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Being anything but warm on the island was unusual. Everyone knew that. It was the kind of place where the sun burned, leaving your hair dripping with sweat and the sand under your feet flaming.
So when Maurice began nudging Jack late at night, the last thing the blond expected was for the boy to complain about being cold.
“Jack,” whispered Maurice, shaking his shoulders.
Jack groaned, weakly attempting to shove the brunette’s hand off of him and squeezing his closed eyes even tighter. He had a big hunt tomorrow! He needed his sleep!
Maurice didn’t let up, continuing to softly pull at the boy and prod. “Jack.”
“Shut up, Maurice!” Jack hissed, mostly unconscious. It wasn’t said cruelly, but with tired annoyance.
“Jack.”
With a huff, the taller one pushed himself up a bit, leaning back on both arms and squinting up at his friend. “What!?”
Maurice was kneeling to his side, brown hair falling over his face as he leaned his head down, directing his gaze at him. Even in the dark of their shelter Jack could make out the boy’s green eyes. He could notice them anywhere.
“I’m cold,” Maurice whispered, a little guilty.
Jack’s blue eyes widened a little, waking up a bit more. He looked around, spotting Roger laying nearby and the others in the distance. “Seriously, Maurice! Go annoy Roger!”
“Jack!” The boy whined, leaning his head back at the sky, which was mostly blocked off by trees, in a dramatic act.
“It’s not even cold.”
“I fell in the water before we went to sleep and now the wind is mixing with it while I dry off and it’s making me cold,” he explained.
The blond looked at him.
Maurice was shaking a bit, goosebumps lining his arms and legs while drips of water trickled down his bare chest. It was only now that he noticed the damp texture the boy’s hair held.
Jack felt his own body relax a bit, irritation fading at the desire to help his friend. Not that he would show that completely. “What am I supposed to do about that?”
The brunette went a faint pink as he looked away.
Getting no reply, Jack rolled his eyes. “Just go offer to watch the fire then. You can be helpful, and warm. Bill would be happy to be off that duty.”
“I don’t want to watch the stupid fire!” He groaned, plopping down beside his friend and resting on his back. “It’s so boring!”
“You’re helpless,” muttered Jack, laying down once more, facing away from Maurice and closing his eyes.
Maurice turned his head, watching the back of the blond.
The silence stretched on, making him think Jack had fallen asleep again.
He was wrong.
“Maurice.”
The shorter of the two smiled, adjusting himself on the forest’s nature filled ground. “Yeah?”
“Are you still cold?”
“Mhm.”
Jack turned, resting his face on one of his arms as he looked at the other.
Maurice moved onto his side too.
“Hi.” Jack said awkwardly.
“Hello.”
A moment of brief consideration passed through blue eyes. Upon settling on a decision, Jack brought his free hand over to pull his friend closer, settling the boy against himself.
Maurice felt himself heat up, a laugh being pulled from his throat.
The night air settled around them.
“Shut up,” spoke Jack, voice cracking a bit. “I’m trying to sleep.”
“Okay, okay.”
Maurice’s head was tucked against Jack’s shoulder and across his waist lay the blond’s arm. He fumbled a bit, trying to get comfortable.
“Maurice,” started Jack, “are you done yet?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, stilling his body.
“Okay, good. Go to sleep. We have to hunt tomorrow.”
Maurice hesitated.
“...Do you think we’re going to get off this island? Or are we going to hunt to our deaths?”
Jack sighed, wavering a bit. “I don’t know, Mauri.”
The brunette’s lips twitched upwards at the nickname. “I’d like to go home.”
“I know you would,” mumbled Jack, tightening his grip around the boy’s waist protectively. “Someone will come, and I’m going to keep you alive until they do. All we can do is stay alive until we’re saved.”
Maurice pulled his head off of Jack’s shoulder, looking at his face instead. Green eyes mixed with blue. “Look at you, being all soft,” he joked.
Jack groaned, abruptly shoving the boy off of him. Or…trying and failing. Maurice clung to him, laughing loudly. “You’re so annoying.” Jack exclaimed.
“Shut up!” Roger interrupted from not far off in the distance. “I’m trying to sleep! Fuckin’ hell!”
The blond felt himself smiling before he knew it, trying to hold back his laugh like the other.
“SHUT UP!” Roger called again.
A rock flew past them, hitting the ground and rolling off to the side.
“We’re shutting up now!” Maurice insisted, nodding his head against Jack’s chest.
Upon their mutual friend falling asleep, Jack spoke again. “Are you still cold?”
“Not anymore.”
“Okay. Okay, good.”
“Are you really going to protect me?”
“Yes,” Jack confirmed, very seriously.
Maurice moved in closer, his own hand grabbing the one around his waist and interlocking fingers with the bruised ones.
No more words were exchanged after that. Though the silence said everything.
At some point the brunette went more limp, until just the beating of his heart against Jack could be felt and heard.
Jack rested his own head against the top of the boy’s. His blond curls fell over Maurice’s straight brown strands.
His breathing settled eventually, falling into a calming sleep.
In the morning Roger would see and make fun of them, but for now, nothing else mattered as they held each other under the night darkness, hand in hand.