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Justice and Honor Chapter 2 - Death and Deception

Mathias/Henry Rated: MA Trigger Warnings: Sexual content

It was just after 10 am when Mathias’s phone rang with an unknown number. Munching on a hot french fry as he sat outside the Stop & Eat for a late breakfast/early lunch, he considered sending the caller to voicemail, but found himself swiping the accept button instead.

“Yeah?” He took a pull of his Coke through the straw.

“We have a problem,” a familiar baritone greeted him in a hushed voice filled with worry. “Joey Takoda showed up at the Red Pony. Dead.”

Surely Henry wasn’t stupid enough to have that kind of conversation over the phone… Mathias played dumb. “Whoever you are, I hope you know this call can be traced.”

“I am on a pay phone. The call is secure.” Henry replied, growing agitated. “What are we going to do about this dead drug dealer?”

Mathias couldn’t help himself, Henry just made such an easy target to rile up sometimes. “Well, that depends. Did you kill him?”

There was a drawn out pause which curled Mathias’s lips into a smug grin before Henry spoke, his ire palpable through the receiver. “Did I kill him? Did you kill him, is the question. Is this your latest way of setting me up?”

He supposed, given their complicated history, the accusation should have been expected. Rather than feel hurt by it and bite back, he decided to take the path of reassurance. “Don't be paranoid, Standing Bear. I'm on your side.”

“Then tell me...what am I supposed to do?”

Mathias knew Henry was smarter than this–that he always had a plan, even if they tended to be a bit shit–so it was confusing why he seemed so rattled by this. Mathias, for one, was glad Takoda had turned up dead; one less dealer to worry about on the Rez. Henry, however, seemed on the verge of panic. Mathias knew nothing good would come out of prolonging the call or trying to ease Henry’s conscience, so he gave the only logical advice he knew. “If you really have nothing to hide, then you should do what any upstanding citizen would do. Call your local sheriff.”

Mathias hung up before Henry could respond. If the body was found outside The Red Pony, then it was Longmire’s jurisdiction anyway. Mathias getting involved would only raise suspicion. If Henry had found Takoda, then he needed to call it in.

Finishing off his fries, Mathias decided to return to the station on the Rez, knowing he had a mountain of paperwork waiting on his desk. He couldn’t help but think about Henry now that he’d heard from the man for the first time in several days.

While he hadn’t been waiting by the phone for Henry to call after their night together, he had found himself disappointed that he hadn’t heard from him until that moment. They’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms the other night, but when Mathias awoke the next morning, Henry had gone. The only evidence that it hadn’t all just been one incredibly hot wet dream was the soreness he felt, and the light bruising at the juncture between his neck and shoulder where Henry had given him the love bite.

If he was honest with himself, he hadn’t expected anything to come of that night…other than the both of them…but he’d be lying if he didn’t say he wouldn’t mind a repeat. He wasn’t looking for anything long term with Standing Bear, but they were both between girlfriends, and being together had been unexpectedly good, so why not fool around a bit and enjoy it? It was better than jerking off alone every night.

As he pulled up in front of the station, he reached over for his cellphone and deleted the unknown number from his recent calls. At least if his physical phone was checked, it would appear he’d never received that call from Henry. He made his way inside, picking up a stack of messages that had come in for him in the last hour, then headed to his office to sift through them, returning a few calls before he started in on the paperwork.

It was just after noon when his intercom buzzed. “Mathias, Henry Standing Bear is here for you.”

What the hell was Henry doing there? For someone who was one of the smartest people Mathias knew, sometimes he lacked good common sense. “Send him back.”

Typing quickly to finish as much of the report as he could before he was interrupted, Mathias listened to Henry’s boots echo off the linoleum flooring in the hallway before he ducked in, slightly breathless, to the office. Mathias was tempted to ask if he’d run there, but decided not to irritate him further…for now.

“So, did you call the sheriff like I suggested?”

Henry began to pace in front of the return of Mathias’s desk like a caged animal. “Walt is at the Red Pony now, which he has already deduced to be a murder scene.”

“So?” Mathias still couldn’t quite grasp why Henry was so eaten up by this. “The scumbag was murdered. Presumably, that's not a problem for either of us.” Especially since, presumably, neither of them had killed Joey.

“Not until Walt starts asking questions.” Henry replied with exasperation. “What do I tell him?”

“How about the truth?” Mathias finally stopped typing and swiveled in his chair to face Henry, steepling his fingers together as he watched Henry pace. “That Joey Takoda was a drug dealer who got what was coming to him.”

“But I already acted like I did not know him.”

Wasn’t that even better then? No knowledge of the victim, no connection to the crime. “Then don't say anything. Who cares if Walt figures out who killed some heroin dealer?”

Henry gave him a hard stare before moving to close the door. When he turned back towards Mathias, he placed both hands on the desk between them, leaning forward. “We both should care. I torched Joey's entire stash, and when I did, he was scared for his life. Clearly, he had good reason to be.” Henry paused for a brief second, before finally revealing his real fear in this. “I think whoever killed him may be coming after Hector next.”

“Why?” Mathias asked, both confused and curious how he’d come to that assumption.

Henry seemed annoyed that Mathias wasn’t connecting the dots. “Days after I burn Joey's drugs, he shows up dead in my parking lot. Coincidence?”

“I'm the only one who knows you're Hector. And even if someone else did know, how would they guess that Hector was the one that burned up that heroin?”

Henry looked stricken. “Maybe because I spray-painted ‘Hector Lives’ across the house.”

Oh, you adorable idiot… Mathias couldn’t stop the grin that pulled at the corners of his mouth. No wonder Henry was so freaked out. “Well, that was stupid,” he teased, unable to feel even a little bit mad about it.

“I never intended to be a criminal mastermind,” Henry looked embarrassed as he said the words, but fell right back into paranoia as he leaned even further across the desk. “And now we have a problem. I am sure that Walt will go to Joey Takoda's house to investigate, but we might be able to paint over Hector's name before he does.”

