Ezra surveyed the decimated remains of the evening of beer, poker and vast quantities of snacks with a feeling somewhere between satisfaction and dismay. The place was a mess. No two ways about it, his colleagues were slobs to a man, and his newly acquired companion was possibly the worst of the lot.

Thinking of John reminded him, and he headed over to cautiously open the tv cabinet. Sure enough a large black box and dozens of cables came slithering out. He just managed to catch the box, and scooped some of the wires back, but the joystick fell as its lead was pulled, out from where it had been jammed against the side of the tv and straight onto his foot. Even with shoes on it hurt.

"Dammit, kid," he muttered darkly, and carefully lowered the mess to the floor. He disconnected the box and gazed helplessly at the jungle of black cables twining itself around him and his furniture.

"Ez?" Vin's voice broke the silence, and he looked round.

"I was just going to check that he hadn't damaged anything when he put it away." Somewhat to his own horror he realised he sounded apologetic. His state of mind wasn't helped as Vin's shoulders shook gently, although only his eyes showed his amusement.

"Got you good, didn't he?" he asked, and walked over to crouch by the mess. "I gotta say," he added, sitting back on his heels, "that you might wanna just leave it to him."

Ezra looked at his forty eight inch plasma screen, and the memory of how the mess at his feet had been jammed in and around it rose before his eyes and winced. "I dread to see how he would improve on his first attempt."

"His toy, he'll know how to fix it, take it apart, won't he?" He waved vaguely at the cables. Ezra turned his head and looked at him with a pained expression on his face.

"Thank you for the thought. My gratitude is inexpressible. Can I assist you in some manner?"

"Was looking for a glass. Get some water."

"You may find the kitchen more suited to your quest."

Vin looked at him.

"Kitchen." He waved one arm towards the doorway. "It that way. Water in fridge. Glass in cupboard."

Vin grinned and stood. "Can see you're in a fine mood this evenin'."

"I was not anticipating house guests."

Vin's grin widened.

"I didn't mean to say-- It is no consequence. I only --"

Vin nodded. "Didn't mean to cramp your style." he said sympathetically, and patted his back before dodging nimbly out of the way of any retaliation. "I'll warn the boys to ignore any hollerin' and squealin'."

"Get out, Tanner. Now. Before I am forced to perform surgery to remove some part of this from your anatomy. I understand there are considerable penalties accruing to those that practice without a licence."

Vin chuckled and left the room.

Ezra could hear the opening and closing of cupboards, and then the distinctive sound of water in a glass. There was a murmur of voices, and he remembered that JD was in the kitchen, picking up the remnant of the crockery and packing it into the dishwasher. He quelled his instant move to go and rescue the boy. JD had held up remarkably well amongst the strong personalities of his colleagues. He'd manage a little longer.

He stared helplessly at the mess in front of him and shrugged. The mess was distressing, but the look on Wilmington's face when he realised that he had been trounced by a kid who had never played poker before that night made up for a lot. A hell of a lot. He grinned wickedly.

"John!"

The boy appeared a moment later, "You bellowed, master?"

"John, this--"

"My X-Box! Ez! What are you doing?" He skidded to his knees by the box and tenderly lifted it up off of its side.

"Could you do something about this mess?" He tugged at the cables that had somehow wrapped themselves around his knees.

"Whoa! Stop! Let me." He carefully unravelled the cables as Ezra kept still. He swallowed hard, watching John's ass as the boy crawled around him, and had to drag himself away from appreciating that fine, rounded bottom as John spoke again, his mind clearly running on some other track entirely. "It was fine, Ez. Out of sight and all." He righted the joystick examining it minutely , running his fingers gently over the uncomfortably phallic item. "You shoulda left it. It woulda been fine."

"I would like it to be tidy on the *inside*, if you don't mind." Ezra said repressively. He shifted his weight onto one knee in hope of easing the growing pressure in his crotch.

John's eyebrows raised. "Man, talk about anal," he muttered, and set about disentangling the wires.

Ezra's mind instantly flashed to just *how* anal they both could be, and gritted his teeth as his body reacted to the memories. Not with people in the house, he told himself and pursed his lips. "I will conclude the last elements of clearing up while you extricate that." He stood and walked out of the living room, willing his instinctual reaction to subside. It was neither appropriate nor required, he told himself sternly.

