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[tumblingxdown.livejournal.com]

Title: Anyone Who Meets Him
Pairing: RPS Pre-slash Matt Damon/Jake Gyllenhaal, implied/past slash Jake Gyllenhaal/Heath Ledger and Matt Damon/Heath Ledger
Rating: PG
Summary: On the set of Brokeback Mountain, Jake and Heath had something. Now, months later, that's gone, and while Jake is wallowing in the heartbreak, he meets someone who shares his pain.
Disclaimer: I am not implying I know these people, this work is purely fiction, and as far as I know, this didn't happen.



Jake swirled the amber liquid around the melting ice in his glass. He took a sip and reveled in the burn. It was torture, sitting here. He should be celebrating. Brokeback took home some awards, and while he didn't win, that didn't matter to him, not in the grander scheme of things. He should be dancing, talking with his friends, visiting with his sister, but he wasn't. He was currently trying to disappear into the vinyl covering of the back corner booth he was hiding in.

It was painful. He thought he'd be okay, that he'd gotten over everything. It was a fling, he was aware of it at the time and now. It wasn't something big; neither of them really wanted anything more than a few nights of release. The definition of a fling is a brief sexual encounter. That was what it was supposed to be. Unfortunately, Jake fell for Heath. He fell hard. And Heath... well Heath found his soul mate in Michelle.

Fate really was a foul bitch sometimes.

And Jake was happy for Heath. Michelle was a wonderful woman. She was smart, funny, and had enough bite to keep Heath in line. But Jake couldn't help but resent her a little. Jake wanted what Michelle had, wanted to wake every morning to that soft Australian accent, those beautiful brown eyes, that smile that not only promise love but also a little mischief. Jake had touched that future, but he couldn't hold on. Their relationship--though it was a stretch to call it that--ended the second Heath's eyes wandered over to Michelle, never wandering back to Jake. Not in the same way at least. Where there was once desire, there now was nothing but friendship. A camaraderie that Jake wanted to keep, but couldn't because it hurt too damn much.

Jake took another swig, emptying the glass. He looked around for a wandering waitress and ended up clapping eyes on the subject of his thoughts and the reason behind his less-than-social behavior. Not that it was hard to miss them. Michelle was in a bright yellow dress, the color of the sun almost. Jake didn't think they'd show up. He heard they'd head right home, back to their baby.

Baby. The word reverberated in his mind. They had a baby. They had a family. They were a family. Heath had everything he wanted. There was no room left for him, nothing besides the role of friend, more likely acquaintance, and hopefully not the dreaded costar. Jake didn't think he'd be able to handle it if Heath only thought of him as his costar. Nothing beyond two people who made a film together. Nothing beyond that, nothing more.

Jake ripped his eyes away from Heath, who'd thrown his head back to laugh at something Michelle had whispered in his ear. He couldn't hear them over the din, but remember the laughter, the sound his mind, laughter from a time that seemed so long ago.

He flagged down a waitress finally and ordered a Jack Daniels, a "double, no ice." When she returned, he swallowed half of it in his first go, and when he turned back, they were gone. Not a sunshine dress in sight, slipped away without so much as a hello or a goodbye. Jake pretended the prickling in his eyes was caused by the smoke circulating in the room, and nothing else.

Jake finished his drink and was on another one when someone sat down at his booth. He looked up and barely registered the face through the haze of the liquor. Matt Damon.

"Hey Jake."

Jake had never been formally introduced to Matt. They had seen each other at a few functions, passed by each other, and were acquainted with each other’s work, but they had never actually had a conversation.

"Um, hey."

"I don't mean to bother you, but I saw that you looked a little down and I wanted to come over and let you know that if you need to talk about anything, I'm here."

"Why? I hardly know you?"

Matt laughed and flashing his brilliant smile. "I know, but I think we both have something in common."

Jake took a swig. "Yeah, what's that?" Jake usually never got drunk. He didn't like the lack of control. So drinking in public was always kept to a minimum. Except right now, he was ignoring his rule, and Jake was learning that apparently he was a rude drunk.

"Heath."

That one name was like a wall of ice water slamming down on him from all sides. He stared into his glass. "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do. I was watching you. The way you were looking at him. The lost, sad look on your face. You were with him weren't you? On the set of Brokeback Mountain?"

"Is it that obvious?" Jake was trying to be aware of everyone around him, a feat that was impossible considering the amount of alcohol in his system.

"No, but I recognize it. I've seen it before."

"Where?"

Matt sighed, his smiling facade dropping. "On myself." Jake quirked an eyebrow. "During the filming of The Brothers Grimm."

"Oh, you two..."

"Yeah. We had an affair. A fling. Something that was supposed to be nothing but a few fun nights, no attachments, no messes."

"But you fell for him."

"Just like you fell for him."

There was a silence between the two, a silence that should have been uncomfortable and awkward, but wasn't. Jake swirled his drink and Matt spoke again. "I think anyone who meets him, falls in love with him. It's just the kind of person he is."

"That isn't helpful. I still feel like I've been ripped apart on the inside. I want to move on, but I can't."

"You will, in time."

Jake laughed mirthlessly. "That doesn't help either."

"And knocking back whiskey like it's going out of style isn't going to help either. Come on, let’s get some coffee in you and get to know each other."

"Why?"

"Because you need someone to talk to, and that someone is me." Matt got up and started pulling Jake out of his seat.

"You're too nice."

Matt chuckled. "That's not the first time I've heard that."

Jake laughed too, though he wasn't sure why. It could be the way Matt was slightly out of focus, or the way the room was tilting to the right, which was actually really annoying in Jake's opinion. He hoped that the people left inside would be fine considering the building was obviously not up to code if it could be fine one second and tilt so violently the next.

The cold air felt good on his face and he was slightly disappointed when he noticed Matt's car wasn't a convertible. They drove around for a while, Matt asking more questions than answering them. They ended up at the beach, right before dawn. Jake was finally sobered up enough to think straight.

When they kicked off their shoes and sat on the hood of Matt's 2006 Mustang, Jake still felt broken, but as the sun rose and Matt continued to tell lame joke after lame joke, the laughter that spilled forth was something much more than common amusement. Jake knew it was the beginning of the healing process.

And as Jake met Matt's eyes, both grinning like fools, he had a feeling it was the beginning of something else as well.