Crashed

5.

After a month, it began to become clear that this wasn’t a vacation. By then, the two stranded men knew the island was uninhabited. It took two days to walk around the island the first time, mainly because they were in no hurry. There was no sign of other people whatsoever.
While they strolled along the shore, they collected food, like clams and berries. It was a fruitful island. At least they wouldn’t starve, especially since they had started fishing with the net they’d found in the plane.

For now, they would be able to cook on fuel, but Lucky insisted they would practice on making fire on the beach. Better to be prepared, he said. Ward was amused and amazed at the same time. Lucky looked like a sexy beach boy, but he had a good head on his shoulders. Then again, he was a pilot. The man wasn’t your average Joe or one of the whores Ward used to order.

At the beginning of the second month on their island, the men had changed the interior of the jet to make it more convenient. It was more of a studio now; the bed was permanently made, and the chairs were put at either side of a table. It had taken quite a bit of effort to move the large, bolted fauteuils. But they had all the time of the world.

The candles were all used up, by that time. Only then, Ward realised Lucky had been right about being careful about their supplies. He had no idea how to make light now, but there was Lucky again… The pilot collected resin from trees and created torches to put right out of the plane, in front of a few windows. Together with the bonfire in a circle of rocks nearby, it was even cosier than before.

It was no vacation. But Ward felt incredibly relaxed.

It wasn’t too warm on the beach, in the shadows of the jet and under the sunscreen Lucky had created from leaves. Lucky was leaning in the low chair. Ward was lying with his head on his lap, eating the berries Lucky fed him.

“I can see rain at the horizon.” Lucky said it with a smile; rain meant fresh water. He collected water in every bucket, canister, bottle and plastic bag he had found.
Two black bags were hanging in the sun. Every evening they had a warm shower, either with rainwater or with seawater.

Ward peeked from under his eyelids. “Yeah. Did we secure everything?”

“Yup, we’ll be fine.” Lazily, Lucky combed his fingers through Ward’s thick hair. He sighed softly, smiling as he looked at the sea. “Do you still think they’ll find us, Ward?”

Ward didn’t answer immediately. Of course he had been thinking about that. He wondered if they’d stopped searching already, thinking he was dead. Part of him still hoped to see a ship at the horizon, or to hear a plane in the sky. But at the same time, a part of him hoped they weren’t looking for him anymore. And that part was slowly growing.
“To be honest, I don’t think they will,” he said carefully, keeping an eye on Lucky’s expression.

“Really?” The smile didn’t vanish. Lucky kept combing Ward’s hair, and looked down at him. “What will happen to your fortune?”

“I guess it will go back in my companies,” Ward shrugged. “I have no relatives to inherit anything. As soon as they pronounce me dead, they’ll sell my properties and move on.”

“That sounds terrible, Ward… You will lose everything? But what if we make it back to the real world?”

Ward laughed, looking up at the blue eyes. Lucky looked worried. “The real world? This is the real word, sweetheart… It’s as real as always, only different. And I like it.”

“How can you like it? You were the youngest millionaire in the world, and you have nothing here. How can you be so relaxed and happy, Ward? You used to work so hard… All you do here is fishing and digging for roots to eat, right?”

“I know.” Ward smiled dreamily. “I’m incredible rich here. Feasts every day, beautiful weather, good company…”

This time, Lucky laughed. “Feasts? Fish, roots and wild fruit… the occasional lizard or monkey… and rainwater instead of wine?”

“Indeed.” Ward looked quite smug. “We’re blessed.”

“Alright, but what about the weather and company?”

“What about it?” Pushing up, Ward sat close against Lucky. “The sun is shining almost every day, and it only rains at night. We have a whole weatherproof plane at our disposal. It could’ve been much worse, like you said in the beginning. And as for company…” He pressed a warm kiss on the man’s cheek. “I quite like you.”

The pilot blushed a bit, and avoided the lips. He smiled shyly. “You only like me because I’m the only other warm body on the island.”

Ward snorted. “Fuck you, Luck… I should say that! You’ve never been with a guy before you got stuck with me. At least I knew I was gay all along…” He reached out, and pulled the blonde close against him. “I ordered escorts once a month. I would be happy to pay for your company if I had met you in the ‘real’ world. It’s no punishment to be with you, Lucky.”

“Hm… I must confess, I’m enjoying being with you too,” Lucky said quietly. He lifted his head, offering his lips. He answered the tender kiss, and leaned against Ward. “Just for the sake of the argument, Ward… What if I had the coordinates of this island… Which I don’t!”

Ward looked closely at Lucky, but he believed him. The pupils didn’t widen, he didn’t blush, and his nostrils didn’t flare. “Yes…?”

“Just imagine I know, or can find out. And we could get the satellite phone to work, or something. Just saying, right? Would you want to tell people where we are, so they can come and get us…?”

Ward hummed thoughtfully. “Would I want to tell people where we are… Hm… Yes, I think I would.”

“You would? But you are happy here… Aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes. So far it’s very pleasant. I’m king of the world, here… But I have no other choice now. I think I would like to have the choice.”

“Right… I think I know what you mean. Would you like to go back to your daily routine though? What would you do? Keep this place to take a vacation every now and then?”

“You sound disappointed, Lucky…” Ward nuzzled the pilot, still holding him close. “Tell me what you think?”

Lucky sighed. “I like it to have no other worries than to survive. I feel I have more luxury here than I had at home. I know we have to struggle to get food every day, and that it’s very primitive without all the usual appliances and you name it, but I like the fact there are no bills to worry about, and I don’t have to work for my pay. I still work to survive, like you, but… Am I making sense at all?”

“Yes, you’re making sense,” Ward assured him. “I’m glad you feel that way. We don’t know where we are and we have no means to contact anybody, so you don’t have to worry. It’s the world upside down though, isn’t it? You should be worried. We’re stranded.”

“But I’m stranded with you! You said so yourself; good company, nice weather… Even if it would rain all day I would still be happy. Then I would go out for food, and come home to eat with you.”

“Home…” Ward smiled warmly. “I never called a place ‘home’ before. I was always busy and on my way to places, staying in hotels.”

“Well, you’re home now,” Lucky stated. “We have a lot of fish and clams left. How about we make a feast tonight? Together, in bed?”

“Sounds good.” Ward winked at him. “Silly boy…”

Silly or not, Lucky wrapped his arms tightly around Ward’s neck to give him a long, warm kiss.

They kissed very often, and occasionally it ended in sex. Not this time. That evening they prepared dinner on the open fire, with the fish and clams Lucky had mentioned, and vegetables he had found. “I want my own garden, to grow vegetables,” he mumbled dreamily as he stirred the food. “Then I wouldn’t have to go into the woods every time.”

“Good idea… You could clear a piece of land and maintain it. Mm… These fish smell nice, don’t they?” They had no idea what kind of fish they were, but the flesh was firm and it looked appetising. “I’m getting hungry!”

“It’s finished. Shall we take some of the fire under the sunscreen, and see if we can keep it going tonight? We have enough dry wood now, right?”

“You get the food inside, and I will get the wood for our fire.” As he said it, Ward felt a strange and unfamiliar spark in his belly. It felt nice. He wondered what it was. He felt it again as Lucky smiled at him, and he shivered. He quickly walked to the front of the plane where they kept their firewood. What was happening to him…?