Coins Enough for Two

The balls danced in Mountain's hands, flying up over his head in perfect arcs. One, two, three, four, five, and the apple, the red flesh glinting in the sunlight, looking ripe and succulent. His mouth watered. A Torquere Press Arcana - 1

Not yet, Mountain told himself, ignoring the rumbles in his belly. Not yet. He had to wait for more people to gather before he went for eating the apple. It wouldn't be too long now; the crowd was growing, the first folks drawn by his ability and his banter, others stopping to see what had made the first few settle in front of him, and those drawing still others. It was a kind of magic of its own, the way the crowd grew, the way it fed itself. "Looks easy, doesn't it, folks?" He chuckled and winked, and then shifted his weight, splitting the balls he juggled, switching to four going in his left hand, while his right worked on the last ball and the apple together. Applause went up and coins went sailing through the air into his little case. A couple of bills were thrown as well and he dared to tip his hat with his right hand, making a show of nearly missing the ball as it came around to land in his palm again. Mountain let his gaze roam through the crowd -- folks liked it if you made eye contact, even if just briefly. It made them feel like you were putting the show on for them, which in turn encouraged them to be generous with their money and his case. Summer was a good time of year for busking. There were lots of tourists wandering the streets, and the warm weather encouraged people to linger and watch. Families with kids were always a boon, the children wanting to stop and watch him work. Today was no exception and he picked a little girl who couldn't have been more than six from the front of the crowd to be his helper. "You think you can toss me that magic wand?" he asked, nodding his head toward the little pile of props to his left. There was a sparkly wand with a star on top of the pile and his little helper picked it up. "Go on," he encouraged. "All you have to do is toss it up here. It's magic, you see and I'll be able to catch it." He brought his two groups together into one, juggling all six items with both hands. "Oh, dear, she seems to be a little bit shy. How about some encouragement? Give her a big hand, folks." The girl's parents started clapping first, but soon the whole crowd that were gathered were clapping and the wand came flying toward him. He grabbed it with his right hand, held it for a moment or two as he kept his balls and apple in the air, and then added the wand in. "And there we go! Thank you, princess." He juggled all seven items for awhile, and then began to eat the apple, grabbing it out of the air with left hand, taking a bite as he kept the balls and wand moving, and then sending the apple back up there with them. He took a few more bites of the apple, chewing them up quickly. Damn, he was hungry. It was well past lunch and he hadn't had anything since the coffee he'd bought at seven. He couldn't stop now, though. This was the best crowd he'd had all day and with any luck it would stay this busy until people headed home or to the restaurants for their supper.

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He tossed the core of the apple at the garbage can at the edge of the crescent shaped crowd he'd gathered and they cheered for him when he got it in. Two points. He grinned out at them and started juggling faster, asking where people were from and making up little rhymes with the town names, his patter picking up speed to match the juggling. He sent the wand flying back to the little pile of props and asked a couple of boys to toss him another ball each, and then let yet another boy toss him another ball. He knew it looked impressive -- eight balls going round and round, but they were all the same size and weight and it was actually fairly easy. Certainly easier than the five balls and one apple combo. You didn't know that, though, unless you juggled. Another volunteer, a teenaged girl this time, held an oversized top hat for him. She giggled and blushed as he sent one ball after another sailing into the hat. Taking it from her, he bowed and put it on his head. The balls, all trapped behind a trick flap didn't come bounding down onto his head, allowing him to segue into the magic portion of his show. He kept it going, moving smoothly from juggling to magic and back again with the ease born of lots and lots of practice. Every now and then he'd do the apple trick, or incorporate a water bottle into his magic show -- making the water disappear. Down his throat. It was a beautiful day and an even nicer evening, the air cooling a little as the sun started going down. It was nearly nine before Mountain packed it up. He was starving and exhausted, but he hadn't wanted to go before the crowds did and his pockets were full, a lot of bills mixed in with the coinage. He packed up his stuff into his case, doing a little mental calculation. He could afford to eat at one of the street vendors, if any were still around, or at McDonald's, for sure. He might even be able to eat at a real restaurant, but he was kind of smelly from the day of working hard in the hot sun, and they were calling for rain all next week, which would keep the crowds moving. Oh, he'd do all right; people felt bad for buskers who worked in the rain and would throw plenty of coins, but no one would stay and watch, or spend the time to dig a little deeper into their pockets for him. So he was best off saving what he had instead of blowing it. That didn't stop him from looking longingly at the Red Cow as he passed it, the silly plastic cow, complete with udders, hanging from the sign. It wasn't the sign that always drew him, though; it was the fact that they had Guinness on tap and thick steak with beefeater French fries and fried onions on their menu. He worried his lower lip, the frugal part of him all but screaming at him to move on, but he was a product of his upbringing and the old hippie values his parents had instilled to live his life in the moment urged him to just go in and enjoy himself. He'd worked hard for the money; there was no reason not to spend it. The fact that his parents were vegetarians and would be horrified to see him eating steak didn't faze him one bit. Man was not meant to live on vegetables and grains alone, a fact he'd argued over with them on many an occasion growing up.

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He'd just decided to go ahead in when a guy in a suit with a Bluetooth earpiece stopped nearby and cleared his throat. "You're that juggler. The one who was on the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe."

It took Mountain a moment to realize the guy was talking to him -- he'd assumed the Bluetooth

was in action.

"Yeah, that was me." He took off the top hat he wore because it didn't fit in his case along with

everything else and held it out. "Did you forget to leave your contribution?"

The guy had a nice laugh and Mountain took a better look. Blond hair over a pair of blue eyes,

the guy could have been a model, except for the broken nose and the crescent moon shaped scar

over the right cheek. Taller than Mountain, and more muscle-y, the guy was just his type. Aside

from the suit. Mountain found Suits were usually snobby and too busy to have a decent

conversation with.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me."

"Here?"

The Suit nodded.

"Your treat?" Mountain asked, because he wasn't ever shy about clearing that up right at the

beginning. Busking for cash made that kind of thing easy.

There was that laugh again, making Mountain smile and decide he liked this guy. Nobody with a

husky, full laugh like that could be an asshole.

"Yes, my treat." Which made him like the guy that much more.

"In that case sure, I'd love to."

The Suit held out his hand. "I'm Rand."

"Mountain, pleased to meet you." He took Rand's hand and shook.

"Mountain?" Rand looked him up and down and Mountain laughed.

"I know, it doesn't fit, does it?" At five ten and with a slender build, a mountain was the last

thing he conjured up. "My parents were hippies and apparently I was a big baby. I never quite grew into the name, though. It doesn't matter -- I'm still their Rocky Mountain baby." "Born there?" Rand asked, holding the door to the Red Cow open for him.

