Vines Vines by Aouda Fogg Disclaimer: I don't own them, I'm just playing for a bit. Author's Notes: I think this was actually the first DS slash story I began; it managed to turn into something longer than expected, and then Bast was kind enough to offer to publish it in one of her zines! This first appeared in the terrific Body Heat 2, and now that it's timed out, here it is! Many thanks to Bast. Story Notes: You knew it was going to be a bad day when first off the form you're sure you left right on top of the pile (the one just to the left of the little model GTO and just to the right of the picture of you and Fraser at the lake last summer) is completely missing and your boss is already yelling for it and it's only 8:02. And, as usual when it came to stuff like that, Ray Kowalski was right. By 11 o'clock he'd decided he was cursed. Completely, utterly, and forever. He was also starving - the scrambled eggs, bagel, and strawberries Fraser had fixed for him this morning were way too long ago - and he didn't have time for lunch. Paperwork sucked. Of course, so did death, which was what Welsh promised he would inflict on a certain Detective First Grade if said detective didn't get some of his backlog done. Now. This sucked. The fact that he could hear Fraser's voice saying "Well, Ray, if you did the paperwork as it came in, it wouldn't stack up and catching up wouldn't be so onerous," only made him scowl harder. Yeah, right, thanks for the newsflash, Frase. He loved the Mountie, but that didn't change the fact that sometimes the Mountie really was the most annoying man in the whole world. Also didn't change the fact that the Mountie's vocab was infecting him. `Onerous.' Shit, his interior monologue would never be the same - he'd been Mountized. Damn. Shouldn't of thought of Fraser. Made him think of other stuff. Good stuff. Great stuff. Not that they'd done much of any kind of stuff anytime recently. They hadn't had the time or the energy for anything beyond a quick kiss, and once or twice a quick grope - Ben really did have quick hands - in what felt like for-fricken-ever. He'd tried once a couple nights ago, but Ray figured if Ben could fall asleep while he was rooting around on his neck and drawing one of those lines of kisses Ben liked so much from right behind his ear all the way down to the hollow of his collar bone, the guy must really be tired and need the sleep. So he'd let him sleep. Damn it. Ray doodled on a folder, trying to console himself with the thought that at least he got to sleep next to Fraser. Didn't really help. Forcing himself to focus and get work done, Ray looked down at the stack of paper - he swore the pieces reproduced in the dark of night - and started filling in blanks. He made it through several pieces when he had to write the date for the first time and something clicked. Friday. Today was Friday. That meant tomorrow was Saturday. Both of them had worked last weekend. Both of them had this weekend off. Two whole days. YES! Two whole days of Ben and the bed and Ben and the couch and Ben and the nice carpet in front of the fireplace and maybe even the shower wall now that Ben had put in those anti-slip strips after they had slipped rather spectacularly a couple months ago. Oh, this was greatness. He felt like writing "non-stop, wild, mind-blowing sex" on his calendar over the two days in big red caps, but that would probably be bad. He grinned, picturing Ben's face if he actually did write it out. Not really focusing on the calendar on the wall, Ray turned his head and looked at it while picturing a flush rising to his Mountie's cheeks, the embarrassed look in his eyes that might just slide into that deep, hot look Ben got when he . . . Suddenly Ray dropped his head to his desk, unable to prevent a groan from escaping. There were already words in this Saturday's square. "Carnival" and "kids 9 a.m." under that. Barely stopping himself from pounding his head into his desk - Welsh would know for sure he wasn't working then - he wondered exactly which sex gods he'd offended and whether taking the whole herd of Vecchio kids to the carnival at St. Boniface's would be enough to appease them. Why did that have to be this weekend? When he'd said yes it'd sounded like fun. And the kids had been really excited. Damn. For a moment he felt a spurt of anger at Ray Vecchio (yeah, like that was a new thing) who was still down in Florida playing Bowling King. Even Ben thought that was weird. Still, the trade off was that he still got to be Uncle Ray all the time, which was cool. And if he felt an occasional twinge about the fact that Vecchio had Stella . . . well, having Ben more than balanced that. Actually, knowing Ben loved him back blew it out of the water. Well, that and the image of Stella in a bowling shirt. Resigning himself to his fate - and knowing that he'd have