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Ain’t It Funny
by Oracle
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Once upon a time in the Old West, CBS joined forces with Mirisch Entertainment, Trilogy and MGM. They brought together Seven unbelievably gorgeous men and made a Television series. And all was well. But the fans saw that certain of these sexy, hunky men did look upon each other with lust and longing in their eyes. And being the sweet, kind, generous fans they were, wrote stories where they could have fun and hot cowboy sex and comfort each other after extreme pain and angst had been visited upon them. And it was good…
Notes: This was purely inspired by Firefox’s video of the same name. It tugs at my heartstrings every time I see it. I watched it over and over one night. When I fell asleep, this is what I dreamed.
This is not in my usual style. It might help if you think of it as much like a music video, with changing scenes and pictures.
Acknowledgements: Thanks go to Judy and LaraMee who did beta duty wayyyy back when. And to Firefox for her kind (and enthusiastic) permission to acknowledge her video as inspiration. All mistakes that remain are sole property of the author who tweaks too much.
Just for LaraMee:
gawp 'gop, 'gäp : to yawn, gape1 a : to open the mouth wide b : to open or part widely
2 : to gaze stupidly or in openmouthed surprise or wonderYep, ya learn somethin’ new every day. Just don’t ask me where the hell Chris picked it up. ;-)
Warnings: Ladies and Gents, please be sure your tray tables and seatbacks are in the full upright position and your seat belt is fastened. (This one’s a really rough ride) I ain’t kiddin’ folks. Intense and not for the weak-hearted.
“FIRE! FIRE!”A young man tore down the dusty street, screaming at the top of his lungs. Bodies piled out of doors along the street, including one dressed all in black and another in tan.
Chris and Vin halted their mad dash in front of an empty store building. Smoke boiled out around the boards over the front windows and doors. Nearby a young mother knelt with two small children. They clung to her sobbing.
“We’ve got to get a bucket brigade started or the building beside it will go up!” Chris shouted to Vin. The tracker nodded and turned to the townspeople to begin directing them. Larabee strode forward and went down on one knee by the children. Vin heard the high piping voices of the little ones over the noise of the flames and crowd.
“Michael! Michael! He’s in there!”
Tanner whirled around just in time to see Chris rise and run into the burning building, shouldering through the board across the door.
“Chris!” he yelled, starting after the blond. A bucket was shoved into his hands by a rather distraught looking J.D. Tanner glanced around him and saw the other men busily pouring water on the fire as well as the buildings on either side.
Josiah was chanting a prayer as he heaved large buckets of water. Buck and Nathan were trying to soak the structures on both sides. Ezra had doffed his coat, but even he was in line and passing buckets as quickly as he could. Vin grimly took the bucket thrust at him and moved forward to toss it on the blaze. He tried to see through the thick smoke and haze into the building. He yelled again for Chris.
A hollow roaring sound deafened them all for a moment. The windows and doors were sucked inwards then exploded out in a blaze of heat and billowing smoke. Immediately most of the roof collapsed, flames shooting to the sky.
“Chris!” screamed Vin, rushing towards the doors even though tongues of fire now shot out of it. Long arms wrapped securely around his chest.
“Stop Vin,” said Buck’s strained voice quietly in his ear.
“I’ll kill ya if ya don’t lemme go,” shouted the tracker, reaching towards the fully engulfed building.
“You can’t go in there, Vin,” Wilmington said. “You’ll die. The fire’s too hot.”
“No! NO! Lemme go… lemmego!!” Vin struggled frantically in his arms. He kicked at the larger man’s legs, clawed at his arms. “I can save ‘im. I can save ‘im.” He chanted it over and over.
“No, you can’t.” The painful hitch was evident in Buck’s voice. “It’s too late.” It was clear the man remembered all too well another time when he held someone back from rushing in. No matter how much the younger man ranted and raved, struggling to be free, Wilmington held tight. Tears streamed down Buck’s face but he dug his heels in and wouldn’t let go.
“NOOOOOOOOO!” howled Vin, sagging in Buck’s hold. He slowly sank to the ground all the fight draining out of him. Wilmington held on tightly, not sure he wouldn’t suddenly lunge for the flames again. A single tear slipped slowly from one eye as Vin looked into the smoke and flames, still struggling to see a glimpse of the black-clad form.
“This… can’t be… real…” he gasped.
~~<&*&>~~
Chris Larabee stepped over the hunched bodies and pushed through the swinging doors. The street was full of swirling bodies, yelling and firing wildly into the sky. He tucked the cigarillo between his lips, eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. Chris spoke to the old man sitting beside the door. A movement across the street caught his attention. He saw a young man in front of the store across the way, broom in his hands. Disappearing for a moment the man returned, a rifle replacing the broom. The brunet’s head turned as if the man sensed his regard. Brilliant blue eyes met his. A shiver ran up Larabee’s spine. Hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Something stirred deep within his burnt out soul… and everything changed.
