After the third round of beer it turned out that some members of the Riders were, among other things, also artistically gifted. First Ryo pulled out a small harmonica from his pocket, cheering everybody up with the playful melody. Quite soon, he was followed by Jin, who set the guitar free from its shelter after quite a long time. Willingly granting the others´ wishes, he played a few of well-known songs, making almost everyone sing. And despite not having the most pleasant vocal, Koki was definitely very eager to demonstrate his singing skills the loudest of all.
Kame felt a strange and yet somehow familiar squeeze in his chest, seeing the instrument in Jin´s hands. Even though the older one didn´t play often, he didn´t seem to be uncertain with it at all.
Back in Montana, there were not many chances to listen to Jin´s playing or singing much, mostly thanks to the treatment the young gunslinger had received from Math Grenet. But even that little of what Kame heard was stuck in his memory. When the strings chimed with the catchy tones now, it brought the younger one back to those rare moments and made him realize just how much things had changed since then.
Kame sighed a little, trying to suppress uneasiness in his heart, while observing his friends singing so enthusiastically that they surely startled all the wildlife around. Considering Leo´s plans with Tabor, their circumstances would just keep changing and there was no guarantee it would be for the better. It was impossible to guess where the upcoming actions of the gang would lead them. At the moment, Kame couldn´t be sure about anything, not even about their home-coming…
They never talked about it, but it was still somewhere on Kame´s mind – he wanted to go back home once it would be possible. He was not so sure about Jin though… It was more than clear that the older one would do anything to protect his little brother, and since Leo was here in Colorado, there was nothing to drag him back to Montana. Unlike Kame, who often thought of Liwan and the rest of the Blackfeet Tribe and of Brice family…
The haunted newbie-Rider drank up his tankard in almost one go, in the desperate attempt to relax his overworked mind. There was no point in pondering all of it now. There was that Tabor-issue to deal with and only depending on the results, they could decide on what to do next. It was too soon to be pessimistic… At least Kame hoped so.
*
After another cheerful session combined with both guitar and harmonica, the most of the gang finally admitted they were too hoarse to continue scaring the animals away and the atmosphere around the campfire changed a bit.
Nick went to sleep even before the last song, Jack barely kept his eyes open, obviously not being able to drink anymore and Cullen was staring into the flames, smoking his umpteenth cigarette. Ryo and Koki gathered the empty tankards and headed to their favorite place of that evening – to the cellar, while Kame took care of the fire, adding the sticks here and there to chase the growing chill of the night away.
Seeing the most mocking part of their group leaving, Leo got up and walked to his brother, who kept strumming on his instrument without any real purpose. Leo said something quietly, right in Jin´s ear, before returning to his spot beside Jane.
Jin just sat there for a while, looking thoughtfully, before he altered the guitar´s position a little, closed his eyes and started to play again. Since Kame had noticed before that Jin avoided joining the others with his voice, it was a pleasant surprise when he accompanied the slow and romantic melody also with words this time.
Noticing the loving way in which Leo took Jane into his arms, whispering something to her, Kame realized that the younger brother had asked Jin to sing a love song for the brunette in his place. It was a sweet gesture and it was nice of the older one agreeing to it without any remarks. And it was beautiful, especially with that incredibly emotional color of Jin´s voice...
Something stirred inside Kame listening to that singing. He sat down on the small block on the opposite side of the fireplace slowly, not being able to tear his eyes off the older one, as long as the words kept coming out from his lips…
"If tonight I would lose you
I won´t forget because I still love you
Your short kisses under the moonlight
Make my heart ache
Don't forget that feeling
And let me be next to you
The sad emotions hiding in the dark
The days we played around
We´re growing up
Even if there´s a distance between you and me
You taught me that I´m never alone
When you feel sad
I want to be right next to you
So don't forget that I love you
If tonight I would lose you
I won´t forget because I still love you
So don´t forget that I still love you…"
It hurt somewhat, listening to the ´declaration of love´ from Jin. Not that Kame would have ever required it from the older one, but suddenly, he was painfully aware that he hadn´t heard those words from him yet…
As he observed the face of his handsome lover, with some kind of sadness in his heart, Jin´s eyes suddenly opened and connected with his. The younger´s heart stopped for a second, before it started running again. Those dark eyes swallowed him and made him forget their surroundings for a while. There was such warmness and affection, that he had to suppress the urge to jump over the fire right away and kiss the older one just for that.
