The cold morning air hit Tim and he rolled over, groaning, and found the space previously occupied by Jesse empty. He opened his eyes lazily, spotting the missing man across the cave. Jesse was leaned over a peice of paper, scribbling and vacantly eating an orange at the same time. Tim smiled slightly and crawled out of the bed, joining Jesse and sneakily stealing a slice of the orange.

Jesse looked up, distractedly smiling back at Tim. "Morning."

"Hey," Tim responded. "Whatcha doing?"

"Writing," Jesse told him with a dismissive shrug, scrawling a few more words onto the page and tucking it with the others as Tim peeked over his shoulder.

"I don't get to read?," Tim questioned in a pouty sort of voice, swiping another peice of orange.

"Mmmm..maybe someday," Jesse replied thoughtfully, leaning back against him. He tilted his head away from Tim's cheek, smirking a bit. "You're scruffy."

Tim scratched one of his stubble-lined cheeks. "Yeh, I am. You have anything to fix that?"

Jesse nodded, standing up and moving across the floor, towards where the clothes were piled. "I guess you might as well know where everything is, since you'll be staying for a while."

There was a hint of a question in the last part of his statement, but Tim only nodded in agreement. He hadn't really thought about it much until now, but now that he did he imagined he would be staying. It wasn't as if he had anything else to go back to.

Jesse familiarized Tim with where everything was kept, gave him a razor and some soap and offered him some clean clothes as well. Tim had accepted gratefully, then filled a large bowl with water and sat down in front of a mirror and pulled his shirt off. Jesse watched him for a moment, as Tim turned his head to the side and started to shave off the hair that had grown on his scalp first. He shook his head, a smile creeping onto his face as he headed out of the cave.

"Where you going?," Tim called out, turning away from the mirror.

"All the people wandering around in the forest hopelessly and I have to save the clingy one," Jesse muttered jokingly. "I was going to cut some more wood for the fire and stuff like that."

"Arrite," Tim consented, turning back towards the mirror. "I'll try not to destroy anything or kill myself with my lack of knowledge about the outdoors."

As Jesse scurried around doing whatever it was that he found necessary to do, Tim shaved, changed, and wandered outside. He figured it was a good idea to become familiar with where he was, so that maybe Jesse wouldn't have to follow him everywhere he went forever. This proved to be not so much of a good idea.

He had followed a trail that led off to the right, what Tim assumed in his awe-inspiring sense of direction, was west. Buddy trompsed along happily at his side, and Tim assumed with his also awe-inspiring logic, that the dog would know fairly well how to get back to where they started. Because of this assumption he didn't even notice when the beaten path disappeared. He did notice, however, when Buddy leapt through the trees and darted after some small forest creature, almost instantly making his way out of Tim's line of vision.

"Fuck!," Tim interjected, almost starting after the dog but deciding against it when he saw the thick bushes blocking his way. "Fuckin' dog...come back!"

The dog didn't heed him, hot on the trail of a squirrel, and soon his barking couldn't even be heard anymore. Tim turned in a slow circle, grumbling to himself.

"Fucking glorious," he muttered. "Now I'm lost in the woods...again."

He started back in what he was pretty sure was the direction that he came from, figuring that soon he'd come back to the trail that had led him up the side of the hill. He fought with a formidable looking plant that hung between the trees for a while, growing more and more irritated as he continued. But determined to not have to sit around and hope Jesse could find him, he pressed on.

The sun had reached the center of the sky and started it's decent by the time he finally refound the path. He was covered in forest debris, and his right arm had broken out in some sort of a rash, but he felt like dancing anyway. Instead of dancing, he headed back down the path that made it's way back down the hill at a slow decline.

Once Tim had found the clearing, Buddy came running out of the entrance to the cave and leapt at him, barking happily. Tim glared venomously at the mutt.

"You fucking bastard," he muttered at the dog. "You left me to get killed."

His words had no effect on Buddy, who was happily licking at his hand. Jesse appeared shortly after, taking in Tim's appearance and smirking.

