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Dwight returned from the trial exhausted. He was battered and cut up and bleeding and honestly all he felt like doing was curling up into a ball and crying. His head still ached and his vision was unfocused and blurred, even despite the thick frames that (thankfully) still sat across his nose, despite how often he lost them during a trial. He hated going against the Clown. His weapon was always dutifully sharpened and made deep, painful lacerations which seemed to bleed more than usual this particular trial. The migraine that nestled painfully in the back of his skull and the uncomfortable dizziness from the nauseating gas would sometimes linger until he was called into the next trial and the slate was wiped clean.
When the light of the campfire finally broke through the trees his stumbling pace quickened slightly, his legs carrying him in a mindless daze to his place by the fire, setting down and almost passing out immediately. If anyone had tried asking him about the trial he wouldn’t know, feeling as though he was already unconscious before he had even sat down, his hearing not much more than a muted hum.
As much as he had wanted to stay back and ensure the remaining participants of the trial escaped safely, Claudette had forced him out of the gate, knowing he was on his last hook. As expected, the entity’s spikes had disabled him from reentering the trial grounds, as much as it pained him to be the first to leave. He knew it was probably for the best though, he was injured and would only serve as a liability if he was to get caught again, and with the Clown slowly encroaching on the gate he and Claudette were at, the best option really was just to leave while he still had the chance.
He vaguely heard her emerge from the fog some moments after himself and hoped that Nea would make it out safely as well, knowing that Ace had unfortunately already been sacrificed before he was forced out. He heard her voice at the campfire, presumably explaining the events of the trial and was thankful that she was in good enough a state that he didn’t have to chip in, feeling his conscience drift off as she spoke. Claudette had managed to stay out of harms way for the most part during the trial, only getting in two scraps with the clown and managing to loose him both times without going down.
A moment passed. He felt something shift next to him and had half the mind to crack his eyes open, his unfocused gaze falling on a vaguely Claudette shaped blob. He felt a hand settle oh his uninjured shoulder.
"...hey, Dwight. Dwight." He vaguely heard her voice call out.
"...Hm?" He answered, letting his eyelids drop closed again, now knowing for sure it was her.
"You alright?" He huffed out an exhale through his nose in response, a slight laugh. Claudette got the message. He loosened his tie so that she could access his shoulder. The cuts from the knife had already crusted over and began closing by the time he emerged from the fog, so at least Claudette didn't have to look after them as well. That didn't stop him feeling woozy from the blood loss, though. All wounds disappear quickly in the realm, but it was for the benefit of the survivors that they still made sure things healed correctly. It wasn't uncommon when they first arrived in the fog for shoulders and other body parts that got dislocated or broken to heal in incorrect positions until the next trial.
"How are you doing?" She asked as she began to stitch up his shoulder. He was vaguely aware she was trying to keep him conscious but still distract him from the discomfort of the needle threading in and out of his shoulder.
"Oh y'know.." he started, shifting his head over and peeling his eyes open to gaze at her. "Migraine. Sore. The usual. You?" He answered tiredly, rolling his head back over and shutting his eyes as his vision spun.
"I'm ok. Head's a bit fuzzy, back hurts. But you know I mostly stayed out of harms way." She said gently, focusing on the task in front of her. "You and Ace got the brunt of it, I think." She explained, not taking her eyes away from the hole in his shoulder.
"Nea make it out?" Dwight asked, trying to scan through the faces at the campfire but finding himself unable to make out any specific details, closing his eyes again when his head hurt.
"Yeah, she's here, don't worry about her. Nea's tough." Claudette said, glancing up briefly to send Dwight a comforting smile, which he caught through just a crack in his eyelids.
"Yeah, yeah you're right." Dwight felt himself relax some, settling down slightly. He still felt guilt gnaw his insides in regards to Ace getting sacrificed, but after all of the time he'd been here, he'd started to accept that sometimes not everyone made it out, as much as it hurt him to admit.
