"Why do we have these funny feelin's?" asked Harry, eyes wide with wonder, lips pursed thoughtfully.
Louis tried to play it cool, and maybe, just maybe, he did a little pretending too.
He ran his hand over his face, trying to maintain the little bit of composure he had left.
"I'm not sure," Liar, liar! Resounded in his head. " But . . . I do know sommat. I walked 'round that ranch actin' like I was the shit. But you, Haz . . . you've humbled me." At least part of his statement had been true, and he tried to justify his fib to himself with that knowledge.
Harry was stunned into silence, absorbing and processing the words. Or at least trying to ferret out what Louis was really saying.
"And that's good, right?" he asked after a few seconds.
"You wanker, of course it is!" Louis chuckled, hugging Harry tight, then punching him lightly on the arm. "Tis nothin' but good!"
"But what do you reckon those feelin's are?" Harry persisted.
Louis felt like growling, or maybe howling, Yeah, howling would be better. It might ward off his frustrations more effectively. Harry was grabbing hold of his heart, being so innocent about it, and Louis wanted more than anything to profess his love. But he couldn't. Not now. It would be too easy to swamp Harry and overwhelm him, the result possibly being fear or even all-out panic. He had to go slow with his young lover, if he wanted to keep him.
"We'll sort it out, Haz. But for right now, I reckon I'm hungry. How 'bout you?"
It seemed to be effective in getting Harry's thought process off track and onto another one, especially since his stomach was rumbling. But Harry knew Louis was dodging his question. He was content though, for the moment, to let himself be sidetracked, but he certainly would not forget about it. If Louis thought he was going to get off that easy . . . Harry smiled to himself.
"What's that all about?" Louis had been watching Harry's face, and he'd seen the uncertainty, then the grin of satisfaction that had followed in those full lips and extended to those evergreen eyes.
"Nothin.' I'll tell you later," Harry said mysteriously. Two could play at this game.
"Rubbish. You've got sommat on your mind," Louis retorted.
"So do you."
Well, Harry had surely won that match! He was getting feisty, and Louis was finding out he liked it. Harry with a bit of an edge could prove to be exciting . . . Well, for now, they would get busy fixing breakfast, then they'd start brainstorming about catching Harry's horse. Later on, they could delve deeper into feelings.
Harry surrendered, for the moment, when Louis dropped the subject. He had also determined, however, that he was going to find out exactly what Louis' feelings were. He had a hunch that Louis knew precisely what the feelings were, and Harry was intent on finding out at his first opportunity. But for now, he enjoyed breakfast with Louis.
They went over several plans, every one of which there was a significant obstacle, making that particular strategy well-nigh worthless. The biggest stumbling block always came back to one thing—how they would manage to drive the horses the distance to the row of bushes against the rock face. With only three men, the distance between them would be too great to form a line that the horses would naturally avoid. They'd have to very aggressively keep the horses going in the correct direction, and they'd have to block them if they tried to go to either the left or right of the row of bushes instead of between them. Which meant some serious maneuvering would be in order.
Another concern was how cautious the mustangs had been when they'd come to drink ever since the day Louis and Harry had made the attempt to rope the grey pinto. It was likely their only source of water, which was the only thing that forced them to come back. It was either that or go thirsty. Louis had noted that it took them easily three times longer to approach the water than it had before the attempted capture. So the horses would be suspicious and tentative at best, and that would make their job to try to wrangle them even more difficult. With the horses even more on guard than usual, any mistake, however slight, could cause them to flee before the men could hardly get in motion.
It would have to be an ambush of sorts. Niall, Louis and Harry would have to ride out of hiding in just exactly the right position, hell bent for leather, in order to startle the horses enough for them to think of nothing but outrunning the men and their horses. They'd have to be caught completely and totally by surprise.
There was no other way to do it, with so few men, than the most straightforward way. From behind bushes in strategic places without being seen by the mustangs, they would charge the animals and just hope they could get them moving in the right direction—toward the bushes against the rock face. The bushes they would hide behind might not be in ideal locations, so that was also a concern.
Louis was disappointed that they couldn't think of any other way that had a ghost of a chance of being effective. Hopefully Niall would have a better idea. But they wouldn't know that until they saw him the next day.
"Remember how I told you it would be dodgy when I tried to rope that horse?" asked Louis. Harry nodded. "Well, it's gonna be even more dodgy this time. It'll be a miracle if we can get them to go where we want them. Let's just pray Niall comes up with a clever idea."
They discussed it until they were blue in the face. Harry's confident, sanguine attitude concerned Louis. Even though they'd missed the mustang on the first try, Harry seemed to hang onto his hero worship of Louis, having complete faith in Louis' abilities to do just about anything, whereas Louis didn't want the younger man to be crushed if this didn't work out. He needed to get this image of him as some kind of Superman out of Harry's head.
