Chapter Text
Sometimes Nate wondered if all the hobbies Moose was picking up were just excuses to get closer to him. The map making, the shoe making, even the fact he had installed a whole proper toilet in his cabin all seemed suspiciously catered towards him and his needs especially. Of course these were just silly musings. Nobody would do so much for anybody, let alone for Nate. But he still was happy about the coincidences.
Moose had returned with a Janome Sewist after his last trip to the valley and had consequently picked up sewing. This meant, of course, that Moose was now wrapped around Nate's chest, to take his measurements.
It was only a little flustering, and Nate enjoyed their close proximity more than anything.
"Gonna take your waist now, don't suck your belly in!"
Moose instructed and Nate felt called out.
"I-I don't...!! Okay..."
He relaxed reluctantly, his gut spilling out a bit more. Moose patted it gently, smiling up from where he was kneeling. Some kind of affectionate indignation made Nate blush and he was about to ruffle through Moose' curly mane to cope, when a knock on the door interrupted their flirty playfulness.
While Moose was surprised, Nate became instantly irritated and anxious. It never ended well when someone visited them. Well, it had only happened once, but that had done some considerable damage. Damage they had been able to repair, but still.
"Wonder who got lost here?"
Moose pondered and Nate decided to face the unwelcome interruption head on for once, simply out of pure frustration.
"I'll get it..."
He said, squirming out of the tangle of measuring tape and arms he had been in, carefully making his way through their tiny room, inhaling deeply to steel himself.
He ripped the door open, just to interrupt Mike's second attempt at knocking, his knuckle touching his chest. Both of them startled backwards, Nate staring at the other like he was seeing a ghost.
"Oh, hey Nate! Oh my god! I'm so glad to see you!"
Mike exclaimed, and before Nate could comprehend what he was seeing, he was suddenly hugged enthusiastically.
What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck
Were his hallucinations already that bad that they were tactile? It couldn't be, right? Moose had heard the knocking, too. Was this real? It hadn't been real on the mountain top, so how could it be now?
One of Nate's hands slowly rose and touched Mike's plush hiking vest. He was real, somehow, he was actually here.
"Uh- h-hey... Mike! What- how? The boulder?"
Mike laughed when he pulled away, his eyes sparkling with relief.
"Oh yeah, Jim found me! Sure was lucky there! He got me out lickety-split! Good thing pain doesn't last in this place, huh?"
He smiled at him and it didn't seem two-faced or fake or traumatized. Just the usual manic Mike smile.
"I'm just glad you're okay, Nate! I got worried when you left me there and didn't come back! But seems you're living well, huh?"
Nate laughed awkwardly and took a step back, seeing with mortification that Moose wasn't far away, leaning against the wall of the little hallway, arms crossed and probably privy to their whole conversation. His biggest sin he had committed in this place and the only guy he cared about knew about it now.
"Ah yeah no, I'm okay. Uh... How did you know- know about... Where I am?"
Mike snickered, and Nate didn't understand why.
"Oh, Jim got me a new map! You're on there too, now!"
He pulled the piece of reinforced paper out and held it in front of Nate's face, who could clearly see a drawing of a little house all the way on the top, labelled with "Nathan + Moose, supplies and shelter".
Great, just great. Their little cabin was now nothing but a quest destination for newbies. Moose' map had their cabin on there too, but it was simply labelled "Home" and was just for the two of them.
"You're so impressive, Nate! You already became part of this world for real! I wish I was as cool..."
Mike said, kicking the snow off his winter boots bashfully.
Nate felt awful, the guilt gnawing at him like a rabid coyote. He had been able to push it down and not think about Mike since he had been pulled into the cabin, had instead basked in the glory that was Moose' presence, but this was no longer an option. Horrible things were on the horizon. Moose kicking him out, abandoning him, the dream life they had built, gone for good this time. It took a lot for Nate to not hyperventilate.
It was quiet between them, the awkwardness rising, until Moose interrupted it, leaning over behind Nate.
"Hey Mike! Wanna come in for some tea?"