Claudette finished patching up his shoulder, placing a dressing on either side of the wound before patting him very gently on the back and standing up.
"Get some rest, Dwight. You need it."
"Thanks, Claud." Dwight felt closer than ever to falling asleep. He sat in the warmth of the fire for a little while before the noise surrounding it got a bit too loud for him to bear, his head thumping in pain. He quietly stood from the fire and, on shaky legs, walked a few paces into the forest. Not far enough to get lost or even to loose sight of the fire for that matter, just far enough for the noise to become muted and not pierce his skull, before he dropped to the floor again, resting his head on his arm as his eyes once again drooped shut.
—
When Dwight next awoke he did so because he was having a slight difficulty breathing, as if his breath was being muffled. His face was pressed into something warm. It smelled of smoke and pine and dirt and was weirdly comforting. Without opening his eyes he simply turned his head, registering the slight lingering pain still pulsing through his skull as he did so, in order to get a better access to oxygen. He felt an uncharacteristic sense of warmth, considering the general coldness of the fog, and a heaviness across his torso, but he couldn't muster enough energy to investigate. Instead he simply snuggled further into the source of the warmth and drifted back off to sleep.
It was only probably twenty minutes later that he registered the source of the warmth was almost definitely another person, and he frantically cracked his eyes open, realising that his glasses had been removed at some point when he stared up at the blurry figure currently holding him. Through squinted eyes Dwight realised It was Jake and instantly felt his face warm, body going rigid in the other's arms. Jake's jacket was draped over both of them and his scarf was tucked under Dwight's head, his arm slung around Dwight's middle holding him close to his chest. His face got only hotter as he realised that at some point his arm had ended up draped across Jake's chest as well. He was hesitant to move or breathe, worried that if he were to accidentally wake Jake up now the other would shift away, disgusted, or angry, or both.
But that... wouldn’t quite make sense, would it? Why else would Jake be here, allowing Dwight to use his scarf as a pillow and Jacket as a blanket, holding him close? Perhaps it was the lingering effects of his last trial messing with his head, or maybe it was just old memories of a life he no longer belonged in, of old torment he suffered regarding his sexuality that made him think Jake would hate him just the same as they all had. Whatever it was it didn’t matter here. Those people didn’t exist here.
Before Dwight could get too lost in his own thoughts, Jake pulled him even closer, burying his nose further into Dwight's hair as he let out a sleepy exhale.
It was true that he and Jake were close. They had been here the longest, after all. Neither of them had strayed into anything explicitly romantic, but the two weren't entirely clueless to the other's interest. Timid, fleeting eye contact, shoulders being pressed together as one settled by the other at the campfire, a careful brush of hands here and there, a reassuring hug after a trial, the list goes on. And now this.. embrace, settled itself onto said list. It was a strange leap, Dwight couldn’t help but feel, but it was comfortable, warm and not an unwelcome advance.
Honestly the signs between them were all pretty much there, the only thing they were waiting for, it seemed, was for someone to take the final leap. Maybe this would be that moment, Dwight couldn’t help but hope.
But he and Jake had never really discussed sexuality. What if the other was straight and, since he lived on his own for so long, just wasn't used to being around people? Maybe he thought this was what friends did? For all Dwight knew Jake didn't know what a normal friendship entailed.
...
While that would have been plausible when they first entered this hellscape, the truth was that Jake had changed a lot since he had first entered the fog. As more people showed up in their little slice of hell so too did Jake's 3 metre high, reinforced walls slowly begin to fall, brick by brick. He was still by no means a social butterfly, and he never would be, as it just wasn't in his nature. He would still leave the campfire on occasion, seeking solace in the quiet, lifeless woods surrounding them, but he spent more time by it now than he had at the start. He would sit by them and listen, contributing to the conversation where he saw fit and he'd have a laugh with the group. He'd tell the occasional Joke or story, too, rather than just sit silently and look annoyed like the closed off recluse he had been when he was first pulled into the fog.