fun with the little monsters once they were there - Ray sighed and went back to paperwork. He stood it for 15 more minutes, but as soon as the hole in his stomach reached Dief-sized proportions, he pushed back his chair and ducked into the lunchroom for a quick trip to the vending machine. He'd made it though the Snickers - greatest candy bar in the whole world except maybe Butterfinger - and was working his way through a really tasty bag of Red Vines when a familiar pair of boots stepped into his line of sight. "Fraser!" The look on his face was probably way beyond welcoming, but, hey, what the hell, everyone knew Fraser was his best friend. "Ray." Ben gave Ray one of his quiet smiles. "It looks like you're hard at work." "Got the act down pretty good, don't I?" Ray shot back with a grin. He waved vaguely at the papers on his desk. "Trying to get through all this stuff. You wanna tell me exactly why the Powers That Be want me to chart the number of hours I spend on foot and graph them against the number of hours I spend in my car?" Tilting his head to look at the rather messy chicken scratches Ray had been inflicting on the innocent piece of paper, Fraser decided to risk speculating. "Perhaps to give them a better idea of how to utilize their resources and assets?" Ray shook his head mournfully. "See, there you go using logic again, Frase; that's gonna get you in trouble some day." "I'll risk it, thank you very much, Ray." Fraser's eyes fell on the blue and white striped bag of Red Vines and then shot back up to his partner's, this time full of exasperation. "Don't tell me that's your lunch." "All right, I won't tell you." "Ray, these are nothing but empty calories and red dye, no protein, no fiber--" "You mean they look like rope but there isn't any fiber? I'm shocked, I tell you! Shocked!" Fraser raised his eyebrow at him and gave him The Look. Yeah, that look. The one that always made Ray want to launch himself at the dark-haired man, tear his clothes off (screw the uniform), and let loose until they were just puddles on the floor. Restraining himself with difficulty, Ray contented himself with grinning his cockiest grin - the one Ben had once told him made him want to kiss him until they both passed out. After all, fair was fair. Fraser tried to look reproving, but Ray could see the slight blush coloring the tops of his cheeks. The Mountie picked up the blue and white striped box and looked at the nutrition information on the back. "Ray, these have absolutely no nutritional value. In fact, I can't think of any possible value they have . . ." "Yeah, well, they aren't messy and they're fun to eat." "Strangely, Ray, I find neither of those arguments compelling." "Hey!" Ray felt himself getting a bit defensive and tried to tone it down - after all, he liked the Mountie taking care of him. Most of the time. "They're getting me through the paperwork." "Well, Ray, if you did the paperwork as--" "Don't even finish that sentence, Fraser, not if you don't want me boot'n you in the head." "Understood, Ray." The wide-eyed Mountie look accompanying the words made Ray smile. "What're you doing here anyway? I thought you were showing the new Constable how to inventory the office supplies today." "I completed that assignment and thought you might perhaps appreciate some assistance with your paperwork." Ray didn't even hesitate. He quickly shifted one of the large piles of paper over to him and handed the Mountie a pencil in the same motion. "Fraser, you're the best partner ever. Someone oughtta give you an award or something." "As long as it doesn't involve those red . . . things, I would be happy to accept." Grinning, Ray got back to work. Man, he really had it bad - having Ben with him made even paperwork better. Greatness. Late the following afternoon . . . They'd gone through a long string of ride tickets, two things of nachos (no jalapenos because they were `icky'), a hot dog a piece, two puffs of the stickiest cotton candy in the whole world, pieces of something that was supposed to be cheese pizza, a funnel cake, and God only knew how many sodas. And through it all, they'd only had one spilled drink, no throwing up, just a little whining (Joey didn't see why he had to go on the merry-go-round with all the other `babies' and not on one of those zipper things that made even Ray turn green), and only one slightly lost child (Carlos had found the lure of the dragon swing too much to resist, but, happily, he wandered less than 15 feet from the rest of the group). Ray had even handled getting Anna to the bathroom without having to take her into the men's room with him. Now, they straggled toward the exit, each armed with at least one stuffed animal of obnoxious color. Anna was outrageously proud of the hot pink giraffe she'd won at a little kid's ring toss. Ray was just as proud, actually, of