Vin had had enough. The silent communication he had once had with the team leader was long gone, only to replaced with bitter and snapping retorts. He had no idea what he was supposed to have done to upset Chris, for the leader's relationships with the rest of the team seemed unchanged. The sharpshooter had no idea what had caused this dramatic turn in their connection, all he knew was he was growing tired of fighting Chris Larabee at every turn.Lost in thoughts he didn't pick up on someone approaching his desk.
"Well, if it isn't old Cat's eyes."
Vin was brought back from his troubles by the old and familiar voice. A smile spread, his blue eyes losing some of their dullness as he jumped up to meet his old friend.
"Boon!" Vin exclaimed as he ignored the looks from the other team members and grabbed hold of the older man, slapping him on the back. "Where the hell have you been hidin'?"
Bear hugging the sharpshooter back, Boon separated and looked at Vin. "To answer your question, here and there. You know me, where's there trouble, you'll find Boon." he laughed. "What about you. Damn, an ATF agent! You went and got civil on me, Cat. Never saw you as one for paper work."
Vin tried to ignore the sniggers that were coming from Buck and JD's cubicles everytime Boon used his old nick name. He knew he was never going to live this done. "What are ya doin' for lunch?" he asked as he changed the subject.
"Having lunch with an old buddy," Boon smiled.
Grabbing his coat and his pager, Vin stopped suddenly, staring at Boon. "Who's buyin'?" He knew his friend ate like there was no tomorrow.
"Hell, your the one with high paying civil service job, you are!" Boon laughed.
Peering around one of the cubicles, Vin gave Buck a warning glare. "I'm goin' to lunch, be back in an hour."
"Okay, I'll tell Chris," Buck smiled. "Bye--Cat." he chuckled to the retreating sharpshooter's back. The merriment soon faded as he thought of Chris. It wasn't long ago that Vin would have leant in Larabee's office and told Chris himself what he was doing, but something had gone real wrong between them.
Taking a deep breath he wandered over the Chris' office, he wasn't surprised to see his old friend standing near the window, looking out into their work area.
He must have seen Vin leave
Knocking, Buck let himself in. The dark cloud that had hovered over Chris' when it came to Vin was even darker now.
"And where the Hell does Tanner think he's going?" Chris' frowned. He had watched from his desk as the stranger walked past his window and then had watched the display that Vin had put on with older man. "This is an office for Godsake! And since when does a member of this team, not tell me that they are leaving this office." he demanded.
Buck, like Vin had had enough of Larabee's temper tantrums, and he was determined to find out what was wrong with Chris. Slowly closing the door behind him, Wilmington turned to his friend. "When he gets his head bitten of for tellin' you he is goin' for a piss, that's when. What the fuck has gotten into you Chris? You are treating that man like his has leprosy or somethin'."
"I don't treat him any different than any other member if this team." Chris shot back.
"Like Hell!" Buck retorted. "There was something special about your relationship with Vin and you're throwin' it away." Suddenly, without warning Buck saw the problem with sudden clarity. Oh shit!
"Special? Tanner is just one of seven. I will not treat him any different, than the others." Chris answered.
Shit! I don't believe it Buck was struck silent as he tried to come to terms with his realization.
"You didn't tell me where he was going?" Chris asked his still silent friend.
Now what do you do, Wilmington? Chris has no idea why he is doing this. How do you handle this landmine with an explosive charge called Larabee...Shit!
"BUCK!"
"What?" Buck asked as he came out of his stupor.
"I asked you where Vin went?" Chris asked again.
"Doesn't matter where he went," Buck answered as he looked at Chris and wondered why he had noticed before. "The point is, do you want him back?"
A look of panic passed over Chris' face, "What do you mean? He's only gone for lunch or something, hasn't he?"
Stepping closer, Buck placed a hand on Chris' shoulder. "Yeah this time, but if you keep pushin' him away like you have been, maybe one day he won't come back."
Moving out from under his old friend's hand, Chris shoved his hands into his pocket as he tried to get his emotions under control. "Of course he will come back, this is his job."