Mathias wasn’t exactly sure where this ‘we’ was coming from, but he might be willing to help…if Henry made it worth his time. “Maybe.” He let the word hang in the air between them, his gaze playfully suggestive. Before he could voice his proposition, the intercom buzzed and both their eyes shifted to it.

“Mathias, Sheriff Longmire's here to see you.”

Shit. For someone as thick as Walt Longmire was sometimes, he was always quick on the draw in matters where Mathias didn’t want him to be. Figures. “Or maybe not.” He rose from his chair, now sharing Henry’s concern, but still not ready to make any leaps that either of them would come under suspicion. He’d take Walt up to Takoda’s house, let him poke around in a show of good faith, and get him the hell out of there before he could see Henry’s handiwork.

But Mathias should have known it wouldn’t have been that simple. He’d almost had Walt out the door and on the way back to the station when the man veered off to check the back of the house, discovering both the barrel where the drugs had been burned and the spray painted ‘Hector Lives’ in big red letters across a piece of plywood propped up against the house.

Jesus, Standing Bear, why didn’t you add neon lights around it?

“Looks like I have a suspect,” Walt was grinning smugly as he looked at the sign, then looked back at Mathias questioningly.

Mathias could only shrug as he reminded Longmire of one simple fact: “Hector doesn’t kill.”

“The real Hector didn’t kill.” Walt countered. “I’m not sure this new Hector has the same kind of self-control. As much as I understand how the law works against your people, I can’t just look the other way if Hector killed someone in my county.”

The Sheriff was quick, but Mathias wasn’t in a corner yet. “Well, whoever this Hector is, I'm not gonna play any part in helping you arrest him. You've investigated the victim's house. Favor's finished.”

“That's fine. Now I know what I'm looking for.”

You think you do, vé'ho'e. Mathias nodded in a show that he had nothing to hide and the two made their way back to their cars. Mathias escorted Walt off the Rez, making sure the sheriff didn’t get lost or detour along the way, as he so often seemed to, then made his way back to the station. Henry had vanished, presumably after Mathias and Walt had gone up to Joey Takoda’s house, but he’d have to deal with Standing Bear later. He had enough work to do without this shit to worry about.

–

With no other option but to return to The Red Pony for his shift, Henry could only hope that Mathias would do whatever he could to control the situation. It was out of his hands…but that didn’t put him at ease. He knew Walt would come and talk to him sooner or later, and so he focused on getting his own story straight, hoping that if Mathias said anything, it wouldn’t be in direct opposition to anything Henry said.

Sure enough, Walt showed up at the bar as Henry was preparing fresh fish a tourist had caught and asked him to cook. “So, uh...the man you found today was actually murdered. Turns out he was dealing on the Res. And ‘Hector Lives’ was spray-painted on the side of his house. Which makes me think that Hector may have had something to do with this murder, so...I need to ask you something about this new Hector.”

Henry had prepared for this eventuality and kept his features neutral as he gave Walt his full attention so that any refusal to make eye contact wouldn’t be taken as hiding something. “Fire away.”

“Is Hector...actually... Mathias?”

“Mathias.” He hadn’t expected that. A strange need to protect Mathias came over him, where once he might have been glad to keep Mathias under suspicion simply for payback on all the times Mathias had given him hell over the years. The shift was definitely unexpected, but he didn’t have time to think about the motivation behind it. “What makes you think he has become a vigilante?”

“Mathias tried to arrest Joey for dealing, but he could never hold him,” Walt explained his theory. “So he was frustrated. Just like he was when he couldn't arrest Gab's rapist. Now, becoming Hector would get him around all that.”

It was actually a good theory, but just proved that Walt didn’t know Mathias’s heart. “Mathias is not the only person who is frustrated by the limits of Reservation law.”

“No,” Walt allowed. “But Mathias is the only person to come to me with notes taken from Hector's jar. Now, one of those notes called for the death of Gab's rapist. Mathias claimed that he intercepted those notes, but if he did, how would Hector know to show up at the bonfire unless Hector is Mathias?”

Damn it, Mathias…what the hell were you thinking taking the notes to Walt? And you said painting ‘Hector Lives’ was stupid... Outwardly, Henry sighed, trying to quickly find an alternative theory that would make Walt question his own. “You said you found ‘Hector Lives’ graffiti at the victim's house?”

Walt nodded. “I did. And Mathias tried to keep me from finding it.”

Henry ignored that last part of the statement, but was glad to know Mathias had tried. “But the body was found here in the parking lot.” He paused for effect. “If it was Hector that killed him, why not write ‘Hector Lives’ on the car or on the side of the Red Pony? Why do it all the way back at the victim's house?”

“I don't know.”

Henry could see in Walt’s eyes that he was allowing for the possibility that maybe it wasn’t Mathias, but he wasn’t clearing the other man’s name off his list of suspects.

He took another step in the direction of clearing Mathias…at least of murder suspicion, if not completely of him being the new Hector. “Is it possible that this murder is unrelated to Hector?”

“Either way, this new Hector needs to be stopped.”

What could he do but agree? If he spoke of Hector’s necessity, it would only implicate him, or further condemn Mathias. “Okay. But given all the... attention focused on you with your civil suit, you should probably rule out all other suspects before you make an accusation that serious.”

He could tell Walt was questioning his own theory more seriously now, but Henry wasn’t dumb enough to think this was over. They needed to make sure Mathias couldn’t possibly be pinned as Hector while ensuring that Henry’s cover wasn’t blown either. And further…figure out who had killed Joey and whether or not they were coming for Henry.

Waiting for Walt to leave, Henry watched him walk out the door, making sure he wouldn’t turn back, then pulled out his phone and dialed Mathias’s cellphone. He wasn’t surprised when it went to voicemail–either Mathias was out on a call and couldn’t answer or was simply ignoring Henry for the time being.

“This is Mathias; leave a message.” The greeting was short and simple and as the beep signaled his message was recording, he dropped his voice to speak only loud enough for the words to be clear when they were played back later.

“We need to talk. Come by after closing.” He hung up, and took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts so that he might have some plan to offer Mathias later.

