Blue Ain't Your Colour

[King]

"I'm a dirt road in the headlights
I'm a mama's boy, I'm a fist fight"

Life wasn't half bad for cowboy Austin. What could beat the sight he saw every morning and evening? Austin stood at the gate of the pasture, watching Western gallop around in the free area. He smiled as his horse made his way back towards him.

People always asked Austin why he chose such a beast of a horse. Taller than what was normal, and had a bigger attitude problem than the teens around here did. Austin would always reply to the dismayed faces of the other farmers, "He's a challenge, for sure. Riding a boy that big always will be, but it sure is more fun than you'll find in the whole of Missouri."

Western slowed from a gallop to a trot as he made it to the fence, the horse knew it was bed time. Austin patted his favourite animal's mane as he slid off the saddle. "You sleep well buddy, I'll be seein' you in the morning." He lead his horse into the big brown barn and set him to sleep, already looking forward to setting him free again at 6.

In muddy cowboy boots, Austin strutted back into his house. "Now you take them damn things off your feet young man!" His little mother pointed a spoon at him. Austin just shook his head as he kicked off the boots. His mother was a sweet southern belle that any man was desperate to have. But she sure wasn't taking no shit from her son. His father was sitting on the dinner table, long gray beard looking shabby. Austin gave a run down of his day before making his way towards his bedroom. Slipping out of his blue flannel, Austin revealed a tight green shirt underneath. Hell, he hadn't even taken off his hat yet. It had been a long day, but Austin didn't know any different. Farm life was his life.

Before Austin could get a toe onto the stairs, there was a knock at the door. Austin raised an eyebrow. The only knocks on that door were invited, like family, or the milkman. So a knock this late was a little confusing. Even finding the front door was effort. Austin glared at the textured glass window next to the big front door. He could make out a male figure, too tall for the porch door. And a lot of bags. Austin narrowed his eyes.

"Stop lingerin' Austin, get the door!"

With a roll of his eyes, Austin opened the white door, not sure what to expect.​

 

[ChickadeeC]

​

Jaxon let out a long sigh, hands gripping the wheel of his older truck. Its gentle roar enough to make him want to pull over and take a nap in the vast countryside he was trying to navigate. He couldn't help but think to himself that he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, the directions that his sister had given him vague as usual. With a little bit of a grunt Jaxon worked the rolled down window before pulling over to check the map on his phone, but of course there wasn't a signal. He couldn't even call his sister. "Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me..." He muttered before Jaxon decided to stretch his leg for a moment, and stepped out of his car.

The veteran let out another long sigh running a hand through his hair, frustration getting the better of him. "I don't need a fucking break... I'm just fine..." he muttered under his breath the words of his sister stilling eating at him. Recently him and his sister had gotten in a fight. Sure he still lived with her after he came back from Iraq, sure he didn't have the greatest work schedule, and sure he was usually out late at the bars, but that didn't mean he needed to find himself once again. He didn't want to change. Jaxon winced a bit as he took a few steps around to the back of his truck going to lean up against his bumper, going to brush the dirt off of the knees of his jeans.

He smirked a bit though pulling his flask out of his pocket taking a quick pull off of it before getting back in the truck taking off down the dirt road once more. Leave it to Jaxon to get lost in the backcountry of Missouri. He couldn't keep his eyes off of the countryside though as he went. The rolling grasslands were enough to get his curiosity going before he spotted a number that his sister had given him. The address number of the ranch he was looking for. Jaxon pulled off the country highway not even thinking twice.

Within seconds of pulling up he had his military backpack over his shoulders, his camera bag in hand, and just incase, he had the address in hand. Jaxon chuckled a bit seeing just how tradition the ranch was as he walked up to the farm house with a gentle limp. The back of his loose blue tee riding up his back as the backpack bounced around a little bit and Jaxon could feel the lower half of his back get exposed to the cool air of the evening. Jaxon grunted again as he felt his head smack against the eve of the house realising that the house was definitely not made for someone as tall as him, and while he was busy rubbing his forehead Jaxon knocked on the door.

What Jaxon hadn't been expecting was the man who answered the door. The man was just a head shorter than him, the cowboy hat branding the other as a cowboy. Jaxon couldn't help but drool a little bit seeing the well toned body under the tight green shirt.
"I uh... I'm looking for a friend of Jessica Gideon, if memory serves me right on the name, Elizabeth Benton. I must have a wrong address..." Jaxon started to babble, offering up the address to the young cowboy. "I think I got lost a few turns back. If you could just point me in the right direction I'll be out of your hair." Jaxon said regretting the very words. There was something about this southern man who had captured a small portion of him. He went to turn around before he heard thunder off in the distance and Jaxon muttered under his breath. "Great rain..."

