One Last Camping Trip (for Joe)

[echolls_cursed]

It had been a while since they'd been out camping together, and a lot had changed since the first time they'd gone out. From marriage to the loss of friends, they'd both seen so much change in their lives, but even though they weren't the same men who'd met on the island years ago, some things hadn't changed. The way they laughed at the same stupid

Comments

[jdick]

"Still took a long fucking time," Joe answered, surprised that the lighter had been going for that long. "That's what? At least a couple of years, isn't it?" He asked as he got the plastic lighter out of Logan's bag and tossed it over to him.

Maybe it was even more than that. He'd been on the island for five years now, a lot longer than he'd stayed in most places for most of his life. The island was more like home than anywhere else had been.

[echolls_cursed]

Logan caught the lighter and quickly got a fire going, piling a few more sticks on the pile and then sitting back to watch it burn.

"I managed to refill it twice, but- yeah, still a long time. Guess it's a good thing I'm giving up pot," he snorted softly, grinning a little as he glanced back at Joe.

"Guess we'll both be sober from now on."

[jdick]

"The island is in danger now," Joe answered, smirking. "Or maybe it's a hell of a lot safer now that neither of us can blame drugs for any of the shit we might do." In the past little while, though, things had definitely calmed down for the both of them. It seemed like things were settling into place, just like they were supposed to and Joe never would have seen his life like this, but he sure as hell didn't mind it.

[echolls_cursed]

Logan laughed openly at that and moved over so Joe could sit beside him if he wanted.

"You know it's weird, but sometimes I hardly recognize this place anymore. There's all these new people and buildings, I feel like one day I'm going to wake up and not know it at all anymore."

[jdick]

Sitting down beside Logan, Joe thought back to how things had been when he first arrived. Electricity and plumbing had been out of the question, that much was fucking sure, and the people changed. Buildings went up and appeared out of nowhere, but it still felt like home.

"I dunno if it'll ever change that much," he said with a grin.

[echolls_cursed]

"Yeah? Yeah, maybe not," Logan agreed, though he didn't sound completely convinced. Even after all this time, Logan was still a pessimist.

"This is still the same at least," he said after a long moment. "Even now that I'm with Jack and the baby's on the way, this still feels the same," he admitted with a faint grin.

"When you get far enough into the trees, the island looks exactly like it did five years ago."

[jdick]

"No denying that, man," Joe agreed. Sometimes it felt like there were more people on the island than when he'd arrived, but he didn't know if that was true. It was nice, though, like Logan said. You went far enough into the trees and nothing had changed. Progress hadn't come this far, which Joe liked.

"Not gonna lie, I'm glad plumbing was one of the changes," he said, grinning. "I like having running water."

[echolls_cursed]

"Yeah, the electricity isn't so bad either. Still- I dunno, it's stupid, but sometimes I miss my first hut. It's crazy, I know. I mean, it was such a shit hole, and if Cutter hadn't..."

He trailed off and shrugged. "Let's just say that if other people hadn't come along and fixed it up for me, I probably would have frozen to death our first winter," he laughed quietly, though it was obvious that talking about Cutter still hit a sore spot.

"If it hadn't been for that hut, IO might not have met you, man."

[jdick]

"Yeah, I recall you made fun of my fucking mohawk," Joe pointed out, laughing. "So maybe we might not've met if I hadn't been rocking such a flattering and stylish 'do."

It had been a long time since he'd had his hair like this and it wasn't important, in the grand scheme of things, but it made him realize just how far removed he was from the shit he'd been dealing with when he arrived. "I guess you're right, man. A lot of shit has changed."

[echolls_cursed]

"No shit, man. Back then I always thought it would be you and Billy forever. I never thought you'd end up with Dale or that people would start vanishing. Everything seemed so permanent back then."

He smiled a little and then shrugged one shoulder. "It all worked out though, just not how I thought it would. It took a while to get used to seeing you with Dale, but the truth is... Sometimes I think he kind of saved you. I guess it's not my place to say something like that, but..."

He trailed off again, leaning lightly against Joe's shoulder.

[jdick]

Dale wasn't the only one -- there was Logan, of course, and Anne -- but Joe wouldn't deny that they'd all saved him a little bit. If not for them, he was pretty sure he'd still be coked up somewhere, maybe even dead already.

"It's your place," he answered. "Who else is gonna say shit like that to me?"

And Logan was right about he and Billy, too. In a way, Billy would always be stuck with Joe, but it was still good he'd gone. Even if it had fucking sucked at the time. Joe'd been poison to him.

[echolls_cursed]

"Fuck, I dunno," Logan admitted, offering a grin as he shook his head.

The conversation was getting heavy, and Logan let it drop a little.

"So me and Jack have been talking about baby names," he said after a moment. "We're thinking of calling her Lynn if she's a girl. We haven't decided on a boy's name yet."

[jdick]

"For your mom," Joe said, nodding. "That'd be nice, man. I think that'd be really nice." And he liked that Jack had agreed to it. It was the sort of thing Joe thought probably meant a lot to Logan and that was the sort of shit that was important.

"Any ideas for boy name?" he asked, grinning over at Logan.

[echolls_cursed]

"Well I suggested Joe," Logan replied, smirking a little. "Thought that might boost your ego. Not that it needs it," he added with a grin.

[jdick]

Joe smirked, but when he looked at Logan, he was smiling genuinely. "Really, man?" he asked. He was touched that they'd even think about that. "That's fucking... that's huge."

[echolls_cursed]

"Yeah, well, don't get too excited, I haven't gotten Jack to agree to it. We'll see what happens. Part of me thinks we'll know what to call the baby when it gets here, you know?"