DVD Commentary on Centaur of Balance, part three
Continued from here

 Centaur of Balance (3 of 3)
By Byrne
Archived at Pastorale, Bellum Viri


Eric heard Scott call his name as he walked down the hall.  He ignored him, heading right for the garage, blood rushing to his face.  He had no idea what he was going to do, or where he was going to go; he just wanted to make sure he calmed down a little before he spoke to anyone.

And he never wanted to talk to James, although a small part of him brain was rational enough to know that he’d have to.

He crossed the kitchen in four long strides, aware of Drew talking, then Scott, but not able to hear what they were saying.  A surge of anger rushed through him and he banged the door to the garage open, pounding down the three steps, only to stop dead once he was there.

He didn’t really want to take off.  He had nowhere to go, for one thing, and for another he hated the idea of them all worrying about him.  He walked around his car to the work bench, picking things up and putting them down, not seeing anything.

Eric wasn’t given much to hysterics.  He knew himself well enough to admit that he often had to be bashed over the head with things before he could really see what he was feeling—Drew had done it only a few days ago and he’d finally figured out he felt about James.

Both Drew and Scott had made it a point to keep him talking once they’d seen James change forms, made him think it through.  He knew he still loved James, and he knew he wanted to tell him that.  But not within the same twenty-four hours that the man’s house had burned down, his job had all but disappeared, and the biggest secret in his life had been revealed.  The past day had been the most complicated thing Eric had ever gone through, and now Scott had made it even more so.

Humiliated and angry, he looked around the garage for something to do with his hands, something that would keep him busy until he’d calmed down.  He was fairly sure the humiliation wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, but maybe he would be able to think if he wasn’t pissed off at Scott.  Eric is always pushing himself to... not ignore what's happened to him, exactly, but to make sure that he doesn't do anything to hurt his men.  Even if he's hurting too.

Eric quickly realized that the garage wasn’t the best place for him to be in times of crisis.  When Drew had gone to the clinic to detoxify he’d not been able to manage anything more complicated than cleaning the car.  It seemed to him that this was the same sort of situation, and eventually he gave in, opening the car doors and pulling everything out of the backseat before getting the shop vac.

By the time he’d gotten the backseat cleaned and the front started he was calmer.  Not ready to go in the house and talk to Scott, but calm enough that his heartbeat wasn’t racing and his stomach had stopped cramping.  I kinda like this.  My stomach always cramps when I'm upset.

When he finished vacuuming the front out he reached for a rag and wiped down the dash, concentrating on not thinking about anything other than the fact that Scott hadn’t meant to do it.  It wasn’t like Scott had just gone up to James and told him; it was an accident.  But it had still happened, and Eric still had to deal with the fall out.

He finished cleaning the car and sighed.  No mater how long he dragged it out it would take less than three minutes to put the rags and the vacuum away, and then he’d have to go into the house.

He wasn’t ready.  He didn’t know if he would ever be ready—but a few more minutes couldn’t hurt.

He sat on the steps and looked at the car, waiting for the last of his anger with Scott to dissipate.  He hated being upset with anyone, especially Scott, but he seemed stuck in a feedback loop of ‘it’s not fair’.  He was whining in his own head and figured it sounded just as bad there as it did out loud.  I like this too.  I always feel like I'm whining when things fall apart.

He could hear someone walking through the kitchen and he took a breath, knowing he’d run out of time.  The door behind him opened and James looked down at him for a long moment before stepping down and sitting next to him.

Eric looked away, not saying anything, which was surprisingly easy.  He had no idea what to say, and no idea what had gone in the house after he’d left.  James just sat next to him for a while, not saying anything either.  After a few moments Eric looked at him and met calm eyes, but he had to look away, biting his lip.

“Were you going to tell me?” James asked, his voice low.

Eric nodded slowly.  “Didn’t know how.  Or when.  Or if you’d…”  He trailed off, not sure what he was trying to say.

“If I’d love you back?”

Eric looked at him, not sure what to say.  “If you’d want to know.  If you’d…want me to love you.”  It hurt to say, but it was true.  No matter what Drew and Scott thought, they couldn’t really know, couldn’t make him any promises.  Ah, that old fear of rejection. 

James smiled slightly and shook his head.  “Want to know.  Want you to love me.”  

Eric could only look at him, not sure what he was feeling.  He hated things like this; when Drew and Scott had brought him in it had taken him an hour alone to think things through, and this conversation was leaving him with the same tight feeling in his chest, the same racing thoughts.  Hope colliding with cynicism and fear.

“Love you, Eric,” James said.  “Have for a long time now.”

Eric swallowed hard, and tried to keep his voice low.  “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”  And sometimes it really is that easy.  Not this time, mind, but sometimes...

They looked at each for a long moment, and Eric look a deep breath.  “What now?”

James licked his lips and shifted away from him, standing up.  He held out his hand and said, “Now we go talk to your men.”

Eric looked up at him.  “I won’t leave them.  Ever.”  For some reason it seemed very important that he say that out loud.

James blinked.  “I know,” he said, his tone implying that Eric may possibly have lost his mind.  Little hint about centaurs and multiple partner relationships.

“Oh.  Good.”  Eric didn’t move.

James sighed and leaned on the car.  “How’s this going to work?”

“What do you mean?  You and me and me and the boys?”

“No, I mean how am I going to get you into the house so the four us can talk about this.”  James looked a little like his patience was wearing thin.

“Is Scott upset?”

James shrugged.  “He was.  Pretty worried about you, sorry he’d said anything, sorry we heard.  Drew was trying to calm him down—I think me being in there was making things worse.”  James paused then added, “He won’t be calm until he talks to you, you know that.”

Eric nodded.  Then he took a deep breath and stood up.  James moved forward to go into the house with him and Eric turned to him, standing close.  “You really love me?”

“Yeah.  I do.”  James took his hand and squeezed his fingers.  “We have to talk to Drew and Scott.  Right now.”

Eric let himself be led into the kitchen, a little bemused by how easy it was to just hold James’s hand.

James loved him.  James wanted him.  

Scott was leaning on the kitchen counter and Drew was sitting at the table with a beer bottle in front of him.  Eric saw Drew’s lips twitch into a grin, dark eyes focused on his hand in James’s.  Scott was staring at the floor, looking miserable.

Eric sighed and let go of James’s hand.  He walked to Scott and told him it was okay the best way he knew how—pinned him to the counter and kissed him until they were both a little breathless.

“I’m sorry,” Scott said when Eric pulled away.

“I know.  And it’s okay.”  Eric kissed him again, then turned around to stand next to him.  “We gotta talk.”

Drew rolled his eyes.  “If I hear that one more time in the next week I swear I’m going to sign on for double shifts.  No one says that to me at work.”  Heeee!  *ahem*

James snickered and Scott glared at Drew.  Eric just waited, not sure who was supposed to say what.  

Drew picked up the beer bottle and swallowed the last mouthful, then stood up.  James was still standing near the door, his shoulders square, and when Drew looked at him he didn’t flinch.  Didn’t do anything, actually, just waited.

“You love him?”  Drew asked James.  *cough* protector *cough*

“Yep.  And you already know how he feels.  So how’s this going to work?”

Drew shrugged.  “You’re living here for now, I don’t see any problems.  Scott?  Anything to say?”

Scott shook his head, then nodded.  “Yeah, actually.  I still think what I was saying earlier is valid.  If you’re just gonna stay here for a while then go off and leave him hurting I’ve got big problems with this.”

Eric opened his mouth to say something, anything—but there wasn’t really anything to say.  He’d just caught the last of it, he assumed; Scott worried about other stallions and James needing space.  Both of which were valid.

