| 01. | Chris/Vin with
Title: "Another Beautiful Day"
Author: Kat Lee
Rating: PG-13/T
Summary: Vin never saw anything so beautiful.
Living on the land, Vin had awakened to many beautiful things over the years. He was accustomed to rising in the light of beautiful sunrises and holding still, after lifting his head, to keep from spooking herds of deer, little rabbits, and other, innocent wildlife. He relished nature and thanked God every day for the beauty He bestowed upon the world. But Vin had never seen anything like what he awoke to the morning after he first made love with Chris.
He woke slowly and considerably late for him. The sun had already rose over the distant mountains, but there was a mist still settled over the valley where he and Chris had spent the night. Vin woke alone, rolled to his feet, and stretched his legs before cocking his head and simply listening to the sounds of nature around him.
Something small and soft was nuzzling grass ten feet away. Peso was awake and eating, too, while Chris' horse still snored. A family of deer were, maybe, half a mile away at most. Birds were beginning to sing, and somewhere, a cat was stalking one of them, padding softly through the tall, green, and cool grass.
Then Vin heard what he was listening for, the sound of leather sliding against leather, as though a certain man had just repositioned himself. Vin instantly pinpointed the direction from whence the sound came and started up the hill to his left. Before he ever made it to the top, Chris' green eyes were fixed on him.
Mist weaved between them. Vin's eyes met the blonde's. His lips quirked into a little smile meant to tell him "hello" and other words he'd like to say but they were both leaving still unspoken between them. If they hadn't said them last night, and they hadn't, Vin doubted Chris wanted to hear, or say, them this morning. He'd gladly give him all the time he needed, even if he did make his heart jump funny, like a baby rabbit bouncing, when he smiled at him as he was now doing.
That smile on his man's thin but happy lips was the most beautiful thing Vin had ever seen not just after waking up but ever. It easily dazzled him far more than any waterfall, the bluest skies, or any innocent life. It took his breath away and made him tremble inside, especially in his lower stomach and beyond.
His own lips curved, answering Chris' silent smile with the biggest Vin had ever worn. Chris was the one who broke the silence for them as he shifted again on his rock, making room for Vin to join him. "Morning."
Vin nodded and raised two fingers to his temple. "Mornin'. Fine day."
"Better night." Chris' green eyes glittered, and Vin knew then. Chris still didn't have to say the words not today or the next day or a month afterward or even a year later. He'd like to hear them, but if he never heard them, that would be okay, too, because gazing into his eyes right now, right here in this still, lovely morning in the land, Vin knew. He knew Chris loved him, just as he did him.
"Yup," he agreed, sitting down beside him. Chris offered him a cheroot; Vin accepted. They sat right there for a long while, neither speaking for their eyes, smiles, and hearts had already said everything that needed to be said. They smoked in silent companionship, their empty hands slightly touching on the rock, and watched the sun come up into another beautiful day spent together.
The End
|
02. | Mary and Ensemble, sadly minus Ezra, with
Title: "No Black Today"
Author: Kat Lee
Rating: G/K
Summary: It's going to be a beautiful day.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, names, codenames, places, items, fandoms, titles, and etc. are always © & TM their respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Any and all original characters and everything else is © & TM the author and may not be reproduced in any way without the author's express, written permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
The early morning sun was just beginning to creep into the Eastern sky when Mary Travis stepped out of her office to begin her route, walking up and down Main Street which was also, really, the only street in Four Corners bound to have actual activity on it throughout the majority of the day other than people walking to and from their houses to reach said street. It was rare for more than a few people, mainly the shopkeepers, to be awake at this hour of the morn and even rarer to be greeted with laughter. Mary turned toward the chuckles and smiled.
They had all been through a hard time lately, and so it would have been nice to see any one feeling cheerful and well enough to laugh. To spot Buck and JD, two of Mary's favorite townspeople, actually playing, as grown men were apt to do, like little boys again especially warmed her heart. Her smile grew to light her face with a golden hue as she watched the men fussing over JD's bowler hat, JD constantly scrambling after it as Buck tossed it around the dusty road.
Mary knew that the only reason why Buck bothered JD so much about his bowler was because he knew the Kid had an affinity where the hat was concerned. It was something he could easily pick on him about without actually hurting the younger man's feelings, and Mary knew how much Buck loved to tease those for whom he cared. She also remembered well catching him with a dime store novel herself, and thus, she knew that, no matter how times Buck declared the bowler was not a real hat, he actually did like Bat Masterson.
"Good morning, Missus Travis."
Mary turned toward the bright sound of a friendly voice, still smiling. "Nathan," she greeted the healer.
"I'll take one of those papers, please," Nathan spoke, offering her a coin.
Mary took the coin obligingly. Nathan was one of very few people whom she would have given a paper to even if he had not been able to pay. "Looks like we got a fine day coming in."
Mary looked around her once more. People were beginning to go about their day. The morning sunlight bathed the entire street and the few businesses that liked it in a seemingly especially rosy glow, and she could tell already that it was going to be a day without a single cloud in the sky. She turned her smile back onto Nathan. "Yes, I believe it will be."