"It could end up being dreadful," he stated emphatically, hoping Harry would see the logic in his statement. "What we will be attemptin' to do has a fairly high probability of not workin.' Even with the fence we built."
But Harry was not to be dissuaded. He persisted in being upbeat and hopeful. Well, Louis feared his Cheshire companion would have to learn to be more pragmatic and sensible, and unfortunately, it might mean bitter disappointment for him if the horses evaded them again. Worse, Louis was fresh out of ideas.
"You have to be practical, Harry," he said, feeling helpless in the worst way. "The horses definitely have the advantage." Now Louis was second guessing this idea altogether. Catching a mustang was one thing, but Harry had his heart set on the grey pinto, and he'd made the mistake of leading Harry to thinking he would capture the horse for him. That had been his biggest mistake. It was his fault for boosting Harry's hopes like he had. The horse appeared to be powerful, and most important, very fast. The odds were stacking up against them. If he let Harry down, he'd feel even worse than he did right now.
Louis wished he could call Niall to discuss the subject with him, but it was clear by now that it wasn't going to happen. There was no signal, even if his phone had been charged.
The remainder of the day was spent casting furtive glances at each other, as was now their custom. Flirting, touching discreetly—and not so discreetly. Harry never did get Louis to discuss the "feelings" topic. He made numerous attempts, but Louis' manner seemed to imply that Harry must be patient. And so he stopped pestering Louis, instead allowing Louis to stroke his lustrous hair, and brush it to a fantastic gleam under the sun, his head in Louis' lap. Those curls straightened for only as long as the brush was connected to them, bouncing right back as soon as the brush disengaged. Louis watched in awe as they sprung right back to their previous state, admiring all the while, and reflecting how his own hair was just as straight as Harry's was curly.
They exchanged burning looks that could have set fires, as well as fond, gentle looks that spoke of love not expressed out loud. They both felt it as they practiced their stares that were now commonplace, but the words didn't leave their mouths.
Dawn the next day found Harry and Louis having their usual morning coffee, both too excited to sleep any later. They were eagerly awaiting Niall's arrival, hoping he would have an original idea for catching the mustangs.
All was quiet on the mountaintop as Saber and Joaquin, ten feet away, munched on their morning hay, chewing contentedly, and that was the only sound to be heard as Harry and Louis sipped their coffee. It was comforting, and it subdued their restless yearnings. Yeah, restless yearnings, thought Harry. For a man, to be inclusively frank and candid. One particular man. The mustang was only secondary.
"I reckon I'd be happy here with you for the rest of me life," Harry drawled slowly, in his deliberate way.
Louis' hand reached over to Harry's, clasping it wordlessly, and they intertwined their fingers. Louis' throat felt tight and the backs of his eyes began to sting. Harry's raw honesty got to him every time.
They kissed long and slow, almost languidly. This kiss wasn't sexual. It was tender, no tongues involved, just carefully tempered passion. Lips moving over lips, breaths intermingling. Louis hoped he was getting his message across. He wanted Harry to detect his strong emotions. He wanted Harry to know of his sincerity. A kiss can reveal much if the soul is put into it, and Louis poured it on, drenching Harry in it, wanting to communicate how deeply his feelings ran.
Harry felt it—how could he not? He returned it, striving to illustrate his own intense passion. He made little noises. Little begging noises. Begging Louis to love him.
You don't have to beg, Harry. I'm already in that place meself.
Niall arrived at nine, all smiles and positivity. "Hey, Tommo!" But when asked if he'd come up with anything as they all sat on the mountaintop, Niall sadly denied he'd come up with anything magically unique. All he had was more or less the same idea they'd had. Positioning and hiding behind bushes, then rushing the herd. Louis hadn't expected Niall to have any novel ideas, because there simply weren't any. With only three guys, there weren't many options-they'd have to do the best they could. That was the long and short of it.
So they discussed it for three solid hours, throwing ideas back and forth, noting and pointing to where the bushes were located and deciding which ones they would use to hide behind. Hoping the wind would be right and not carry their scent to the wild horses.
Harry tried to grab for another sandwich, but couldn't quite reach it. Since the sandwiches were closest to Louis, he grasped one and handed it to Harry.
"Here ya go, babe." It was too late by the time he realized what he'd said. The words were already out there, naked and exposed. And Niall heard it, of course. Niall was always all ears. He gave the impression that he'd been just waiting for something like this to happen.
"Babe?" said Niall quietly, eyeing Louis sideways, not quite meeting his eyes, as if he was afraid to look directly at his boss.
