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[Backlogged RP - Late August 2020]


For the past few months, Wyatt had been helping Lukas fix up the main tower that the aforementioned man had claimed as home. Aside from building a more livable space, a synergy was likewise being built between the two, and perhaps some other things - how could it not when a couple men were partaking an manly construction things, sweat glistening off of toned bodies and- Ahem!

Summer had been long, productive, seasonably warm, but perhaps unseasonably dry. It was only a matter of time before drought warning turned in to firewatch, which brought a feeling of tension in the camp. A shift was agreed upon for the second tower, located outside the main camp, up at the peak of the mountain ground, while it was assumed since Lukas lived in the park tower now, he'd be taking responsibility there for the duration of the watch.

The first two week shift had come to an end for the first person, and now it was Wyatt's turn. To say there hadn't been some concerns had about his ability, Wyatt was stubborn as usual and was determined to do his part. It occurred to him that this would be the first time since arriving at camp and starting work with Lukas that the two wouldn't see each other for a while. During the first watch, although the one was occupied, Wyatt had still been able to see the other. Now Wyatt was left on his own to figure out how he felt about this.

About all this. All that had come to pass. It was a lot. The Tenacious D that he was listening to as he made temporary home in the Peak Tower probably wasn't helping.

But damn if it wasn't a mood.

The sun was setting, his first official day of watch would begin tomorrow. Wyatt kicked back in his seat, looking over at his phone sitting on the counter.

.....He could call him. Or. He could call him.

It was perhaps the biggest thing Lukas and Wyatt had in common - ignoring their own needs in order to take care of others. Wyatt was used to being the caretaker. It was the only role he could remember ever really having. It was easier to focus on others than to deal with your own problems. However, when left with no one to care for bu yourself, having to face your own demons head-on... Well... Wyatt had done that and come out on the other side. Right back at the beginning of that care-circle.

Although now it was different. The emotional weight was lighter - he wasn't trying to save a person from destroying themself. There was a camaraderie, lightheartedness and laughter that hadn't existed when he was with his ex. Wyatt had been reflecting on this difference recently.

This was easy, this was safe. They had even, for the most part, seemed to learn how to pick and tease at one-another without going too far - Wyatt could be quite crass with his picking, and was far more half-hearted hiss than bit when being the one picked at.

Had he ever been able to do such a thing with Torin? Had...had they ever laughed together? Even without the loss of memories after coming to Order, he knew the answer was no. Even though they had been living in more dire straights with dark clouds and trauma lurking around every corner, surely there should have been moments of joy? Joy that wasn't just the hollow thrill of the flesh and coercing a moment of carnal indulgence. Recollecting everything, Wyatt could only conclude that his ex had been a truly humorless person...but on the same hand, he could understand why. Torture, Killing, Chaos... But also....Wyatt had done everything to get him away from that, and it hadn't been enough to break through the dark clouds.

Don't hold on to a mistake just because you spent a long time making it.

That was what he had been doing though all that time. Back then, Wyatt had no one but his ex. Sure, he could have made other connections but he was young and stupid and didn't need anyone else. And so that made him desperate to hold on to the one thing he did have.

Now? Now he had this wonderful community that he was a part of with people who were genuinely kind and open and safe that reached out to him when he'd draw away and try to be the wallflower at their bonfires(Currently sadly banned until the burn ban was lifted) and parties. There were people who wouldn't let him be alone, and he tried his best to repay that with.....taking care of them. And he could tell it was appreciated. They didn't take his efforts and squander it.

Then...there was Lukas. Wyatt was still trying to figure out what brain damage that dummy had for having any sort of more-than-friendly feelings for him. Wyatt wasn't sure what to do with that. Moreover, he wasn't sure what to do about how he was realizing he felt about being away from the other for this impending amount of time. About how he was eager for their firewatch duties to be done so they could resume their previous activities together. They still had a porch to build after the last few things with the tower, and Wyatt was trying to figure out more things to do after that because..... Not having those things to do meant he'd have to think of some other excuse to be spending so much time together and.... Well s**t.

