Hawthorn '03: Where The Lilac Grows

Vin cinched the ties tighter, eliciting a pained grunt from Ezra. The satin under-things were scrunched beneath the whalebone corset, Vin's knee pressing hard at the center of the southerner's back, right above the tailbone. And that shapely ass. Vin grinned and flared his elbows as he tugged one more time before tying it off.

"MISTER Tanner!" Ezra gasped. "Surely this infernal weapon of torture is tight enough?"

"Tryin' for that hourglass figure that Buck always goes on about."

"You jest?" Standish pulled away and turned sharply, leaving Vin's hands still in the air, fingers tingling in memory of touching satin and smooth, smooth skin.

Ezra eyed the fingers of pain and winced when he drew in too big a breath. This was not how he'd planned to seduce the elemental tracker.

Vin let his hands drop to his belt and smiled. The enforced narrowing of an already narrow waist had only accented the man's wide chest; deep muscle groups passing close enough for a bosom. Damn, he must do some kind of work to get that way.

Wide green eyes stared and then half-closed in calculation. Ezra had just spotted the dress that they'd been able to pry out of Mrs. Potter. When she heard it was to help Mary, she'd been eager. When she heard it was going to be worn by Ezra, reticence set in. The Purple Dress, as JD called it, all in capital letters according to Buck, was about as ugly as a lady's fine dress could be. Almost a bit flash, Chris Larabee had admitted, but then added that that was likely a good thing, considering where they were sending Ezra once he was in it.

Josiah had smiled secretively and stroked his jaw at his private joke. Then he'd nodded to Nathan who was looking askance at the whole idea, and said, "Vin, figure this is your idea. Figure you get to be the one who gets Ezra in it."

Tanner, who'd seen the humor in the whole idea, right from the beginning, suddenly had second thoughts. But the other five men were having none of it. His idea. He could make it work. HE could face off with their gambler. And so here he was.

"No. Absolutely not." Horror colored Ezra's voice.

"It's jest a dress, Ez." Tanner walked back over to the door hook and removed the washed silk dress, the deep purple struck him as the same as the lilacs he'd seen once in an arbor along the Gulf shore of Texas. Land was more fertile there, things grew. Like lilacs. He smiled in memory of the heady scent, the rich textures of the flowers, the deep green of the leaves, the tall stretching limbs, like trees.

"You find this humorous, don't you?" Ezra had moved to his bed and was sitting on the edge of it, crossing his arms and legs indignantly.

The silk stockings they'd pulled up his legs, with much protesting, and tightened with garters to his satin panty-legs outlined the man's legs so that they were the prettiest things Vin had ever seen. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and licked his lips, feeling a sudden flush of heat.

"Oh, no. OH, NO, you don't!" Ezra was pointing at Vin's groin region in outrage. "Not NOW." Even Ezra could hear the frustration in his gritted words.

The hard outline of a stiffening member was easy to see against the soft, old buckskin leather pants. Vin yanked the silk dress off its hanger and in front of his suddenly speaking crotch. Damn. Where the hell did this come from? He looked down at his betraying body in embarrassed surprise, then pushed the swirls of purple silk toward the angry and now notably silent gambler.

Ezra watched, his anger giving way to pleased amazement, as Vin blushed bright red and tried to hide behind the awful dress. Sitting up straighter, letting his hands fall to his sides to grip the mattress' edge, Ezra observed with interest the tracker's reactions. To me. He's reacting to me. Ezra smiled and leaned back on his elbows, ignoring the pinch of the corset, and spread his legs to give his own suddenly interested dick room to grow. He drew one leg up on to the bed and moved his right hand down between the fine sateen pantaloon leggings to lightly touch and stroke himself.

"EZRA!" Tanner practically threw the damn dress at the man. Want to throw myself at him, damn it - now where the hell did this all come from? Vin put two shaky hands up to his face and wiped at it, hoping to clear his thoughts and push away images of a wanton Ezra, lying there on the gawd damn bed, making goo eyes at him. Shee-it.

"Yes?"

The breathy, soft reply brought two hesitant blue eyes back up over the ten curved digits. Oh, boy, oh, boy. Vin sighed. Well, maybe it was time after all. He'd not had anyone in a long time. Ezra was right pretty always, only more so just now. He paused to examine that last thought. I thought Ez was pretty before? Vin closed his eyes again.

"Vin?"

Now the voice was rather sultry and there was the sound of silk cloth rustling, slithering. Over Ezra? Shutting off sight of his Ezra? Vin's eyes popped open, his mouth dropping, as he found the other man had gotten into the dress, and was facing away from him, fumbling with the row of tiny buttons that closed up the back.

"Vin? Can you help me with this?"

The voice was quite normal again. Had he heard the other tone before? Vin was no longer certain. "Sure, Ezra." He stepped over and realized that the man seemed shorter than usual. No boots, not even shoes yet. And him in his ridin' boots. That's why I'm lookin' down on Ez. Down at a creamy smooth nape, soft reddish brown hairs gently curving as they rested there. Vin took a deep breath and began to button up the dress.

"Color t'weren't so bad when I saw it on lilac trees, but in this dress, for you. It's pretty bad."

"This is a hideous color," Ezra commented dryly, staring out the window in front of him.

Vin nodded, then realized Ezra couldn't see that. "Yep, reckon so, 'specially with your hair color, skin color."

Startled, Ezra swung around to stare - up - into cornflower blue eyes that were staring back seriously and honestly. "Vin?" Ezra stepped closer. "You noticed my hair color? My skin tone?"

The blue eyes looked a bit frightened, but honesty won. "Yeah."

Ezra stepped still closer. His lace and silk bodice brushed against the buffalo hide capote, then he grasped the ragged leather lapels in both hands and stood up on his toes.

"Ez?" Vin was frozen.

"Yep?"

"Ah, Ez? I ain't sure that this is the time er place ta be -"

"Kissing?" Ezra leaned up and in, to lick then settle his lips on Vin's.

Vin inhaled hard, and felt and tasted Ezra all at once. Coffee and whisky flavored Ezra. He licked his own lips and savored the Ezra taste. He was helpless to prevent himself from responding. It felt good, felt right. Lots of things that had puzzled him about his reactions to the man suddenly made a lot of sense, including the reason he'd thought of putting Ez in a dress to start with. With a groan, he wrapped his arms around the man and drew him in tightly, initiating and deepening the next kiss with a full commitment and passion.

They stayed that way for several heartbeats, then both withdrew slightly, breathing hard. Framing Ezra's face with shaking hands, Vin smiled. "You did all that 'a purpose."

"Yep." Ezra's face was smiling with self-satisfaction, his lips rubbed and swelling slightly. Green eyes danced.

"We can't do anything about this right now. Gotta rescue Mary and them other ladies." But later, he promised with his eyes, later he'd be coming back and they'd settle things. Maybe take a trip to someplace where the lilacs grow, just so they could see how Ezra'd look with nature's own color. Mighty nice, him all pink and glowing amongst them lilac flowers. Vin realized he probably had a silly grin on his face.

"We gotta go to Wickes Town for now, Ez."

"Yep." Ezra smoothed down the front of his dress, then drew one hand up on the side, thumb and fingers in a stiff flare, pushing to perk the bodice with a slight shift of his pectoral muscles.

Vin grimaced. "You gotta stop doin' that, or I'm throwing you down on that bed and to hell with Mary."

Ezra grinned but he didn't say 'yep.' Yet.

End