I Could If I Had To

As Joshua pulled back, Teddy pried his own eyes open once more and met the other's gaze. Already he wished that somehow, impossibly, they could both last the entire night in the most literal sense, that the sun would rise late and give them more time together, that years of fear and judgement and rejection could be wrung from him with enough pleasure. Since none of those could come true, Teddy instead let each moment drag out and linger in his mind. He also let his every reaction be heard, forcing himself past the reflex to stifle it all; the effort intensified the subtle tremors throughout his body. But he'd make that effort. He wanted this too badly, loved every attention too much.

Attentions like the focus of Joshua's mouth and tongue on the head of Teddy's cock, or like the gentle rolling of his balls in the gambler's grasp, all in tandem with those almost-massaging squeezes to one cheek of his rear. He managed to answer them with a skate of blunt nails over neck and scalp, the latter ending with a somewhat tighter hold on Joshua's hair. "Just like that, yeah..." Teddy repeated in a breathy whisper, shoulders hunched and back curved against the wall.

His next moan hewed closer to a whine when Joshua took him in to the root once more. Even with the assurance he'd be coming more than once, Teddy still wanted to last as best he could. What made that maddeningly, perfectly difficult was watching and feeling the older man work him over, groan low around him, without any performative facade. When Joshua swallowed, mouth and throat clenching tightest around the reddened, sensitive head (clear fluid welling at the slit), Teddy's hips pushed forward as if to somehow get even deeper while he swore in a gasp.

Suddenly, Teddy's cock pushed further down his throat, hitting the back of it until his eyes smarted. It was over in a second: no trying to force his head to stay still, no repeated thrusting without asking. Ah, Teddy hadn't been able to hold back after all! Joshua's own arousal twitched with gratification; however, before he could continue, the grip on his hair actually loosened. Teddy hadn't finished, he knew that, so why? What the hell had happened? As the question permeated his thoughts, Teddy's hands slid down to cup his jaw, fingers brushing against his cheeks. And Joshua was only taken aback all the more when what came next was an apology. An apology! Instinctively, he thought it must be a poor show of mockery, asking him if it was ' too much ' and hoping that he would say yes ( someone would have to do more than that, better than that — and even then, he would rather die than give them the answer they wished for ).

Only this was Teddy cradling his face, eyes filled with genuine concern. Concern for Joshua. For a second, he wasn't certain what to do, stricken with a bewilderment that settled into something he didn't quite understand in his chest. Pulling his mouth off Teddy's length, he shook his head. "Not too much." Joshua's voice sounded faintly hoarse from their prior activities, but he hoped that Teddy wouldn't interpret that as bad. Subconsciously, he let his head tip into those gentle palms for a beat, his gaze studying the visage looking down at him. "You won't do too much. You wouldn't." Although the degree of his own surety rather alarmed him, he knew it to be true.

"You wanted my mouth so bad, you couldn't stay still." Joshua leaned forward to press a kiss to the base of Teddy's cock. "I know you tried. I felt it" Another kiss to the shaft. "But you couldn't help it, huh?" He breathed the question right by the flushed head, followed by a soft groan. "You've got no fuckin' idea what you're doing to me, Teddy." Trailing his tongue over that reddened crown again and again, he drew it past his lips to suck on it for a moment before pulling off. "I like that your legs are shakin'." Joshua resumed rolling Teddy's balls between his fingers. "I want it to take everything you've got to keep still 'til you can't do it no more." He gave Teddy's rear a firm squeeze. "Then you're gonna break for me 'n I'm gonna catch ya."

Biting his lip again, Teddy gave a small, sheepish nod, a soft whine escaping at the first kiss to his cock and a shaky breath fluttering through his nose at the next. His ears reddened a bit darker in place of an answer to the question teased over his tip. What he was doing to Joshua? When the latter was the one sending wave after wave of thrilling heat through every part of Teddy, just from a few licks and sucks on his arousal? Joshua was feeling like this too?

A thought as heady as the older man's attentions.

Another shiver rippled through Teddy's thighs with those rolling squeezes to his balls, as if to accentuate the praise. He wanted more still, wanted everything Joshua promised, wanted that hand on his rear to slip fingers into the cleft and — 'You're gonna break for me 'n I'm gonna catch ya'. His cock visibly twitched, mouth falling open with a hitched sigh of a moan that jumped louder when Joshua's mouth descended again. "God, yeah, please..." Tension coiled hot and fraying in Teddy's groin, wound tighter by the moan around his length. "Please, like that, just...!"

His sense of time entirely melted away in the warmth of that skilled mouth, the grasp of those teasing hands, the feel of Joshua's hair in his curled fingers. There was only each moment, one after another, marked by sensations and unabashed sounds and the sight of Joshua now seared into Teddy's mind.

Then there was the hum, the tight swallow, the beautiful green eyes fixed so intensely on his. Heart pounding, he did have experience with how that fraying heat low in his gut gained urgency. The reflexive thought of stopping to make this last longer was drowned out by need, and by memory of Joshua's commanding reassurance: 'You're gonna finish for me as many times as you can handle'.

Even so, Teddy did want to warn the other man, at least. "Mi— mmh! 'm gonna... fuck, Joshua, 'm close, I-!"

It was all he could manage before that fraying tension snapped. Toes curling in his boots again, the tremble in his thighs spreading into his knees and stomach, Teddy tipped his head back against the wall as his eyes closed beneath an upturned furrow in his brow. His balls tautened in Joshua's hold as he came, his flush blooming further down over his chest and freckled shoulders. More full-throated moans, growing breathier each time, accompanied every spurt of his release.

After, the shake in Teddy's knees dragged one heel a couple inches forward on the floorboards; one hand let go of Joshua's hair, to hurry and brace on the gambler's shoulder. Head dropping forward once more, he loosened his other hand's grip as well to cradle the back of the older man's neck this time. Despite his panting, Teddy smiled, still a tad shy but sunny and earnest nonetheless. "Was that good?" A beat, and that shyness grew as he tried to rephrase. "I mean, was I alright?"

Still, he couldn't tamp down the brighter blush gradually blooming over his cheeks, his ears, and along his neck to his chest. Those kisses and nips spurred more shivers and little jolts, some of them audible in his breaths. The reality of being so exposed at last to Joshua had flushed skin blazing vivid, ruddy pink in the lamplight. But the older man looked right at the proof of Teddy's desire, didn't flinch, and instead only answered with eager groaning praise. It soothed the nervous edge of his pulse, even when a hand gripped one cheek of his rear and squeezed. Teddy wanted more, wanted both hands fondling and maneuvering and spreading them to see —

His train of thought derailed into fragments. The first drag of Joshua's tongue along the underside of his cock had Teddy arching again, chin tipped up a bit to let out more sighs and short, needy noises. Toes curled and splayed inside his boots; lashes fluttered, but didn't fall shut; his gaze itself was fixed on Joshua, watching each open kiss along his length as keenly as he felt it. Teddy tried not to squirm too much, shoulders rising a little, while the other man lingered at his tip.

A fuller moan leapt from his throat when that incredible, tantalizing mouth finally wrapped round the reddened head. His thighs shivered with the effort not to thrust in deeper, Joshua's hum seeming to cling to every inch. "Oh shit..." Teddy breathed, the only words he could muster at first. After a longer moan dragged out, shaky yet indulgent, as more and more of his length slid into the gambler's mouth, he added at the end of a soft whine, "Fuck, Joshua...!"