–

Mathias had a lot of hard days on the Rez. He knew his own people didn’t trust him–or at least didn’t trust that he could do anything to help them–which is why they always turned to Hector. He’d actually been glad when someone had started acting in Hector’s stead again, but had never expected it would be Standing Bear. The man’s loyalty to Longmire seemed to always come before that of his own people.

Maybe Mathias had unfairly judged him all this time… Or maybe he just wanted to be wrong about him because of the shift that had happened in their relationship. Maybe they weren’t close, maybe they never would be, but this arrangement they had required a level of trust that had never even remotely existed before. To trust someone that explicitly did not come easy for Mathias, and he knew that Henry likely found it even harder to trust him. After all, Mathias had recently told the judge at Henry’s bail hearing that he didn’t have a lot of faith in Standing Bear sticking around… Did he really even have a good reason for that other than his personal hang ups? Probably not. It had been a dick move, and he knew it.

It had been late afternoon when Mathias had gotten the notification that he had a voicemail, and he played back Henry’s message with growing concern. He was glad Joey was dead, but whoever had killed him had certainly complicated their lives. He didn’t bother going home when his shift ended, opting instead to stay in his office and catch up on all the paperwork in order to take his mind off everything until The Red Pony would close down and he could go talk to Henry.

One of the officers that worked the night shift had offered to grab them something to eat, and had come back with burgers and fries from the Stop-and Eat. As much as Mathias loved their fries, he wasn’t sure he could stomach them twice in one day, but didn’t want to appear ungrateful to the younger officer. Managing a few bites from the burger and a couple of fries, he offered the rest to the officer, who said he’d keep it for a midnight snack, then sipped his soda as he returned to his paperwork.

It was close to midnight by the time Mathias finally left the station, his eyes feeling gritty from the long day that still wasn’t over. He turned on the Rez’s rock station and rolled his window down to let the cold night air keep him awake as he drove into town, parking next to Henry’s old truck. He could see soft light coming through the high windows in his apartment above the bar and took the exterior stairs up, knocking on the door.

“Come in!” Henry called, breathlessly.

Mathias turned the knob and pushed the door open before closing it behind himself, gaze resting on Henry who had worked up a sweat working over his punching bag. Memories of Henry’s sweat-soaked skin against his surfaced and Mathias had to push them down so that he could focus. “I got your message. What did Walt say?”

“Walt thinks Hector murdered the heroin dealer.”

That wasn’t news. “Well, we knew that would happen.”

“And he thinks Hector is you.” Henry finished, pivoting away from the punching bag and crossing a few feet to the fridge to grab a bottle of water and take a long swig.

The words quickly filtered into Mathias’s brain but couldn’t find a place to fit. Longmire thought he was Hector? “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Me?” He replayed all the events that might have led Walt to that conclusion and realized he’d inadvertently managed to set himself up as a prime suspect. “Shit.”

“Well put.” Henry deadpanned, glad that Mathias finally realized how deep they were in this.

“So, what's Walt gonna do now?” If anyone knew what the sheriff was likely to do next, Henry would. For once, Mathias was grateful there was only two degrees of separation between him and Walt Longmire. In any other situation, he would find that too close for comfort. But it might work to their advantage here.

“I imagine he will keep digging until he proves his theory. But...if we can get Walt off the idea that Hector is a killer, he might stop.”

That might resolve one problem, Mathias knew, but not everything. “He'll still be suspicious of me. And that'll put him awfully close to discovering the truth about you.”

Henry’s gaze met his, considering the words and nodding as he ran through all the scenarios he’d concocted earlier before settling on the most appropriate. “Well, then maybe we should start with the truth about me. Walt needs to realize that all that Hector did is burn Joey Takoda's drugs.”

“Well, how are you gonna manage that?” Mathias asked impatiently, seeing no path other than Henry marching into Longmire’s office and confessing, which was not an option since it would implicate them both.

“Very carefully.” Henry replied, still looking at him. “And with your help.”

Mathias watched Henry strike the bag several times, too preoccupied with the situation they were in to appreciate the man’s strength and power. He actually found himself annoyed by Henry’s workout session when they needed to make a plan. He didn’t have the energy or patience to wait for Standing Bear to finish so that they could talk and moved to stand in between the bag and the other man, nearly getting punched in the face in the process when Henry let his fist fly at the bag, only just managing to miss him.

Henry’s hardened gaze fell to Mathias’s eyes, his breathing ragged from the exertion of his workout. With their proximity, Mathias had to tilt his head up to look at Henry’s face. “Listen, Standing Bear, I’ve been on duty since seven this morning. I’ve had a shit day. It’s after midnight. I’m exhausted. Do you think you could focus, just for a minute, so we can make a fucking plan?”

“I already have.”

Mathias sighed loudly, his tongue rolling against the inside of his cheek as he tried not to lose his temper. “You wanna fill me, or am I just supposed to guess?”

“It is simple,” Henry said, closing the half-step between them, thumbs hooking into the front pockets of Mathias’s jeans and dragging him closer, surprising him with a hearty kiss. “You are going to create a diversion while Hector makes an appearance somewhere else.”

“A diversion.” Mathias said skeptically, reeling from the kiss but his mind was already working to catch up to where Henry’s had been all along. “I told Walt I would give him the files I have on Joey before he saw the graffiti. Once he decided that Hector was the lead suspect, he didn’t seem to care about the files anymore. I could take the files to his office and be there while Hector is doing business on the Rez.”

Henry was grinning softly, clearly pleased that Mathias’s line of thinking was in sync with his own. He could see the exhaustion in the police chief’s eyes and couldn’t help but think back to a few days ago when they’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms. Henry had woken early out of habit, and had decided to let Mathias continue to sleep for as long as possible; carefully slipping out from under him and quietly leaving his house before the first rays of the sun had broken over the horizon. Now, he wished he’d stayed just so he could have enjoyed holding him a little while longer.

“I don’t suppose you already have someone in mind for Hector to go after?”

His grin deepened and he dipped his head down to steal another kiss, letting their lips stay connected for a long, sweet moment. “The less you know, the better. Just make sure you are in Walt’s office tomorrow after 1 o’clock.” His hand sifted through Mathias’s hair gently, and he watched the other man’s eyes drift close in response. “You are too tired to drive back to the Rez tonight. Stay here with me.”