Louis cleared his throat, trying to fill in time, inwardly panicking and not having the faintest clue what to say—how to justify what he'd just said.
Harry tried, he tried hard, to stifle his giggle. But he didn't quite accomplish it. Pieces of bread shot out of his mouth because he'd just taken a bite of the sandwich, and chewing and laughing didn't go well together.
Louis gave Harry the stink eye because what else could he do? He didn't dare look at Niall, and still, he couldn't find any words to somehow deny what Niall had heard. It couldn't be altered or even edited.
Niall simply sat there, eyes darting back and forth between Harry and Louis like he was watching a tennis match, analyzing their expressions, tediously examining every eyebrow twitch, every glance, every flinch. And there were plenty of them. Louis' poker face was mysteriously not working today. And Harry, well, Harry might as well have hung it up. He was all but advertising that they were lovers. He couldn't stop giggling, and then the giggling turned into real laughter, and he had no choice but to turn his back because most of the bite of his sandwich was still in his mouth, and he was horrified at the thought of spewing it all over both Louis and Niall. Trying to keep from choking, he finally chewed and swallowed it, then faced the other two again, only to collapse into giggles again.
"Well, I guess that's what we'll have to do then. Hide behind the bushes and . . . " Louis tried to carry on with the conversation as it was going before Harry had reached for the sandwich, but he failed all the way across the board. He stopped talking in the middle of his sentence, and lashed out at Harry.
"Harry, will you stop it?!" he railed, trying to sound authoritative, but only succeeding in melting into laughter himself. By now, Harry was literally rolling, holding his stomach because it was sore from all the pent up giggles.
Niall watched on, totally engrossed in the scene unfolding before his eyes.
"Jesus!" he exclaimed, but no further words followed. He didn't want to say anything out loud for fear of incensing Louis.
"I'm sorry, Lou," Harry was finally able to articulate without losing his self-control again.
"Bloody hell. Johnny knows, Leo knows, and now Niall knows!" Louis sounded exasperated, but oddly, his serene expression didn't match his words. Harry got the feeling Louis was a little bit relieved that Niall had discovered their secret so he wouldn't have to tell him.
"You guys . . . you guys are . . . together?" Niall looked like he'd seen a ghost. His pale Irish complexion now sported a bright red spot on each cheek.
Harry didn't say anything, but Louis nodded sagely.
"And Johnny and Leo know about it?" Niall looked almost indignant that he hadn't been let in on the secret.
Louis fidgeted and looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Johnny would never tell, and Leo apparently doesn't want to stir anythin' up," Louis said.
"Damn!" Niall didn't know what else to say, so he kept it to the one word.
"It's not your fault, Haz," Louis just remembered that Harry had apologized. "It's me fault. I'm the one who said . . . . babe." Louis squirmed again and shuddered at his indiscretion.
"I never . . . um, I didn't know . . . " Niall stuttered.
"Don't fret Nialler. No one knew . . . until recently . . . except maybe Johnny," soothed Louis.
"How did Johnny know?" Niall's eyes were huge again.
"Well, he sorta suspected stuff," Louis said evasively.
"Then how'd Leo find out?"
"We were a little . . . indiscreet when he was here last time he brought supplies," explained Louis. Of course, Niall instantly thought Leo had caught them at something.
"Nothin' like that," Louis said quickly after seeing Niall's eyes grow even bigger.
"We kinda put our arms 'round each other," Harry chimed in, because he was afraid Louis was going to have a nervous breakdown. "Leo wanted to stay, and, well . . . there aren't any accommodations for him."
Louis had to smile at the delicate way Harry had clarified things.
Niall's eyes at last reflected his understanding after he'd mulled over it, putting all the pieces together.
"Damn," he said again, still not knowing for sure what was the right and wrong thing to say.
"I didn't know . . .either one of you were . . ."
"Gay?" asked Harry, innocence fairly blazing off him.
Louis felt a rush of affection for his lover. He was so open about things, because it came naturally to him. He hadn't liked being deceitful; Louis could see that so lucidly now. Harry wasn't comfortable with lies and/or secrecy. Yet Harry had never complained to him. He'd simply waited until Louis himself was ready.
Niall nodded, nonplussed and astonished that both men, one of which he'd worked with for years, had had hidden lives, or at the least, unrevealed desires that he hadn't had a trace of an inkling about.
"Lou, you of all people . . . I never had a clue . . . it's a shock," Niall finished weakly.
"Innit?" said Louis, half-chuckling and half-blushing.
"Well, when do you want to go ahead with this plan?" Louis was again trying to steer the conversation back to the mustangs, figuring enough had been said for now.
