Work Text:
Joshua Faraday was not the sort of man that fooled around. Oh, he made advances, made sure it looked like he was just this side of gentlemanly when it came to his pursuits of the fairer sex. He'd learned early on that if you behaved a certain way you could make a public show of your interest and also lessen the chances of any woman actually wanting to be with you pretty substantially. So he stared and he blew kisses and he winked and he flirted like the vagabond he was and the problem more or less took care of itself.
No one cared if they'd never actually seen you with a woman if all they saw you do was chase them.
There was of course also the problem of the people Faraday was attracted to. His strategy there was to avoid at all costs. While he did occasionally come across a man who seemed more than willing there were... complications on Faraday's end that he'd learned could not be surmounted. In his youth he'd engaged in a great deal of introspection. He hadn't had much of a choice considering those same complications. As a result, it was rare that he came across a situation he hadn't at least considered before. For example, he knew exactly how he should handle traveling across the wilderness with five other men all of whom were varying degrees of blindingly attractive.
What he hadn't considered was Red Harvest. As soon as the Comanche came strolling out of the woods on his horse, through the blind fear in his mind and the impression that he was about to very dead, Faraday was more than aware that failing that he was very very screwed. The sense of foreboding only got worse when Sam told them that the man was coming with them. Faraday swallowed hard, holstered his pistol and tried to remember how breathing usually went. He spent the night trying to figure out what the fuck he was going to do. The answer he came up with was to avoid even harder than usual.
He threw himself into his avoidance like some men threw themselves into whiskey. He barely looked at the man. He didn't try to speak with him the way Goodnight, Billy, Vasquez, and Sam did, to varying degrees of success. He slept as far from the man as possible at night, though that wasn't hard as Red Harvest usually seemed to want to be pretty far out from camp itself. He was doing pretty good at pretending the other man didn't exist if he did say so himself.
He splashed water on his face giving a heavy sigh, staring at his reflection in the small creek. He'd made sure everyone else had seen to their morning washing first so he could get the fuck out of his vest. It worked to keep his breasts hidden, with the corset sewn underneath it but goddamn, wearing it too long was like torture. There was the sound of leaves shifting behind him and he tensed.
"I frighten you," a deep voice spoke. Faraday jumped a foot in the air, spinning and holding his vest closed ineffectively.
"Jesus Christ- well you sure are right now!" he yelped. He looked down at himself then back up at Red Harvest. Shit. "Now you listen here. I'm a man, you understand? You tell anybody about this and I'll shoot you so full of lead you'll be more bullet than man, got it?" Red Harvest gave him a look like he was a raving idiot.
"Of course you are," he said slowly as though he thought Faraday might be too slow to grasp his own language. "I frighten you. This is a problem. We are to fight together. You must trust me or we both die." Farraday blinked rapidly.
"I'm not scared of you," he sputtered. "You- hey wait a minute. You speak English?!"
"Some," Red Harvest told him. "More, now that I listen to all of you." Faraday blinked still clinging to his vest holding it closed like he hadn't just given up his biggest fucking secret to the one person in the whole fucking West who apparently didn't care.
"Well, I ain't afraid of you," Faraday said again. "It's- I've got your back, alright? No worries." Red Harvest considered him a moment longer before nodding as though satisfied. Without another word he turned and started back off towards camp. What the fuck?
If before Faraday's problem was that he couldn't avoid the man hard enough now it was the opposite. He'd never had anyone react that way, so matter of fact and completely unconcerned. He was... grateful. Intrigued. Attracted with a fury he had not before known. He knew he wasn't being careful enough. Everyone could see his sudden fascination. More than that he knew Red Harvest could see it. The man had noticed when he was avoiding him with all the artistry he had at his disposal. Of course he noticed that Farraday was now staring with all skill of an infatuated schoolboy.
Billy and Goodnight kept giving him these damn knowing smirks and he was ready to kill them both. He'd learned over the years you could count on the ability of social outcasts to recognize each other, he just hoped they only knew the bit where he was attracted to men. He was in the unique position of that being the most acceptable portion of his character.
***
It was two days after that incident at the creek when Red Harvest sat next to him at dinner for the first time. Conversation around the fire stopped and everyone looked at him with curiosity. He didn't generally eat with them. They'd all assumed he was hunting for his own food. This assumption was confirmed when he held out something that looked some kind of smoked meat to Farraday.
"White man's food is for dogs," he said simply as if that was some kind of explanation. Faraday blinked, reaching out cautiously to take a piece.
"Thanks," he said blinking rapidly. What the hell was happening? It did taste pretty good. Salty and the smoke was detectable in the flavor. Vasquez reached for a piece too and Red Harvest pulled the bag away, giving him a bit of a glare and shifting closer the Faraday. Um? Billy snorted in laughter and Faraday glared at him. He wished he could see what the fuck was so funny about this. He couldn't glean heads or tails out of this damned situation.
It only got weirder when Red Harvest followed him to his bedroll, leading his horse behind him. Faraday gave him a puzzled look but didn't say anything. He didn't say anything when the man whispered something to the horse he imagined was some variation of 'stay' and sat down next to him either. What in God's holy name? The man had never slept in the camp before, let alone next to one of them. He wondered if maybe he'd offended the man somehow and he was trying to run him out of camp through a campaign of confusion and intimidation. But then why share his food like that? He stared at Red Harvest as if he could figure him out by looking at him hard enough.
"Get some sleep," the Comanche murmured. His voice had an odd tilt to it. Quiet and soft. Faraday blinked again but shook his head throwing his hands up in the air. Okay then.