his blue turtle, not that he'd admit to such a thing. The exit gate was in sight, and Ray didn't think he'd ever seen anything so attractive as the silver turnstile, not even Ben in his leather jacket and nothing else - well, maybe not that - when Joey suddenly piped up. "Uncle Ray! Wait! We can't leave yet - you said that if we had good behavior that you'd get us a treat for tomorrow." "Oh, jeez, you're right, buddy. Nearly forgot, and you guys did have good behavior." Ray thought fleetingly of Maria's face when the kids walked in with candy after all the crap they'd eaten today, but looking down into the eager little faces tilted up at him, he caved. "But, remember, yer not eating it tonight, and you gotta get permission from your parents about when you can eat it, right?" Figuring even Fraser would be pleased by the limits he'd put down, they threaded their way over to a large candy stall. As the kids debated the relative merits of huge suckers, a jaw breaker Ray would swear was a softball in disguise, or something more exotic, he scanned the store while keeping one eye on the three kids. Distinctive blue and white striped wrappings caught his eye and he grinned at the memory of Ben's reaction to his "lunch" yesterday. Then the size of the box hit him. The whips were three feet long! An evil little thought zigged through his head It was soon joined but other evil little thoughts. They joined together in an evil little way and very quickly an evil little plan evolved - the candy . . . Ben . . . Oh, yeah. Never let it be said that Ray Kowalski couldn't move quickly. Snagging one of the boxes, he turned back to find Anna standing next to him holding a bag of Swedish fish. "Oh, good choice, munchkin. I always liked those." "Me too. They're my favorite." Joey and Carlos joined them a moment later with strips of multicolored dots and a large Toblerone respectively. "Hey, Uncle Ray," Carlos asked as they waited in line. "Who are the `Vines for?" Trying not to look guilty - or blush - Ray fumbled for an answer. "I, well, I thought I'd get them for Uncle Ben." "Uncle Ben likes those?" Ray opened and mouth and shut it just as quickly, trying to formulate an answer that didn't require actually lying. Luckily, he didn't have to; Anna had an answer. "Of course he does, silly!" she said with all the ultimate assurance of a four year old. "They're red!" "Good point, munchkin!" Ray scooped her up, thankful for the diversion. "So, uh, kids, what was your favorite ride?" Answering the question lasted all the way out to the car. By the time they were out of the parking lot, the boys had zonked out, and Anna was content to quietly walk her new giraffe back and forth across her booster seat. The red vines were safe in the trunk. A bit later . . . . The hallway to their apartment seemed unnaturally quiet to Ray after the raucous carnival sounds and the kids' noisy accounts of their day to their grandmother. Which wasn't to say it wasn't welcome. Very, very welcome. Pulling out his keys, Ray tried to form a plan - he had to keep Ben from focusing too long on the candy since that would ruin the surprise. If he knew his Mountie - and he did - a little deliberate distraction would do the trick. Unlocking the door, he stepped into the apartment they shared. Dief looked up and whuffed from the carpet near the fireplace, but he didn't get up. Fraser, on the other hand, strode out of the kitchen. "Ray! How was your day? Did the children enjoy themselves?" As Ben walked toward him, Ray marveled yet again at the fact that somehow he'd gotten lucky enough to having this amazing man love him. "Yeah, it was great, Frase, but I don't want to see another thing of cotton candy for at least a year." "Ah, well, at least now I know what not to get you for your birthday." Ben finished drying his hands on the towel he carried with him. "What's that?" he asked gesturing with the towel. "Oh, you know, some candy from today. I gotta make sure it makes it to its rightful owner." "Ah, well, that's very noble of you." Before the Mountie could launch into a paragraph about candy not really be all that great for growing children, he leaned the bag with the candy against the wall and held out the prize he'd won at the skee-ball booth: distraction, exhibit "a". "This, however, is a new friend for Spike." He ignored the semi-contemptuous sniff from Dief. Fraser examined the electric blue stuffed animal, clearly at a loss for words. "You're going to give your turtle a stuffed animal?" "Yeah, sure, why not? Give him someone to talk to while we're not here, a buddy to confide in since he and Dief aren't the best of friends. Figured we could call him `Red.'" Ray was pleased to see that Ben had forgotten all about the candy in his efforts to find something to say to the nonsense his lover was spouting. "Ah, yes, I can see your logic." Leaning