Gabe smiled. “Maybe to you… it is not the same in my world…”
“You met the wrong guys.”
“Did your wife say the same?”
Facing each other off, but Damian just shrugged. “She did. And she was probably right. I lied to her.”
“How so?”
Damian rose. “A tale for another time.” He left for their shelter, but Gabe didn’t follow, watching the flames.
Working on the hut next day, hauling palm leaves from the beach. Gabe was cutting them down, and Damian made countless trips, dragging those heavy leaves with grim determination, the sky like lead.Rain… maybe…watching that hostile light in the air.We have to finish today… at least the roof…Tying the leaves up as fast as they could whilst the sky darkened. Leaving some on the floor to make two beddings, covering them with the blankets. They had found more, and it made a crude bed, but there was some comfort there, at last. Quickly finishing the walls to be somewhat sheltered from that rising wind.
Gabe glanced at the sky. “A storm… maybe…”
“Fuck it. We will be fine here.” He slammed his fist into one of the roof beams. “Solid as fuck. We did a great job, partner.”
Gabe smiled at him, his eyes roaming that space, the fireplace in the middle, their beddings on either side in the corners. Rumbling in the sky.
“We’d better bring some fire up, and shelter.”
By the time they had packed everything under the hut, the sky had fallen, heavy raindrops lashing at that fresh roof, a rising wind.
Damian looked outside, worried. “We’ll see at least if it holds…”
“Yeah…”
Their hearts tight at the power of that rising storm, that sizzling electricity filling the surrounding air in a yellow light as the sky darkened. Rumbling above that pouring rain.
The roof started leaking in various places and Damian cast a wary look at Gabe. “At least, we’ll know where to put more leaves… Fuck.” The droplets plummeting to the floor, soaking it a bit. They huddled under their blankets, sitting around that small fire they had brought up from their main fireplace. Gabe put some snails in a bamboo cut in half and put them to roast, along with two dead crabs.
“Some food… this will have to do today.” Another crack split the sky with a blinding white light, and he jolted, his eyes going wide. “Wow…”
“Tropical storm… just fucking perfect…”
“It’s amazing… I’ve never seen so much rain.”
Damian mused. “Our containers are out… but we should really make gutters along the roof with bamboo. Imagine the quantity of water we could gather.”
“We’d need more containers.”
“When we discover the island, we might find some… or dig a hole and line it with the tarp?”
“Yeah… good idea…”
They munched on that meagre sea flesh, the air cooling fast, so they pulled their shirts tighter, but they were almost in tatters. Pulling their blankets tighter around their shoulders, more droplets falling from the roof.
Damian pulled a face, water droplets sliding down his face. “We should try to get some sleep.” Rumbling, splitting lightning bolts racing in thar dark sky.
“Yes…”
Lying down on their beddings, trying to find sleep in that cold air filed with splattering drops. Gabe’s teeth chattered, his eyes drifting to Damian’s form, curled up, his knees in his chest. Longing for that human warmth, the raging elements clawing inside of him, rekindling a primal fear.
“Damian…” Hoping he was still awake. Watching his steel eyes open straight away.
“What?”
Gabe licked his lips, his heart tight as another lightning split the sky. “Could you… could we… sleep together? We would be warmer… I’m kind of cold…”And so fucking scared.