"I'm not talkin' about the job, Chris. I'm talkin' about the fact you are in love with Vin."
If looks could kill, Buck knew he would be dead on the office floor at this very minute, as the veins in Chris' neck stood out in livid rigids.
"I should shoot you where you stand Wilmington."
"Maybe, and you can, if you have a mind to, after I have my say." Buck said as he braced himself. "I don't know why I didn't notice it before, but you have that same fire around Vin, that you had with Sarah. Granted it is different, but it's there all the same. You just refuse to see it."
"You're telling me," Chris spoke through clenched teeth as he tried to control his rage, "that after a healthy and normal relationship with a my beautiful Sarah, that I have fallen in love with a man?"
You're a pigheaded idiot, if you think it makes any difference whether you are in love with a man or a woman. Love is love." Buck shot back, "Hell, Chris, most men would give anythin' to fall in love once, you've just been handed the gift of a second chance. Woman or no man, don't be foolish enough to let it go."
"God Buck," Chris sighed, collapsing into his chair as the realization set in. "I'm nearly a forty years old and I have fallen in love with a young man. You know how sick that makes me sound? Of course I have been pushing Vin away. Can you imagine how he will feel when his boss and friend walks up to him and says 'How are you today? By the way I'm in love you'. Damn it Buck, it will ruin everything."
"Anymore than you are killin' him now. What do you think the last few weeks have done to him? He doesn't know what he has done wrong. He's hurtin' and one way or the other you're going to have to fix it." Buck advised his friend. "Sometimes you have to take the risk."
Watching as Boon finished off his second helping, Vin laughed. He hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time, but his problems with Chris were still not far away from his thoughts. Though he was glad to see that his old friend Boon was alive and kicking. Boon was always the first one to volunteer for missions that no one else wanted. Vin always wondered if he had some sort if death wish, but if it was what he wanted, he never got it."So tell me Boon, why now? Why hunt me down after all these years?" Vin asked as he pushed his half eaten plate of food away.
Eyeing the plate, Boon pointed his knife at it, "Aren't you going to eat that?"
"Be my guest," Vin laughed as he pushed the plate over to Boon.
"Can't a fella--," Boon spoke between mouthfuls, "look up an old friend?"
Becoming serious, Vin tried to read Boon like he did Chris, well, like he used to be able to, but could not make his old friend out. "Of course and I'm more than glad to see ya, Boon, but it's been a long time, why now?"
"Why not," Boon answered as he finished off Vin's plate as well.
"Feel better now?" Vin smiled, shaking his head at the empty plates.
"Was a might hungry," Boon roared as he took a mouthful of beer to wash the food down.
"Anything else gentlemen," the waitress asked as she came to clear the tables.
"No thank ya ma'am," Vin answered.
"Well yes, Hon' I would like a whiskey, if it is no trouble, you sweet little thing you." Boon smiled as he looked her up and down.
Smiling, despite her discomfort with Boon's attentions, the waitress nodded as she cleared the table of the empty plates.
Vin was perplexed with Boon's behavior, his old friend had made it perfectly clear years ago that he preferred the company of men. He wondered if after all these years, Boon had changed sides, so to speak.
"Not bad, hey Cat?" Boon smirked, eyeing the waitress as she walked away.
"I suppose, she's alright," Vin answered, "When did ya start enjoyin' the other team?"
Downing the last of his bear, Boon looked deep into the blue eyes that stared so innocently back at him. "When I couldn't get what I wanted," Boon answered casually as he turned to accept the whiskey from the returned waitress, "Another darling, if you'd be so kind?"
All the air left Vin's lungs as he was gut punched with Boon's revelation. "Ya don't mean--,"
"You? Of course I do. I told you back when we were rangers how I felt. Nothings changed." Boon emptied his whiskey glass in one gulp.
Vin sagged back in his chair, "I told ya then Boon. I thought of ya as a brother, I didn't see my life that way. Surely, after all this time, there has been someone else?"