So really, all there was to it, was for one of them to take that chance.
...
"Hey Jake?" Dwight started, voice nervous and quiet as his face grew warm.
"Hm? What is it?" The other replied groggily.
Dwight's face felt only warmer as he cleared his throat to continue speaking, stalling for time as he collected his thoughts. "We, ah..." his voice went quiet, "we've been here, in this.. realm, for so long, and... I... I'm starting to think that.. that we're going to be here forever," he took a breath, feeling his confidence waver as self doubt crept in, clouding the edges of his brain. He pressed on regardless, forcing the doubts back down.
"But... If you'll have me," he shifted away from Jake's chest, searching around for his glasses, sliding them on before making brief eye contact with the other. He looked away when Jake's soft, curious gaze overwhelmed him too much. " I'd... like to spend that forever with you." The silence that followed the statement was crushing. Dwight did everything in his power to slow his rapidly beating heart and avoid eye contact, each quiet moment that passed making him wish more and more the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
He couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Jake's face and, to his surprise and relief, he found a smile there. He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding in.
"I didn’t expect you to be the one to ask." Jake stated with a laugh, his smile spreading to a grin. Dwight spluttered, looking up at the other in faux annoyance and swatting weakly at his arm.
"Well..! It didn't seem like you were going to, did it?!" He yelped indignantly, glaring at the man. It earned him a warm chuckle.
Jake's smug smirk soon melted into a soft smile, a look of fondness crossing his gaze. "I... I would love that, you dork." He truthfully responded to Dwight's earlier question, cheeks obtaining a pleasant warmth which in turn only made Dwight's face redder. He wrapped his arm back around Jake, burying his face into the other’s chest. He felt a warmth spread throughout his whole body, a sense of comfort and belonging filling him which was sparse and unfamiliar to Dwight, both in the hellscape of constant death and reanimation he found himself in now and in his previous life as well.
"Thanks for the scarf and jacket, by the way." Dwight mumbled, nuzzling into Jake's chest.
"Oh, well... The ground is.. not that comfortable, and it's cold, so..." Jake started, looking to the neutral sky above them. "Don't mention it."
A moment of silence passed but Dwight’s mind was anything but quiet. "Jake."
"Hm?"
"You, ah.. you know I meant, like, rom-.. romantically, right?" He cringed the second the words left his mouth, internally cussing himself out for even thinking of saying something so stupid.
"Yeah, I know." Jake said, pulling Dwight closer.
"Oh, yeah, yeah of course, sorry, yeah" Dwight was once again wishing the ground would just open up then and there. He'd been skewered by the entity before, it's not that bad (that was a lie, it sucked).
"Dwight."
"..yeah?"
"It's alright. You're good. Don't worry about it." Dwight let out another breath he didn’t realise he was holding, he should probably stop doing that...
"I'm sorry I just.." his face was scarlet as he avoided eye contact with the other. "I'm... I can't believe you actually like me back. Me. I'm such a looser and you're so calm and collected and handsome and I just don't get it." He rambled, Jake's eyebrows knitted together and he cut Dwight off before the self deprecative rant got out of hand.
"I don't see how I could not. You're compassionate and empathetic and you always try your hardest at everything you do. You're so caring toward others that you often forget to care for yourself. You're willing to put yourself in danger if it means saving someone else which is so dumb but nothing short of admirable. You keep us together, you're a really good leader. And you're also really cute." Dwight's face was burning as Jake brought his gloved hand up to his cheek, the worn leather resting on the delicate skin, thumb brushing over the faintest smattering of freckles that dusted his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "... you have freckles?"
"Wha-? Oh, well, yeah but they're faint cause, they come out when I go in the sun but.. y'know. It had been a while since I spent time outside even before I ended up here..." face warming under Jake's gaze, who was pulling apart the features of his face. "I haven’t seen the sun in so long." He added quietly, a rush of melancholy hitting him all at once.