Okay. Maybe he was just a bit attached. It went back to that feeling of camaraderie and safety. Being with him was so different, a good different. An exciting different. The kind of different that made him realize that maybe what he had thought was love was really just settling. And even though he spent plenty of time with the others in the camp there was something more there with Lukas.

Was it because he knew the other man had a thing for him? Was he feeling a natural psychological pull to make himself reciprocate those feelings? Did he really give a s**t if there was a scientific explanation? Regardless, Wyatt was catching something for the other, but true to form, he was too stubborn to admit to himself what it was.

The crackle of the radio snapped him out of whatever thoughts he was having at that time.

"Hey, yeah, I hear you," Wyatt replied, though he couldn't help but wince at the sound quality the radio provided.

"What's up? I mean, yeah, it's a fire watch, but burning loins don't count," he teased, smug yet gentle smirk finding its way on to his face.

Wyatt chuckled a bit before replying, "This is the point where old me would have started moaning just to get a rise out of you," He then scoffed at himself, shaking his head, "I was such a s**t."

His disapproval in himself was tangible in his voice. But then he followed up, as if burying those feelings;

"Anyway, things are alright here. Far from the 'luxury' of the camper but, I'll live. Might need my back massaged afterwards-" A light joking tone slipped in there there, "-but I think I can endure it for a couple weeks."

Before tower duty Wyatt had cleared out his cabinet of perishables, making food and distributing it amongst the rest of the campers who were happy for anything they got. As much as Wyatt enjoyed cooking though, he wasn't a big eater so~

"Food-wise, I'm good. I'll have to make a grocery run after this is over though - and I might need some muscle to help carry it all. Cause you know everyone's gonna want to party soon as we get enough rain to call off the watch and burn ban."

Because Camp Mom had to feed the their camp children.

"Does Camp Daddy have any requests?" There was that certain tone that some may call flirty - a soft, teasing, purr to his tenor voice, and you could almost see alluringly lidded eyes with a certain gleam to their rosy pink hue.

He totally wasn't flirting.

......On purpose.

"And here I thought all those surprise hugs was just to fire me up," Wyatt poked back. Although it had gone a ways to make him a bit....less standoffish about touch.... That whole psychological need for human touch thing that Wyatt had been so critically deficient in - touch starvation - was real and Wyatt had honestly been scared to touch anyone - afraid what it might boil up in him. But the more time he spent with Lukas, and even the others - touchy feel-y friendly folk that they were - was bit by bit feeding that psychological need to the point where he was able to handle it better. He was still not the type to reach out to anyone for even so much as a hand shake, but he didn't balk at it quite as much either. However he still made a show of being 'playfully' prickly back at Lukas with those hugs though.

He couldn't admit, even to himself, that he was kind of enjoying it. Faced with kind of talking things out and analyzing things himself he was starting to consider where he stood though.


"Or," Wyatt began, "the time apart gives you some perspective and you see just what a horrible idea getting involved with me really is. You should really get that brain damage checked out~"

He said it teasingly, a part of him really feeling the need to caution Lukas, but no amount of emphasizing his own control-freak tendencies or past shittiness seemed to have any effect. Wyatt was, honestly, scared of himself and what he might do more than anything; Even beyond the question of what he felt for Lukas or wanted. He didn't want to hurt him, or mess him up.

Of course, Wyatt hadn't a clue of anything Lukas had already been through. Lukas had a glimpse and bare bones clue of Wyatt's past, but Wyatt had nothing.

"Well, I know there's still a few things to do to get the tower complete. There's also that porch around my camper we haven't gotten to yet~"

As much as he wanted to caution him, he couldn't push him away, either. He didn't want to. Conflicting emotions was something Wyatt was familiar with. He had a lot of them regarding how he had treated his ex and how things had ended. Now, the conflict here was.... Wanting Lukas, but knowing he probably wasn't good for him. Wanting Lukas to recognize that and protect themself but......choosing him anyway.

Realizing this, Wyatt bit his lip.

"I'll let you choose a nice grill. You can grill steaks and burgers out on my porch whenever you'd like. That's your payment for helping me build it."