~~<&*&>~~
When it became obvious that Vin wasn’t going to try and run into the fire, Buck called Nathan over. Between them, the two men lifted the younger man to his feet. He seemed unaware of his surroundings, his legs not moving as they tried to shift him across the street. At last they got him to the boardwalk and sat him there. One of the Seven stayed by him until the fire was reduced to smoking ruins, still not quite trusting him to stay away from the flames. The buildings on either side of the abandoned store were partially burned but the fire had been halted. Townspeople were beginning to disperse; setting up watches to be sure the fire didn’t break out again. The five men gathered before Vin Tanner who sat unmoving as if carved from stone. Ezra carried in his hand Chris’ black hat. It had fallen from his head as he rushed into the building. Carefully wiping the dust from it, he laid it in Vin’s hands that sat lax in his lap. Tanner’s eyes were glued to the smoking remains across the street.
“He’s probably in shock,” said Nathan, squatting before the tracker to check his skin color and temperature. “I seen men like this in the war. Somethin’s too much for ‘m and their mind goes away. Sometimes they come back and sometimes they don’t.”
Without a word, Josiah and Ezra moved forward on each side of Vin. They lifted him to his feet. His hands closed about the hat as it shifted. This time when they moved he let them lead him.
“Saloon,” said Ezra.
“Saloon,” replied the others.
Vin sat in the chair where they had placed him, Chris’ hat still clutched in one hand. Ezra slapped a shot glass in front of him and filled it to the brim with whiskey. A slender hand slipped forward and curled around the glass. Tanner lifted it to his lips and, tilting his head back, swallowed it all. The glass thumped again on the table. Buck lifted the bottle and filled it. It was raised again.
“At least he’s movin’ again,” said Josiah, peering at the still emotionless face.
“Mebbe the best thing for ‘im right now,” said Nathan. “Get him real drunk ‘n maybe once he’s slept it off, he can start facing things.”
Josiah filled the glass this time. They all sat silently and watched Vin, who never over-indulged, drink himself into a stupor. When the hand no longer lifted the glass, Sanchez rose and lifted the slender body over a shoulder. He slowly climbed the stairs to lay him on the bed that would not be occupied by the gunslinger again.
~~<&*&>~~
Vin Tanner was sweeping in front of the store when the men drug Nathan Jackson down the street. He watched for a moment, then turned and walked into the store, trading his broom for a rifle. Stepping out to the edge of the porch as he loaded the weapon the young man stiffened. Someone was watching him. He lifted his head and saw a man standing just outside the saloon across the street. Dressed all in black, the man clenched a cigarillo between his teeth. His eyes blazed green fire. The sounds of the street faded away and Vin heard a whisper of many voices. It grew in volume and intensity as his gods told him his fate stood there. He nodded his head to the man who returned the gesture. Tanner walked down the steps, knowing that he and this man would walk into their future together. The world shifted before him… and everything changed.
~~<&*&>~~
Josiah had searched all over the town. Finally, he took to the roofs looking for Vin. He cursed himself as he did so. It had been his turn to keep an eye on the tracker. Although, heaven itself knew that if that young man wanted to slip away he could do it in the blink of an eye. At last, he found Tanner. Seated on the very edge of the flat roof, feet dangling over the alleyway below, he held his hat in his hands. Josiah eased up behind him as silently as he could.
“Ain’t gonna jump,” said Vin quietly.
“That’s good, son,” replied Josiah, “Cause there’s other folks here who need you.”
“That’s the only reason I ain’t down there.”
“I never took you for that type, Vin,” said Josiah softly.
“I was supposed to watch his back, Josiah. I failed ‘m.”
“He was the one who ran in where angels would fear to tread. You did the best you could for a man who’s been looking for a bullet for three years.”
“Thought that was changed.”
“I did, too, son. I really did. But now there’s others who need you to watch their backs. Will you be there for them as well?”
“’S long as I can.”
“Then will you come down with me now?”
Josiah held out his hand to the young man. Vin looked down at the hard packed dirt, dimming in the twilight, then up to the hand of his friend extended to him. He reached out and took it, rising to his feet and letting go of his hat.
J.D. stood below in the deep shadows, face turned upward, watching the drama being played out above him. Vin’s hat fluttered slowly down from the roof like a ghost in the dimness. The young man stepped forward and picked it up from the ground. He turned away with it in his hands. It would be safe with him when Vin needed it again.
~~<&*&>~~
The two men sat on the hillside, colors of twilight painting their faces and the rocks around them. It was a moment and a space in time. Away from the violence and death yesterday and tomorrow would bring. Vin’s soft tones wafted over the flatland below them.
“Wound up with a hefty bounty on my own head. So I figure if a friend collects I get the last laugh.” Vin looked for and found the understanding he sought in Chris’ eyes. Felt the connection spinning between them. He didn’t have to see the smile on the other man’s face to know it was there. Some things in life you couldn’t change… were fated. Perhaps the bounty on his head had been that. It had driven him to this place and this time. To meet this man who tugged at his soul, a man who felt the same as he did. Who understood without words all that was in his heart.
~~<&*&>~~
Early the next morning, Vin appeared at the doorway of the Saloon. Chris’ hat hung down his back by its strings. He moved purposely down the street. J.D. appeared from the doorway of the sheriff’s office where he had been sitting at the desk, blearily looking through wanted posters. He followed the tracker at a distance. Tanner came to a halt directly across the street from the burned out building. He leaned against a post there, hands tucked into his belt as always, staring into the blackened shell. J.D. halted up the street, giving the man his space.