Mathias didn’t even bother protesting. Partly because he wasn’t sure he could safely make it back home, but mostly because he wanted to be there with Henry. He nodded his acceptance, his hand moving up to slide along Standing Bear’s jaw and pull him back into a kiss. Henry deepened it automatically, his tongue demanding access to Mathias’s mouth as his hands released the closure of Mathias’s duty belt, taking the heavy weight of it with ease as Mathias unhooked the radio’s hand mic from the epaulet on the left shoulder of his uniform jacket. Together, they carefully set it on the table without ever breaking the kiss.

With Henry in a tight-fitting black t-shirt and jeans, Mathias chuckled softly as he realized he was the one over dressed tonight. “One of us is always in too many layers.” He teased as his hand skimmed beneath the hem of Henry’s shirt to touch his toned abdomen. Henry smirked down at him, unzipping Mathias’s jacket and pushing it off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor behind Mathias before he began to unbutton the uniform shirt.

Mathias pulled Henry’s black t-shirt off over his head, tossing it over on the worn couch and leaning in to kiss Standing Bear’s shoulder and clavicle as he worked the man’s belt free from the buckle and unbuttoned his jeans all before Henry had reached the last button on Mathias’s shirt. Henry jerked the tail of the shirt free from where it had been tucked into Mathias’s jeans and finally pushed it off his shoulders before pulling Mathias’s black t-shirt off over his head.

Running his hands down Mathias’s back, he pulled the smaller man flush against him and drew him into a warm kiss, moving them towards the bed. When Henry made him sit and knelt before him on the floor, lifting Mathias’ foot to pull off one of his boots, the chief raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you have some weird foot fetish, Standing Bear.”

Henry looked up at him, clearly not amused. “I do not. You need sleep; I am getting you ready for bed.”

“Bed?” Mathias heard the disappointment in his own voice. “I hope you’re not intending for us to go straight to sleep.”

“You cannot tell me you have the energy for that right now.”

“Clearly you don’t know me very well,” Mathias countered. Henry’s answering grin was all either of them needed. Henry pulled Mathias’s other boot off and set them both to the side as each of them shimmied out of their jeans–Henry pausing only long enough to go and lock the door and turn off the lights.

When he returned to the bed, Mathias had already found the bottle of lubricant and was readying himself, looking at Standing Bear so intensely that Henry felt scalded by the fire in his eyes. “I would like for you to turn over and get on your hands and knees.”

He watched a half smirk pull one corner of Mathias’s lips before the police chief rolled himself over and complied with the request. He’d never understood why Standing Bear spoke in such perfect English, without the use of contractions or any sort of slang, but there was something enthralling about hearing those well enunciated words telling him to get on his knees.

Looking back at Henry over his shoulder, he watched the other man lube himself before he knelt behind Mathias in the middle of the bed. There was no gentle stretch this time, just Standing Bear pushing into him and making his breath catch as his body tried to remember it had liked this the other day. “Jesus, Henry…” he breathed, reaching a hand back and grasping the man’s strong thigh.

“Am I hurting you?” Henry stilled, his voice full of concern.

“Just…take it slow. This is only the second time I’ve done this.”

“Of course, I apologize.”

“Believe me, I’d love for you to be able to take me hard and fast, but we’re not quite there yet.” Mathias teased, breathing easier now that Henry was being a little more gentle. When Henry was deep enough in him that the pleasure outweighed the discomfort he sighed softly and dropped his head forward, pushing back against Henry.

A warm hand trailed up his spine and gently grasped his shoulder, urging him to sit upright against Henry. Mathias let himself be pulled back and enveloped by Henry’s strong arms, moving himself up and down Henry’s shaft. The man’s low groan of pleasure sent a shiver through Mathias and he felt Henry’s lips pressing a line across his shoulder and along his neck.

When Henry’s hand flattened over Mathias’s stomach and slid down to curl around his length, Mathias couldn’t stop the moan that rumbled out of him. “Fuck…Standing Bear.”

“Mathias…” the breath against his ear was intoxicating, but more so was the way Henry had said his name. It was that same tone as the other night. It made him feel wanted, like this was more than just something to pass the time. Mathias didn’t want to think too hard on that because it would mean having to examine his own feelings in the matter, and feelings would just fuck up a really good thing.

Reaching his hand back, his fingers threaded through Henry’s shaggy locks as he dropped his head back against Standing Bear’s shoulder. Even if he didn’t explore his feelings, he couldn’t deny that there was a closeness between them now that he hadn’t experienced with anyone else. They both knew they were safe here and could let their guard down. That wasn’t something either of them were accustomed to, and Mathias had to admit…it was a comfortable place to be.

Henry was the first to reach his peak, his hips bucking up into Mathias and his hand stilling over Mathias’s cock as he focused on chasing his orgasm. Mathias continued to move against him, covering Henry’s hand on his dick and working it so he didn’t lose his own steam. Since he’d been so wrapped up in the sensations of his own climax the other night and had missed Henry’s, Mathias paid full attention to the other man now–squeezing his muscles around Henry to help milk him to completion and enjoying the pulse of Henry’s cock as he spilled himself within Mathias.

Standing Bear had devolved into rugged grunts and breathless moans, his teeth once again sinking into Mathias’s shoulder, which made the other man grin. Didn’t know you were such a biter, Standing Bear…

Before Mathias had found his own climax, Henry was pulling out of him and releasing his hand from around the other man’s cock, but Mathias didn’t have time to protest as Henry pushed him down and rolled him onto his back. Their eyes locked for only a moment before Henry folded himself between Mathias’s legs and took his cock into his mouth.

“Fuck…” Mathias groaned, fingers twisting into Henry’s hair once again as he was encased in the warm, moist heat of the other man’s mouth. While it was clear Henry had no experience whatsoever in this department, that didn’t stop Mathias from enjoying it and giving verbal encouragement.

