Disclaimer: Do I really have to remind you people that I don't own the rights to these characters? I mean, c'mon... We're all adults, here. (Or at least, we better be! :) I think someone's suffering from a little obsessive complex, don't you? I mean, if they don't understand I'm not making money off of this by now... But, I digress. What was I going to say? Oh, never mind...
Notes: No, this is not the story voted on; no this is not one I've been working on and promising to finish...well, in a way it is.... I digress, again. It just popped into my head. Blame too much coffee, not enough sleep, and more than a fair dosage of stress and pain. This may have a sequel, and it may not... I'm not sure yet. Also, this is not betaed, and, being 2:00am, please grant me mercy on the mistakes. Any and all comments, good or bad, are welcomed! Enjoy!
The lightning was hot and ragged in the sky, followed by a loud, quaking roll of thunder that jolted through everyone in the town of Four Corners, be they awake or asleep. The early spring storm was in full force, and was enjoying making its presence known into the peaceful, slumbering world. The rain fell in fat, heavy drops, making the dirt-streets dark with mud and the wood of the buildings dampen and glisten with its moisture. It beat out a soft, staccato rhythm on the glass windows, creating a count-down of sorts between the increasingly loud claps of thunder.One window seemed especially hard hit by the rain, as it faced the direction the storm had attacked from. The curtains were open, allowing each streak of white fire from the black sky to lighten the room to almost the measure of daylight. The owner of the room, however, seemed not to notice as Mother Nature provided a light-show to his rapid tossing, turning, and incoherent muttering. Feeling ignored by the man that continued to sleep through her celebration, the storm let out a mighty crack of lightning.
Ezra Standish jerked up in his bed, feeling the covers twisted tightly around his form from his restless antics. The sweat was heavy on his brow, as well as his upper lip, and the gambler was hard put to stop the shaking of his hands. The effects of his dreaming, influenced by the severe storm that still raged fiercely outside, raced through his blood, making it run hot and cold both at the same moment. Ezra lay back on the sheets, damp with his sweat, and closed his eyes, tightly.
Feeling the bed shift, Ezra sighed quietly as a slender, but strength filled arm made its way over his chest to wrap around his side. He felt the warm breath of his lover before he heard that voice, so young and full of life, like silk in his ear.
"Just a storm..." Ezra nodded slightly but refused to open his eyes, unable to stop the cringe that passed through him as another crack of lightening shook him to the core. He felt the bed shift again and knew that his lover had raised up on one elbow to look at him, but Ezra still kept his eyes closed, not wanting the other to see the haunted gaze they held. He didn't need to open them to see his lover. The long, black locks, shining even in the darkness, fanning down around his face as he looked at the southerner. Those hazel eyes, so full of love, wonder, and life, now tinged with worry for him. That last thought forced Ezra to open his eyes, not being able to take the burden of causing his lover worry.
JD Dunne was just as he had pictured, but Ezra felt some of his tension drain away at seeing the real thing. No picture in his mind could ever do the young sheriff justice. Leaning, as he was, JD's chest was stretched just slightly, the pale flesh bare to his waist where it disappeared under the sheets. There was the slightest hint of stubble along his young cheeks, and it made a raspy sound as Ezra lifted a hand to trace the soft line of JD's jaw. The dark-haired man smiled and captured the gambler's hand in his, bringing the palm to his lips for a kiss. He felt the other man tense as a low rumble of thunder came at them.
"What is it?" JD watched an a slow flush climb Ezra's face and kept his eyes locked with those of his lover. He could see the pain that was in that gaze, and it made him ache down deep inside. He'd always known that the southerner had a less than remarkable childhood, but ever since they'd become lovers, almost three months ago, he'd begun to see more and more of the after-effects of that childhood. There were dreams, nightmares, and times when JD was sure that Ezra had just plain gone mad as he sat at his window, late in the night, not even acknowledging the younger man when he'd stood behind him. The look he saw now... He knew that look.