Dunne had pulled off his hat twice to wipe his face before Vin moved again. J.D. had begun to wonder if he was going to stand there staring all day. The tracker moved off again and the young man followed. When he turned into Mrs. Potter’s store, J.D. sighed and moved up to peer through a window. He wasn’t about to let Tanner get the slip on him.
~~<&*&>~~
The other men slept. Chris and Vin sat alone by the dying fire. They had pursued Chris’ demons and only unlocked more. He’d returned to the burned out homestead, relived the brutal deaths of his wife and son, tracked down the killer only to find that he was ultimately responsible for their deaths. It had been him. He was the one who was supposed to die. Not an innocent woman and child.
“Life can be cruel sometimes,” said Vin softly. “I don’t understand why, but that seems ta be the way it is.”
Chris looked up at the man across the fire from him, eyes dark with the same pain that rocked his own soul. The realization burst upon him that Vin was sharing the hurt. Somewhere along the way he’d come to trust the man enough to let him carry some of the load, to depend upon him to always be there. Flickering firelight first cast the younger man’s face into high relief then deepest shadows. The blue eyes were steady. Larabee saw there all the things he needed to know. This man he barely knew, yet felt deep in his soul was all he needed, would always be there at his back, at his side. Together they would hunt down the killer of his wife and child because it was just as important to the tracker as it was to him. Tanner understood him and he knew all about Vin.
“It’s been less than perfect circumstances,” said Chris, thinking of how they’d met, how forces pulled at both of them tugging them to and fro.
“’S okay, cowboy,” said Vin in his raspy voice, knowing intuitively just what the other man spoke of. “There’s still a chance.”
Chris nodded and stored that hope away in his heart. He would watch for it, their chance. If only fate wouldn’t snatch it from them. He looked into Vin’s eyes seeing the understanding of all they faced, the slim thread of hope and felt the connection between them swell in strength.
~~<&*&>~~
Vin moved slowly about the store, picking out the things he would need. When they were all gathered on the counter, he looked up into Mrs. Potter’s eyes. The tears he saw there were almost too much for him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the coins to pay for the items. Mrs. Potter just curled his hand back around them, patting gently.
“No charge,” she said softly.
“Thank ya, ma’am,” he managed to choke out. “Mind if I use your back room for a minute.” She nodded.
J.D. was concerned when he lost sight of Vin through the store windows. The young man shifted from foot to foot, trying to decide whether he should check the alley or give Tanner a few more minutes. He decided to count ten before going inside to talk to Mrs. Potter. J.D. had reached eight when the door opened. A dark figure stepped out settling his hat upon his head.
“Chris!” the young man gasped out. He realized it couldn’t be just as the head tipped up and he caught sight of Tanner’s face beneath the dark brim of Chris’ hat. Oblivious to J.D. nearly having a heart attack only a few feet away, the other man sauntered down the street. The walk was his own loose-limbed stride but the clothing was pure Larabee. Black jeans, black shirt, black bandana, and Chris’ black hat on his head, a walking picture of grief. J.D. shook his head. He sometimes wondered if he’d ever understand these men. But there was a certain poetic justice to it. Wearing Chris’ own black as a living memorial to the man.
~~<&*&>~~
Chris looked down at the body sprawled in the street. There, crushed with the life of Eli Joe, lay Vin’s hopes for vindication. He looked over at the young man who leaned, chest heaving, against the wall. Despair and hopelessness burned in his eyes. Larabee felt his heart plummet to the ground beside the lifeless heap on the sidewalk.
They stood in the street as the wagon pulling Eli Joe’s body rattled away.
“Know you wanted him alive,” Chris said, his voice rough with emotion.
“Ya did what you had to. Can’t clear my name if I’m dead.” Vin’s voice was flat, echoing the resignation in his eyes.
Chris grasped his shoulder, then turned away. His gut churned. Failed… again. Just as he’d failed Sarah and Adam by not being there to pull them out of the fire. He’d reacted on instinct, shooting Eli Joe as he’d risen up over Tanner, the gleaming deadly knife in his hand. This time it hadn’t been enough, wasn’t the answer. His instincts had tightened the noose about Vin’s neck and put that dead look in his eyes. Somehow, Chris would pull the rope away, snatch victory from the jaws of death. Someday. But for now, his belly hurt and his head hurt. What was worse was that his heart hurt. He turned towards the saloon and a brief reprieve from the pain.
~~<&*&>~~
Vin stood where they’d placed him, near the head of the coffin. He felt deadened, weighted, emotions muffled as though wrapped in cotton wool.
The woman whose children had been the impetus for Chris rushing into the fire stood nearby. Her children clutched her skirts. Beside them stood another woman, an even smaller child in her arms. Their friend Michael, who the children had been so positive was still inside the inferno. He’d been discovered, covered in soot in the alley behind the building, curled up behind a barrel. Nathan had checked him over thoroughly and pronounced him fit. The dark healer had apparently made a strong impression on the little boy. He now constantly prattled of the dark man who’d saved him from the flames.