down he pecked Ray's lips quickly. Ray had to admit, Fraser's ready acceptance of his unique brand of weirdness really was one of the greatest parts of being in love with the Mountie. Of course, Fraser was just as weird as he was, but still, he hoped he made Ben feel as freely loved as the Mountie made him feel. The year since they'd figured out how they felt about each other on their quest was the happiest he'd ever had. Turning to walk back to the kitchen, Ben changed the subject. "I made us a chicken Caesar salad since I figured something light would be in order after a full day at the carnival." "Sounds perfect. Musta read my mind." And reaching out, Ray pulled the other man back for a real kiss. Letting him go several delightful minutes later, Ray kissed the curve of Ben's mouth one last time before pushing him toward the kitchen. "Let's eat, Ben, just lemme make a quick pit stop." "Certainly, Ray." Safely back in the kitchen, Fraser never saw Ray retrieve the box of candy or slip it under his side of their bed or grin in anticipation. Unfortunately, by the time he'd recounted the day with enough detail to satisfy the Mountie and they'd finished their salads, Ray was fading fast and barely able to keep his eyes open. "Who knew rugrats and a carnival could be so tiring?" "Perhaps Maria and Tony, which is why they were so willing to let you take their offspring." "Better watch it there, Ben, that sounded pretty cyclical." Ray pondered what he'd just said. "No, wait, that's not what I mean. What do I mean, Ben?" "I would suspect `cynical,' were I to hazard a guess. And you're right, it did sound a bit cynical. Still, I am glad you and the children had a good time." Ben smiled softly down at Ray. "Come along, Ray; let's get you to bed." "You gonna get in with me?" Ray tried not to whine as visions of his plans for the evening vanished before his eyes. After all, he wanted to keep the Mountie awake, not fall asleep on him. "As you wish, Ray." Fraser replied as he turned off lights and checked the door. "Oh, yeah, buddy, I wish." "Then that's what we'll do; we'll have an early evening." The thought of that perked Ray up a bit. After all, early evenings meant early mornings too. Greatness. A few minutes later, cuddled in their bed, Ray held his Mountie and fell asleep planning his attack for the morning. Sunday Morning . . The weird gray-blue light of dawn peeked through the window, hitting the one eye Ray cracked open. Glancing at the clock and squinting ever so slightly with the one eye, he made an executive decision that 6:13 wasn't too early to begin his nefarious plot. If keeping Ben asleep for a while longer wasn't an integral part of said plot, he would've worked on his The Shadow cackle, but for now he kept it to himself. This was going to be fun. Oh, yeah. Ray eased away from the chest he'd been snuggled up against. Fraser stirred, but Ray quickly compensated by insinuating his leg more firmly between Fraser's, and the Mountie settled back in. Yeah, well, he'd learned a bit over the past year, and it turned out that the Ben was a sucker for skin-to-skin contact. So, he'd made it his mission in life to touch his lover as much as humanly possible. Not that it was a great sacrifice or anything. After a moment, Ray leaned his upper body backwards over the edge and stretched his arm off under the bed. Mentally patting himself on the back for being clever enough to puncture the packaging last night while Ben was washing up in the bathroom, he slowly slid his fingers through the cellophane and grabbed several whips. The friendly sit-up competition he and Fraser had going made lifting himself back up easy. Pausing again to make sure Fraser was still dead to the world - he was a heavy sleeper once he finally fell asleep - Ray put the whips as far away from Ben's pillow as possible. After all, the Mountie might not be a Sentinel like that guy on the TV show, but it'd just be Ray's luck that the scent of the sweet, red smell of the candy would slip in on one of Fraser's deep breaths and mess up the timing. Proper preparation and all that. Then, unable to resist the opportunity, Ray looked at the man laid out before him. Better than any all you could eat Vegas buffet ever. There still wasn't any gray in that dark, thick hair. He didn't bother to try and muss it. Never worked. Ben's face was still as beautifully chiseled as always, even softened by sleep, but Ray could see more laugh lines than were there a year and a half ago. Made him feel good. Contemplating his next move gave the lithe cop one more reason on his list of reasons he was thankful he'd been working on getting Ben to sleep naked all the time. They'd gone from long johns, to a t-shirt and boxers, to just boxers, and now, more often than not, Fraser just left even those off entirely. The weaning process had been slow, Ray