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“Ey, can you get out of the way? Tryin te play a game, here,” Griffin yelled, annoyed. David had appeared right in front of him, blocking the older Jumper’s view of the TV screen. It took David a moment to reorient himself from the Jump, and then he moved to the side and sat down next to Griffin.
Looking over his shoulder, he grimaced at the sight of the dead Paladin who was still handcuffed to the floor.
“What did you do to him?” David asked, turning back to Griffin and trying to shake off the sudden chill that he felt.
“Who?”
“That guy.”
Griffin shrugged. “Nothin’. Poor bastard never woke up. I guess I should clean up that mess. It might start te stink soon…”
David blinked.
It seemed that Griffin was able to just laugh off death, but David hadn’t had enough experience with it yet to just ‘be okay’ with sitting a few feet away from a dead body. He wondered if he’d ever be okay with it. Even the body of a dead paladin, someone who had tried to kill him. Just choosing to think nothing of the anonymous man’s death was disturbing to David. But what else could he do? Griffin definitely didn’t feel guilty about it. The older Jumper had killed hundreds of them, for all David knew.
He thought it over again. Griffin had killed a lot of people, and here David was, casually sitting next to the other Jumper, watching him play video games. It was a weird thought.
David hadn’t known where else to go. After he’d left Millie at the airport in Rome, he’d felt so… done. So finished. Curtain falls, end of the story, life moves on. All thanks to Paladin. He would never see Millie again. He couldn’t, because they’d definitely find her. The only way to ensure her safety was to lie low, and Griffin’s desert ‘Lair’ was currently the best Jumper hideout in the world.
Since Griffin wasn’t yelling at him to leave the place, David figured he’d stay here for a while until he could sort some things out.
“Shit, I just can’t beat this level… Hey man, want to try it on multiplayer?” Griffin asked, bringing David out of his thoughtful state.
“No, I think I’ll go uh… get rid of that guy,” he answered nervously, standing up and walking over to the dead Paladin.
“Ah, now there’s a true friend,” Griffin said, smirking and nodding his thanks, then went back to his game.
David Jumped the body to outside of the Lair, and then again, further out into the vast desert landscape. He then Jumped a coffin-sized patch of sand out of the ground, and laid the body into the depression, then used his hands to shovel some sand over it. Once the half-hearted burial was done, David breathed a sigh of relief.
It felt sinfully good to bury the past. He had spent his whole life doing just that… burying his emotions, running away, and trying to forget his problems. Jumpers had that luxury... Ultimate freedom. But sometimes, it almost felt like a burden. Like when you had to bury a body.
Instead of Jumping back right away, David just started walking in the general direction of the Lair. He was thankful for this quiet time to let his troubled mind get some rest.
It was nighttime, and the expanse of sand all around him was colored pale blue from the soft moonlight. David watched his shadow ripple over the sandy waves as he walked, and breathed in the clean, chilly air. There was no wind out here tonight, and only the occasional distant animal sound could be heard.
David closed his eyes. Peace… he could stay like this forever.
And he realized that this is what being a Jumper was going to be like, from now on. Lonely… but serene. David wasn’t after adventure anymore; he just wanted to find a place where he could exist . This abyssal desert, stretching on for thousands of miles, could be his home. It sounded pretty wonderful.
But, there was one hitch: Griffin lived here, too. And the older Jumper wasn’t interested in simply hiding and keeping the peace. Griffin made it his job to hunt people from Paladin. He felt like it was his duty to find and kill the Jumpers’ enemies, no matter what.
What kind of a life is that? David asked himself. It sounded pointless. Maybe David could help Griffin change his ways. Maybe they could agree to stay hidden together, and not bother with Paladin anymore…
Or maybe he’d learn to Jump to Mars.
As soon as David Jumped away with the body, Griffin sighed and dropped his game controller, running a hand through his messy hair.
“Why’d he have to come back here?” Griffin wondered aloud, shaking his head. Stupid git… How am I supposed to keep him hidden here?