Squeezing the hip and rear still in his grasp, he could sense the tension in Teddy's thighs, very possibly from attempting to remain still. Nevertheless, Joshua didn't particularly mind if that endeavor failed. He knew he could take it, and that Teddy wouldn't hurt him ( for a beat, it surprised him to realize that he had never before been so certain that someone wouldn't hurt him on purpose in his entire life ). As it was, the reality that it might be requiring effort to hold back coaxed forth a low moan as his mouth met the base of his companion's length. Joshua's eyes fluttered closed, enjoying both the taste and the gentle weight of Teddy's hands on him. Although he couldn't tip his head into the touch, he didn't need to; the grip on his neck was steady, the fingers threading through his hair sure.

When his gaze lifted once more, he began to pull back until his lips were only around the head of Teddy's cock. Joshua had watched the squirming of those broad shoulders while focusing on the tip prior, and he couldn't resist returning to it. Sucking on it eagerly, his left hand slipped lower to fondle Teddy's balls. He teased them between his fingers with further intermittent squeezes to the supple cheek his right palm harbored no interest in abandoning.

Even so, by the end of the night, Joshua's hands will have been everywhere.

As Joshua pulled back, Teddy pried his own eyes open once more and met the other's gaze. Already he wished that somehow, impossibly, they could both last the entire night in the most literal sense, that the sun would rise late and give them more time together, that years of fear and judgement and rejection could be wrung from him with enough pleasure. Since none of those could come true, Teddy instead let each moment drag out and linger in his mind. He also let his every reaction be heard, forcing himself past the reflex to stifle it all; the effort intensified the subtle tremors throughout his body. But he'd make that effort. He wanted this too badly, loved every attention too much.

Attentions like the focus of Joshua's mouth and tongue on the head of Teddy's cock, or like the gentle rolling of his balls in the gambler's grasp, all in tandem with those almost-massaging squeezes to one cheek of his rear. He managed to answer them with a skate of blunt nails over neck and scalp, the latter ending with a somewhat tighter hold on Joshua's hair. "Just like that, yeah..." Teddy repeated in a breathy whisper, shoulders hunched and back curved against the wall.

His next moan hewed closer to a whine when Joshua took him in to the root once more. Even with the assurance he'd be coming more than once, Teddy still wanted to last as best he could. What made that maddeningly, perfectly difficult was watching and feeling the older man work him over, groan low around him, without any performative facade. When Joshua swallowed, mouth and throat clenching tightest around the reddened, sensitive head (clear fluid welling at the slit), Teddy's hips pushed forward as if to somehow get even deeper while he swore in a gasp.

But, maybe he wouldn't be. Maybe he was worrying over nothing, from the sound of Joshua's assurance. Then the other man confirmed it outright - and Lord have mercy, how his mind ran wild with the possibilities, both erotic and tender. That grinning declaration so close to Teddy's ear nearly made him melt on the spot, breath stumbling once again as a shiver of pure want rippled through his core and twitched his confined cock. The confidence steeped in every word made it seem a fact, almost an order; that idea alone tugged a little needy noise from Teddy's throat. He craved it, to be so thoroughly and affectionately wrung out, to be so overflowing with pleasure he could forget for a while what the world thought of his heart.

Stomach jumping subtly at the skim of Joshua's fingertips, Teddy gasped soft when they dipped past fabric just far enough to have him on the verge of saying yes. But when the older man mentioned a second option, Teddy managed to hold his tongue. He'd noted earlier how nice the view was from down near Joshua's hips. But this view, after a trail of kisses that had his heart hammering in anticipation, was just as incredible. Adoring hazel eyes fluttered beneath a pleading angle of his eyebrows, an exhale wavering past parted lips. Teddy raked one hand into Joshua's hair, his other gently brushed over the man's stubbled cheek, and all the while his arousal ached against the gambler's teasing mouth.

It shouldn't be Joshua, yet it was. And for tonight, he had selfishly silently allowed himself to believe that the way Teddy saw him could be true.

Subtly tipping his head towards the fingers now twined in his hair, the faintest shudder raced down his spine as a gentle hand found his cheek. A grin rose to Joshua's face at Teddy's breathy laugh, and it widened at the imploring sentiments that followed. Despite how uncomfortably tight the front of his trousers had become ( and only more-so at those desperate words ), his sole focus remained the eager, vulnerable countenance gazing down at him; just the anticipation of watching that handsome visage wracked with pleasure was enough to send his pulse racing.

"I know you'll try," he teased, his mouth still brushing against Teddy's arousal through pants fabric ( despite his own words, he wouldn't be satisfied if there wasn't a struggle to stay standing! ). Then, Joshua's grip shifted from the hips still beneath his palms to begin working open the belt and buttons. In the meantime, he pressed kisses along Teddy's lower stomach, interspersed with nips to the soft skin that had shivered beneath his earlier touch. The second every fastening was undone, he wasted no time in shoving down the trousers that were all that was left in his way. And what a sight Joshua was met with! "You're so fucking hard for me, Teddy." It left him as a pleased groan, a hand sliding past Teddy's waist to squeeze the other man's rear.

Dragging his tongue up the underside of that tempting length once wasn't enough. Joshua followed through again and again before lavishing the shaft with open-mouthed kisses. When he paid due attention to the flushed tip, he allotted the most time: kisses, licks, teasing the slit with his tongue.

Still, he couldn't tamp down the brighter blush gradually blooming over his cheeks, his ears, and along his neck to his chest. Those kisses and nips spurred more shivers and little jolts, some of them audible in his breaths. The reality of being so exposed at last to Joshua had flushed skin blazing vivid, ruddy pink in the lamplight. But the older man looked right at the proof of Teddy's desire, didn't flinch, and instead only answered with eager groaning praise. It soothed the nervous edge of his pulse, even when a hand gripped one cheek of his rear and squeezed. Teddy wanted more, wanted both hands fondling and maneuvering and spreading them to see —

His train of thought derailed into fragments. The first drag of Joshua's tongue along the underside of his cock had Teddy arching again, chin tipped up a bit to let out more sighs and short, needy noises. Toes curled and splayed inside his boots; lashes fluttered, but didn't fall shut; his gaze itself was fixed on Joshua, watching each open kiss along his length as keenly as he felt it. Teddy tried not to squirm too much, shoulders rising a little, while the other man lingered at his tip.

A fuller moan leapt from his throat when that incredible, tantalizing mouth finally wrapped round the reddened head. His thighs shivered with the effort not to thrust in deeper, Joshua's hum seeming to cling to every inch. "Oh shit..." Teddy breathed, the only words he could muster at first. After a longer moan dragged out, shaky yet indulgent, as more and more of his length slid into the gambler's mouth, he added at the end of a soft whine, "Fuck, Joshua...!"

Rolling his shoulders and letting his shirt drop off his arms, Teddy settled his hands only on the older man's shoulders at first. He watched those gorgeous eyes roam over his front, and on his chest in particular. He'd take it over a too-long stare at the ragged starburst of a gunshot near his shoulder, healed well enough that it - and another on his thigh - only ached in rainstorms and cold snaps. Even Joshua's smirk, softer than before, appreciative, made Teddy's pulse stumble again despite the relative steadiness of his voice. "Course you do." One hand trailed up over fabric to reach the edge of Joshua's shirt collar. "Look who I got with me."

