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Landslide
by bigboobedcanuck

Chapter One

Here's the first part of my new Bright/Ephram fic. I have to dedicate this to misswindy for completely breaking me with her fabulous B/E fic "Through the Wire," which unleashed a B/E plot bunny that has been gnawing my brain for weeks.
The title is stolen from the Stevie Nicks/Dixie Chicks song. The line, "Well, I've been afraid of changing, 'cause I've built my life around you" made me think of Bright, in regards to Colin. This fic is a bit of an AU in that Colin never had surgery again and just kept on being a jerk. So, after Bright stopped talking to him (after the fight), he never started again and he's still being treated like a "leopard." Hee.
Alright, enough blathering. All feedback is deeply appreciated, as always!
Meaningless Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, so please don't sue me, Berlanti.
Rating: R

[ * ]

Ephram wavered on his feet slightly as the frothy beer overflowed in his plastic cup. He placed a steadying hand of the top of the keg.

“Hey, don’t waste the fucking beer!” The guy behind Ephram in line pushed him aside and Ephram stumbled. He managed to keep his cup upright.

“Yes, we must not waste the beer. Right you are,” Ephram said. The guy fixed him with a withering gaze and Ephram wandered off.

The bush party was in full swing, teenagers as far as the eye could see. Ephram took a swig from his cup and leaned on the hood of a car. School had been out for a couple of weeks and this party had thus far been the highlight of his social calendar. He grimaced and again lamented his decision to stay in Everwood for the summer.

He could be in Manhattan right now, hanging with people who were actually cool. But it had made his father so pathetically happy when he’d casually mentioned staying, and he figured that after everything that had happened, his dad deserved some happiness.

“Hey.” Bright Abbott leaned beside him against the car.

“Hey,” Ephram said. Ever since Colin had Hulked out and become a total prick, Bright and Ephram had been talking more. Ephram had seen him around town a few times and they’d played pinball together once.

“Fun party, huh?” Bright looked like he was having anything but fun.

“Sure, I guess.” Ephram took another gulp. Bright did the same, draining the rest of his beer. “What’s the matter, Abbott, don’t you have anyone else to hang out with?”

Bright said nothing and began shredding his plastic cup.

Ephram felt a stab of guilt. Bright wasn’t so bad. After the debacle at the dance with Gemma’s cousin, he’d actually apologized. “Hey, I was just kidding. Where’s Gemma?”

Bright snorted. “Haven’t you seen her with her new boyfriend? They’ve been all over each other all night.” He motioned with his head. Ephram looked over and saw Gemma and Steve Tucker going at it on the hood of a car.

“Oh. Sorry.” Ephram knew that Colin and the rest of the in crowd where still giving Bright the cold shoulder, but he’d figured Gemma was different.

“Apparently, it’s not me, it’s her. Whatever, I’ll live.” Bright’s cup lay in strips on the ground and he absently shuffled them around with his toe.

“So, um…how’s Amy?” Ephram looked over at her and Colin, snuggling by the bonfire. She and Colin were practically joined at the hip these days. Ephram had tried to convince Amy that Colin needed help, but it had been useless. Now she was always with Colin and Ephram tried to avoid them both.

“She’s fine, I guess. We don’t really talk that much anymore. She’s not home much; she’s always busy with him.”

“Oh.” Ephram felt another stab of guilt. He knew it was standing up for him to Colin that had led to Bright becoming an outcast. “I’m sorry. You know, for that fight and everything. It kinda screwed things up for you.”

“Nah. I knew Colin wasn’t the same and I was just too chicken shit to say anything. I can’t be like Amy and everyone else any more, just pretending that nothing’s wrong. That he’s not like, a total jerk now.”

“Yeah.” Ephram shifted his weight. He didn’t know what else to say and all the beer he’d had made it hard for him to concentrate.

“But thanks anyway, Brown.” Bright took a mickey of vodka out of his Miner’s coat pocket. He gulped down a mouthful and shuddered. “Want some? I can only take so much of that skanky beer.”

Ephram took the proffered bottle and swallowed. He coughed and shook his head. “I know Vodka isn’t supposed to taste like anything, but…ugh.”

Bright laughed. “Yeah, I know.” He put the bottle back in his coat. “Well, I’m gonna get the fuck out of here.”

“You’re not driving, right?”

Bright’s smile faded. “No, I’m not that stupid. I learned my lesson.”

“No, I know! I didn’t mean…I just wanted to make sure.” Ephram felt like a jerk. “So, um, you’re walking all the way along the road?”

“No way, there’s a short-cut through the woods. How’d you get here?”

“My bike. I hid it behind some bushes so no one will snag it.” Ephram rubbed his eyes blearily. But I think I’m a little too drunk to ride it home.”