Josiah’s voice was muffled, speaking words he didn’t hear. Vin blinked. The wooden shape before him seemed unreal. It felt empty. Hell, it was empty. Not even rocks to weight it down this time. Though they’d searched the ashes tirelessly, nothing had remained of their leader to bury. He still couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that Chris wouldn’t come striding up, making some caustic comment about them all standing here paying tribute to him. The man had been such a force of energy in life that it seemed incomprehensible he would no longer walk the streets of the little town. No longer sit at his place in the Saloon, his back to the wall and a bottle of whiskey on the table before him.
The deep tones of the preacher slowed and stopped. Vin turned away, feet taking him down the street by instinct. He heard a voice call his name.
“Vin, where ya goin’?” called Buck.
Perhaps if he saw for himself that Chris wasn’t sitting at that table, hands wrapped around a shot glass…
“Saloon,” he managed to croak out. And if he truly wasn’t there, then Tanner would be in the best place to dull the pain that was slowly building past the numbness in his soul.
~~<&*&>~~
Vin took aim but his hands were shaking. Chris lay at his feet, a bullet in his chest. And this woman had put it there, maybe not with her own hands, but certainly with her actions. He took a deep breath, struggling to let his instincts take over, allow his skills rise to the occasion. Slowly he pulled the trigger. The report rang out over all the noise about him, seeming to echo back from the surrounding hills. Ella’s horse twisted under her, but she pulled it back under control and with one glance back at the scene behind her, disappeared over the ridge.
Vin’s heart was thudding in his chest. He gritted his teeth, biting back the groan that fought to escape his throat. He’d had the damn bitch in his sights and he’d missed her. Failed! Failed the one man he would do anything on earth for. With shaking hands, he turned back to where Chris lay twisting in pain on the hard-packed dirt. Laying his hand on the heated flesh, he had to tell Chris what he didn’t want to hear. That it had been a mistake to depend on him.
“Did you get her?” asked the man from the ground before him. Even through his pain wanting to know that the woman who betrayed him had paid the price.
“Nope, missed her,” gritted out Vin. Chris groaned, curling his body around the pain in his chest. The tracker tried to hold onto him, but he could feel Chris slipping away.
“Nathan! Nathan!” Vin cried, frantic. His heart pounded wildly. He couldn’t lose him now. Not now. He gasped for breath even as Chris did, sharing his pain, trying in any way he could to draw it from him into his own body. He just knew he had to have another chance. Another chance to make it right. To make her pay for lying to Chris, for trying to have him killed. Vin bared his teeth and growled. Yes, she would pay someday for trying to come between them. No one would ever take away Chris. He belonged to him, belonged by his side, where he could always watch his back.
~~<&*&>~~
Vin leaned against the post outside the Saloon. His body utterly still, blue eyes still scanned the street, preternaturally aware of every movement, every person within view. Dust grayed the black of his clothing and clung to him as if he’d been standing there unmoving forever. Emptiness echoed in his soul, but he would keep his promise. Watching for trouble, keeping the others as safe as he could. As Chris would have.
He knew he should be moving on emotionally, getting past the deathblow fate had dealt him. But he couldn’t get past the feelings. Emotions he would have denied to his last breath had been wrung out of him by the last few days’ events. The smell of smoke constantly followed him. He had always thought that true love could never be. At least he’d never thought of it in relation to himself. Now, he found himself faced not only with love too strong to control, but having it ripped from his soul to leave it bleeding and bare. He shivered, cold even in the heat. Vin had come to believe that he’d never be warm again. His heart felt so icy. But how could it be so frozen and still hurt so much?
Vin stiffened, hearing the sound of the hooves long before the speeding horse appeared down the street. Behind him, he heard the sound of boots. He didn’t have to turn to know that Buck had come out of the Saloon and was standing behind him. Down the street J.D. stepped out of the Sheriff’s office and moved towards them as well. The man on horseback appeared around the corner in a cloud of dust. He barreled up the street, dragging his horse to a halt in front of the three men. Vin still leaned against the post. Anyone who didn’t know him would think he was at ease. Buck and J.D. could almost see the finely strung tension in the tracker’s body.
“Judge sent me,” the man on horseback gasped out. “He got word. There’s a woman up north of Eagle Bend who’s callin’ herself Miz Chris Larabee. He sent me to tell ya where...”
Vin was moving down the street before the man even finished his sentence. One thought blazed in his mind. She would pay. In every way he could make it so, in screaming pain and flames. He didn’t hear Buck or J.D.’s voices calling after him. The only thing left in his world was the fiery desire for justice to be visited upon the body of the woman who had betrayed Chris. She’d torn the heart from the only person since his distant childhood who had accepted and loved him without condition or reason. And she would pay in kind.
Josiah held tightly to a screaming cursing Vin. Stoically he accepted the blows rained on his face, head and shoulders by the younger man while Buck and J.D. rounded up the others. He had stepped out of the church to hear J.D. screaming. The preacher had undertaken the duty of holding onto Vin to prevent him taking off on his own.
J. D. threw his saddle and bags onto his horse. A rumpled Cavalry hat fell from the open saddlebag. Muttering to himself, he stuffed it back into the bag. He’d been meaning to slip it up to his room and keep it safe there. Too many things happening had kept him busy and he’d forgotten it was stowed in his saddle bag.
