Chapter Text
brokeback mountain one-shots and short stories
Christmas Eve.
The snow fell lightly from the cloudy night sky outside of Ennis and Jack's ranch house on the mountain.
It was their first Christmas after moving into their ranch and they had been looking forward to it; remembering the year they spent herding sheep when they first met, and the bitter, cold days where they woke up, freezing, to their pup tent being covered in snow.
Ennis had been outside, shoveling a path in the driveway that their blue, slightly worn out pickup truck sat in. He wore a blue, puffy jacket stuffed with faux down feathers to ensure warmth from the bleak winters on the mountain. A light blue cotton beanie hugged his head, covering his dirty-blond hair.
Jack was inside, tidying up the kitchen after he washed the dishes from the dinner they just shared. Jack felt a sense of pride, as he pictured Ennis' impressed grin as he put the first fork-full into his mouth. He loved to cook, and seeing his husband's enjoyment of his dish made meant the world to him.
Jack wiped down the counter and hung up the rag he used.
The house was awfully quiet, except for the constant pattering, sprinkling sound of the snow that gradually began to fall harder outside as it hit the windows of their home.
The digital clock with red numbers blared on the wall, reading 11:32 P.M.
Jack glanced at the clock and peered out the window. He grew worried as he caught sight of Ennis squinting while heaving and shoveling, as the harsh snow hit his face. He began to walk toward the front door and reached out for the knob, ready to holler out for Ennis to come inside. He paused for a second, his hand lingering. He hesitated, and slowly retracted his hand.
Jack knew that his husband was someone that didn't finish a task until it was completely done.
He sighed, turned his back from the door and walked toward the boxy, bulky radio that sat on a small table in the corner of the room, beside their Christmas tree that glistened in the dim, yellow light of the room. He bent down and turned it on, raising the antenna. He fiddled with the knob, trying to find a good station. As the radio whirred through the channels, he stumbled across the ending notes of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and let out a slow breath.
"You're listening to 102.7 WBAB, playing all your favorite Christmas hits on this beautiful, but ice-cold Christmas Eve. Hope you're keeping warm, it's really coming down out there. Here's 'Last Christmas' by Wham. Merry Christmas to you and yours..." The rich, intimate voice rumbled out of the speakers, evoking a comfortable feeling in its listener. The voice faded out as a hypnotic, wailing guitar played, followed by the familiar synthesizer chords that began to play.
Jack slightly turned the knob raised the volume, and stood back up. He walked over to the counter and grabbed the lighter that lay there, making his way back to the fireplace in the living room where the radio and the tall Christmas tree stood.
He knelt down in front of the logs of wood that he and Ennis brought inside one day and reached his hand inside, clicking the button on the lighter to reveal a small yellow flame that wavered as he shielded it with his hand. He touched the flame to the logs and the fire slowly but surely started to grow, crackling to life as each part of the flame reached another area of wood.
The fire reached a reasonable size as Jack slowly got off his knees and backed away from it. He dimmed the lights even further. The familiar, inviting smell of smoke and wood burning slowly began to fill the room. Jack inhaled through his nose and sighed.
He turned around as the glistening rainbow lights on the Christmas tree that he and Ennis had carefully picked caught his eye. He slowly edged closer to the lofty evergreen, the pungent scent of pine now mixing in with the smell of the smoke and the fire.
He stared at the lights that twinkled all over the tree, admiring the gentle way they flickered. The song continued to play in the background. He continued staring at the lights and felt his eyelids get heavy. He reached a limp hand up to his face to rub his eye, trying to keep himself awake. He found it useless as his head slowly began to hang. He reached his clammy, cold hands into his pockets to warm them up. The lights started to fade out of focus in his eyes, the colors mixing into each other. His head bobbed up and down, falling in and out of a light sleep, as the radio began to drown out of his ears; the sound becoming more and more muffled with each drop of his head. He finally gave in and let his head hang as he slept.
The squeak of the front door opening entered the room as the harsh wind blew a freezing draft inside the house, followed by the sound of the door being loudly shut, blocking out the uninvited wind that blew inside. All the commotion barely woke Jack, who stood, head hanging to his chest, by the tree.
A cold, red-nosed and stiff Ennis let out an audible huff, shivering as he took off his beanie and shook it to rid the snowflakes that accumulated on it.
"Boy, it's a blizzard out... there." Ennis somewhat loudly muttered, his voice quickly dipping in volume as his eyes met Jack standing in front of the tree with his head hanging, hands in his pockets. The fire illuminated his right side and the twinkling lights of the tree sparkled on his pale face.
Ennis sighed and took off his gloves, turned his head toward the radio, and smiled. Jack looked so sweet and peaceful standing there alone with the colorful lights glistening onto his drooping face, dozing.
The dirty-blond haired cowboy with ruffled hair tiptoed his way over to to the brunette who stood in front of the tree drowsing. He slowly brought his arms around Jack bringing him into an embrace, resting his head on his shoulder.
"Come on, you're sleeping on your feet like a horse." Ennis mumbled into Jack's ear.
Jack's eyes fluttered, but lightly shut again as the soothing voice hit his ear.
Ennis grabbed the wool collar of Jack's jacket and stroked it with his thumb, his other hand around Jack's waist.
They both stood there, in front of the Christmas tree that they proudly picked, one sleeping and the other awake.
The synthesized bells in the song played and Ennis quietly hummed along in Jack's ear. Jack drowsily smirked, still half asleep. His face returned to its peaceful state as he continued to sleep.
George Michael's voice flooded the room as Ennis gripped Jack on his chest, still stroking his collar with his thumb, and his hand on his waist, pulling him closer into his body. Ennis gently swayed back and forth to the song, moving Jack along with him. He gazed at the twinkling Christmas lights on their tree that seemed to resemble the feeling he felt inside him.
The song slowly began to fade out. Ennis glanced at the clock on the wall. 12:00 A.M., it read.
He smiled against Jack's cheek.
"Merry Christmas, Jack." He laid a soft kiss on his cheek.
Jack's eyes fluttered open, this time for a little longer.
"Merry Christmas, Ennis." He drowsily whispered with a sleepy smile, turning to kiss his lover on the lips.
They shared a gentle kiss that was warm enough to melt the snow outside. Jack brought his head back to the front of his body and hung it back to his neck, and Ennis tenderly brought his head back to Jack's shoulder.
Ennis' eyes began to drift closed as well, as they stood there in front of the glittering lights in the atmosphere filled with soft light, smoke, and the scent of burning wood, pine, and the dim sound of the radio.
Just before he felt himself drift off to sleep, Ennis managed to mumble out one more thing:
"I love you, Jack Twist. Merry Christmas."