Teddy wrapped his arms round the other man's neck and upper back, palms spread to pull Joshua as close as possible. He tipped his own head against the wall, and half-swallowed a moan at the redoubled press of Joshua's thigh to his groin. Every nip coaxed out a wordless little hum. The indulgent drag of the other's palm, down his stomach to the waist of his pants, sent a heated shiver up his arched back. A clearer sound jumped from Teddy's throat when, after a gentle squeeze, Joshua's fingers found one nipple again.

Barely suppressed sounds mingled with the rocking pressure against his thigh, while Joshua relished all of it. He had sweet Teddy pressed to the wall, moaning and riding his leg without a care — he would be damned if he didn't carve this into his memory as it deserved! Twisting a pink, stiff nipple again between his thumb and forefinger, he was rather certain of where his mouth ought to travel next when those intoxicating noises formed into words. As Teddy ended with a breathy laugh, Joshua's brow furrowed. "How fast don't matter." Leaving the red-marked collar bone behind, his lips next found the patch of skin behind Teddy's earlobe.

"Not as if it's only gonna happen once." Was that what Teddy anticipated? Perhaps that might be the case without the world's greatest lover someone thorough, or with anyone only invested in swift satisfaction, yet he wasn't apt to let his companion fall victim to that. Although the notion of being able to work Teddy up to the point of finishing untouched filled Joshua with a preening sort of gratification, leaving the evening at that would incite quite the opposite emotion. I wouldn't be shit. As it was, this was Teddy's first time experiencing any of this with another person. Well! If he had anything to say about it, Teddy wouldn't even be able to think of tonight in passing without wanting to shove a hand down the front of too tight pants.

But, maybe he wouldn't be. Maybe he was worrying over nothing, from the sound of Joshua's assurance. Then the other man confirmed it outright - and Lord have mercy, how his mind ran wild with the possibilities, both erotic and tender. That grinning declaration so close to Teddy's ear nearly made him melt on the spot, breath stumbling once again as a shiver of pure want rippled through his core and twitched his confined cock. The confidence steeped in every word made it seem a fact, almost an order; that idea alone tugged a little needy noise from Teddy's throat. He craved it, to be so thoroughly and affectionately wrung out, to be so overflowing with pleasure he could forget for a while what the world thought of his heart.

Stomach jumping subtly at the skim of Joshua's fingertips, Teddy gasped soft when they dipped past fabric just far enough to have him on the verge of saying yes. But when the older man mentioned a second option, Teddy managed to hold his tongue. He'd noted earlier how nice the view was from down near Joshua's hips. But this view, after a trail of kisses that had his heart hammering in anticipation, was just as incredible. Adoring hazel eyes fluttered beneath a pleading angle of his eyebrows, an exhale wavering past parted lips. Teddy raked one hand into Joshua's hair, his other gently brushed over the man's stubbled cheek, and all the while his arousal ached against the gambler's teasing mouth.

Teddy bit his lip once more at the tease about his volume, but before he could even string an apology together, Joshua had already countered it. 'Wanna hear you all damn night' - Teddy shivered with sheer desire at the implication. He couldn't think of a better reason to lose sleep. A soft gasp tinged the start of his next moan at a third mark worked onto his neck, while Joshua made quick work of most of his buttons. Most, but not all; he liked to think the gambler was impatient to get hands on his bare skin.

When Joshua's fingers found and lingered at one of his nipples, Teddy let slip a short startled sound that melted into something needier, his hips grinding again. The sensation fizzed through his nerves, deepening and lingering once bolstered by erotic friction. His head tipped back a bit against the wall, nails dragging down the back of Joshua's vest.

He still wasn't always so good at noticing when his attention to other men ran deeper than mere interest, desire often creeping up on him like a whisper he needed to lean in a little closer to grasp; but damn, he should have grasped it sooner tonight! Regardless, he had understood his draw towards Teddy the second he understood Teddy, and there was likely something to be said about that yet he wasn't of a mind to figure out what it was.

Not with the younger man's vest now shed. Not with his hand brushing along the warmth of Teddy's side. And especially not when following that train of thought felt a certain sort of dangerous he wasn't so keen to chase.

Working open the remaining buttons on Teddy's shirt, Joshua pushed it off his companion's shoulders until it was free to fall to the floor. Then, he leaned back just enough for his gaze to wander. Teddy's flush melded with the dusting of freckles littered across shoulders and upper chest; the upwards quirk of the right corner of his mouth was faintly softer now. "Look at that. Guess I win."

When Joshua leaned in once more to press kisses down Teddy's throat, he didn't stop when they brushed the other man's shoulder. This time, he continued down until his lips grazed that freckled collarbone. As he dipped his head, he re-settled his thigh ever-so slightly firmer between Teddy's legs. Open-mouthed kisses again made way for nips of teeth, but that hardly stopped Joshua's free hand from exploration. His touch dragged along Teddy's stomach and waist ( where he felt hipbones dipping temptingly underneath more fabric ).

Rolling his shoulders and letting his shirt drop off his arms, Teddy settled his hands only on the older man's shoulders at first. He watched those gorgeous eyes roam over his front, and on his chest in particular. He'd take it over a too-long stare at the ragged starburst of a gunshot near his shoulder, healed well enough that it - and another on his thigh - only ached in rainstorms and cold snaps. Even Joshua's smirk, softer than before, appreciative, made Teddy's pulse stumble again despite the relative steadiness of his voice. "Course you do." One hand trailed up over fabric to reach the edge of Joshua's shirt collar. "Look who I got with me."

Teddy wrapped his arms round the other man's neck and upper back, palms spread to pull Joshua as close as possible. He tipped his own head against the wall, and half-swallowed a moan at the redoubled press of Joshua's thigh to his groin. Every nip coaxed out a wordless little hum. The indulgent drag of the other's palm, down his stomach to the waist of his pants, sent a heated shiver up his arched back. A clearer sound jumped from Teddy's throat when, after a gentle squeeze, Joshua's fingers found one nipple again.

That was a trail of thought Teddy preferred to ignore for now.

Instead, he let his eyes fall shut at the words murmured so close to his skin. "Yeah," Teddy whispered again. Just the thought of aching marks reminding him this had been real, with every drag of fabric over them as he worked, flared fresh heat in his veins. So when Joshua seemed to refuse at first, Teddy hoped with bated breath for the other boot to drop - and drop it did, in the best way.

"Please...!" He barely managed to get the word out before a clearer needy noise escaped. Teddy bit his lip on reflex, only to let it go as soon as Joshua's teeth found another spot to mark. "Ah— Just like that..." It was his turn to bury a hand in the other's hair, eyes still closed to soak in the feeling with a somewhat shaky sigh.

As a hand slid into his hair, accompanied by an unsteady sigh, the nips of Joshua's teeth grew harsher until there was no room to doubt a patch of red was growing beneath them.

Nevertheless, despite his predisposition towards recklessness, he attempted to maintain enough wherewithal to allow care for the placement of a third mark. As much as he would relish covering Teddy in them, they shouldn't be made too difficult to hide; while the other man could always lie and claim they were from a woman, he couldn't exactly envisage that falsehood being used ( small though it was ).