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"Nope. Conceived." Grinning, he went on in, the smell of beer soaked wood and smoke from the fireplace hitting his nose. Pubs smelled the same everywhere, some smokier than others, some more laced with alcohol, but in general, you knew when you walked in that you were in for good food and even better beer. "Booth?" Rand asked, and Mountain nodded, leading the way to one in the back. They might serve imported beer and the best steak in town, but they didn't put on airs and make you wait to be seated like you were royalty or something. The Naugahyde on the seats was as red as the cow out front, the dark oak tables scared with a ton of stuff carved into its surface. Mountain settled across from Rand, fingers sliding over names and dates and declarations of love. He didn't bother with the menu -- he knew exactly what he wanted. "So, why here?" he asked, stretching out on the banquette. Rand looked around at the question and chuckled. "Because it was obviously some place that you wanted to be." "You mean you haven't been here before?" "No, never." "Then that begs the question; why me?" Mountain wasn't above accepting a free meal, especially one that he knew he was going to enjoy, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious about why it had been offered in the first place. "You..." Rand paused and flashed him a smile. "Intrigue me." "Me?" It seemed odd that this obviously well put together and well off man who went to work every day, probably owned his own home and had a gym membership, would find a free spirit like himself intriguing. Still, like steak dinners, guys who found him fascinating were few and far in between, so he figured he'd best enjoy the company while he could and try not to get too attached to anything or anyone. "Yes, you." Rand didn't get any farther than that before a bored looking waitress came over for their order. Rand went back to his menu, but Mountain knew what he wanted. "Guinness, please. And your steak and chips special. Medium for the steak." He smiled up at her, and added, "Thank you, ma'am." There, that was the smile he'd been looking for. The work day always passed faster with a smile. Another holdover from growing up with Breeze and Windy, not their given names. Rand chuckled and waved the menu in his hands. "Well, I haven't had a chance to look over this properly, but I'm going to go with Mountain and have what he's having; only I like my steak rare. And could I get a salad instead of the fries?"

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"Sure. It'll cost you fifty cents extra, though."

"That's fine. Thank you."

"So I intrigue you?" Mountain asked, resuming their conversation once the waitress headed back

to the bar to put their orders in.

"You do."

Mountain rolled his eyes. "Are you going to expand on that? Because right now it just seems a

little stalkerish."

"I don't think it's stalkerish... I saw you doing your thing while I was on my lunch break, and I

watched for a good half hour. You really seemed like you were enjoying yourself."

"I was," he interrupted. "I like what I do. I like it a lot."

"Yeah, I could see that. And I guess I'm just curious to know if you can actually make ends meet

doing just this -- if it's all you do. For all I know you're a doctor with a weekend practice."

It was a good thing their beer hadn't come yet, because Mountain would have spewed it all over

Rand. Probably would have had it coming out of his nose, too. "No, no other job. Especially one

like a doctor. I like to be able to move around as the urge takes me."

"Like a gypsy."

Mountain nodded. "Yeah. Or like a hippie."

"As in, peace and love and all that jazz?"

"Yes, exactly as in that. My folks were the quintessential rolling stones. No moss on them. We

had a van; we traveled from commune to commune. I can't tell you how many hitchhikers we

picked up over the years." Mountain shrugged. "I guess the wanderlust never wore off."

"So you don't live here full time, then?"

Mountain shook his head. "I follow my feet. All I need is a street corner, you know?"

"Yeah, that's what's so fascinating."

"You find that fascinating?"

"I do. I mean doesn't it bother you that you don't have a steady income? A permanent place to

stay?"

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"I think those things are overrated." He liked being able to pick up and go when the mood struck him. He knew it wasn't how most people lived, but then he wasn't most people. The waitress brought their mugs of Guinness, a nice head on both. "Your steaks'll be ready soon." "What about family, friends?" Rand asked as soon as she'd gone. "Are you sure you're not a stalker?" The guy sure had a lot of questions. "I told you -- you're intriguing and I'm curious about the lifestyle you live. It seems pretty solitary, as well as uncertain." "Oh, I have friends. And I make new ones all the time." He checked in with the West Coast commune every few months and his folks did the same; they left messages if there was anything important to share. "Besides, when I get weary of moving, I settle in until it passes." "So are you like a sailor? Someone in every port?" "Why, are you offering to be my someone here?" "Maybe I am." "Well, why didn't you just say so?" "Because I'm truly curious about the way you live your life." "Well, ask away, I don't have anything to hide." Their steaks arrived and he licked his lips. "Wait 'til I'm done eating, though. I won't be answering anymore questions until the steak has been properly revered and eaten." He gave Rand a wink, but he was deadly serious about concentrating on his steak. It was good, well worth the attention, the meat almost melting in his mouth, spiced and grilled to perfection. Closing his eyes, Mountain moaned over the last piece. God, this was better than a lot of sex he'd had. He ate until there wasn't anything left on his plate, and then he picked it up and licked it clean, not caring who might be watching. He was a waste not, want not kind of guy. He wasn't sure what Rand had been up to while he'd been eating, but the man was still working on that thick steak by the time Mountain came up for air. Rand cut his steak with a knife and fork, eating so properly. Mountain sat with his chin in one hand, occasionally taking large mouthfuls of his beer and watching bemusedly as Rand slowly ate what was on his plate. Mountain had a hunch there'd be no plate licking for Rand. He was right, too.

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Of course watching afforded him an uninterrupted view of the pretty lips, Rand's pink tongue sweeping out over them between bites, and by the time the man was done, Mountain had a pretty sizeable erection going on in his pants. Rand's eyes caught his and Mountain smiled. Maybe sex with Rand would be better than a really

good steak. He'd like to at least find out.

"You want some dessert?" Rand asked.

"Is that a euphemism?"

The man blinked at him a moment, and Mountain admired the long lashes over the sky blue eyes.

Rand really was too pretty, but Mountain imagined he could deal. Then Rand smiled, teeth

white, eyes crinkling. "Yeah, it could be. If you want."

"I think I want real dessert and euphemistic dessert. Hell, real dessert eaten off euphemistic

dessert's pretty good."

Rand snorted and caught the waitress’ eye. "I'd like one of everything on the dessert menu to go

and the bill, please."

"Even the ice cream sundae?" she asked, one brow going up.

"Well, no. One of everything transportable, please."

"Sure. I'll be back."

Mountain's lips twitched as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"What?"