Griffin got the feeling that David wasn’t just here visiting. The younger Jumper desperately needed a place to stay, to hide, to feel safe. Normally, Griffin would have had no objections, but… With the two of them hiding in the Lair, they’d be twice as easy to find if they were to keep Jumping around. Roland could track them down with minimal effort if they didn’t keep their Jumping to-and-from the Lair to a minimum.
Griffin wasn’t too happy with that idea. He wanted to keep hunting Paladin, not sit at home being lazy, raiding the occasional grocery or liquor store, and playing video games indefinitely.
But with him here… Griffin pondered over the situation again. Having David around could turn out to be really nice, if the younger Jumper could be persuaded to join his cause.
“Nah, he’d probably run off,” Griffin decided, dismissing the idea.
But in his heart, Griffin wished that he and David could be a team: Hunting Paladin by day, and staying close together by night. The thought brought a sad smile to Griffin’s lips.
The older Jumper hadn’t had any friends, acquaintances, or even just one-night-stands in… years. His work with tracking and killing Paladins had consumed his life, and with it, most of the perks that went with being a Jumper had been taken from him.
Despite what one might think from his seemingly uncaring and indifferent nature, Griffin really didn’t like to see innocent people die. He couldn’t risk just going out and finding a partner for the night whenever he felt like it, because that person might be found the next morning to have been tortured to death for information.
That very scenario had happened more than once before, when Griffin was younger and more reckless. He never wanted it to happen again… So he kept to himself. He knew better.
But David doesn’t know better, Griffin thought, sighing. He’ll want to Jump all over the place, and do whatever he wants. He’s not used to boundaries.
Griffin scowled, preemptively irritated. Maybe David could be his friend… but the younger Jumper wasn’t yet experienced enough to be his hunting partner. David was a liability. Griffin would have to sit the younger Jumper down and talk to him about everything once he got back.
“What took you so long? Get attacked by desert mice?” Griffin teased when David Jumped back to appear by the TV again.
“My bad,” David sighed, and walked towards the kitchen part of the Lair. Griffin watched him. The younger Jumper looked particularly tired.
“Oi man, you okay?” Griffin asked, getting up from the couch and following. “Did something happen out there? …That guy was dead , wasn’t he?”
David grimaced at the thought that he might have just buried someone alive.
“Y..yeah, he was dead.”
“Damn,” Griffin said.
David turned around to give the older Jumper a terrified look.
“Just kidding,” Griffin recovered, grinning.
“Right,” David said flatly, and bent down to look in the Lair refrigerator. “Did you say something about take-out earlier?”
Griffin changed gears quickly as he remembered his plans to have a word with David. Slowly, he shoved the refrigerator door closed. “David, I have te talk to you.”
David stood up and looked worriedly down at the older Jumper, then took a step back to lean against the kitchen counter. “Alright.”
“Thanks,” Griffin said. “Okay, listen. We’re friends, right? I know you’re looking for a place te stay-- no, don’t argue, I understand. I don’t blame you, and I don’t mind. I just have te tell you that there will be… rules, boundaries, that you’re not used te, if you stay in the Lair. They’re not just my personal preferences. They’re very important rules and we both have te follow them. It’s a matter of life an’ death, alright?”
“Alright,” David said again, more serious now. Griffin was glad that the younger Jumper was taking his words to heart.
“Right… So, rule number one is that both of us have te keep a limit on our number of Lair-bound Jumps te two per day. Also, those two Jumps can’t be te the same place; Paladin can track us easier if we hit the same area twice in a row. Which means, when I Jump over te Beijing for takeaway, you better make sure I get your order correct, or you’re going te have to either go out for gyros or go hungry for the night.”
David scratched his head, sighing. “That’s a tough rule, Griffin.”
“Yea,” Griffin replied, watching the younger Jumper carefully. “But if you want sanctuary at the Lair… you got te keep to it.”
“Okay, I will,” David said after a moment. “Any other rules?”
