Pairing: Chris Larabee/Vin Tanner
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Spoilers: None

*****

There was no mistaking the longing in those eyes, the warmth in them whenever their eyes met. He didn't even seem to bother to hide it any more. There had been signs, many of them. Perhaps imperceptible to others, impossible for him to misinterpret. He almost turned towards him, almost intended to go and talk to him, then changed his mind and walked towards the table which three of his other partners sat at. "You're being awfully quiet tonight, boys," he observed. Not that he minded a bit of silence, it was just unusual to find it in the saloon of all places.

"And speaking of quiet," Buck said, without responding to the unspoken question. "Our quiet partner has been sitting alone in that corner all evening, hasn't he?" Buck smiled, shaking his head. "Even turned down a few of them ladies earlier." Buck nodded in the direction of a couple of young girls who were now sitting in other men's laps; smiling, twining long curls around their fingers, pleasing.

"They are making money instead of wasting time," Ezra pointed out. "I personally do not disapprove of that behavior. It shows class."

Buck laughed. "Well, I always found those girls classy too, Ez."

"Classy or not, they sure are pretty." JD got a far-away look in his eyes, then smiled to himself. "Not half as pretty as Casey, though," he said. "No way..."

"Of course not. The one closest to your heart is always the prettiest," Buck said, not missing a chance to teach his young friend about the important things in life. "Isn't that right, Chris?"

Chris looked at Buck, raising his eyebrows. Buck, and everyone else, knew that he didn't have anyone close to him. They weren't supposed to know. "If there is a person like that in your life, then I guess that's true," he said. Vin was that person in his life, and in Chris's eyes, he sure was the prettiest. The prettiest, and so much more. It shouldn't even be possible to feel that way a second time, and at his age. Possible or not, he did, but he wasn't ready to tell Buck about it. "No playing cards tonight?" he asked, changing the subject, ignoring the crooked smile Buck sent his way.

"I'm concerned I will find myself in the mood for winning a lot tonight, as is my habit, but I seem to find it harder and harder to take my dear partners' hard earned money," Ezra said, a slight look of boredom on his face.

"I feel for you," Chris said dryly. "No one else in the saloon willing to give up some of his gold to you?"

Ezra shook his head. "But it's still early. I'm hopeful yet." He smiled, but without looking at any of his friends. He didn't necessarily find them pretty, but they were getting closer and closer to his heart. That was worrying. And kind of nice, even if it meant he didn't want to take their money. "I won quite a lot last night," he said.

"You don't say," Buck said, chuckling. Looking up, he saw Vin approach their table. "Hello there," he said. "Was beginning to wonder when you'd join us." He got up from his chair next to Chris's. "Sit here, I'm gonna go get some more of this," he said, holding up the shot glass which still held some amount of whiskey.

"Thanks, Buck," Vin said, moving the chair closer to Chris's, then sitting down. He'd stayed in a corner of the saloon enough for this evening. He liked his solitude, liked watching Chris from a distance, liked knowing how aware they both were of each other's presence. This was better though, sitting close enough to Chris that he could touch him, close enough that he could feel the warmth of his body. Know that Chris could feel the warmth of his. He leaned back in his chair, stretching out his legs, his right leg touching Chris's left.

Chris felt how Vin's leg - not accidentally at all, he knew that - touched his own. He looked at him, briefly met his eyes. There was someting in those eyes tonight, something that he'd seldom seen there. He looked happy. Not wary, or concerned, or careful. Chris thought about it. Happy. That's what he'd felt himself lately, but he'd barely recognized the emotion at first, it had been so long since it last paid him a visit. So he and Vin were happy at the same time. And for the same reason, he assumed. That was something to consider carefully. He wondered if Vin had ever had previous experiences with men. His looks were definitely appealing to both men and women, and the way he was coming on to him now, you'd easily think flirting with men was a natural way for Vin to kill some time.

Chris was pretty certain that Vin hadn't been with a man since he'd come to Four Corners, but he didn't know much about his life before that. Considering how close they were, they hadn't talked much about their pasts, only really knew about the bad things that had happened. The fire, the bounty, the deaths. Perhaps the time had come to change that now. The way Vin kept his leg firmly beside his left Chris in no doubt about what Vin wanted, and he could go along or not. He leaned closer to Vin, then said in a quiet voice, "You cold, Vin?" Vin didn't look up at him, but Chris, watching his profile closely, saw him smile and shake his head no. "'Cause you're sitting awfully close to me." Again, the smile, but no other reaction. Funny how being given the silent treatment by Vin was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. Chris looked up, saw that Ezra was busy teaching JD some tricks. "You do this a lot?" he asked Vin, pretty certain that Vin would just keep smiling.

"Do what?" Vin asked, his voice soft, silent. He was still smiling, but would still not look at Chris.

Chris leaned even closer. "Rub your leg against other men's legs," he said.

Vin shivered. Chris was so close he could feel his breath on his cheek. He wanted him even closer, to his body, his mind, wanted to let him in where he'd never allowed anyone before. He did not want to think of how devastated he would be if Chris didn't want the same, didn't feel the same. Vin was only almost certain that he did. "No," he said, his voice unsteady, his smile beginning to fade away.

Chris saw the change on Vin's face. He hadn't meant to intimidate him. He thought he'd asked the question teasingly, but apparently he had not. He put his arm on the table, leaning against it, wanting to have eye contact with Vin. "Never before?" he asked, softer this time.

Vin shook his head slowly. If Chris only knew that he'd never even been close to doing anything like what he did now. He wasn't sure if he truly understood what he was getting himself into, but he knew what he wanted. Knew it hurt as all hell each time he saw Chris with a woman, whether they did anything or not. Knew he wanted it to stop hurting, thought maybe he could be the one to make Chris stop hurting. The women sure hadn't succeeded. Vin shook his head again.

Chris briefly touched Vin's knee, squeezing before letting go. The saloon might not be the most appropriate place for doing a thing like that, but he needed to show his affection some way, and that was the most discreet gesture he could think of. "Me neither," he said. "And I'm not in the habit of letting men do to me what you've been doing here. Anyone else would have been wiping blood off his face right now, you understand?"

Vin nodded, his smile returning. "I understand."

"Thought you would." Chris looked around the saloon, which was crowded now, giving their quiet conversation the privacy it needed. Just before he was about to return his attention to Vin, he caught Buck's eye. The man blinked at him, then raised his glass, just the way they used to do before he got married, when they were fooling around with women in different towns and had found one they liked. He should have known Buck had figured things out; the man seemed to have a sixth sense for matters of the heart. Chris took hold of his own glass and raised it, smiling at the pleased look on Buck's face. Vin was nothing like those women though, but he assumed Buck had figured that out too.

*****

End