"You really don't have a spirit of adventure, do you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You should have gotten the ice cream to go, too, man." He winked and stood, needing to stretch

his legs out, needing out of the little pub now that his belly was overfull and his cock pushing

hard against his zipper. "Thanks for dinner, Rand. I'll meet you outside, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

Mountain was pretty sure that was disappointment he saw in Rand's eyes and he figured Rand

thought he was going to duck out on their euphemistic dessert. Well, the guy would see he hadn't

when he came outside -- Mountain just needed out.

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He leaned against the store front next to the Red Cow, people watching as he waited for Rand to emerge. Grabbing three balls from his case, he started juggling them one handed, just idly keeping the balls moving, in the air. He managed to gather a bit of a crowd by the time Rand came out, bag of desserts in hand. The man did indeed look surprised to see him, and Mountain mentally shook his head. Taking his hat off his head, he passed it to the nearest person and then juggled the balls behind his back, putting a little oomph into the show as the hat made its way around the group gathered there. He let the balls fall into the top hat as it was returned to him, flipped the hat so the trap door closed and then tossed it up on his head. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you." Grinning and bowing to the clapping crowd, he waved them off before grabbing his case and going to join Rand. "You're really good at that." "Thanks, man." Mountain took off the hat as they waited at the light and put the balls back into his case. The money he took out and did a quick count. Nine-fifty. Not bad for ten minute's work. He handed it over to Rand. "For my half of the dessert." "You don't have to." Rand tried to give him the money back, but Mountain wouldn't take it. "No. I want to make sure you don't think you bought my dessert, euphemistic or otherwise, you know?" He didn't have sex for money. He didn't have sex for a roof over his head. He had sex because he wanted to, because he liked the person he was going to be touching. "Yeah, okay. I get that." Rand pocketed the cash without any further attempt to return it. "We can walk to mine." "You live downtown? Cool." He liked staying in the middle of the city. It was usually the most interesting part of town. "Yeah. Between parking and gas, having a car is really expensive, so I live downtown to save the expense. I can get to everything I need by walking." "Right on. My folks would approve." He winked at Rand. "Though maybe not about what you're planning to do to their baby boy." "As long as they're not watching I'm not worried." "Ew!" They laughed together, and Mountain walked closer, their shoulders and hips occasionally brushing. Rand really did have a great laugh, and he had a good sense of humor, too. Mountain approved.

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Rand's place turned out to be the top condo on a converted three story house. The place had a little plaque on it, declaring it to be a heritage building. It certainly looked old enough, the red brick and black wood building rich with character. Rand took his hand as they climbed the stairs and Mountain squeezed, liking that. It was like foreplay or something. A lot of guys didn't like that kind of thing with a pick up. The wooden stairs creaked the entire way up and Mountain had to laugh again. "You wouldn't want to have to creep up these late at night." "It's how you know they're authentic," Rand told him with a wink. The man opened the door, letting him in to an apartment with a modern feeling interior, the walls mostly exposed stone and brick, furniture simple but comfortable looking. Rand had a few paintings and knickknacks and things, but it didn't seem as cluttered as a lot of homes. Mountain liked it. Not that he didn't get a lot of chance to really take it in. As soon as they'd cleared the door, Rand put the plastic bag of dessert containers down on the coffee table. "You don't mind if we save the actual dessert for later, do you?" "Euphemistic dessert before actual dessert?" Mountain put his case down by the sofa and laid his top hat down on top of it. "Philosophers would have a field day with that one." "I just want to have a field day with you." Rand took his hand and led him down the hall to a door on the right that opened up into a large room with a slanted roof. The corner of the room was round, corresponding to the little tower that sat on the side of the house. "Oh, this is an awesome room, Rand!" The man grinned at him. "It is, isn't it? You can take a proper look later." Rand was taller than he was, and more muscled, and it didn't seem to take any effort at all for Rand to pull Mountain around and plant a kiss on his lips. Humming, Mountain returned the touch, their lips sliding back and forth, learning texture and heat and taste. He slipped his tongue out, swiping at Rand's lower lip and moaning happily when it was met by Rand's tongue. Mountain did like kissing. He liked holding hands and kissing, and the whole being naked together thing. Running his hands up over Rand's shoulders, he pushed off the charcoal suit jacket, enjoying the soft sighing sound it made as it hit the floor. He enjoyed even more the fact that Rand made no attempt to rescue it off the floor -- the man's focus was where it belonged, on Mountain and what they were doing together. Their tongues tangled together, the kisses becoming deeper as Mountain's fingers worked Rand's tie open. There was something very sexy about pulling a tie from a man's collar, the slide of silk hissing along expensive cotton an intimate thing.

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Rand's fingers were just as busy as his own, working open the buttons on his bright red shirt and spreading over his chest, rubbing his skin as it was exposed. Rand found one of his nipples just as he got the last button on Rand's shirt undone and he gasped, tugging the bottom of Rand shirt out of his slacks with jerky movements. Nothing could make him lose his balance and grace faster than kisses and touches, his body forgetting everything but how to push into this touch and respond to that pinch. Their gasps for breath filled the air along with the smack of increasingly wet kisses. Mountain's fingers worked faster, but clumsier, opening Rand's pants and pushing them off along with Rand's underwear. Stopping for minute, pulling back out of their kisses, he checked Rand out, from the blond hair on top of the man's head to the blond hair where the hard cock nested, and down to the long feet with its short toes. "You like what you see?" Rand asked, working at his jeans, at exposing him. "Uh-huh. I do." He reached out, tracing the chiseled pecs and ridged abdomen before letting his fingers slide on down and wrap around Rand's prick where they'd wanted to be all along. He explored Rand's cock thoroughly. He loved the way men were made, loved the thick vein beneath and the round head, the split in the head and the little slit. Rand wasn't cut and Mountain played with the foreskin, thumb rubbing it up and down along the glans. Playing with Rand's cock brought out the best noises, too, Rand's hands settling on his shoulders as he made his little voyage of discovery. Not that Rand was little, no the man was long and thick, hard beneath the velvet sheath of silky skin. And so hot, hot enough to burn against his palm. Grunting as Mountain pressed against the tiny slit, Rand brought their mouths back together, taking his with a fervor that made him gasp and press close. When his own clothes were finally gone, Rand backed away, breaking the kiss. "Go lie on the bed. I'll get the stuff we need." Humming happily, horny as hell, Mountain threw himself on the bed and stretched out, enjoying the slide of the sheets against his back and arms and legs as he rubbed and arched like a cat. That was how Rand found him a few moments later. With a happy sound, the man tossed a bottle of lube and a strip of condoms onto the bed beside him, and then climbed on up to lie on top of him, a nice weight pressing him into the bed. Their mouths met again, open wide, tongues working hard for pleasure. "What do you like doing?" Rand asked, hands sliding over him, making his skin sing out. Arching, Mountain met Rand's eyes. "I'm easy. I like giving and getting, I like mouths and asses and hands." "So I can fuck you?"

