A/N: Hey Everybody! The day Vin and Ezra played tag on the rooftops of Four Corners has been alluded to a couple times in other stories, and I think it's one of my most requested. It's been written a chunk at a time, but here is the first half of it, and the second should be up soon :)
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Vin eased himself out of his wagon, every movement reminding him that his backside was still dang sore, even after a night's rest. A quick rub, had safely behind protective canvas, had helped and hurt in equal measure. Times like this he got why Ezra wore them fancy trousers, his seemed to rub at his rear right through his long-johns. He looked up and sighed a bit at the sunrise starting to light up the dusty street and boardwalks of Four Corners, wishing going for a ride wasn't nigh on impossible right now. Or that the saloon was open so he could get some breakfast, he thought, as his stomach growled out loud. People would be waking up soon, but it would be ages before anyplace with food was open for business. Stretching a bit, he was trying to decided whether it was worth climbing back into his wagon for the jerky he'd just remembered he had when Vin felt eyes on him. Stifling a groan, he quietly said, "Hey, cowboy.", without turning around. Chris and Buck had been supposed to be back that afternoon, but obviously their plans had changed, and, from the anger he could feel coming off the gunslinger, he knew.
"Vin." Chris's stare felt heavy, like it was pushing him down, and, with a reluctance he'd rarely felt when it came to the older man, Vin turned to him, meeting his gaze even though part of him wanted to duck his head. "Talked to Josiah. You want to tell me what the hell you thought you were doing?"
"Weren't thinkin' much atall t' tell ya the truth." He admitted shamefacedly, hands making their way into the pockets of his hide coat as he spoke.
"I'm damned tempted to tan your hide-", Vin opened his mouth to protest and Chris cut himself off, pointing a finger in Vin's face, "Yep, I know Josiah already did, that is how pissed I am at what you pulled. Playing tag on the roofs up and down the street? You and Ezra nearly fell off!"
"I know, Chris. I'm sorry." This time he couldn't help ducking his head, his long hair falling into his face and helping him hide.
"You could have been killed or crippled, Vin. You ever, ever, do anything like that again and I swear to God, I'll take my belt to your bare ass." Vin's head shot up, eyes wide and searching for Chris's, wanting to see some proof that the man wasn't serious, and got the opposite as hard eyes stared right back into his. Chris had taken his belt to him once before, when he hadn't exactly been cooperative, but he had never, ever, even made him pull down his pants. The idea...a slow heat began to crawl up Vin's cheeks and anger stirred in his belly. Josiah'd already tanned him good, he was sorry, weren't no need for Chris to be carrying on so. Ain't no way Vin would let him do that, anyway.
Swallowing, Vin shook his head, and part of him knowing he was signing his own death warrant, said, "Like hell." Before his next blink, Chris had grabbed his shoulder and jerked him to the side, his other hand coming down in an almighty wallop that had Vin hissing out a foul curse as he twisted his backside out of reach, tears stinging his eyes as fire was added to the deep ache he'd already been feeling. Instead of letting him go Chris jerked him forward now, so they were facing each other, his eyes latching onto Vin's and refusing to let go. Anger blazed at him, and frustration, but also fear, a bone deep fear, a helpless fear, that took all the fight out of Vin instantly. He hadn't meant to do that, to hurt Chris like that. Hadn't truly realized he could. Hell... "M'sorry...I didn't..." Vin trailed off, willing his eyes to say what he couldn't, and it must have helped because the fire went out of Chris's eyes and the tight grip on his shoulder loosened. He didn't look away though, silently asking for a promise that Vin wouldn't do this again, wouldn't risk himself for such a crazy stunt, and Vin willed him to see that he wouldn't, that he'd already learned, and he must have, because Chris was smiling now, a small, relieved smile that Vin gave shyly back.
"C'mon, patrol time." Vin balked, hesitating at the idea of getting on a horse, especially since it wasn't his turn, and then noticed Chris's badly hidden smirk, the tracker's eyes narrowing as he realized he was being teased. "Town patrol, no riding. Then breakfast."
"Ya payin'?"
"Damn Tanner, you're cheap." Which meant yes. Smiling just a little, Vin ambled along next to Chris, hiding a wince as stepping onto the boardwalk stretched and pulled at sore skin. It was gonna be a couple days before his rear was back to normal, was pretty sure he might even have a bruise or two, but he couldn't blame 'Siah. It had been a damn stupid thing to do, and for once it had been him who started it, he hadn't just gotten dragged into Ezra's mischief...
