This follows Mended Glasses and while it makes some reference that to story I don't think it's necessary to read it first. Mended Glasses is a gen story and can be found on my web page.
Big THANKS goes out to Kyla for the beta. And this if for Deb who pleads and begs so nicely!! <bg>
No real warnings, however, my quirky humor wanted to play - so beware!!

Ezra stood slightly in the shadows drinking in the sight of Vin leaning against his truck with rays of sunlight bringing out the blonde highlights in his hair and looking sexy as hell in his ripped jeans and white t-shirt. He knew he shouldn't be indulging his senses like this, but could not resist. In fact, Ezra found it frightening just how little he could resist this man. Vin only had to ask something of him and Ezra found himself doing it or tagging along. Hell, most of the time he didn't even have to ask, just a nod in his direction and Ezra was at Vin's side. Just like Vin was by his, ready, willing, and able. Vin had become very important to him.

Ever since they'd unpacked those damn boxes, Ezra had been plagued with visions, dreams, or whatever the hell people called them. Torture was what they truly were. Sweet torture. What else would one call something that left him wanting the impossible; craving something that he had no business desiring. Ezra's head understood that this torture could only lead to pain, but his heart and body refused listen. They only wanted Vin, not excuses. So the visions continued, in vivid detail.

Ezra had thought that he'd put these kinds of urges behind him. Oh, sure he'd been attracted to men since arriving in Denver. However, he hadn't felt inclined to act on it until that weekend he spent with Vin. Now, Ezra found that he not only wanted to act, but discovered that only a certain long-haired, blue-eyed Texan would do.

Shaking his head Ezra tried to clear his mind of such thoughts, but found that his mind wasn't ready to let go of that infamous weekend. While most of that Saturday night was still hazy he could see the two of them laughing at something or other and holding tightly to each other even before the alcohol finally hit their systems. That in itself should have sent Ezra running. He was by nature a toucher of 'things' not 'people'. But that rule didn't seem to apply to Vin. Not that he would dare touch the other man, no matter how much he may want to.

An image of Vin's sinewy tattooed chest flashed across his mind. Batman wings. Who'd have thought it. Ezra knew he'd fussed and bitched about the tattoo, but he'd also thanked God numerous times that he had such a permanent link to this man.

Even if that was all he would ever have.

Batman and Robin. The dynamic duo. If only that were true.

"What can I get you?" the guy behind the counter asked.

Ezra grabbed JD's arm and said, "Tell the man what you want."

Vin stood leaning against his truck watching as Ezra, JD, and Casey bought even more fireworks. He'd already gotten all he dared. He couldn't help but grin at the small arsenal the three of them were starting to collect. They had smoke bombs, bottle rockets, Roman candles, sparklers, both plain and colored, something called a Fireblossom, that looked like a fancy sparkler to Vin, and every kind of firecracker you could think of. Some had short fuses that exploded almost on contact. Others had much longer fuses that seemed to take forever and blew when you least expected it. One silver looking firecracker would spin high into the air and explode into a multitude of colors. Another let out a shrill whistle that made even those expecting it jump. There was also an assortment of others Ezra had picked up that Vin had no idea what they were or what they did. He did, however, have a damned good idea what Ezra was gonna do with those extra fuses.

"Something amuses you Vin?" Ezra asked as he, JD, and Casey stepped up to the truck.

"Do you think you got enough?" Vin questioned instead. It'd been two months since he and Ezra unpacked those boxes, gotten drunk, wound up eight hundred dollars richer, wielding a Batman wing-shaped tattoo, and they had all stood helplessly watching as Ezra jumped off the roof of Chris's house. What amazed and pleased Vin the most about the past two months was that Ezra still called him Vin. And how close the two of them had become.

He treasured that tattoo. Their tattoo. Vin didn't know how Ezra really felt about it, the other man never spoke of it, but he loved his. So much so that his shirt was the first thing to go when he got home in the afternoon. Just the sight of it brought Ezra, who was always only a thought away, to mind. As much as Vin loved the look and feel of it, he loved the meaning behind it more. Sometimes he would stand in front of the mirror just lightly tracing the wing, reveling in the fact that he had something permanent that forever tied him to Ezra. Vin liked the idea of him and Ezra being linked together forever. Of them sharing something between just the two of them.

Vin wanted to share a lot more with the man. When they were alone, he constantly fought the need to touch Ezra. Hold him. Kiss him. Taste every inch of him. Love him. And the more time he spent with Ezra the harder it got not to give in.

"For now," JD laughed, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Did you know Ezra knows how to make his own fireworks?"

"It's not all that difficult, JD," Ezra assured him.

JD and Josiah were also benefiting from the new openness that Ezra was showing, because he'd started calling them by their names as well. Chris, Buck, and Nathan he still referred to as mister. Vin figured that had to do with some left over awkwardness over that whole warehouse incident after Ezra first started with the team. The four of them just needed a little more time.

"Most rednecks do," Vin's grin grew.

"Redneck?" Ezra repeated with a raised eyebrow. "If that isn't the pot calling the vessel black then I don't know what is, you backwater Texan."

Vin laughed out loud at that. For Ezra to resort to name calling, they must truly be friends.

"Just think of the fireworks the two of you could create together," JD said, unaware of the double meaning behind his words.

The meaning wasn't lost on the other two though. Vin's laughter trickled off and Ezra stiffened as the same word flashed across both their minds at the thought of them together. Explosive.

"Are you calling Vin a redneck?" Casey asked.

"Well ..." JD just shrugged, then changed the subject. "Ezra says he's gonna show me how to alter some of these ..."