Moose' voice sounded different, layered with a certain polite distance. Nate realized he had used this voice with him when he had seen him lie to Mike, but not since then. He glanced at him anxiously, Moose looking back, a bit unreadable, but his hand on Nate's back seemed to be out to reassure him.
Oh god, this was worse than Jim catching them fucking.
"Ah, heya Moose! Right, you're on the map too! Uhm, yeah, I'd take some!"
Nate felt himself get pulled to the side by the scruff, while they made space for Mike to enter. The manhandling was pleasant, but seeing the dirt on their previously pristine wooden floors made him feel weirdly violated. Luckily, Mike took his boots off before entering their living space.
Nate and Moose stayed in the entrance, watching him get comfortable, sitting on the couch like a schoolboy about to get ice cream.
"I better take care of that tea."
Moose mumbled, before he patted Nate on the shoulder and went back to the kitchen. Nate followed slowly, unsure what to do or where to sit. Moose had packed up the measuring supplies, leaving no trace of their previous shenanigans. It made him sad for some reason.
Mike was taking up most of the couch, so he squeezed himself next to him, not able to suppress an annoyed scowl. Mike simply turned to him, smiling contently.
"It's so cozy and warm in here! Who built this cabin?"
Nate pointed to Moose with his chin, his hands too busy being squeezed between his thighs.
Mike turned, eyes wide.
"Wow, you built this all on your own?!"
Moose swished the kettle with water, shrugging.
"Yeah, you know. I needed shelter."
"For sure, for sure! And Nate? How did he come here?"
"He joined me later."
Moose stated, putting the kettle on the fire, while he fiddled with the bag of loose tea he had stowed in their cooking corner.
"Huh, I see."
Mike looked around, curiously inspecting their space. Both Moose and Nate shot short glances at each other.
"How'd you find this place, Nate? It's quite far and you don't use maps, right? The whole worm thing, remember?"
Mike slapped Nate's knee as if they were old buddies and Nate could only flinch and laugh it off.
"O-oh yeah, the worm thing. Great times we had!"
He lied, not really wanting to go into detail about his journey here. Mike didn't seem to mind and instead audited their entire cabin, bouncing with unexplained energy.
"It's quite... small though, isn't it? Seems Moose didn't plan for two. Where do guys sleep?"
His eyes fixed on the bed behind Moose, and it took a few seconds before he added.
"I only see one bed..."
"That's where we sleep."
Moose answered nonchalantly, shaking some of the tea leaves into a little mug sieve.
"Oh..."
Mike seemed to think hard, before his eyes opened even wider.
"Ooooh...."
Those wide eyes wandered over to Nate, who avoided his gaze expertly. Not that he was embarrassed or anything, he just didn't want him to talk about all this, about him and Moose.
Before the situation became even worse, Moose put a steaming cup in front of Mike.
"Here ya go. Gonna go fetch some more firewood, the oven is getting a little low."
He nodded at Nate, before he swiftly left outside. Nate wished he could follow him, but he felt that would be rude. Mostly, he didn't trust Mike alone in their home, though.
Mike picked the cup up, blowing on the hot water.
"Man, feels good, my fingers were numb!"
He commented with a chuckle, and Nate mimicked the chuckling emptily. He blew on the tea a few more times, clearly thinking some stuff Nate didn't want him to think. Mike started to speak again.
"So you and Moose are-"
"Yupp."
Nate answered quickly, feeling the pressure building up between them and he didn't even know why.
"That's amazing! I mean, finding someone in a place like this."
"Yupp, yupp."
Was the only thing Nate could say to this. Mike tried to take a sip of the tea, but he burned himself, so he set it down again, hissing in pain. Horribly, he then turned around to Nate, their thighs touching.
"I wish I could do that. Would be nice, less lonely."
Nate nodded, not looking at him.
"Having someone next to you when you sleep, having a roof over your head, someone who waits for you when you're out. So domestic..."
It was domestic, but Nate had never thought about it this way. He slowly turned and looked at the other, still wary.
"Yeah, it's nice... Never had that before."
