Blame it on Buck, if this is not exactly the birthday fic you wanted, Turtle. Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! If anyone wants to write a NC-17 sequel, feel free to do so.

Ezra was sitting at his usual table at the saloon, having breakfast. He was barely out of bed while around him the town of Four Corners had been up and about business for hours already. There was no sign of the other six members of the Seven, but Ezra didn't mind. He was content to sit quietly, trying to wake up completely while Inez bustled about in the background and left him in peace.

Ezra didn't look up when the saloon doors swung open, but he looked up when the newcomer approached his table. It was JD, looking a little nervous and fiddling with his hat.

"Good morning, Ezra," he said, looking at the gambler, then looking away again.

"The same to you, Mr. Dunne. How are you on this early and disgustingly bright morning?"

"I'm fine, I'm great!" JD stammered. "Oh, and it's not so early anymore! Do you mind if I join you or do you want to be alone, Ezra?"

"Do sit down, Mr. Dunne. I assume you've come here for a specific reason?" Ezra leaned back in his chair, cradling his coffee while he waited for JD to speak.

"I've wanted to ask you about ... uh ... something." The young sheriff slid his chair closer to Ezra's, but still seemed a bit hesitant and kept some distance.

"Spit it out, Mr. Dunne." Ezra gave him a reassuring smile.

"Promise me you won't laugh or get mad at me, Ezra."

"Cross my heart, Mr. Dunne. Please, go on."

JD took a deep breath. "Haveyoueverkissedanotherman?" he blurted out.

Ezra managed to set his cup back on the table without splashing himself and stared at JD. Where had that question come from so suddenly?

JD jumped to his feet and looked ready to bolt. "Forget I've said anything, Ezra! I'm sorry if I've offended you!"

"I'm not offended. There's nothing wrong or shameful in a man kissing another man. What I find hard to forgive you for is springing this on me in the middle of my first cup of coffee. Sit down again." Ezra waited until JD was seated before he continued talking. "To answer your question, Mr. Dunne: yes, I've kissed men. I've been with men. I find it as pleasurable as kissing and being with women and I think most men who've done it will agree. Here in the West most men have done it one time or another, you know."

"Then would you kiss me? I mean, would you teach me how to kiss?" JD asked.

Ezra almost dropped his coffee for the second time this morning. "Teach you how to kiss? Surely you must have garnered some experience with the lovely Miss Wells?"

JD blushed. "When I kiss Casey, it's nice. And I guess she thinks it's nice, too. But shouldn't it be more than nice?"

Ezra could picture the two youngsters with each other: both shy and unsure of themselves and the feelings of the object of their affection, tomboyish Casey adoring JD a bit too much, and JD too much of a gentleman. And now he was supposed to teach the kid about kissing. And why did that thought make him think of Buck?

"Are you sure I'm the right person to ask, Mr. Dunne? Our expert on kissing is Mr. Wilmington, not me."

"I couldn't ask Buck! I couldn't kiss Buck! He would laugh and think it was a great joke. Besides, it's you and not Buck who's the women's favourite among us Seven. Most of the women of Four Corners would be yours for the asking."

"And how did you come up with such a fascinating piece of information, Mr. Dunne? Did you take a poll?" Ezra asked, keeping his face carefully neutral. Most of the Four Corners ladies were his for the asking, hm? Too bad, then, that he wasn't interested in a female resident of his chosen hometown.

"I heard Inez talking to Mrs. Travis about Buck and his many conquests. And then Mrs. Travis said you could easily rival Buck."

Fascinating indeed. Ezra didn't know if he should be flattered or embarrassed. At any rate, JD seemed to be impressed. "Then you're going to have an experience that would make you the envy of the ladies of Four Corners if you ever told them about it."

"Does that mean you're going ...?"

"Yes, Mr. Dunne, I will teach you how to kiss."

"Great!" JD's face lit up. "When? And where? You don't want to do it here?"

"I suggest we retreat to a more private locale - my room." Ezra drank down the rest of his coffee. "I think I'm awake enough now." He stood up, leading the way up the stairs. JD followed him, but he was no longer sure it had been such a good idea to go to the gambler for kissing lessons. Theoretically, he wasn't bothered much by a man kissing another man, but now that he was only moments away from kissing Ezra, JD felt nervous.

Ezra opened his door and looked back at the young sheriff. He could see that JD was having second thoughts. And it was good that he had them. Coming to a friend asking him to teach him kissing wasn't an endeavour to be undertaken lightly. JD should realise what he was getting himself into.

"Come in, Mr. Dunne," Ezra said, standing aside. "I promise I won't bite. At least, not until you want me to."

JD gaped at Ezra, but he preceded him into the room with only a moment's hesitation.

"Make yourself comfortable, Mr. Dunne," Ezra said. He removed his hat and shrugged out of his jacket, smoothing away an imaginary wrinkle before hanging it up carefully. Meanwhile, JD sat right on the edge of Ezra's bed, watching him. Ezra plucked his bowler hat from his hands, tossing it away, and sat down at JD's side. "Lesson 1: The teacher must assess how much the pupil already knows," he said. "Show me how you've kissed Miss Wells. Just pretend I'm her."