He nodded. "'Bout time. You have a good day now, Missus Travis."
"I will," she said as Nathan waved to her and continued his short trek to his office.
She began to call out, announcing the paper. After she had dealt with the few other customers who wanted a copy, she took a moment's breath, leaning against a post and found Vin Tanner standing just a few steps beside her.
"Mornin'." His hat hung behind his neck, but he nonetheless pressed two fingers to his temple in a salute.
She smiled at him. "Good morning, Mister Tanner."
Vin's sky blue eyes sparkled as he returned her grin. "Are we still . . . "
He quickly coughed and looked away. She frowned, puzzled, and looked about them to find Chris sitting behind her on the boardwalk before the jail, whose only cell was finally empty again. Mary stopped and almost stared. The gunslinger was actually wearing a light blue shirt, almost the very same color as Vin's eyes!
She had understood the moment she'd seen Chris why Vin had not wanted her to continue her question. He had known she was going to confirm their appointment for reading later that afternoon, and he wanted no one to know that she was teaching him to read because learning to do so, up until now, had been an opportunity the poor dear had never really received. That was not a puzzlement to Mary but what was was to see Chris Larabee in a blue shirt instead of the pitch black clothing that he constantly wore.
Chris grinned at the way she gawked at him, reminding Mary both of her manners and that she was a widow woman. She cleared her throat and, as Vin had done before her, swiftly averted her gaze. "Mister Larabee."
Chris shifted his cheroot to the other side of his mouth, and Mary wondered how she had not known he was there by the awful smell of the thing. Had she become so accustomed to being around the seven men who protected her town that she no longer minded the scent of tobacco? She certainly preferred to think not!
Chris' narrow, green eyes darted suspiciously between Vin and Mary. "What are you two on for?"
"Oh! Hum . . . " She thought swiftly while buying time by clearing her throat again. "I'm having a tad bit of a problem with the press sticking. I need an extra set of hands, preferably stronger than my own. Mister Tanner was gracious enough to offer to assist me."
Chris again shifted his cheroot. Mary tried to keep from squirming underneath his intent gaze. She hated lying, and the man was making it much worse than it had to be for he wasn't buying her fib at all! Still, she would not be the one to break Vin's secret, or any secret the guys entrusted to her, ever!
"Yup," Vin drawled, bringing Chris' attention away from her. Mary felt a breath go out of her which she had not even realized she had been holding; her tight skirts suddenly seemed a great deal more loose. She'd have to remember to thank Vin later, she thought, as Chris settled back in his seat and gave a single nod of acceptance. He might not buy her lie, but he wasn't going to push them for the truth, either.
Mary straightened her dark skirts and cast another glance at Chris' blue shirt. Then she turned to Vin while straightening her stack of remaining newspapers. "I'll see you this afternoon, then, Mister Tanner, and thank you again." She looked back to Chris and gave a polite incline of her blonde head. "Mister Larabee."
As she walked away from the two men, however, Mary couldn't help but to beam. The Magnificent Seven, as one writer had termed the heroic men who had come into her life, bringing her friendship and far more safety than she'd known in years, had chased away the last of the ruffians she had heard about being in their area for some time. The jail was empty; none of the travelers who regularly passed through their little town would dare to cause a commotion with the Seven still in charge.
Buck and JD were being their usual boyish selves, and she had a feeling, as Josiah waved to her from the roof of the church and she returned his smile and wave, that nearly everybody was going to be in a good mood today. Her grin grew again as she walked through pools of sunlight. It was too beautiful a day for even Chris to wear black!
The End
|
03. | Touch |
04. | Cry |
| 13. | Summer |
14. | Winter |
15. | Spring |
16. | Chris and Ensemble with
Title: "Never Alone"
Author: Kat Lee
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Autumn brings reminders.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, names, codenames, places, items, fandoms, titles, and etc. are always © & TM their respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Any and all original characters and everything else is © & TM the author and may not be reproduced in any way without the author's express, written permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
He first noticed the leaves beginning to change color weeks ago, but it isn't until an apple hits him in the head that Chris can no longer ignore the changing of the season. He leaves his ranch immediately, leaving the apple where it landed after bouncing off of his head and galloping over it as though Satan himself handed it to him. He rides straight to town and isn't surprised to spot Vin already sitting on the steps outside the saloon. He joins him with only a shared glance passing between them. Vin pauses his playing and then resumes the song, which Chris finds haunting despite having no further what the tune is, he's been playing on his harmonica.
Buck joins them shortly thereafter, dropping his large frame into a chair. He glances at Chris first, then Vin, and then Chris again before drawing his knife out of his pocket and beginning to carve the apple he holds. Chris stares at the apple as Buck cuts into it. Sarah had been able to do amazing things with apples, from casseroles to the best, dang apple pie he knows he'll ever taste. Adam, like Chris himself, had loved everything his mother had made, but the kid had even enjoyed munching on a raw apple every day on the way home from school.