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He nodded. "You so can." "Cool." Rand licked from his jaw to his ear, and then whispered. "Get yourself ready. I want to watch." Mountain jerked, a low moan pulled out of him at Rand's words. No one had ever... Swallowing, he grabbed the lube and squeezed some out onto his fingers. Then he spread his legs, reaching between them to find his hole. Curling his hips up, he pushed a single finger in, gasping at the stretch and heat. He watched Rand's face, watched the man watching him. God, that was different. Sexy. He pushed in a second finger, rolling his hips up even more, fucking himself. The third finger went in next, really stretching him now. He could feel the heat building as he kept fucking himself with his fingers, his own cock hard as nails. Rand was panting nearly as hard and loud as he was. When he found his gland, his entire body lit up and he kept pegging it, jerking hard with each touch. "Don't you dare come until my cock's buried in your ass." It took considerable effort to still his rocking, to pull his fingers away, but manage it he did, and he lay there, panting hard, a shiver working its way through him every few seconds. "Come on already, then. Get in me." "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Rand got a condom on, and lined up with his hole. The hair on Rand's legs scraped and tickled at his inner thighs as Rand started pushing forward. Mountain closed his eyes and relaxed his body, letting Rand in. The heat of Rand's flesh was amazing, burning inside him like fire. It warmed him from the inside out, heating his blood and his skin, making him cry out. There were needy little noises that got louder as Rand started fucking him, pushing into his body with a solid rhythm that soon had them rocking together. Sweat built up on their skin, their bodies becoming slick, the noise they made as they slapped together sounding dirty, hot. One of Rand's hands was planted on the bed beside his head, holding the man up. Mountain could see the muscles of Rand's arm flex and work. The other hand wrapped around his cock, making him buck and arch. "Fuck! Yeah!" Yeah, don't stop, don't let go. He totally lost himself in it, in the rocking and the tugging, the flexing, the breathing until he was coming, pleasure shooting through him, making him gasp at the suddenness of it. Rand grunted and went still, filling the condom, face tight above him.

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Mountain went limp, Rand groaning and coming out, getting rid of the condom before landing on top of him. "Too heavy?"

Mountain shook his head. "Not yet." No, not yet. Right now he was feeling no pain, only the

melted exhaustion of a good, hard orgasm, his body tender in all the right places.

"You a fall-asleeper?" Rand asked, nose nuzzling against his neck.

"Uh-huh." He was already half asleep and he sure hoped Rand didn't mind.

"Cool. M' too."

Cool, indeed. Mountain let himself go, knowing sleep would catch him.

*** Mountain was in the middle of a magic trick when he caught sight of Rand in the crowd, keeping to the back of the group, dressed more casually today, it being Saturday. Wrapping up the magic, Mountain switched back to the juggling. The magic took concentration, which he suddenly had less of, knowing Rand was there. He smiled right at Rand, letting man know he'd been seen. That earned him a smile, the sun glinting off that crescent moon scar, those pretty eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses. He kept his patter going and his balls in the air, but he was more distracted than he was comfortable with and when the crowd thinned out around four, he decided to wrap it up for the day. He could probably have doubled his take if he'd stuck it out to grab the supper crowd's attention, but that was one of the joys of working for yourself -- you could quit anytime you wanted. Rand wandered over and Mountain got his first good look at Rand in casual mode. It worked well for the man. Faded blue jeans, a yellow t-shirt that read "just do it", a pair of loafers and the sunglasses completed Rand's outfit. "Hey." Rand's voice was cautious.

"Hey, you." He gave Rand a smile, packing up as quickly as possible, hoping Rand would invite

him home again. He'd love to have an entire evening to spend exploring the model-perfect body.

"I wasn't sure if I should come find you or not."

"Because I left without saying good bye?" He'd been up with the sun and he'd found that,

generally, people didn't like getting woken up early.

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"Because you got up at the crack of dawn to leave without saying good bye."

"If I didn't get down here early, I'd have lost prime Saturday real estate. And you looked so cute

sleeping I didn't want to wake you just to say good-bye."

"So where are you in an all-fire hurry to get to now?"

"Well, I was hoping to be able to take you out to supper. This prime piece of real estate paid off

in a great haul without my having to work a twelve hour shift." The money went into his pockets,

top hat on his head.

"Oh. Sure." Rand sounded almost surprised

"If you don't want to…"

"No! I mean yes. Yes, I do want to. I just wasn't sure if the early leaving was your way of staying

free and easy."

"Nope. Just earning supper money." He grabbed a handful of coins and jingled them at Rand. That earned him a real smile and he spent a moment just admiring Rand before getting back to it. "Good haul."

"Yeah, not bad. Enough for a nice-not-ritzy restaurant. It was my choice yesterday; you should

pick today."

"I don't know, I don't want to pick something out of your budget…"

Mountain snorted. "Don't worry -- if I can't afford wherever you pick, I will be vocal about it, I

promise you that."

"We could always order in at my place. We've got leftover dessert and I'm pretty sure I

remember hearing you saying you wanted a go at my ass when I was done with yours."

Mountain wiggled one of the asses in question. "But are you done with mine yet?"

"Hmm… maybe not." Rand's face lit up with that genuine, warm smile. "So my place?"

"That works for me." He adjusted the top hat, grabbed his case and fell into step with Rand.

"You have a washing machine by any chance?"

"Yeah, washer and dryer."

"Cool. You mind if I take advantage of this fact? I don't have a change of clothes on me, and I've

got to tell you, two days of juggling in the hot sun does not make for a bed of roses smelling Mountain."

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"I even have a pair of sweats I can lend you. And I wouldn't say no to sharing a shower with you.

If you were so inclined."

"You saying I stink?"

"That's not what I said." Rand began to chuckle. "I mean, you do, but I didn't say it."

Mountain had to stop for a minute that had him laughing so hard. Rand laughed, too, grinning

away at him. It was nice, being able to laugh with someone. Wheezing, he got them moving

again. He was rather eager for a repeat of last night. Hell, his cock had been very put out with

him this morning when he hadn't rolled Rand and done him. Or at least rubbed off on him.

"So what do you feel like eating?" he asked.

Rand answered right away without hesitation. "Fried chicken."

"Is it your favorite?"

"Yeah."

"How come?"

"What?"

Mountain grinned and repeated the question. "How come?"

"How come what?"