JD looked at Ezra with big eyes. For a second the gambler thought he would bolt and sat totally immobile, not wanting to frighten his young friend. Then JD moved closer on the bed, trying to get his nerves up, and pressed his lips to Ezra's. It wasn't a peck, but it wasn't quite a kiss either, just a mere touching of lips. Ezra suppressed a sigh. He really would have to teach that boy a lot. "Are you finished?" he asked.

JD blushed. "I know I should do something more. I've seen Buck kiss and then there was Emily, but I would never dare to stick my tongue down Casey's throat. She'd thump me."

"If you put it like that you'd deserve to be thumped, Mr. Dunne. A kiss is not about how far you can get your tongue down someone's throat," Ezra said. "A kiss can be the exchange of two souls, a kiss can be more intimate than the physical act of lovemaking. But I'm digressing. You're here for some hands-on knowledge ..." Ezra leaned in towards JD, gently brushing his lips against the boy's, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip before retreating again.

JD looked a bit dazed, like he was pondering if he had liked the kiss. He didn't know what he had expected from Ezra, but it hadn't been this. Lips shouldn't be so soft, a *man's * lips shouldn't be so soft. And a man shouldn't smell so good; JD was close enough to Ezra to smell the herbal soap the gambler always used, something with rosemary in it. Whatever it was - it made him feel funny.

"Did you like that, Mr. Dunne?" Ezra asked, a small smile on his lips.

"Do you think you could call me JD for once? I wouldn't feel so awkward then."

"JD."

Ezra leaned in once more, teasing JD's mouth open with his, his tongue brushing JD's lips, pressing in just a little to skim along his teeth. The young sheriff responded awkwardly at first, but then he surrendered to Ezra's guidance, letting the older man's mouth teach him how to kiss back properly, loosing himself in his taste which was so different from the taste of the few women he'd kissed before, but sweeter than he'd imagined.

Ezra was a wonderful kisser, at least as far as JD could tell with his somewhat limited experience. He was generous, giving more of himself than he wanted back, tender, passionate, making JD feel like he'd only felt with women before. JD's hesitation when they'd started had only been beginner's nerves. Now he was eager to learn, like a puppy with a fresh bone. He pulled Ezra closer, letting his hands wander over the older man's back, exploring the hard planes of smooth muscle there, while in turn Ezra ventured deeper into JD's willing mouth.

Ezra found he was enjoying the kissing lesson. What had started out as a selfless deed for his

young friend had developed a life of its own. 'It's only kissing,' he told himself, even while he was starting to unbutton JD's shirt. He trailed kisses along JD's jaw line, down his neck.

JD's breath came in ragged gasps. What Ezra was doing to him felt like torture, but at the same time he was arching his neck to get more. He wanted more of that hot mouth, more of that moist tongue that was trailing across his skin, he wanted more of the other man's heat. He moaned, reaching out blindly to fumble with Ezra's shirt. "Ezra ..." he whispered.

Ezra came to again when he heard JD's breathy voice whisper his name. He disentangled himself from JD and sat up. What had just happened here?

"Ezra?" JD asked, confused. He looked up at the gambler with slightly glazed eyes.

"We shouldn't get too carried away," Ezra said, getting up from the bed. He smoothed down his clothes while at the same time he tried to keep a calm and unfazed expression on his face. "This has gone a little beyond kissing, JD."

"Yeah, but what's wrong about it? It felt right. I mean, to me. Did I do something wrong?" JD gazed at Ezra with such a pitiful expression that Ezra just had to smile.

"No, you didn't do something wrong. I did something wrong - I've allowed our lesson to get out of hand."

"You've allowed? Don't treat me like a kid, Ezra! I've wanted this! I still want it, I want you!"

For a moment Ezra was tempted. Very tempted. JD looked simply ravishing lying there on Ezra's bed - shirt half-open to reveal pale skin, hair even more tousled than usual, lips swollen from the kisses they'd shared, brown eyes dark with passion and willing to give himself to the gambler.

"I must be developing a conscience in my old age," Ezra said, smiling wryly at his own poor attempt at humour. "It's better if you go now, JD. It wouldn't be fair to take advantage of you. You tell me you want me now, but I'm not really the one you want and you're not the one I want. I wouldn't want you to hate me afterwards. Don't look so incredulous, you would hate me. You're important to me as a friend and I can't afford to loose a friend, Mr. Dunne, I only have six of them."

At that moment, JD knew. Ezra had called him 'Mr. Dunne' instead of 'JD' and he wouldn't be swayed regardless of what JD said. JD watched while Ezra re-buttoned his shirt and shrugged back into his jacket. The black hat, set at a rakish angle, completed the picture of the immaculate gentleman.

"I feel the sudden need to get some fresh air, Mr. Dunne. I'll be seeing you later." Ezra flashed a smile at JD which masked whatever feelings he was harbouring right now. He was out of the door before JD could say anything.

JD got up slowly and got dressed properly again. "Perhaps I should find Chris and ask him to teach me how to get drunk." He looked at his reflection in the mirror on Ezra's dresser and gave it a half- hearted smile. "Or perhaps I should go fishing with Casey."

The End.