Joshua's lips had just brushed a fresh bit of skin when the hold on him tightened. No glance was necessary to check why, as he felt the gentle weight of Teddy moving against his thigh. And when a loud moan was ushered forth — ah, he couldn't help it this time! A wide smile captured Joshua's countenance. "Listen to you," he teased, bestowing another kiss to Teddy's neck. "Wanna hear you all damn night."

While his teeth pressed against Teddy's neck, the fingers that were curled in soft, dark strands dropped instead now to the the buttons of his companion's shirt. Outside the saloon, Joshua could only trace the skin already bared; here, it was a different story. Deftly working the vest open followed by a number of the first fastenings, his other hand continued to grip Teddy's knee. The flushes and groan he garnered kept his leg precisely where it was, already anticipating another grind against it.

Halfway through the shirt buttons, Joshua ceased his efforts, yet only so he could slip past the fabric. A gratified huff escaped him against the side of Teddy's throat, including his latest mark. The skin beneath his palm was just as warm as he had thought it would be, but even better to touch. Roaming across Teddy's chest, Joshua's fingers paused when they reached one of the younger man's nipples. He took it between his thumb and forefinger — rolling, pinching.

Teddy bit his lip once more at the tease about his volume, but before he could even string an apology together, Joshua had already countered it. 'Wanna hear you all damn night' - Teddy shivered with sheer desire at the implication. He couldn't think of a better reason to lose sleep. A soft gasp tinged the start of his next moan at a third mark worked onto his neck, while Joshua made quick work of most of his buttons. Most, but not all; he liked to think the gambler was impatient to get hands on his bare skin.

When Joshua's fingers found and lingered at one of his nipples, Teddy let slip a short startled sound that melted into something needier, his hips grinding again. The sensation fizzed through his nerves, deepening and lingering once bolstered by erotic friction. His head tipped back a bit against the wall, nails dragging down the back of Joshua's vest.

Faraday proved him very wrong in the next moment.

Teddy had enough time for a quiet gasp as he followed that pull and felt his hat tumble away once more. Any worry over Faraday rejecting him vanished again before it could linger. Wrapping his arms around the gambler in return, Teddy reciprocated eagerly. A pleased hum escaped into the kiss, lips parting so the tip of his tongue could brush Faraday's. His eyes only slivered open partway, lashes fluttering, when that intoxicating mouth roamed further down to his neck. The knowledge there was no risk of interruption here curled the corners of his mouth just a little.

Every kiss and nip of teeth had Teddy clinging tighter, as if that were even possible. He flushed anew at the lighthearted tease, knowing and welcoming that it was the reaction the other man likely aimed for. Nerves had spurred him to fall back on more formal address - but what good did formality do now, with fingers tightening in his hair just enough to cause the soft, clipped start of a moan? "Yeah," Teddy breathed out, tipping his head back. "J-Joshua..." The name left a subtly different aftertaste on his tongue, a tad sweeter.

It was his turn to move, though not far - just the step or so for his back to meet the nearest bare spot on the wall. Teddy kept a close hold on Joshua all the while, careful not to knock the older man's head against wood, then hooked his leg on Joshua's once more. Picking up where they left off was all he could think to do.

When a leg again curved around his, one hand released its hold on soft hair to grip Teddy's knee, pulling them ever closer. He wanted to lean into his companion until he could feel each fluttering heartbeat in tandem with his own, to compel it faster. However, at Teddy's next statement, it was Joshua who was claimed by surprise. ' Gimme a mark. ' Well — damn, Teddy! A grin stole across his face as his kisses stilled. Part of him had sworn he ought to be gentle with Teddy. Careful. Clearly, Joshua had even more to learn about Teddy than he had previously surmised. The excitement that had sparked through him when hazel eyes gazed up at him flared into a flame.

"You want a mark hiding under your collar? But you'll still feel it there — huh, Teddy?" His mouth brushed along warmed skin as he spoke, heat spiking in his veins with each graze of his lips. "I'm not gonna give you one." Joshua didn't let that last word hang in the air for longer than a beat. "I'm gonna give you a helluva lot more 'n that."

The next nips to Teddy's neck were swift to grow harder, until the beginnings of a bruise bloomed. Kisses eased his attention further down, seeking another sensitive patch of skin. As soon as he found it, his teeth wasted no time in administering more teasing bites. Kind, sweet Teddy would be littered with Joshua's marks by the end of the night. And fuck, he was far too eager to see it.

That was a trail of thought Teddy preferred to ignore for now.

Instead, he let his eyes fall shut at the words murmured so close to his skin. "Yeah," Teddy whispered again. Just the thought of aching marks reminding him this had been real, with every drag of fabric over them as he worked, flared fresh heat in his veins. So when Joshua seemed to refuse at first, Teddy hoped with bated breath for the other boot to drop - and drop it did, in the best way.

"Please...!" He barely managed to get the word out before a clearer needy noise escaped. Teddy bit his lip on reflex, only to let it go as soon as Joshua's teeth found another spot to mark. "Ah— Just like that..." It was his turn to bury a hand in the other's hair, eyes still closed to soak in the feeling with a somewhat shaky sigh.

Though Faraday's teasing question bloomed a fresh blush on freckled cheeks, Teddy didn't look away as he assured, "I'd like to." Just the thought of being loud for the other man, while having those hands all over his bare skin and that voice in his ear, rushed extra heat through his veins beyond his flushed face. Shoot, best to stop his imagination there before it got out of hand in public, shadowed though they were.

Teddy only shrugged in answer to the remark about his house. He wouldn't call it anything special, but it was his. While he'd never had occasion to invite most folk over, he did hope - to himself - that Faraday might become an exception.

Before his smile could grow too wide when the older man agreed to stay, a kiss brushed his lips, followed by a light tug of teeth. Teddy punctuated Faraday's complaint about the hotel with another soft, too-short kiss in return. "Figured you might've." He couldn't get the gambler's promise out of his head either: 'I'll show ya'.

The thought had Teddy's hands moving, though somewhat reluctant in relaxing his embrace. One hand trailed down to take hold of Faraday's palm, lingering as a last point of direct contact while Teddy crouched to retrieve his fallen hat. He took a moment to glance up from there and... God, was this a view he hoped to see again. Another anticipating smile tugged at his lips, in either contrast or complement to the faint tremor of his breath.

"C'mon, Mr. Faraday," Teddy urged as he stood, with a gentle squeeze to the hand he held. "Should head over before we get too distracted." His fingertips only trailed away as he stepped out of the saloon's shadow, but he still paused, partway turned, to make sure Faraday followed.

It indeed wasn't too far a walk from the saloon to Teddy's house, but enough distance for some separation. The only light on them as they reached the front door was the moon; the only noise in their ears were crickets, rustling grass, and their own footsteps; the only scent on the wind was the green sweetness of his alfalfa field. Teddy paused long enough to light the lantern next to the door and carry it inside, grateful his nervous excitement hadn't shaken his fingers. He hung the lantern on a ceiling hook, its warm glow casting over the cozy furnishings of wood and patterned cushions, with a couple framed photographs amid small decorative touches.

Joshua was dubious as to whether or not awareness of it had fully dawned on Teddy — and he didn't want it to. He didn't. It would only hurt them both if he let that happen. Surely it would. And yet, as Teddy stooped to retrieve the hat that had fallen to the ground and smiled up at him, everything inside felt like it was tightening and unraveling at the same time. In spite of himself, a grin rose to Joshua's lips because, damn!

