Chapter Text
“New guy, do you copy?” The radio crackled, an already familiar voice coming out of the old speakers. “This is Connor from Tower 12, do you copy?”
The nickname of ‘new guy’ was warranted
and endearing
, but Jack would be lying if he didn’t say he wished Connor used his name more often. Setting his empty mug in the sink, he sat down in the uncomfortable chair and flicked the radio from one-way to two.
“Tower 11, do you copy?” Connor asked again.
‘Impatient, much?’ Jack thought to himself. But under the dramatics, he could just pick up a glimmer of concern.
He chose not to think about it too hard.
“Copy that, Connor, what’s up?” He asked, acting perfectly friendly. If he could just remain friendly, then maybe-
“SON OF A BITCH” Connor exclaimed angrily, catching Jack by surprise. The forcefulness of the other man’s words caused him to lean slightly away from the radio, brows furrowed in both annoyance and worry.
“What?” He asked, trying to remain professional even as Connor’s sudden outburst made him concerned. He did not ask what was wrong, or if Connor was hurt, or if he needed to come over, or any number of things.
Nor did he want to ask those things. Because he and Connor were merely coworkers. They were only on friendly terms because that's what coworkers were supposed to be on.
“Nobody bothers to get a camping permit these days anymore” Was his response, now with a sense of resigned frustration. “Do you have eyes on the smoke north of your position?”
“Let me have a look” Jack responded, trying to lean back in his chair to see if he could spot the smoke without having to move. When that proved fruitless, he finally got up and grabbed his binoculars, stepping out into the cool evening air.
Turns out, he didn’t even need his binoculars. The smoke was so blindingly obvious, he had to wonder if whoever had lit the fire wasn’t being so conspicuous on purpose.
Jack shook his head and sighed, forcing himself to not run back inside and talk to Connor the moment he saw something strange. Connor seemed to think it was just bold campers, so he would, too.
There was a quick crackle from the radio, and Connor’s voice rang out “I need you to confirm- do you see that smoke up north?”
‘It’s just a campfire and some rogue campers’ He reminded himself. ‘The only thing scary out here is your inability to not fall for random men you haven’t even met!’
…
“Well, fuck me” Jack said aloud bitterly. Between whatever was out in the woods and his burgeoning feelings for Connor, his emotions had not been given a chance to breathe.
The insistent beeping of the radio reminded him that he had a job to do, regardless of the fact that he apparently had the emotional regulation of a teenager.
“You spot that white smoke up north?” Connor asked.
“Yeah, I saw it” Jack answered defeatedly, only to quickly clear his throat. Connor’s dramatics were rubbing off on him.
“It appears to be in the Lacey trail sector, which is NOT a registered camping site.” He began, and Jack had time to think how Connor would make for a good professor, with how the man seemed to be able to talk about anything and make it seem interesting, before Connor continued. “People like that don’t bother to clean up after themselves.”
‘Litterers’ Jack thought distastefully. The number of peaceful hikes he had gone on that had been interrupted by some idiot’s inability to keep their trash to themselves was uncountable at this point. He was more than happy to hear that Connor shared his opinion. So cu-
“And fire risks are high this season” He continued on, with no respect for Jack’s internal monologue. “You mind checking it out?”
What Jack meant to say was ‘Okay, heading north, I’ll report back on it”. What he thought was ‘Oh hell no’. Somehow, these two managed to get messed up, so that what he thought was the respectable thing to say, and what he said aloud was, well…not.
He was about to apologize when he heard something strange come from the radio. At first he thought it was static, but then a different realization washed over him.
“You’re hilarious, new guy.”
Connor was laughing, and not in a cruel way, either. He, for some strange reason, found what Jack had said to be the peak of comedy. Isolation really did do things to a person’s sense of humor. But he wasn’t complaining. Especially not with what Connor said next.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
For about five seconds, Jack managed to experience both his flight and freeze instincts kick in at exactly the same time, leaving him with the urge to both stay bolt-locked to his chair and run all the way to the smoke himself.
Connor’s voice wasn’t poking fun at him or anything. The man was genuinely offering to go investigate the strange smoke with him. This time, Jack didn’t ignore the thin thread of hope in Connor’s voice that gift-wrapped this amazing offer.
“If you want to” He managed in what he thought was a perfectly calm tone of voice “I’m sure I’d be fine on my own, but I wouldn’t mind having you...uh, with me.”
Shit! He did not just say that. That was not a calm tone, not even close.
“That so?” Connor remarked, sounding strangely pleased. “Give me seven minutes, and until then, keep an eye on the smoke.”
“Will do” Jack said, before clicking the radio off. What had he just done?
Well, it was too late now. Better to just watch the smoke and wait for Connor to arrive. Maybe even practice how to be a normal person. Clearly, he needed it.