And he knew he didn’t want James to just pick up and go in a few months.

James nodded and pulled out one of the chairs, waiting until Drew sat down as well before saying anything.

“I’m not going anywhere,” James said calmly.  “There’s some things I’ll have to deal with, but if I’m going to be with Eric I can make it work.”

Eric watched Scott think, watched him quietly assessing James.  Then Scott turned to him and smiled.  “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Most of the tension in the room faded as the four of them stood smiling.  Eric was pretty sure that the remaining tension had very little to do with anger or worry.

Drew cleared his throat.  “So, um, are you two going to-”

Scott shook his head and moved fast, pulling Drew out of the chair and shoving him out of the kitchen.  “Time for you to take a nap.”

“I don’t want to, I wanna—“  Watch.  Heeee!  Focussed, my Drew.   Very focussed.

“Not this time,” Scott insisted.  He grinned over his shoulder at Eric and said, “We’re going to bed now.  See you later.”

Eric grinned and listened to Drew protesting his way down the hall, then the bedroom door slammed.  

James’s chair scraped on the floor as he stood up and faced him.  Eric’s mouth went dry and he froze, lost in James’s eyes as the man moved closer to him.

Eric was pretty sure he’d stopped breathing.  He’d been so wrapped up in Scott and Drew and what they were thinking that he’d more or less pushed…this…to the side.  But it was pretty hard to deny anything with James right in front of him, looking at him like that.

“Okay?” James asked softly.

Eric nodded, not sure what James meant and not really caring.

They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, not touching, neither of them moving at all.  The house was silent.

“It’s too quiet,” Eric said softly.

James raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“They’re listening,” Eric explained.

James’s lips quirked into a grin.  “Yeah?” he whispered.

Eric nodded, grinning back.  “Wanna go to the living room?  Watching TV would piss Drew off royally.”

James laughed and stepped closer.  “Nah.  Rather give them something to listen to.”

“That works, too.”

Eric leaned in as James moved closer, his arm sliding around James’s waist, one of James’s hands tangling in Eric’s hair as they kissed.  What started as slow and sweet quickly turned into something else, mouths opening as they tasted each other.

Eric pulled James closer, one hand on the small of James’s back, almost afraid James would go, that he would suddenly pull back and say it was a mistake, Eric had been dreaming.  James only pressed closer, though, molding himself to Eric, one hand clutching Eric’s arm.

He could have stayed there for hours, doing nothing other than kissing James and touching him.  He moaned softly, stroking James’s hair, and smiled into the kiss when James made a noise back, pressing even closer.  It felt nice, holding James.  He was the same height as Drew, pretty much the same build, but there was a world of difference.  James was a little firmer, a little more sculpted, and the sound he made when Eric rubbed the small of his back was pure need.

It was the edge of the counter digging into Eric’s back that made him finally pull away, the dull ache getting downright uncomfortable when James pushed into him.  

“We really should take this to the living room,” he said.  He still had his arms around James; he didn’t think he’d be letting go entirely for a long time.

James looked at him for a long moment, eyes mostly glazed.  “What?” he finally said, blinking at Eric.  And there goes James' brain.  It's a centaur thing.

Eric smiled, amused.  It usually took a lot more than just kissing to get Scott or Drew so wound up they couldn’t think.  “The living room,” he said again. “It has a couch.  Unless kitchens are really a big thing for you?”

James  grinned, his cheeks pinking.  “Bedroom has a bed,” he said, moving his hips slowly against Eric.

“It does at that.”  Eric kissed James again and suddenly they were moving out of the kitchen, awkwardly making their down the hallway as they kissed and tugged at clothes, looking for skin.

They tumbled onto the bed, tripping over the bags of clothes that James had bought but not put away.  Eric didn’t care, anything that got them on the partially made bed was fine by him.  He’d managed to get James’s shirt off and was just settling in to fight with his jeans, arms tangled with James’s as his own shirt was sacrificed to the gods of urgency and need, when the phone rang.  Don'tcha hate that?

They ignored it, barely noticing the voice from the bedroom directly across the hall that called out that he’d get it.  Eric didn’t even register who it was, although he did spare a thought to the still open door to the room he and James were in.

Then James started scattering open mouthed kisses across Eric’s chest, and even that thought disappeared.

They fought with clothes, hands and mouths eager as they rolled on the bed, rubbing and touching each other as skin was bared.  Eric had seen James in most states of undress several times as they worked out, and had seen him naked the night before when he was changing forms.  Not like this, though.  Not hard and wanting him, not flushed and noisy, making soft sounds that went right to Eric’s cock.

Eric gasped as James rolled them over again, their erections lining up.  James bit down on Eric’s shoulder and groaned, then soothed the spot with a lick.  

“Want you.  God, wanted you for so long,” James murmured.

Eric slid his hands down James’s back and grabbed his ass, pulling him even closer as they thrust together.  “Got me.”

James shuddered and pulled back a little, forcing his hand between them to trace Eric’s cock with one finger.  “Yeah?”

Eric didn’t have a chance to say anything before James lifted off him and started moving down, licking and biting his way down Eric’s belly.  He wasn’t absolutely sure, but he thought he might have whimpered when James nudged his cock with his chin.

“Eric?”

Eric lifted his head in time to see James smile wickedly, then he did whimper as James licked up the side of his prick.

He tried to keep his voice down, he really did.  He knew that Scott and Drew were listening anyway, and that felt odd enough without him grunting and gasping as James sucked him off.  But there are always times in a man’s life when control over minor things like volume are shattered, and happily so—this was one of those times.  

Eric could feel his orgasm building, his stomach tightening and fire racing down his spine, his balls tight and hot.  When James lifted his head and moved quickly up his body, Eric swore.

James just grinned and kissed him.  

“James, please.”  Eric knew he sounded desperate, but damnit, he was.

“Shh.  Going to.”  James kissed him, reaching out, then stopped.  “Well, fuck.”

“What?  What fuck?  Fuck me.”

“Nothing slick.  Wrong fucking bedroom—I forgot.”

Eric groaned, dropping his head back on the pillow.  “No rubbers, either.  We haven’t had any in…years.”

James was laughing, his body shaking on top of Eric’s.

“It’s not funny!” Eric said, utterly pissed off that he’d gotten that close and James had stopped, and that it looked like they were into a full and complete stop.

From the other bedroom they could hear a bump and a curse, then drawers slamming shut.  Eric turned his head just in time to see the door open far enough for an arm to stick out, then throw something at him.

The lube bounced off James’s back and the strip of condoms hit Eric in the head.  *snicker*  Okay, I had a hard time making this scene work to tell the truth.  I had to manufacture condoms (I knew there was lots of lube around) so I more or less just had them land out of thin air. 

“Where—“

“Scott’s got samples of fucking everything,”  Eric said with a grin.

“Thank Christ.”  James kissed him again, tongue plunging into his mouth and Eric gave up on thinking, gave up on everything but feeling.  

A flurry of rushed movements later, and time stopped as James opened him, gently and thoroughly, his fingers gliding in and stretching him, making his toes curl.

“Ready?” James whispered, pushing deeper, sliding his fingers in and out.

Eric could only moan, pulling his legs open and back.

James eased into him with one long slow thrust, making every millimetre count.  Eric was frozen on the bed, caught in James’s eyes, in his embrace.

“Oh God,” he whispered.  

James nodded, then bent his head to kiss Eric’s mouth, then his jaw.  “Love you,” he said as he started to move.

Eric groaned again, hands clinging to James’s arms as they moved together in a slow rhythm.  He rocked his hips up, meeting each thrust, and James swore under his breath.  Eric did it again, speeding them, demanding more and harder and deeper, his own breathing ragged.  When James pegged his gland he cried out, his back arching.