"Alter?" Vin darted a look at Ezra and felt a thrill go through him as the man winked at him.

"Yeah, we're gonna make a smoke bomb explode."

"Sounds like fun," Vin said. He saw the mischievous look in Ezra's eyes and wondered just what the other man was up too.

"We better get going," JD told them, "or Buck's gonna eat all the food."

Ezra snorted and said, "Five will get you ten that they haven't even started cooking yet."

"Oh, no we're not touching that bet," Casey laughed.

"JD's right. We do need to get going," Vin stated. "Or else Chris is liable to send a posse after us." Having said that they split up into two vehicles. Casey rode with JD while Ezra, whose car was in the shop, rode with Vin.

A little while later Vin pulled up in the yard, parking under the only remaining shade tree, but made sure to leave room for JD's truck. After grabbing one of Ezra's bags he stepped from the truck and paused as he saw the others with their dates close at hand.

"Hey, Ez," he said, before the man had taken two steps.

Ezra stopped and turned to look at him.

"Do ya reckon Buck's gonna start on us 'cause we ain't got dates?"

"Probably, but if he knows what's good for him, he won't push it too far," Ezra warned. As far as he was concerned he was with his 'date' even if Vin didn't know it.

Vin nodded his head in agreement. He knew that Buck didn't mean any harm, but Vin didn't need Buck or anyone for that matter, reminding him that he didn't have a date or that he hadn't had one in a long time.

Just the thought of Ezra dating or spending time with someone that wasn't him brought a frown to Vin's face. In fact, the whole idea of Ezra being with someone else physically hurt him and made him want to stick to the man like glue, just so that didn't happen. Ezra was his, even if he didn't know it.

In an effort to think of something else, Vin said the first thing he could think of. "Damn this bag's heavy. What the hell do ya have in it?"

"What bag?" Ezra looked at the bag and quickly closed the distance between them. "No, no, this one stays in the truck. It's for emergencies only."

"What kind of emergency?" Vin asked, following Ezra back to the truck.

Instead of answering Ezra unzipped the bag and showed him the contents.

"Shit, Ezra," Vin swore, stepping closer still. So close he could feel the heat coming from Ezra's body. "What the hell do you have planned for tonight?"

"It pays to be prepared," Ezra replied, turning his head he found himself looking into Vin's blue eyes.

"Are you always prepared?" Vin whispered.

"For any contingency," Ezra answered just as softly.

The two of them exchanged a couple of shy looks, as each struggled with thoughts the other was unaware of. Thoughts, that if made into reality would forever change their lives.

The honking of a horn broke them out of their trance like state and with a shake of their heads they pushed thoughts of what just happened into a folder labeled, later. Much later.

"Hey, guys," JD shouted as he and Casey joined them. "Let's go show the others what we got."

"What are the Travises doing here?" Ezra asked, seeing their gray sedan.

"I forgot to tell you, Chris invited them," Vin replied.

"Well, I'm not going to let them spoil my fun ..."

"Why would they?" Casey questioned.

"'Cause tampering with fireworks is slightly illegal ..."

"Really?" JD frowned.

"Yes, and dangerous," Ezra said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't do it," Vin suggested with a frown. He loved playing with fireworks as much as the next guy, but he couldn't bear the thought of Ezra getting hurt. Vin bit his lip to keep from smiling as he realized that he'd have to stick even closer to Ezra.

"I came to have fun," Ezra told him. "And fun is what I will have. Judge or no judge."

"Hey," Buck hollered as he walked up them. "What are you two hiding?"

"Nothing. Why?" Vin asked, with a frown.

"Then I suggest putting some space between ya or folks will talk," Buck suggested.

Ezra and Vin jumped apart, having forgotten they were standing so close to each other.

"I was merely showing Vin something ..."

"Yeah. What?" Buck wiggled his eyebrows at him.

"Something for later," Vin glared.

"So where are your dates?" Buck questioned.

Vin opened his mouth only to snap it shut as Ezra threw him a wink and said, "Why he's right here. Buck Wilmington, Vin Tanner."

"Oh, very funny, Ezra," Buck snapped.

The thrill he'd gotten from the wink was nothing compared to excitement racing through his veins at being called Ezra's date. Vin just resisted the urge to kiss the man beside him.

"Look at all the stuff we got," JD handed Buck the bag he'd been holding.

"Damn, Kid, what cha got in here?" Buck peered into the bag. "Let's go into the house so I can see everything."

Ezra darted a nervous glance at the man standing next to him and to his relief Vin didn't seem to be offended by what he'd said. No, Vin looked rather pleased at the comment.

"Shall we," he motioned Vin forward and found himself mesmerized by the swagger of those narrow hips. Ezra was forced to tear his eyes away as he felt his body responding.

"Hello, boys," a soft feminine voice said in greeting.

"Ma'am."

"Mrs. Travis," Ezra smiled at her. He liked this lady. She was nice and always made a point to speak to him whenever they met.

"You boys will be careful with all those fireworks won't you?"

"We'll treat them with the same respect we treat everything ..."

"That isn't very reassuring, Agent Standish," Orrin Travis interrupted.

"Leave Ezra alone," Evie told him. "This is his and everyone else's day off," she reminded him, "and they don't need you breathing down their necks."

'Oh yes, I like this lady,' Ezra silently repeated.

A little later Ezra walked into the kitchen, followed closely by Vin. Pulling out his wallet he handed Chris forty bucks.

"What's this for?" Chris asked.

"To cover any extra expense that will occur with the use of your water ..."