Mercifully, the kitchen was empty. Judging by the sounds upstairs Tanner was washing. Jackson and Sanchez had gone home, Josiah had abstained from drinking for just that purpose. Larabee however had not despite being designated driver, supposedly taking Wilmington and Tanner home. As a consequence, he, Buck and Vin were now going to stay the night.

If he had been a suspicious man he would have suspected it had been deliberately planned. He smiled grimly. Oh yes, that was right. He *was* a suspicious man. He was pretty sure that none of the team had believed their hastily cobbled story, although they were being polite enough to refrain from calling him a liar to his face.

He crumpled the last remnants of rubbish and packets viciously, and shoved them into the waste bin. "Damn."

He silently found the dishwasher tablets and set it to start cleaning, and absently noted that his earlier excitement had wilted entirely. He leaned on the machine as it started whirring and gurgling almost inaudibly. His head ached, and he rolled his shoulders and then his neck, trying to relieve tense muscles.

A pair of hands settled tentatively on his shoulders and rubbed gently. "Sorry, Ez."

"It's not you," he shook his head and relaxed under John's hands. Even though they did nothing more than simply rub lightly the touch was warming and soothing, and he leaned back into it. He felt a soft touch on the nape of his neck, and it occurred to him that John seemed to have a thing for that particular spot.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. I am merely tired and wishing we had the house to ourselves." He turned and John's hands locked behind his neck. Ezra sighed.

"I tidied it into its box." John said tentatively. There was a long silence as Ezra felt the evening's tension ease from his neck. He had not realised how John might interpret his silence until the kid spoke again, even more hesitantly than before. "They've gone to bed, haven't they?"

"John-- no, please." Ezra shook his head, even as he settled his hands on his lover's waist. John smiled resignedly.

"It's okay. I won't embarrass you, I promise." He kissed Ezra's lips chastely, and stepped back. Ezra suddenly wanted more than anything to follow John, to step back into that warmth, and quelled the desire firmly. John frowned, and reached a hand to Ezra's face, not quite touching. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

JD shook his head. "No. Your face has gone -- I dunno. All shut up and blank."

"Blank?"

"Yeah. Like that." JD brushed a gentle finger over Ezra's brow, then rested his hand against his cheek. "It's like you just closed down on me." His fingers drifted lower and traced Ezra's lips, "These are always saying something even when you aren't speaking." He shook his head. "But just then, you stopped."

"I'm sorry."

JD shook his head dismissively. "My bad. I shouldn't pry."

Ezra studied his face carefully. The brown eyes were steady and clear. John's open face said only that he was worried. "I missed you," he said instead of any of the less possible phrases that had flitted through his mind. "And, perhaps I resented having to keep my hands to myself, instead of," his face lightened in a slanting grin. "Well. I owe you for lunch."

"I felt bad about that," John said unexpectedly. He wrapped one arm around Ezra's waist and pulled him towards the stairs.

"Bad?" He copied John's action, and they walked up the almost too narrow stairs slowly, bumping from side to side into the wall and the rail rather than let go. "I have to say I did not find myself experiencing regrets of any degree."

"Oh, not *that*. Just, you know, Ms. Recillos is gonna have to clean up that stuff."

"Don't give it a moment's thought," Ezra said firmly. "*I* have not." He grinned wickedly. "What I *have* thought about however, is that I was quite remarkably unfair to you."

John grinned back at him and they paused as they squeezed through Ezra's bedroom door together, scraping knuckles on the frame as they did so. "I don't know. I kinda enjoyed tasting you whenever I licked my fingers."

Ezra kicked the door shut and pushed JD against it. "Exactly my point." He divested JD of his shirt and t-shirt in one swift move, then dropped to his knees, taking JD's pants down to his ankles with him. He rested his hands on JD's hips, and tilted his head to look up at him. "No hair pulling or ear pulling," he warned, and settled in to enjoy his prize.

John was uncut, and he brushed his thumb gently over the soft tip of the glans, moving the thin foreskin. He breathed out and smiled as JD hardened in front of his eyes. He lapped delicately as the tip rose, then stroked with just his finger tips up and down the lengthening shaft.