“Ah, shit,” James said with a grunt.  “Eric—“

James thrust into him faster, fucking him harder and harder until they were both grunting with each stroke, Eric crying out almost continuously as James took him.  When James took all of his weight on one arm and wrapped his free hand around Eric’s cock Eric shuddered and lost the rhythm.

“Gonna come,” he whispered.  “Oh fuck, James.  Gonna come.”  Bibble.  Okay, it's one of my many fic kinks.  I love it when orgasm is announced.  *shrug*

James didn’t say anything, just watched Eric’s face and stroked his cock until Eric felt the fire come back, racing through him, felt his muscles start to spasm as his body tightened.

“Now.  Yeah, now—“  He closed his eyes as he shot, cock throbbing in James’s hand, everything going grey around the edges.

Dimly he was aware of James’s hips stuttering, then James was ploughing into him, hard and fast, biting into his shoulder with a low groan as he came.

Eric curled himself around James, holding onto him as they come down, feeling aftershock and shudders roll through them both.  They were sweating, panting; Eric couldn’t seem to stop smiling, though, and he couldn’t seem to stop whispering James’s name.

A few minutes later they rolled apart, then tangled their legs, still exchanging long slow kisses.

“Shower?” James asked softly.

Eric nodded.  “You first.”  He paused and rolled his eyes, listening to the sound of running water.  “When they’re done, that is.”  *grin*  And we all know why they needed to shower too....

James laughed and pulled the sheet up and over them, seeming to be happy enough to cuddle for a few minutes.

When Eric got out of the shower twenty minutes later he was met in the hall by Scott, who’s hair was still stuck up from towel drying, a towel around his waist.

“Hey, love,” Eric said, taking a kiss.

“Hey yourself.  Good?” Scott asked with a grin.

“Shut up.”  Eric could feel his face going red, but he was still smiling.

“That phone call?” Scott said, raising his voice.

Eric heard James get out of the bed, and bags rustling.

“Yeah?” he asked.  James emerged from the bedroom in boxers, ripping the tags off.  Eric held out his hand and James smiled as their fingers tangled.

“Hey, James,” Scott said with a grin.  “Nice action. *heeeee* Anyway, that was some cop named Le Fleur.  Wants you to call him in the morning.”

James nodded.  “Thanks.”

Eric looked at Scott and then James, suddenly feeling vaguely unsettled.

“What?” Scott said, almost immediately.

Eric shrugged.  “Nothing.”

“Bullshit.  What?”  Oddly, it was James who was going to insist on an answer.

Eric sighed.  “Not sure where I’m supposed to sleep.”

Scott rolled his eyes.  “Is that all?  Big bed in our room.”

“But James—“

“It’s a really big bed, ‘ric.  You sleep where you always do, around me.  I sleep with Drew the octopus around me, too, and James keeps you from falling out.”

Eric stared at him.  “Bed’s not that big, Scott.  And are you sure, anyway?”

“Just get the fuck into bed, you guys.”  Drew sounded cranky.  “I’m tired.”

Eric shrugged again.  “James?”

James squeezed his fingers and smiled.  “Drew needs his sleep.  Let’s go to bed.”  Awww.

Part Eleven  Okay, have to fix the first part, I guess... at least check it.

James didn’t sleep well.  He was hyperaware of the others, waking whenever one of them shifted, worried that his presence was disrupting them.  It seemed to be a groundless fear, really.  Drew was sprawled out on the far edge of the bed, an arm thrown over Scott to reach Eric’s hip, and Scott was mostly hidden from sight, buried under both Drew and Eric. James himself was curled around Eric’s back, holding him close.

It was comfortable.  And Eric kept stirring slightly, one hand reaching back to slide over James’s thigh, connecting them.  The others slept well, apparently used to having bodies so close together.  

James hoped he’d grow used to it, too.

He was actually asleep when the alarm went off.  Drew’s hand shot out and slammed down on the clock, silencing the rather loud beeping, and Eric mumbled something unintelligible.  Scott didn’t move.

Drew groaned and rolled over, stretching both arms and legs.  “Eric.”

“Mmm?”  Eric burrowed under the covers, his butt wiggling against James in a very pleasant way.  Maybe James could really get used to this.

Drew sat up, raking his fingers through his hair.  “Wake Scott up.  I have to get to the station early today.”

Eric made a disapproving sound, and didn’t move.

“Eric.  Work.”  Drew was already out of the bed, his naked ass up in the air as he reached for something on the floor.

Eric moved enough to poke his head up.  “Who all has to work?”  I really do need a chart....

“All of us.”  Drew stood up, pulling a pair of boxers on over his morning erection.  James shut his eyes and tightened his grip on Eric, who wiggled again.  “I gotta go soon.  You can get a ride with sleeping beauty, yeah?  Leave James your car.”

“Ah, shit.  Don’t wanna work.”  Eric retreated under the covers.   James was all for everyone taking the day off, but he refrained from suggesting it.  He did open his eyes again, though.

Drew shook his head and leaned over, pulling the covers back far enough to kiss Scott’s forehead, then Eric’s mouth.  “Wake him up, ‘ric.  Morning, James.”

“Morning, Drew.”  

“Gonna make the coffee,” Drew said, leaving the bedroom.

James snuggled against Eric’s back, not really trying to do anything other than get as close as he could.  The fact that every motion either of them made caused his cock to slide nicely along Eric’s ass meant almost nothing.

Eric muttered something into the pillow, or maybe Scott’s ear, and his hand left James’s thigh.  James frowned and rolled back a little, but almost immediately the hand came back, Eric keeping him in place.  Okay.

James wrapped his arm back around Eric’s chest and kissed his shoulder.  Scott still hadn’t moved.  “So, how do you wake up Scott?”

Eric snorted.  “He’s awake.  He’s just pretending he isn’t.  Part of him thinks that if he’s really still we’ll just go away and he’ll be able to go back to sleep.  Scott’s not so happy with mornings.”  That would be me.  Yes.  Morning bad.

James grinned.  It sounded like Scott, and it sounded like a nice—if wholly unreasonable—plan.  “Still.  He’s gotta work.  What do you do?”

Eric’s ears pinked, James could see it.  He loved it when Eric blushed, and this time it was accompanied by a stronger shifting of his hips, although Eric’s hand slid away again.

‘Uh, yeah,” Eric said hesitantly.  “Usually I just sort of…um.”  He took a deep breath and said in a rush, “Play with his cock until he either comes or rolls over and fucks me.”  :-)

Oh.  “Oh!  Right.  I should go—“

“Don’t go,” Eric said.  “Like you there.”  

James could feel Eric’s arm moving, the rhythm unmistakable. He moaned softly, grinding his own erection against Eric.   “You sure?  Scott?”

For the first time, Scott stirred.  James could feel his hips shift, the sheets shifting subtly as the three of them moved.  He could hear Scott and Eric both, their breath quickening.  And Scott gasped, then said, “Stay.”

Eric rocked hard, and James’s own cock jumped.  James rested a hand on Eric’s hip, felt the brush of Eric’s arm against his own as Eric pulled Scott off.  He hadn’t really thought about the dynamics of the four of them, together, like this…and he wasn’t now.   

He was thinking about the feeling of Eric in his arms, and Scott being there, the way Scott was making soft sounds as Eric played with him.  The way the three of them were moving, the feeling of Eric’s skin on his, and the ache in his balls.  He was thinking about Scott’s cock, the movement he could see under the sheet, and the way Eric ground back against him.

