Chapter Text
The trip had been planned weeks in advance, but it had come hurtling towards Jason far quicker than intended. It was as if they’d only just been discussing it, there on James’ couch after a few too many beers, with Jason so hot and bothered by it all he felt like he was going crazy, and James smiling like a fucking maniac, because that’s what he was, really.
Strangely enough, it was Jason’s idea in the beginning. He’d been staying over at James’ house a lot, mostly just to drink beer and have sex, but he was beginning to feel that itch beneath his skin. James was good to him, he was a little rough, sure, but he was still doting and kind when he needed to be, and Jason loved that about him. He could always trust James to take care of what he craved, it was almost as if James could read his mind sometimes, but this was different.
This was something out of the ordinary for the both of them, and Jason knew he would have to bring it up himself.
He’d gotten the idea while in James’ den, a place where he never quite felt comfortable. Not for any real reason, just for the fact that the walls were adorned by the taxidermied heads of deer, staring down at him with their soulless black eyes. They were his prizes, trophies of a good hunt, proof of his skill with a gun, and as much as Jason wasn’t a huge fan of the hobby, there was something in it that made his stomach flutter.
Maybe it was twisted, but Jason couldn’t help but think about the things James had done with his hands. When they fucked, when James touched him, sliding his calloused palms over his thighs or his ass, his mind took him to a place where he could see them covered in blood. Dirt under his nails, smelling of earth and oil, but dragging those deft fingers over Jason’s body regardless, filthy and primal in a way that made Jason’s head spin.
He could imagine James hunting him, stalking him through the trees, putting all those skills to use in order to sneak up on him and take him down. In his mind, James would tie his wrists and ankles together, haul him up onto his shoulders like a prized kill, and take him back to camp to have his way with him.
Or, James could have him right there, shove his face into the dirt and make him take it, even as he tried to struggle and get away. James was so much bigger than him, so much stronger, plus he had knives, ropes, things to keep him still if he needed to, and Jason knew he wouldn’t stand a chance.
He got off to it often, even when he was with James, his mind imagining them somewhere else with the smell of pine sharp in his nose and dirt stuck in his teeth. As much as he loved it when James pressed him to the mattress or the couch, he was craving something far more primal, far more aggressive.
Naturally, he wasn’t sure how to verbalise it. He was sure James would think he was insane, but then one night, while James was fucking him hard into the cushions of the couch, his eyes had flicked up to the elk head above the mantle, and his cock had twitched in James’ hand. James took notice and followed the trail of his eyes, settling on the blank, dead face of the deer, and a twisted smile had crawled across his face.
“You wanna be a trophy too, huh?” James asked him, voice gruff, deep with the strain of ramming into Jason’s ass. He’d let go of Jason’s dick, grabbed him by the face and pulled him up onto his knees, holding him upright against his chest, the angle changing and causing Jason to cry out, trembling in James’ arms.
“Look at it,” James growled into his ear, his fingers tight on Jason’s cheeks, pinching his lips against the sharp edges of his teeth. “I could hunt you down and strap you to the hood of my fuckin’ truck. Show everyone my prize, hm?”
“F-fuck,” Jason whined, snapping his hands up to James’ forearm, just for something to tether him to earth as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“Yeah? Fuckin’ look at it, Jase,” he said sharply, shaking him roughly until Jason blinked and kept his eyes on the deer’s head. Everything was amping up inside his belly, coiling tight and hot between his hips, enough that he really thought he was going to cum, without James even having to finish him off with his hand. “Tell me, you little freak.”
“Yes,” Jason hissed, his voice trembling. “Pl-please, Jamie.”
“Please, what?”
Jason’s bottom lip wobbled and he felt tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. It was too much, he felt too good, exposed and embarrassed all at once, and James wasn’t going to let him get away with it, there was no way in hell.
“I want it,” he said, his voice hitching, fingers tightening on James’ arm. “Fuck, please. I w-want you to hunt me down. And - and fuck me.”