"Austin, why don't we invite the young man in? If there's rain there's no point in trying to travel through it at night." an older woman spoke from around the corner.
"Oh no I wouldn't want to impose. If I may I'll use your phone real quick to get ahold of my sister. She gave me a wrong address." Jaxon let out a long breath his eyes still glued to the cowboy in front of him.

 

[King]

When Austin first opened the door, he was faced with just shoulders. It had been a while since Austin had to crane his neck to see the face of another person. Austin could barely take a proper look at the man at the door over the brim of his hat, he had to take it off and move back one step. Once it was more comfortable to look up, the man began talking. Austin was a little confused, the accent was indicating a big city boy. He did a quick check, his clothes also indicated that he wasn't from Missouri.

Austin kept silent as he took the address, written down in semi-neat handwriting. Ah, now he understood. Elizabeth was a born and bred farm girl who had the pleasure of marrying his friend Bryce. The two had been out of town for a good month with a sick family member. This guy seemed out of luck. That was until his far too friendly mother interrupted. She gave Austin the typical glare that said, "You better do as I say."

"My momma is right, it ain't safe driving out there as it is." Austin handed back the sheet as he invited him in. Instead of carrying around his hat, he hung it on the coat stand. Shutting the door behind the new man, Austin checked out the large backpack attached to his shoulders. "Now you look like you were planning on stayin' out here." He chuckled. Arkney wasn't the place for tourists.

"Now, you can stay in our guest room, storm should be clearing up real good in the afternoon. Then you can be on your way." Austin rambled a bit, his accent thick. He looked through the large landing into the kitchen, where his mother had appeared from. He could tell she was judging him. Of course, his manners had escaped him, since Austin wanted to just go to bed. "Pardon me sir, my name is Austin, it is a real pleasure to meet someone out from afar." He offered his hand for a shake, a shy smile on the corner of his lips.​

 

[ChickadeeC]

​

Jaxon did his best not to blush at the country man's accent, or even the hospitality of the folks who called the ranch their home. If it was the cities he been in there was no way any one would have welcomed him in so quickly. "I umm... How do I word this? My sister told me to take a break from the cities basically. Told me to haul it out here and live for a while. Maybe do a photo series. It's been a long while since I've been this far south." Jaxon started knowing all too well that the New Yorker in him was nearly tripping over his words at the rate he was taking. He had to take a deep breath in to get his mind to slow down. "Basically I'm going to be living out here for a few months to try and get back in touch... I've said too much already. Thank you, all of you for the room." Jaxon continued taking a few more steps into the house trying to contain his wonderment as his eyes took in the rustic furnishings. The itch in his camera hand kicking in.

When Austin offered Jaxon his hand he couldn't help but grip the southern man's hand. His mind taking note of the callous, the strength, it was enough to give his little gay heart the giggles. The very warmth coming off of the man made his heart warm up more than he thought it could, but he quickly dismissed it. Jaxon took a few steps away from Austin going to set his bags down on the couch, careful not to bump anything. Muttering under his breath hearing his prosthetic clicking again with each step.

"I um... Jaxon Gideon. New Yorker." Jaxon felt his ears go red this time, as he walked back over to Austin, leaning up against an empty wall facing into what looked like the kitchen. The smell of fresh baked bread lingering in Jaxon's senses. He mouth watered as he realized that everything there was homemade, the row of older cookbooks catching his attention dusty and graying. "Are those what I think they are? Betty Crocker? Old school?" Jaxon asked making quick work between the space of him and the cookbooks. He could see the smile on Austin's mother's face grow in amusement.

"Why yes, they were my mother's. I have some recipe cards if you wish to write down a few recipies." she offered laughing a bit, "I sadly don't use them as much as I should." pointing to one of the bigger books, Jaxon happily pulling it down for her, offering it to her.
Jaxon couldn't help but laugh a bit to himself as she pulled a few blank cards out offering them to him. Before he could offer his thanks the radio started to scream. "Warning severe storm warning for the following areas..."

"Austin! We gotta go lock up the cattle, this is going to be a bad 'en." the older man spoke from where he sat, Jaxon could only guess as Austin's father.
"Hon no. Austin can handle it." Austin's mother spoke with certainty offering him a glass of weather.