He didn't know why he confessed that. Mike was aggravating but also disarming in a way.
"Me neither! Didn't even live a great bachelor life, I was just kinda lonely. Very incel of me, huh? Bet you never had that problem!"
Nate had to suppress a sarcastic laugh, before he remembered the lies he had told Mike on that tower. Keeping the act up was probably the best idea.
"Oh, yeah, I had lots of bi- ugh, girls, but never anything serious."
Mike nodded solemnly.
"Something serious, yeah..."
Mike became thoughtful again, before he smiled at him with that gentle smile he gave him so often.
"You know, I wished... It could've been you."
Nate closed his eyes, sighing. Here we go.
Why was this happening? What did he do to prompt this? He'd never been in this situation; him on the receiving end of unrequited affection. It felt like he was the bad guy, just for this, even though he had done way worse things to him.
"Why?"
He asked and Mike scooted just a tiny bit closer.
"Why not? You're great!"
Nate's self hate was poking its ugly head up, that feeling he could almost ignore when he was alone with Moose.
"I'm not. I-I left you there in this cave! Why-why'd you like a useless piece of shit like me?"
Mike blinked at him, very confused by his outburst.
"Nate... I do like you. Moose too, obviously. Why would we like you, if you were such a piece of shit?"
Good point, but it didn't change anything. There were enough explanations for this. Pity, control, ignorance... Nate sighed again, trying to come up with something to dissolve the situation.
"Well, it's Moose and me now, so... Sorry… I guess?"
Mike didn't move away, despite his obvious rejection. He even dared to put a hand on Nate's thigh, making his heart skip in a bad way.
"And... It can never be... Mike and you?"
Nate shook his head fiercely, feeling panic rising. This was going in a very bad direction.
"No, it can't."
He pressed out, panicking more when Mike was putting his other hand on the arm rest next to Nate, effectively trapping him.
"But... Why not...? What does Moose have that I don't?"
Holy fucking shit.
Was this real? Was he really part of a love triangle? He had fantasized about this during his loneliest of times. Pretty often, actually. It had been fun in his head, imagining two attractive people fighting over him as if he was a beautiful princess, but IRL was no fun at all. It was just stressful and annoying.
"Mike, please don't do this..."
Nate pleaded, hiding his face behind his palms. Where the fuck was Moose?
"I just wanna know..."
Mike sounded incredibly sad, sadder than he had ever heard him. It didn't really hit as it should, considering his aggressive body language.
There were a million reasons why Nate was with Moose. None of them were Mike's business. He obviously needed to say something, though, or else Moose would find them in this very compromising position.
"You really wanna know, huh?"
"Yes, please..."
Nate lowered his hands, seeing Mike so close to him, eyes big and wet.
"Moose... Moose can turn bad things into good things... And that kinda includes me..."
He forced himself to keep looking at Mike, who's pupils were searching in his gaze, searching for some kind of doubt, some kind of inauthenticity. But there was none, Nate didn't even have to pretend for once. It was horrible to be so honest, but there was no other way out right now.
"I... See..."
Mike said, still leaning over him, practically sitting in his lap. He seemed so close to crying, bad enough for Nate to almost feel a bit sorry for the guy. Just when he inhaled to say something, he saw Mike flinch upon the entrance door creaking, signaling the return of Nate's boyfriend.
He scrambled to sit down again, Nate exhaling in relief instead.
Moose entered with an armful of firewood, putting it down next to the oven, dusting his hands off, and then looking up, directly at Mike.
"You guys having fun?"
He asked calmly and Mike laughed nervously, moving away from Nate.
"Oh yeah, just... Just some friendly banter, r-right, Nate?"
"Yeah, totally..."
He answered, feeling horrible. There was no outcome of this situation that would end well.
Mike took his mug, downed the entire cup of tea, and then got up.
"Aaahh- hottt... Anyway, I better get going! Sorry to bother you guys! Uh... Salada!"
With that he was out of the room, taking the boots with him while running out of the door without putting them on first.