He wasn’t thinking about anything, and he was thinking about everything.  His prick was hard and leaking, he could feel the slickness as he pushed against Eric, and he wished he was inside.  Feeling, not thinking, just moving and breathing, and tasting Eric’s skin.  Scott’s hand reached back to hold Eric’s hip and found his own there, their fingers stuttering for a moment before James tangled them together, keeping Scott there.

Then the door opened and Drew came in.  “We’re gonna be late,” Drew said with a grin.  Then he pulled the covers back and James could see.  Scott’s erection, Eric’s fingers, and then Drew, leaning over and swallowing Scott down until his lips met Eric’s hand.

Scott bucked and swore, his fingers tightening around James’s as Drew swallowed, his head bobbing.

“Ah fuck,” Eric said with a long groan, shuddering in James’s arms.  The smell of come filled the air and James bit down on Eric’s shoulder, hips jerking as he shot as well.

The three of them were panting when Drew finally let Scott slide from his mouth.

“Time for showers, yeah?  Coffee is ready, then we gotta go.”  Drew looked exceedingly pleased with the way waking up went.  

James could get used to this.    Okay, I wrote this part 'cause I wanted to write about James waking up (and sleeping) in the bed with the three of them.  I think it is too early in the relationship for this level of intimacy, but it happened, I wrote it and here we are.  I considered not putting it in this, the final version, but ultimately left it in to give a little bit of context for a future story.  So, I now have four men who sleep in the same bed and the lines are already a little smeared.

Part Twelve  Back to plot.

James waited until the others had left for work before making his own way into the bathroom to shower.  Not surprisingly, he had to have a very fast one; it seemed that four showers in a morning was at least one more than the hot water tank could supply.  The last slash of cold water, however, did guarantee that he was awake.

Dressed, and with a cup of coffee in hand, James wandered into the living room and looked out the big picture window at his own home.  It still looked mostly okay from the front.  Obviously fire damaged, but salvageable.  He thought about the back of the house and sighed.

Still looking outside, he picked up the portable phone and started making calls.  First he called the insurance agent to confirm that there would be people by to make estimates on the cost of repair.  The agent seemed to be very certain that the house could be saved, taking pains to tell James about other fires, other people’s loss.  James didn’t really appreciate the effort to make him feel better.

That done, and promises of people arriving in an hour or so made, James returned Le Fleur’s call from the previous night.  By the times someone tracked the sergeant down and got him on the line the coffee in James’s cup was long gone and he was halfway through the second.  

The greetings were quick and polite, Le Fleur moving swiftly to the point. “Could you come into the station this afternoon?” he asked.  “I’d like to bring you up to speed, and we’ve got some questions about your contact list.”

James nodded, holding this phone loosely.  There would be lots of questions, he was sure, and he also guessed that few of them would relate directly to the fire.  The joys of being at the centre of a far reaching investigation.  “Sure,” he said, walking to the kitchen.  “Any time in particular?  I have a few errands to run, getting new ID made and things.  The bank.”

“Later would be better than sooner,” Le Fleur said.  “We got a good lead from the canvas of gas stations and to be honest we’re hoping to pick a guy up in an hour or so.  We were going to get him yesterday but he was in Montreal doing something for his father and we didn’t want to spook him—just easier to wait until he comes home and relaxes a bit.”

That made sense, sort of.  “Anyone I would know?” James asked carefully.

“Doubt it.  Probably hired, you know?  One of those things I want to talk to you about when you get here.”

“Right.  I’ll see you this afternoon, then,” James said.  They hung up and he found himself looking at the receiver in his hand thoughtfully.   He didn’t debate long before dialling again.

The phone rang twice in Wyoming before his father answered.  “Harper.”

“Hi, it’s me.”

“James.  How are you?”  Harper sounded pleased to hear from him, which was always nice.  “I’ve been waiting for you to call.”

James winced.  He really should have called the day before, if only to tell Harper how Eric and the others had reacted to his revelation.  “Sorry.  Things have been…busy.”  

“And?”  Harper sounded as calm as always, simply waiting for the information he was sure he was going to get.

“Well, the boys took it well.  Very well, actually.  Scott’s going to have a field day with me.  Drew was a little shaken, I think, but he’s fine.”

“And Eric?”  

James gripped the mug in his hand tightly, barely aware of the fact.  “Eric.  That’s…um.”  He hadn’t thought that this would be hard.  In fact, he’d not even giving this any thought.  But now he was about to tell Harper and he found his body tensing.  Disapproval would be…bad.  Time for another approach.  “Dad, here’s the thing.  I love Eric, and Eric loves me.  And the four of us are going to try to make it work.”  I love that part.  I like what it says about James and about Harper and about their relationship.

There was a brief pause and then Harper… laughed.  Not a belly laugh, but a definite chuckle.  “I see.  So, when you say you’ve been busy—“  *grin*  Taking a page, more or less, from Taylor in the Horses series.

“Harper!”

This time it was a belly laugh.  “Oh, relax, James.  You should be glad you didn’t tell Molly first—she’d imply much more.”

The scary things was that he was right.

James took a breath and relaxed a little.  “So, you’re all right with this?”

“For now,” Harper said, his tone more serious.  “They know what you are, and that’s an important step.  At some point I hope you’ll bring them here, but I know that now isn’t really an option.  And you’ll have to make some decisions, about your future.”

James knew he was right, that he would have to have many long talks with Eric in the coming days, and also with Scott and Drew.  Decisions would have to be made that affected all four of them.  “Yeah,” he agreed quietly.  “Lot’s of things to talk about.”

They were silent for a moment, and James wondered what Harper really thought about him getting tied to three humans for the love of one.  

He was about to ask when Harper changed the subject.  “What about the fire? Have the authorities found anything yet?”

James put the mug in the sink and pulled out a chair, saying, “Maybe.  I talked to the police today, and they seem to think they’ll be bringing in a guy for questioning.  Hired.”

“Of course,” Harper said immediately.  They both knew that there was no way Pyke would have set the fire himself.  “What about the house?  Any idea yet about what you’re going to do?”

James shrugged.  “Repair it and sell, I suppose.  I’ll take a loss, I expect, but I won’t be living there again.”

“You could rent it out,” Harper suggested.  “Long term lease, make sure the property is cared for. Enough to cover the mortgage and insurance, anyway.”

“Yes, I suppose,” James said agreeably.  “That could work.  Step one is getting the repairs started though.  People will be here today to work out estimates and such—I hope to have someone started in the next couple of days.”

“If you need anything, James.  You know I’ll help.”

“I do.  Thank you, sir.”

They spoke for a couple of minutes longer, then James hung up the phone and reached for Eric’s car keys.  Many things to do.  Identification to replace, bank card and credit cards to cancel and replace, truck keys to have made… and the police to see.  If he was lucky he’d get back in time to make supper for the boys.  They’d like that, he thought.

Part Thirteen

Scott had been patient.  For two days he’d been patient.  He hadn’t once headed towards James, stethoscope in hand, and asked him to strip.  Conversations had been brief, due to work and his own big mouth spurring on Eric and James’s disappearance into the spare room for what had sounded like really good sex.  And then there had been more work.

But now he and Eric were pulling into the driveway behind Drew’s car and Scott had two days of curiosity driving him.  That, and his stethoscope.  Which he might possibly have been clutching in his right hand.  Which made driving interesting.  He's so cute.

Eric was smiling fondly at him.  “Can I say hi to him first?”

Scott had the good grace to blush.  “Sorry.”

Eric laughed and leaned over to kiss him as soon as the car stopped.  “It’s okay. But just in case—“  Eric threw his door open and bounded out of the car, yelling, “I’ll race ya!”