Very slowly, JD sank down next to the still slightly panicky man beside him, wrapping his arms tightly about him. Ezra stiffened for a moment before relaxing into the grip, bringing his own arms up to wrap around JD's neck. The dark-haired man snuggled their bodies closer, allowing them both to feel as much of the other as was possible, skin to skin. Ezra seemed so fragile in his arms that JD couldn't have forced himself to move any quicker than the slow pace he had now for fear of breaking the precious gift he held in his arms.
"It's alright, Angel... It's alright. It was just a dream." JD continued to repeat the phrase, holding his lover tighter as the storm continued, each crack of lightning or rumble of thunder sending Ezra into a tenseness of flight. Gradually, JD was rewarded as Ezra relaxed in his arms, allowing himself to be held and protected, acknowledging that he was safe.
For his part, Ezra did his best to calm the shudders, but it was difficult. They stemmed from a period so long ago that, when it slipped past the blocks he had placed on it, seemed like only yesterday. The summer he'd spent with his Uncle Lewis in Georgia. The then ten year old boy had been locked into the root cellar as punishment for a discretion that Ezra couldn't even remember. It had warranted him a week in the dark pit, however. The darkness hadn't bothered him, however, nor the loneliness. It had been the rats that, after a day, had decided to come out and welcome him. They had come at him out of the darkness, biting here, clawing there... But never too many at once. Until, that is, the night of the storm. It had begun to rain heavily, leaking into the cellar. Then, the thunder and lightning started. The water had risen higher higher, causing both the boy and the rats to seek higher ground. With each flash of lightning, Ezra had seen more and more of the furry creatures moving towards him, climbing atop him to escape the water, biting him when he tried to pull them away. And always, the low rumble of thunder, like the laughter of his uncle, coming from all directions....
Ezra suddenly became aware of JD's lips on his skin, trailing slow kisses across his collarbone and up to his neck. He allowed the youth to roll him to his back, hearing that sweet voice again as it continued to murmur words of comfort between the warm touches of his lips. JD finally reached his mouth and Ezra managed a weak smile before tensing again against the onslaught of the storm. JD leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss to his lips before lowering his head and nuzzling at Ezra's neck, his mouth close to the gambler's ear.
"Just a dream, Angel... Let's see if we can't make it go away..." JD paused to see if Ezra was okay with his plans, not wanting to do anything that would upset the small amount of balance it seemed the gambler had found in his arms. Ezra nodded slightly and JD moved back up to kiss Ezra's lips hungrily, beginning to devour them with his own. The gambler moaned a response, reaching up to wrap a hand in JD's long, silky black hair, turning his head so that they could deepen the kiss. JD broke away and took a deep breath before moving himself fully on top of the man below him, rubbing his hardened flesh against Ezra's awakening member.
The two men moved as one, thrusting the hardness of their echoing flesh against each other with a gentle rhythm that made Ezra forget all about the drum of the rain on his window. JD claimed his mouth again, breathing a low moan into his throat as he moved faster, feeling his release fighting with his self-control to escape. JD's hair fell around them, creating a small veil of silence in the storm as their own whirlwind of pleasure finally came to a crashing result, both men bucking fiercely at the other, hot, swollen skin meeting hot, swollen skin in an ecstasy of motion.
Ezra reached up and grabbed JD's hips, hauling him down and holding him still as the gambler found his release, crying out softly as he felt his heat erupt from deep within him, coating his and JD's stomaches, mixing with JD's seed as, only seconds later, the youth came as well. Ezra felt his body go limp and he was hard pressed to find the difference of the thunder from the storm to that of the thunder his blood made in his head as he came down from his own storm of frenzy. JD lay down on top of him, still whispering the southerner's name in a sleep-heavy tongue.
Raising up, JD placed a second gentle kiss to Ezra's lips, bringing up one hand to brush away a strand of Ezra's sweat-dampened hair that had fallen across his forehead. He then clasped his fingers and rested them on Ezra's chest, setting his chin on them so that he was looking down into the green gaze of his lover.
"I love you, Ezra. You know that, don't you?" Ezra closed his eyes as the joy of those words flooded his soul. The same joy that always accompanied such a declaration from the young man atop him. Ezra simply nodded, knowing that JD would understand his lack of words to represent the full weight of his understanding. With a small grin, Ezra moved to roll over, trapping JD under him. He saw JD's mouth open to speak, but the words were lost as a loud crash came from the window....
