Vin/Chris, OW
Takes place after (of course) Sins of the Past.
Soundtrack: "Fugitive," Indigo Girls; "Winners and Losers," Social Distortion; "Sweet World of Angels," "Life is an Adventure," and "All I Want," Violent Femmes
NOT BETAED. Run away now.
© 2005 AuKestrel
More questions than answers, and that was about how it had been since the first time he'd laid eyes on Vin. He had a feeling that's the way it might always be, with Vin, and with anyone fixing to take it - it, life, death, night, day, dark light love -
He could hear Ezra in his head, the Southern drawl that made a mockery of everything he said, even when it wasn't meant: "Lay your money down, gentlemen, place your bets."
Not that anyone with any sense would play a hazard table Ezra was holding.
Placed his bets a while ago now, anyway.
Pony whickered as he pushed open the livery door. Been on his way to saddle up when he'd heard the shotgun rack. Vin hadn't gotten round to Peso either, still busy at the wagon.
After, when they'd stood in the street, a squeeze to Vin's shoulder all he needed to do to let Vin know that's where he was headed, a nod from Vin all Chris needed to know that was right.
Didn't figure Vin'd want him along, but then again didn't figure he wouldn't, so he saddled Pony first. "Along" could mean a lot of different things, specially to Vin.
Peso rolled his eyes at Chris but Chris was no JD and wasn't having any of it, and Peso knew it. Ornery as Vin sometimes, maybe more so, but all Peso needed was a firm hand to the bridle.
Could wish, sometimes, Vin was that easy.
Couldn't help wondering how much Vin was blaming him for it. There was Eli Joe, dead; there was Vin, still in Four Corners, and there was Chris, not knowing why, just glad of it.
Glad of it since they locked eyes in the street, the howls of Nathan's lynch mob fading to silence for a long moment; and glad of it every day since.
Glad of it most nights too, but this wasn't the time to remember -
Vin on his knees, a smile on his face Chris couldn't call anything but 'sweet,' a smile Chris'd never seen directed at anyone but Chris. This was how it should be, would be, since that first day, but who'd have thought -
His mouth was warm, warm and wet, and his tongue... Lord, his tongue, flashing out to lick, teeth flashing too, in another grin, and Chris not sure if Vin was laughing at him or with him, not really caring neither, not just then anyhow.
No sense comparing, no use, but the fancy ladies weren't much for it, and Sarah...
Vin'd pulled him away from that memory with a hand between his legs and more tongue, on his balls this time. Chris hadn't been sure what was better, the feel of Vin's mouth or the look on Vin's face, or maybe even the time Vin was taking, clear enough that he wanted this, wanted Chris this way, and Chris' mind had exploded about the same time as the rest of him, Vin's hat knocked off, Chris' hands buried in Vin's hair and Vin swallowing - no, gulping, and moaning his own self, one hand working Chris' flesh, the other hand working at his own crotch.
Chris had pulled him off and sunk to his own knees, his hand joining Vin's, his mouth finding Vin's, wanting - wanting! - to taste himself in Vin, wanting to swallow Vin's moans whole the way Vin had swallowed him. Two, three breaths later and Vin was moaning loud enough to wake the dead and spurting into, over, around their linked fingers.
And wasn't this the time to be thinking about such things, Vin a hair's breadth away from hanging, an eyelash away from bein' shot down in the street, shot in the back by a cur who didn't deserve the clean death he'd gotten.
Vin's footsteps sounded outside and Chris finished cinching Peso's girth strap. He straightened his back and their eyes met, sunlight slanting across the dust stirred up.
Vin had a sack with him; wasn't taking the wagon, then, but Chris hadn't thought he would.
"Full moon comin'," Chris said meaninglessly, leading Peso out of the stall.
"Yep," Vin said, another nod, moving around to the other side of Peso and starting to fill the saddlebag there.
"Reckon I could've shot him in the arm," Chris said after a few minutes, Vin's quiet getting on his nerves more than any words could have, about as ironic a twist of fate as anything else that had happened today.
"Reckon he'd still be dead," Vin said, not looking up. "Or me."
Chris grasped the saddle horn in his right hand, leaning up closer to Vin, or at least to his hat. Took more courage than he'd thought to say what he said next: "I'm thinkin' I maybe wanted him dead."
Vin looked up, looked him in the eye then, steady. "Can't blame you," he said after a few moments.
"Do you?" Chris asked, after the silence stretched again, unbearable.
Curse and blessing, wasn't any way Vin could see him any other way just now, and maybe the blessing part was wishful thinking.