Scott let him go.  Then he thought about what the greetings could turn into and hurried up.  Lord knew when he’d see James if Eric got enthusiastic.  He locked the car and ran into the house without really thinking, just rushing.  He skidded to a halt in the middle of the kitchen, clutching his stethoscope.

James was at the stove, stirring something in a pot and looking at him curiously.  Drew was sitting at the table, one eyebrow raised.  Eric was leaning on the counter next to James, grinning evilly.  No one said anything for a long moment.

Scott toyed with the stethoscope and said, “Um.  Hi?”  He’d been aiming for nonchalant, but figured he’s missed when Drew’s eyebrow climbed higher and Eric giggled.

Giggled.  Men who were that big shouldn’t giggle.  It was disconcerting.

Scott sighed and pulled out a chair.  “How was everyone’s day?” he asked, hoping to redirect their attention.

“Quiet.”

“The usual.”

“Busy and long.”

Drew winked at James.  “And yet you found time to cook for us.  Good man.”

James shrugged, but smiled warmly as he turned back to the stove.

“Did you talk to Le Fleur?” Eric asked as he started to set the table.

“Yep, and wound up spending a couple of hours with the guys from the DEA, too.”  James poked through the spice rack for a moment and added, “Was at the station for most of the afternoon.”

“And? Anything?”  Scott got up to gather knives and forks and spoons, pausing to sniff at the pot.  It smelled good, savoury; chicken and vegetables, in some kind of cream sauce.

“Yeah, actually.  They’d gotten a tip from one of the gas stations around here, and picked up this guy—just a kid really, maybe seventeen.”

“A kid?” Drew interrupted.

James nodded.  “Hired hand, guy named Billy MacGillvary,” he said as he turned around to lean on the counter.  “I’d already been in with the DEA crew for an hour or so when Le Fleur let us know that they were going to start questioning the kid—he figured it would take a couple of hours to get anything out of him, Billy hadn’t said a word on the way in.  Turned out to be more like fifteen minutes.  He didn’t know there was anyone in the house, and he freaked when they asked him if he meant to kill me.  Just lost it.”

“Your truck was in the drive, how could he think the house was empty?” Eric asked, sounding more or less outraged.

James shrugged.  “I’m thinking Billy isn’t too bright. He says he was told the place would be empty.”

Drew’s eyes narrowed and Scott suddenly realized they were all in suspended animation, standing around the kitchen with the table half set.  He had a fist full of cutlery, and Eric was still holding onto a plate, just looking at James.  

“So,” Drew said slowly, “the person who paid him knows you spend most of your weekends out of town, or at least part of the weekends.”

“Someone’s been watching you?” Eric asked.  Then he carefully set down the plate.  “Who?  Who paid the little fuck?”

There was a bit of a race to see who’d get to Eric first with soothing words; James won, although Scott suspected Drew might have backed off at the end.

James put an arm around Eric and touched his cheek with the other hand.  “Calm, Eric.  It’s okay, really.  I’m fine, right?  Billy didn’t take long to say who, he was too freaked out not to.  It was one of my contacts, guy named Vincent Lawson.  I’d already told my contact at the DEA that I thought the guy was going to move.  Actually, I told him that night.  I was just wrong about the direction Lawson was going.”

“He tried to kill you,” Eric said, his voice low and tight.  Scott could actually feel the weight of his fear, like cold pressure in his own chest.

“No,” Scott put in.  He pulled out a chair and sank down.  “He didn’t think James would be there.  It was… a warning?”  He looked up at James.

“Maybe,” James said, an arm still around Eric’s waist.  “More likely he was just trying to destroy the paperwork.  Easier to pay some kid to torch the place than break in and search through files.  Added bonus points for scaring the crap out of me.”

Drew snorted.  “Sounds like Lawson is a dumb shit, too.  Not finding out if you were there before he set the kid loose?  He could have called it off or something—doubt if he wanted to weigh in on attempted murder.”

James sighed and nodded.  “None of them are very smart,” he agreed.  “But what’s done is done, and both of them are in custody.  Plus the DEA has all my files, so they’re building a case, and it looks like it’ll be a while before they’re done and ready to start proceedings.”  He ran a hand through his hair and stepped back towards the stove.  “I spent ages going over things with them before and after Billy’s moment in interrogation.”

Scott could see how drained James suddenly looked. Tired and weary, more than ready for a calm night without huge secrets being exposed or long painful talks.  James’s shoulders were slumped as he started to serve dinner, and the faint lines around his eyes seemed deeper.  Scott hoped to hell that it would be the quiet night James needed.

The four of them ate in near silence, aside from a few compliments on the meal and a brief discussion between James and Scott about what was in the sauce.  Scott could almost see Drew turning everything James had told them over in his mind, worrying at it like a dog with a bone. He wasn’t sure what was bothering Drew, but he knew he’d find out.  Drew would either just come out with it or Scott would get him talking later.  Years of living together had taught them all how to deal with each other.

Eric, on the other hand, was just looking at James. He had the same wide eyed looked he’d worn for the first few weeks after Scott and Drew had brought him into their relationship; he looked like he’d been given a gift he’d never dared to ask for, let alone thought he would have.

Scott smiled to himself and glanced at James as he reached for the pepper.  Same look.  The two of them were gone, off in their own little world.  James still looked tired, but he also looked at little more at ease, one hand reaching to touch Eric’s almost unconsciously.  

It was hardly surprising, Scott figured.  They were just sort of getting around to the physical side of things now that they’d woken up to the fact that they’d been dating for about a year.  It had been the same when they’d stopped Eric from leaving.  Scott smiled again, remembering the intensity of first month or so.  

“Blood tests,” he blurted, as soon as the thought occurred.  Three sets of startled eyes turned to him.  “Um, blood tests,” he repeated, feeling himself blush.  “For James.”

“Ah.  Right.”  Drew nodded wisely, but Scott could see the laughter in his eyes.  “Gotta do that, yeah.”

James smiled and took Eric’s hand.  “Sure.  Want me to go in with you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that works.  Only take a moment.”  Scott finished the last bite of his chicken and had another thought.  “Your blood—is it the same?  I mean, if I send it to the lab they’re not gonna flag it as non-human are they?”

James blinked once and looked thoughtful.  “Should be fine, I think.  I mean, stallions leave the herd all the time and I’m sure some wind up getting hurt and stuff.  And I’ve never heard of it being an issue, even with centaurs who hold jobs that require full medical exams.  I could call Karen to make sure, if you want.”  Centaur back ground and me covering my ass.

“Karen?”  Scott asked curiously.  The only females James had mentioned were sisters, although he might have talked about his mother at some point.

“Herd doctor.  She’s actually not part of the herd—she’s one of Harper’s sisters, actually.  She left the herd when she was about nineteen and went to medical school.  She’s got a practice and she sort of keeps care over the colts and fillies, comes out to the ranch if someone gets hurt.”

Scott knew he was staring.  A doctor who knew all the things he wanted to find out, or who at the very least could answer the questions in fairly precise terms.  “A centaur doctor?  Doctor for centaurs?”  He's so cute.  I already said that, no?

“Doc.  You’re squeaking,” Drew pointed out with a smile.  “God, I love it when you get like this.  So cute.”

“I’m not cute,” Scott denied automatically.

“Yes, you are,” Eric said firmly.

Drew grinned.  “Uh huh.”

“Gotta go with them on this,” James added.  “Cute.”  See?

Traitors.  The lot of them.  Flatterers, too.  “Fine.  Cute.  Can we have coffee now?  And can I ask you some stuff before Eric drags you off for messy and loud sex?”  That’ll teach Eric at least to call him cute.

Eric turned red and Drew licked his lips.  “So, when can—“

“Not tonight.”