Jaxon attempted his phone signal again, amazed to see a bar, pulling up his the weather up immediately regretting it.
"I umm.... I agree this looks bad. I can give you a hand, just point me in the right direction." Jaxon said quickly offering the phone image up to Austin. The obvious red, and spinning storm cell almost painfully glaring up at the two. Jaxon practically jumped out of his prosthetic when the house shook again. "Seriously, I'm good under pressure, and not afraid of danger. I've fought my fair share of fights." His adrenaline started to kick in as images of exploding vehicles started to plague at the back of his mind. This time when thunder shook the house Jaxon started for the door amazed at how quickly the storm had moved in. The wind enough to practically knock him off of his foot when he stepped outside. A branch snapped across his cheek drawing a bit of blood.
"Austin!"​

 

[King]

The handshake was firm, Austin looked up with a confident look in his face. The man was insanely tall, he still hadn't gotten over it. Austin wondered if his entire family was the same. Plus the accent was so city, Austin was almost having a hard time understanding it. As Jax talked, Austin caught the weather warning off the TV his father was watching. He nibbled the inside of his lip as a tornado warning flashed the next state over. If that drifted over here, Austin would have weeks of work to do to fix what was broken. He sighed as the radio turned up and began the siren.

"Don't worry pa, I ain't lettin' no mother nature take my cows." He walked straight back into the kitchen to grab his boots. If it was silent, he probably could hear the worried mooing. His mother smiled sweetly at Jax's offer to help before turning back to her oven. Austin instead shook his head, "This ain't my first storm, but I guess a second pair of eyes wouldn't do no harm." Austin looked up to watch the lighting fixtures wobble. His father leaned forward and slapped the screen as it began to go static-y. This was gonna be a bad storm after all.

Austin walked to the door and picked up his hat again, putting it on his head like he always did. As he began sliding on his boots, the new man opened up the door, and probably regretted it. The door slammed against the coat rack, making his mother jump. The sound of the storm outside was brutal, he knew he had to get those cows in the barn asap. Before he could move to the back door, Jax had been swept off his feet, he called his name.

Now Austin could move quick, but when he saw the branch, he certainly jumped through the air. "Now what have you done!" Austin hollered as he swung the door shut. The loud sound made his mother jump again.

"Goodness!"

Austin squatted next to Jax and looked at his face. This was the first proper look he got. Handsome, was the word Austin could think of. "Looks like it caught you just there." Austin reached over and rubbed the drop of blood forming on his cheek, pushing it off with his thumb. "It ain't nothin'." Austin said before helping Jax to his feet. He walked to the back door, picking up his heavy rain jacket, which probably wouldn't do much. He looked out the window to see his poor cattle all sitting down in the field, "Time to herd my babies."​

 

[ChickadeeC]

​

Jaxon huffed a bit at Austin's words before the man's rough hand was on his cheek, and his heart stopped for a moment. He couldn't help himself when he leaned into the touch, his heart feeling fuzzy for a moment, before Austin helped him to his feet. "Of course it's nothing, I'll be more then ok, I've suffered worse. Lead the way." Jaxon said struggling a bit to hear Austin in the wind as it all started to pick up more, and he smirked a bit seeing Austin's cowboy hat nearly go flying.

Lightning broke the sky as Jaxon followed the cowboy. His shirt soaked and clinging to his lean frame, a hand running through his hair to slick it flat to his head, his dog tags that were once tucked beneath his shirt practically flying behind him. Jaxon could see the door to the barn go flying open within the enclosure as Austin was climbing into the pasture. It was almost instinctual as Jaxon jumped the fence with an ease he never thought he had running up behind the small herd, his feet sinking into the mud. For a moment he couldn't help but stare in awe at just how large the animals were. The speckled brown, and white bulls mooing at him in frustration as they awkwardly all got to their feet backing away from the stranger.

"Come on beef. Follow your dad." Jaxon shouted feeling the wind run up his back as things started to spin a bit, Austin standing in the barn door. The animals started to huff it in the general direction of the barn. A few lingering cattle groaning as they struggled through the strong wind. He smiled through the haze of rain, the adrenaline in him screaming at him. Jaxon did what he could to help the few that were left to head into the barn, "Is that all of them?" Jaxon asked trying to get in as close to Austin as he could. The wind at this point was a loud roar in their ears, loud enough that the sirens that started to go of were silent mumbles. "We may want to stay in the barn till this dies down..." he screamed this time scanning the horizon for any other animals.