James laughed at him, full-on laughed, and Jason felt something inside him snap. He whined, loud and warbling, his head falling forward and body trembling against James’. His cock dragged over Jason’s insides, hard and hot, pushing him until he was cumming all over his own stomach and James just kept laughing at him, pressing a smug little kiss to the side of his face.
Afterwards, when James had cleaned him up, given him some water and another beer, Jason finally decided to say something. James was curled up next to him, a blanket covering his still nude form, scribbling things in his notebook as music played quietly from the stereo in the corner. Jason watched, his skin itching, until he couldn’t take it anymore.
“That stuff you said,” he began abruptly, feeling his face go hot as James looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. “Would you actually do it?”
“Huh?” James scrunched his nose, pen pausing halfway to the paper of his notebook. “What, the hunting thing?”
“Uh, yeah,” Jason mumbled, taking a quick sip of his beer, just for something to do.
James blinked, looking at him blankly for a long moment before he smirked, leaning forward to place his book and pen on the coffee table. He turned, shoving off the blanket, and crawled across the couch, between Jason’s legs, settling himself there, caging Jason in all over again. He was grinning, his cheeks still pink and eyes bright, golden hair falling around them in a curtain. James was fucking beautiful, even if he didn’t believe it when Jason told him, it was the truth and Jason swore he would keep repeating it until the day he died, or James accepted it. Whatever came first.
“You really want it?” James asked, his voice breathy and soft. He was teasing, sure, but Jason could hear the real question there, as if he genuinely wanted to know what Jason thought.
Jason licked his lips, catching the way James’ eyes traced the movement. “I think so.”
“You think so?” James tilted his head. “You seemed pretty certain earlier, honey.”
Jason swallowed audibly, feeling all kinds of exposed under James’ keen eyes, but he nodded his head quickly, relenting. “Yes. I do want it.”
James hummed in response, then leaned his head down, tucking it beneath Jason’s chin to press his lips to the skin of his throat. Jason shuddered, his arms coming up automatically to grasp James by his waist, squeezing him lightly. “I can do that for you,” James murmured against him, leaving a wet trail of kisses across his neck. “We can go camping.”
“Yeah,” Jason breathed, his eyes fluttering shut as James moved lower, licking over his clavicle only to bite down on the protruding ridge of the bone. Jason hissed, wishing he could get hard again, wishing he could push James further until that mouth was on his dick, but he was too spent at that moment, too sensitive.
“A few days in the woods,” James said, lips brushing over Jason’s sternum. “I could let you loose the first day, see how long you can last before I catch you. And then you’re all mine after that.”
“Shit,” Jason huffed, squeezing his eyes shut as he imagined it. Being at James’ feet, captured, trapped, knowing he couldn’t survive without him and being completely at his mercy. It was dizzying, and he could’ve sworn his dick twitched with interest.
“How’s that sound?” James pressed, lifting his head to meet Jason's eyes. Again, there was a teasing lilt to his tone, but Jason knew he was genuinely asking this time, wanting to know he was sure.
Naturally, Jason was already nodding his head.
“Really good,” he said quickly, almost breathless. “Please?”
James smiled, showing his teeth, and leaned in to kiss him.
XXX
It was colder than Jason had expected it to be, but James just shrugged off his big, bulky hunting jacket and draped it around Jason’s shoulders, tightening it around the base of his throat with a gentle nudge of his fingers. The exchange was wordless, all it took was Jason to wince slightly as he climbed down from the truck, and naturally, James could read him like an open book.
He hovered awkwardly as James dragged the tent from the truck bed, shifting from foot to foot. Their little game wasn’t supposed to start until much later, when James had set everything up and ensured Jason would be comfortable in the end, but still, Jason’s chest was tight with anxiety.
He’d been thinking about it ever since they’d made the decision, but now the time had come, he wasn’t sure what to expect anymore. James was careful, he was an outdoorsman, so Jason knew he was in safe hands, but he could shake the intrusive thoughts crawling through his brain. Ideas of wolves, bears or mountain lions stealing him away in the night, when really, James was the one he had to worry about, he supposed.