thought, but Fraser was nothing if not practical: the sleeping naked thing made access so much easier. Which brought Ray to this point. Now the real question was whether or not he should do both arms over Fraser's head or each arm out to the side. Two together had the advantage that there was maybe less of a chance of Fraser waking up, but he loved the mental image of Ben with both arms splayed out. Besides, he thought Fraser liked it better that way, too. Ray flashed on the time they'd made that discovery - the silk ties Stella had given him and that he'd hated had died a happy death. Separate arms it was. Sliding in a bit closer to the warm body next to him, Ray propped himself up on an elbow right below the crook in Fraser's right arm. Slipping his own right hand under Fraser's higher shoulder, he eased his lover back so he was flat on his back. For a breathless moment, he watched Fraser's left hand fall onto the bed, but Ray's luck held and the movement didn't disturb Ben. Grinning in anticipation, Ray slowly stroked and adjusted Ben's arms, easing them into position out to the side until they formed Ls on either side of his head. Almost there. Moving more quickly now that the prize was in his sights, Ray pushed himself up. Scooping up a red whip, he wrapped the candy around Ben's wrist and managed to get the ends wrapped around the slats in their headboard without too much trouble. Nibbling on his lip in concentration, Ray worked the ends into a bow. Only to watch it come untied. Shit. Now what? Guess he shoulda done some field tests. Mentally cursing himself for never paying attention in Boy Scouts, he quickly reviewed his options. Wait - square knot! Right over left and under; left over right and under. Yes! It worked, holding fast without breaking the whip. Forcing himself not to suck on the soft skin right below Ben's new red bracelet, he gingerly bent over Ben's broad chest and secured his other arm to the headboard. Sitting back on his heels and perusing his handiwork, Ray sucked back a moan. Ben looked hot. The bright red twists stood out sharply against paler skin, and odd as it seemed, the candy scent and Fraser's own warm, sleepy scent melded together well and went straight to his dick, which throbbed its approval. Gently running his hand up Ben's leg toward his stomach, Ray stopped at the dark hair defining the Mountie's groin. An image of a red candy circlet wrapped around Ben's cock and balls froze him in his tracks. Kind of a edible cock ring. Nice. Considering the thought seriously, he decided to hold onto that image for another time - he wanted to try some other stuff first. Ben had a habit of waking up pretty quickly once he started playing with his dick. Running through a quick mental checklist - hands tied, more vines in easy reach, lube on the nightstand, dick more than happy - Ray Kowalski decided the time had come for Phase Two of his Evil Plan: Waking Up the Mountie. Sliding up smoothly, almost dancing with barely-contained excitement, Ray propped himself up over Ben with a hand and straight arm on either side of Ben's shoulders. Lowering himself slowly, he began with small, nibbling kisses all around Fraser's lips and gradually increased the pressure. Finally, he started in with a few carefully placed dabs with the tip of his tongue . . . and felt the mouth below him begin to respond. Feeling Fraser's lips move beneath his and do that wonderful little press and cling thing only the best kisses did, Ray added lazy morning kisses to his list of things he liked best about making love with Ben. Ray thought it was item number 643. Drawing back slowly and savoring the last bit of contact from the warm lips, Ray gazed down at the gorgeous man sharing his bed and watched him open his eyes. He could see Ben come the last bit awake as he focused in on Ray's face. His sleep-warmed eyes looked contented and welcoming; they brightened as Ben smiled good morning. Ray's smile in return widened as the Mountie did exactly what Ray had predicted he would; he started to reach up and pull Ray down to him. Only to find he couldn't. He tried again - Ray could see the muscles in his shoulders tense a bit. Ben looked up in consternation and skewed his eyes to the arms refusing to obey him. The dawning realization in those blue eyes made Ray chuckle. "Ray? Are those-" "Yep." Ray watched carefully for any discomfort or distress in Fraser's eyes, but all he could see was a dawning awareness . . . and a growing heat that he was trying to mask. "I see. And you felt compelled to do this because?" "So I could have my wicked way with you, of course! Silly Mountie." Ben cocked an eyebrow. Then, deliberately, he turned his head and studied the bonds holding his wrists against the headboard. He tested them gently - not enough to even come close to straining the candy. Then, just as