"My water?" Chris frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, seeing as how we haven't had much precipitation I thought it best to be prepared and water the area in which we've planned to engage this evenings entertainment," Ezra explained.

Vin grinned at the confused look on Chris's face and took pity of him. "He's paying you for the water we're gonna use so nothing catches on fire."

"How much water were you planning on using?" Chris wanted to know as he looked from the money in his hand to Ezra.

"I thought it best to cover to at least fifty yards in either direction." Ezra knew that the smallest spark could ignite some of the largest and most deadly of fires. While he may be known to take chances with own his life, but he would never risk those around him.

"That's good thinking Ezra," Chris nodded and slapped him on the back.

"Come on, Ez," Vin grabbed him by the arm, "let's go get ready for tonight."

Ezra would have gladly followed Vin to the ends of the earth so long as he kept touching him.

Vin savored the feel of Ezra's warm muscled forearm in his hand as he lead him from the kitchen, through the living room and out onto the porch. They then started across the yard to where they had the fireworks laid out on an old table top, well away from the house and vehicles.

"Wait," Ezra came to a stop, but didn't pull his arm free.

"What's the matter?" Vin asked, giving the arm a gentle squeeze without thinking.

"Nothing," he breathed as he reached into one of the coolers and grabbed them a couple of beers.

"Good thinking," Vin said, giving him that famous half grin of his before continuing on.

Ezra felt his heart skip a beat under the power of that grin. 'Dammit, man, get a hold of yourself,' he chastised himself.

Once they reached the fireworks Vin reluctantly let Ezra's arm slip from his grasp.

Even though Vin no longer had a physical hold on him, Ezra still felt his touch and hoped to for some time.

Vin sat down and popped the top from the bottle and quickly finished off half, trying to get a handle on his control.

Seating himself on the ground next to Vin, Ezra twisted the top off his beer and downed half the biting liquid, welcoming the small rush it sent through his system.

"You two better slow down on those," a voice said, as a shadow fell across them.

Through squinting eyes they saw that it was Nathan and Rain.

"But then again, I guess you're safe enough here," Nathan remarked, "after all, there aren't any tattoo parlors around."

Ezra raised his beer and saluted Nathan, before finishing off the long-neck.

"I'd forgotten about the tattoos," Rain smiled. "They're of Batman right?"

"His wings," Vin corrected her after drinking the last of his beer.

"May I ..." she left the question hanging.

"Sure." Vin got to his feet and removed his shirt. He was always happy to show off his tattoo and since it was so hot, maybe he'd just keep it off. "Come on, Ez, let Rain see your tattoo," he nudged Ezra's jean clad leg with his foot.

Ezra forced his eyes away from Vin's chest in fear that he'd be unable to keep his mask intact. Mentally he counted to ten ... in Latin, hoping to remain strong, before getting to his feet and once again facing Vin.

Tugging his shirt out of his pants, he began to slowly remove the article of clothing. Ezra then dropped the shirt on the ground, ran a hand through his hair, and just to bother Nathan he flexed his muscles.

Vin told himself not to look. But he'd be damned if his eyes didn't ignore his mind. Eagerly he watched as that smooth skin was revealed inch by inch and had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from moaning as Ezra tightened his muscles, showing off his chest.

Ezra smiled as he heard Rain sigh and Nathan frown. He knew what he looked like and wasn't above flaunting it from time to time.

The Texan had to force himself to look away or else risk losing the one toehold he had on what was left of his control. Seeing the expression on Nathan's face made him realize just what Ezra was doing and never one to be left out, Vin struck a pose of his own.

"Oh, my," Rain sighed. "That's ..."

"What?" Nathan asked, with his hands on his hips.

"Nice. The ... tattoos are nice," she softly said.

"Come on, let's finish our walk," he said, taking her hand and leading her away. Ezra and Vin had to smile as they heard Nathan say, "I didn't know you liked tattoos."

"Oh, I don't," Rain assured him, then turned and gave them a wink.

"So are you gonna leave your shirt off?" Vin asked, hoping and dreading that he'd say yes.

"Don't know. You?"

"Probably," he replied. "It's pretty hot."

"Yeah," Ezra agreed.

"Ya want another beer?" Vin quickly offered. He needed to put some distance between him and Ezra, before he grabbed the other man, threw him to the ground, and tasted every ... 'STOP!' he silently cried. At Ezra's nod he hurried away.

He took deep breaths as he walked over to the cooler, trying to calm himself down. Maybe sticking close to Ezra wasn't such a good idea after all. A little space would be good.

"Hey, Vin," Josiah greeted him. "Have you met Molly?"

"Hey, Josiah and no I don't think I have," Vin responded, holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Hello, Vin," Molly smiled. "Did you bring a date?" she asked, making conversation.

"Only Ezra," Josiah answered for him, causing Molly to laugh.

Vin smirked at him and instead of grabbing a couple of beers he snatched cooler and all, then without a word walked away.

Ezra refused to watch as Vin ambled away and called on every trick his mother had ever taught him and shoved his wayward emotions behind a mask and locked it down, before they forced him into a situation he wasn't ready for.

Running a shaky hand through his hair, Ezra took a deep breath and held it for as long as he could before slowly releasing it. He then squared his shoulders and cocked his head from side to side in an attempt to clear his thoughts. Once he was sure he was back under control he decided that he needed something to do, so he pulled his pocket knife out, sat back down, and reached for a smoke bomb.

"Ain't ya gonna wait for JD to do that?"

'Ah, hell,' Ezra silently swore. With just the sound of Vin's voice he was back to square one.