"Decided to go for a walk?," he asked, tilting his head.

Tim nodded. "Buddy led me astray, but I found my way back on my own," he told Jesse proudly. Jesse smiled a bit wider then tiled his head curiously.

"What happened to your arm?," he asked, stepping forward and taking a hold of Tim's wrist to inspect the reddened skin.

"Er...I'm not entirely sure," Tim admitted, looking at the rash as well and scratching at it. "I think I ran into something I was allergic to. It itches like fuck, though."

Jesse shook his head. "Nah...that's something everyone's allergic to. You ran into some poison ivy. C'mere."

Still holding onto Tim's wrist, Jesse pulled him inside. He made him sit down on the side of the bed, then poured about half of a jug of water into a pan and heated it over the warm coals that were left from the fire. Walking back over to Tim, he looked at his arm again, chewing on his lip thoughtfully.

"Did it get anywhere else?," he inquired, looking back up at Tim.

"Don't think so," Tim told him, eyeing his forearm like it was a foreign object. "My balls itch, but that's probably just the crabs."

Jesse gave him a quizzical look before he realized he was joking, then smirked and dropped Tim's arm. Tim promptly reached over to scratch at the irritation again, and Jesse batted his hand away.

"Don't do that, you'll spread it," he warned, retrieving the pot of water and hunting down a bar of soap and a cloth.

"So if I rubbed my arm all over your face, that'd be a bad idea?," Tim asked innocently. Jesse glared at him threateningly as he sat next to the bed, and Tim grinned.

Jesse didn't provide a reply, dipping the cloth into the warm water and taking Tim's arm back. He ran the cloth lightly over the rash, making Tim hiss.

"That stings," he complained.

"Yeah," Jesse told him flatly. "Aren't you glad it's not on your balls now?"

Tim nodded, falling silent as Jesse rubbed soap on his skin and rinsed it off gently again. He repeated this a few times, concentrating on the task.

"How long ago did you notice it?," he inquired once he'd finished.

Tim tilted his head in thought. "I dunno...not more than half an hour, probably."

Jesse hunted through a duffel bag that he kept medicinal supplies in, taking out a tube of calamine lotion. "Well, I hope it wasn't much longer."

"What happens it if was?," Tim asked as Jesse unscrewed the tube and applied the lotion to the rash.

"Your arm will fall off," Jesse informed him.

Tim's eyes widened and he looked up at Jesse, who just replaced the cap to the lotion and tossed it back towards the bag, then washed his own hands.

"Jesse?"

"Huh?," Jesse glanced at Tim, raising his eyebrows.

"You're joking...right?," Tim asked, casting geniunely frightened look at his arm.

Jesse shook his head. "No. You might want to wash your hands and take off your shirt, just in case there's any residue left over."

Tim's eyes got impossibly wider and he complied, quickly pulling off his shirt and leaning over to wash his hands thoroughly. Jesse watched him, hiding a grin as he started slicing an apple. Finishing what he was doing, Tim looked at his arm again closely. Jesse ducked his head and fought back a laugh.

"Do you think it's getting worse?," Tim asked, scampering off the bed and holding his arm out for Jesse's inspection.

Regaining his composure, Jesse glanced at Tim's arm carelessly. "Maybe a little."

Tim looked at the infected area again for a long moment. "My arm's gunna turn black and rot off," he decided in a tone of bitter finality.

Jesse finally broke out into laughter, and Tim glared at him.

"Jesse...," he started in a threatening voice.

Pushing a slice of apple into Tim's mouth, Jesse controlled his laughter into a small grin. "Calm down. At the worst, we'd have to find a doctor and shoot you up with steroids. Your arm isn't going to fall off."

Tim narrowed his eyes, chewing and swallowing the apple. "I'm going to wrap poison ivy around your head while you sleep," he told Jesse, who just laughed.

"Tim, you don't even know what it looks like," he reminded him. He snapped a peice of the apple off with his teeth, then grinned around it at the frustrated man in front of him. "And I do."