Jaxon jumped a bit watching as more lightning rip through the sky, the scream of thunder deafening. He swore under his breath as something flew past them in a gust of wind. "You know what... come here!" Jaxon started pulling Austin into the barn not caring whether or not he complained, using all of his weight to pull the big door shut behind them and the cattle. Without a moment to spare as something smacked up against the door.

He panted for a moment leaning up against the wall, his body buckling at the knees just a bit, "Fucking weather...." he muttered starting to pace for a moment before pulling his shirt off, ringing it out. It didn't really do much good seeing as his entire body was soaked from head to toe. Jaxon turned to face Austin still attempting to get the excess water out of his shirt, his toned body hunched over just a bit. "I know this isn't my place, but we may be better off staying here for the night. I can sleep in hay easily, comfier than any cot. Or we can easily wait out the storm. I don't think it's going to last long." he smirked a bit looking at the drenched cowboy, the poor man looking a bit disheveled.

With care Jaxon went to brush the water off the tip of the man's nose, laughing softly when Austin leaned his head forward water drained out of the brim. "I don't think I've ever seen that much water in that little amount of time." he started trying not to make anything awkward, his body shivering just a bit from cold. "Fricking prosthetic...." he muttered under his breath as he adjusted his body and he felt water pour out from the pocket of his prosthetic. Jaxon freaked for a moment pulling his wet shirt back on knowing it clinged to his body, going behind the nearest corner he could find and trying desperately to get the water out without taking it off. He knew all too well that if Austin looked around the corner Jaxon's leg would look extremely bent.

 

[King]

Herding cows alone was a pain, but nothing Austin wasn't used to. He jumped over the fence into the soft ground. Of course the rain had slowly been softening the mud, but the sudden pour of water made it sodden with wetness. Austin pulled a face as he looked at his muddy boots, at least they weren't his good ones. Austin ripped a loud whistle which got all of the cows attention. Before he could do anything, Jax's large body was flung over the white fence. Running at the cattle, Jax moved them all in his direction. Not exactly his usual method, but it was quick enough.

The wind was really hollering in his ears as he tried to help keep the barn door open. He couldn't secure the rope on the hook, so he held the door with his strength. Luckily Jax was moving the cattle quickly into the barn. He could barely hear the distressed mooings of his animals as the rain hit his face hard. He watched the tall man smile at him, of course Austin showed a small side smile in return. This guy really could have sat in the guest room, no problem. Austin was thankful such a generous guy stopped by.

Once all of the cattle were in, Jax started talking as he got closer, but Austin could barely hear. That was until the clap of thunder and flash of lightening highlighted a firelog being hurdled past them. Austin wanted to get into his house and possibly even the storm shelter. Before he could bolt for his house, Jax had a grip on his sleeve and pulled him into the barn. The rain was considerably quieter, so the moo's were audible. Austin let out a frustrated sigh, about to turn around and let Jax know he doesn't like to be manhandled about. But the sight when he turned round stopped his mouth from making noise. He'd seen quite a few male torsos, and he does get the same sensation, but this was rather different. He'd never seen such a big man. Austin ripped his eyes away from the body and up to his face as he talked.

"I ain't sleeping with the cows man, but I sure ain't going back out there. We can wait it out." He commented. Maybe it'd do him some good to get to know this Jaxon afterall. Austin looked down at the green shirt clinging to his own built frame, and the jeans being weighed down by the water. He also noticed the stream of water coming from his hat. As he looked up, Jaxon had moved closer, using a finger to wipe off the water from his nose. A ballsy move, Austin just assumed that's what city boys were like.

"It ain't all that common here in Missouri, but it is almost the end of summer." Austin sighed, talking a couple of steps forward to stroke one of the cows. He loved summer, the fact it was almost autumn was kind of saddening to him. Austin walked around a little, making sure each cow was okay, "Now I haven't seen no storm like this in years. Last time we were hit by a tornado-" Austin stopped talking as he turned the corner to see Jaxon's leg grotesquely bent out of shape, "Jesus!" Austin made a face, unsure as to what this situation was.​

 

[ChickadeeC]

Jaxon cursed under his breath as he bent down to finally just pull the damn thing off for a moment so he could dump the water out of it, shimming the rubber sleeve up just a bit so he could pull his knee out, but when he heard Austin shout behind him. It was enough to send all of him flying forward somersaulting onto his back, having done something like that many times before to mess with his nieces. Although this time was different, his leg was left behind him for a stranger to see. "God... fucking damnit!" he cursed scrambling on the dirt floor of the barn to try and grab the mud covered fake leg. His brain pausing for a long moment thinking how bad it would be if he put it back on with it covered in mud, and he froze leaving his leg there in the dirt. His face turning bright red as he pushed himself to a sitting position.