Griffin smiled. “Nah. That’s it. Not too bad, eh? Just make sure you let me know when and where you Jump away from the Lair.”
“Sure.”
Griffin smiled and patted David on the back as he exited the kitchen. He was pleasantly surprised that the younger Jumper was so easy to talk to. The man hardly said two words in argument.
Maybe he’s more desperate than I thought...
Griffin Jumped away for takeout, and came back a couple minutes later in front of the TV which David was starting to fall asleep at.
“That was fast. …Wait, didn’t you pay them?” The younger Jumper asked, as Griffin handed him his change and his portion of food, and then sat down next to him on the couch.
“I tried,” Griffin said, starting to unpack his meal. “But an American 100-dollar-bill doesn’t pay for everything in Beijing, despite what you might think.”
“Hmph. Money is money, I always say,” David sighed, then took a bite of his stolen sesame chicken with noodles.
The two of them ate in companionable silence, watching various international TV shows fade in and out of static on the screen.
“So, do you know what happened te that girl… Millie, right?” Griffin asked in an attempt to strike up some sort of conversation. But once he said it, he could see by the look on David’s face that the younger Jumper’s ex-girlfriend was exactly the wrong subject to bring up.
“I don’t know. I left her in the airport in Rome,” David said quietly, his eyes downcast.
Griffin cursed himself for opening his big mouth. “Oh. Ah… sorry. About her. That. Whole thing,” he choked out, but David shook his head.
“No, it’s fine. Thanks for being concerned. I’m sorry, myself… For barging in on you like this. Here I was, thinking you were some uncaring jerk,” David said, then looked up at the older Jumper and smiled.
Griffin was rather taken aback before he realized that David was joking, and then the older Jumper grinned in turn and patted him on the shoulder. “You should be more respectful te your elders, you know,” he scolded.
“I was being,” David said, and blushed a little.
He’s embarrassed? Griffin realized, surprised. Or… maybe I’m not reading him right. Maybe he just needs some comfort right now.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Griffin said, meeting David’s eyes. The older Jumper’s hand slid off of David’s shoulder and came to rest on the younger Jumper’s thigh, and for a moment both of them were silent.
What’s going on? Griffin suddenly wondered, realizing in a moment where his hand was, and the implications of what he just said. He hadn’t really meant to say that… it just came out. But it felt normal, not like it was a mistake or the wrong thing to say. He was glad that David was here.
David’s eyes glanced down at his thigh, where Griffin’s hand was staying still. He kept waiting for the older Jumper to remove his hand and strike up another awkward conversation, but nothing happened. And when David looked up again, Griffin was looking at him funny.
Shit, what is going on??? Griffin again yelled in his head. His hand wasn’t moving, and David wasn’t moving it, and now the younger Jumper’s eyes were once again locked with his own. Griffin felt himself shiver a little with anticipation at what he saw in David’s dark blue eyes-- insecurity, wonderment, expectation. And when the younger man swallowed nervously and glanced down at his thigh again, Griffin felt compelled to move.
The older Jumper leaned towards David, and slowly, softly, brushed his lips against the younger Jumper’s. Griffin waited for a tense moment, and then when the younger Jumper didn’t move away, he leaned over more and pressed their mouths together. He heard David gasp, and felt the younger man’s arms wrap around his back gently. As David gasped again, Griffin’s hand on his thigh tightened its grip, and moved upwards slowly.
Griffin had no will to command his hand elsewhere– this was perfect. His other hand went to cradle the back of David’s head gently, embracing him in place comfortably without forcing anything. David tightened his hold of Griffin’s torso and leaned forward into the kiss, and Griffin took that as a cue. He timidly touched his tongue to David’s chastely closed mouth, and the younger Jumper immediately parted his lips to let Griffin’s tongue inside. Griffin moaned as his tongue slid over David’s, and he heard the younger Jumper gasp again, and felt the man shiver at the sensation.