"Don't have to--" John whispered, and Ezra licked across the slit in reply, then tipped his head back, savoring the taste.

"Mmm." He rubbed his cheek against JD's stomach, and stroked at his own cock through his pants letting the fabric spread and diffuse the sensation as he rubbed slow and hard. "Want to."

John's hair was as dark here as everywhere else, and he ran fingers through it, against the grain, then traced the lines of his crotch until they guided him down to his balls. The hair there was soft, and he breathed in deeply, then licked at them. Above him John moaned, and he pulled his head back even as heat burned through him.

"Shh. Guests," he murmured wickedly and John's eyes rounded with shock, the boy actually whimpered. A small clear drop emerged from the very tip of John's penis and he dabbed at it gently with closed lips, smearing it over the swollen tip, then licking at it until all he tasted was John's skin. He unbuttoned his pants himself one handed and sucked JD's cock deep into his mouth as his hand reached his own bare skin. He groaned at the familiar touch of his own hand on himself, stroking steadily, firmly. His head moved in complementary rhythm with his hand, sucking, licking, taking John further and further in.

"Oh god," John's words were muffled and he rested his parted lips on John's cock, keeping the contact steady with one hand as he looked up. The kid was staring back down at him, his pupils dilated, biting down on his wrist in an effort to muffle himself. "Ezra--"

"Shhh," he said again, and the words on the kid's cock startled him, and he jerked forwards, plunging himself into Ezra's mouth. Ezra's hand gripped at his hips, holding him still, and he took the time to savor the feel and taste of him in his mouth.

He sucked lazily, exploring the tight skin with his tongue. The soft gasps above him drifted from coherence into garbled nonsense as he moved. John's hand tightened on his shoulder and his hips moved rhythmically. Ezra pulled back a little and blew over the wet cock, then consciously relaxed and took JD deeper until his cock slid into his throat. He shuddered at the feel of it filling him, and cupped a hand to his throat to see if he could feel the hard meat stretching him.

He moved and moaned deeply as his fingers felt the movement of John's cock. He reached a hand down to himself, determined not to come, tugging hard on himself. His good intentions shattered as John cried out. John's face was hollowed out with ecstasy, his eyes closed, his head resting against the door as though too heavy for his neck to hold. A sharp jolt spasmed through his crotch, his hips moving with his hand on his cock. He relaxed, swallowed, pulling him in deeper, his muscles rippling against John's hard shaft.

"Oh god!" JD wailed and both hands gripped his head, buried in his hair, "Ez, oh, my, god!" His back arched away from the door and Ezra pulled far enough to taste his come, the thin salty stuff swirling slickly into his mouth. The taste left him shuddering and for a helpless moment he wondered if he was going to spill over the floor and John's widely braced feet. To his own amazement he managed to hold back, but he had no idea how. He pulled back just in time as JD's knees buckled and he slid down the door to sit bonelessly on the floor. Ezra sat back on his heels and smiled at him, licking stray droplets from his lips.

John laughed softly. "Cat that got the cream," he said at Ezra's quizzical look and touched Ezra's lips lightly. "Wow. Thank you."

"My pleasure." A hand cupped his erection and he swallowed, still tasting John in his mouth. "Please."

"Wanna wash up?" John asked instead, and pushed himself to his feet reaching a hand down to the older man with a smile that lit his eyes with warmth.

"And possibly brush my teeth," Ezra agreed.

"Hmm." John stopped him and kissed him deeply. "Taste just fine to me."

Ezra felt himself begin to blush and turned away. This was ridiculous. The boy was eight years his junior. Eight years combined with a lifetime of experience that should have him in control of his every moment, and here he was, blushing as though he was twelve and trying to make time with a girl. Or boy, he reminded himself. though at twelve he had not yet understood his disinclination to girls, merely writing it off as disdain for Maude's repeated attempts at using him in her schemes. He had lost count of how many teenage and pre-teen daughters he had been obliged to entertain, charm and generally dissemble to.

"Hey, where'd ya go?" John's arms tightened around him and he smiled quickly.