"How come fried chicken is your favorite?" He liked knowing the little details that made up a

person, made them different from each other.

"I don't know. I guess because I like the crispy skin, the way it crunches. My mom used to make

it from scratch on the rare occasion and it was always something special. The place I order pizza

from does it. They call it chicken in a basket and it comes with these thick cut, greasy fries and a

mayonnaise type dipping sauce. Not the traditional thing for either the chicken or the fries, but

seriously yummy."

"We have to get that. Did you know your face lights up when you talk about it?"

"It does not!"

"It does, too! You got this gleam in your eye." He rubbed their shoulders together. "It must be

really good."

"Yeah, it is..." Rand admitted.

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They came up on Rand's place and Mountain took a moment to really get a good look at the place now that it was daylight. There was the little tower in the back that he'd missed the first time, and it looked like Rand had quite the balcony as well. "I bet that's fun during parties." "Yeah, it's especially great if there's a street party or anything like that going on. It's at the tail end of the gay and lesbian district, so there's always something going on during Pride week." "That sounds like fun." "It is. If you're still around for next year's Pride, you'll have to come." Mountain nodded, though he had a hunch he wouldn't still be around next year. It wasn't unheard of for him to stay for quite awhile in one place. Hell, he'd been in Vancouver for two years and another year in Victoria, which almost counted as three altogether. But that was an exception, not the rule and he had a hunch he'd been moving on soon, despite having found Rand. It must have shown on his face because Rand gave him a half smile. "Of course, you'll probably be long gone by then." "Maybe." He tried to live in the moment rather than the future. "I don't usually make long term plans." "And I like your short term plans. Come on in. I'm starving and the longer we wait to call for our chicken the longer it'll take to get here." Mountain followed Rand in and wandered around the neat living room as Rand placed their order. Two five piece chicken in a baskets with coleslaw, fries and extra dipping sauce. Even ordering it made Rand look all happy. Mountain would bet he looked the same way when he ordered steak. In fact he'd probably looked that way yesterday at the Red Cow. He stopped in front of the fireplace and checked out the painting that hung above it. At first he'd thought it was just a large abstract, but as he looked, he began to make out two male figures holding hands and walking along a beach. It was really rather clever as the longer you looked, the more details you saw. Rand came up behind him, hands sliding around his middle, mouth nibbling at his neck. Mountain automatically leaned his head to one side, giving Rand more skin to work with and his eyes lit on the mansion on a hill in the background taking up the far right top corner of the painting. "Supper'll be about half an hour to forty five minutes," Rand told him, breath warm on his neck, hands tugging up his shirt to stroke over his bare belly. "Yeah? A lot can happen in a half hour." He reached back, hands landing on Rand's hips.

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"It can." Rand continued kissing his neck, and Mountain could feel the man's cock firming up against his ass. Groaning, Mountain rocked back against Rand. He squeezed his ass cheeks, his hole aching in that well-fucked-the-night-before way. He could still feel what it was like to have Rand's heat inside him, filling him with long thrusts. Moaning, he squeezed Rand's hips, his ass pushing back like he was a slut. Which, for Rand's prick, maybe he was. "I'm not sure we have that much time." Rand sounded like he wanted to be convinced, though. "I bet we have time for me to suck you, though." Rand gasped and he turned in the man's arms, looping his own around Rand's neck and taking full advantage of that open mouth. Pressing their lips together, he pushed his tongue right in. Rand tasted good, and that tongue came out to play with Mountain's. He did love kissing and could easily get lost in this, in the play of tongues, the glide of lips and the sharing of air. He didn't though; he kept his focus on the fact that he wanted Rand to come before their food did. He tugged the red t-shirt out of Rand's jeans, pushing it up and over Rand's head. Their mouths glued back together as soon as the t-shirt was out of the way, and it made Mountain feel great, knowing he wasn't the only one jonesing hard on their kisses. His fingers explored first, sliding over Rand's shoulders and coming forward to feel up the welldefined pecs, his fingers dancing across both nipples. He pinched one, grinning into their kiss as Rand jerked and groaned, hands finding his arms and holding on. He pinched again, laughing a little breathlessly as Rand's hips jerked hard against his again, right on cue. Rand growled a little and Mountain rubbed their noses together as he gazed into the blue eyes, his fingers stroking gently across the abused nipple before dancing down to find Rand's beautiful belly, the ripples and ridges of that six-pack a thing of sheer beauty. Rand's skin was so smooth, with just a hint of a glory trail beginning at the top of his waistband. Mountain licked at Rand's scar, tracing the crescent shape with the tip of his tongue before burying his face in Rand's neck, lips wrapping around skin and tugging, teeth coming out now and then to scrape and bite. "You're going to leave a mark," Rand told him, voice rather breathless, hips restless and looking for friction with his own. "That's the idea." He went back to it, fingers slipping and sliding on Rand's skin as he did. He loved the way the little hairs below Rand's navel seemed to catch on his fingertips, enticing him to see where they led. He waited, though, anticipation making them both pant. Pulling back, he examined the quarter sized mark. It was dark red and would turn a nice purple over the next few hours. Grinning, he poked it with his tongue, Rand moaning and reaching for him again.

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"Almost perfect." It just needed a match on the other side of Rand's neck. Bending to it, Mountain got to work sucking up the second of the pair, his fingers tugging at the top button on Rand's jeans. Button, zipper, and tug: with very little effort he was pulling Rand's jeans down over lean hips. He pushed then as far down as he could without breaking away from his self-appointed task of making a match for the first hickey. Drawing back only far enough to examine both marks, Mountain decide they were a close enough match and he began to lick his way down Rand's body. He started at the right collarbone, tasting and sucking, as his fingers playing with the waistband of Rand's briefs. Given how much Rand had enjoyed the random pinches to his nipple, Mountain couldn't resist biting first one and then the other, the little bits of flesh going good and hard for him, Rand moaning and trying to push the brief-covered erection into his hands. Mountain kept moving downward, his knees slowly bending as his lips and tongue explored ribs and abdomen, fucked Rand's navel. He didn't hurry, but he didn't linger either, his mouth watering for a taste of Rand's cock. When he was finally kneeling in front of Rand, he went for the inch or so of glory trail first, tongue licking back and forth across it, the blond hairs tickling his tongue. Then he mouthed Rand's prick through his briefs, finding the head and sucking hard on the tip. He could taste Rand, pre-come soaking through the white cotton. Groaning, he sucked harder, tongue lapping at the tip. Rand jerked each time he did it, hands wrapping around his ears and trying to pull him even closer. He pulled away, fingers hooking beneath the waistband and tugging. The top of Rand's cock got caught on the edge of the underwear and Mountain kept pulling, knowing what was coming, wanting it. Rand's prick finally worked itself free of the briefs and it flew up, hitting Mountain's chin. Humming happily, he licked his way down one side of Rand's cock and then up along the other side. He lapped at the new drops that had formed on the tip, and then opened wide and took Rand in. He worked his way slowly down the shaft, still humming, tongue rubbing as he went. "Mountain!" Rand shouted, hands back on his ears, holding them like they were handles. As long as Rand didn't twist too hard, Mountain didn't mind. He came up off Rand's cock, letting it slide from his mouth with a pop and then he started back down it again, loving the way Rand whimpered and begged, hips twitching. He did the same thing a couple more times, coming right off. Each time he watched as Rand's shiny cock jumped, begging wordlessly for more attention. Licking his lips and taking a deep breath, Mountain finally began to blow Rand in earnest, his head bobbing as he slid his mouth up and down over Rand's cock, lips closed tight, cheeks