The song ended with Kame still enchanted by the dark eyes; the useless doubts completely forgotten. Who needed words when someone looked at you in such a way?
Jane had tears in her eyes, huddling in her smiling lover´s hug. Even Koki and Ryo, who returned sometimes in the middle of the song, just stood there with tankards in their hands speechless. Jack was already sleeping, and spread over half of the bench, while Cullen was standing for a change, with his back turned to the campfire and to all of them, observing the darkness surrounding their sanctuary…
*
Jin interrupted the warm connection with Kazuya, but only for the sake of putting the guitar aside safely. After that, his eyes were inevitably attracted to the sight of the younger one again. Kame was sitting there so quietly, but his eyes were shining with greater intensity than the fire. Jin smiled, feeling content and somehow excited.
He sang that song on the request for his brother´s girlfriend, but still – while performing it, his thoughts kept swirling around Kame. For that moment, he couldn´t think of any better way to express himself and of what he felt.
After finishing their last beers, Jane and Leo decided they´d like to have some privacy and parted with them saying good nights. Right after that, Koki stood up.
"I´m getting us a bottle, if you don´t mind," he announced in a tone, which allowed no objections and not even waiting for their reaction, the blonde one walked away.
Ryo shook with Jack, persuaded him to get some proper sleep and managed to send him off yawning widely toward the cottage. Kame got up too, to add on the fire again; well aware of the look Jin was giving him. He couldn´t resist but to sit down on his original spot next to older one then. Cullen remained standing on the edge of light and dark, finishing his favorite bad habit, until Koki got back with the bottle of whiskey. Only then the oldest Rider joined them at the fire.
The five of them sat there, drinking, talking about the upcoming move against Tabor a bit, also about Jin´s skills with guitar and negotiating about who should go hunting again next week. It was a peaceful, friendly conversation, which made them feel at ease.
Only one source of tension remained at the campfire, hanging above both newest members of the gang. But just the two of them knew about it, their throats squeezing every time their shoulders or knees brushed against each other, as they reached for the bottle to share the gulp of the warming liquid.
Jin was the first one, who couldn´t bear it anymore. He murmured something about drowsiness, though he seemed to be more than lively, grabbed his guitar and left the campfire.
Kame´s eyes followed the older one´s figure, until the night swallowed it. He listened to the quiet conversation of the remaining three Riders for a while, but he was not able to grasp the meaning of it. Feeling a little dizzy, but with his legs still steady, he excused himself only shortly after Jin. But first he had to assure worried Koki that their deal was valid – the two of them would occupy the barn for that week, while Ryo and Koki would change the places with them in the living room the next one…
*
The small, dark orange light revealed Jin´s position to Kame easily, even though the older one could not be seen in the deep shadow of the barn, which not even the thousand stars on the sky above them could beat. He frowned at the faint smell of tobacco disturbing the fresh air and stopped in the safe distance from the smoking gunslinger.
"Did you steal from Cullen´s stash or something?" Kame asked sharply, feeling rather irritated, even though he had no proper reason. "You complained half the way from Leadville that you don´t have any left."
The older one took his time with the response, inhaling deeply first.
"This is my last one," he stated slowly and a little hoarsely. "Why do you mind it that much?"
Kame puckered his nose: "I don´t like the odor of it on you," he replied right away. He was not the type to complain about the little things, but this evening, he was in the mood to speak without usual restraints.
"Aah, I see… How much?" the curious question followed.
"How much what?"
The light glowed once again, before being thrown down and dumped into the ground. Then Kame felt the whiff of the tobacco smell getting stronger, as Jin moved and stood so close to him, that the hot breath reached his face, when the older one spoke again.
"Do you dislike it enough to… reject me?" Jin asked whispering. He didn´t touch the younger one yet, and his face was no more than a yellow blur in the dark, but Kame could feel the other´s presence. It was as if his aura was spreading toward him, surrounding him, taking him into his arms…
Kame had to gulp down to clear his throat and to be able to speak: "You can verify it yourself…"
"Is that a challenge, Kame?" that question had a hint of viciousness hidden in it, that kind which made the younger´s stomach squeeze.
"Only if you want to accept it," he reacted shakily.
The hand groped in the dark, grabbed Kame´s elbow and then ran up along his arm, until the fingers, hardened by the long play on the strings, ended up on the back of Kame´s neck, caressing his skin there slowly.
"What do you think is on my mind for the whole damn day?"