Ezra moaned slightly as he hit the floor, hearing the rumbling thunder from the storm outside. He looked around dazedly, trying to understand how he'd wound up on the floor next to his bed, freezing from the cold wind that blew in from his window... His window which, thanks to a broken piece of board, was now partially in pieces on the floor. Ezra reached up and gingerly felt his head, gratified to find no blood on his fingers as he felt of the slightly swollen lump that represented where he'd hit it on the way down.
Just then, a shaft of soft light from the lanterns in the hall lit his room, and Ezra peered over his bed to see a sight that made him go dry in the mouth. JD stood in the door for a moment before rushing into the room and kneeling by Ezra's side, his fingers sure and quiet as he reached up to push Ezra's hair away from his forehead and examine the bump there. He'd been on his way to his room, just off patrol, when he'd heard Ezra cry out, a shatter of glass, and a loud thump. Upon opening the door, JD had acted on instinct rather than curiosity, making sure the southerner was alright before he even thought to question anything.
Ezra stared at the image before him. JD's bowler was slightly off-kilter on his head, and his body was covered in a rain-slicker, but the eyes, lips, and hands were just as he had dreamed. Just as he'd always dreamed. Soft, tender, and caring. JD stood back up as soon as he realized that Ezra was alright and moved to clear away some of the mess the glass had left, shrugging out of his slicker and using it to create a temporary patch for the window. Ezra managed to struggle to his feet, wrapping the sheet about his waist to hide the damp stain he knew would be there.
"I appreciate your assistance J...Mr. Dunne. However, as you have just come off patrol, I believe it to be best if you were to go and gain your rest, if there is any to be had in this infernal weather. I assure you I will be quite alright." Ezra was proud his voice didn't waver as he stared at the object of his dreams for the past three months. JD smiled at him, making the gambler's blood sing before he moved back to the door.
"I'll see ya in the morning, Ezra. I bet I can fix ya up a good patch for that window pane, if ya like. Always was good with my hands." Ezra almost died then and there, but managed to keep himself standing.
"Your expertise and assistance in that matter will be most appreciated. Thank you Mr... JD." The young sheriff nodded and went to leave again before turning once more, his gaze going deeply into Ezra's eyes. Ezra swallowed for a moment, wondering what else the younger man could want.
"Sorry about busting in like that, Ez, but I heard ya cry out and..." The gambler was glad the light was dim as he blushed slightly, wondering just what the younger man would do if he'd known the reason for that cry...
"Merely an unpleasant experience that decided to make itself present once again in my nocturnal thoughts." When JD didn't respond, he simplified his answer. "A bad dream." He watched the slight confusion on JD's face give way to an understanding nod. The look in his eyes gave Ezra the impression that the youth was more than familiar with dreams of such a sort. Ezra resisted the urge to repay the comfort JD had offered to him, even if it had been a dreamed-of comfort.
"You wanna talk about it, Ez? I mean, I know I'm not the best at understanding things, but...." Ezra felt his body responding to the tender care and innocence that was being offered.
"Thank you, JD, but you have already helped me to forget it. Now, I insist you go and try to get some rest. I assure you that I will be fine." JD saw the honesty in Ezra's eyes and smiled slightly as he pulled the door closed after him.
"I hope it doesn't come back, Ezra. Good night." And with that, the door clicked shut. Ezra stared at it for a moment before sitting down on the edge of the bed, not even noticing the sticky wetness of the sheets he sat on, or those about his body. He looked over at the slicker that now blocked the flashes of lightning, creating a veil of darkness in his room. Ezra reached up and rubbed hand through his hair as he remembered the soft touches JD had given him in his examination of his head.
"Just a dream...." he said quietly to the room as he laid down on the bed, not even noticing the low rumble of thunder as he remembered the thunderous rush of pleasure from his dream, followed by the gentle, sure, and quiet touches of his dream that had been, if only for a few minutes, in the flesh.
THE END
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