They’d talked it through, one of the first times they’d felt the need to do such a thing, but James had said it was necessary. This wasn’t just any scene where James was dominating him or hurting him, this was bigger, more dangerous. Jason knew what it would entail, and as much as it made his cock twitch when he thought about it, he couldn’t deny the shaking of his hands when he shoved them into the pockets of James’ jacket.
The plan was reasonably simple: James would give Jason some protein bars, some water, a radio and a knife, and then he had an hour to start running. James was an experienced hunter, he had no doubts that he could find Jason, and then once he did, he was allowed to do whatever he wanted until it was time to go home, or Jason said his safeword. They were only going to be out there for two full days, but Jason knew a lot could happen in that amount of time.
He’d glimpsed the box of toys James had packed, mostly full of ropes and leather, but he knew there were paddles in there, possibly even gags, and his stomach flipped at the thought of it. He could imagine James tying him up, knees in the dirt, fucking him out there in the open where they didn’t have to worry about someone hearing him screaming, and he could feel himself growing dizzy already.
“Babe, can you help me with this?” James asked, his warm voice cutting through the mire of his thoughts.
Jason whipped his head up to find James waiting by the half-standing tent, one of the poles gripped loosely in his hand. Jason blinked quickly and stumbled over, his boots scuffing through the fallen leaves, fingers twitching as he reached to take the pole from James.
“Hey,” James pulled back a little, instead placing his free hand over Jason’s, a frown forming on his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, uh,” Jason mumbled, feeling awkward as James studied him, as if he was searching his face for doubts. Jason wasn’t doubting anything, but he could feel the tightness behind his navel already, the heat swirling around, intensifying, and they hadn’t even set up the campsite yet. “I’m okay, just, um…”
James smiled, brushing his calloused thumb over Jason’s knuckles. “You’re nervous?”
Jason swallowed audibly, glancing up at James through his bangs, causing him to let out a laugh. It was hard to look at him directly out there, in the greenery, the smell of pine strong in his nostrils. James looked so good like this, all rugged and in his element, his hair wavy where it hung from beneath his camouflage cap, his willowy frame covered by an olive green shirt, the long sleeves just tight enough now to show the muscles forming beneath.
He wasn’t as scrawny as he was when they first met, he was filling out now, plus there was scruff growing on his jawline, on his top lip, that primal masculinity he always leaned into beginning to show on the surface. He looked like he belonged out there, and Jason felt far, far from home.
“You’re gonna be fine,” James assured him. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I-I know that.”
“Then relax,” James said, moving closer, dropping the pole and sliding both hands over Jason’s hips. It wasn’t much, but Jason’s breath still hitched at his touch, tilting his head back to look up at James’ smug, smiling face. “We’ll get this tent up, set up our fire, get you warm… and see what comes next, alright?”
Jason almost melted at the softness in his voice and nodded, his eyes automatically flicking down to James’ lips, which only caused him to grin even wider.
“You’re already so into it,” James mused, leaning in just enough that their noses brushed. “I can see how turned on you are, Jase,” his voice was low, quiet enough that it wasn’t much more than a whisper, and Jason’s skin tingled in response.
“It’s just a lot,” Jason murmured back, his eyelids fluttering.
James hummed, slowly closing the gap between them to press his lips over Jason’s. He didn’t take it further, didn’t push, just allowed it to be something gentle and grounding, his warm breath caressing Jason’s cheek, his fingers rubbing over the bony jut of his hips.
“Help me with this tent,” James said against his mouth. “Gotta make a nice nest for us, yeah?”
“Yeah,” Jason nodded quickly, dazed from the kiss, but knowing they wouldn’t get far without a proper campsite.
James smiled again and stepped back, bending to snatch up the pole, gesturing for Jason to follow suit.
XXX
It was midday by the time everything was done, and Jason was sitting on an upturned log by the campfire James had built. Beside him was a small backpack, loaded with the items James had allocated for him once the game began, which was steadily growing nearer.