Vin should've been hiding himself, or Chris hiding Vin in spite of himself, should've said the hell with it and gone down to Tascosa, should have -
Road to hell, Josiah would say, and Chris' grandam before that, good intentions never cut much ice with any of 'em.
He'd go to the end of the world for Vin, with Vin, and that was before -
Vin swung up in the saddle, just enough warning for Chris to move out of the way. Vin's hand covered his on the horn, just a touch, and then Vin said, "You comin'?"
7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Moon had long since risen before Vin called a halt. True to his nature, he had a fire going before Chris had gotten the horses hobbled.
Dinner wasn't much, pork and beans and water. Chris scrubbed the pan with sand while Vin took the horses down to the stream. Coming back to the fire, Vin took a swig of the whiskey Chris held out to him.
They both sat quiet a while, but their easy silence was back. Chris didn't have it in him to be grateful for much, but it was hard not to be grateful for this. When Vin broke the silence, it startled him almost as much as what Vin said.
"Dunno why you're thinking the choices were all yours, cowboy."
Chris took his time with the answer, washing it down with another swig of whiskey. "Maybe 'cause some of 'em were."
Vin looked at him sidelong, and damned if there wasn't a smile in his eyes. "I got to admit, Larabee, seeing you off kilter's about worth all this."
"You're going to hell, Tanner."
"I know." The grin had reached Vin's mouth now, same time as he reached for the bottle between them. Chris felt his own mouth stretch into a grin too, and he touched Vin's fingers on the bottle, just a brush, the way Vin had touched his on the saddle earlier. "Not today, though, and I ain't said - "
"You think I - we - you think any of us is gonna sit back and watch you hang?" Chris said, harsh and fast and not near as teasing as he meant it to sound.
"No," Vin said, sounding peaceable as always, making Chris' heart turn over even while he found himself having to grin. "Quit trying to start something, Chris, I ain't playing."
More than one way to take that, so Chris took it all ways, a hand on Vin's shoulder to steady himself as he got up to shake out the bedrolls. He put them side by side, like always, and Vin didn't say anything about it when he got back from the horses and the bushes.
Chris took his own turn at the bushes then, coming back in time to stash his boots and gun in arm's reach. He stripped down to his undershirt and drawers too, settled in next to Vin like they'd done so many times before, almost from the first. Didn't touch him, though; Vin was calling the shots right now no matter how much he laughed at Chris for it.
"I ain't china," Vin said, and, yep, he was laughing, out loud at the last, right before Chris pulled him over, muffling the sound in his chest.
Didn't think they'd ever come to this, didn't know how they'd ever come to this, where Vin was laughing at him, rolled up in blankets and a tangle of arms and legs, layin' heart to heart the way they stood shoulder to shoulder day in and day out.
"Where we headed, pard?" he said into Vin's ear, feeling the hitch in Vin's breath when he followed the words with a swipe of his tongue.
"Hell, I thought you said," Vin said, moving a hand down Chris' back like he was trying to pull 'em closer.
"Mind if we take a detour?"
Wasn't sure if he imagined it or heard it, Vin's whisper ghosting in his ear: "Follow you anywhere, cowboy." Didn't need to hear it to know it, after all, and Vin too - all they needed was this, his mouth on Vin's, Vin's mouth on his neck, hands between the two of 'em bumping each other, unfastening buttons and pushing cloth and buckskin and ties out of the way.
"We got to get Yates," Chris said, harsh-voiced, leaning on an elbow while Vin lined 'em up flesh to flesh, hard and slicking up already. "Take him back to Tascosa, make him talk."
"Won't matter none," Vin said, reaching up to Chris' neck to pull him down while he hooked his ankles behind Chris'. Chris let himself glory in the feel for a minute, a thrust or two, balls hard up against Vin's and Vin's hand on his ass, pushing in time.
"'Course it matters," he finally said, in between grunts, in between licks at Vin's mouth.
"Been thinkin'," Vin said, out of breath, chest arching up 'neath Chris, all signs he was close -
"Stop thinkin'," Chris growled, biting Vin's jaw, pushing just a little harder, just a little more. "Stop thinkin', Vin, just -"
"Just -" Vin echoed, throwing his head back, jerking under Chris. Chris rode it out, let Vin pull him over too, pull it out of him, sparks from the fire and behind his eyes, and nothing to do but feel.
Vin panted a while, counterpoint to Chris, then pushed 'em both over, rolled on top of Chris. They stayed like that a while longer, Chris' hand in the small of Vin's back, Vin's breath warm on his neck.