Teddy was a handsome sight ( that was for certain ), and the spark of curiosity that had first flared inside him upon recognition of the mettle he had missed behind polite manners and quiet answers burned all the hotter in his blood.

Perhaps he would remember that he was no good for the other man, or anyone for that matter, once sunlight broached the horizon, but he could be for tonight. ' Some imaginary nice don’t matter; I got good right here. ' For tonight, Joshua would keep letting himself believe those words without his own cold dread drowning them out. Even as Teddy stood, their fingers were slow to part; there was such surety in that touch, regardless of the unevenness of his companion's next breath.

"Me? Distracted? Dunno where you'd come up with that." Lies! His thoughts had already been diverted by the brush of Teddy's lips more times than he cared to count. "But I'll get you plenty distracted later." As he settled his own hat back atop his head, Joshua still sensed the warmth of Teddy's palm against his despite this newly instated distance. He wondered how long it might linger there, whether it would be the same anywhere their skin met ( and a little shudder ran down his spine at the memory of a thumb brushing behind his ear ).

Teddy was silent throughout the short walk that followed. While plenty of remarks flitted to the tip of his tongue to fill the night air alongside the chirping crickets, he swallowed them back as his gaze shifted to the luminous moon overhead. Ah, it reminded Joshua of the first night he slept outside after leaving Batesville! Suddenly, it presented a question in his mind: what would it have been like had he met Teddy as who he used to be?

It was a fraught query, one that occupied his thoughts until they reached the front door. As he stepped across the threshold, Joshua was thrust back into the here and now when the image in front of him matched precisely what he had pictured. It was all quite Teddy: neat and unassuming, but far from boring. However, he was already glancing back over his shoulder just in time for those pretty eyes to catch his. The shy way in which his hand was taken again, the excitement amid the nerves clearly scrawled across Teddy's face —

"You c'mere." Pulling Teddy to him in one quick movement, Joshua then shoved his free fingers into soft, brown hair until Teddy's hat toppled to the floor. With a firm kiss, he answered the unspoken inquiry in the most unequivocal manner he could possibly think of. It was broken by a brief brush of his tongue along that tempting lower lip before he shifted his ministrations to Teddy's neck. Maybe Joshua had been forced to cut them short beneath the shadow of the saloon, yet he wasn't now.

Faraday proved him very wrong in the next moment.

Teddy had enough time for a quiet gasp as he followed that pull and felt his hat tumble away once more. Any worry over Faraday rejecting him vanished again before it could linger. Wrapping his arms around the gambler in return, Teddy reciprocated eagerly. A pleased hum escaped into the kiss, lips parting so the tip of his tongue could brush Faraday's. His eyes only slivered open partway, lashes fluttering, when that intoxicating mouth roamed further down to his neck. The knowledge there was no risk of interruption here curled the corners of his mouth just a little.

Every kiss and nip of teeth had Teddy clinging tighter, as if that were even possible. He flushed anew at the lighthearted tease, knowing and welcoming that it was the reaction the other man likely aimed for. Nerves had spurred him to fall back on more formal address - but what good did formality do now, with fingers tightening in his hair just enough to cause the soft, clipped start of a moan? "Yeah," Teddy breathed out, tipping his head back. "J-Joshua..." The name left a subtly different aftertaste on his tongue, a tad sweeter.

It was his turn to move, though not far - just the step or so for his back to meet the nearest bare spot on the wall. Teddy kept a close hold on Joshua all the while, careful not to knock the older man's head against wood, then hooked his leg on Joshua's once more. Picking up where they left off was all he could think to do.

It was the gambler's reply, in turn, which distracted Teddy. The thoughtful repetition of the question, like it was worth considering - and hopefully not that it hadn't been on Faraday's mind. An inhale snagged in his throat once more, as soft as that brush of lips on his neck. Teddy tipped his head back to welcome the contact, and couldn't help a little smile when more kisses followed. The way they built in urgency and desire, how they opened against his skin... He was thinking more of indulgence than gentility, though he wouldn't be opposed to the latter if it meant Faraday drew this out longer. Anything to have as much of the night together as sleep would allow.

Teddy bit his lower lip to muffle himself, as both hands were too busy clinging onto Faraday. Just that one graze of teeth lit up his nerves like a shower of sparks. 'A lot of things'... And good Lord, Teddy wanted all of them. He let slip a quiet fragment of a moan from the back of his throat at that firmer nip to his neck. More, harder - the unspoken pleas, or demands, or both, burned low in his gut. What a thrill just to imagine having to hide a few hickeys with his collar and kerchief in the morning.

Taking a deeper, shaky breath to steady himself when Faraday's mouth and hand retreated, Teddy was glad to see the other man at least didn't move too far. He wanted to hold on a few moments more, while he skimmed his lips against the gambler's just before the latter spoke. Teddy already had an offer in mind, even before that smirking addition. He was too caught up in the compassion of the sentiment to banter back, answering with utter earnestness and a clear glimmer of hope. "Then come stay the night. My house ain't too far; just enough that we don't gotta stay quiet." Another brushing tease of a kiss. "I wanna know what all you'd do."

As the ghost of a kiss grazed along Joshua's lips while Teddy spoke, it only spurred a heated desire to press closer to the sweetness that lingered still on his tongue. Ah, he hadn't drank anywhere near enough tonight to drive off the dreams lurking in wait for when he closed his eyes, yet he craved the taste of only one thing — and he wouldn't find it behind the bar. Although some part of him might regret that later, he was too fixated on right now to care, especially with that promise of, ' we don't gotta stay quiet ' echoing in his ears.

"You gonna be loud for me, Teddy?" Joshua's eyebrows lifted in tandem with the corner of his mouth. Turning the heady sound of muffled moans into a noise incapable of being held back — if he thought on it much longer, he was liable to do something stupid before they were even out of earshot. However, the humor quietly ebbed from his face as turned over the rest of Teddy's words. "Never been inside your house before." What was it like? Joshua could sure as hell picture a guess in his mind, though Teddy had already surprised him more than once that evening; still, he felt rather certain.

As it was, no one would question his companion offering him a place sleep ( not that many Rose Creek residents had been eager to open their doors to him and the others before the battle — and he knew why ).

Though Faraday's teasing question bloomed a fresh blush on freckled cheeks, Teddy didn't look away as he assured, "I'd like to." Just the thought of being loud for the other man, while having those hands all over his bare skin and that voice in his ear, rushed extra heat through his veins beyond his flushed face. Shoot, best to stop his imagination there before it got out of hand in public, shadowed though they were.

Teddy only shrugged in answer to the remark about his house. He wouldn't call it anything special, but it was his. While he'd never had occasion to invite most folk over, he did hope - to himself - that Faraday might become an exception.

Before his smile could grow too wide when the older man agreed to stay, a kiss brushed his lips, followed by a light tug of teeth. Teddy punctuated Faraday's complaint about the hotel with another soft, too-short kiss in return. "Figured you might've." He couldn't get the gambler's promise out of his head either: 'I'll show ya'.

The thought had Teddy's hands moving, though somewhat reluctant in relaxing his embrace. One hand trailed down to take hold of Faraday's palm, lingering as a last point of direct contact while Teddy crouched to retrieve his fallen hat. He took a moment to glance up from there and... God, was this a view he hoped to see again. Another anticipating smile tugged at his lips, in either contrast or complement to the faint tremor of his breath.