"Do you got any towels?" he asked refusing to look Austin in the face. His hands going to pull up his left pant leg, the thin rubber sleeve he wore over his leg coated in mud. "I should've gotten the waterproof option." Jaxon muttered feeling out of his comfort zone, defenseless against a man he hardly even meet. He let out a long breath realizing there was no going back now, and he pulled off the rubber careful not to get the cotton sock underneath dirty as he shook out the other. A part of him wondering how the hell it got muddy.

Jaxon sat there for a long moment hunched over, his eyes grazing over the cows, glad to see none were harmed. Their soft mooing enough to calm him a bit before he finally looked back up at Austin. "You were saying? Last time there was a tornado in this area?" he started trying desperately trying to play his first crooked leg, now missing leg, off as nothing. He tried to push himself to his foot so he wasn't still sitting there. It only lasted for a moment though the wind outside banging on the side of the barn like a kid with some drum, the cows mooing loudly in distress for a moment, and he fell again back on his ass end. Jaxon sighed in frustration running a hand through his hair, fluffing it a bit to loosen up water. When he looked back up at Austin his eyes locked with the Cowboy's light green, almost brown, eyes, and he felt his demeanor soften just a bit.

Something didn't feel right though to him, he was a big guy missing half his leg, sitting on his ass in the barn of some family. Austin was most likely beyond confused by the fact that he was staring at a fake leg with a muddy military boot on it.
"I suppose I should explain myself..." Jaxon said letting out a breath, his head going up to lay against the wall he was against for a moment before rubbing his hands over his face, trying to get his nerves back. It wasn't like him to be quiet about much, but this was different. This was something about him, he couldn't avoid, and it made him weak. He couldn't function like a normal man anymore, not that he was every normal. "Ex military, discharged... boy when was that? A few months back now, six or seven. I lost my leg to an IED while on patrol one day. I mean they fixed a lot of it back up but knee down, gone. Served three tours..." realizing that sure, most of America was proud of their veteran, but Jaxon wasn't proud of himself. The number of people he had killed, the hours spent lying about himself, everything he had done. Jaxon's eyes lingered at Austin's feet as he got lost in thought.

"Don't get me wrong there are a lot of people proud of me for serving, but it wasn't my first choice. I really only partially came back." Jaxon continued slipping the rubber sleeve back over his knee, flexing the joint a bit to make sure everything was on right, before grabbing his prosthetic giving it a good shake. "When I got this damn thing they didn't make the part that holds my leg right so as you saw it bends in awkward ways and falls off on rare occasions." He took another deep breath in, his heart beating extremely loud, a small portion of him surprised that Austin couldn't hear it, "Fuck it, you already know my best kept secret might as well know the rest about me. This biggest part at least. I'm gay." He started laughing like an idiot knowing he was probably insane and would be thrown off this farm in the middle of this storm, but he didn't care. Jaxon simply pulled out his almost empty flask taking a long drink before putting it back in his pocket.

With a grunt he pulled the prosthetic back on, once again grimacing as it suctioned onto the rubber with a bit of water still in the socket. This time though he didn't care. His mind screaming at him to run, but his heart standing its ground as he pushed himself back up to his feet. For the first time in his life, he truly felt defenseless. Years of getting beaten on not doing anything to touch what he felt at that moment. "Fucking hell Jaxon, gone and done it again." he whispered to himself as he leaned up against the wall, feeling like a cornered animal, eyes locked with Austin's again. He wanted to scream, cry, punch himself, he wanted Austin to punch him. Knock his lights out. This time going for his flask and emptying it not caring if he did anything more stupid. "I've done a lot, a lot of things I'm not proud of. Losing one of my legs is one of them. At the time it was just a simple patrol, me and a buddy out doing something stupid. Well making out in the middle of a war zone stupid, and the moment we heard gun fire we ran. He stepped on the IED, needless to say I got the better end of that deal." Jaxon continued for some reason, he didn't know why, "Hence the discharge, thankfully it wasn't a dishonorable discharge, but I'm never welcomed back..."