Vin was hoarse and shaking all over by the time Josiah released him. He leapt onto Peso and pounded out of town. The rest of the Seven streamed after him, struggling to keep up with the obsessed man. Storm clouds roiled in the sky ahead of them, black and threatening.
~7~
The horses were sweating heavily when they poured over the hill and stormed the house below. Lightning lit the sky and thunder rolled through the small valley behind them. There had been no stopping Vin. He pushed Peso to his limit. And the other men followed him. What small resistance there was they overran almost without thought. Men fell back before them or ran in terror at the sight of their faces. The look on the face of the man who led them was enough for them. They ran for their lives. What few were insane enough to try and make a stand were mowed down like stalks of wheat on threshing day. They simply could not stand before the force that was the Seven on rampage.
The men scattered throughout the house, looking for the woman who was their target. Tanner strode down the upstairs hall, pausing only to kick open doors along the way. She had to be here somewhere. A howl was rising in his chest at each one that burst open to an empty room. He approached the last door. End of the line. With a primal war cry learned from the Indians he’d lived with, Vin leaned back and threw his entire weight into splintering the door. It exploded open to reveal a bed with a pale bare form tied spread-eagled to the brass frame. The man’s head turned slowly to face the wild-eyed tracker in the doorway. Green eyes slowly opened.
Vin struggled to take a breath. It seemed someone had knocked all the air out of him. Chris was here. He was alive! Tanner’s whole body shook and his heart pounded. He fell against the doorframe. Not dead. Not burned. Vin feasted his eyes on the body before him. It didn’t matter anymore what had happened since the last time he’d seen him, rushing into that burning building. Only that Larabee still breathed. He sucked in deep breaths of fresh air, trying to get his legs to move, to cross the room and set Chris free. At last, he gathered enough strength to make his way across the room.
Vin sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over Chris to work at the knots that held him tightly to the bed frame. He worked at the ropes, eyes blurred. Biting his lip to keep it from trembling, Vin took a deep shaky breath.
“I’m glad you’re here, cowboy. I… I thought you were dead.”
Chris looked up into the face above him, most of it hidden by the younger man’s arms. Something flashed in the dim light from the window. A drop of wetness struck his bottom lip. Unthinking, his tongue slipped out and tasted salt. A tear. Vin’s. The man had thought him dead. Chris blinked. Before his mind’s eye rose a vision of Tanner standing before the burning building he’d believed him trapped within. A shudder ran through his body as memories flowed together linking past and present. When they settled once again, he struggled to breathe deeply. A sense of wonder stole over him that this trail-hardened man would shed tears of happiness that he was still on this earth, still among the living.
Chris looked up at the partially hidden face of the one man he trusted above all others. He searched frantically for something to ease the tense emotional atmosphere swirling around them. Something to say that would push away the overwhelming emotions constricting his heart from the precious gift of a single drop still wetting his lip.
“Not yet… got too much unfinished business.” The words popped out before he could even think. Vin flinched, still struggling with the knot, his fingers fumbling with emotion.
“I’ll watch your back. I won’t fail you again.” The knot suddenly gave way. Chris reached out to grip both of Tanner’s upper arms tightly in his hands.
“You didn’t fail me. She’s crazy as a loon. I don’t want you anywhere near her.”
Vin’s eyes narrowed, a shuttered expression falling over them.
“I see.”
“No, pard. I don’t think you do. I couldn’t bear to lose someone else. I…” Chris shook his head. “I don’t think I could make it back this time.” Vin’s eyes widened as what he meant sunk in.
“Then I suppose we’ll just have to watch each other’s backs.” One corner of Vin’s mouth lifted in a flicker of a smile. Their hands reached out, seeking and finding the other’s forearms to grip, once more affirming their minds were as one in this.
Vin gathered clothing, not turning away as the man climbed off the bed. Allowing himself to look, scanning the lean form for injuries or bruises. Storing up memories… and more ammunition for the promise of retribution.
Chris stood, clothed again. Shaky at first, his stride firmed as he descended the staircase, buttoning his shirt as he moved. He paused on the front porch. The other men stood before him, shifting expressions on their faces.
J.D.’s eyes were wide in shock. A huge smile spread across Wilmington’s face. Josiah shouted with joy and Nathan started forward to check on the health of the man none of them had ever expected to see again. Ezra’s mouth opened and closed and opened again. The southerner was, for once, speechless. Chris looked into each face, acknowledging their pleasure at his re-appearance.
“Let’s ride,” he said and strode forward. Vin followed, two paces behind and to his left. Watching his back as always. The sun came out from behind the clouds, making the blond squint. Vin paused behind him to beat the dust from his hat and settle it on his head. Larabee looked over at the younger man and couldn’t help but smile.
“Nice hat, pard,” said Chris. Vin looked at him, eyes widening as he realized. With a grin, he pulled it off his head and offered it to Larabee. Chris took it in one hand, reaching out to grip the tracker’s forearm with the other. His eyes traveled up and down the slender form. Resting on blue eyes again, he let his own express what he was feeling.
“Black’s hot for this time of year,” said Chris.
