Under Pressure

[l0v3l1k3w1nt3r.livejournal.com]

Took me AGES to finally type this up.

Gracie's gave me words to write a fic on: Camping. Beer. Drunken. Frolic.

The pairing should've been Ryan/Chip, but with much persuasion and a coin flip, it turned to Jeff/Ryan. Because Jeff pwns all (sorry Chip).

Title: Under Pressure
Author: l0v3l1k3w1nt3r
Pairing: Jeff/Ryan
Rating: PG
Summary: Jeff and Ryan attempt to go camping...

---

"Are you even going to pitch up one tent pole?" Jeff pouted as Ryan lay lazily in his hammock.

"It was your idea to go camping, and I did all the driving! Give me a break!"

Jeff rolled his eyes, setting his attention to the unpitched tent. All he could muster was a look of confusion at the writing in the instruction manual; it looked more like a huge algebraic equation than instructions.

"Ryan...?" Jeff received a death glare instead. "N-nevermind..." Maybe later, he thought, when Ryan was in a better mood. He opened a can of beer, froth slightly leaking onto his fingers. As he was licking it off, Jeff noticed Ryan was watching him from the corner of his eye.

"What?"

"N-Nothing!!" Ryan immediately shot out. "I... I wanted a beer... is all."

"Oh." Jeff tossed him a can, and laughed when a quarter of Ryan's beer wound up spraying all over his face.

"Thanks a lot, genius!" Ryan pulled off his beer soaked shirt, causing Jeff to blush.

"D-dude! What are you doing?!"

"I'm not staying in this shirt forever! I'm changing!" Ryan squeezed out the extra beer from his shirt, letting it run and drip off his forearms. Jeff merely turned his back, trying to keep himself busy with his failed attempt at the tent. Trying not to remember the cool liquid running off Ryan's lean forearms. Trying to... what the hell was he thinking?!

"Hey genius!" Ryan had already started fixing the poles. "Hurry up, I gotta change!"

Jeff laughed nervously. It was just a thought, he assured himself. Nothing more. Guys do that sometimes, right?

Ryan guided Jeff with the tent, as well as put up the rain catcher above it himself. The boys then moved their bags from their truck into the newly assembled tent. And all the while, Ryan remained shirtless for Jeff to see.

"Y'know," Ryan began. "I really should've changed sooner. The beer made me kinda sticky."

Another nervous laugh from Jeff. "Why don't we go swim in the river?" The current shouldn't be that strong in this part of the river."

Ryan shrugged. "I guess I'll get into my swim trunks then." He ducked into the tent, and when his back was turned, Jeff immediately pulled off his own shirt, so Ryan wouldn't see him changing. Yet when Ryan turned around once more, his first sight was of Jeff's sinewy chest, causing him to drop his swim trunks.

"God you're gorgeous."

Jeff widened his eyes. "W-what did you say!?" He wore another shade of red, covering his abs with his shirt.

"I-I.." Ryan began to stammer. "I s-said, we shouldn't go where the gorge is! Th-there's a gorge, with a waterfall!! We have to b-be careful." Ryan gulped. Jeff forced himself to believe Ryan's white lie. He mentally noted to bring the beer, as he waited for Ryan to change.

---

Ryan dipped his toe into the water, and shivered. The water was shallow enough to reach his stomach, but it was icy cold. Well, it did come from the mountains after all. Hesitantly, he attempted to slowly lower himself into the water, so that his body could adjust to the temperature. Two hands suddenly punched his shoulder blades, and Ryan screamed, falling into the water. He yelped as the icy water shocked his skin upon impact.

"Got ya there, Ry!" Jeff's crystal laughter echoed among the trees. Ryan looked up, noting how damn good Jeff looked in his bare chest, as well as in his red-and-black striped swim trunks.

"I uh... got these at the Gap." Jeff said, noticing Ryan was staring at his swim trunks.

Ryan snorted. "Gay and Proud?" Nonetheless, he didn't find that joke very funny. Jeff shook an unopened can, and sprayed Ryan with more of the bitter liquid.

"DUDE!" Ryan got his revenge, pulling Jeff's ankle towards him, and the young man into the water. After a few profanities, Jeff dashed back onto dry land, shivering.

"H-how the hell can you swim in that?!"

"Just get used to it! Come back in, there's fish here!"

"Really?" Jeff slowly got back in, observing as the water breathing creatures slipped by their legs. "I bet they taste good..."