That's when he started pacing knowing all too well how much of an idiot he probably looked like. His mind screaming at him to run, to fuck the wind, and storm. To just start walking, and leave everything behind. Although when Jax looked at Austin he couldn't help but calm down a bit, of course he felt that way with every man he thought was cute. Austin was a bit of an exception though, he didn't even know if the cowboy was gay to or if he was overstepping his bounds like he always did.
"Once the storm dies down you can point me to the nearest highway out of town, and I'll be gone if you want me to..." he started looking down at the muddy boots of Austin's once more, his eyes lingering for just a moment on the well toned body.

 

[King]

It seemed clear to Austin he just invaded something Jaxon liked to keep private. He felt the blood rush to his face as he looked to his feet. Austin wanted to help him to his feet and help fix his foot, but he couldn't help but feel like Jaxon would slap him away. He looked at the model foot, recognizing it was a prosthetic. Poor man, he wondered what could have possibly gone wrong. Old man George had an accident with his tractor and lost a leg, but his wooden foot wasn't as good as Jax's. And he was pretty sure he hadn't been in any tractor accidents.

Austin looked down in distress as Jax fell back again, he seemed so frustrated. No doubt, the cows were rustling about in distress, and the wind wasn't making it easier. Austin took some steps forward to help Jax lean against the barn wall. Austin gave a sympathetic smile, "Please do."

He squatted back down so he wasn't staring down at Jax, and listened to him. The dog tags suddenly made sense. Jaxon certainly looked like a military soldier. Austin's family would take good care of him, the whole town was proud of any soldier who came home, after defending America. Austin loved the heroes, he wished he could have been one of them, but he liked his farm a little too much. He wanted to project those thoughts, but Jaxon seemed like he just needed to let it out. He wondered why he would keep it a secret.

Austin also lifted to his feet, giving Jaxon a pat on the back. He was ready to talk, until Jaxon admitted his sexuality. Austin couldn't exactly keep the shock off his face. His eyebrows raised, his mouth open. He'd never spoken to another gay man before, the existence of the word didn't appear in Arkney. The fact Jaxon got discharged because he was, was a surprise. Although, something inside of Austin wriggled in excitement and curiosity about his homosexuality. He wanted all the answers to the questions that had plagued him for a lifetime. But that wasn't for now, it would be awfully rude to take this opportunity selfishly.

When Jax suggested he get out of town, Austin shook his head, hands on his hips. "Now I ain't doin' that." Austin started, sighing out as he tried to figure out how to process this information. "My family ain't about to kick out a soldier, discharged or not. The whole town are gonna welcome you as a hero." Austin smiled, taking a step closer to Jax, who seemed a little less stressed. "I mean, I wouldn't go about parading your, uh, business." He cringed, wondering why he couldn't say it directly. Maybe he was just used to tip-toeing the subject. "Arkney folk ain't quite as liberal as the city, but we're accomodatin'. I think you should stay, at least til we know it's safe out there." Austin patted his shoulder again, trying to show he's friendly, and definitely not judgmental, "How about that?"
​

 

[ChickadeeC]

​

Jaxon looked at Austin with wide eyes as he was told he could stay. His heart skipping a beat at the thought that he could stay with Austin's family Although the thought of everyone knowing he was military bothering him. Jaxon passed for a moment walk a short ways away from Austin and then back to him. That's when it registered, Austin's reaction to Jaxon's confession about his sexulity. "I can roll with that. Hell I'll even help. Wouldn't mind it." he started taking a step closer to the cowboy looking him in the eye. The space between them suddenly very minimal as he backed up Austin against the wall.

The man was a lot shorter then him, but the brim of the hat still only brushed his forehead when Austin looked up. Jaxon nearly getting lost in the man's bluish green eyes. A smirk gracing his face. The very thought of just how much he wanted to claim Austin as his slapping him in the face for a mere moment.

"Can I ask you something?" he started leaning down just enough knowing very well he was push his boundaries, that he was being ballsy, but that was him in a nutshell. Jaxon couldn't help it as he ran a thumb over the man's lower lip waiting for him to pull away or punch him. "Just based on your reactions Austin... something tells me you're gay to." he continued pushing his boundaries even farther bring his face in rather close to Austin so he could look eye to eye with the man even if he had to hunch over quite a bit. Despite the alcohol in his system this was normal for him, nothing was needed for him to do everything to push the limit.