"Of course there has. They had blonde hair and blue eyes, but they weren't you Cat." Boon sighed as he raised his hand and clicked his fingers for another drink. "What about you then? What amazingly gorgeous woman has stolen your heart?"
Still stunned by Boon's statement, Vin shrugged as he turned his still half full glass of beer around in his hands, "There is no one at the moment."
"You're lying, I can see it in your eyes, Cat. There is someone, " Boon said as his lips pursed. Relinquishing his empty glass for a full one.
"Boon, why did ya come to see me, if ya still feel this way? If it still hurts so much?" Vin asked, unsure as to what Boon was seemingly reading in his eyes. All he knew was he felt badly for his old friend that he still felt this way about him.
"Just wanted to see you again, that's all and now that I have seemed to have embarrassed us both," Boon said as he gulped down his whiskey and slammed the empty glass on to the table. "I think maybe I should go back to my motel and sleep it off. I'm sorry if I have made you uncomfortable Cat, that is not what I intended. I just needed to see you again." he said sadly.
Vin smiled as he reached in to his pocket, "Wait here. I'll pay the bill and take ya back to yer room." he offered. Vin felt it was the least he could do for his friend, seeing as he was the cause if Boon's pain.
"Always were good to me Cat," Boon slurred.
@@@@@@@@@@
Vin struggled to the motel door, as Boon leaned heavily on him. He was a big man, larger than Josiah in weight and stature and was talking all his strength to hold him up. The sharpshooter tried it ignore the hands that became too friendly and put it down to his old friends intoxication.
"Here ya go, safe and sound," Vin grunted as he unlocked the door and struggled into the room with the staggering man.
"You're too good to me Cat," Boon smiled as he leant in and smelled Vin's hair. "You smell nice too."
Vin was becoming uncomfortable with Boon's attentions and as soon as he got the inebriated man on his bed he was out of there. "Thanks Boon. Come on let's get ya into bed, so I can get back to work."
"Get me in to bed. You know how long I have waited for you to say that to me?" Boon asked his voice appearing a lot more steadier than it had been.
Vin was suddenly unnerved as he tried to pry himself away from under his tipsy friend grip. "Boon, come on. I know ya have had too much too drink, but don't let this get out of hand."
"Hell, you didn't give me a second thought after you left did you?" Boon's voice thickened.
"Boon, I don't know what yer thinkin', but don't, please. You're my friend, I don't want that to change." he pleaded.
"Well I do." the big man said as he leaned in and tried to kiss Vin.
"Damn ya Boon! Why are ya doin' this to me? I don't want to hate ya, but I will." Vin promised as he pushed Boon away.
Boon reacted instinctively and back hand Vin, the force sending the tracker to the floor. "Don't make me do it, Cat. I love you and I want to make love to you." he crooned as he stooped down beside Vin, "Why won't you love me back?"
Vin wiped at the blood that spilled from his split lip, "Because I love someone else, Boon," he found himself finally admitting outloud. "You know, the funny thing is, I didn't know it until just now," Vin said picking himself up from the floor, " and for the record, he doesn't love me either."
Both men looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Boon's smiled faded and he was mortified at what he had done, "God, I'm sorry, Cat. I didn't come here to do this. I really did come here just to see you, it's just--,"
"Hell, what's a bleeding lip between friends." Vin said as he shrugged of the altercation, "Look Boon, I'm late for work, we'll meet for dinner, but just dinner okay?" he smiled letting Boon know he was forgiven.
Boon collapsed on the bed as he watched his friend leave.
Two days later Vin was driving to Chris ranch. It was the team leader's birthday and he had got a call that the party had been shifted to Chris' place. He wasn't exactly in the party mood. It had been a busy two days and nothing between he and Chris had seemed to be settled one way or the other.Pulling up to the ranch he was surprised, and annoyed to find that he was the first one there. "Shit!" he cursed as he imagined the uncomfortable silence they would have to suffer together before the others got there.
Chris heard Vin's jeep arrive and waited for the tell tail sound of the door closing, that would herald the sharpshooter's arrival, but there was nothing. Peering through the window, Chris could see Vin sitting in his car. Maybe this was a mistake. Why do I listen to Buck, shit!