"JD knew what I planned to do, if he wanted to help then he should be out here helping," he replied, a little more abruptly than he intended. Then in an attempt to correct things said, "I thought you were only going to grab a couple of beers?"

Vin grinned at him as he sat the ice chest between them. "Yeah, well, I was but then I figured what the hell and took them all," he answered. Reaching inside the chest he removed two beers and handed one to Ezra.

"Here ya go," JD said, as he and Casey walked up to them. "We brought ya something to munch on."

"Thanks, JD," Vin smiled and took one of the paper plates he was holding.

JD handed Ezra the other one, then sat down across from them and took the plates that Casey held.

"You two aren't making fireworks without us are you?" Casey asked Ezra.

'I wish,' Vin thought to himself.

'Unfortunately not,' Ezra inwardly sighed.

"No, Miss Casey," he assured her. "I was just getting prepared. We'll proceed once we've finished our snack."

For the next hour the four of them 'altered' smoke bombs, used the extra fuses Ezra bought to connect several different types of firecrackers, and watched in awe as Ezra emptied a couple of others, mixing their contents together into one of the caissons.

"What will that do Ezra?" Vin asked, once again sitting next to him, having long since moved the cooler out of the way.

"I don't know," he shrugged. Then with a grin on his face Ezra nudged Vin's shoulder with his own and said, "That's the fun part."

"Hey you guys the food's ready!" Buck bellowed.

JD got to his feet, helped Casey to hers, then hand in hand they headed for the house.

Ezra stood up, brushed the dirt from the seat of his pants, and without thinking offered a helping hand to Vin.

Vin quickly took the extended hand, not wanting Ezra to change his mind. And as Ezra's strong fingers wrapped around Vin's hand, all he could think about was the fact that Ezra was holding his hand. He's holding 'my' hand. 'Ezra's' holding my hand.

'I'm holding his hand,' Ezra inwardly gushed. He was holding 'Vin's' hand.

Ezra looked at their joined hands, felt the heat radiating from that simple touch, and briefly tightened his hold. Then ran his eyes up Vin's forearm, pass the dip of his elbow, up and over his biceps, across his broad, tanned shoulder, Ezra's gaze continued traveling up Vin's slender neck, over his strong jaw, glistening lips, and his slightly crooked nose. Completely unaware that he himself was being subjected to the same type of appraisal.

Their eyes met and they cherished the warmth they found in the other's gaze, until they realized that, that warmth was passion. A passion that seemed to grow in intensity before their very eyes. A passion that also brought forth a fear of the unknown. A fear that this passion would forever change their lives. A fear that had them immediately stepping away from each other.

"Ezra ..."

"Vin ..."

They spoke at the same time, momentarily making eye contact.

"You saw in my eyes what I saw in yours, didn't you," Vin whispered.

"We have to think very carefully about what to do next," Ezra said just as softly. "This will change everything. Everything, Vin."

Vin nodded his head in understanding. "You'll always be my friend, Ezra. No matter what."

"Come on," Ezra smiled at him. "Let's go eat."

"I mean it, Ezra," Vin insisted. "Always."

"I know," Ezra replied in a husky voice. "You too."

"Good," Vin nodded. "Let's go eat."

They exchanged small smiles, then grabbed their trash and headed toward the house.

"It's about time you two got here," Buck fussed.

"Well we had to pick up the mess, JD and Casey left us with," Vin pointed out, holding up a couple of paper plates.

"Sorry," Casey apologized.

"Where's your shirt?" Chris asked them both.

"Under the tree where we left them," Ezra replied, taking a plate and pushing Vin out of the way.

"Hey!" Vin protested. "I was here first."

"Well, I'm first now," Ezra quipped.

"You know what they say Vin," JD put in, "age before beauty ..."

"Which is why all of them went before us," Ezra countered, with a wink. Then ducked as Josiah and Nathan threw their napkins at him.

"You need to put your shirts on," Chris told them.

"Why?" Vin frowned. "It's hot."

"You don't see anyone else going around half dressed," Chris argued.

"Well, other than yourself I don't hearing anyone protesting," Vin pointed out.

"Is the state of our undress offending you ladies?" Ezra asked. Which proved to be a mistake as all their eyes turned to him and Vin, making both men want to squirm under the scrutiny.

"No," Rain softly said and turned her attention back to her food as Nathan cleared his throat.

"Do you have any other tattoos?" asked Candy, Buck's large-busted, blonde date.

"I have a tattoo of a heart on my hip," Buck told her.

"Yes, I've seen it," she smiled at him. "I've always been partial to Batman," she flirted.

Josiah nearly laughed out loud as Ezra and Vin stepped closer to each other at Candy's comment.

"Here Ezra, have some potato salad," Evie Travis, held out a spoon full.

"No ... I mean, thank you, but I don't eat potato salad," Ezra informed her.

"Why not?"

"It's got crunchy things in it," he went on to say. "But I like deviled eggs," he picked one up and took bite out of it. "Mmm, this is much better than the ones mom used to buy."

"Well, don't hog them all," Vin elbowed him.

"Here," Candy patted the seat next to her. "Come sit by me ... Vin isn't it," she batted her eyelashes at him.

Vin gulped and quickly stepped behind Ezra, then followed him to the other end of the table. Well away from Candy.

Buck frowned. He wasn't upset with Ezra or Vin, or even Candy. He knew she couldn't help flirting any more than he could. Buck also knew that the guys hadn't done anything. He did, however, enjoy seeing them squirm.