"C'mon, Mr. Faraday," Teddy urged as he stood, with a gentle squeeze to the hand he held. "Should head over before we get too distracted." His fingertips only trailed away as he stepped out of the saloon's shadow, but he still paused, partway turned, to make sure Faraday followed.

It indeed wasn't too far a walk from the saloon to Teddy's house, but enough distance for some separation. The only light on them as they reached the front door was the moon; the only noise in their ears were crickets, rustling grass, and their own footsteps; the only scent on the wind was the green sweetness of his alfalfa field. Teddy paused long enough to light the lantern next to the door and carry it inside, grateful his nervous excitement hadn't shaken his fingers. He hung the lantern on a ceiling hook, its warm glow casting over the cozy furnishings of wood and patterned cushions, with a couple framed photographs amid small decorative touches.

When their kiss finally broke, Teddy could feel his heartbeat in his own lips. The realization tugged up a small smile amid his quiet panting, kept there by the other man's whispered praise but gentled by the melancholy in the sentiment. It only faded when overcome by sheer want and anticipation, while Teddy's head tipped up slightly to give that teasing mouth more room. His next breath shook in its escape, mind spinning with what could come next, and what any of those might lead into, until he had to close his eyes for a long blink.

Teddy only managed the start of a soft chuckle before he was biting his lip, to muffle his hum at the delicate attentions to his ear. His back arched, as much as it could in what little room it had, after that gentle yet distinct pinch of teeth on his earlobe. Blunt nails skimmed over Faraday's scalp, and Teddy had to swallow hard before he could manage a softspoken reply.

Teddy's quiet voice distracted him rather well, a grin stealing across his face at the reply. "Would I?" Repeating the question as if musing to himself, Joshua tilted his head slightly until his lips ghosted against Teddy's neck once more ( as if he didn't already know his answer to that request, as if he was unaware of this latest immediate jump of his pulse ). Although there were so many places on the other man that he ached to touch, this one had gripped his attention tight and refused to let go. He pressed a kiss to Teddy's neck, then another, and another — until they grew fervent, open-mouthed, eager. Gentle! Be gentle! Nevertheless, Joshua's own injunction was a faint one at the fresh graze of his teeth, and the memory of how Teddy had pressed harder against him when he had done the same at his companion's earlobe.

It was the gambler's reply, in turn, which distracted Teddy. The thoughtful repetition of the question, like it was worth considering - and hopefully not that it hadn't been on Faraday's mind. An inhale snagged in his throat once more, as soft as that brush of lips on his neck. Teddy tipped his head back to welcome the contact, and couldn't help a little smile when more kisses followed. The way they built in urgency and desire, how they opened against his skin... He was thinking more of indulgence than gentility, though he wouldn't be opposed to the latter if it meant Faraday drew this out longer. Anything to have as much of the night together as sleep would allow.

Teddy bit his lower lip to muffle himself, as both hands were too busy clinging onto Faraday. Just that one graze of teeth lit up his nerves like a shower of sparks. 'A lot of things'... And good Lord, Teddy wanted all of them. He let slip a quiet fragment of a moan from the back of his throat at that firmer nip to his neck. More, harder - the unspoken pleas, or demands, or both, burned low in his gut. What a thrill just to imagine having to hide a few hickeys with his collar and kerchief in the morning.

Taking a deeper, shaky breath to steady himself when Faraday's mouth and hand retreated, Teddy was glad to see the other man at least didn't move too far. He wanted to hold on a few moments more, while he skimmed his lips against the gambler's just before the latter spoke. Teddy already had an offer in mind, even before that smirking addition. He was too caught up in the compassion of the sentiment to banter back, answering with utter earnestness and a clear glimmer of hope. "Then come stay the night. My house ain't too far; just enough that we don't gotta stay quiet." Another brushing tease of a kiss. "I wanna know what all you'd do."

Even if they were, those feelings helped Teddy hold onto his earnest courage. Those feelings and more - even before this happy miracle, he knew that Faraday was a good man. Good wasn't the same as perfect, and only God was perfect anyhow. Teddy had seen blood and death, had caused some of it himself, just as he knew it wasn't as much as Faraday likely had. But those hands weren't so stained that they'd forgotten how to be gentle, like the touch at Teddy's wrist before. Those eyes weren't so haunted that they couldn't see something worthwhile in Teddy, something even worthy of wanting. Faraday was a good man because he'd kept his word to help them, even through all the drinking and teasing and grousing. He'd given Teddy a hard but needed lesson about gunfights. He'd helped set the town's defenses, rushed in to save the kids from the general store's cellar, nearly died taking down the Gatling gun. He'd listened tonight, uncovered Teddy's truth and actually accepted it.

So that shake of Faraday's head only made Teddy more certain of his conclusion, even as the dregs of fear snaked cold from his gut into his pulse.

When the lips against his parted and he felt the brush of Teddy's tongue, the last of his resistance that declared he ought to stay away crumbled into dust. Dammit. A short sound rose in his throat as he leaned further against Teddy, their hips pressed ever more flush. As he answered the initial, cautious shift in their kiss with a furtive stroke of his own tongue, the warmth beneath Joshua's skin sparked hotter. He could taste the whiskey consumed earlier, yet far more potent than that was just Teddy. Instead of the celerity with which he threw back each glass of liquor as it came, he was compelled to savor it as if he might capture it like a picture. In the meantime, Joshua's fingers were dragging over what they could reach of Teddy's collarbone without popping the first button of his companion's shirt. Just how far did that enticing blush go when it disappeared beneath the fabric?

It still felt too soon when they finally parted, a myriad of thoughts clambering around in his mind. Each was too true for him to utter aloud; they all caught in his throat before he could even decide what to do with them. After a second or two ( long enough to draw a few quick breaths ), Joshua tipped his chin towards Teddy's shoulder. "Brave Teddy. Think you see me in a way I'm never gonna." Although it was uttered under his breath, it was impossible to miss in their closeness. His mouth grazed up Teddy's neck, teasing, not yet leaving kisses in its wake while echoes of the last words they shared before their lips met for the first time silenced everything else in his head: ' I’d rather make you feel brave with me, Teddy, ' then his companion's pleading, ' I want to. Show me. Please. ' Joshua didn't always understand his own feelings, or even how they drove his actions at times, yet he knew that he wished for Teddy to feel like that even more than he wished to believe that the way those hazel eyes looked at him was a mirror of who he really was.

When their kiss finally broke, Teddy could feel his heartbeat in his own lips. The realization tugged up a small smile amid his quiet panting, kept there by the other man's whispered praise but gentled by the melancholy in the sentiment. It only faded when overcome by sheer want and anticipation, while Teddy's head tipped up slightly to give that teasing mouth more room. His next breath shook in its escape, mind spinning with what could come next, and what any of those might lead into, until he had to close his eyes for a long blink.

Teddy only managed the start of a soft chuckle before he was biting his lip, to muffle his hum at the delicate attentions to his ear. His back arched, as much as it could in what little room it had, after that gentle yet distinct pinch of teeth on his earlobe. Blunt nails skimmed over Faraday's scalp, and Teddy had to swallow hard before he could manage a softspoken reply.