“Damn.”  He's such a dog.  :P

James was trying not to laugh.  He looked at Scott and nodded.  “Yeah, coffee and talking centaur stuff is good.  Meet you in the living room after I get this cleaned up.”

It was Scott’s turn to stare.  “Shut up, you’ve eaten here how many times?  He who cooks does not do dishes.  Drew’ll get the coffee on, and we’ll clean up.  You go… watch TV or something.”

James laughed and jumped up.  “Yeah, I know.  But it’s always nice to get carte blanche with the remote.” He almost ran to the living room.

Eric shook his head.  “You do know that he likes documentaries, yeah?”

Scott winced.  He’d forgotten that.  “Clean quickly.”

Part Fourteen

Drew was trying to decide if they needed a new couch or just a bigger one.  Three could easily cuddle on the couch they had, but four had proved to be a problem.  Too many tall men with long legs.  So he’d finally crawled out from under Scott, pleading he needed his lungs to work, and settled in the easy chair.  Scott, sweet man that he was, crawled over and sat on the floor by his feet and leaned on his legs.  Eric took all of about two seconds to stretch out and claim the rest of the couch for his legs, leaning into James’s arms.

All in all, it was cozy, really.  A nice quite night at home after a couple of truly horrid days.  He had his fingers in Scott’s hair, a mug of coffee cooling down, and Eric was happy.  James seemed better than he had before dinner, too, and Drew found himself turning that whole scene again in his mind.  

James was certainly relieved to know what had happened and why, but there had been something a little off, like James was surprised by the whole thing.  It really had been the most obvious solution, but Drew was left feeling like there was something bothering James about the whole thing.  He was considering whether he should bring it up or let it slide for the night when Scott startled him out of his lassitude.

“What do you mean you can’t vomit?”  And thus begins Centaur 102, the care and handling of your mate, intro class.

James nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching.  “Can’t vomit.  It’s one of the very few equine traits we carry over into our human forms.  Can’t vomit, can’t take the heat as well as you can.  Oh, and if we get hurt in one form we shouldn’t shift to the other until we’re healed.”

“But what if you get food poisoning?”  Scott didn’t like the sounds of someone not being able to puke.  Personally, Drew would be just as happy to never throw up again in his life, but he supposed Scott had a point.  Sometimes you just had to.

“Food poisoning is... unpleasant. I avoid it.”  James, on the other hand, was taking it all in stride. Which made sense, seeing as how it was his body and that was the way he was.  Drew kind of thought Scott would making a few adjustments to his personal thinking over the next few days.

“Okay, so what about changing forms?” Scott asked.  “Which one is your…first form, and do you have to change often, or can you stay in one or the other indefinitely?”  He was talking faster, and gesturing with his coffee cup, which was always amusing until he spilled something. “And does it hurt to change back if you stay in one form too long?  I mean, does it make your muscles ache, or anything like that?”

Eric was blinking now, and Drew could feel Scott pressing against his legs, like he was trying to stop himself from jumping up and running for his damn stethoscope.  James deserved a little pity, but really Scott was having a ball in his own weird way and Drew was happy enough to let James fight for himself if he felt the need.

James seemed easy enough, however, laughing a little as the questions poured out of Scott.  He just held onto Eric and relaxed back into the couch.  “We’re born as centaurs, but we learn to change pretty fast.  It doesn’t really bother us much to stay in one form for a long time, but if we stay in human form for too long we kind of… need to change.  Sort of like stretching muscles.  Need to run, you know?  I guess we’re more comfortable in centaur form.  Some of the mares in my herd change forms very rarely, and I’m pretty sure that Rose has been in her human shape only a handful of times since she grew up.”

“So, you can be in your centaur shape for as long as you want, but if you’re human you want to change back?”

“Yeah, I guess.  I mean, I’ve been mostly in this shape for about two weeks, and I’ve not gone for a good run in too long.  I’ll probably take off for a couple of days when work starts on the house.”

Eric tilted his head and looked up at James.  “Yeah?”

“Yeah.  Won’t be long.”

“Promise?”  Here we can see that I left the story for too long between parts, as Eric and James had already talked about this and James had invited Eric to go along.  My bad, I'll try to fix it in the next story.

Drew would have snickered at the sappiness if he wasn’t so busy leering.  They were far too pretty together.

“Promise,” James whispered.  When he kissed Eric, Scott elbowed Drew in his legs and hissed at him to stop drooling.  

Eric blushed and pulled back.  He didn’t apologise, though, and Drew took that as a positive.  The four of them were going to have to figure out some basics in the next couple of days.

“Called Harper this morning,” James announced suddenly.

Eric shifted a little, his hand stroking over James’s thigh.  Looked like conversation was winding down early.  Not that Drew minded; he had a nice warm doc to keep him busy.

“Yeah?” Eric said.  “About the house?”

“Not really.  I had to bring him up to date on telling you guys about centaurs and how you reacted—it’s kind of a courtesy.  He’s Herd Stallion, and so he has to know who all gets told.”  James took a breath and added, “Told him about you, too.  That I love you and you love me.”

Eric’s eyes widened.  “Was that… um.  Wow.  How’d that go?”  Drew could see Eric starting to tense.  Parents finding out about him had never been easy.  Scott was tensing too, and Drew dropped his hand to Scott’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Fine,” James said.  “He made a pretty rude comment about me being to busy to call.”

Drew snickered and got another elbow in his legs.

Eric didn’t look very reassured.  “But what about Drew and Scott?” he pressed.  “What’s gonna happen when he finds out—“

“He knows,” James said, pulling Eric in closer.  He looked over at Drew and met his eyes.  “He’s always known.  Well, after I knew for sure, anyway.  I told Molly, and she would have told him.”  Drew assumed that he and Scott looked appropriately thunderstruck, because James rolled his eyes.  “We’re herd creatures, remember?  A herd can be two, or it can be thirty.  Doesn’t matter.  Having the type of relationship you guys do isn’t even a blip on the radar.  And same sex relationships are… not something we bother worrying about, really.”

“Oh,” Scott said for them all.  “Uh, that’s the most… unexpected reaction we’ve gotten.”

James smiled.  “It’s about time someone just said ‘cool’ and moved on, huh?  Enjoy it.”

“He’s really okay with it?” Eric asked.

“Yeah, he is,” James said.  “Harper’s a good man, he wants his get happy, you know?  He said he’d like me to bring you all home at some point, too.”

Something clicked in Drew’s head.  “He invited a stallion home?” he asked carefully.  Pay attention now, this is important. 

“It happens,” James said, meeting his eye again.

“But not often, I’m guessing.  When was the last time you were asked home?”  

James tilted his head in acknowledgement.  “Not in a long, long time.  It’s complicated.”

“So explain it,” Drew pressed.  “We want to know how this works.  You say stallions instinctively fight for control, and now you’re being welcomed?”

James looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Harper saying that he’d like me to bring you all home at some point was… well, it was a bunch of things packed into a sentence.  It was congratulations and tentative approval.  It was also him telling me that he’s still strong enough to beat me if I made the mistake of challenging him for the herd.  He’s still Herd Stallion, still dominant over me, and he’s prepared to fight for that.   It was also simply a father wanting to meet his son’s lover, and a Herd Stallion wanting to check out the new herd.”

“We’re a herd?”  Eric and Scott said at the same time.  

“Sort of.”  James looked a little uncomfortable and Drew made a note to get back to that at some point.

“So, when you say he’s still strong enough to beat you,” Drew asked slowly, “you’re saying that it was a bit of a warning as well.”

“Not so much a warning as information—just a fact.”

“Does he think you wanted the herd?”  As soon as he asked, Scott turned to stare up at him.  “What?”

“Blunt.”