“No kiddin’,” replied Vin, flapping the black shirt he wore as if fanning himself. “Can’t figure out how you stand it, cowboy.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to lighten up a little.” Chris smiled into his eyes. Vin stood stunned, his heart in his eyes.
“Not too much. Wouldn’t quite be you,” he said. Chris nodded and turned back to the others who stood grinning like fools.
“What you staring at?” growled Chris. “Can’t a man show his appreciation for a friend’s good taste without everybody gawking at him?”
“Welcome back, Chris,” said Buck, grinning widely.
“Likewise,” drawled Ezra. J.D. approached, leading their horses, including one he’d rounded up for Chris.
“Here, Vin,” Dunne said simply and handed the man his tan Cavalry hat. The tracker tilted his head and smiled in acknowledgement, placing the worn piece back where it belonged over his brown curls.
“Let’s go home,” said Nathan, turning to his horse.
“Amen, brother,” intoned Josiah.
The men mounted and rode over the hill, never looking back. Ella had disappeared into thin air, once more escaping their wrath. But they were together and all was well with their world once again.
~~<&*&>~~
Vin climbed down from the saddle and turned Peso loose in the corral. The sun was low in the western sky. He strode onto the porch and through the door of Chris’ shack. The blond stood at the stove, stirring something in a large pot. He turned and grinned at the younger man.
“Excellent timing as always, pard,” the blond said. Vin snorted, thinking swiftly of all the times he’d been off… way off.
Chris laid the spoon on the stove and moved across the room. He lifted a hand, stroking his thumb across Vin’s cheekbone, curling his long fingers into the soft hair and around the back of his skull. Tanner’s hair was damp underneath and Chris smiled at the thought that the younger man had stopped to bathe in the creek on the way to his shack. He’d spent time cleaning himself thoroughly this afternoon as well.
“I thought we’d agreed you didn’t fail me,” he said softly, looking into blue eyes that still held guilt.
“You agreed,” said Vin hoarsely. He could feel the heat from the lean body so close to him.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to just…” Chris moved his thumb upwards slightly to caress it over Vin’s eyebrow and drift lightly down his temple to circle the soft skin just in front of his ear. “Convince you.” His breathing sped up.
“Speak now…” The rest of the sentence went unsaid. His breath wafted over Vin’s face as he moved closer. His eyes drooped, focused on the mouth that was so near. Vin sighed, his lips parting slightly.
Chris pressed his lips to Vin’s. They were soft and relaxed, untutored in the ways of kissing. The younger man sighed again, his mouth parting more. Chris took a chance and slipped his tongue out to swipe lightly at the opening.
“Is this real?” asked Vin, reaching up to lightly press his fingers to Chris’ damp mouth.
“It’s real,” breathed Chris. “I’m real.” Vin shuddered, his eyes going dark at the memories of the last days.
“No, Vin. Stay here. Stay here with me. Right now. In the present.” The heat of Chris’ breath, as well as his words drew Vin back. He drew a deep breath, his eyes clearing. Softly, he stroked his fingers over Chris’ lips. Tracing them, a smile lit his face like sun coming out from behind clouds.
“Ready to take a step into the future?” Chris reached between them and clasped Vin’s forearm in their symbol of closeness. Smiling as well, he pulled the other man, backing up towards the bedroom. “Let’s take this somewhere a little more comfortable.”
Vin swallowed heavily, his eyes now wide and frightened, but he nodded.
“All right pard?” asked Chris. Vin nodded again though his face told a different story.
Once inside his bedroom, Chris drew him into his arms and kissed him again. His tongue swept into Vin’s mouth and he moaned. His body shook. He’d never felt anything so intense. Vin clutched at Chris, wrapping his arms around him, relishing the hard feel of his body pressing into him. He’d never indulged in kissing but now he let Larabee’s mouth teach him. Wonderful glorious lessons that made his body throb and ache. And one thing to be said for Vin, he was always a quick study. Shortly, he was ravaging Chris’ mouth as expertly as someone who had spent a lifetime studying the art. When he heard deep groans coming from Larabee, he pulled back. Reaching up to frame the blond’s face in his hands, he looked into fiery green eyes.
“I’m ready, cowboy,” he said. “Show me.”
“No more fear?”
“No more fear.”
Chris grinned, his eyes flashing. He toed off his boots and, leaning over, set them against the wall behind the door. Vin followed suit, lining his up right beside Larabee’s. It looked right to him, side by side.
Larabee tugged on his arm and he turned back to look into his face. He smiled. Chris took his arm again and pulled him over to the bed. Reaching out, he began to unbutton Vin’s shirt. Tanner stood and looked at his face, as if seeing it with new eyes. Chris was down to his waistband and he tugged the tails of his shirt out of his pants. He slid it down Vin’s arms. Then he began to unbutton his undershirt. Tanner stirred himself and reached out to Chris’ buttons. His hands were shaking. He fumbled, trying to still the trembling of his fingers and failing.
“Sorry, cowboy,” he said softly. “Ain’t never done nothin’ like this before.”
“Not something I do real often either, pard… or at least not for a long time.” Chris leaned in curling his hand around Vin’s neck. He brushed his lips against the younger man’s again. Tanner pressed into the kiss. For a long moment they stood, tasting each other, exploring with tongues.