Half-open hazel eyes flicked over Faraday's face. Why wouldn't he ask? ...Nice? The other's phrasing made it seem like Faraday wasn't included in that term. Odd; the gambler was rough, sure, and had more kills under his belt than Teddy ever wanted to claim, but he still maintained Faraday was a good man. He doubted the other could or would do anything that might convince him otherwise.

It was Teddy's turn to tilt his head, lashes lowering further for a slow indulgent blink, while Faraday's touch wandered over his jaw and cheek. His lips parted slightly when fingertips brushed past. Lord, he couldn't help wondering how those hands might feel elsewhere, with a lot less clothes on. He shouldn't get too ahead of himself. His gaze snapped open and breath snagged, faint but just audible, as Faraday tugged him even closer. Teddy's leg hooked tighter around the other's, wordless encouragement to close any bit of distance between them.

His eyebrows rose slightly as Teddy spoke, until that damn, wonderful thumb brushed behind his ear again. Joshua couldn't do anything but chase after the brief, shivery sensation as he tipped his head into the touch once more. The words Teddy followed with, however, doused him with a coolness that trickled through his veins. ' I got good right here. ' Teddy's eyes looked at him the same way they had back in the saloon while insisting that he cared, when he had felt like the other man was trying to see him, all of him, whether he had asked for it or not. Joshua Faraday wasn't a good person ( he could only have so many nightmares about the things he had done before he was forced to accept that fact ), but when the gaze that was on him now lingered — ?

He wanted his surety of that to waver, even if it was just for a moment, and see himself how Teddy did. Or maybe he wanted to shove himself away so that he wouldn't start to believe it, and he would never have to watch that sweet face fall with disappointment when Teddy decided it had been wrong. Maybe both. Maybe neither. What're you doing to me, Teddy?

Even if they were, those feelings helped Teddy hold onto his earnest courage. Those feelings and more - even before this happy miracle, he knew that Faraday was a good man. Good wasn't the same as perfect, and only God was perfect anyhow. Teddy had seen blood and death, had caused some of it himself, just as he knew it wasn't as much as Faraday likely had. But those hands weren't so stained that they'd forgotten how to be gentle, like the touch at Teddy's wrist before. Those eyes weren't so haunted that they couldn't see something worthwhile in Teddy, something even worthy of wanting. Faraday was a good man because he'd kept his word to help them, even through all the drinking and teasing and grousing. He'd given Teddy a hard but needed lesson about gunfights. He'd helped set the town's defenses, rushed in to save the kids from the general store's cellar, nearly died taking down the Gatling gun. He'd listened tonight, uncovered Teddy's truth and actually accepted it.

So that shake of Faraday's head only made Teddy more certain of his conclusion, even as the dregs of fear snaked cold from his gut into his pulse.

Teddy was content to hand over the metaphorical reins for their second kiss, to follow the other's lead in every languid, firmer press and drag of lips. One boot heel scraped on soft dirt at first, until he also followed that guidance at his hip. As soon as his back met the saloon's outside wall, an encouraging noise eked out of his own throat, only loud enough for Faraday to hear. Teddy's hand on a stubbled cheek skimmed back to rake fingers into the gambler's short brown hair. His other arm, meanwhile, kept them pressed close together. One leg loosely hooked round Faraday's as a bit of extra coaxing - if either of them even needed that by now.

He couldn't quite tell whether the racing heart he felt was his own or the other's; maybe it was both, cantering almost in tandem. Teddy didn't want to part, couldn't think of anything consequential to fill the space, yet at a point he still needed a deeper breath. So when he did pull back, it was only that far, lips close enough to brush and eyes slivered open. He noticed then they'd moved fully into the saloon's shadow; intentional or not, he sincerely appreciated the sense of privacy. A work-callused thumb brushed over the soft skin behind Faraday's ear, and Teddy couldn't help a gentle peck to the man's lower lip while catching his breath.

Until Teddy drew back, their combined inhales of deep breaths forcing forth some semblance of clarity into Joshua's hazy mind. However, their lips continued to touch as his gaze met the hazel one across from him nearer than he ever would have imagined it would. Those big eyes and their depths he had overlooked, the shy yet beckoning mouth that was shaped so enticingly: he knew with an irrevocable certainty that they wouldn't weave their way into merely his waking thoughts, but his unconscious ones, too. Nevertheless, Teddy did one of the few things that could have torn Joshua's attention away from them, managed by the thumb behind his ear. It drew inadvertent shivers down his spine until his head leaned into the other man's touch, his chin tipping forward a short second for the too quick kiss that followed.

"You sure you should be askin' me that?" Joshua's voice was just as quiet as the one he answered, every brush of his mouth against Teddy's twining new waves of heat through his veins. "Don'tcha think you should be kissin' someone nice?" Despite the teasing in his cadence at that second query, genuine hesitation rode its undercurrent. Still, the fingers beneath Teddy's chin lifted to graze along the other man's features: jaw, lips, cheekbone, that sprinkling of freckles. This was never a question that plagued Joshua before Rose Creek with anyone, really. It was easy not to think about it when he was barely acquainted with those he was with; all he needed to know was the way it felt when they touched him, or how pretty they looked when he touched them. And now here he was, filled with self-reproach over a simple kiss. Dammit, Teddy.

Half-open hazel eyes flicked over Faraday's face. Why wouldn't he ask? ...Nice? The other's phrasing made it seem like Faraday wasn't included in that term. Odd; the gambler was rough, sure, and had more kills under his belt than Teddy ever wanted to claim, but he still maintained Faraday was a good man. He doubted the other could or would do anything that might convince him otherwise.

It was Teddy's turn to tilt his head, lashes lowering further for a slow indulgent blink, while Faraday's touch wandered over his jaw and cheek. His lips parted slightly when fingertips brushed past. Lord, he couldn't help wondering how those hands might feel elsewhere, with a lot less clothes on. He shouldn't get too ahead of himself. His gaze snapped open and breath snagged, faint but just audible, as Faraday tugged him even closer. Teddy's leg hooked tighter around the other's, wordless encouragement to close any bit of distance between them.

He couldn't quite tell whether that skip after his squeeze belonged to him or to the gambler who somehow remained in his arms. Teddy liked the thought of the latter, that he wasn't the only one affected by all this. Especially when his pulse fluttered again at the brush of Faraday's lips against his skin.

And as the older man pulled back to take hold of his chin, so close they could feel each other's breath, Teddy couldn't string any thoughts together. There was only one second then the next, each inhale and exhale, the heat blooming brighter across his face, the subtle scrape of calluses against facial hair, and the weight of the man's gaze on his. No. No, he wasn't scared of Faraday. Not now, not anymore. Whatever residual fear still simmered was aimed outward, at the rest of the town.

But that brush of Faraday's thumb - Teddy's lips parting a little in response - made it hard to pay that fear any mind. He could only think about that counter offer, about replacing that tender touch with the other's tempting mouth. Should he take the leap, or wait for Faraday to make the final move? He wasn't misreading this, not by now, he couldn't be, not with all those small attentions from the older man. Not with the way Faraday said his name.