For the rest of the day, Tim moped around watching the rash carefully and glowering at Jesse every once in a while. He hadn't been too happy with the joke, to say the least, and was in a fairly bad mood after having wandered through the forest for the first half of the day. Jesse couldn't help being amused with his pouty behavior, but mostly he left Tim to sulk and busied himself elsewhere.

Eventually, Jesse couldn't ignore him anymore. He wandered over to where Tim was propped against a wall, reading a copy of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest that Jesse had, with a cool, wet compress on his arm as he'd been instructed to have. Jesse sat down a few feet from him.

"How's your arm?," he inquired.

Tim glanced at him for a second then looked back to the book. "Fine," he muttered moodily.

"Don't do that," Jesse said, repressing a smile. "I was just getting you back for yesterday, you deserved it."

"It was still mean," Tim argued. "I got you wet. You told me I was going to lose an appendage."

Jesse rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "And if it wasn't for my help you'd be in extensive pain right now, so I think we're even. You hungry?"

Tim kept up the pouting act for a moment longer, the mumbled "Yeah..."

Jesse plucked the book from his fingers and set it down. "Come eat and I'll replace that," he suggested, nodding to the compress. Tim agreed, following Jesse. While he ate, Jesse took the wrapping off of his forearm and cleaned it again, applied more lotion and rewrapped it lightly.

"It looks a lot better, I think you'll be okay," he noted.

"Good," Tim said, nodding. "I need full use of my arms if I'm gunna beat the shit out of you like I have planned."

Jesse smirked. "I'd like to see you try it, Scrawny."

Tim grinned at him for the first time since he'd come back and Jesse's smirk spread to a smile.

"Sorry about being such an emo pussy," Tim told him quietly.

Jesse laughed. "I told you, you don't have to apologize for anything. Besides, you're allowed to be a little bit moody. That is the second time in the last three days you've been lost in the woods."

Tim nodded, and as Jesse set out cleaning up the supplies he'd used for Tim's arm, he recollected how drastically things had changed. Not more than four days ago he'd been living in the middle of a veritable war, with six of his closest friends. Now, he was living in a cave with a strangely enchanting man he barely knew, but felt connected to regardless. And all of his previous friends were dead...

Jesse must have noticed Tim's far off look, because he sat down next to him again and poked him gently in the back, where he was still bruised. Tim jumped a bit.

"Ow! Fucking sadist...," he mumbled.

Jesse threw a grin towards him as he settled back down, rubbing his back lightly. "What's on your mind?"

"Just thinking," Tim muttered.

"Obviously," Jesse stated. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Tim thought about it for a second, then shook his head. Jesse gave a small, accepting nod.

"Well, if you change your mind...," he trailed off, then lay down and set his head on Tim's thigh.

Looking down at Jesse, Tim couldn't help but smile a bit. Despite the fact that his life had been completely destroyed, he was starting to see how Jesse could live so easily out here. Ignoring the harsh realities of the world, since the world seemed more apt to ignore them itself. Jesse seemed to not mind putting up with him, even when he was being a little bitch, and Tim couldn't deny that he enjoyed his company. It still hurt to think of the past, and Lars and all the others, but Tim realized now that maybe things weren't so bad.

Tim had been running the fingers of his right hand through Jesse's hair, and the other man had closed his eyes, contented with the silence. Recollecting his train of thought, Tim leaned down and brushed his lips across Jesse's cheek. Again, Jesse shivered at the light touch.

"Thank you," Tim whispered in his ear. "I think you saved me more than you know."

Jesse smiled a bit, not bothering to correct him again, and Buddy became jealous of the attention. As Tim sat back the dog curled up on his other side and nudged his hand with his snout until Tim resigned to petting him, as well. The three figures remained like that until retiring to bed, where Tim was more than happy to let Jesse curl up against his chest as they fell asleep.