"Thank the entity we don't get vitamin d deficiency, hey?" Jake said with a laugh. It petered off though, his expression trading out for something much more saddened. His gaze turned to the dull grey 'sky' provided to them by the entity. "I.. miss the stars."
"Me too. It's.. it's been a long time since I appreciated the night sky. I got to see the sunrise sometimes when going to work, but I was to preoccupied with other stuff, unimportant stuff, in hindsight, money, paying the bills..." Dwight's heart clenched in his chest, memories of a life spent with his head down hanging heavy in his chest.
"I loved it. It meant a lot to me, to watch the sunrise, the sunset, the stars. It.. felt like freedom." Jake smiled sadly, staring at the heavy, unchanging grey that seemed to settle just above them.
"Eugh, now I'm sad... I don't wanna think about that time, it was... bad, for lack of a better word. I wanna think about you." Dwight's voice was quiet and warm.
"You're such a dork."
"Shut up!" Dwight grumbled halfheartedly, he knew it was the truth.
"I love it though." Dwight’s face was instantly hot.
"Jake, I.. I would like to... um... can I, oh fuck, can I kiss you?" He hid his face in his hands the second the sentence left his mouth, feeling his face burn.
"Sure." Jakes answer was nonchalant.
"Wait, really?" Dwight said, genuine surprise seeping into his voice.
"I said I liked you back didn’t I? Why wouldn’t I want to kiss you?"
"Look, alright, I'm not very good at this. I didn’t expect to get past accidental hand brushes." Dwight mumbled, uncovering his face and shifting upward to be eye level with Jake, feeling awkward and embarrased, face indisputably warm. He hated that he was blushing so much.
"You don't give yourself enough credit." Jake said, before pressing forward and kissing Dwight to cut off any protests the other might have before they could spill.
Dwight's eyes were wide open in surprise as Jake's lips met his own. He was rigid and unreceptive for a moment before melting into it, eyes falling closed as he kissed the other back, the movement unsure but enthusiastic.
They broke off for air and Jake pressed a kiss to Dwight's cheek, who giggled in response.
"Wow..." Dwight smiled, he couldn’t believe this was happening.
"Good?"
"Yeah, really good." Dwight couldn’t repress the giddy smile that graced his features, and Jake couldn't help but smile back.
"You... ever been... kissed before?" Jake asked hesitantly, Dwight went silent, diverting his gaze downward, and it told Jake everything he needed to know.
"Oh Dwight..." more than anything, Jake was baffled that no one had kissed him before, he was attractive and kind and Just generally a really lovely soul. He couldn’t believe no one had kissed him but himself, the thought filled him with a small bit of pride, but he pushed the thought away, recognising this pride came to an extent at the expense of the other. Mostly he just felt lucky.
"I wasn't exactly.. out, back then. I mean, everyone still assumed I was gay and treated me like shit anyway but y'know." Dwight shrugged slightly. "It's different here. All that really matters is surviving from day to day, escaping trials and whatnot."
"Yeah, you’re right but, you... you mean a lot to all of us here, you know that, right?"
"I... I guess so..." the slight frown on Dwight's features hurt Jake's heart to see so he pressed forward quickly and captured Dwight's lips in another kiss, who reciprocated much quicker this time.
"You mean a lot to me, at the very least." Jake said quietly, pressing his forehead to Dwights, staring into his dark, wide eyes. "Now come on, we should... we should probably head back to the campfire, huh?"
"Yeah... probably." The two stood, shoulders bumping. Their hands brushed and this time Dwight actually grabbed it, threading his own fingers between the worn leather of the gloves. Jake squeezed Dwight's hand gently in response, tucking his nose into his scarf as his face grew warm.
While the sun was a distinctly lacking feature of their little pocket of hell, reprieve from the torture could still be found in a warm hand, a bright smile, a hearty laugh, a comforting hug, a loving embrace, a gentle kiss. Maybe it wasn't all bad here.