“Maybe.  But it’s important, I think.”  Drew looked at James.  They all looked at James.

“Yes,” James said looking at Eric.  “I never made much of a secret about it.  I had every intention of taking the herd when Harper wasn’t able to take care of them anymore.”

Eric sat up.  “And now?”

“Now there’s a lot of things to consider.  I’m not about to head off to Wyoming to challenge Harper.”

“That’s not a flat no,” Eric said softly.

James bit his lip, the first time Drew could remember him doing that.  “It’s complicated.”

“Everything is,” Scott said.  “What’s the deal?  I said before that I’m not cool with anything that leaves Eric hurting, and this?  Sure looks like it’s headed that way.”  Drew could hear the soft anger in Scott’s voice.  He wondered if James could.

“I’m not going anywhere,” James said firmly.  “I already said I wasn’t about to go off and challenge Harper.   But if the herd needs me I might have to step in at some point.”

“You just said Harper is fine.”  Drew kept his eyes on James’s.  “You think he’s wrong?”

“No.”  James shook his head slowly and reached out to Eric, but dropping his hand before he reached him.  “Okay.  Little family chart on my herd.  Harper is in his mid fifties, and he’s got several of us running around.  There are a couple stallions older than me, and a bunch who are younger, and theoretically we’re all a threat in the sense that any one of us could take the herd at some point.  But in the real world it’s not like that.  If every stallion made plans to take a herd there would be… chaos.  And we all like Harper, no one’s about to run in there and challenge him just for the sake of doing it.”

“No one wants to kill him, you mean,” Scott said.

“Yeah.  No one wants to kill him,” James repeated.  “But there’s the complication.  In my herd there’s a pair of twins, which is pretty rare, and they’ve sworn not to go against each other and not to try for the herd.  It’s a personal thing between them.  My full brother Wade took a herd in California from a stallion who was unfit.  Jasper married a human woman.  See?  Stuff happens, and stallions stop being a threat.  Like me telling him that I’m with Eric—he heard that as me taking myself off the list of threats.”

“Okay, so where’s this complication?” Eric asked.

“Until this year there was me and about four others who were looking to take the herd at some point,” James said quietly.  “Things seemed stable enough—one was in college, the others were working, I was here.  But one of us seems to be getting… antsy.  Four stallions have been killed since March, including a fourteen year old who’s no threat.  Right now?  There’s me, a sixteen year old colt, and the sick son of bitch who’s killing off the competition instead of going against Harper.  It’s like this, really:  we fight, it’s in our blood.  We challenge each other, sort of like practice for making the challenge to a Herd Stallion.  But what Pyke’s doing…he’s sneaking and murdering, not making challenges.  Using cars, and drowning…it’s not good.”  So, it really isn't that Pyke is killing stallions, it's the way he's doing it.  If Pyke were challenging them and having hand to hand (or hoof to hoof) fights and killing them there would be no issue.  It's the stabbing, the tossing off of buildings and hit and run accidents that are the issue.  It speaks to how Pyke is as a stallion and how he'll treat the herd.

There was a long moment of silence.  Drew tried to make sense of several things fighting to the surface of his mind, half of his attention going to his men.  Scott was looking up at him again, blue eyes wide and worried.  Eric looked distressed.

And he was going to make it worse.

“That’s what you were worried about earlier,” he said, one thought finally breaking past the others.  “You thought it was this brother of yours who paid to have your house burned.  And that means you think he’s coming after you next.”

James nodded, looking miserable. “I gotta go.  I can’t stay here much longer.  It wasn’t Pyke, but it won’t take him long to find me, and he’s—“

“Going to make a really bad Herd Stallion,” Eric said suddenly.  “So if he does take Harper, you’re going to have to go take the herd even if you don’t want to anymore.”

Drew was glad Eric said it.

James nodded and they sat in silence again, no one sure what to say.  It wasn’t even eight in the evening, and exhaustion was weighing them all down as they looked at each other, lost in their own thoughts and wishes.

Part Fifteen

Eric was in the driveway shooting baskets as the last of the evening sun warmed the air.  He’d not been able to stay inside, the four of them looking at each other with no idea where to go next, none of them able to offer anything that would ease the tension.  So he’d gone for selfish and decided to work out some of the tension for himself.  By himself.  

So James couldn’t vomit.  Big deal.  So people had been watching his house.  Okay.  So he had a family that didn’t mind the fact that one of theirs was part of the most complicated relationship on the planet.  Eric could deal.  Really.  If he tried hard.

There were too many things to think about.  Too many differences from a week ago, too many things competing for his attention span.  He dribbled the ball rhythmically, and sent it through the hoop.  Dribbled some more and let everything slide away from the surface of his mind.  Only three things mattered:  he loved them, they loved him, and making the next basket.  Everything else was just details.

A lot of really complicated and confusing details.  The kind of details that made him want to hide from everything for a bit.  Long enough to work up a sweat, shoot hoops, and exhaust himself so he didn’t really have to think about it.  But all the same, just details.

If he said it often enough it would be true.

He’d been at it for almost an hour and had managed to work up a decent sweat when James came out and leaned on the side of the house.  Eric nodded, sinking one last shot before stopping.  Wiping the sweat off his forehead he offered James a tentative smile.  “Hey.”

“Hey.  You okay?”  James asked quietly.

Eric shrugged.  “Lot to think about, you know?  And I don’t want to. Not right now, anyway.  It’s… a lot.”

James licked his lips and looked around, not meeting his eyes.  “Too much?”

“No.  Maybe.”  Eric shook his head and moved to stand in front of James, waiting until James looked at him.  “I’m freaked, I admit that—but I think it’s just the amount of changes that’s winding me up, you know?  I’ll settle down.  But it might take a few days.”  It was the best he could offer.

“Okay,” James said softly.  “If you’ve got questions or anything—well, you know where I am.  Anything, Eric.  If I can help I will.  Don’t want you any more upset than you are.”

Eric smiled.  “I know.”  He tucked the ball under one arm and stroked James’s arm with his free hand.  “At this point I’m stuck on you planning to take the herd and only changing your mind because of me.  I don’t want you to give up on something you always wanted just because of me.”

“I know it sounded like that,” James said slowly, “but it’s not really.  It’s more like… you’ve given me something else, something I never looked for.  I limited my options, all my life.  I could plan to take the herd, or I could move past that and try to build a life that was mostly human, like Jasper.  He’s married, and he’s happy.  His wife knows what he is and they have a place in the country where he can have privacy.  But there’s a bunch of things he can’t ever have—like children.  For them, it works.”

Eric blinked.  “You want kids?  Because maybe I should tell you about boys and girls and babies.”

“No!”  James looked startled.  “God, I’m messing this up.  Look, how about I put it this way:  I wanted the herd because I know I can be a good Herd Stallion.  I’m made for it, I planned for it.  So instead of concentrating on finding a wife or making a career that would tie me to the world away from the herd I ignored the option.”

“Exactly my point,” Eric pointed out.  “You’re talking about giving up what you’ve worked for just because of me.”

“I’ve reconsidered the options,” James countered.  “I’m not turning my back on the herd.  If anything, I’ll be even more aware of what they need because of Pyke.  Besides, I talked to another Herd Stallion a few days ago and he pointed out a few more things for us to consider.  Trust me, Eric.  I’m not being as selfless as it looks.  I’ll do what I can for the herd, and for you.”

Eric sighed.  “Okay.  Maybe we should leave it for now, talk about it all when you get back from the Valley.  I should have warned you I’m not real good at big changes.  Takes me some time to process.  And usually I just let Drew ask the questions, then I figure stuff out.”

“Works?”  James asked quietly.