When Henry pressed his fingers into Mathias, it was enough to send him tumbling over the edge and he came with a wild cry into Henry’s eager mouth. Standing Bear didn’t relent until every drop had been spent and Mathias was shuddering from the sensitivity and pulling Henry back by his hair. When Henry moved up his body and kissed him, Mathias realized he had swallowed the load he’d just taken, and groaned softly against the other man’s mouth.

“You’re full of surprises.”

Henry smirked and moved next to Mathias, laying on his side and pulling the smaller man’s back against his chest, effectively spooning him. The feeling of Henry’s arms around him instantly made Mathias feel warm and utterly sated. He sighed with contentment, his hand resting against Henry’s forearm.

“We should take a shower,” Henry said after a moment of companionable silence.

“In the morning,” Mathias replied sleepily. “I don’t wanna move.”

Henry’s nose nuzzled against Mathias’s hair, but he said nothing more, letting Mathias drift off to sleep in his arms for the second time.

–

A gentle caress along Mathias’s jaw roused him from a dreamless sleep and he groaned, turning his face into the pillow and trying to burrow down under the covers. He felt the rumble of Henry’s quiet laugh against his back.

“It’s 5:30, Mathias. If you are planning to take a shower before you have to start your shift, I would suggest you do so now.”

Mathias inhaled deeply, blinking away the urge to let his eyes remain closed and fall back to sleep. “How the hell do you know what time it is?”

“I have an internal alarm clock that always wakes me at this time.”

Mathias furrowed his brow and looked back over his shoulder at the other man. “Always?”

Henry nodded.

“That sounds like hell.” Mathias rolled over to face the other man, sorely tempted to call in and spend the day right there in Standing Bear’s arms, but they had work to do. “You sure about this plan of yours?”

“I have considered several different scenarios. This feels like it will bear the most success. I am not certain what Walt would do if he remained convinced that you are Hector. I think on some level he would understand it; he has mentioned knowing your frustration with the limits of the law, but–”

“But he and I have a more complicated history than we do. I don’t doubt he’d go for more than just my badge.”

“That is my concern as well.”

“What do you think he’d do if he knew you were Hector?”

Henry considered this for a long moment. “I am not certain. And I do not wish to find out.”

“Me either.” Mathias chewed the inside corner of his lip for a moment as he thought over recent events. He wanted to apologize for blackmailing Henry, but he still felt like their arrangement worked for both of them. Mathias kept the evidence that would condemn Henry hidden, and Henry helped him take care of problems on the Rez that would otherwise be ignored through legal means. With a sigh, Mathias leaned in and kissed Henry, ultimately saying nothing as he got out of bed and padded towards the bathroom. “You coming, Standing Bear?”

The only answer was the sound of the bedsprings gently creaking and Henry’s footfalls on the floor behind him.

TBC

#mathias clark #henry standing bear #longmire #my fic #fanfic

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eric-raleigh · 2 months

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(Gif credit to @hoidn.)

Posted this on AO3 today, so I'll post it here too in case anyone is interested.

Justice and Honor Chapter 1 - All the Right Reasons

Mathias/Henry Rated: MA Trigger Warnings: Mentions of suicide, sexual content

The cold wind gusted around Mathias, tangling his hair and whipping the long dark strands across his face. The sky was gray, bled of all color as if it mourned Mingan’s loss just as much as he and Henry.

The boy’s head was cradled in Henry’s lap as Mathias prayed for Mingan’s spirit, each separately suffering for having failed the boy.

“I was going to adopt him,” Henry said after a long silence that might have lasted minutes or hours.

Mathias opened his eyes, his face still wet with tears and took in Henry’s look of pure devastation. He knew any words he might offer the other man in that moment would never be enough to convey the depth of sorrow he felt, and so he lifted his hand from Mingan’s forehead and placed it on Henry’s shoulder, squeezing tightly.

Henry’s face lifted to look at Mathias. “I do not want to say goodbye.”

“I have to call this in, Henry. I’m sorry.”

Henry pulled Mingan’s body more firmly against him and gave Mathias a soft nod of understanding. Mathias squeezed his shoulder once more before using it for leverage as he pulled himself to his feet and took several steps back towards the vehicles just on the other side of the tree where Mingan had hanged himself. Wiping his face on the sleeve of his uniform jacket, he got into the cruiser and picked up the radio. Looking across the dash, he watched Henry stroke Mingan’s hair and rock the boy’s body soothingly. His heart broke anew, knowing he had failed Henry just as much as he’d failed Mingan.

Henry and Mathias stayed long after Mingan’s body had been claimed by the undertakers, sitting on the hood of Mathias’s SUV and watching a storm gather in the north as the sun began to set. For a long time, neither spoke until Henry gently cleared his throat. “I should not have left him alone. I knew he was struggling, but I…” his voice broke and he looked down at his clasped hands.

Mathias looked over at him, giving him the time he needed to collect himself.

“I told him he had to find his own strength. Do you think I am responsible for this? Did I do this to him?”

“This wasn’t your fault. It was mine,” Mathias looked back out at the storm clouds. “I should have kept a closer eye on Joey Takoda. Kept him locked up, even if it was on bogus charges. Maybe it might have kept Jim Pine and the others from ODing…and would have prevented Mingan from–”

“Stop.” Henry cut across him, dangerously close to tears again. “Takoda is just a symptom of a bigger problem. If Jim had not gotten the drugs from him, he would have gotten them from someone else.”

“That’s why I need Hector,” Mathias replied impatiently. “If you won’t do it for me, do it for Mingan. Do it for all the other kids on the Rez that are going to wind up orphaned, dead, or dealing if we can’t get a handle on this. I can’t watch another kid get taken away in a body bag. Please, Henry…” Mathias looked at him, tears swimming in his deep brown eyes. “I need your help.”

Henry’s arm wrapped around Mathias’s shoulders, drawing the other man into a tight embrace and burying his nose in against Mathias’s shoulder, eyes slamming shut against his own swell of tears. He could feel the other man shake with quiet sobs, knowing he had reached a breaking point in his war against drugs on the Rez. Henry knew it had been a losing game for years, but Mathias had done everything he could to run the dealers off.