They had loved this time of year, the changes Autumn brought with different colors to the leaves, cooler breezes, and fresher grass for the horses. Adam had even enjoyed the return to school, always eager to learn despite missing his family. The animals had liked the change in weather, too; Adam's pony had especially liked to play with Chris' son when he'd come home in those first few weeks of school. They would all run together some days, the humans, the horses, and the dogs, until collapsing into piles of leaves which Chris had spent hours raking. The leaves would, of course, always scatter all over the place, which meant Chris would have to rake them back up again, but Chris had never once minded.
Buck bit into the apple. The loud crunch pulled his friend out of his reverie. He noticed, for just a second, that Vin had stopped playing again and his sky blue eyes were watching him intently. Then the Texan resumed his song once more.
One by one, the others came. JD was next, followed by Nathan, and then Ezra. Josiah ambled up last. Chris stood in the center of his men, his friends, as the Preacher approached. "Widow Potts had a bit of a problem," the holy man spoke in his deep, rumbly voice. It sounded almost like an apology, but he had no reason to apologize. He had done nothing wrong. None of them had, but yet, they gathered around Chris as though they expected the end of the world to hit.
"She was missing her husband, needed to hear some of the Word." Josiah held up his Bible before slipping underneath his poncho. Six faces peered intently at Chris from their various places around the boardwalk. Two more looked out from windows, all in deep concern.
Chris let Josiah's words slide over him and made no mention of them. He looked, instead, to where the final rays of the setting sun were hitting the toes of his black boots. "Let's ride." There was no mission, no escaped convicts to hunt down, no outlaws to lasso, or lives to save of which they knew, but none of Chris' men spoke a word of rebuttal.
Instead, as a group and as silently as they had sat all afternoon, the friends headed to the stables, mounted their horses, and rode out underneath the moon as Mary and Inez came together to say a prayer. There was a live to save, though he would not admit it. There was a friend who needed help, a man desperately trying to keep from drowning, and this year, too, they'd keep him as safe, sane, and healthy as Larabee ever got.
The Seven rode, never saying a word, until the morning light found them. It was several more days after that before they finally headed back to town. They had spoken by then, but none had said a word about Sarah, Adam, or the changes happening around them. None had said a word, but every gaze had met Chris'. Every hand had touched him at some moment or another, and he knew.
He was not alone with his agony. He would never be alone. He had a family now with whom to ride through life, and although he would see Sarah and Adam again one day, it would be many, long years before he would take his final ride into their waiting, loving arms. When he did, he would go in a blaze of glory, friends surrounding him on all sides as they did now and every day.
The End
|
| 25. | Smoke |
26. | Candles |
27. | Skin |
28. | Chris/Ezra with
Title: Those Lips
Author: Kat Lee
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Characters/Pairing: Chris/Ezra
Rating: PG-13/T
Challenge/Prompt: Fc-Smorgasbord: Table #8: 40_Loves: #28: Lips
Word Count: 451
Summary:
Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners, not the author.
Carefully, he watches his team's greatest weapon in the mirror above the bar. He watches those lips that spout gold as much as lies, the mouth that makes a sinner into a saint on an almost daily basis and yet has bought their way, many times, out of messes that could have easily turned bloody, and the tongue that does unthinkable things to him. He watches those lips as they form one fancy word after another and wonders what lies they're telling this time. He wonders, too, if he would believe them and how much of what Ezra says he believes himself.
He wonders, and he remembers. He remembers every time Ezra's bought their team a way to escape. He recalls the lies for which he's fallen. He remembers the times he's left all of the rest of them scratching their heads and muttering, "Huh?", when even Nathan and Josiah couldn't figure out what he was saying. He watches him, and he wonders what lies he'll tell tonight.
He remembers the way those lips emit a soft, practically inaudible sigh (Chris doesn't hear it himself as much as see and understanding their parting) when his fingers brush against his when accepting a card. He recalls the way he yelps when he catches him alone in the bathhouse and the screams he releases when they're far, far away from town. He remembers the sounds he causes him to make and wonders when he'll get another chance to make him scream again.
Then he shakes his head, downs his whiskey, turns from the image, and orders another drink. He shouldn't be watching Ezra -- at least, not in this way. He can't trust the man. He's more likely still to get him killed than to save him. He knows better than to trust anything he says. And yet . . . Yet there's something undeniably fascinating about those lips, Chris thinks, noting, with a wry grin, that some of Ezra's fancy, fifty-dollar words are beginning to slip into his own language.
There is something fascinating about them, and as Chris turns back to the bar, a fresh bottle in his hand, he finds his green eyes trailing once more to that image in the mirror. He finds himself watching those smiling, upturned lips again, remembering what they feel like on his neck, on his mouth, on other parts of his body . . . , and wondering how soon he can get Ezra out of the saloon again and back on the road, back where others can't see, back where this town they've been hired to protect is just a tiny dot in the distance, back where he can make him scream again.
The End
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