“Time to cut to the chase,” said Chris. He reached down and began to undo the buttons of his pants. In just a short time he had skinned out of them, taking his socks along. He stood again, catching Vin’s eyes. The younger man took a deep breath and did the same. In moments, they were both bare, eyeing each other somewhat warily, trying to look and not look at the same time.
Chris grinned. Giving Vin a hard push, he knocked him down across the bed. The tracker growled and moved as if to leap up and tackle Larabee. But then a small smile tipped the corner of his mouth. He lifted up enough to jerk the covers off the bed, pulling them out from under him and throwing them to the floor. Stretching out on the sheets on his side, he looked up at Chris with smoky eyes. He patted the bed beside him.
The blond let his gaze start at bare toes and rise slowly, lingering at the groin dusted with light brown curls. Vin’s cock firmed as he watched. One of the tracker’s hands slid down to cover the evidence of his desire and a blush darkened his chest and face.
“No, don’t cover yourself,” said Chris, moving to lie on the bed beside him. He took Vin’s wrist and pulled the hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips to the palm. “You’re so beautiful.” Vin flushed even darker and pulled his hand away.
“Ain’t beautiful. That’s for ladies!”
“Sorry… wrong word,” chuckled Chris. “There’s nothing ladylike about you. You are mighty fine looking though, Vin Tanner.” The tracker looked away, struggling with the words that confused him and aroused him at the same time. He felt hot, then cold. His body was shaking. A light hand covered his. Vin opened his eyes and found Chris laying there silently, just looking at him. He gulped in air.
“I don’t know…” Vin fumbled with the words. Taking a deep breath, he began again. “What do we do now, Chris?” he asked. Biting his lip, he looked down face still red and flushed.
“You know what makes you feel good,” replied Chris. “We’re the same, you and I. Do what you like.”
Chris leaned in to kiss him again, lightly at first, tugging his lower lip free from his teeth. Vin hooked his arm around his neck, deepening the kiss. His tongue slipped out to brush across the other man’s mouth. Larabee opened to the touch and allowed him to explore. Vin moaned as their tongues twined together. Chris pulled his other arm beneath him and moved closer, their bodies coming into contact slowly.
Their chests touched first, flat and firm, the slight roughness of hairs rubbing against nipples. The touch sent shafts of sensation straight to his cock. Vin arched into the contact, wanting more and their hips brushed. He could feel the hard sleekness of Chris’ cock pressing into his belly. The tip of it painted trails of dampness there as the other man moaned and thrust against him. He gasped. It was so strange and new. He’d never felt anything like this before. Larabee threw a leg over his hip. It felt right and good to slip his thigh between Chris’, pressing up and in until the older man gasped, pushing harder against him. He threaded his fingers through blond hair, pulling the man’s mouth down to him and savaging it with deep sucking kisses. Their bodies rocked together with slow jerking movements. His body shuddered.
“Ohhh,” he moaned into Chris’ mouth. “Feels good.” Tanner couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough. The hand stroking him so intimately pulled sensations from his body that he never would have imagined were possible.
Someone else’s hands on his body… touching him. Suddenly, his heart pounded wildly. Shocked at how he’d allowed another man to touch him, kiss him. Why had he thought this was right? He struggled wildly in Chris’ arms, his breath catching in his throat. He couldn’t get enough air. Vin pulled back and found green eyes looking at him.
“Shh,” said Chris, his hand stroking slowly up and down Vin’s back in soothing motions. “It’s all right.”
And he saw in Chris’ eyes that it was. He understood the feelings that had brought him here. Understood and shared them. It was right, here in this time, with this man. His fate had led him to this moment and they were both ready to take this step.
Chris moved across his face, nipping and sucking lightly to settle at his ear. Vin let himself sink back into Chris’ arms, relishing the feel of bare skin against his, hot mouth on him. He was so centered on the sensation of lips nibbling at his earlobe that he jumped when a warm, dry hand encircled his penis. Chris’ palm stroked over the head and he cried out jerking his hips forward. “Ahh! Ohh!”
“Yesss,” hissed Chris. “Let it out. Let me hear how it feels.”
Vin had never had anyone’s hand there but his own. The feelings it evoked rushed through his body. It was so good he couldn’t hold back. He thrust wildly, rising swiftly to a climax. Chris’ hand tightened and he pulled back at the almost pain of it. Vin growled, tugging sharply on Chris’ hair.
“Slower,” whispered Chris in his ear. “Slow down.” Vin slid his arm down to Chris’ shoulders, pulling the hot body tighter against him. His nipples felt like points of fire as he rubbed them against Chris’ chest. Inarticulate sounds came from him and he buried his face against Chris’ shoulder. The musky scent of the man surrounded him. He gasped, wanting to say something but there were no words there, only sensations. Vin struggled to express them to the other man, but nothing coherent would pass his lips.
“Good,” Chris murmured in his ear.
Larabee’s free hand trailed a path of fire down his body until it settled on one of the cheeks of his ass. He gripped a handful and drew Vin’s hips in tighter. His cock had never been so hard and he squirmed trying to press harder, deeper into the hand that held him.
