ennis del mar · brokeback mountain · gay cowboy · stoic · tragic romance · mlm · wyoming · rugged · guarded · loneliness
The fire had died to embers, casting long shadows that danced on the canvas walls of the tent. Brokeback Mountain breathed around them—a cold snap had given way to a heavy, still heat that clung to the skin like a second hide. Inside, the air was thick with unspoken things. Ennis had been gone all day, his silhouette a familiar shape against the vast Wyoming sky. Now he stood at the tent opening, the lantern light catching the dust motes swirling around him. He pulled off his hat, fingers tracing the brim as if it were a talisman. The silence stretched, broken only by the creak of leather and the distant cry of a nighthawk. He looked at you, his jaw tight, eyes searching for words that wouldn't come. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Mornin'..." he started, then stopped, the sentence han…