"Shall we attempt our ablutions?" He caught the withdrawal, the warmth in JD's eyes fading to watchful wariness.

"Sure." He shrugged and released Ezra. He didn't look back at him as he headed quietly into the bathroom.

Ezra pursed his lips thoughtfully. He was going to have to make a decision fairly shortly, he could see, to keep this in the terms he had planned -- well that was impossible. Or to change it to something else.

Something that for some reason that he was trying not to analyze, he didn't want to have dictated and constrained by a contract.

And he wondered what John would say if he offered to tear it up... Absurdity. Why in God's name was he allowing a virtual stranger to so drastically alter his life? Was he *that* desperate? That needy?

He looked at the man quietly washing, water running down his bare chest and something stirred in him. He waited until he was done and then cleaned up, brushing teeth, washing himself down, ignoring the ache in his crotch until it faded. He had more self control than this.

As he came out of the bathroom he found John was waiting by the bed, watching him anxiously, shuffling from foot to foot. His very silence unnerved Ezra, and he didn't really mean to stretch out a hand and run a finger down his cheek. JD caught Ezra's hand between his cheek and his shoulder, rubbing his face against his trapped hand, and he froze. It was as though his heart began beating for the first time, thrumming madly in his ears, right at the same moment as vertigo swooped through him as dizzying as if the ground suddenly disappeared beneath him.

There was no sound. The silence was suffocating.

John's hand reached up and grasped his, holding it to his shoulder. A gentle touch on his face sent shivers racing down his back and arms. He was certain that, should he look, he would find every hair standing on end as though a sharp gust of cold wind had raced over him.

JD stepped closer, taking his other hand and holding it loosely.

"Ezra." His voice was hoarse, and Ezra wanted to say something but somehow all he could think about was the way that those eyes weren't so much brown as hazel, a thousand different flecks of color from brown to gold and back again, and wondering what the mind behind those eyes was thinking.

"Ez... we. This is--"

He leaned forward and gently kissed his lips in a closed mouth, chaste feather light touch. "This isn't about that damn piece of paper."

"No." JD's hands tightened around his own, a small, uncertain smile warming his eyes. "No, I guess it's not." He moved forwards slowly, watchfully, as if half expecting him to back away.

Ezra swallowed. The kid wasn't so far wrong about that. But somehow, those two hands wrapped lightly about his own held him no less securely than chains of steel. Every instinct was telling him to back away, not to get caught, not to get involved. If there was one thing he prided himself on was his own intellectual honesty. No matter what he said or did, he never lied to himself. And that same pride was spiking his ability to smooth his path out of this, stopping the easy lies that would protect him. Protect them both. It was supposed to be a mere platonic arrangement. And then it was supposed to just be sex. God help him, meaningless encounters were almost a way of life.

"I think I'm falling for you." John whispered directly into his ear. A secret for the two of them. A trust that deserved equal trust.

He wanted to smile, but the expression somehow wouldn't come to him. A thousand hollow smiles, and all he needed was one, just *one*, to lie to the boy...

"Don't. It's okay." John settled back, smiling into Ezra's eyes. "You don't have to do anything about it. I just thought you should know."

It dawned on him, too late, that the boy thought his silence meant that he did not feel it too. Whatever 'it' was. He wanted to speak but the moment passed, and instead he twisted his hands in John's and lifted them one after the other to his lips.

Good Lord, he wanted to say, utterly astonished by his heart's betrayal, I *know* I'm falling for you. Even in his mind he refused to use the word he knew they both meant. So much for honesty, he told himself ruefully.

He looked up to find those dark eyes on him, a question in them, and he was surprised to find he had a smile for him after all. He pulled him to his feet and whispered, "I believe we should do nothing rash."

"Sure. Nothing rash."

"Perhaps we should make sure that this 'connection' is not merely proximity." John started to frown and he shook his head. "We should make sure that we do in fact have other," his eyes swept down JD's naked body, "things in common."

JD shivered. "What sort of things?" he asked, and licked his lips.

"Oh," Ezra almost laughed as he tugged him onto the bed, "I'm sure we can think of something."

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the fandoms listed herein. I am certainly making no money off of these creative fan tributes to a wonderful, fun show.