Eventually Chris saw the sharpshooter move as he climbed from the jeep and after taking a long look at the house, began to walk toward it. Not wanting Vin to be the only one to make all the moves Chris went out on to the porch to meet him.
"Glad your here," Chris greeted him.
"Am I early, or too late?" Vin asked as nodded to the lack of cars.
"Never too late. I've been waiting for you."
Vin hesitated. This is a mistake
"Planning to stay out there all night pard?" Chris asked as he walked back inside.
"It might be safer," Vin mumbled as he followed Chris in.
The uncomfortable silence continued as Chris made his way to the kitchen. "Beer?"
"Sure, why not." Vin answered as he leaned back against the kitchen bench. Taking the offered bottle, he twisted the cap and clinked against Chris' beer, "Happy birthday Chris."
"Thanks Vin. How's the mouth?"
"Its fine,"
"You never did answer me. Why did your friend hit you that day?" Chris asked.
Vin studied the bottle in his hand, "Frustration, I reckon," God, I don't want to be talkin' to you about this "He needed somethin' that I couldn't give him."
Chris' eyes narrowed as the realization hit, "You mean he tried...?"
Vin knew he had said too much as he saw Chris becoming angry and tried to defuse his boss, "Hell, he only tried to kiss me Chris. I handled it. Anyway, he left that night. Couldn't face me I reckon."
Chris was relieved that Vin's friend was gone, but that the sharpshooter seemed not happy about a man loving a man, made him wonder if he should change his plans. "You don't feel that way about someone?"
"Yeah, someone" Vin tried to stop his body from giving himself away.
Needing courage, Chris took a long swallow from his beer, before setting it down on the bench. "Vin, I don't know who you care about, and please, I don't want what I am about to say to change anything between us,"
Shit he knows how I feel about him
"But I have to tell you something," Chris said as he stepped slowly toward the sharpshooter.
Not so close Chris, please
Chris was now only inches away from Vin, he could see the blue of the young man's eyes as they darted around looking for an escape. What am I doing?
Taking a deep breath, the older man reached out and touched his hand to Vin's face. "I love you Vin. I have been pushing you away because I didn't want to admit my feelings for you."
Vin's heart was racing as Chris' words echoed in his head, "Don't Chris," Vin barely managed to voice as gently took the hand from his face.
Chris' heart was breaking at the thought he had gone to far. Damn you Buck
"Don't say it unless its forever," Vin added as he stared in to the green eyes he loved so much.
Chris smiled, "I only do forevers. I have only been in love once before, Vin, and I will love Sarah till the end of time, but there is room for just one more extraordinary love. I can't promise you much, but I can promise that I will love you till my last breath if you'll let me."
"Let ya? Try and get away from me cowboy," Vin answered as put his beer down and reached out for Chris.
Blue eyes met green. Never breaking contact, the two men moved closer till their lips feather touched each other. This was the moment they both had been dreaming about and neither wanted to rush it. Hands tenderly, moved under material to caress bare skin. Still with eyes locked into each other's soul, they moved together. Gentle at first, the contact was like electricity as their lips finally made full contact.
Tentative at first, their kiss soon became a searing branding of each others heart and soul. Reluctantly breaking contact, they continued to stare at each other, as if each expected the other to change his mind.
"Happy Birthday Chris Larabee," Vin smiled as he licked his lips, still able to taste Chris.
Still able to taste Chris on his lips, and wanting more, Vin nervously nodded to the doorway. "What about the others?" The idea that he would be caught making love to his boss, by the other team members made him blush.Chris couldn't help but smile, he was standing in kitchen with a raging hard on for one of his male team members. More than that, he had a torrent of emotions for the blushing young man standing in front of him that he was going to act on. "Don't worry. I'm going to lock the world out. Anyway, the boys already gave me my birthday present. They are leaving us alone tonight." Chris grinned as he went to lock the front door.
"Oh God!" Vin moaned as he leant his head down on the bench. "They know?"