Jin´s hoarse voice and seductive touch pushed Kame over the edge of his self-control, which was already wavering under the effect of alcohol.
"That we have the barn for ourselves tonight," he reacted sharply and closed the gap between their lips. He felt Jin smirking first, but his reaction changed quickly, when Kame threw both arms around his neck, pulling himself even closer.
Jin´s tongue slipped out, attacking Kame´s lips passionately, while his other hand closed the hug around the younger one. They staggered a little and Jin stepped back to lean against the wall, making him follow.
Their kiss felt so good Kame didn´t want it to end. But that was only until Jin´s left hand moved down from his waist, ending the journey on one of his buttocks, clenching it playfully. Kame bit Jin´s lower lip in response.
The older one moved away and his heated voice whispered the reaction on the previous statement right in Kame´s ear: "Correct."
Then he stepped away from the wall and with both hands still on the younger one, he pulled him to the entrance to the barn.
The old hinges creaked a little when they slipped in and Jin kicked the door to close them again. There was even deeper blackness inside the barn, as there was no lantern lit and they could hardly recognize the outlines of the other. But that only made them take a more delicate notice of each other´s touches…
Jin´s heart was already beating hard and he couldn´t wait to kiss the younger one again. He managed to do only one thing before that – he reached to the barn door for the last time and pulled the bolt down. Even though the other two Riders were not supposed to sleep in the barn with them, he was not willing to risk any interruptions.
Then the slim body finally pressed against his, exciting all his senses again. There was the warm skin under his palms, which had already found their way under the clothes; he felt the small fingers buried in his hair, the soft lips searching for his and the wet tongue between them.
Already the whiskey shots made Jin´s head somewhat light, but the effect of Kazuya´s physical closeness affected him much more. He was excitedly hot and dizzy; he heard own blood rumbling in his ears and he felt that familiar tension down in his trousers, which got only stronger when Kazuya pushed his coat away and unbuttoned his shirt impatiently. His hands caressed Jin´s skin from the neck down to chest, and stomach before going up again, touching his nipples on the way.
Jin escaped from the sweet lips for a while and headed for the younger´s ear, pulling the shaky gasp from him. Then he continued to the neck, searching with his tongue for the place where he felt the younger´s blood bumping in the vein. Kazuya shuddered and both his hands slipped down, at Jin´s lower back, the tips of his fingers sliding just under the edge of his trousers.
Jin definitely didn´t intend to proceed in such an innocent way. He let one hand resting on his waist; while with the other, he copied the line of divide of the younger´s bottom still covered by the cloth. A heated exhale came out of Kame´s lips and his nails buried into Jin´s skin when the older one pushed his forefinger against the gap.
Kazuya connected their lips again, his whole body literally asking for more. But Jin left the alluring spot and focused on the upper part of the younger´s body instead. He took his face between both palms, firmly keeping the younger one in place, while he took control over their kiss, claiming the younger´s hot tavern as his. Then he lowered his hands to find those tiny nipples under Kame´s shirt, pinching them gently, while still petting Kame´s lips.
It was damn rousing to make the younger one shiver with the slow treatment. Jin wanted to continue that way, but once Kazuya brushed against his crotch rather harshly, and squeezed his ass with both hands hungrily, Jin just couldn´t resist the growing passion anymore.
He tore off Kame and looked around, now seeing some clearer lines in the barn around them, trying to remember if there was any place to… There, he remembered there was a big wooden barrel for water in the corner.
Holding the shaking body of the younger one in his arms safely, he pushed Kame back toward the darkest corner. Kazuya let him lead their way; trusting Jin completely.
Only hastily, he checked if the barrel was closed with the cover, while he already felt Kame´s fingers wandering all over his chest again. Right after that Jin eagerly responded to the seductive behavior and almost tore the trousers off the younger one, pulling them down across that round ass.
Jin couldn´t think straight anymore, when Kame reached down to help him get his own clothes away. He made Kazuya sit at the barrel a little roughly and found his mouth in the darkness again, while Kame´s hand closed around his impatient member down there.
Only faintly, an inner voice in Kame´s head mentioned that maybe he had drunk a little over the edge, as he obviously just threw any reason out of the window. But who would care when there was a damn attractive man undressing him and stealing the breath from his lips?
Kame wanted Jin to take him, he needed to feel him again, that desire was stronger than anything and touching Jin´s pride flooded him with such a hotness, he almost choked on it.