<.>
Connor arrived seven minutes later on the dot, the small lamp on his bike’s handlebars a beacon of hope to Jack, who had spent the last few minutes trying and failing to not think about the fact that he and Connor were about to go into the very same woods that those kids had gone missing in.
Being a park ranger, he was more than familiar with the fact that people went missing in the woods on practically a weekly basis, but something about this just felt…wrong.
Of course, with Connor’s presence, he found it much easier to focus on just the task at hand, evicting some campers, instead of dwelling on strange disappearances.
“Ready to go?” Connor yelled up, parking his bike right at the tower’s base. “Don’t forget to grab your bear spray!”
“Got it!” Jack yelled back, waving the yellow can where Connor could see it. “Flashlight too”
And just like that, they headed off, walking quickly to make up for the time Jack had spent waiting for Connor.
<.>
Connor, Jack quickly learned, was a fast walker. Jack considered himself to be in better shape than most people, but Connor was putting him to shame. The man was the definition of power walking, and Jack felt like he had to run to keep up.
It was 8:37 pm before they got anywhere close to the campsite, the dusk now firmly settled into an early twilight, sturdy northern pines casting shadows in the evening fog that made the woods seem all the more menacing.
There was a slight curve in the trail, and just as the two men caught eye of the sign designating the Lacey Trail camp site, a scream rang out in the forest, short and terrified.
Jack had enough self-restraint to merely turn his head a full 180-degrees to see where the scream came from- he had already made Connor walk with him like he was a little kid, he couldn’t afford any more embarrassing moments.
As it turned out, there was no need, because Connor seemed to experience a full-body flinch when he swiveled his head to see where the noise came from. And Jack wasn’t sure if this was his imagination or not, but he was certain that the ‘eep’ noise he heard did NOT come from any cracked branches or squirrels. He felt a small grin grow on his face, knowing that even Connor could be scared. Then he was reminded of what exactly Connor was afraid of, and his amusement quickly faded.
Both remained frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. Afterall, your average park ranger has no idea what to do when faced with hearing a man’s death-kell in the deep woods at night. So they simply powered on, resolving to deal with it ‘in the morning’.
The brightly lit campsite gave Jack a sense of comfort, though the disheveled state it had been left in spoke to more than just your average messy camper. But he was quickly distracted by his phone suddenly blowing up with messages from Kayla, and he pulled it out to see what she had said. Connor, having been close to him the entire walk, looked at the screen as well.
“My sister,” He explained, typing out a few messages. He felt the need to say something before Connor got the wrong idea. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Well, there certainly wasn’t any need to say that, he thought to himself, pretending all his attention was on the photos he was sending her.
“Good to know” Connor mused, and Jack desperately hoped that whatever was out in the woods would take him already, and preferably before Connor noticed how flushed his face was. “Those are some nice pictures”
Through some miracle, he managed to refrain from saying ‘thanks, I took them myself’. Nonetheless, nothing nice ever lasted long for him, as he picked up on two noises- one, the crackling of the walkie-talkie, still sitting on the table, and two…
“That's not birdsong, is it.” He grimaced, as whistling drafted out of the woods and into the campsite. The menacing tune was only made all the more eerie by how casual it was.
“No” Connor agreed, voice seeming a shade deeper out of fear. “Let's get this fire put out and head back.”
Jack was listening, (he was always listening when Connor spoke) but something told him to take a look over the trail that was blocked by an emergency closure sign. Sure enough, the moment he stepped too close, the whistling came to an abrupt halt.
“Who’s there?” He called out, trying to sound threatening.
Something big shuffled around in the ferns, then all was quiet.
“Show yourself!” He tried again.
Nothing.
“Do what he said.” Connor ordered, and Jack was jealous at how much more authoritative he sounded. “We need to see if you have a license to be camping here.”
Again, nothing.
Connor sighed. “Fine. You can stay out there all night if you want to. We’ll just catch you on your way out.” He turned to Jack. “Can you put out the fire? I’m going to make sure the camper doesn’t have any food that could attract bears or anything.”
“Sure” He said, wondering how he had come to work at a place where bears felt like the least dangerous thing he could face.
Lucky for him, there was a bucket right by the fire, so he could simply fill it up in the lake and use that to put out the fire. He was comforted by the fact he could hear Connor messing around with the bags on the table, pulling out plastic wrapped food and various other items.
He kneeled down to fill the bucket, careful to not get his jeans wet, when the shuffling stopped and he felt a pair of eyes travel down him.
‘At least take me out to dinner first’ He thought, truthfully being more than pleased. Jack stood up, and the shuffling of plastics continued.