Chris was worried for a moment as he looked back at the mortified sharpshooter. "That worries you? That someone will find out about us?"
Realizing that his embarrassment might be taken the wrong way by Chris, Vin straightened up and walked over to him. "I'm sorry. No, cowboy, I ain't worried about what people will think of us. Just thinkin' about the ribbin' Buck's goin' to give me tomorrow," he chuckled.
"Hey, you should be grateful to our hairy friend. If it wasn't for Buck, I might not have come to my senses," Chris smiled as he grabbed the back of the sharpshooter's neck and pulled him in to a heart devouring kiss.
Left breathless, Vin's legs went weak, "Ahh, cowboy do ya think we can take this somewhere--more horizontal. If ya keep kissin' me like that I don't know how much longer I'm gonna be standin'."
"Well, I intend to keep kissin you like that, so why don't we take it in to the bedroom. I'd hate for you to go collapsing on me and have nowhere soft to fall."
"What are ya waitin' for then?" Vin asked as he grabbed Chris' hand pulled him through the house and into the bedroom.
Vin tried to control his trembling hands as he began to unbutton Chris' shirt, pausing only to plunder a kiss to a collarbone. His fingers couldn't be controlled as they pinched a nipple and explored the skin beneath them.
Chris reacted by pulling Vin in close, his hands traveling urgently to undress his new lover. Feeling like a teenager, on a first date, Chris knew this was right. Knew he needed Vin. Knew he needed to feel Vin's naked skin beneath his fingertips. It was his fantasy coming to life and it was even more than he had imagined.
Pushing Vin onto the bed, Chris managed to liberate his eager lover of his clothes, while managing the same freedom from his own confines. He had promised himself that once he started this relationship, there would be no second thoughts and looking down at his naked lover; there were none.
Anyway, he was too busy running his lips over the newly revealed flesh, pausing to take a nipple in his mouth, then continuing down to Vin's hardening cock. Any thoughts of his inexperience were lost in the throes of his own passion for the man beneath him. Caressing Vin in to a full erection, which wasn't that difficult, Chris sank on the bed, requiring another taste from Vin's offering lips, continuing to stroke his lover cock as they kissed.
"Oh Hell, Chris," Vin moaned under his lover's touch. "I'm gonna..."
"Not yet," Chris ordered as he released his grip, reaching on the bedside table, he poured some oil onto his hands.
"Chris..." Vin whined as he writhed on the bed.
"Is this what you want?" Chris asked as his mouth engulfed Vin's impatient shaft, as his hand caressed Vin's sensitive, puckered hole. Vin groaned, and pushed himself back into the bed. Chris' fingers though a finding that spot he had read about, gently stimulating it, until Vin was moaning.
"Harder. Oh God Chris harder!" Vin moaned.
Chris was somewhat relieved he had got it right, and listening to Vin begging for more just made his own hard cock, even harder. Smiling Chris coated his ardent member with the oil, and moved to take the ultimate step. "Are you ready for this?" He asked.
Vin smiled and nodded, needing it, but nervous at the same time. He felt a moment of pain, as Chris' cock gently pushed its way in and then as he opened up he gladly allowed the other man all the way into his body. Chris rocked gently, then pushed, and Vin cried out at the intense pleasure of the movement.
Vin looked up at the man who was hovered over him, claiming his body as his own and knew he was lost forever. Chris' long fingers entwined around his cock, and at the double sensation of having lover inside him, while he also pumped his cock, it was too much and Vin exploded.
Just as Chris was watching Vin climax, his own seed was soon released. Laying silently spent beside each other, both men seemed lost in their own thoughts.
"You're not sorry are you?" Chris asked as he turned to looked at Vin.
"Yeah, I am," Vin answered sadly.
"What?" Chris was shocked as he leant up on to his elbows to look at Vin.
"I'm sorry, cause I left yer damn present at home." Vin said half seriously.
Relieved, Chris eased his head down on to Vin's chest. "I think I just got my present. Thank you Vin."
Vin folded his arms around Chris and savored the feeling of at last being complete. "Happy birthday, Chris Larabee."
THE END