The tracker was making delicious sounds now, full of passion and heat. Chris wrapped himself around the lean body, rubbing against every inch. His mouth latched onto a tender spot just below Vin’s ear and he sucked fiercely. A growl erupted from the tracker’s chest and his hips jerked. Chris smiled around a mouthful of flesh and bit down on the spot. Tanner cried out, pushing into his hand. They were pressing so tightly together now it was hard to breathe. Vin’s arm underneath him was curled tightly around his back, fingers digging in deeply as he thrust against him harder and harder.
He could feel the hard cock pressing deep into his hip and desire washed over him. He wanted to know what Chris was feeling with his hand wrapped around him. Vin worked his hand between them. He moved it slowly until his fingers found the heated silky hardness that was Chris. As he curled his palm around it, his thumb stroked over the head. The blond groaned, deep and long. His breathing quickened and he felt a coil of heat in his belly at that sound. He’d made Chris sound like that. His touch.
Their hands met around their cocks. They slid against each other slickly within the tight circle of fingers to palm to fingers. Vin was gasping as his body took over, finding a perfect rhythm with Chris’, thrusting and rubbing, hands pulling and twisting. He moaned, half muffling the sounds against the salty tasting skin of the other man’s shoulder. Sounds poured from his lips. Groans and cries of passion. He heard soft gasps in his ear from Chris.
Vin’s body tingled all over. He pushed back into the tight grip of Chris’ hand on his ass. Then that hand lifted him back into the hand that stroked his cock. The heat and tightness in his belly was building. He was shaking all over and gasping as the feelings zipping through his body swept over him. His heart hammered in his chest. He could feel Larabee’s pounding as well. Then he was there, on the crest and falling, howling out his pleasure even as he felt Chris’ cock throbbing in his hand. His body jerked and twisted as he felt thick fluid pulsing over his hand. Chris’ inarticulate cry echoed in his ear and his hips snapped against Vin one last time as he found his own climax.
He floated boneless and sated, warmth surrounding and suffusing him for a long time. Chris shifted slightly and he managed to get his body to respond enough to open his eyes just a little. Startled, he heard a whimper from his own throat as Larabee moved away from him.
“Shh,” said Chris, gently brushing his hair out of his face. “I’ll be right back.”
Vin gulped and nodded, shamed to hear that sound coming from himself. As Chris turned to leave the room, he saw the red welts on the other man.
“Your back,” he blurted out. Chris looked back at him over his shoulder. His hand snaked back to touch the scrapes from Vin’s nails down his back.
“Bit of a wildcat, are ya?” said Chris, grinning. “I like that. Your marks on me.” His eyes went to the spot beneath the tracker’s ear. “Only fair after all.” Chris winked and strode into the other room.
Vin’s breath was still uneven. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to regain control over a body that seemed to have no strength. Before he could manage that feat, Chris had returned. He jumped at the feel of the warm, wet cloth on his belly.
“I… I…” he managed to get out, pulling away from the touch.
“Let me,” said Chris.
He looked up into the face leaning over him and saw only a strange tenderness. Vin let the other man wipe him clean, even uncurling his hand to wrap the cloth around each finger. He shivered as the cooler air hit the dampness on his belly. Chris tossed the cloth behind him to the corner.
“Here,” he said, as he pushed at Vin’s body, rolling him to his back. “Turn over.” Tanner tried to get his body to respond and managed to flop to his other side.
Chris moaned happily as he curled his body around Vin. Somehow it sounded right when he made those sounds. Not so helpless and needy as when Vin had made them. The blond pressed tightly against him, wrapping both arms around him, capturing his hands in his own. He spooned their bodies together perfectly as if he knew just how to fit them against each other. Chris tucked the quilt he’d pulled off the floor around both of them, encasing them in a warm cocoon.
Vin moaned again, his body melting against the one behind him. He could feel Chris chest against his back, the nipples rubbing against his skin and the slightly rough feel of hair. Chris’ belly curved around his hips, his softened cock nestling between the cheeks of his ass as if it had found a new home. Knees behind his own, curling him into a ball. Tops of Chris’s feet brushing lightly against the sensitive arches of his own. Arms around his ribs, hands wrapped around his, tucked under his chin. A couple of fingers stroked his neck lightly, settling on the pulse beating there.
Vin found his mind drifting, going back to that moment when orgasm rushed over him. The feel of another heart beating against him, in time with his own. The connection that had leapt between them at the moment of their meeting… pulsing, flaring into something that was so good and full of light that he knew. It was fate. It was right. They belonged like this, curled together, hearts and minds in tune. Bodies heavy with the consummation of feelings that had brought them here. They were meant to be.
Chris sighed and pressed his lips to the back of the warm neck before him. “Mmmm,” said Chris, nuzzling at the mark he’d made just below Vin’s ear. “What ya thinking about, pard?”
“Ahhh,” sighed Vin, arching his neck to make it more accessible to Larabee’s mouth.
They’d always done without words. Spoken with their eyes of the deeper things that tugged at their hearts, just a nod or tilt of the head. Perhaps it was time for the words now. Time to seal their fate, the one that had swept over them that one moment on a dusty street. “Was jus’ thinkin’… ain’t it funny….”
Fini
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| Ain’t It Funny
It seemed to be like the perfect thing for
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