They were drunk not only with the whiskey, but also with desire after each other. They would not have been able to slow down even if they would want to. Once again, their passion was suppressed for too long already.
It wasn´t exactly a comfortable position, sitting at the harsh surface of the wood, but at the moment Kame couldn´t care less. Not when Jin was touching him, fondling his sensitive skin at the lower back, or licking his earlobe. Suddenly, all his worried thoughts about their situation, the Riders, Tabor, Liwan and home were gone. There was just that young gunslinger, whom he wanted. It felt so damn liberating to turn his brain off, even just for a while.
Kame strengthened his grip around the hot, hard flesh, making Jin and at the same time himself more and more aroused. The older one kissed him on his neck and even bit a little, when Kame moved with his hand, while he felt Jin´s fingers burying into his thighs.
Kazuya got lost somewhere between the hot exhales and even hotter touches and passionate kisses and noticed that Jin pushed his teasing hand away only when the tip of that incredibly hot flesh poked near his sacred hole. It made him shiver and shift himself closer to it, requesting for more.
Jin grunted something inaudible and pushed him further away, his hands teasingly slowly going up his thighs and then down again without even touching Kame´s member, which was already hard too. Kame squeezed Jin´s hair with both hands and raised his legs to lock the older one´s between them and not letting him go.
Catching his own breath, Jin stiffened for a brief moment. He felt that narrow tempting hole in front of his eager pride again and couldn´t think of any more foreplay, when the younger one moved against him, brushing the hot skin against even hotter one.
He grabbed one of the Kame´s legs, which was circled around him in that damn seductive way and raised it a little higher. Keeping the slim body shivering in expectation more steady for the waist with the other one, Jin plunged forward, only very slowly, getting inside that hot space bit by bit, waiting for Kazuya to relax, to accustom to him again.
With his eyes closed, breathing heavily, Kazuya was just a shaking pile when Jin pushed fully inside finally and remained still. His own breath squeezed in his lungs, as he desperately kept his passion under some control, and he waited, with that feeling he´s in the sweetest prison ever, until Kazuya whimpered against his shoulder. And when his inners squeezed around Jin´s cock, there was no need to even think about being slow anymore.
They both gasped for breath into the rhythm, as Jin kept pouncing inside Kame in the fast pace, which was carrying them up to those lovely heights…
*
Covered in sweat, they were hugging each other in the dark. Shakily, Jin moved away from the narrow shoulder, where he let his head resting, to Kame´s face and found his lips. It felt as if the electricity was running between them still.
"Damn…" he whispered hoarsely, feeling even dizzier than before. "How comes that… every time… it´s so…" he mumbled incoherently.
"Intense?" the younger one completed him quietly.
"Yeah…"
"Maybe… It´s because…" Kame hesitated.
"Just say it," Jin requested, pulling the slim form closer, as he didn´t want to leave that hot spot inside yet.
Kame shivered and hugged him around his neck more firmly.
"There´s not so many… opportunities for… us to… Do this."
"Nah… You do not think you have any chance of starting to bore me, do you?"
A sweet smile shone in the dark: "How could I… in this position? I just mean that… we would be able to behave more… calmly, if we were alone… all the time."
"I got your point but still…" Jin captured his lips suddenly and gave him a short and messy kiss. "I hardly doubt that what I feel when… I´m with you would get any weaker. I just don´t know… how to put this... properly. I…"
"Ssh…" Kame interrupted him lovingly. "Stop talking and kiss me again, Jin."
*
Everything was so quiet, peaceful and relaxed, when they lay up in the attic, on the soft pile of hay, covered with blankets, in each other´s arms.
"Jin…?" Kame´s voice was sleepy, but happy.
"Yes, Kazu?" the older one didn´t sound livelier, but quite satisfied.
"Can I have a request?"
"Anything for you," the older one promised.
"Let me sleep during the night," the younger one asked pleadingly.
A chuckle was heard as a reply.
"Jin, please…"
"I cannot guarantee that," the husky voice murmured.
"Come on… I´m gonna have troubles walking as it is…"
There was a short pause.
"Was I so…" there was no trace of amusement in Jin´ voice now.
"No, no…" Kazuya assured him. "You were… damn hot."
"Good," the murmur was accompanied with the blanket shifting, as the older one´s hand caressed the younger´s skin under it.
"It´s just that… I need some…" Kame was uncertain about how to explain himself, but fortunately Jin did it instead.