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hollowed as he added as much suction as he could. His fingers slid up along the insides of Rand's thighs, stroking the soft skin before coming to where the tops of Rand's thighs met his torso. The skin there was very hot and Mountain's fingers slid over it, petting. Only for a moment, though, because he was searching for Rand's balls. He found them and hefted them in his hand. He rolled and stroked them, tugged on the sacs, not hard enough to hurt, just to notice. Rand went crazy, crying out and twisting his ears, making filthy promises and begging so prettily. Mountain increased his suction, tongue sliding on the hot flesh, his fingers manipulating the soft balls. He knew when Rand was about to come; he could feel those balls drawing up against Rand's body and the firm cock get even harder. "Gonna!" Rand yanked himself out of Mountain's mouth, spraying come all over Mountain's face. Mountain made a face but Rand dropped to his knees, groaning loudly, and began to lick him clean. It made Mountain hot, how Rand's tongue licked and slid, cleaning away every drop of come. It ended with their mouths fused together, the taste of Rand strong and heavy on Mountain's tongue. The door bell rang and Rand groaned in protest. Mountain just patted the pretty cock, though, and stood, ignoring the way his own prick trying to beat a path out of his pants. He dug into his pockets, finding the few bills mixed in with the coins so he could pay the delivery guy in something lighter than thirty dollars worth of quarters and loonies. His cock had gone down some by the time he'd walked down the stairs to answer the front door. Still, he must have looked as well-used as he felt because the delivery guy, a young man with green eyes who might have been cute but for the god-awful orangey uniform and ball cap, took a half step back, the green eyes going wide. "Um... here." The large paper bag was thrust over. Mountain just grinned, gave the kid a nice tip and shut the door in his face. He jogged back up the stairs, trying not to be too disappointed to find that Rand had not only pulled his jeans back on properly, but was wearing his t-shirt again, too. Oh, well, it would give him the chance to undress Rand all over again after they'd eaten. "You want to put your stuff in the washer before we eat?" Rand asked. "I've got a pair or sweats and a t-shirt you could wear." "That'd be great." He'd feel less grungy that way and wouldn't be worrying about sitting on Rand's big leather couch.

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They made short work of him getting changed and then they settled on the couch together, eating their dinner out of the cardboard boxes. The chicken was good, as were the fries and the mayonnaise based garlic dip that had come with them. What was better was watching Rand eat. It was like watching a mini-orgasm with every bite. Rand seemed equally taken with the dipped fries and the chicken, making little moan-y noises, eyes rolling back in his head in the most blissful manner. It made Mountain's own food taste that much better and, while he wasn't having foodgasms of his own, he was enjoying himself and the shared meal immensely. "Oh, God, that was good." Rand licked his fingers clean after finishing Mountain's last piece of chicken and his fries. "Really, really." "I never would have guessed," Mountain teased, laughing as Rand stuck out his tongue at that. "You shouldn't do that unless you plan to use it." "Oh, I plan to use it all right." Rand's eyes went dark as he spoke. Mountain's breath caught a little, his cock, already at half-mast in the wake of Rand's enjoyment of his food, filled right up, pushing obviously at the material of his borrowed sweats. "I was hoping you'd say that." Rand tackled him, pushing him back down on the couch, fingers dragging over his skin, teeth worrying at his lower lip. "Not your tongue," he pointed out breathlessly. Rand's laughter tickled his lips, make him part them. "No, I guess it's not. This is." Moaning, Mountain wrapped his arms around Rand's shoulders and held him close as the man's tongue slid between his lips, fucking them. Rand's hips moved in time and Mountain bucked up to meet them, He was so hard and the rubbing felt so good, but it wasn't enough. He got one of his hands between them to push at the sweats, but Rand caught his wrist and pushed his hand up over his head. "I've got it." "No, you've got my wrist. My prick is further down." Rand rolled his eyes, but his hands slid down between them, having a much better time at tugging the sweats down off Mountain's hips than his own had. Rand wrapped his prick up with long fingers and started stroking. It felt amazing and Mountain just went with it, fingers reaching up to trace the little scar on Rand's cheek, and to touch the two coin shaped marks on Rand's neck. His marks. The thought had him bucking and he pulled Rand's head down, their mouths mashing together in a hard kiss. Rand's tongue went back to fucking his lips, hand working his prick, stroking up and

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down, tugging and pulling. Mountain couldn't catch his breath, couldn't do anything but suck on

Rand's tongue and push up into Rand's hand.

It wasn't long at all before he was coming, cock pulsing, come spraying up over Rand's fist as his

cry flew against Rand's lips. Rand's hand and tongue kept moving, slow, lazy strokes that pulled

several sweet ripples of sensation out of Mountain and then they lay there together, panting,

holding on.

They lay there for a long time, sticky and full until the smell of sex gave way to the heavy scent

of grease from the take-out boxes.

"We should put those away," muttered Mountain, feeling utterly too lazy and too under Rand's

weight to actually move.

"Uh-huh."

"I could use that shower, too." More so now than ever.

"Uh-huh."

He chuckled and kisses Rand's forehead. "Or we could just nap for a bit."

"Uh-huh." This time the agreement was little more than a grunt.

Mountain petted Rand's shoulder. "Okay. Nap. I'm nothing if not flexible." Not to mention

surprisingly comfortable. His hands were still moving over Rand's skin as he fell asleep. *** Mountain pulled on his clothes, smiling at the pleasure of them being fresh and clean out of the dryer. He could feel Rand watching him as he dressed and he turned, smiling into the sleepy blue

eyes.

He'd woken Rand up this morning by rubbing up against the man's ass, his morning wood getting

very intimate. Rand had let him become even more intimate and they'd fucked as dawn pushed in

beneath the blinds.