The two men left were stunned, like soldiers just coming out of a carpet bombing. Moose eventually busied himself with reigniting the oven fire, while Nate was soul searching for anything that could mend the situation. He was failing.
He was pulled out of his thoughts, when Moose was suddenly leaning over him, trapping him with his arms just like Mike had moments ago. He didn't like this emerging pattern.
"So, what was this all about, then?"
He asked, the tiniest bit of annoyance shining through. Nate gulped but managed to look up.
"Uh- How much did you hear?"
"Oh, When Mike asked you what I have that he doesn't."
"Ah, shit..."
Nate rubbed his face, trying to find an explanation.
"Yeah, I don't... I guess he was... Jealous?"
"Guess so."
Moose said, leaning closer.
"I did like your response, though. Didn't know you could be so poetic."
Nate knew he wasn't out of the water yet, so he kept still.
"I also didn't know you could be so cruel. Leaving that guy stuck somewhere for ages."
There it was. Nate bit his lip.
"Yeah, that..."
"Was pretty shitty of you."
Moose finished the sentence for him.
"Yeah..."
Moose didn't move, leaving Nate pinned on the couch.
"Why didn't you tell me? I'm sure we could've helped him."
"I don't know!!"
Nate was fed up, getting frustrated with all this drama, all this interrogation. Too many topics to be upset about.
"I just... I'm tired, Moose, so tired. I just wanted to rest and not run around, back and forth, searching for that stupid cave."
"Even after all this time?"
Nate nodded stubbornly. It was true. This cabin had been the first reprieve he ever had since he had been whisked away from his own couch, and having to deal with Mike would've disrupted his recovery.
"Well, can't say I'm happy about that."
Nate chewed on the inside of his cheek, not knowing what else to say.
"Mike didn't seem mad at you though. Did you at least apologize?"
Nate could just press his lips together.
"Huh."
Moose seemed to think hard, observing Nate squirming under him.
"Considering the way he creeped on you just now, I think you're even anyway."
A tiny bit of relief returned to Nate's fragile nervous system.
"Still, next time, tell me. You should at least be able to ask for help, when it's for other people. Okay?"
"Okay..."
Nate relented. He hoped there wouldn't be a next time.
He kept staring up, while Moose was still in the same position, making no indication of moving, aside from his hands, which both found their place on Nate's thighs, as if to reclaim them from when Mike had touched him there before. It was nice.
"Nathan..."
"Wh-what?"
Moose' grip got tighter, and Nate got more nervous.
"Really not happy with what Mike did just now."
Moose' face changed, expressing some kind of new pain he hadn't seen before. Nate didn't break the eye contact, while he returned Moose' touch on his arms.
"But at least... At least it showed me I wasn't your only choice."
Nate wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, so he rubbed his arms in the most loving way he could manage, massaging and brushing through his fur.
"I'd just assumed I was the only person that was nice to you and that's why you made your way up here, but..."
Moose smiled, squeezing his thighs a bit more.
"You could've had it easier and still chose me. Makes me happy."
His boyfriend softened at last, and he kneeled down, hugging Nate tightly. Nate made some worried noises, but Moose simply hummed contented, while rubbing his face against his chest.
"I'm no better than Mike. The only difference is that you don't mind me being all up in your business."
Nate didn't agree with that at all, even if Moose was usually so convincing. It wasn't often that Moose would show this more vulnerable side of his, the self hate he also harbored, just like Nate. He hugged him back, letting Moose hide against him for a change.
Was he taking care of him right now? Was this how it felt like? It was scary, but also rewarding, just like climbing all those mountains. What a treat, having Moose so close to him, inhaling the scent of wood and fire and lingering tea.
"I love when you're up in my business, Moose."
He reassured, petting him a bit and he heard a tiny chuckle from the other.
"Oh yeah?"
He muffled and then moved, pushing Nate until he was supine on the couch, with Moose looming above him. Nate's heart rate picked up, his cheeks warming up when he noticed Moose' knee between his legs, Mike completely gone from his mind all of a sudden.
"Let's see how much you love it."