What brought the frown to Buck's handsome face was wondering just where Ezra had gotten a chest like that. Ezra had been with the team for a year now and none of them have ever seen him lift one weight, let alone work out. Now, Vin he understood. That boy was always involved in something. But Ezra ...

Buck shook his head, knowing that he'd probably never know and turned his attention back to his date. He tapped her on the shoulder and introduced himself, "Hello, my name's Buck ... your date."

Candy smiled at him and said, "I know that, Sugar." She latched onto his arm and giggled, "And I'm not likely to forget either."

"Just checking," he grinned at her, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

The rest of the meal was loud and passed without a hitch. With everyone helping the clean up didn't take any time at all.

Ezra excused himself and went to get the hose and began watering the area where they'd be shooting the fireworks.

Vin watched him go and knew once he got home tonight that he have to do some serious thinking. He tensed as he saw Candy step outside and could only think that Ezra was alone out there. With that woman.

Throwing the dishtowel in his hand aside, he hurried after his man.

"Where ya going Vin?" Chris asked.

"To help Ezra."

Once he was outside he quickly made his way across the yard to where Ezra was.

Ezra looked up and found himself squeezing the hose in his hand as he saw Candy stepped in front of Vin. His Vin. Then he wrapped the hose around his leg and with a flick of his wrist he sprayed them with water, causing the tramp to squeal in surprise.

"Oh, sorry," Ezra apologized. "I tripped." He then made a production of trying to untangle his leg.

Vin hid his grin as he wiped the water off his face.

"My hair!" Candy cried and raced inside.

Vin didn't even wait for the door to shut before he was standing next to Ezra, laughing.

With a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye, Ezra shrugged and said, "She looked a little too hot."

Vin laughed even harder at that.

The twinkle dimmed a little as a thought occurred to Ezra and he found himself voicing that thought before realizing it. "You didn't want her attention ... Did you?"

"Yours is the only attention I want," Vin confessed, with his heart in his throat. He watched as, what could only be called joy shimmered in Ezra's eyes before transforming into a blinding smile at his words, making his heart swell with emotions.

"Me too," he whispered, then nervously shook his head before continuing, "I mean I want you..r attention too." Ezra almost dropped the hose in his hand at the 1000 watt smile Vin gave him.

Vin moved an inch or two closer and softly said, "I know we need to think about this ... us, but I gotta tell ya Ez, I like ... flirting with ya."

Ezra felt his breath hitch and gave a little jump as Vin's hand brushed against his ass as he walked behind him. "V i n," he moaned.

"Sorry, my hand slipped," Vin grinned and gave him a wink. "They might do that a lot now that I know you like me."

"Like you?" he repeated. "Who said anything about liking you?"

The grin dropped from Vin's face for a moment until he spotted the glint of amusement in Ezra's eyes.

"I don't like you at all. In fact, I dislike you very, very, very much," Ezra told him, then had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from smiling.

"That's a lot of very's," he said, twisting the toe of his boot into the ground. Vin tilted his head to the side and grinned that sexy half grin of his before saying, "But then I don't like you either. It don't matter how sexy you are."

Instead of answering Ezra flicked the hose at him.

"Hey!" Vin laughed. "That's cold."

"You need cooling off," Ezra teased and sprayed him again.

"Give me that hose," Vin sputtered as he took a step closer.

"No."

"Ezra!"

They both stopped and turned as Buck bellowed his name.

"Did you squirt Candy with water?" he asked, as soon as he joined them.

"Yes, I did," Ezra freely admitted. "And I apologize for not doing a proper job of it."

"You mean you did it on purpose?"

Ezra nodded his head, yes.

"Why?"

Vin knew he was the real reason Candy had gotten wet and he wondered just what his smooth talking Southerner would tell Buck.

"I did it for you," Ezra replied.

"For me?"

Vin could appreciate the look of confusion on Buck's face because he had no idea where Ezra was going with this either.

"Yes, well, I thought you might enjoy seeing Candy in a wet t-shirt," Ezra explained with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Buck grinned as realization dawned. "Yeah ... No!" he frowned, but his blue eyes twinkled, "that's just wrong Ezra."

"So are you saying you don't want me to try again later?" Ezra asked.

"Accidents happens," Vin pointed out, then explained. "If Ez and I were wrestling over the water hose and you and Candy happened to end up in the line of fire ..."

Buck's grin returned in full force. "Have I ever told you, Junior, I like the way you think?"

Vin winked at him and made a grab for Ezra as he suddenly jumped back.

"Hey!" Buck hollered before they forgot about him being there. "Give me about five minutes, okay?"

"Sure," Ezra absently agreed, never taking his eyes off of Vin.

"Give me the hose, Ezra," Vin held out his hand.

"I'm not letting you play with my hose," he said, then blushed as he realized just what he said.

Vin grinned and took a step forward. "But I want to play with your ... hose," he told him. "I'll let you play with mine."

Ezra laughed and countered, "Have you even got a ... hose."

"Oh, yeah, I have a hose," Vin leered at him. "And I know how to use it."

"Oh, really," Ezra raised one eyebrow at him. "So do I," he declared, turning the hose on him.

"Ezra!"

"Chris!" Buck called, capturing everyone's attention.

"What?"

"Have they hurt each other?"

"Nah, they ain't hurt, yet," Buck replied. "But you might want to get out there ..."

"Why?" Chris questioned.

"'Cause they're fighting over the water hose ..."

"This I gotta see," JD declared as he headed out the door.

Chris waved his hand. "That's okay, Ezra gave me forty bucks to help with the water bill."

"Well I'm not going back out there. Look at what he did to my hair," Candy pouted.