Ryan smirked. "We should try catching them barehanded. While we're drunk."

Jeff let out a guffaw, then grabbed his beer and started chugging it down. By their second and a half drunks, Jeff and Ryan were already swerving and splashing about in the water. Barehand fishing was already hard enough; it was even more difficult with beer goggles. Their one measly fish after a quickly spent hour motivated Ryan to seek out into the forest for sticks to spear with. Jeff had promised to stay put, although he could barely stand straight in one spot, and continuously fell over. Not as wasted as Jeff was, Ryan began to doubt his decision as he walked among the trees. He could tell the river had already slightly increased in strength.

Ryan let the alcoholic drink wash down his throat as thoughts poured into his head. Since he met Jeff, Ryan had these weird, yet enticing fantasies involving the young, handsome man. They had known each other for nearly a decade, yet Ryan still found Jeff exciting, fresh. He would awkwardly find Jeff's youthful self, never knowing Jeff often returned them behind his back. Maybe, Ryan thought as he threw away his empty beer can, he shouldn't drink so often.

The moment Ryan retured to the river bank, he had also dropped the pair of sticks in his hand. Jeff was gone. Frantically, Ryan rushed to their campsite, the devious misfit nowhere in sight. The tall, gawky man darted back to the river, which was rolling along even speedier than before. Ryan screamed out his companion's name, hopelessy waiting for a reply. He kept running along the riverbank, as fast as his lanky legs would take him, crying out Jeff's name multiple times. Just as his faith had fully faltered, Ryan noticed a familiar mop of jet black locks.

Jeff was unconscious, arms wrapped over a fallen tree, his chest being rammed against its rough exterior by the current of the nearby waterfall. There wasn't enough time for Ryan to come up with a proper plan; the tree trunk would eventually loosen its grip on its stump, and eventually plummet the 50 foot drop of gushing water.

Ryan jumped into the water, letting the current guide him to Jeff and the fallen tree. Wrapping one arm around Jeff's waist, Ryan used the other for whatever support he could maintain in his state, fighting to bring himself and Jeff to dry land. His eyes were fixed on the last strips of tree flesh, about to rip apart any moment. As Ryan grew closer, they grew weaker. Jeff began to slip underneath Ryan's arm; Ryan struggled to keep his pale face above the water. With a groan, the tree trunk finally separated, and began its journey downhill.

Ryan watched in terror as it disappeared over the edge, Jeff still under his arm, his other hand clinging onto another astray tree root just in time.

---

Jeff could feel his body heat embracing him, as he woke up wearing one of Ryan's t-shirts, in his own sleeping bag. He wasn't sure wherether it was his hangover, or the large lump he now had on his head when he slipped and banged it on the rocky riverbed, that gave him his current throbbing headache. One thing was for sure, he was never going to swim drunk ever again. Or swim in a river with smooth, slippery rocks.

Delighted by the aroma of cooking fish, Jeff unzipped the tent door to find Rya sitting beside a roaring fire.

"Are you feeling OK?" Ryan's pleasing, concered tone of voice sent tingles down Jeff's spine.

"Dinner looks better than I do." Jeff eyed the lone fish in the fire.

"We could've gotten more, hadn't you fallen unconscious." Ryan chuckled. His laughter died with the melancholy look in Jeff's eyes. "Look, let's just forget what happened, and get a bite to eat." Ryan patted the seat next to him. Jeff obeyed, and sighed.

"How long was I out?"

"Two hours. I'm thinking tomorrow we should head back to the city-"

"NO!" Ryan nearly dropped the fish with Jeff's sudden outburst.

"Wh-what?"

"I-I... we've planned this trip for a while... it would suck if we had to go so early. Besides... I'd rather stay here with you."" Jeff's heart banged against his chest. He simply couldn't put his feelings for Ryan underground any longer. Ryan merely gazed back into those blue, beautiful eyes, wanting nothing else currently tearing his soul. Jeff suddenly tackled Ryan into the tent, kissing furiously while running his hands through Ryan's blonde hair. The taller, slightly older man melted with Jeff's touch, hungrily tearing off his own t-shirt off Jeff. He suddenly broke apart, cursing the current anomaly present.

"...We left the fire burning."

Jeff traced Ryan's jawbone with his finger. "Doesn't matter," he began. "There'll always be a fire burning."

He pulled Ryan into his sleeping bag, the two frolicking in the night.