"Relax, I get it. Now sleeping and resting. More fucking tomorrow. Good night then."
Kame had no reply on that; he just gaped at the older one, who hugged him more firmly, smiling satisfied.
"You´ve become surprisingly blunt…"
"Complaints also tomorrow, Kazuya."
***
Jane pushed the door doubtfully, half-expecting it wouldn´t open. But it did, so she could enter the space drowning in gloom and filled with the smell of hay. Not trying to muffle her steps, she crossed the wooden floor to get under the ladder. She cleared her throat and looked up to the edge of the upper part of the barn.
"Hello there, you two!" she called rather loudly. "Don´t you think it´s about time to get up?"
Some rustle was heard from above, a few boards crackled as somebody moved and then a face of the younger of those two appeared, as he looked down at her. Kame didn´t seem to be sleepy, but his hair was ruffled in all directions and Jane spotted some straws of hay in it.
"Hi, Handsome," she greeted him. "Are you two awake yet?"
"Jane… Yeah, sure, we´re," the youngster confirmed in a little hesitant tone and he eyed the stripes of sunlight penetrating the barn through the gaps between the wooden walls. "What time is it?"
"Almost noon," she informed him, rather amused. "I thought you might welcome some lunch at least."
"Damn," Kame sighed. "I´m sorry, we didn´t realize…" he fell silent in the mid-sentence sheepishly.
"Don´t worry about it; Leo and myself didn´t get up exactly early either," Jane reacted with a wide smile she couldn´t suppress.
"Is that… so…" the young Rider stopped talking again. She could almost see the question marks above his head, as the possible meaning of her words got to him. Jane had to bite her lip not to start laughing aloud. Kame´s stunned expression was simply too cute.
"It´s just that our Goldilocks had some stupid ideas about buckets of water again, so I thought it will be better if I wake you up before that," she explained, shrugging.
"That bastard…" a muffled voice of the older one was heard somewhere behind Kame. "Tell him I´ll drown him in that bucket if he gets close to me with any."
"I´m sure he´ll take it as a challenge," the brunette grinned.
"Thanks, Jane," Kame seemed to collect himself finally. "We´ll be there right away."
"You´re welcome. And as I said, it´s just fine, we have a vacation, right? So, take your time," Jane couldn´t help but wink at him conspiratorially and secretly choking on laugher she walked away. She didn´t need to look back to know about the confused look Kame was giving her all the way to the exit. There was probably quite a confusion in the youngster´s head now…
*
Kame stared at the barn door even after it was closed and they were left alone again. What was that? Could it be that Jane suspected something? What if she somehow found out about them? Why else would she come for them like this and why would she offer them the barn as the first the day before?
No, that was nonsense… The brunette still behaved the same towards them, Kame was pretty sure that if she knew, he would have recognized it. Those were just some usual remarks, Jane didn´t have to indicate anything specific with them. Not necessarily…
Anyway, it was good that he remembered to raise the bolt up again, before they went to sleep.
"Come back here," a plea was heard from the pile of blankets on the hay.
Kame turned away from the edge and on his four, he returned to the place, where they settled for the night, to find the rest of his clothes, as he had only pants at the moment.
"Forget it," he scolded his lover, who was half-covered with the blanket, half-more-than-obviously naked, while he pushed his hands through the sleeves of the black shirt. "Didn´t you hear? We spent half a day here, wallowing. Do you want us to be even more suspicious?"
"Kazu~…"
Kame focused on keeping the frowning expression, when he looked at the still-lying man. The muscles on Jin´s chest and arms had a fine lining in the yellow light, his long hair traced the neck in a very attractive way and his eyes were so dark, when the older one patted the spot beside him.
"They don´t care," Jin stated in a husky voice. "Just for one more minute…"
Kame knew very well, how much time ´one minute´ could actually mean with Jin in this mood. So, he crept closer only carefully and leant down to place a soft peck on the full lips. They were so hot that he retreated even faster than he intended.
"Come on, Jin... We cannot spend the whole day here."
But he underestimated the older one´s sleepy state. Before he could get far enough, Jin threw the blankets away, grabbed his arms and tumbled him back to the hay. That handsome face with deep eyes was above him now, the warm legs and hands pinching him down. And Kame didn´t remember when was the last time he felt so happy.
"What about one kiss then?" the older one asked willfully.
"I might agree to that," he admitted playfully.