Chris did look and honestly couldn't tell any difference from before. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turned and saw Lindsey, his date, watching him. He smiled as she mouthed, 'it's a girl thing.'

"I get the feeling those three will need a referee," Josiah stated, getting to his feet.

"Buck?"

Buck didn't hear someone calling his name at first, he was too busy thinking of a way to get Candy to agree to go outside.

"Buck?"

Shaking himself from his stupor, Buck found everyone in the room looking at him in question. "What?" he shrugged.

"This hose that Ezra and Vin are fighting over, is it on?" Lindsey hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, and they're probably soaked to the skin by now," Buck grumbled.

"Why ya want know?" Chris questioned.

"Because getting wet in this heat might increasing their chances of getting a sunburn," Rain informed him.

"That's right," Lindsey quickly agreed.

"You know I think I might have some sun screen in my bag," Molly commented, "which I left in Josiah's suburban."

"They don't need any," Casey told them. "I saw them putting some on after we ate."

"Oh," Molly said in disappointment.

"Where are you going, Casey?" Rain asked, as Casey headed for the door.

"Are you kidding?" the younger girl snorted. "Ezra, Vin, and most likely JD are playing in water. I don't plan on missing that. Who knows when I'll get to see Ezra half dressed again?"

"Good point," Evie Travis said, surprising everyone.

"Evie!" Orrin was shocked at his wife of forty-five years.

Evie laughed and motioned for the other ladies to get to their feet, then led them toward the door. "I may be a happily married woman, who is old enough to be their mothers, but it doesn't in any way mean I'm blind or dead," she told her husband.

"You know if you go out there you're liable to get wet," Buck warned them, but was inwardly shooing them out the door.

"We won't melt," Molly replied with a smile.

"Fine, then we're going with you," Chris told them. "It's those damned tattoos isn't it?" he shook his head.

Before the others could comment they were all standing on the porch watching as Ezra and Vin wrestled over the hose. A dripping wet JD stood to the side.

Vin found himself captivated by the sight of Ezra's laughing green eyes and the feel of his hard body pressing into him. And if not for JD and the others that he just knew were watching, he'd have kissed this man. Vin dropped his gaze to Ezra's lips, fighting the need to simply drink his fill, consequences be damned. Seeing a hint of a pink tongue appear, had Vin's body springing to life, causing him to loosen his hold.

Ezra tried to ignore the feel of Vin's powerful body against his own, the sight of Vin's indigo colored eyes glowing, and the heat of those eyes focused on his lips. However, he could not ignore a different kind of heat that was burning him through two layers of jeans, that had his own body surging forward.

Knowing they both desperately needed a distraction, Ezra hooked a leg behind Vin's legs knocking his feet out from under him and sending him to the wet ground. Hoping the cold water would do the trick he began to thoroughly soak his Texan.

"Ha!" Ezra cried, with a laugh, a few seconds later. Holding up his arms in victory.

"You know it's not nice to gloat," Vin mumbled, from where he sat in the grass.

"No, but it's sure as hell is fun!"

"You guys know what we should do?" JD asked.

"Take our clothes off and run naked through the woods," Ezra suggested, with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Vin laughed at the look on JD's face and explained, "He gets like that when he drinks."

"I do not," Ezra argued.

"You two are crazy!" JD grinned. "I'd love to know what really happened that weekend you guys got drunk ..."

"If you two are through wasting water ..." Chris left the rest unsaid. He then narrowed his eyes as Ezra turned the hose in his direction. "You wouldn't dare."

Vin decided that as much as he loved the sexy, cocky grin Ezra was giving Chris, he didn't think it boded well for Ezra's well-being. He shifted around until he was ready to jump in, in Ezra's defense.

Ezra squeezed the nozzle sending water in Chris's direction, where it struck just inches away from his feet. Now, Ezra may be a little on the crazy side, but wasn't so far gone that he was suicidal. So instead of directly spraying Chris, he sent the water into the sky so that only a few drops hit their target.

"Hey!" Chris jumped as the cold water dropped down on him and couldn't help but smile at the sheer nerve of the man.

"Don't worry, cowboy," Vin said, hoping to defuse things before they got out of hand, "if I won't melt, than neither will you."

"All right, that's it," Chris growled, snatching Josiah's glass from him.

"Don't ya'll coming crying to me when one of you gets hurt," Nathan warned them.

"Oooh, watch it guys he's ... he's got a g..glass in his hand," JD said in mock terror.

"Okay, you little shit you're first," Chris declared, changing direction.

JD's eyes widened as he saw Chris reach inside the glass and pull out a piece of ice. "What are ya gonna do with that?"

The look Chris gave him had JD spinning on his heels, but wasn't quite fast enough. Chris quickly grabbed a belt loop and dropped the ice inside.

"Shit!" JD bellowed, "that's cold!" He then started wiggling and tugging on his pants trying to dislodge it.

Casey took pity on him, grabbed JD's hand, and pulled him toward the house. "Come on, JD, I'll help you get it out," she offered.

JD stilled, gave her a slow grin, and took the lead.

"That's my boy," Buck proudly said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Who's next?" Chris glared.

Vin and Ezra exchanged a glance and with a nod, both stepped forward.

"Two on one," Chris nodded. "Good. I wouldn't want you whining about an unfair fight."

"Hey Ez?"

"Yes?"

"Would now be a good time to remind you that Chris called you a candy ass?" Vin wondered.

Ezra lifted one eyebrow at the reminder and gave Chris an irritated look before saying, "Perfect timing as usual Vin."