Little did either know that there were members of the camp who were hacked in to the radio signal, and this entire conversation had just sparked a huge fire throughout the whole camp. Right underneath their watch. Flames of gossip and excitement roaring through as text messages were sent, bets on certain aspects of camp Mommy and Daddy's relationship wagered...

Their entire world set aflame.

Wyatt could feel his face warm, and the indignant look on his face would have no doubt have brought great amusement to Lukas if he were able to see it. Guy could really lay it on thick, couldn't he?

So open with his feelings but tight-lipped about his past. Wyatt was curious, but didn't fel it right to pry. They all had reasons for being here on the edge of society, but not willing to commit to that truly off-grid life. And it was something of an unspoken rule that you didn't pry. Wyatt was just a lot more forthcoming with his baggage.

"You're cheesy as ********, you know that?" Wyatt finally said, not finding any better retorts, and clearly at a loss for response.

Ah...work.

"Nah - 'mandatory vacation time.' And it has to be taken before the holiday season. November and December are black out months. Personally, I didn't think I'd get vacation since I was so new but," he shrugged - a worthless motion considering they were talking over radio, but whatever.

"And we really don't want to get in to my sleep schedule. I pretty much thrive on four hours after all these years."

There was the low rumble of heat-thunder in the distance. The main threat in this dry time being the lightening that came with it. There was always the hope that maybe rain would come too but, well, they wouldn't be here doing firewatch if that were the case. Still, dark clouds on the far off horizon sparked further hope. Not that one good downpour would be enough. The rain needed to put down several inches before firewatch could end.

"I don't suppose I can blame your cheese on my emotional constipation...hmn. But what if I said some of this work is my hobby?"

At least the numbers crunching and figuring out how to get s**t done part, where it came to rejuvenating the park, and coming up with practical ways improve Lukas' tower. Every little nuanced detail that was easy to lose sight of was bread and butter to Wyatt, running the math not just monetarily, but figuring out water pump ampage, electrical, weight, counterbalance, measurements... The list goes on. Figuring out a 'problem' and how to fix it was fun.

Wyatt looked at his stack of puzzle books and grabbed one, as well as a pen as the thunder rumbled and silence fell between them. Then Lukas' voice once again came over the radio.

"Well, yeah, but that's kind of the thing about this place - you don't just go asking. I figured if there was anything you wanted me to know, or thought I should know, you'd tell me when you felt comfortable doing so. You know - just respecting boundaries, perceived or otherwise. I'd hate to poke at something and have it cause problems...."

Because it would really hurt to have Lukas upset with him in a way that would threaten....whatever was going on here. Or put whatever that could turn in to in jeopardy.

"I do have some tact," Wyatt replied.

Any other time Wyatt could think of a million things he wanted to know, but put on the spot like this? His mind went blank. Instead, he had no choice but to play coy;

"Is there anything you particularly want me to know? Deep dark secrets that you're hiding? ..a secret kink cave hidden in the forest somewhere?" He joked, a bit of a chuckle there before lowering his voice in an alluring yet teasing purr, "I'm sure a good little boy scout like yourself knows all their knots...."

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable and awkward? Deflect with crude humor. Yep. Best strategy. Not that most of his humor wasn't below the belt anyway..

"Heh...just kidding," He brushed off his moment of mischief, "just.....tell me anything. I'll listen to anything you're wiling to tell me."

Wyatt couldn't say he was suprised to hear that Lukas wasn't quite so experienced. Honestly, Wyatt wasn't as prolific as Lukas may have thought he was either, as far as memory served. He just had a lot of confidence, and acting like you know what you're doing went a long way. Wyatt had a lot of experience in acting tougher and more sure than he really was.

The summer thunder rumbled their empty threats.

"Well then, let's take some of that 'cucumber' bluntness and start with the tabboo question - what brought you here in the first place? What's your damage?"

And why did he leave - to where and back again~

Knowing more about Lukas would help Wyatt a lot when it came to...considering how he approached things. While Wyatt wasn't necessarily aiming to change himself for Lukas, taking a more measured approach to certain topics or just expending a little more consideration for them didn't hurt. Wyatt was definitely willing to be more understanding of how and why Lukas did things if he had some context behind it.