Hawthorn '03: Untitled

Vin let his attention wander from JD, focusing back into himself as he considered his own answer to the question Josiah had posed.

Favorite foods. What were they, top three?

Immediately three things had come to mind, unbidden, flashing instinctually. Vin didn't try to out think himself. Gut calls on this sort of matter were usually right - if you had to really scour your brain for the answer, it likely wasn't the correct one. So now he was thinking about why those three were it.

It didn't surprise him that two of his three were chocolate. That would have been guessed by any of his friends sitting around their table at Inez's place. Vin liking chocolate was a given. They'd never have been able to pinpoint why the two cocoa wonders that had made his list were there, however.

The third - well, no one would have figured it or his reason, even if he'd given hints. Ezra might have gotten it after enough clues, but it wouldn't be anything anyone would automatically assume.

He found his answers all came more from time, place and Ezra than anything else. Taste was important, sure. Being made from his preferred ingredients didn't hurt their status any either. But mostly Vin's favorites were that because of memories attached, the sensations wrapped up with the foods boosting their importance and meaning for him.

Vin could almost taste each as he thought it over, recalling them in order of experience.

Fruit Leather

It was before he and Ezra were... them. When he was still trying to come to terms with the soft killing of loving Ezra from afar, believing he'd forever have to keep it under wraps just to keep the man as a friend, knowing there could never be more.

Vin had casually mentioned he was going hiking for the weekend, saying he it was high time he went to see some of the mountains around Denver now that he lived here. The only person to take him up on the subtle, undemanding invitation was Ezra.

He hadn't been surprised at how well Ezra performed on the hike - he knew the man was strong, in good shape. It also hadn't thrown him that Ezra would actually enjoy outdoor activity. The man wasn't all silk suits and dress shoes; that was clear enough to the whole team almost from the start. The surprise had been that Ezra had wanted to go with him - and only him - at all.

But he'd thanked the saints it had happened that way, indulging in every delicious second of having the man all to himself: jostling around in his Jeep in the shimmering predawn hours; sharing easy banter as they took in breakfast at a small diner at the foot of the mountain trails he'd selected; the perfect silence that settled between them as they hiked and admired the views that were beyond description, enough to smile at each other in acknowledgement of the strength and wild beauty of the majesty they'd taken on to `conquer' that day.

They'd stopped for a break once they reached one of the higher peaks, each a trace winded from the exertion. Ezra had been sweating a bit, face rosy and flushed, green eyes dancing and alive. Vin felt the same. They'd stood on the brink, the headwind that broke up from the serene valley below whipping past them as they settled to sit, hip to hip on a low and flat rock. The cool, flat stone was set into the cliff face, almost like the seat of a chair just waiting for them both to sink down into it and enjoy the splendor.

They'd rummaged in their packs for something to eat, sharing the cool water from the bottle that had been secreted from the sun as they'd climbed. Ezra had produced the fruit leather - apricot and cherry. Normally peach was Vin's favorite fruit flavor in anything. But there was something about the thin, dried fruit in the tarter, edgier varieties that nothing else could hold comparison to.

Besides, to his thinking, apricots really were just tiny peaches anyway. And seeing as Ezra was a sucker for cherries, he'd eat as many as were brought along, if for nothing else than to share that pleasure with his friend.

They'd munched on a few other things, but it was the fruit that had stuck with him. The sticky amber of the apricot, the near black spread of the cherry. When he'd held it out towards the sky, light perked through it, rimming around the bits of pulp and air bubbles trapped by the process of stretching and drying the food. The leather curled when it was held aloft, the ends giving into gravity until they'd plunk into the back of his hand, two fingers still firmly holding the other side.

He'd looked over at Ezra's chuckle, grinned back at the split face smiling happily at him. Then Ezra had leaned close and bit away the last taste of cherry that had smothered his hand, those smiling lips glancing along his knuckles when they'd swept in for the kill. Vin had shivered, the shard of cherry remaining between his finger and thumb squishing out as his fist clenched tightly while he strove for control.

Ezra's head had tilted, green eyes twinkling, then a tongue had darted out to lift that remnant of cherry from his thumb. In turn, the last piece of apricot was held out for him. Vin didn't even try to resist. He opened his mouth and let it be placed inside, closing his lips around the offering, using his tongue to pry the sticky leather from Ezra's fingers.

His eyes had smarted at the tartness, cheeks pulling where the tanginess bit. He'd chewed slowly, so slowly, wanting to savor the last bite, the taste of apricot and Ezra.

Vin had glanced at Ezra to be captured by open jades, lingering essences of the fruit still generating saliva and tangs to dance through his mouth. It was then he first saw it to believe in, then he first knew. That he and Ezra were heading towards what he'd come to want for always from his friend, because Ezra saw it in him and wanted it too.

They'd finished their snack in a new silence, one as wonderfully right as it always had been, but full of so much more now, smoothed with the peace of yearning finally answered.

Some time later they'd gained their feet, the hands used to haul each other to standing remaining clasped for a lengthy beat as they gazed a last time down the sloping crag of the rocky face.

Then Ezra's hand had escaped his to secure an errant lock of his twisting hair back behind his ear; the warm quirk of the handsome lips his placating gift before Ezra had turned from him so they could journey back down the mountain.