deliberately, he shifted back, gazed directly into Ray's eyes and licked his lips. "Oh, dear. Well, then, since you've captured me, I suppose I must submit." Fraser could practically determine the tensile strength of a steel cable at 20 paces - while running and dodging bullets - so Ray knew damned well Ben knew he could free himself with a flick of his wrist. But he hadn't. He knew exactly what the Red Vines were. A reminder, a request. And the fact that Fraser was willing to lie there, ready and waiting, quiescent beneath Ray almost made him come right then and there, but he forced himself to back off. This was way too incredible a chance to turn it into a quickie. He had plans. Sucking in a deep breath, letting it out slowly, he closed his eyes and got control of himself. Barely. Opening his eyes, he surveyed his captive. Oh, where to begin. He voiced the thought out loud. Fraser just lay there, his eyes widened innocently. But Ray saw the little hitch in his breathing. And the lurking warmth in this eyes. Bowing his head in tribute to the wide chest below him, Ray started with a delicate line of kisses down Ben's sternum. They were more whispers across the skin than real kisses, but as he headed further south, he lingered a bit more each time, until when he reached the skin below the Mountie's bellybutton he had progressed to wet, open-mouthed kisses and sucking lingeringly. Fraser still hadn't made any sound, but his cock wasn't having nearly as easy a time playing indifferent. It was definitely taking a decided interest in the proceedings. Ray ghosted the tips of his fingernails along the rapidly hardening length and then completely changed his topography. He also ignored Ben's very quiet whimper of disappointment. Instead he attacked the underside of the left arm held out in front of him. "So, captive," Ray spoke in between nibbles to the inside of Ben's bicep. "Any last words before I do my worst?" He licked the muscles that bunched and clenched as he nipped a particularly good spot. A smile flashed across Fraser's face for the barest of instants, but then he composed his face into the Mountie mask he adopted while standing post. "I am a Mountie. I am trained to withstand any torture." "Oooh, gettin' mouthy. We'll just have to find you something better to do with that mouth!" He let Ben stew on that one while he lingered over his other arm, this time leaving a florid red mark high on the inside of Fraser's arm where only the two of them would be able to see it. He loved marking his territory almost as much as he loved being able to look down at himself and see where Ben had marked him as his own. There was something so real about being able to look down and see marks that brought back bursts of memory and sensation. Throwing a leg over Fraser's torso, he licked his palm and then danced his tongue over several fingers. Lingering over his index finger the longest, he flicked the tip with his tongue, circling it several times - a move which was one of Fraser's very favorite things when performed on his cock. Waiting until Fraser finally forced his eyes away from his fingers, Ray locked his eyes on Ben's. Moving with the grace years of dancing had taught him, he arched his back ever so slightly and dropped his damp hand to the cock jutting out from his body. This time, Fraser wasn't able to disguise the involuntary tightening of his stomach, or the attempt at thrusting up. The move didn't get him anywhere - Ray's weight anchored him to the bed. Glorying in that needy reaction, Ray teased his lover harder. He let his lids fall a bit and stroked himself, languidly, smoothly, milking out a few more gleaming drops of pre-come. He collected and rubbed them onto Ben's abdomen, laying claim to another part of his man. Shit, he realized with a toothy grin down at Fraser, he was as territorial as the wolf. The thought made him laugh throatily; the sound made Ben gasp. "Oh, yeah. Yeah. See how hard I am?" Fraser's eyes rocketed back to his crotch and the heat in them blazed. "Think of all the places I can put it. So many choices." He let the words hang for a moment. "If you're very good, maybe I'll let you chose which one I do first." Ray felt the cock pressed up against his back jump as the words slammed through Ben. He grinned evilly. But a moment later, he found himself caught in his own trap. Ben grabbed harder at the bars in the headboard, his fingers whitening. "Yes," he groaned. "Please! Let me suck you. I need you!" This time the groan they both heard fell from Ray's lips. He hadn't expected Fraser to capitulate - not so soon. Jeezus. Unable to resist, he swooped down and seized that needy mouth with a consuming kiss that was a sublime mix of all the lust and love he felt for his lover. The fact that Fraser's tongue seemed to be trying to make itself a permanent resident inside Ray's