Tim woke up and was instantly aware of one thing. The overwhelming need to urinate. Jesse was pressed against his side, his head against Tim's shoulder and his arm across his chest just as they'd fallen asleep. Tim groaned softly, not really wanting to get up, but the matter of his bladder being a bit more pressing at the moment.

"Jesse," he whispered. The other man didn't stir at all, so he repeated himself a bit louder.

"Jesse...get up, I need to piss."

Jesse responded that time, but only by snuggling closer to Tim. He wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and buried his face against Tim's shoulder.

"Jesse," Tim whined. "Dude, get up."

"It's cold," Jesse protested, still half-asleep. "You're warm."

"Great logic, but besides that - I really have to fucking piss!," his voice rose a bit and Jesse grumbled, rolling away from him.

Tim promptly leapt up, scaring the still-sleeping dog into a yelp, and darted out the entrance. Jesse hadn't been lying, he found, and it was indeed very fucking cold. He couldn't see the sun yet as he made his way outside, but the landscape had a sort of purpley glow that suggested the dawn was on it's way. Tim scampered towards some trees off to the side of the entrance, unzipped his pants and began to relieve himself. He let his head fall back onto his shoulders, shivering a little. It seemed like it took far too long before he could tuck himself back into the warm confines of his pants, and he was quick to head back inside the cave, as well.

Jesse had found his way underneath the blankets, which they had been neglecting so far, in an attempt to replace Tim's warmth. It hadn't been a very good substitute, however, and he was quite content to squirm back on the bed as Tim returned and dove under the blankets with him.

Tim curled up next to Jesse, shivering unnecessarily. "It's fucking cold out there," he complained, and Jesse laughed a bit.

"I told you," Jesse said, wrapping his arms around Tim's shaking form. Tim's hands found their way under Jesse's shirt in an attempt to warm them up, and Jesse squealed at the sensation. "Fuck, I didn't need an illustration of how cold it is."

Tim laughed malevolently and didn't remove his hands, sliding them down to Jesse's hips and pulling him close.

Jesse whimpered at the cold touch, even though he didn't really mind. "Cut it out, Tim. You're cold."

"I know, that's why I'm trying to warm up," Tim told him flatly, and Jesse grumbled a bit more before settling against Tim's shoulder. Tim waited until Jesse seemed comfortable again, then danced his fingertips back up Jesse's side.

Jesse squirmed. "Stoooop," he whined sleepily, but Tim continued.

"So you're ticklish," Tim observed, an evil grin painted onto his features.

"Yes," Jesse admitted, writhing underneath his touch but not really trying to get away. "Why do you have to get playful now? I'm trying to sleep!"

"Want me to stop?," Tim asked, continuing the torture.

"Yes."

"How bad?," he moved his face a little closer to Jesse's.

"Real bad," Jesse told him, giving him a pleading look in the forming light of the sunrise that found it's way into the darkness.

"Really?," Tim questioned, pressing his forehead against Jesse's. Jesse only nodded, becoming aware of how close Tim was now. "So stop me," Tim suggested, his voice dropping.

Jesse nodded again, grabbing Tim's wrists gently. He pulled his hands away from his body, then tugged him closer and tilted his head up, pressing his lips against Tim's. Tim pressed back softly, moving his mouth gently over Jesse's as he released his wrists. Tim's hands pressed flat against Jesse's back as his tongue softly traced his lower lip.

Jesse whimpered, not in frustration this time, and he tugged on Tim's arms, rolling onto his back and pulling Tim with him. Their tongues met and carefully massaged each other, Tim's hands moving from around Jesse's back and sliding up his chest. Jesse laced his fingers together around Tim's back, holding him close and kissing him as if it were the most natural thing in the world - which Tim realized was quite possible.

After a bit they pulled away from each other, Tim sliding down to rest his head on Jesse's chest. The two lay in contented silence as light filtered in through the trees and illuminated the cave as much as it could. Tim relaxed, finding himself in that warm swimmy state halfway between lucidity and dreaming as Jesse's fingertips gently ran through his hair and down his back.