They'd gone for a quick bite to eat for dinner. He'd dropped Ezra at the condo, then lips had graced over his in the lightest of kisses - their first - a goodnight, a thanks, sweet promise of all that was to follow.

Ezra had still tasted of apricots and cherries.

French Silk Pie

That had been their three month anniversary. Vin had stopped by the grocery to get some beer, wanting to have some for the weekend he was staying over. He'd spied the pie and bought it on a whim.

French silk pie was never the same thereafter. It had never been so good before either

Ezra had been asleep next to him, beautiful body spread across their bed, naked and trusting in repose. Vin had eased off the mattress and tiptoed down the hall to the kitchen. He was hungry.

It was Saturday night; they hadn't gotten out of bed since he'd arrived the day before.

Vin had remembered the pie he'd brought, grabbing it and two forks and headed back to the bedroom. He didn't want to be away long enough to cook something solid to eat, and to him, a pie for dinner seemed just about perfect.

He'd lowered over Ezra, softly kissing the muscled expanse of his lover's back, perching the pie on the corner of the mattress where his pillow had once been. Vin had glanced from the pie to Ezra's sleeping form and back several times, grin of devilment and sensuous intent taking shape as his idea formed.

He'd taken the largest chocolate curl that had garnished the top of the pie, setting it down to rest on Ezra's creamy skin. He'd watched, fascinated, as it slowly oozed against the warm skin, the curl losing shape as Ezra's body heat got the better of it. Then he'd leaned close again and cleaned it away, repeating the process until there were no chocolate curls left.

At some point Ezra had turned, the chocolate now melting over nipples and rippling abdomen muscles, held in his teeth to melt between their kissing mouths.

They'd eaten the whole pie then, devouring it - both men starving and heady with the act of feeding the sweet delicacy to one another using each other as serving platters.

Every anniversary since he'd bought them a French Silk pie to share. They kept outdoing themselves for ways of putting the delicacy to good use.

Black Satin Fudge Cake

He'd made it for Ezra's birthday, the first one for them to share in their couplehood. They'd been together for a while now. Not quite a year - but they weren't so new as to still have that first flush about them.

It hardly mattered. It wasn't like ten years - or even fifty - together was going to take the luster from the commitment they shared, the happiness they'd found in each other.

Their unending desire was just that. Unending.

The pleasure in the food wasn't really the cake itself. Not that he'd had complaints with the dessert. It was decadent. Soft and moist. Full of chocolate, suiting his and Ezra's tastes perfectly.

The frosting was thick but not overly sweet. It was three layers tall, standing on the glass covered perch Nettie had loaned him, near grinning at the kitchen to await Ezra's arrival to wish the man happy birthday.

They'd eaten a huge slice for breakfast. Eaten it in silence. A single fork, a cup of coffee passed between them to wash it down, gazing at each other with warm grins as they ate the celebratory dessert, standing groin to groin, hips leaning on the island in Ezra's kitchen. Vin's free hand had idled up and down the softness of Ezra's shirt, his lover's thumb hooked into his jean belt loop.

A softly murmured 'thank you,' followed by a long, fudgy kiss was his thanks, his knowledge at his success as a chef assured by Ezra's appetite, the green eyes sparkling with treasured, adoring delight.

They'd taken a slice to share for lunch but hadn't even made it that long - they'd stolen away to the break room midmorning to finger feed it to one another, kisses stolen between the moist bites. When the cake was gone they'd contented themselves with sharing only kisses.

The team had taken Ezra out for his day - Inez had made the gift of picking up the tab - and Chris made the executive decision that their workday was done and ordered a pitcher of beer.

They'd lingered. Opened presents. Enjoyed being the seven.

Eventually Vin had enough of sharing, narrowing his gaze at the others in warning when he'd sensed their coming suggestions that the day continue on into the evening to include poker games or other nonsense.

Everyone had taken the hint with waggled brows and indulgent humor - in no way ruffled that Vin was ready to be well rid of them, Ezra to himself again.

Once back at the condo - that they now shared as theirs - they'd enjoyed the cake, eating the rest of it for dinner, curled together in one of the large armchairs they'd selected to redecorate the living room with.

He'd been told how much it meant that he'd gone to the trouble of baking it. How delicious it was. How much Ezra loved him.

And that was the best part - for however good that cake was - it was the making it for Ezra, sharing it and their known, shared willingness to do that and so much more, that made the dessert one of his favorites.

"Okay, Ez. You go next."

JD's interested, eager voice broke Vin's musings.

He turned to his lover, waiting like everyone else for the answer.

Green eyes were speculative, narrowed as they stared at a far off point beyond their table. Ezra's thumb passed slowly back and forth over his lower lip. He pulled in a breath and sat up in the seat, smiling.

"Well, my first choice would have to be black satin fudge cake."

One of those moss green eyes winked at Vin, Ezra's hand finding his under the table to stroke fingers across his knuckles and over his palm before settling into a sure hold.

Vin grinned at Nathan's question of why, knowing the answer, wanting to hear Ezra's reason. He also knew their friends would all figure it out thanks to their gutter-ridden minds, regardless of what Ezra offered as soon as they heard it was one of his as well.

End