In all the years Henry had known Mathias, he’d never seen him this broken. “I will help you,” Henry told him. Mathias pulled back enough to look at Henry, surprised and grateful. A gust of wind whirled around them, tousling Mathias’ hair around his face again. Henry absently reached up to brush it back off his cheek and both men felt a pulse of electricity course through them.

Maybe it was their shared grief leading to a deeper need for comfort, but when Henry’s hand slid into Mathias’s hair at the back of his head, Mathias allowed himself to be pulled in until their lips met. It was tentative and awkward, but the warmth Mathias found there was like a balm to his wounded spirit. His hands lifted, running along Henry’s jaw and coaxing the other man into a deeper kiss.

Thunder rolled ominously as their mouths opened to each other, and reluctantly they pulled apart, both knowing they needed to make their way back down the hillside before the rain hit and turned the earth to thick mud. Henry’s fingers sifted through Mathias’s hair, gently working through several tangles. “Come home with me.”

Mathias was sorely tempted, leaning in to tenderly kiss Henry’s lips once more. “I can’t. I need to get to the station and file the report on Mingan.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Henry’s voice was thick with the emotion he still felt over Mingan’s death.

Mathias’s gaze hardened with seriousness. “Take care of Joey Takoda.”

A sharp nod from Henry was all the confirmation he needed and they slid down off the hood of the SUV. Mathias watched Henry look towards the rope where Mingan had hung himself before he moved towards his truck.

“Henry.” Mathias waited for Henry’s eyes to meet his. “E'etānȯhtse.”

Henry nodded, his face set in determination as he slid behind the wheel of his truck and fired it to life. Mathias watched him drive away before he got behind the wheel of his SUV and made his way back to the station.

–

It wasn’t until the following night that Mathias heard from Henry. It was late when he’d gotten the call, asking to meet. Mathias had told Henry to meet him up one of the rarely-used unpaved roads where no one was likely to come upon them. He waited for almost half an hour before Henry’s truck pulled up behind him. A minute later, Henry was sliding into the passenger seat.

Mathias was tempted to lean over and drag him into a kiss, but he knew Henry was upset over whatever had gone down with Joey and so he waited until Henry spoke. “Hurting Joey Takoda is useless.”

“How can you say that after what happened to Mingan?”

“I mean, it is not enough,” Henry clarified. “We need to think bigger. I have an idea, but I need your help.”

Mathias shook his head, looking away in frustration before turning his gaze back on Henry’s face, illuminated only by the moonlight coming in through the windshield. “The whole reason I need Hector is because I can't help.” He thought he’d already made himself clear on that matter. “I uphold the law. I can't break it.” Much as he wanted to…

“Oh, but you can send me into danger with no backup?”

That statement stung, but rather than display any outward sign of hurt, Mathias’s voice turned hard. “You signed up for this, Henry, with the first letter you took from that wall. I can feed you information, but that's all I can do. Hector's on his own.”

He could feel Henry’s quiet indignation through the heat of his glare. As Henry wrenched open the door handle, Mathias stopped him, not wanting to leave things on a bad note between them.

“Out of curiosity, what, was it you needed?”

Henry looked back at him, still angry but less so. “If there is nothing you can do, the less you know, the better.”

The door slammed, rocking the car, and Mathias sighed with growing agitation. Leave him to it. Don’t get involved in this. He glanced up at the rearview mirror, watching Henry stalking back to his truck, his hand raking through his hair angrily. “Fuck.”

Opening the door, Mathias climbed out and started walking towards Henry’s truck. “Henry.” The other man didn’t seem to want to listen. “Henry, wait!”

Henry whirled around, his feet carrying him towards Mathias, the heat still in his gaze. Mathias’s body tensed automatically, ready to fend off the punch he fully expected to receive, but his face was grabbed instead and he was roughly pulled into a greedy kiss. It took several seconds for his mind to catch up and realize he wasn’t being assaulted before he began to return the kiss fervently.

Hands fisting into the material of Henry’s shirt, Mathias hauled him closer, spinning them until he could press Henry’s back up against the SUV. Though Henry had a good five inches on him, and definitely wasn’t a lightweight in the strength department, he allowed Mathias to maneuver him, dropping his hands to the other man’s waist and pulling their bodies flush as Mathias lifted on the balls of his feet to dominate the kiss.

Henry’s mouth was warm and wet and tasted sweet, though Mathias couldn’t place what the sweetness might be. He could feel his body responding to the arousal coursing through him, and had to pull back from the kiss to catch his breath and temper his desires before things went further than either of them were ready for. He opened his mouth to speak, but Henry closed the distance, silencing him as he asserted his dominance and spun them around so that Mathias was pinned against the SUV.

A mixture of surprise and pleasure reverberated in his throat and Mathias felt Henry’s fingers slip through his hair to cup the back of his head and hold him in place. He could feel Henry’s arousal pressing against him, and allowed for the possibility that maybe they both wanted things to progress further. But fumbling in the dark up against his car wasn’t his idea of a good time, no matter how much he might like to get off.

When the fingers twisted in his hair and pulled his head back, Mathias pushed Henry back half a step before he could lean in to kiss his neck. “Stop.”

They were both breathless, chests heaving with desire and the need for air. Henry was looking at him with growing frustration, and Mathias flattened his palms against he other man’s chest to try and placate him. Henry released the loose hold on his hair and settled his hand on Mathias’s shoulder instead, taking a deep, steadying breath.

“Not here,” Mathias told him, trying to communicate that it wasn’t the act he was opposed to, just the current location. Henry seemed to understand, but didn’t invite him back to his apartment this time. Clearly the mood had been effectively killed for now. When he pulled back completely, Mathias felt the cold air rush around him, instantly making him miss Henry’s heat. He folded his arms over his chest, feeling far more vulnerable than he felt comfortable with.

“I should go. I have work to do.”

Mathias nodded, not trusting his voice, but the minute Henry turned away, he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out the words he’d wanted to say a minute ago. “I’ll help you.”

Henry paused, then slowly looked at Mathias over his shoulder.

“I don’t know how but…I’ll help you.”

“Thank you, Mathias.”

No other words were spoken as Henry continued back to his truck and drove off.