"You must have a million question for someone who is from a small town like this. Where there isn't that much room outside the cookie cutter of this town." Jaxon continued wanting nothing more than to lean down and press his lips against the cowboy's even though it would earn him a good slugging. With a smirk he stood back up straight before thunder shook the barn once more and he almost hit the deck. The noise enough to make bad memories come back to haunt him.

"Say you wouldn't happen to have an alcohol stashed around this place? Could use more to weather this storm..." he asked leaning up against the wall next to Austin pulling the empty flask from his pocket and easily tossing it to the man. Hoping that there was a stash, there was something about the way alcohol made him feel, it numbed him. His eyes still tracing the curves of the man's body, curious about what could be going on in Austin's brain.

 

[King]

Austin smiled as Jaxon offered help. His mother would soon become irritated if he just lazed around the house for his stay. He nodded, hand still on his arm. It wasn't intentional, in fact, he only remembered he was holding on as Jaxon got closer. He had to tilt his head up to see him over the brim of his hat. He shrugged at the first question. Although he now realized it was a rather closer encounter. Austin removed his hand from his arm, trying to back up a little, but the heel of his boot kicked the barn wall.

The second the question was asked, Austin frowned. Was he? He didn't know. Hell, he couldn't even think of the last time he thought of a woman in a romantic, or sexual way. But a few men had graced his dreams. But that wasn't fully gay? He'd never even kissed another guy before, so how was he to know. Although, he wanted to discuss this, he knew if Jax opened his mouth to his parents, that'd be the end of this dream life. The thumb on his bottom lip made him want to get touched more, but now wasn't the time.

A sort of rational thought weighed in as he slid away, an awkward chuckle left Austin as he tried not to make Jax feel bad. He was glad the man leaned up and away. "Uh, no, I ain't one to date." He said vaguely. Austin wondered if he intentionally wanted to leave it vague, or if he was just too scared to admit it out loud.

To avoid too much internal conflict, Austin coughed and moved straight onto the conversation about alcohol. He sighed with a smile on his face as the metal was thrown to his boot. Austin picked it up, immediately smelling the hard liquor. He hoped to God this man wasn't an alcoholic, because he really hated to drink. And certainly couldn't handle it. Austin was such a lightweight for a man his size. "Well, you and my father are certainly gonna get along." Austin smirked as he handed the flask back, "But today ain't your day, he took his last bottle of whiskey into the house, we can check though. When I was younger, me and my friends would spend ages in here lookin' for a drop he forgot about."​

 

[ChickadeeC]

[spoili]

[/spoili]
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Jaxon smirked looking closely at the cowboy, trying not to laugh as the man obviously dodged answering the question. "Call it intuition but something tells me you are." he continued not sure why he continued to push the topic, well he knew why he pushed the topic, but he didn't need to. When he got the flask back he sighed, the itch be numb again nagging at his body, he wasn't ready to handle anything sober. Jaxon let out a long sigh fingering the metal flask before trying to stuff it back in his pocket.

"Aint one date, or haven't had the chance?" Jaxon said with a bit of concern. He himself couldn't imagine a life where the world outside his home was so basic. So in one mind set. He at least had a few friends that he could escape to whenever he got tired of his father beating on him. He at least had the chance to be him. To be what he knew he was. "Forget about the alcohol. I'll just pick up more when I get the chance." Jaxon let out a long sigh before looking down at his boots, the thought of just how wet his clothes were barely bothering him.

He sighed thinking to himself about what Austin's life was like as a kid. Not knowing, or not being able to be himself was murder on Jaxon's mind. All the time in the military was testimony to that. When he looked back up at Austin he smiled, "So would it be to much to ask to know something about you. I mean you've already figured out my greatest secret. There isn't many people out there who know I'm missing a portion of my leg."
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[King]

Austin ignored the pushiness. Although, Austin wanted to probe some questions. How do you even know you're gay? How does like, gay sex even work? Do you need condoms? Things Austin was too scared to even google, if the internet ever worked. He just wanted to know but one question would be enough for Jaxon to start probing again. He didn't feel like opening up about that yet. Although now he knew he was gay, Austin didn't feel bad as he checked out his body when his eyes were diverted. He had his hands on his hips, shaking his head at the question. It was a surprise, but Austin really didn't like to date.

It wasn't too much to ask Austin to talk about his own life. But there wasn't much to talk about. Most people here had the same stories, they all shared the experiences. He was sure Jaxon had more life experiences than Austin did. A little jealous, Austin sighed as he tried to figure out what to even tell.