"How 'bout in two days? I'll trailer a good, quick horse out here for me, and let's get her done!" Niall was all optimistic again. "I'm buzzin.' We're gonna smash it!"
Louis smiled at Niall's choice of words—words he himself often used. Niall was developing more individuality as time went on, but he still quoted people he admired, so Louis took it as a compliment.
As they waved Niall off, Louis slipped his arm around Harry's shoulders and pulled him close.
"Lou! He can probably see us in his rear view mirror!" Harry gasped.
Louis scoffed softly. "Haz, he already knows about us, remember? And we're hardly gonna keep it hidden like it's still under wraps around him, are we?"
This made Harry's dimples become prominent. "Yeah, I guess not," he agreed.
This meant they had the whole day tomorrow to prepare for the capture, but that wouldn't take long. All they needed to do was make sure they had the equipment they needed, which was really just the right ropes and a lot of courage. The rest of the day they could spend exclusively together. They both anticipated it eagerly.
"I hope me mum and friends aren't too worried," Harry murmured.
"Don't bother yourself with it. I told Niall to be sure to call them at least every two days, after we've been brought supplies to let them know you're fine, and havin' a lotta fun. He's been doin' it too; I asked him."
This made Harry grin hugely and cling to him, which was always welcome, because Louis rather liked his Velcro boyfriend.
The next morning they both shaved, because Louis was getting quite a beard. It was half an inch long, and he'd never let it grow out more than to a fashionable stubble before. Harry didn't have much to shave; only haphazard patches of fine hair on his face, but he did anyway, because he knew Louis loved his baby face looking smooth and fresh. He took care to notice what Louis liked, even if Louis didn't voice it aloud. At Harry's request, Louis didn't shave super close. Neither one had to ask or explain why. Wry smiles told the story.
Louis watched Harry stroll casually around the cabin while stark naked. Harry no longer being modest with Louis, was so appealing, keeping Louis' entire attention on him. Louis was stunned at how much he was attracted to a confident Harry. Or a shy Harry. Really, it didn't matter. He was attracted to Harry regardless. Harry was still oblivious to how he drew Louis' attention, and Louis wasn't sure if the younger man would ever realize his allure.
Arousal hummed through Harry the moment Louis touched him, and this was only a sloppy kiss to his neck as Louis passed him, on his way to get a drink of water from the bottle sitting on a counter.
Harry couldn't very well hide it though, as he was naked, and his body reacted before he took his next breath. Louis, upon returning to once again sit on the bed, took note of Harry's stiffening member.
"Just from that quick peck on the neck?" he asked. He knew it had to be, as he'd kept tabs, and it had been completely soft before. Even soft, it was long, hanging down much lower than most guys, but even at half-mast, like right now, it was truly impressive. When fully erect, it was nothing short of magnificent.
"Let's go outside and sit in the sun. Soon it'll be too cold to go out naked," suggested Louis. "Might as well take advantage while we can," he added with a cunning, roguish grin.
Unable to resist, Harry obediently bounded out the door, plopping down on the blanket that was now permanently spread out on the ground. It was useful for eating meals, talking, staring down at the valley, and for making love.
A naked Louis was at his side almost immediately, gathering Harry into his lap expressly so he could slide his hands through all that silky, curly hair again. His fingers tingled and itched for it. Harry naturally closed his eyes to fully enjoy the experience. Louis played with that glorious hair for a few minutes, then surprised Harry.
Harry felt Louis lean over, sensing the sun blocked out from behind his closed eyelids, and Louis' wet mouth was on his nipple before he could form another thought. Harry gasped. He was still amazed that a man's nipples could be so sensitive. He'd always thought he was weird because his nipples hardened whenever he had an even slightly sexy thought, but Louis had assured him that it was very arousing, and so he was less self-conscious about it now. In fact, he was actually a little bit proud of it.
Louis swirled his tongue in just a way that caused Harry to arch his back, a moan rumbling in his chest. Louis sucked then, and Harry grabbed onto Louis' own hair, not wanting his lover to stop.
"Whenever they get hard under your shirt, I have to struggle with meself not to tear your shirt open," admitted Louis. He spent some time on that nipple, then went to the other to do it all over again. Harry's cock was twitching and jerking with each suck. He could just barely reach Louis' nipple if he lifted his head, which he did. Louis' breath hitched. Now they were both enjoying the sensations at the same time. The electric passion coursed back and forth between them. After a while of this, Louis commented.
"I taught you how to sixty-nine, and you taught me sommat new as well. Simultaneous nipple stimulation. God, it feels good. Neither one might have prior knowledge about what two men do, but I say we have a very good start on it."