"Oh that's right," Chris smirked. "You were insulted by that comment weren't you?"

Ezra gave him a slight nod, then said, "You are correct. And if I am to have my ass kicked then it's going to be for something more than just a few drops of water."

Vin stumbled back a step as Ezra jumped in front of him and began blasting Chris with water. He grinned as Chris was forced to move back under the assault. Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Vin turned and quickly spotted Buck trying to sneak up on them. Reaching around Ezra he grabbed the hose and directed the water at the other man.

Buck sputtered and began cursing.

Ezra and Vin then turned the nozzle on those still on the porch, making the ladies squeal and the men holler in protest.

Chris chose that moment to pounce.

Ezra saw him coming at the last minute and went to move only to get his feet tangled with Vin's causing them both to tumble to the ground.

The air whooshed from Vin's chest as Ezra landed on top of him, leaving him slightly winded.

Unaware of Vin's predicament, Ezra quickly scrambled to his feet, only to hit the grass with a thud as a dripping wet Chris grabbed him by the foot.

Chris promptly sat on the back of Ezra's thighs, but as he turned to get the ice he was bucked off to the side.

Vin in the mean time had only managed to get to his knees before being tackled to the ground by Buck.

"Wait!" Vin cried. "We got Candy wet!"

Buck paused and Vin almost got away, except Chris, with an iron fist wrapped around Ezra's wrist loomed above him.

"Hand me the ice," Chris commanded.

"Fine!" Vin prompted him. "Go ahead and stick ice down my pants. I'm a man and can take it."

Chris did just that, then grinned as Vin began to squirm as the ice began to do it's job.

"F*! That's cold!" he thundered.

"Vin, watched your mouth. There are ladies present," Ezra reminded him.

"Just you wait until it's your turn," Vin argued.

Ezra windmilled his arm, breaking Chris's hold. However, he didn't get that far before both Chris and Buck had him pinned to the ground.

"Ice," Chris held out his hand. "No, hand me the big piece." After slipping the ice into Ezra's pants, he gave Ezra's ass a slap, and got to his feet.

Ezra shuddered as the ice began to melt, making him curse, "Son of a bitch."

"Now, let that be a lesson to you," he told them. "Messing with the big dog will get your ass bit."

"Watch your mouth, Ezra, there are ladies present," Vin mimicked. "And what a mouth you have on you."

"Thank you," Ezra said, "I got it from my mother."

Vin grinned, until he noticed a thin line of blood running down the right side of Ezra's chest.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, crawling over to him.

"What?" Ezra looked down and frowned at the blood. "I must have scratched myself on something."

Rain looked at Nathan and cleared her throat.

"What?" he shrugged. "I warned them. One of these days they'll grow up."

"Fine," she stated. "Then I'll do it myself."

"What?!" Nathan darted after her. "Oh, no, you don't," he said, blocking her path. "You're a little too interested in that tattoo ..."

With Vin's help, Ezra got to his feet ignoring both Nathan and Rain as he passed them on his way to the house. Chris had a little bathroom attached to the washroom that he could use so he wouldn't track water and grass through the house. Ezra would see to the scratch himself, just like always.

Buck watched Ezra go before turning his attention to Vin and giving him an expectant look.

"What?" Vin asked before shaking the excess water from his hair, sending beads of water flying.

"Watch it shaggy!" Buck held up his hand to protect himself from the spray. "Aren't you going to follow him?"

"No," Vin replied, "why would I?"

"'Cause I thought you guys were each others shadow."

"You got a problem with that?" Vin asked, sounding more defensive than he intended.

"No," Buck shook his head. "But you have to admit that the two of you have gotten awful close lately."

"No more than you and JD are," he pointed out. "And I've worked my ass off getting this close to Ezra. He's just getting to where he'll share stuff with me."

"You're doing a remarkable job Vin," Josiah stated. "One we're all benefitting from."

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "The Ezra that joined us a year ago never would have rolled around on the ground, the wet ground at that. Hell, he didn't even show last year."

"Ezra's changed a lot," Nathan commented.

Vin shook his head at that. "No he hasn't. Ezra's the same as he's always been, but you have to be willing to look beyond your own perceptions to be able to see that." On that note, Vin headed for his truck, leaving the others to take his comments any way they choose.

The rest of the afternoon past quickly with JD and Casey reemerging just as the sun was starting to set.

Ezra now dry and wearing a shirt he had borrow from Chris, since his own was covered in grass. Running a hand through his now tousled hair, which had dried before he'd been able to brush it, made him look as if he'd just awakened.

With a weary shake of his head, he thought about all that had occurred this day, as he made his way to Vin's truck, where he'd moved the fireworks before their impromptu water war started.

Now, that was something he wouldn't soon forget, Ezra mused. The feel of Vin's hard, wet body pressing into his. Or the scorching heat of Vin's arousal, a memory he was saving for when he was alone. Right now he could not afford to indulge in such things. He was barely holding on to his control as it was.

Reaching Vin's truck Ezra grabbed the bag he'd left there earlier, opened it, and began removing the items; two flashlights, a box of matches, a small hand-held blow torch, and two fire extinguishers.

"Okay," a voice said, from behind him.

Ezra smiled as Vin came to stand beside him.

"I know what you're gonna do with these things," Vin continued, then reached for the torch. "But what are you going to do with this?"

"Sparklers can be hard to light. They require a little more heat then the starters you get from the stands," Ezra explained. "And it's too dangerous to light them inside and risk burning the house down."

"You really are as smart as you look, aren't you," Vin stated, giving him a slow smile. He loved how fast Ezra's mind worked. He also loved how Chris's t-shirt stretched across Ezra's much wider chest.