“You can come with me, if you want. Come back for your bike tomorrow.” Bright shoved himself off the car.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go.”

-----------------------------------------

“You sure you know where you’re going?” Ephram stumbled over the root of a tree and righted himself.

Bright sighed dramatically. “Yes, for the hundredth time, I know where I’m going. I’ve only done this a hundred times. I grew up here, remember?”

Ephram looked around the dark forest nervously. “Just checking. And you’re sure there are like, no bears?”

“Well, there are bears, but with the racket you’re making? Don’t worry, they’ll hear us coming a mile away.”

Bright’s pocket flashlight illuminated the path in front of him, but Ephram had a harder time seeing behind him. “Whoa, slow down. I can’t see shit.”

“Well, that’s what you get for going to a bush party without a flashlight, city slicker.”

“Ha, ha. You people should really write a handbook or something.” Ephram stumbled again and grabbed for Bright’s coat. “Sorry.”

Bright sighed again. “Here, you take the flashlight.” He stopped and passed it back to Ephram.

“No, I’m fine.” Ephram didn’t take it from Bright’s outstretched hand. He still had his pride. A twig snapped off to their left and Ephram jumped. “What was that?”

Bright giggled. “A bear, coming to eat you.”

“Shut the fuck up. And why wouldn’t he be here to eat you?” Ephram anxiously peered out into the darkness.

“Bears always go for the city folk first.” Bright laughed and pushed the flashlight into Ephram’s hand. Come on, shine it front of you and then we’ll both be able to see.”

Ephram grudgingly did as he was told and they started along the path again. After a while, Bright froze.

Ephram stopped behind him. “What? What is it?”

Bright whispered, “there’s something up there…oh my God!” He reached back and clutched Ephram, whose heart leapt into his throat. “It’s a bear! And he’s got a hockey mask on! We’re dead meat!”

Ephram shoved Bright away, his nerves jangling. “You’re such an asshole! Jesus.” But he couldn’t help laughing.

Bright giggled again. “Dude, it’s like taking candy from a baby.”

“Yeah, yeah, you got me.” They started walking again.

“So, why’d your dad let you come to this party? I heard you got busted at that one in the winter.”

“It was one of the terms of me not going to New York for the summer, he has to let me go to parties and try to have some fun.”

“You got a curfew? Mine’s two a.m.”

“Me too. I convinced him that since the sun doesn’t set until after ten in the summer that two in the morning wasn’t actually so late. But I need to sober up before I go home, or he’ll freak.”

“Ditto. We got a couple of hours, though.” Bright ground to a halt. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. I wanna show you something, come on.” He took off suddenly through the trees on their right.

“Wait, where the fuck are you going? Bright!” The moon seemed to provide enough light for Bright and he headed off through the woods. Ephram had no choice but to follow. After a few minutes he came out of the trees and saw that they were on a bluff, overlooking a vast canyon. Ephram turned the flashlight off, the moonlight illuminating the landscape. “Bright?”

“Up here.”

Ephram swiveled around and looked up. Bright’s head appeared over the side of a huge boulder at the edge of the trees. “How’d you get up there?”

“It’s easy, come around the back.”

Ephram put the flashlight in his coat pocket and walked around. There were a few smaller boulders there, providing easy hand and foot holds to get up on the big rock. He clambered up and sat next to Bright. The top of the boulder was almost flat, and it was even bigger than it looked from the ground.

“Wow.”

“Wicked view, huh?” Bright looked out serenely at the mountains and the deep valley.

“Yeah, I have to admit this wasn’t a bad idea.”

Bright took the vodka out of his pocket and had another swig. He offered it to Ephram, who did the same.

“I could stay up here all night, you know?”

“Yeah.” Ephram sighed contentedly.

------------------------------------------

Bright leaned back on his elbows and stretched his legs out on the boulder. What a night. It had sucked seeing Gemma with that asshole Tucker. If he was being honest, it wasn’t because he was really heartbroken or whatever. Sure, she was hot and nice enough, but what had really hurt was being thrown over for a guy who barely played most of the season. Girls weren’t supposed to dump the star players for benchwarmers.

But things hadn’t turned out so badly. It had been fun messing around with Ephram in the woods; he was so easy to scare. He didn’t really have anyone to hang around with these days and Ephram was better than nothing.

Ephram lay back on the rock and folded his hands behind his head.

“How’d you find this place?”

“Me and Colin found it when we were kids. It’s a cool place to hang out.” Bright tried not to feel the twinge in his gut that he did whenever he remembered the way Colin used to be.

“Oh. Well…it’s definitely cool.” Silence descended again.

