager who was in love for the first time and had his heart broken for the first time. On top of that I was afraid how Paul might react. But it turned out all right.“
“And the others?“
“It came over the years. I was together with another surfer for two years, we lived together, people caught on that.“
“Did nobody ever react badly?“
“Some. But I tell you, most of them were idiots anyway.“
“If I told people about you and me, at home I mean, I don't know if I still had a job the next day.“
“Then don't tell. For now at least. I think you need a little time to get things clear for yourself, mh?“
Ennis nodded silently.
“Then take the time. But you know that some people around here will simply assume you're gay, don't you? Some of them were on Oahu with us after all. I mean, when you get to meet Sara, she knows there was something going on between me and a certain cowboy from Wyoming. That alright for you?“
“Guess so. I don't know, it was so ... so natural when we were on Hawaii. At first I was pretty scared what the others might think. And what I thought myself. I almost didn't go down for dinner the day we were on the catamaran and we kissed for the first time. But you, and the others also, included me without any questions, I just went along. And it was okay. After the first days, I thought gay, straight, what the hell, let them think what they want.“
“That's a good attitude.“
tbc