"Hey guys," JD bounded up to them.

Vin both welcomed and damned JD's sense of timing, for the same reason. It was stopping him from doing or saying something that would make this deliciously sweet tension between them more intense.

"We about to get started?" Casey asked, leaning against JD.

"Patience, my dear, good things can not be rushed ..."

"I have to disagree with you there, Ez," Vin interrupted him. "Some things can be pretty damned good when ... accelerated."

Ezra felt his jeans tighten and was glad of the approaching darkness.

"Yes, well, not when working with explosive materials," he managed to say in an even voice.

"Explosive can be good too," Vin said, so that only Ezra could hear him.

Not trusting his voice, Ezra grabbed one end of the old table top and motioned for his suddenly very chatty boyfriend to get the other. He almost dropped his end as he realized what he'd just called Vin.

"Ez?" Vin frowned at him. "You okay?"

"No ... I mean yes. I'm fine."

Ten minutes later the air was filled with the sounds of exploding fireworks. Loud piercing sounds and brilliant colors lit up the sky. Firecrackers erupted, rat-a-tatting like a machine gun from an old gangster movie. Different colored clouds blended together enveloping the area in an eery shadow, as smoke bombs were ignited.

Buck and the others were smart enough not to get too close as the other three played. Casey had been sent to hand out and light sparklers and had not been allowed to leave the safety of the porch.

Chris had smiled when the ladies jumped in surprise as a loud boom ripped through the air, causing them to momentarily forget about trying to write their names before their sparklers died out.

Nathan looked up frowning and peered carefully into the smoke to see a figure heading for them.

"JD!" Casey cried and ran to him.

JD gave her a peck on the cheek and slipped a hand around her waist. "Ezra wanted me to warn you that he's about to set off his homemade firecracker ..."

"Homemade?" Orrin Travis repeated.

"Yeah," JD smiled. "He's not sure what it's going to do ..."

"He made a firecracker that he's not sure what it will do?" Chris repeated in disbelief, only to wonder why he didn't believe it.

"Where's Vin?" Josiah asked.

"With Ezra," JD told him. "He wanted Vin to come with me, but he refused." JD glanced at his watch and motioned everyone back. "Oh, and Ezra said not to worry 'cause he brought his own fire extinguishers."

"Fire ex.... ." The rest of what Chris was saying was cut off as a deafening blast resounded from the yard, causing windows to rattle and for the alarm on the Judge's new car to go off.

"Look!" Molly shouted, pointing up where a multitude of colors could be seen shimmering across the sky, before twinkling and finally fading into the night.

As soon as Chris was able, he took off running to where he thought Vin and Ezra were. 'Where they had damned well better still be,' he grumbled. 'With all their parts intact.'

"Ezra!" Vin frantically hollered. Seeing a figure in the haze, he hurried toward it. "Are you okay?" Vin saw Ezra's mouth moving but couldn't hear a word he was saying and for a minute feared he'd gone deaf. That is until Ezra reached up and pulled the earplugs from his ears.

"Better now?" Ezra asked, having all ready removed his own earplugs. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. You?" he questioned, running his hands up and down Ezra's arms, needing to touch him.

"Yeah," Ezra replied, reaching up to brush a lock of hair from Vin's brow.

"Vin! Ezra!"

They both looked up and stepped away from each other as they heard Chris bellowing their names.

"We're fine!" Vin exclaimed.

"Dammit, you two are going to be the death of me yet," Chris growled as he joined them. "What the hell was in that thing!"

"A little of this and apparently too much of that," Ezra quipped.

"And no one was hurt," Vin said, as he stepped in front of Ezra.

"That was beautiful, Ezra," Evie Travis complimented him. "In fact, the whole display was quite exciting."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ezra smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

While Ezra, Vin, and JD made sure there were no embers hiding anywhere, the others made sure everything in house was put away and helped straighten things up a little. Then one by one they bid each other goodnight and headed home.

Vin pulled up in front of Ezra's house, leaving the engine running. He knew if he left the truck then he and Ezra would wind up in bed together. As tempting as that was, Vin knew that neither of them were ready for that. Yet. But they would be. Of that Vin had no doubts.

"I'd ask you in, but ..."

Vin unhooked his seatbelt and moved closer to him. "But we're not ready," he finished for him, trailing his knuckles down Ezra's cheek.

Ezra let his eyes drift closed, as he leaned into that touch.

"Oh, God, I want to kiss you so bad, Ezra," Vin softly declared.

"I know," Ezra whispered, then turned to face him. Having already removed his seatbelt, he inched closer, pressing their foreheads together. "What's worse? Knowing? Or not knowing?"

"I don't know," he sighed, burying his face in Ezra's neck. 'Should they kiss now? Or wait until Ezra's was sure?' Vin silently warred within himself for an answer.

"Sheer torture," Ezra mumbled in Vin's ear, making him shiver.

"What?" Vin asked into Ezra's ear, returning the favor and making him tremble.

"You ... this ... being so close to my dreams. It's torture. Pure, sweet torture," Ezra explained and rapidly blinked his eyes.

"I know," Vin said, pulling Ezra to him with bruising force and holding on tight for a few seconds, before easing back. "Go," he pleaded. "Before we wind up staying in this truck all night. Go."

Ezra reached up and wiped a tear from Vin's eye with his thumb, then opened the door and slipped from the truck.

Vin waited until Ezra was safely inside before driving off.

Later that night as they both climbed into their lonely beds they made one simple vow, "Soon."

The End