The older Jumper dared to get a little rough as he began to suck on David’s tongue, pulling it into his own mouth and grazing his teeth over it. The younger Jumper squealed softly, a very cute sound that Griffin would have never thought David capable of making. Griffin’s hand on the man’s thigh slid higher, and a sudden burst of heat raced through both of their bodies as Griffin’s hand came to rest on the crotch of David’s jeans.
The older Jumper had been slightly concerned that he might be upsetting David with this sudden assault, but as he felt the raw heat and hardness growing in David’s pants, he knew that the younger Jumper didn’t mind his touch at all.
Griffin slowly pulled back a few inches, allowing both of them to breathe again. His hand still rested on David’s groin, however, and the younger man’s breathing was currently anything but steady.
“Griffin,” David breathed the name like a prayer as their mouths separated, and the older jumper barely suppressed a groan of need. The younger man was most certainly very aroused, and hearing his name like that made Griffin feel hot and wound-up in all the right places. He slowly started to rub his fingers over the front of David’s jeans, feeling the man’s erection gradually straining against the denim. He heard David gasp and attempt to quiet a moan, but only half succeeded as he whimpered loudly, hiding his face against Griffin’s shoulder.
Griffin grinned and ran his fingers over the sweaty hairs at the back of David’s neck, while his lower hand slowly went to unbutton the man’s jeans.
David gasped and shuddered as he realized what Griffin’s hand was starting to do, and he raised his head to look at the older man.
“Please… don’t stop,” David whimpered shamelessly, and Griffin felt his throat tighten at the emotion he heard in David’s voice, the red flush of his cheeks, and the intense need and desire he saw in the man’s eyes.
Griffin nodded and leaned in to kiss David again, distracting him as he unzipped the younger Jumper’s jeans. After his fingers unwrapped David’s hardening member, his gentle grip curled around the shaft. David bit his lower lip, bucking his hips into the older Jumper’s grip. Griffin tightened his fingers around David’s hard length and began pumping slowly, running his thumb over the leaking head with each upward pass, and eliciting soft moans and squeaks of pleasure from the younger man.
“Hhaaah… that’s g..good, so good, Griffin,” David breathed into Griffin’s neck, bucking his hips in rhythm with Griffin’s hand.
Griffin felt himself blush and shiver at that, and he moaned low in response. He could feel his own erection now pushing uncomfortably against the fabric of his pants, but it could wait as he reveled in the sounds and movements he was causing David to make. The younger Jumper was thrusting against his hand faster now, getting close to release. It must’ve been a long time since he had a little help from a friend.
“G-Griffin, oh n-no, I’m– I– ahh,” David gasped desperately as he neared climax, whimpering into the older Jumper’s ear.
Griffin kissed the side of David’s head tenderly. “You’re so cute, David,” he said, tightening his grip. “Go ahead mate, come for me,” he breathed into the younger Jumper’s ear.
David seemed to melt at the command, and he cried out in pleasure at Griffin’s words. Within moments his body tensed, and he released in Griffin’s hot fist.
Griffin watched as David shot hard onto his jeans and shirt, and leaked out over his hand. The younger Jumper shuddered one last time before he collapsed onto Griffin, panting softly.
Griffin leaned backwards slowly to lie down along the length of the couch. He let his clean hand slowly pet David’s head of soft brown hair. The younger man hummed softly and cuddled up to Griffin, smiling through his post-orgasmic peace, and Griffin had to steady himself as the younger man’s body pressed against his groin.
What… was all that? Griffin asked himself.
“David,” Griffin whispered after a few minutes, and then squeaked a little as the younger Jumper moved his lithe form against Griffin again. “David,” the older man whispered again, “I– have te get up…”
David didn’t move again or respond; he was fast asleep.
Griffin turned his eyes heavenward. He couldn’t just Jump out from under David; it would startle the younger man. That, and Griffin didn’t want to disturb him, as his face was priceless at the moment.
Griffin sighed, and then smiled. This may be a long night…