"You really have to go?" Rand asked, pulling the sheets up a little higher.

"The weekend's my best days. And the forecast is for clear skies until this evening, so I really

should." Not that Rand was tempting as hell, lying all naked and well-fucked and cozy.

"Tomorrow would be different."

"I have to work tomorrow," Rand pointed out.

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"Yeah, there is that." "Still, if you were here, we could sleep until eight. It doesn't take me long to get to work at all and I can grab a bagel or something on the way in..." Mountain wasn't sure if it was an invitation to come back here tonight, or not and he'd just opened his mouth to ask a when Rand went on. "You know, you could stay here while you're in town. I own the place so it's not like you'd need to pay rent or anything -- it would save you money. Especially if you're here most of the time anyway -- seems nuts to pay for a room if you're not actually using it." "You mean it?" Mountain had stayed with friends before, some with whom he was sleeping, some not. It usually worked out and if it didn't, well he never had a problem packing up and going, did he? "Wouldn't have said so if I didn't." Laughing, Mountain pounced Rand where he lay, kissing all over Rand's face. When their mouths finally met, he let his weight come down to rest on Rand, his tongue sweeping in. They kissed for a very long time, Mountain cupping Rand's face, his eyes staring into the pretty blue. Their bodies moved together in slow undulations, but it was more about the kissing than the rubbing off and it was like that was just another dimension to the kisses. It was a long time before their lips parted, Mountain still staring down at Rand. "I take it that's a yes." Rand's eyes twinkled and his jaw twitched, the effort to not smile visible. "No, that was not a 'yes', it was a 'whoa-momma-yes-yes-yes!'." Laughing, Rand rolled them and Mountain used the momentum to keep them going, rolling over top of Rand again. They kept going, Rand's eyes dancing happily for him, until they fell over the edge and landed with a hard thump. Their laughter turned breathless, and then fed into each other's mouths as they started kissing again. It was too hard to get the covers out from between them, everything had gotten all twisted up together, so they didn't bother, just rocked their hips, Rand's cock pressing against his through the sheets and his pants. Mountain had no idea how long they kissed and rubbed for, but it didn't matter and eventually he came, the orgasm soft, spreading out from his cock and balls to the rest of him in a long wave. Rand's hips sped once he was done, and Mountain's fingers traced the pretty face, sliding over the high cheekbones and the swollen lips, fingertip tracing the crescent scar. Rand's face was even more beautiful when he came, eyes glazed over, mouth dropping open on a soundless 'o'. They rested there on the floor together, and Mountain watched the line of sunshine from under the blind slowly work its way across the floor and couldn't be upset he'd missed out on going out to do his thing. There'd be other Sundays.

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***

Mountain worked most weekends, and usually wound up going out during the week as well, leaving with Rand, walking him to work and then heading out to find a spot. He often got his favorite spot at the corner of Sparks and Metcalf, though not always. Not always having the same spot was good, though, it taught him where the other good spots were, where he was least likely to be hassled by the law and where the best food stands were. If he was having a bad day, or if the weather was inclement, he'd pack his case up, don his top hat and go meet Rand for lunch. They'd eat on top of the Rideau Center, or on the benches down below Rideau Street near the market. Or find an out of the way place inside the mall and people watch. Mountain knew better than to busk inside malls. He'd tried it here and there, but it didn't matter what city he was in, mall security hated buskers more than even shoplifters. If the forecast was for bad weather all day, Rand would call in sick and he and Mountain would stay in bed, making love, talking, napping. On days like that they'd order chicken in a basket and fries with dip and Mountain would watch Rand's face while he ate, getting all turned on so that when they were done, he'd pounce Rand and fuck him through the floor. After one such evening, Rand insisted on taking Mountain out to Al's Steakhouse, and it was Mountain's turn to have foodgasm. It was the best steak he'd had in maybe ever and he decided that he'd have to eat there at least once more before moved on. Rand would usually come by after work and see if Mountain was done for the day yet. Sometimes Mountain was, other times he was in the groove and had a good crowd and Rand would wait, leaning against the one of the light stands on the walkway and watching. One day Rand came by after work and it wasn't very crowded, so he asked Mountain how hard it was to learn to juggle. Mountain showed Rand how. He was a patient teacher and Rand was pretty good with his hands, and before long Mountain was teaching him how to pass the balls back and forth between them. It garnered them a fair crowd on what had been a slow day and after that, Rand would come after work and the act would become a double. The days turned into weeks and weeks into two months, and it was getting so you could feel fall in the air. Busking business was dropping and Mountain knew that once Labor Day had passed, he was going to have to work a lot harder for his pennies. It wouldn't be impossible to make some coin, but it would take a lot more effort and there would be days when it was simply too cold and too nasty to be out. While that was still months away, Mountain could feel the urge to move on him. He'd heard that his parents were wintering at the commune in California, and he thought he'd like to slowly make his way there. He was surprised by how much he didn't want to leave Rand behind. Not that he didn't want to go, because he did, but he could already feel the way it was going to hurt to say goodbye to Rand.

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He would stay as long as he could. *** Mountain stood at the window, watching the sunset paint the sky in brilliant colors. What had started out a windy, rainy, nasty day had cleared up into a warm, beautiful afternoon. He and Rand had spent the late afternoon and early evening walking around downtown, exploring the park behind the Chateau Laurier and the grounds of the Parliament buildings. He was tired now, but in a totally different way than he would be after a day of busking. Rand came up behind him, fingers sliding beneath his t-shirt to play with his belly, tickling his navel and making him laugh. He turned in Rand's arms, smiling up into Rand's eyes. Rand looked sad. "What?" he asked, fingertips sliding over the little scar on Rand's cheek. "You're going." That had always been on the table. "Not today." "No, but soon. I can feel it in you -- the urge to move on, to go." Mountain couldn't deny it, so he didn't. "I'm not gone yet," he pointed out. "No. No, you're not." Rand's mouth came down on his, the pressure of the kiss opening his mouth, Rand's tongue sliding right in. They'd gotten really good at this and Mountain melted into Rand, loving the way they felt pressed together. Rand's hands worked off his clothes and he returned the favor as they crabwalked toward the bed. By the time they got there they were naked, and Rand was taking one kiss after another, devouring his mouth with hard, thorough kisses. Mountain fell back onto the bed, legs spreading in invitation. Rand grabbed the slick and the rubbers, falling down onto him, accepting that invitation with more hard kisses, their lower bodies rubbing, rocking together. Rand's kisses moved away from Mountain's lips, sliding over his jaw and his neck, teeth worrying his skin. Mountain's fingers slid to Rand's neck, finding the marks that he'd made and remade, the twin circles on either side of Rand's neck. His lover jerked as he touched them, a low groan vibrating against Mountain's skin as Rand sucked. Lying back, letting Rand kiss and love on him, that hot mouth sliding over one nipple to suck, and then moving to the other, Mountain touched where he could reach, randomly petting and stroking as Rand played him like an instrument, pulling out groans and moans and little whimpers that were testament to how good Rand's mouth felt on his skin.