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Vin smirked to himself as he crept along the top of the saloon roof to where his target lay, wedged against the side of the chimney, reading something as he munched idly on an apple. Perfect. He'd never see him coming, and if he was lucky Ezra wouldn't see him leaving either. Teach the gambler to tell Nettie he'd had been the one who picked at the side of the cake-Ezra had been right there with him! And he was the one who took too big a chunk and got them caught anyway. Leaning over, he made sure he hadn't been noticed and slowly started to pull the bag out of his pocket, carefully loosening the string with one hand as he moved it so it hovered above his friend's head, then grabbed his canteen with the other, loosening the lid with his teeth. Grinning, he slowly tilted the bag-then upending it quickly, choking back a laugh as a mound of flour and sugar dumped out on Ezra's head, puffing out into a cloud around him as he shouted and spluttered in surprise, doing his best to push himself up and see what was going on, and that was when he added a splash of water, just enough to make the flour and sugar stick and make a runny mess, not enough to rinse it away. The noise Ezra made now reminded Vin of a cat getting it's tail trod on and, with a quick twist of his wrist to get his canteen lid back on,Vin scrambled over to the side of the roof as he grinned to himself. "Tannah! Ah know that was you, get back here you fiend!"
Vin wasn't quite sure what a fiend was, but it didn't sound very good. He was not expecting when he made the leap from the edge of the saloon roof to the slightly lower one of the undertaker's next door that Ezra would follow after him, landing with a pronounced thump behind him, breathlessly snapping, "Why is there sugah down mah collah?", as Vin had to scramble out of the way to keep him from falling back into him, turning so he was facing his friend in a half-crouch.
"Ya know why."
"Ah most certainly do not, sah, and Ah assure you Ah will get mah revenge for this indignity." Ezra moved slowly towards him, not as used to moving around on the roofs as Vin was, and Vin backed away, knowing there was a high woodpile behind him on the side of the building that he could climb down on and...hmm, he bet there was no way Ezra could get to the top of the livery and clinic, but Vin knew he could, had climbed cliff faces sheerer than that more than once.
"Nettie's cake." Ezra swore, and knowing the woodpile was behind him and sturdy enough to land on, Vin jumped backwards off the roof, landing on the pile with a wobble and immediately shifting his weight to balance himself, before he started to clamber down.
"Vin? Vin!" Ezra sounded outright panicked as he scrambled after him, and Vin, not having meant to scare him, called up to him.
"I'm fine!" A wet, white in patches, and pissed as hell, Ezra peered over the edge of the roof, looking at Vin like he wouldn't mind beating the crap out of him.
"Yah uttah clod, Ah thought Ah was goin' to be lookin' at a pile of broken bones!" Uh-uh, when Ezra's accent got deep like that it meant he was about to start swinging, and sure enough, he immediately twisted himself over the side, hanging by his arms and dropping to the top of the pile. Vin sure his brother had every intention of cracking him in the face, if not for the mess on his clothes, for the scare he'd given him, decided that that livery idea was worth trying and booked it that way, weaving around other people crossing the street.
The supports for the backstairs that connected to the side of the building were the easiest way to get up it quick and Vin started scaling them without a second thought-he was right, not near as hard as going up a cliff, almost like a ladder-hearing Ezra following up after him and increasing his speed, expecting to hear the younger boy climb back down when it got to where there were good sized gaps between the supports, but he must have been determined. It was trickier than he liked getting up on the roof, he had to use the railing on Nathan's back porch both to balance and as a foothold, but he'd gotten up. Much as he didn't want Ezra to catch up, he still looked ticked off, Vin paused, hovering in a spot where he thought if Ezra slipped trying to get up where he had he'd be able to grab him and swing him, or knock him maybe, onto the porch. Vin didn't mind heights at all, but he was suddenly very aware of just how high off the ground they were. Luckily, Ezra had no trouble at all getting on the roof, in fact he went over the divide like it wasn't a problem at all, and Vin backed up, holding out his hands to placate him as Ezra stalked towards him. Now, Vin was about a hundred percent sure Ezra wouldn't deck him up here, too much chance he'd fall, but that didn't keep him from holding his hands up in a peace gesture even as he couldn't help but chuckle at the sticky mess the gambler was, sugar crusting in his hair, and runny drips of flour mixed in with the general cloud of white on his jacket. "C'mon, Ez..."
"Oh no, Mistah Tannah, this is war now," Ezra was grinning, but it was an evil grin, that made Vin more than a little nervous as he backed up a step or two. Unexpectedly, Ezra darted forward and slapped Vin's shoulder with a cry of, "You're it!", and scrambled off past him before he could react, heading fast as anything towards the other side of the roof, and the luckily narrow gap between the clinic's roof and Mrs. Potter's store, Vin after him with a laugh. Neither of them noticed an annoyed healer coming out of his rooms to see what was going on, or the horrified and then furious expression on his face as he watched them jump from the clinic roof down to the Potter's.