Vices Of The Heart

Steve had seen it coming, the day it all blew up in his face, the day his happy ending faded away right before his very eyes. Because he always knew it wouldn't last forever, how could it?

"Darlin'-" he spoke in a hushed tone, large, honey brown, eyes quickly met with the cold, hard stone of Billy's own.

"Don't," the blonde grit through clenched teeth, spinning on the heel of his boot to point a firm finger at the older boy's face, "Don't go callin' me that or I swear on Christ's name." Steve's frown deepened and heart ached as he watched everything they built together since they started working together crumble in seconds.

He shook his head, setting his jaw as he looked to the side, the brim of his Stetson barely blocking the setting sun splayed across the pasture from blinding him completely. His hands found a home on his hips, like they usually did when he was thinking or defeated, in this situation both, "'N how're we supposed to get along 'n, huh?" he questioned, head spinning back around, feeling like it could explode with all the thoughts it held, "Pretend like this was nothing, like we ain't never had what we had?"

Billy just looked at him, thumbs tucked neatly into the front pockets of his work jeans, belt buckle reflecting the sunlight to create a sparkling gleam. Steve felt like an idiot for thinking about how beautiful he looked right now, ringlet curls and tanned skin glowing like gold, but he couldn't help it, "Hell I du'nno, Harrington, maybe," the younger man scrubbed a calloused hand over his face, tongue gliding alone the inside of his lower lip, "This was a mistake," he sighed, "Biggest damn mistake I ever made."

Steve scoffed, a smile of disbelief spreading across his face "You callin' me a mistake?". Billy's lips pulled into a taunt sort of smile, eyebrows raising along with his shoulders into an obvious shrug, "That's right rich comin' from you, huh, cowboy?"

Billy's eyes instantly narrowed, visibly adjusting his stance to make himself look bigger, but Steve knew him too well, could see behind his tough facade. His words had hurt, "Fuck you," he grumbled, nostrils flared like a bull ready to charge.

"Think you're so rough and tumble, now 'n?" Steve challenged, arms falling from his hips back to his side, "C'mon 'n hoss, come fuck me up yur'self." It was a risky move, poking at a brudding Billy in a state like this, almost as dangerous as playing with a lit match. But Steve knew he couldn't do it, couldn't bring himself to dish out more than he could handle, not after last time.

Billy spit, hard and sharp towards the ground, "You don't get it do ya?" he retorted, "I don't know whatcha find so hard 'a get through that molasses thick skull 'o yours. But this, this," he gestured between the two of them in a frantic motion, "thing we got goin' on here... it ain't... it ain't natural, Steve."

The realness of the blonde man's tone cut through him like a cattle prod, but he knew those weren't his words, "You been spendin' too much time 'round your ole man again, hadn't you?" It didn't take much to make Billy start questioning their relationship, if you could even call it that. Just a few wrong words or a suspicious looking glance in public got him going, but nothing lit a fire under his ass like a swift talking to from his father.

Billy sighed heavily, grabbing the hat off his hat by the brim, left hand running smoothly through his sweat slicked hair, "And what if I have?" he questioned, daring to take a step closer to Steve as he readjusted the hat on his head, "You think he's wrong?"

The brunette couldn't help but look at his partner with a dumbfounded disbelief, "Hell yeah I think that sick son of a bitch is wrong, Bill!" he quickly exclaimed, "You don't?"

"I just..." Billy started, chewing anxiously on the inside of his cheek, "I don't know anymore." The admission was meak, quiet and cowardly, like it pained him to say. Steve knew he was tired, hell, exhausted being stuck under the watchful eye of his father. Him wanting Billy to take over the ranch on his own one day and carry on the legacy didn't help the hefty pressure pushing down on him, "Sometimes I think he is, but then I'm with you 'n... shit."