James was messing around in the tent, laying out the bedroll and god knew what else, the idea of him unpacking the toys and ropes sending all kinds of twisted signals through Jason’s body. He’d made a promise that Jason wouldn’t be left outside after dark, that he would hunt him down before nightfall and have him zipped up and safe in the tent by the time the moon rose. Still, Jason was nervously gnawing on his lip, hoping James was as good as a hunter as he made himself out to be.
“Alright,” James emerged from the tent, turning to zip the flap closed and approaching Jason to crouch in front of him. He was big enough that he was still taller than a sitting Jason, even hunched over as he was, peering down into his boyfriend’s face with a gentle expression. “I want you to have something to eat, then we can do this.”
Jason nodded quickly, eyeing James as he reached into the backpack and produced a protein bar, placing it on Jason’s knee expectantly. He didn’t move and stayed there, watching as Jason unwrapped the bar and tentatively ate it, awkwardly trying to look at anything but James and his steely eyes, or the smooth tanned skin of his forearms.
“Good boy,” James said when he was finished eating, taking the wrapper from his hand and standing up again to dispose of it in his truck. “Take the jacket off, I’m gonna give you a thermal shirt, alright? And you’ve got extra socks in the backpack.”
Jason hesitated but stood, shucking off James’ jacket and immediately missing the comfortable bulk of it. “Hah, are you worried I’ll get lost, or something?”
“Nuh,” James answered as he approached him again, trading the jacket for a long sleeve shirt that matched his own. “But it pays to be prepared, don’t it?”
Jason huffed but nodded his head, taking the thermal and stripping off his t-shirt to put it on. It was a little big, the sleeves covering his hands, but then James was there, grabbing his arm and rolling them up to his wrists. Jason felt heat rising in his cheeks at the casualness of his touch, of the care, but he didn’t have much time to think about it at that moment.
“I’ll find you pretty quick, unless you’re really good at covering your tracks,” James mused, raising a teasing eyebrow at him. “Just don’t go too far, and you’ll be alright.”
“Okay,” Jason said, cringing at the way his voice shook on just one word.
James chuckled at him, his gaze full of affection as he looked him over, eyes raking down his body, over the way the shirt hung on his smaller frame, the way his cargo pants hugged his slim thighs. Jason twitched, feeling awkward all over again, exposed, but then James was leaning in to kiss him, a large hand coming up to grasp the back of his head, fingers tangling in his curls.
The kiss wasn’t rushed, but Jason could feel the heat behind it, the undeniable intention in the way James’ tongue slipped into his mouth, curling over the back of his teeth. There was a hunger there, deep inside him, slowly crawling its way out the closer they got. When James’ other hand dropped the jacket to the dirt and came up to grasp his waist, fingers curled like a claw, he knew immediately that he wasn’t going to go easy on him that night.
James pulled back first, his irises already blown, and Jason felt himself shiver under that darkened gaze. His stomach was fluttering, legs trembling, but still, James reached down and picked up the backpack without a word, turning Jason around to slide the straps over his shoulders. He secured it, double-checked the contents, then turned Jason around again, causing his brain to melt slightly at all the manhandling.
“What do we say if we want it to stop?”
Jason’s eyelids fluttered and he licked his lips, taking a breath before he could manage to get the words out. “Traffic light system. Red for stop. Yellow for slow. Green for keep going.” Jason mumbled, feeling slightly ridiculous but knowing James took these things seriously.
“Good boy,” James stroked a thumb over his cheek bone, his lips twitching up into a little smile. “You ready?”
Jason wasn’t sure if he was, but he nodded anyway, and then James was taking a big step back, his eyes heavy-lidded, so dark they could’ve been black. Jason’s heart thudded against his ribs, his body coiling with tension as James widened the space between them, each step causing his legs to twitch as his restlessness grew.
“Okay,” James said, stopping a few metres from Jason, his smile gone save for a tiny little smirk twisting the corner of his mouth. “Then run.”
And so, Jason did.