FIC: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Geologists (19/32)
Title: Western Lovers: Cowboys and Geologists
Author:sassywitch
Beta by the talented billyhasmyheart
Pairing: CP/SB
Rating: NC-17 for the series.
Summary: Craig is bitter and broken, can Sean soften both their edges enough for a good fit?
Feedback: Feedback is love and is my drug of choice
Disclaimer: Not at all true in reality. These men whilst adorable and perfectly happy to slash themselves, their actual relationship is something that they only know. This story is loosely adapted from a series of books that I adored when I was younger written by Elizabeth Lowell.
Word Count: 965
Previous Stories: Can be found at Western Lovers: Cowboys and Archeaologistsand Western Lovers: Cowboys and Biologists
Previous Chapters:
1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16| 17| 18| 19|
Sean watched as a wild daisy, it’s petals misshapen and it’s stem crushed in a trembling, clumsy hand appeared in the doorway.
“Forgive me?” Craig spoke as he moved to stand behind the crumpled flower and lift his eyes to meet Sean’s.
Craig’s plaintive plea for forgiveness, melted the icy tendrils of sorrow that had gripped his heart since he left the dining room.
“Nuthin to forgive.” He answered gruffly, looking away before the sheen of unexpected tears in his eyes could betray him.
“I don’t know what makes me do that.” Craig stepped into the doorway fully.
“I do.” Sean responded. “You’re tired, you hurt, you feel like you’re the only one in the world that feels like that and you just want to be normal.”
“Or…” Craig looked into Sean’s face as a disarming grin crossed his face, “We could just say that I’m an arsehole and leave it at that.”
“That too.” Sean answered, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, the tension melting under the heat of Craig’s self deprecating humour. “But no more than me, so I think we’re square.”
“Where are we going?” Craig asked quietly.
“My place.” Sean replied automatically before Craig’s words sank in and his eyes snapped back to look into his would be lover’s, “Wait, we?”
“We…” Craig stumbled over his words, his mouth cotton dry, suddenly realizing that Sean had asked for his presence. “I thought….”
“You don’t have to do this now, Soldier Boy.” Sean interrupted quietly, mistaking the sudden nervous jitters for a fear of what would happen between them, one large gnarled hand reaching out to cover Craig’s on the door frame. “I’m an arsehole, ask anyone, I was wrong to expect so much.”
“No. I’m the arsehole.” Craig shrugged, “I thought we had already established that?” he grinned disarmingly as he pushed his hair off his forehead and looked up into Sean’s eyes. “Is there still a ‘we’?”
“Do you want there to be?” Sean’s voice dropped to little more than a whisper in his hopeful anticipation of Craig’s answer.
Craig looked into Sean’s eyes and took a deep breath. Climbing awkwardly into the cabin of the truck Craig waited, and as the wave of anticipated pain washed over him he turned, pale faced to look into Sean’s face.
“Now, where are we going?” Craig smiled nervously.
“I’m serious, Craig.” Sean murmured tonelessly, his thumb gently caressing the back of Craig’s hand. “You don’t need to prove anything to me, I will wait for you.”
“So am I.” Craig answered, “Without totally embarrassing myself with bloody sappy cliches, you are everything I never knew I needed. I can’t do this,” he waved his hand down his body cursorily, “without you.”
“You can do a lot more than you give yourself credit for.” Sean replied.
“No. I can’t.” Craig’s voice was oddly flat as he stared into Sean’s eyes.
He looked away from Craig and let his gaze roam across the home yards, his eyes following Billy as he chased Daisy May and Pietro through a field filled with tiny yellow flowers, his heart swelling with the hope that his future held a similar fate.
“I’m waiting, Sean,” Craig’s voice was oddly calm, “Are we going home?”
Sean inhaled deeply, settling his rattled nerves, and turned the key in the ignition with trembling fingers.
Craig watched as Sean started the truck and pushed it roughly into gear. Moving slowly, he slid across the seat until his thigh touched Sean’s.
“Slowly, Soldier Boy.” Sean warned. “I mean it. No more stopping and starting. No more pulling away. It’s all or nothing now. Either you want me in your life or you don’t.”
Craig closed his eyes for a moment, and exhaled a long breath, his jaw trembled as he fought the words that he couldn’t quite form. In response, he lifted his hand and placed it firmly on Sean’s thigh his fingers clumsily caressing the tense denim clad muscle.
“I’m serious, Craig.” Sean lifted Craig’s hand away as he drove along the long gravel road that led out of the home yards.
“So am I, Sean.” Craig returned his hand to Sean’s thigh, his fingers caressing the seam along the inside of Sean’s leg.
“damn you make it hard to say no.” Sean murmured as he slowed the vehicle to almost stopped and lifted one hand behind Craig’s head to pull their mouths together for a hard, wet kiss.
“How far to home?” Craig asked with a grin as he licked the corner of Sean’s lips.
“Too far.” Sean muttered as he pulled away, and forced the truck into motion again.
Craig sat beside him, not even noticing the surroundings outside the vehicle, his head tilted to rest on Sean’s shoulder, his hand idly caressing Sean’s thigh as he felt the play of muscles in his thigh as Sean shifted gears. For the first time in his recent memory, he relaxed, his tense body melting against Sean as he drifted into slumber even as the pick up traversed the rutted dirt trails to Sean’s home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“C’mon sleeping beauty.” Sean nuzzled his stubble covered cheek against Craig’s face.
“Mmmm?” Craig mumbled incoherently, one hand wiping the residue of contented sleep from his eyes.
“We’re home.” Sean offered, his hand stroking Craig’s clean shaven cheek tenderly.
“I’m sorry.” Craig murmured apologetically.
“It’s alright.” Sean sighed, knowing that his dreams were being crushed beneath Craig’s fears, his eyes closed momentarily before focusing on Craig’s face again. “I’ll take you back to the bunk house.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Craig responded. “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get my shit together.”
“It’s okay, Soldier Boy.” Sean slid off the seat to stand outside the truck’s cab, extending a hand to Craig as he did. “Good things are worth waiting for.”