–

The following night, Mathias was home alone, mindlessly watching TV with his feet kicked up on the old coffee table and his hands folded across his abdomen. He’d nodded off several times already, but felt too lazy to get up and go to bed; half-tempted to simply tip himself sideways and sleep there for the night. The knock at the door roused him enough to annoy him, knowing he’d have to get up to answer it and possibly disrupt the tranquil feeling that had enveloped him most of the evening.

He was only mildly surprised to see Henry on the stoop, who didn’t bother waiting for permission to enter as he pushed past Mathias and into the living room. “Hello to you too,” Mathias harrumphed as he closed and locked the door behind Henry.

“It is done,” Henry told him.

“Good. Let’s hope the message was clear.”

Henry opened his mouth, intent on saying more, but Mathias pulled him into a searing kiss to quiet him.

“The less I know, the better, right?”

Whether the other man still believed that or not, he didn’t argue as strong hands gripped Mathias’s hips and guided him down the narrow hallway towards Mathias’s bedroom, leaving no question as to what he wanted. Mathias gave his consent by lifting his shirt over his head, letting his hair spill over his bare shoulders, and beginning to work the buttons on Henry’s shirt, plucking them open one by one.

Being on the shorter side had some advantages as he could lean in to kiss Henry’s shoulder and exposed chest as the other man impatiently toed off his boots. Henry’s hands were too busy pulling his belt free from the buckle to touch Mathias, but the quickness of his breaths–as if he’d run there from Joey Takoda’s house–spoke of the depths of his desire for the other man. Mathias couldn’t explain the development of his feelings for Henry. He hadn’t really stopped to take stock of them since that first kiss. Whatever that moment had awakened in them didn’t need to be labeled, or even voiced. It just was.

Mathias’s fingers freed the button of Henry’s jeans, slowly lowering the zip over the prominent bulge straining against the denim. Henry’s hands were back in Mathias’s hair, sifting through the thick, dark strands that were–for once–not snarled with tangles from the wind, and gently tugging them up Mathias was forced to look up into his eyes. Hesitancy and urgency warred within the mahogany depths, and Mathias knew this was a point of no return.

Fuck it. He thought, tossing any thought of consequences out the proverbial window. He wasn’t walking away from this, even though it probably was the smartest move. He searched Henry’s eyes until the other man seemed to settle into the same sort of resolve. Henry’s head dipped to claim his lips again, and Mathias could feel the passion burning into him.

Hands ran down Henry’s chest, fingertips tracing over hard lines of muscle that remained hidden beneath his shirts, vests, and jackets. Henry’s breath hitched when Mathias’s hand slipped beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs and palmed his erection. Though Henry’s touch was less confident, he slipped one hand down Mathias’ back, skimming the waistband of the pajama pants Mathias wore and settled his hand on the man’s trim hip. Breaking the kiss to rest his forehead against the smaller man's, Henry closed his eyes and focused on his breathing as Mathias’s fingers curled around his girth and began to stroke.

“I have never…”

“It’s okay,” Mathias assured him in a quiet voice, not stopping. “Neither have I.”

“We should stop.”

“Is that what you really want?”

Henry was quiet for a long beat and Mathias stilled his hand, waiting. “No.”

“Me either.”

Once again emboldened, Henry’s thumb hooked into the waistband of his jeans and boxer briefs, dragging them both down together. Mathias helped him push them down his legs before he was able to step out of them. When Henry rose to his full height, his chest puffed slightly, the look in his eyes hungry and primal. Whatever shone through them in that moment told Mathias that Henry wouldn’t be the one submitting, and automatically, Mathias moved to lay back on the bed, ridding himself of his pajama bottoms along the way.

Personal experience told Henry that there would be lubricant in the nightstand, and he wasn’t naïve enough to think it wouldn’t be needed. He retrieved the bottle before he laid next to Mathias, stretching his long body out next to the man that had been both friend and adversary over the course of their lives on the Rez. Mathias was already rolling on his side to face Henry, taking the bottle from him and squeezing a generous amount into his palm before working his hand up and down Henry’s shaft.

Lifting a hand to cup Mathias’s cheek, Henry drew him down into another deep kiss that sent shivers down his spine, warm tendrils of desire unfurling in his belly. Driven by need rather than know-how, Mathias shifted until he was straddling Henry, not pulling back from the kiss or releasing his hold on Henry’s member. His hair fell around them, brushing against Henry’s chest and dragging out a soft moan from the man beneath him.

Pressing their lengths together, he made a tight fist around both of them, moving against Henry. The other man broke from the kiss, his head dropping back against the pillow, eyes closed in obvious pleasure as a hand moved down to cover Mathias’s. It was definitely a new sensation, one that felt surprisingly good and had each of them undulating their hips.

Mathias pushed himself upright over Henry, using his free hand to press against Standing Bear’s shoulder and looking down at the man beneath him in a rare moment of complete vulnerability. Mathias was a guarded man, suspicious and untrusting due to the nature of his chosen career and the corruption he’d been exposed to over the years. He’d never allowed himself to love anyone other than his mother and his sister–girlfriends came and went, and none of them could claim to have ever held his heart–but Henry Standing Bear had his claws dug deep in Mathias. He didn’t fool himself into thinking what he felt was love, but he was closer to Henry than anyone else on the Rez. Their worlds had always been in orbit around each other, but it was only recently that they stopped being opposing forces.

Mingan’s death likely had more to do with that than he cared to admit, but Mathias knew it was also because of Hector, and because as much as Henry was a traitor to his people due to his close friendship with Sheriff Longmire…Henry was always ready to step up and help his tribe, taking care of the women and children that Mathias seemed to constantly fail with his limited scope of power.

Henry was searching his eyes, and Mathias couldn’t help but wonder if the other man was reading him like a book or somehow hearing his thoughts. He felt himself closing off, putting his walls back up, but Henry gripped his bicep and deftly rolled them both over until Mathias was beneath him.

“No,” Henry breathed, still moving against him. “Let me see you, Mathias.”

