Come morning, Abel awoke and made his way silently downstairs, finding a spot in front of the dull fire after receiving a small mug of warm milk from a young server. It wasn't very cold outside when he had checked before sitting, but the milk still soothed his worried nerves. Nothing, however, could quell the terrible ache in his backside. Images of Kirin's physical attentions swarmed his mind again, as they had been all morning and eve. His heart fluttered into a paced canter, slowly working its way up to a trot. It probably would have grown into a full-blown gallop if fear hadn't slammed into his chest, halting his excitement in an instant.

No wonder Father told me not to make those feelings surface.

"Hey there, hun."

Abel flinched, biting the lip of the mug he held to keep from letting a sound slip out. When he had control of himself again, he looked up, noticing the man who had taken him upstairs the night before.

Hollem.

"Hello," Abel replied with an awkward nod as a blush covered his cheeks. Instead of poking fun at his obvious coloring, Hollem calmly slid into the large wing chair beside him with a small smile on his face.

"How was your night?" he finally asked, making Abel shift uneasily.

"Painful."

He hadn't meant to say that. Heck, he hadn't meant to say anything. The words just slipped out. Abel hunched in his chair, hoping that the man would ignore him. Of course, he was quite low on luck from his current status as prisoner, thief, and murderer, so he wasn't surprised in the least when Hollem spoke. A slight chuckle sounded in his words but died quite quickly when he noticed that Abel had been being honest.

"I am sorry, hun. You did not know that your companion... I mean, you two were not physically involved prior to coming here?" Hollem asked.

Shaking his head, Abel forced himself to take another sip of his warm milk. The liquid was not settling well in his stomach. He had made a mistake and would try not to dwell on it. Though it was hard not to when Hollem refused to drop the subject, even when it was clear that he did not want to talk about it.

"I checked on your friend before coming down here. He will be up soon. Are you going to tell him what has happened? I do not doubt that he will remember eventually, but perhaps you will have a day or so to put together what you wish to say..."

What I wish to say?

Furrowing his brows, Abel set his mug aside on the tiny table between them and frowned. "What do you mean?"

The man's smile returned as he stood. "It is clear that you are unfamiliar with the idea of relationships. Please, do not allow him to figure it out on his own. Tell him what has happened as soon as you are able."

Before Abel could question him further, Hollem leaned over and pressed a small kiss to his forehead before sauntering off with a swagger that emphasized his hips. When Hollem disappeared around a corner, a sound over by the stairs drew Abel's gaze to Kirin, who was now standing at the bottom of them, one hand pressed against his forehead. It was clear in his eyes that he was hungover from the large drink he'd had the night prior, but when their eyes met, the pain in the man's head seemed to be pushed to the back of his mind. His face lit up, an excited grin on his lips as he walked over. Instead of sitting, he dropped several coins onto the counter to pay for their night then stopped behind Abel, forcing the younger man to turn in his seat.

"How was your night, Abel? Did you enjoy yourself as much as I feel I did?" Kirin asked.

Ah, so he cannot remember. Yet.

Forcing down an inkling of rising fear, Abel faked a smile and nodded. When Kirin remained standing, he hesitantly got to his feet, wincing only once from the terrible ache in his backside. He noticed the lawman watching him, but the haze of sleep, or at least the throbbing in his temples from the alcohol, seemed to keep his curiosity from being voiced. Instead, he slowly nodded, then gestured for Abel to follow him. Unfortunately, when they stepped outside, Abel realized what was going to occur.

I cannot ride a horse right now!

He hurt badly enough. Thinking about getting up onto the horse turned his thoughts to speaking with the lawman about what had happened.

But what will that do? he thought to himself as Kirin unfastened his horse from the hitching post and began walking it over. It will do nothing. We still have to get back to my old town today, truth or no truth. Pain or no pain.

"Abel, are you feeling alright? You look rather pale."

He had no doubt. When Kirin stopped in front of him, he warily stared up at the horse's back, wishing over anything else that he had not given way to curiosity. You need to deal with it. You made the mistake. Biting his lower lip, he hurried to hoist himself up into the saddle, nearly crying out as a shot of pain jolted up his spine.

Kirin was up in the saddle a moment later, but even as they started heading down the road, he looked over his shoulder at Abel several times. Worry was clear in his eyes. No matter how hard Abel tried to hide his growing discomfort, the saddle was not built for two people, and as the horse cantered slowly, Abel couldn't keep his face expressionless. He was glad, however, when Kirin decided against pushing questions upon him. They rode until the sun was directly overhead, stopping at a small pond less than a mile from a town, which they had just passed through to wash briefly. Unfortunately, that was when Kirin turned his full attention to Abel as they both removed their clothing in order to slip into the waist-deep stream.

Abel had been trying the whole morning to keep himself calm, but after riding for several hours, he couldn't hide the limp in his step, and evidently there was much more damning evidence than he'd thought.

"Abel... Did you... You had a male prostitute?"

Flinching, Abel hurried into the cold water. He noticed what had given him away abruptly as it began to wash away in the current. Blood washed from his leg and as he awkwardly rubbed his sore backside, more began to come off of his skin. No wonder it had hurt so badly.