Bright had to admit that one good thing about Ephram was that he totally got the Colin thing, more than anyone else did. It was like Bright didn’t have to explain anything. The other day he’d thought about calling Ephram and asking him to go to a movie or something, but in the end he just stayed home and shot hoops on his driveway. It wasn’t like Ephram was ever going to replace Colin.

Still, hanging with Brown wasn’t bad. He sure as hell didn’t have anyone else to call a friend. He tried not to think of Colin much and failed miserably most days.

“Dude, I gotta take a piss.” Ephram’s words were slightly slurred and Bright laughed. They’d probably both had more of the vodka then they’d realized.

“Just stand up and do it over the side. But not too close to the edge.” The boulder was closer to the trees than the side of the cliff, but Bright was sober enough to recognize the possible danger.

Ephram heaved himself up and swayed on his feet. “Fuck, that shit really goes to your head.” He walked a few feet and Bright heard him fumbling with his pants. “Fucking button flies…”

Then Ephram was sighing in relief as he pissed over the side. Bright looked up at the stars and closed his eyes. The wind was cool at night in the mountains, and it was a relief after the sweltering day they’d had.

“Shit!”

Bright opened his eyes with a start as Ephram sat back beside him with a crash. They looked at each other and began giggling helplessly. Ephram flopped back on the rock and closed his eyes, his chest heaving with drunken laughter.

Bright tried to catch his breath and stop laughing. He looked over and saw that Ephram hadn’t been able to put his dick back in his pants, the fly was still flopped open and unbuttoned.

Later, Bright would wonder why he’d done it.

“Need some help there, Brown?” Bright reached over and grasped Ephram’s cock, intending to put it back in Ephram’s jeans. It twitched in his hand and Ephram sucked in a quick breath on the tail end of a laugh.

Ephram’s eyes were still closed. He seemed to be holding his breath and he didn’t move. Bright instinctively tightened his grasp and Ephram’s cock pulsed in his hand. It felt…weird and cool and hot and a hundred different things.

Bright moved his hand up and down the shaft, which was quickly thickening. In the back of his head, a voice asked him what the hell he was doing, but it was fleeting. Ephram was now taking quick, shallow breaths.

Bright’s own cock was hardening in his pants and he slid closer to Ephram, his hand still gliding up and down. Bright felt like was in the Twilight Zone, he had no idea why he was doing it. Yet his hand never stopped moving and Ephram arched up, his hips making little movements off the ground. His eyes remained shut.

Bright pressed up against Ephram’s leg and his own hips moved back and forth. The pressure on his cock made him gasp for breath. It felt so good, and that was the only thing registering in his brain. Ephram suddenly shuddered and came, silently. Bright ground himself harder against Ephram’s leg a few times. He moaned softly as he came in his pants.

He rolled away from Ephram and looked up at the sky. His hand was sticky and he wiped it quickly on his jeans. They both laid there, catching their breath, not looking at each other.

Bright wondered what the fuck he’d just done.

Finally, Ephram sat up. He seemed sobered. Bright noticed that he’d done his pants up and was now clutching his jacket tightly around him.

“We should go. We’re going to miss curfew.” Ephram’s voice was flat.

Bright swallowed, his throat dry. “Yeah.”

They both climbed down from the rock and headed back into the woods. Bright didn’t make any more jokes about bears and they walked in silence.

The path let out on the outskirts of the north side of town. When they made it down to the street, Bright stopped. Their houses were in different directions.

“So, you know how to get home?” Bright’s voice sounded strange to his own ears.

Ephram was already walking away. “Yeah. See ya.”

“Yeah. Um, bye.” Bright wasn’t sure if Ephram even heard him, he was moving quickly down the street. Bright turned and headed home.

When he got there, he saw the light on in Amy’s room, so he put the chain on the door. Even though most people didn’t lock their doors in Everwood, his father had always insisted on it, claiming that one never knew what could happen.

Bright went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, the light making him squint. He chugged some OJ from the container and took a few bites of some leftover pizza, tossing the crust in the garbage and making sure he replaced the Saran wrap carefully over the remaining pieces.

Up in his room, Bright took his pants off and winced at the sight of the wet spot. He crept into the bathroom and scrubbed the jeans in the sink. After, he hung them up to dry in his closet, so his mother wouldn’t wonder why he’d suddenly decided to do his own laundry.

He lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind and go to sleep. It was impossible. He kept remembering the feeling of Ephram’s cock in his hand. It was the first time he’d ever touched another guy like that.

Sometimes the boys on the team would joke around together and tug each other’s dicks and slap each other’s asses in the shower room, or wherever, but Bright had always tried to ignore it. He’d laughed gamely, but remained on the sidelines for some reason. He hadn’t given it much thought before and now he had a feeling he knew why. He’d liked jerking another guy off.

He’d liked it way too much.

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