Let's Hear it for the Boy (A short story)‏

My baby, he don't talk sweet
He ain't got much to say
But he loves me, loves me, loves me
I know that he loves me anyway

Ezra was sitting on the couch, his head on Vin's shoulder, as he and Vin watched television. He tilted his head to look at Vin. Vin was so beautiful with his blue eyes, shoulder-length blondish-brown hair, and his lean muscled body. Lifting a hand, he laid it on the back of Vin's hair. He loved running his fingers through Vin's silky hair.

"I love you, Vin," he said.

Without taking his eyes off the television, Vin replied, "You, too." Then, Vin delivered a gentle loving kiss to the side of Ezra's forehead.

Ezra smiled. He and Vin had been dating for a year and he was deeply in love with the ATF sharpshooter. And, he knew that Vin felt the same way. Vin told him he loved him all of the time. Not always in words. Vin wasn't much for words. But he told Ezra in other ways.

Every time that Ezra went home late from a meeting about his latest undercover job, Vin had something ready for him to eat. Every time Vin held him, every time he gave Ezra tender kisses for no reason... those were all times that Vin told him that he loved him. And Ezra understood.

And maybe he don't dress fine
But I don't really mind

As the television continued to play, Ezra's attention was split between his lover and the show they were watching. Glancing at Vin, Ezra took in his appearance. Vin was dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms and nothing else. Ezra, himself, had on a pair of black silk pajamas.

Ezra's mother had always told him that appearances were everything. And Ezra had always believed that until he had met a scruffy Texan by the name of Vin Tanner. Vin hated wearing suits unless it was absolutely required. And, even then, he'd do his best to not have to.

While Ezra wore suits and designer clothing, Vin preferred to wear jeans and t-shirts. Vin wasn't one for fancy clothes and never would be. 'I think that's one of the reasons that I love him so much,' Ezra thought with a slight smile.

My baby may not be rich
He's watching every dime
But every night he holds me
And we always have a real good time

And maybe he sings off-key
That's alright by me

Ezra had money, enough to make him comfortable. His mother's fifth husband had been very well off and had left Ezra a few thousand dollars in his will. He was the new husband of Maude's that he had actually liked and gotten along with.

Ezra had invested the money and it had increased to several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Vin had been a little intimidated by that at first... not knowing why Ezra would want him.

But Ezra loved him and Vin's fears were soon put to rest. Ezra knew that Vin didn't have a lot of money, he was always having to watch how much he spent. But none of that mattered to the undercover agent. He loved Vin for Vin, not for what he could or couldn't give him.

Every night when Vin would hold him before they would fall asleep, after they had made love, Ezra could feel Vin's love. And, whenever, they would go out... they always had fun. They would go on picnics, go horseback riding, take Vin's motorcycle out for a drive in the country. It never mattered to them what they did or where they went. They were with each other, that's all that mattered.

As Vin started to flip channels, he ran up on a Toby Keith music video. It was one of Vin's favorite Toby Keith songs, so he set down the remote and started to sing along to "How Do You Like Me Now". Ezra smiled fondly at his lover. Vin couldn't carry a tune to save his life, but Ezra loved to hear him sing. He guessed that that's what love did to you.

When the song finished, Vin clicked off the television and turned to face Ezra. "Ready to go to bed?"

Ezra nodded. They walked into their bedroom and got into the bed. Vin wrapped his arms around Ezra. Before his lips descended on Ezra's, he said, "I love you, baby."

Ezra couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. He knew that Vin loved him, but he cherished each and every time that Vin would say it out loud.

My baby, he don't talk sweet
He ain't got much to say
But he loves me, loves me, loves me
I know that he loves me anyway

And maybe he don't dress fine
But I don't really mind
'Cuz every time he pulls me near
I just wanna cheer:
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY!
Oh, let's give the boy a hand
Let's hear it for my baby
You gotta understand
Maybe he's no Romeo
But he's my loving one-man show
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY!

My baby may not be rich
He's watching every dime
But every night he holds me
And we always have a real good time

And maybe he sings off-key
That's alright by me
But what he does he does so well
Makes me wanna yell:
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY!
Oh, let's give the boy a hand
Let's hear it for my baby
You gotta understand
Maybe he's no Romeo
But he's my loving one-man show
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY!

("Let's Hear It For The Boy" sung by Deniece Williams on the Footloose soundtrack.)

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