"Abel, why would you have a male prostitute? That is unholy and... and wrong," Kirin said, still sounding like he couldn't believe what had occurred.

Hurt welled up in Abel's chest as he turned to face Kirin, who was now completely nude and walking into the chilly water. He was all muscle where Abel knew he had very little. He was also tall, where Abel was merely average height. And Abel's eyes trailed down Kirin's chest, dusted with dark curls to his manhood, only managing a glimpse before it slipped beneath the surface of the water. A thin wave of something akin to jealousy rushed through his body before he took a step back, eyes narrowing at the lawman.

"What does it matter who I decide to take to my bed? God did not smite me for the decision, as I am still here," Abel growled back.

The look that his little outburst put on Kirin's face would have been humorous if Abel weren't so worried that he felt faint, even standing in the chilly water. It had been Kirin who had initiated the act! Even if he had been allowing Hollem to touch him, he had not given Kirin such permissions... at first. Feeling his face warm, Abel turned and walked into the deeper section of the pond, feeling the water rise up to his torso before he began to run his hands along his arms and legs to remove any grime or sweat from the previous day's endeavors. Among other things.

Silence took over, allowing Abel to wash in peace for all of five minutes. When Kirin stepped in front of him, he hesitantly looked up. Uh-oh. The look in the lawman's eyes showed slight understanding. Not enough, though, to show that he realized what had happened yet.

"I am sorry, Abel. I got ahead of myself. I should not judge. Not everyone is religious, and I have no right to tell you whom you should share your bed with." He chuckled then. "Especially not when I take you to a brothel myself."

Valid point, Abel thought to himself before he had to refocus abruptly. Kirin had leaned over, his face mere inches from his own. Curious eyes met his, narrowed, then widened slightly. Realization. Abel could see things beginning to piece themselves together through the haze of alcohol that had previously clouded Kirin's mind. Worried, he began backing away, slipping farther down in the water until it reached his shoulders. The urge to run filled him, but he knew he wouldn't get far. His backside throbbed, and after riding for half a day, he had no wish to harm himself further by trying a fruitless escape.

So, he waited. Watching as the man's face slowly continued to change. When he finally returned his expression to his normally calm demeanor, Abel knew that he had figured things out. What he would do about it, however, still seemed to be working itself out in Kirin's eyes as he slowly let his hands run along his skin, cleaning without really paying it any mind.

"You did not couple with that male prostitute... did you, Abel?" he finally asked quietly.

Fighting back surges of worry and fear, Abel slowly shook his head, blinking down at the water. He thought the man might be upset with him, worried about his own image in God's eyes, but when a gentle but callused hand settled against his cheek, thumb tucked under his chin, Abel found his head being guided up until he was forced to meet Kirin's eyes. They were calm now, but he could tell that there were plenty of emotions still warring just beneath their surface. When the lawman said nothing for several moments, Abel licked his dry lips and looked off to the side, though he still couldn't move his head.

"You were very drunk, sir. It was a mistake... Think nothing of it."

Returning his gaze to Kirin's, Abel realized that the man had moved much closer. Their faces were only inches apart, but as soon as he had finished speaking, Kirin withdrew a step.

His mouth opened, then closed, before opening again and finally managing words. "A... yes. A mistake." He paused for a moment, his eyes remaining on Abel until he continued. "Are you alright?"

Abel looked down as Kirin allowed his hand to drop back to the water. Abel knew the man had seen him limping, along with all of his other strange behavior during their ride. He was asking out of courtesy, as there was nothing that could be done about the pain besides resting. They could not afford to do that, however, so he just shrugged.

"The pain will be gone in time. Shall we continue on our way?"

Kirin seemed surprised but slowly nodded after a moment of thought and began wading back to the shore where they had left their clothing. He was completely dressed by the time Abel stepped ashore, and instead of tending to his horse, who was grazing several paces away, he walked over to him.

"Let me help. I know you are hurting."

Abel could hear what the man had not said aloud. That he felt responsible for his pain. They were both to blame to a point, he figured, but Abel wasn't interested in arguing, and considering how badly his backside was hurting, he would not decline his offer. Kirin was extremely careful as he helped Abel into his breeches, allowing him to hold onto his shoulders as he gently tugged the pants over his damp thighs. He decided against fastening them to keep less pressure off of his aching backside, reminding Abel that the shirt he was borrowing would easily hide anything during their ride. Once he was completely clothed, Abel hobbled his way toward the horse, not bothering to hide the fact that he was hurting now that the knowledge of their awkward intercourse was out in the open. Right before he could mount, though, Kirin settled his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Wait a moment," he said before swinging up into the saddle. He then offered Abel a hand, but when he was pulled up, Abel found himself settled in the lawman's lap and not in the actual saddle. If he were in the saddle, he would look like how a female or young child would with both legs out to the side instead of straddling the saddle.

But it feels much better this way.

When Kirin wrapped his free arm around his waist, Abel gladly settled in against his chest. The horse began to move, but sitting on the man's left thigh was far more comfortable than the slightly harder saddle and Abel found that it hurt him far less.

"Is this any better, Abel?" Kirin asked after a few moments.

Abel nodded, his hair brushing against Kirin's shirt. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

Kirin's arm tightened around him slightly as the horse sped up.

"You are welcome, Abel."