"Well, I ain't been in the army, or had any big injuries." He shrugged, hoping Jaxon wouldn't roll his eyes in boredom. "I mean, I've lived in his house all my life. Just me, my momma and father." He took off his cowboy hat, setting it on a pile of hay as he walked a little closer to stroke a particularly stressed cow. "Same friends all my life, same horse. It's typical small town life." He chuckled, "I guess I'm what you'd expect from a cowboy." Even though Austin was only 21, young and barely scratching the surface of his life experiences, he felt sort of boring compared to the city folk it seemed.

"You ever ridden a horse?" He changed the subject again, his face lit up. Austin couldn't wait to get Western back. He provided him to his friends farm, after his horse died. He'd be seeing him soon, but he missed him. "Loping through them fields out there is the best feeling. I love riding that boy - horse, y'know." Austin swallowed as he let the cow wander off. He sat next to Jaxon on the floor, his cheeks rose tinted.

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[ChickadeeC]

Jaxon couldn't help but smile. A quiet childhood was something he at one point had wished for all those years in the city, but at the same time he would've probably ran away at one point to go live in the big city where he would find people like him. "Sounds kinda nice truthfully. Kinda simple but nice at the same time." he said, softly chuckling. "I've never meet a cowboy before so don't count yourself out." Jaxon smiled allowing for his eyes to wander a bit when Austin turned his back to him admiring the man in his jeans. It was a sight he would never get tired of seeing, and his time of ogling may be limited.

At the question of riding a horse Jaxon's eyebrow raised, "I've only tried once, overseas on a dare, and I could practically step right over the horse. I didn't realize some were so short." He laughed at the memory making his way back over to Austin standing amongst the cows, running a hand through his hair as one of the smaller ones wandered up to him out of curiosity. Jaxon smiled squatting so he could rub it's head only to be surprised as the calf went to lick his hand. It was one of the few times an unmanly squeak left his mouth, "I didn't realize cows had such long tongues, holy shit..." Jaxon leaned in a bit closer to the calf who could only seem to happily be curious.

It started to smell Jaxon, almost like a dog before that long tongue came out again licking up the side of Jaxon's face, and Jaxon started to sputter. Laughing as his hair stuck up where he was licked. "No wonder they call it a cow lick!" he squealed just a bit pulling his shirt off again only to use it as a towel, knowing he had more in the house, and honestly if hall he had on his shirt was cow spittle, he really didn't care. The calf almost seemed to start wagging its tail like a dog, nuzzling itself into Jaxon's chest. "Oh I could get use to this..." he smiled bashfully as he squatted there shirtless with the calf. Rubbing the animal's back, his mind not even worrying about the scars that littered his body, the dog tag tattoo bared for Austin to see. "Are these all meat animals? I want to know. I'd love to get to know about the farm, especially if you don't mind me helping around here."

 

[King]

Austin smiled, he liked being the first cowboy people met. He liked being the hero the young boys looked up to, he thought he was a damn good model for them. Jaxon seemed to be interested in the lifestyle, which was cute. Austin never met somebody from out of state, let alone a big city. So he was excited to show Jaxon what it really took to be a cowboy. He allowed the cows to nuzzle him, seemingly more calm. The noise outside had calmed down a hell of a lot, so hopefully the two men could head inside.

Watching Jaxon interact with the baby animal was in fact, warming his heart. This man probably only touched cows through steak patties. "Yeah, they real curious animals. He'll eat that shirt of yours if you ain't careful." He chuckled as he watched the cow nuzzle him. The shirt came off again, making Austin sigh a little. He always did like looking at mens chests. Even when he was younger. But he felt too watched to try, like Jaxon was gonna call him out and try to convince him he was gay. Austin didn't want the situation to end up awkward again.

"These babies? Oh no, milk and show cattle." He walked over to pat the excited calf on it's fuzzy head. "She's too cute to be meat, look at that face." He smiled down at his cow like he was looking at his first born child. He did a lot of selling of his cattle, but kept the cutest ones and showed them at the county fairs. "We got our chickens for meat and eggs." He didn't like killing the animals himself, and still gets a little sad when he has to, but his father drilled it into him. It was necessary.

"Y'know, it sounds like it's quietened down. I say we head back in and I get us out of our clothes and into some dry ones." He kept patting the delighted cow as he smiled up to Jaxon. The wet shirt clinging to him was making him feel sticky, and his jeans were beyond heavy now. No matter how much he'd like to stay in the barn, petting cows and talking, he wanted dry clothes ASAP.
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