Connor had found a handful of apples, a plastic wrapped sandwich, and multiple instant camping meals. “We have to take these with us for now, but the camper will get them back once they turn themselves in.” He looked at the boarded-up trail one more time. “They’re either crazy or stupid for not wanting to come back with us, but that's their choice.”
<.>
On the walk back, Jack had no problem keeping up with Connor- funny how fear will do that to you. Although, it wasn’t just the fear that made him keep up.
He finally got a chance to ask him about the missing kids- and sure enough, their disappearance had been beyond the ordinary ‘hikers got caught in bad weather and couldn’t get back’. If he hadn’t had Connor with him, he would have bolted straight back to his van on hearing the story, but he stayed firmly at a sharp walking pace.
Once the warm glow of his tower’s lights came into view, Jack began to feel the stress of the evening dissipate, even if only in small amounts. He was glad to be home safe, but being safe brought another issue- now that their job was done, Connor would have to go back to his tower.
Unless?
“Got anything to eat?” Connor asked, moving his bike into the storage shed. “I haven’t had dinner yet, and I’m starving.”
Unless?
“I’m making a casserole tonight- Kayla sent me a recipe that looked good, so I’m going to give it a try.” Jack said, already climbing the stairs, praying that he didn’t vibrate off the tower from excitement.
“Sounds good,” Connor decided, following him up the stairs.
<.>
Surprisingly, Connor was very helpful when it came to cooking. Even though his opinion on the recipe was ‘the Italians are going to hate us when we’re done’, he actually had some pretty good ideas on how to add the seasonings that had been left in the tower for him.
While the casserole baked in the oven, they took turns reporting for the night.
“I’m sorry I don’t have any place to sit down and eat, are you fine with eating on the bed?”
“Yeah, that works,” He said, digging through Jack’s cabinets for plates and silverware. Upon finding some, they were finally able to sit down and eat.
This felt…cozy, to Jack. Incredibly cozy, to be able to sit down and enjoy a warm meal with someone he- with Connor.
Jack could have those thoughts later, For now, it would be better to focus on other things. Like how Connor had gotten a smaller portion than he did. Or how his thigh was pressed against Connor, as Jack was able to feel his body heat even through his jeans.
Nope. Maybe it would be better for him to simply not think at all. Instead he focused on eating the casserole, causing him to practically inhale it.
“I can take care of the dishes” Connor offered when they finished- he might have gotten a smaller portion, but he took a moment longer to finish. “You should probably get more wood for the fire.”
“Got it” Jack said, grabbing his flashlight. The stairs creaked as he stepped down, and he couldn’t help but think that maybe he should have convinced Connor to come with him. He was a grown man though, he should be able to stand a little creepiness!
He grabbed a few logs, and started back for the tower. Was Connor really going to stay the night? Would he sleep with Ja-
Some casual whistling came from the woods, and Jack bolted for the tower, thudding up the steps as he took them two at a time. He paused just outside the door to catch his breath, and hopefully make himself look semi-respectable before he went in.
There was a flash of movement in the corner of his eye, coming from inside the tower. Jack took a quick look, just because his adrenaline rush forced him to, and nearly fell backwards off the tower.
Conor was washing the dishes, but that wasn’t what had caught Jack’s eye. What he was so focused on was the fact that Connor had rolled up his shirtsleeves to do so. All thoughts of the whistling disappeared from his mind, now replaced by the fact that Connor’s biceps were…ehm, large .
Now it was his turn to let his eyes roam Connor’s body. Nothing was overlooked, especially not the look of concentration on Connor’s face as he scrubbed away at the pan.
Through sheer force of will alone was Jack able to tear himself away from the sight. Now he had something else to compose himself from. Great.
Finally, he opened the door to the tower. Warm jazz filtered out from the other radio, and Connor even gave him a friendly “See anything, Jack?”
“I didn’t see anything. But I heard more whistling.” Jack admitted, and Connor cursed.
“Ah shit, not again. They must have followed us here.” Connor muttered “That settles it then. I’m not going out there with them, and I am definitely not leaving you alone here. Mind if I stay the night?”
“Of course” He nodded quickly, grateful for confirmation that Connor was staying with him. And, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy for other reasons.
Connor got into bed first. Jack fiddled around with some last minute things to do, mentally preparing himself for the fact that he was about to share a bed with Connor Hawkins. But, when he got just close enough, Connor surprised him by pulling him into bed.
“Took you long enough” He muttered sleepily into his neck, yawning. Jack was suddenly very aware of everything going on around him, from the way Connor’s arms wrapped around his waist to the movement of his lips on his neck. “Goodnight, Jack.”
“Goodnight, Connor.” Jack whispered back, mouth dry. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was turning around in bed so that his face was buried in Connor’s neck, and wrapping his own arms around Connor.
For the first time in his life as a park ranger, Jack knew with 100% certainty that he was safe.