“Yeah.  Most times though it’s what I already knew.  Follow your heart stuff, you know?”

“And what’s your heart telling you?”  James looked almost shy, worrying at his bottom lip and his eyes soft.

“That I love you,”  Eric whispered.  “Don’t think anything is going to change that, James.  It’ll be fine.”  It was the truth, Eric knew it.  His life was suddenly weird and full and it would take some sorting and lots of talking, but it would be fine.  “Promise.”

James’s smile grew.  “I love you, too.  Gotta tell ya, though.  Think it’ll be Scott asking the questions this time.  He’s in there looking at his stethoscope again.”

“Figures,” Eric said with a laugh, relaxing as the conversation shifted to something other then herds.  “He’s been almost patient.  You up for that?”

“Not so much up,” James said with a completely dreadful leer, “but yeah, I promised him time in the basement.  He promised not to have me change more than a dozen times.”

Eric grinned.  “Let’s go in then.  I’ll shower, you can make Scott’s day, and then we can all collapse for the night.”

“It’s a plan.”

Scott was waiting in the kitchen when they went in, stethoscope in hand and bounce in place.  Eric shook his head and pointed to the basement door.  “Just don’t keep him all night, yeah?”

Scott rolled his eyes.  “Swear.  I’ll have him back in one piece, even.”

“You better.”  Eric opened the door and collected kisses from both of them as they headed down, then called out, “Drew, I’m going to take a shower.”

“Cool.  Can I wash your back?”  Drew’s reply came from the direction of the bedroom.  Eric grinned and  moved to the hall, his steps faltering as Drew came out dressed only in his skin.  A lot of smooth, warm, hard skin.

Eric swallowed and nodded.  “You can wash more than that, if you want.”

“I want.”  Drew walked them both into the bathroom, tugging Eric’s shirt off him.  By the time the door closed Drew’s hands had migrated south.

Eric gasped and tried to turn on the shower, his movements restricted by the press of Drew’s body along his back.  Heat was starting to build in his gut, want unfurling and sliding up his spine.  It had been a while since Drew had been like this—hungry and possessive.  Eric’s eyes widened as Drew’s hand cupped him, the water forgotten before he’d even managed to turn the taps.

“Drew?” he asked with a slight gasp.  “Something you want to talk about?”  *cough* dominance display *cough*

Drew’s hand stilled for a moment and Eric could feel a smile being pressed into his back.  The grin morphed into an open kiss and then a lick.  “Do you think I want to talk?”  The hand on Eric’s cock started moving again, squeezing and stroking.

“Um, no.  But maybe you… ah, yeah… um.  Have you been feeling left out?” Eric managed, one hand gripping the edge of the tub, the other sliding on the wall as he fought for balance.

Suddenly he was spun around, back pressed into the towel rack as Drew leaned into him, staring intently into his eyes.  “This isn’t about James or Scott or anything else, ‘ric.  This is just me wanting you, clear?”

God he loved that look.  Drew in a full need was something to be savoured.

Later.

Eric braced his foot on the wall and pushed, slamming them both into the bathroom door.  “Clear,” he said, hands grabbing for Drew’s wrists and shoving his arms up above his head.  “Kiss me.”

Drew kissed him, hard and deep, trying to crawl into him via his throat.    They struggled for a moment, Eric trying to keep Drew still by gripping his wrists and pinning Drew to the door with his body, Drew pulling at his hands, wiggling and squirming as their hips thrust, grinding together.

Eric finally let go of Drew’s wrists, but he had no intention of backing off.  Drew didn’t seem to mind, his arms going around Eric’s shoulders as he lifted one leg, curling around Eric’s waist.  Eric took the hint and dropped his own hands to Drew’s ass, lifting him up and letting both of Drew’s legs go around him.

“Oh fuck,” Drew gasped as their cocks slid together, Eric pushing him even harder into the door.  “Jesus, ‘ric.”

Eric didn’t reply, just kissed Drew again.  He pushed his tongue into Drew’s mouth and took control of the kiss, of Drew’s body as they moved, fingers kneading Drew’s ass and prick pushing hard.  Drew was shaking, just holding on as Eric pushed and thrust, slamming them into the door over and over.

Eric sucked on Drew’s tongue and groaned.  Drew was wrapped around him, his body rocking and pushing back.  He was hot in Eric’s arms, skin slick with pre-come and a light sweat, prick rigid and weeping.  Eric lifted him slightly, just enough that the next thrust was harder against Drew’s balls, and then Drew was screaming, begging for more and harder.  Eric did it again, legs and hips working as he thrust into Drew, need and heat slamming through him.  He had a fleeting thought of looking for lube, of pushing his way in and fucking Drew against the door, but it was too late, no time to stop.

But the thought of it, of stabbing into Drew’s ass and burying himself in tight, welcoming heat was enough.  He groaned and swore, and his hips jerked as he bit down on Drew’s lip.  “Now, God, now.  Drew.”

Drew cried out and pushed back hard, then his head snapped back and hit the door as heat pulsed between them.  Eric could feel Drew’s cock throb, felt every tremor and every ribbon of come, the smell filling the room and his senses.  With a roar he jerked again and came, his orgasm flowing through him hard, leaving him shaking like a leaf and unable to move for fear of dropping Drew.

Panting, he buried his head in Drew’s neck.  “Love you,” he whispered.

“God, yes.  You do.”  Drew was breathless as well, legs still clamped around him.

Eric turned his head enough to look at Drew’s face.  Drew grinned and wiggled.  “Love you, too.  Think we can move without falling over?”

“Nope.  Gimme a minute.”

“’kay.”  There was a pause and then Drew added, “Love you too.”

“I know.”  Eric smiled and waited for his legs to work.  God, he needed a shower in the worst way.

Finally, trembling and still sort of out of breath, they moved.  The shower was warm and slow, both of them washing each other carefully, soapy hands gliding over tired muscles.  Eric let Drew wash his hair for him, back arching as the height difference made itself annoying, but enjoying being pampered.  They dried each other just as slowly, skin warm from the shower, and took their time getting into bed.  Scott and James were, presumably, still in the basement.

The room was dark and the bed was soft; Drew was warm in his arms.  Eric smiled and pressed one last kiss to Drew’s shoulder before falling asleep, his body satiated and exhausted.

He woke up when James slipped into bed behind him and moved back into his heat, making room for Scott between him and Drew.  Kisses were applied, sleepy and wordless, and Eric sank back into sleep.

He was warm and content, surrounded by his dream.  Everyone he loved was with him, and everything was going to be fine.  

The details would wait.

~end


Sooooooo  there's lots of open stuff there, no?  Okay, here's the spoilers.  Leave now if you don't wanna know the general direction I'm headed.



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Next up, there's a little lesson on Centaur grooming.  Then James has to address the matter of his house and where he's going to live--he really does need space to run.  Drew's issues are going to come out, as are Scott's.  They will go to Wyoming to see Harper.  They will have at least one run in with Pyke, but probably two.  There will be weddings.   There will be at least one Challenge.  There will be Oliver and the twins, oh my.   There will be kids.  There will be some nastiness and possibly a break up among the four of them.  But will have a happy ending.  :-) 

Part of the reason I started writing this series was to explore what would happen if I turned Horses on it's head.  What if 'Levon' had wanted the herd all along?  How are the dynamics different if the centaur is dominant?  James and Wolf touched on that in their series with the crossovers, but I wanted more.  What would happen if the human had other lovers and the centaur had to bring them into his herd?

I have an anthropology degree and spent three years studying society structures in graduate school--these kinds of questions entertain me, and tossing in some lovely boys and letting them get naked is an added bonus.  :-)

I only hope you wind up as entertained as I do.  :-)

Byrne