Red Harvest was gone when Faraday woke up the next morning and he couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed. He moved to the fire for breakfast, sitting down next to Goodnight and pouring himself some coffee. The older man chuckled a bit when he reached for the cornbread.
"You sure your friend wants you eating that?" he joked. Faraday glared at him.
"You know you and Billy are starting to peeve me with your knowing looks and your jokes at my expense," he said flatly. "If you know what's going on here please, for the love of God inform me. I've about hit my wit's end." Billy outright laughed.
"He's sweet on you," he said, smirking around his cup. Faraday stared at the both of them as Goodnight broke into laughter again.
"Y'all're touched in the head," Faraday said firmly. They both laughed harder.
"Listen, son," Goodnight said. "I've been around a while and I've seen my fair of love-struck men. Even been one a time or two. I know the look. That Comanche's head over heels and halfway to gone." Faraday arched his brow.
"I think you're so love-addled you see it everywhere you look," Faraday countered, nodding to Billy. Billy shook his head, laughing again.
"Whatever you say, Faraday," he said with a chuckle. Faraday made a frustrated sound and stood walking back over to his corner of the camp. He blinked when he saw Red Harvest there talking to Jack in the same low tones he used for his own horse.
"Jack doesn't usually take to strangers," He murmured walking to stand next to them.
"He's protective of you," Red Harvest said. Faraday arched a brow.
"He tell you that?" he asked.
"In his own way."
Faraday chuckled shaking his head.
"Well, thank you, Jack. I appreciate that," he said patting the horse's neck.
"You should eat," Red Harvest said, nodding to the bag he'd left by Faraday's saddle. Faraday gave it a puzzled look, Goodnight and Billy's words rattling in his head. That wasn't... why?
"Thanks," he said again. The word felt insufficient and weak but Red Harvest just gave him a smile and nod, before walking off.
Faraday watched the man as they rode. It was easy as, instead of riding ahead as he'd done previously, Red Harvest kept close to him, nearly right next to him the whole day. He thought long and hard as they went. It was probably just the man wanted to be friends. That made more sense. He'd agreed that Faraday was a man so, it wasn't about... fixing him or what have you.
By the time they decided to make camp he'd thought himself in circles so long he was in a right state. He'd just have to ask the man what he was about. That was all there was to it. He just hoped he didn't offend him offend somehow. He gave a heavy sigh climbing down off Jack and tying him up to a short tree. Just as he'd expected Red Harvest dismounted next to him, whispering to his horse again. Faraday pulled his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. Fuck, this wasn't going to be fun.
"Hey, uh," he said faltering briefly when Red Harvest turned to look at him. Jesus, the man's eyes weren't fair. "Can I uh, talk to you?" Red Harvest nodded his brow furrowing in confusion. Faraday bit his lip, nodding like an idiot. "Good. Right. Uh..." He cut himself off turning and walking away from camp. The last thing he needed was anybody overhearing him make a fool of himself.
"What's wrong?" Red Harvest asked when Farraday decided they'd gotten far enough for privacy and stopped. Jesus, he actually sounded concerned.
"I, uh... I'm confused," he said. "What's... what is this? I mean are you.... is this a friendship thing or a... listen I don't want to offend you or anything but I don't want to get the wrong impression and-" Faraday cut off with a shocked noise when Red Harvest leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Good God they were just as soft as they looked. He made a soft noise, leaning into the kiss and felt Red Harvest smile against him.
"You think too much," the other man murmured when he pulled away. His hands had found Faraday's face and a thumb stroked along his cheek gently. Faraday couldn't help but lean into it, licking his lips.
"I think that may be the first time anyone's ever said that to me," he murmured.
"There are few who know you well enough to see it," Red Harvest said. Faraday couldn't help but laugh.
"If everybody saw through me the way you do I'd have been locked in a nut house years ago," he breathed.
"I do not know what this means, but I will not let it happen," Red Harvest assured him. Faraday shook his head.
"It's where they put people like me. Confused people. Soldiers who have nightmares. Women who wear pants and drink whiskey and call themselves Joshua." Red Harvest's expression grew darker.
"You are not a woman," he said firmly and Faraday smiled helplessly.
"Thank you," he said weakly. Red Harvest's arms went around him and Faraday couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so safe.
"We should head back to camp," the other man told him. "Jack Horne will think I've killed and eaten you if we stay away much longer." Faraday burst out laughing.
"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed. He clung to the man as they walked back to camp. The whole way back he expected him to pull away. Put a respectable distance between them. Even Goodnight and Billy, obvious to anyone with eyes, maintained a plausible deniability. But he didn't. Red Harvest's arm stayed around him and he kept himself pressed close. When they sat at the fire Red Harvest sat directly behind him, arms around his waist. Faraday shivered, leaning back into the touch.
Vasquez gave them a look.
"Um?" he asked, blinking. He looked much like Faraday imagined he had in the last couple days. For the first time, he understood why Goodnight and Billy had found it so damn funny.
"He is my man," Red Harvest said simply, as though that was all there was to it. Faraday thought he might be tearing up a little. Must be the smoke from the fire.
Goodnight and Billy looked entirely too pleased with themselves and even Sam was smiling. The only one who looked even a bit disgruntled was Horne, but he always looked a bit constipated when he was around Red Harvest.
"Okay then," Vaquez said with a nod after a moment. He still looked mildly baffled but no one had started screaming about Soddom and Gemorah and the destruction of immortal souls so he'd take it as a win. He swallowed hard, taking Red Harvest's hand in his and threading their fingers together. It was definitely the smoke.