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Rand didn't stop when he reached Mountain's cock. Oh, he sucked and kissed and licked, but no more than he had any other part of Mountain. He was on a mission, it seemed, one that Mountain whole-heartedly approved of once Rand's mouth pressed against his hole, tongue licking and poking at him. He felt those touches all through him, and when Rand started tongue-fucking him, the sensation shot straight up his spine. Shifting restlessly, Mountain spread wider, his heels pressing into the mattress as he bucked up, pushing himself against Rand's face. Rand controlled the pace, though, hands hard on his hips. He whimpered louder. "Rand. Want. Please." As if his words were just what Rand had been waiting for, his lover rose up over him, hand one hand smoothing on the condom, while the other pressed slickly into his ass, stretching, going deep. Those fingers worked him, making him cry out and jerk. He grabbed for Rand's arms, tugging. "Come on, I want to feel your cock inside me." Rand didn't say anything, just guided that hard cock to his hole and pushed in. Mountain could feel it as it stretched him wide, he could feel every inch as Rand pushed in, filling him deep. He groaned, loving the way Rand felt inside him. He liked being the one doing the deed, too, but there was just something about being filled up by Rand's cock that made everything that much better, sharper. One hand wrapping around his prick, Rand started to move inside him and Mountain bucked, meeting each thrust, his cock sliding along Rand's palm in a way that made him shout out and hold on tighter to Rand's arms. They rocked together, Rand moving faster and faster, pushing harder and really taking him. There was a fierceness to their lovemaking, like Rand wanted to make sure he felt it the intimate touch for a long time to come. Mountain brought Rand down and took a kiss, tongue tangling with Rand's as he wrapped his legs around Rand's waist, encouraging the thrusts, keeping them close together. It was Rand's hand tightening on his cock that sent Mountain over the edge, the hint of a fingernail on the head of his prick. With a cry, he bucked up, heat spraying over Rand's hand, his ass clamping down tight around Rand's cock. Breathing harsh, Rand thrust a few more times and then froze. Another half thrust and Rand collapsed down onto him. Mountain tried to catch his breath, hands sliding on Rand, touching and stroking, soothing. "I'm still here," he murmured. "Yeah. I know." Rand kissed his neck and stilled.

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The weight of him felt good. ***

Mountain juggled his balls, six and then seven, trying to keep his patter lighthearted, but in truth he was near tears. It had been raining on and off all day and the wind had a bitter edge to it. Bitter enough that even those who were interested in his act were staying only long enough to toss a few coins into his case before shoving their hands into their pockets and hurrying off. Several people tossed in money without even looking at him or stopping for even a moment to watch the act. He hated pity coins. Not that he wouldn't take them, but he wanted to be paid because he entertained, not because people felt sorry for him, working away in the cold, gray day. When he dropped a few balls for about the tenth time in as many minutes, his hands just too cold to juggle more than three or four items, he decided to call it a day. It was too early for Rand to be done with work, but Mountain was just miserable. And blame it on the nasty day as he might, the truth was it was time to move on. He'd stayed longer than he should have, not listening to the voice in his head telling him to go, to take to the road. He was becoming more and more miserable, and no amount of orgasms with Rand was going to change the fact that he needed to go. His big backpack, the one with all his clothes in it landed on the ground next to his case of props, along with a brand new backpack. He looked up, surprised to see Rand standing there, wearing jeans and a heavy cable knit sweater. Rand shrugged and gave him a smile. "It's time for you to go." "Yeah. Yeah, it is." He hadn't expected this, though, hadn't expected Rand to help him leave. Rand handed over a bus timetable. "There's a bus to New York leaving at six." "Thanks. I..." He nodded to the second pack. "I can't carry both." Rand laughed. "You think I bought the backpack for you?" "Um... okay, I guess not." Mountain wasn't sure what to make of Rand's laughter, of that smile that just lit Rand's face right up. This wasn't the reaction he'd expected to his leaving at all. Rand took the new backpack and hefted it, putting it on and adjusting the shoulder straps. "We're getting pretty good at the double juggling, aren't we?" Mountain nodded, automatically putting his arms in the shoulder straps as Rand held his backpack up for him. "So we could make lots of money together."

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"It isn't about making lots of money; it's about making enough to survive on."

"I know, I know. But it's nice being able to eat the good steak." Rand handed him his case and

put his top hat up on his head and started walking up Metcalf.

Mountain followed automatically. "What's going on, Rand?"

"I thought I'd come with you."

That stopped him in his tracks. "What?"

Rand stopped, too, turning and giving him a soft smile. "I really didn't want you to go and then it

occurred to me, as it became clear that you were staying longer than you wanted to, because of

me, why should you be the one to give everything up just to stay with me? Why couldn't I give

some stuff up and come with you?"

Mountain thought on that for a minute, trying to ignore the way his belly was fluttering, the way

the happy feeling inside him was trying to grow. "Because moving around isn't for everyone.

Because you've got a home here, a job, a life."

"Well, I've got a life no matter where I go, and I figure home isn't really a place. As for a job,

well you've taught me that not all jobs have to be conventional. I'm ready for the change,

Mountain. I'm ready to take a little risk and live for today instead of worrying about tomorrow."

"So you think no matter where we land will be home?" It was how he'd always felt, but he'd

never expected Rand, anyone really, to feel the same way.

"I think no matter where I land with you will be home. The you and the home being more

important than the landing." Rand started walking again and Mountain followed him, that happy

feeling expanding, pushing the misery into the corners and finally away.

"It isn't always easy."

Rand snorted and took his free hand, holding on. "But it isn't always hard, either. I figure in the

end, we'll find the right balance." Mountain started to laugh and Rand shot him a look. "What?"

"A pair of jugglers? If we don't find the right balance, we're going to be in trouble."

"We'll find it."

Walking along, holding Rand's hand, Mountain couldn't help but think that Rand was right.

End

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Coins Enough for Two Copyright © 2007 by Vic Winter All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680 Printed in the United States of America. ISBN: 978-1-60370-275-1, 1-60370-275-X Torquere Press, Inc.: Single Shot electronic edition / February 2008 Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

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