He was a bastard for wanting this, wasn't he? Sweet, kind, gentle: Teddy ought to be kissed by someone also in possession of all those same qualities. Yeah. Teddy should be kissed by someone who hadn't lost count of the men he had killed, who didn't drink himself into oblivion when he could to forget, who was decidedly not Joshua. Time remained to withdraw, to ruffle that mahogany hair and say, ' Better be on the lookout for someone, 'cause you're wastin' that mouth otherwise! ' It might bruise Teddy's heart, but wouldn't that be better than to break it? How could the answer be any other than yes?

Because while a kiss could be merely a kiss and nothing more, and he was used to that, he couldn't fool himself into believing that was all this would be. The unexpected, careful touch of Teddy's hand along the side of Joshua's face felt akin to tangible evidence of that fact, prompting a sharp yet almost silent inhale just as that hazel gaze fell to his lips. He could still stop. Then came Teddy's quiet voice and half-lidded eyes, sending his pulse thrumming ever-more fervently in his chest. Joshua should stop. ' …Please. ' While his free fingers curled slightly against Teddy's back, he sensed a subtle draw of breath between them; even something so small made him wish to erase the space between them. Perhaps, just as he couldn't uproot the tenderness now blooming in his chest, he couldn't bear to turn away.

Suddenly, Joshua's eyes widened as their mouths met ( a little timid, but underscored by surety ). Although his posture stiffened at the surprise of it, all he could feel was the softness of Teddy's lips, and the heat it flushed through his entire body. A muffled sound of pleasure rising in his throat, he leaned into the kiss, and then another, more firmly as his gaze flickered shut. The hand still holding Joshua's hat slid forward until his palm rested on Teddy's hip before using his hold to ease them towards the side of the saloon with the intention of pressing the other man's back against it, so that they were even further in the shadows and shielded from the moonlight. Maybe his heartbeat was racing at a speed he would never admit to aloud, yet he didn't care. How the hell could he, when it meant sensing Teddy's too?

Teddy was content to hand over the metaphorical reins for their second kiss, to follow the other's lead in every languid, firmer press and drag of lips. One boot heel scraped on soft dirt at first, until he also followed that guidance at his hip. As soon as his back met the saloon's outside wall, an encouraging noise eked out of his own throat, only loud enough for Faraday to hear. Teddy's hand on a stubbled cheek skimmed back to rake fingers into the gambler's short brown hair. His other arm, meanwhile, kept them pressed close together. One leg loosely hooked round Faraday's as a bit of extra coaxing - if either of them even needed that by now.

He couldn't quite tell whether the racing heart he felt was his own or the other's; maybe it was both, cantering almost in tandem. Teddy didn't want to part, couldn't think of anything consequential to fill the space, yet at a point he still needed a deeper breath. So when he did pull back, it was only that far, lips close enough to brush and eyes slivered open. He noticed then they'd moved fully into the saloon's shadow; intentional or not, he sincerely appreciated the sense of privacy. A work-callused thumb brushed over the soft skin behind Faraday's ear, and Teddy couldn't help a gentle peck to the man's lower lip while catching his breath.

Another faint gasp escaped, surprised not so much by the clearly-intended hug as by the fact of its presence, and by the firmness of it. His hands, occupied and not, slid onto Faraday's back; he couldn't help but be tentative at first. With each passing breath, however, Teddy tightened his own hold to match. Widened eyes relaxed a little, but didn't dare close.

Teddy bit the inside of his lip to rein himself in when Faraday murmured his name so close to his ear, though in their embrace the skip in his thundering pulse was likely obvious. He didn't know if they were thinking about the same kind of teasing, but-- But oh Lord, if that brush of lips on his neck and that remark on his blush were anything to go by, maybe not. Maybe Faraday was thinking of the kind of teases that Teddy had craved, and would welcome. He was sure his breath had caught again, though the other man couldn't see the way his lashes fluttered.

Teddy tried to gather himself while Faraday took mercy on him, but it wasn't easy when he also enjoyed the more tender feeling of the older man's stubbled cheek pressed against his hair. 'I'm not teasin' you right now.' Maybe Faraday had meant both kinds of teasing. The relief had Teddy's weight shifting forward a bit against the other, his own splayed fingers curling atop the back of Faraday's vest. His head turned slightly as well, further into their embrace.

Even if he hadn't really enjoyed being picked on, he could understand and treasure the idea that Faraday considered him special. The thought of feeling brave, though... "I dunno if I can. Ain't had the best times before, when folk learn the way my heart goes. So when you kept catchin' my eye, I just, I was so sure it couldn't turn out well. I thought you'd make fun, or get angry. Haul off 'n hit me, maybe." His shoulders hunched a little. "Wasn't fair to you, Mr. Faraday, I'm sorry." Teddy's hold tightened further for a moment, a squeeze to underline his apology and give him time to gather more of his thoughts.

Suddenly, at the turn of his companion's head and a further lean into their embrace, he was overcome by an uncharacteristic tenderness. Earnest, kind Teddy who saw him so differently than he saw himself — gradually softening that visceral urge in him to shove away anyone who wound up nearer than he had intended, sharing with Joshua things that no one else had heard. Although part of him still insisted with alarm that he shouldn't allow this feeling to take root in him, the rest suspected that he was past ' allowing ' it. What if he couldn't shake it, even if he tried? What if he didn't want to?

The other man's slumped shoulders gave pause to any such questions, instead prompting a short huff past his lips. "Stop. You don't gotta apologize for protectin' yourself. Got nothing to do with fair." Not everyone deserved to know the whole truth of who you were: that was a lesson Joshua wished he had learned far sooner than he had, and with a hell of a lot less pain to accompany it. Despite the divergences in their stories, Teddy hadn't made out much better, by the sound of it ( was it fair that such tiptoeing around a truth that didn't hurt anyone was necessary? no ). Perhaps that made right now all the more remarkable. The quick tightening of Teddy's arms around him, however, gave his own heart a startled stutter that he hadn't anticipated.

Then came a softly whispered admission that seemed to fill the night air around them, even though he was the only one to hear. It was also the instigator for the fresh bloom of color along Teddy's cheeks, ears, and neck; Joshua tilted his head down again into the warmth of it until it felt white-hot in his veins before a short, quiet laugh left him, his lips brushing tinted skin. "And you don't think sayin' that's brave." Pulling back just enough to grab Teddy's chin between his thumb and forefinger, their foreheads so close that they would touch if either of them shifted a fraction of an inch, he could still see the face opposite his amid the shadows. There truly existed no comprehension as to how handsome it was, did there?

He couldn't quite tell whether that skip after his squeeze belonged to him or to the gambler who somehow remained in his arms. Teddy liked the thought of the latter, that he wasn't the only one affected by all this. Especially when his pulse fluttered again at the brush of Faraday's lips against his skin.

And as the older man pulled back to take hold of his chin, so close they could feel each other's breath, Teddy couldn't string any thoughts together. There was only one second then the next, each inhale and exhale, the heat blooming brighter across his face, the subtle scrape of calluses against facial hair, and the weight of the man's gaze on his. No. No, he wasn't scared of Faraday. Not now, not anymore. Whatever residual fear still simmered was aimed outward, at the rest of the town.

But that brush of Faraday's thumb - Teddy's lips parting a little in response - made it hard to pay that fear any mind. He could only think about that counter offer, about replacing that tender touch with the other's tempting mouth. Should he take the leap, or wait for Faraday to make the final move? He wasn't misreading this, not by now, he couldn't be, not with all those small attentions from the older man. Not with the way Faraday said his name.