Mathias had no idea how to intentionally let his guard drop again, especially now that he knew that his vulnerability had been exposed and visible to the other man, but Henry was keen on finding the key. Slick fingers released their hold around Mathias’s hand and trailed down to tease the point of penetration that would take things even further than just frotting.

There was a flash of panic that surged through Mathias as he inwardly questioned whether or not they should cross that bridge, but the thought was snuffed out when Henry’s lips sought his out again, kissing him in the way that made the world melt away around him. He could have lived in that kiss if given the opportunity–no cares, no worries. Just him and Henry and the gentle bliss that was found there.

A sharp intake of air shattered that sweet moment as his body was breached, but Henry’s nose brushed against his, reassuring him with a soft shh. He hovered over Mathias, looking deep into his eyes with an openness that made Mathias want to crawl away into the shadows. He slammed his eyes shut again.

“I can stop if you would like for me to.”

“No.” The word was out before he realized he’d even thought it. “Don’t stop.”

“Mathias,” his name sounded like a sacred prayer on the other’s lips, the rumble of the deep baritone voice felt on a near spiritual level. “Vé'hoomėstse."

The word was gentle, a request rather than a demand, but one that took Mathias several long moments to grant. He could feel the worry and fear that Henry would see through to the real heart of him creasing his brow, but there was no judgment evident in the other man’s eyes. Henry, if anything, was even more gentle than he had been, slowly pulsing his finger into Mathias as their eyes held one another’s.

Realizing his own hand had stilled in the last few minutes, Mathias matched Henry’s pace and began to stroke them again rhythmically. Between the sounds of their breaths, the beat of his heart, and the pulse of his pleasure, Mathias felt like he was falling into a trance. When a second finger joined the first, a soft exhalation pushed past his lips–his body tensing only momentarily before it settled back into the blissful state.

Before Mathias knew it, Henry was pulling himself out of Mathias hand, and pressing in slowly to the space where his fingers had been. Mathias’s hands gripped Standing Bear’s broad shoulders as he fought against the natural urge to tense every muscle in his body, fully anticipating pain to accompany the intrusion, but only feeling a mild sense of discomfort before his body began to relax into it. When Henry took hold of both of his hands and held them against the pillow on either side of his head, Mathias didn’t fight against him. Instead, their fingers locked together as they found a new rhythm together.

Sweat slicked their heated skin as their passion grew into a test of endurance, both holding on as long as they could–reluctant to find release too quickly and leave the world they had created together. The closer Henry came to the edge, the harder to began to thrust into Mathias, burying his face in against the chief’s neck and alternating between soft kisses and teasing nips.

Mathias felt like he was going to combust from every sensation currently running rampant through his entire being. He’d had some really great sex in his life, but all of his previous experiences paled in comparison to this. In the part of his brain that was still capable of thought, he found himself wondering if it was because it was new or because it was Henry. Both of those options were dangerous to consider, so he didn’t.

Henry released Mathias’s hands in order to draw one of the man’s legs up against his hip, providing for a new angle that had both of them moaning in unison. Mathias wrapped his arms around Henry, trying to mold their bodies even closer together as he felt his own climax quickly approaching.

“Shit, Henry…” he gritted his teeth, blunt nails raking across Henry’s upper back as he reached the precipitate and teetered on the edge

Henry grunted in response, teeth latching on to the muscle between Mathias’s shoulder and neck and biting down with enough force to make Mathias cry out, the mixture of pleasure and pain amplifying the intensity of his orgasm to the point where he was fairly certain his spirit actually left his body.

When it finally reintegrated itself into his physical form, Mathias became aware of Henry’s hot, ragged breath dragging across the skin of his neck and the solid weight of his body collapsed against his own. In his total state of euphoric bliss, he’d completely missed Henry’s unraveling.

He felt too at peace and relaxed to lament about not being fully present to see Standing Bear in the final throes of passion, but he did wish he’d at least been able to see the man’s face at the end. To look into his eyes and know that he was responsible for Henry’s pleasure would have felt…well, it would have been something.

Mathias sank into the quiet moment, lulling his head just enough to rest against Henry’s and allowing his eyes to close as his mind and body drifted into a hypnagogic state. He wasn’t sure how long he’d floated on the cusp of wakefulness and sleep, but stirred when Henry gently moved off of him and laid on his back.

“Why’d you move? I was comfortable.”

“I did not want to crush you.”

Mathias gave a quiet, sleepy chuckle and rolled on his side, finding his way under Henry’s arm and resting his head against the other man’s chest. “You weren’t.”

Henry’s fingers once again found their way to Mathias’s hair, gently stroking the locks and Mathias relaxed further under the touch, though the repeated act made him curious.

“You keep messing with my hair.” It was an invitation rather than an accusation, but he wasn’t sure if Standing Bear would catch the difference in Mathias’s tone.

“I can feel your spirit in it,” Henry told him, his fingers running the full length of the strands. “Wild. Free. Unbound.”

The words settled over Mathias like an interrogation spotlight and he opened his eyes, regretting the invitation he’d extended. “Maybe I just don’t like to braid it.”

“You say you are bound by the law, but I think you are bound by more than that. You are bound by honor. You toe the line, but you never cross it. This,” his fingers trailed through the soft locks again. “Is your expression of freedom, the only part of you that you refuse to keep bound by the uniform you wear and all the expectations that come with it.”

“Honor, huh?” Mathias pushed himself up on his elbow, looking down at Henry incredulously. “If I have so much honor, why did I blackmail you into working for me as Hector?”

“Because Hector gives our people the justice they deserve. Justice you cannot give them through the confines of the law. I do not agree with your methods, Mathias, but I can appreciate what you are trying to accomplish.”

“Trying,” he prickled, thinking again about Mingan. “And failing, it seems.”

“That is why I renegotiated our terms. So that we use Hector the right way and succeed.”

“You’re a real pain in my ass, Standing Bear,” Mathias dropped his head back down on Henry’s shoulder.

“I did not hear you complaining a few minutes ago.”

“Shut the hell up.” He could feel the other man smiling, and grumbled in irritation, half tempted to kick Henry out of his bed.

TBC

#mathias clark #henry standing bear #longmire #fanfic

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