mouth made him want to go on for at least the next decade. Fraser broke the kiss first, though, to mutter around the lip he held delicately between his teeth. "More! Please, I need more." Ray tried to regain his equilibrium and thought about drawing the little slave/master thing out more, but the naked yearning on Ben's face made him shudder. And, well, Ben had said please. Scooting forward on his knees, Ray grabbed his cock again and rubbed it across Fraser's lips, pulling away before Ben could get his tongue out all the way. Denied the ultimate prize, Fraser licked his lips instead, making the move as blatant as he could, letting his enjoyment of the taste left behind show in his eyes. He knew damned well Ray wouldn't be able to resist the promise or the memory of that tongue - or the heat in his eyes. Doing some capitulating of his own, Ray rocked forward and let the tip of his cock slip past Ben's lips. Not nearly satisfied, Fraser lurched forward and slid his lips around the full head, the strong "o" of his lips working together with his tongue to drive Ray insane. Ray let the exquisite torture go on for a moment, even arching forward so Fraser could rest his head back on the pillow. Fraser's tongue spread liquid fire through him - it felt like every single nerve ending in his body had packed up and migrated to those couple square inches of his body. Pleasure sparking through him, he marveled yet again at the fact that out of all the people in the world, Ben had decided to be here with him. Thank God. Their groans filled the quiet room, Ben's as he savored the taste of Ray's pre-come against his palate, Ray's as he felt Fraser draw fluttering patterns across the ultra-sensitive skin. Feeling his balls start to draw up, and panting heavily, he forced himself to pull away and heard Ben moan in disappointment. "Nice try, captive, but you aren't going to get free that easily!" He knew his breathless pants kinda spoiled the effect, but what the hell, it wasn't as if Ben was all that coherent either. Moving quickly to separate himself from temptation, Ray slid his body down until he was on his knees between Fraser's legs and rested his head on one of the strong thighs in front of him and gave them both a moment, savoring each level of closeness swirling around them. Too eager to wait too long, however, he grinned up at his lover and pushed Ben's legs apart to give himself more room. He waited a moment longer until more awareness had returned to Ben's eyes, then he grabbed one of the red whips he'd set aside. He brought it to his mouth. This time he was the one who cocked an eyebrow. Ben held his breath in anticipation, his eyes locked on his mouth. Ray sucked on the end, getting it good and wet, letting the whip play lingeringly around his lips. Then, holding it like a pencil, he starting dragging the candy across Ben's stomach, up over his abs, finishing with tight spirals over his nipples. He swore he could feel Ben's skin getting hotter where he doodled. Ray repeated the process several times, wetting, drawing, wetting, drawing, until he was satisfied with the designs he'd drawn all over his Mountie's body. Fraser had watched him with intent, blazing eyes the entire time, alternating between barely breathing, and panting so hard he could've just finished running a marathon. He also gave up trying to hold back his moans. The sounds he made echoed through the quiet room, licking at Ray, urging him on as he tried to induce louder and different sounds. Leaning back to survey his handiwork after long minutes, Ray laughed in sheer joy and traced some of the patterns with his finger - a happy face on Ben's right arm, R+B on his right thigh, abstract lines all over his stomach. He wondered if Ben would go for some body paint sometime, but the thought passed as quickly as it came - that was for another time, and the now was too good to get distracted. Leaning over the last pattern he'd drawn - a rough shape of a badge on Ben's left hip - he blew on it gently, knowing it would make the sticky lines dry more quickly and add to the taut feeling Ben had to be feeling all over his front. Raising his eyes from his Mountie palette, he met Ben's eyes and tried to show him all the love and wonder he felt for him. "Fuck, Ben, loving you is so much fun. Look at you - you're so beautiful." He dropped all pretense of his gentle domination. "Look at how you've let me play. God, you turn me on." "Ah, well, as to that, there may be some evidence about to support similar feelings I have for you." They grinned at each other, and Ray snickered. "Uh, gee, where? Guess I'll have to look around, see what I can find." "Well, you are a detective." "Good point." But after saying that, Ray's mouth was too busy lapping up the sticky lines to say anything else. As he skimmed his tongue and lips all over Ben's body, savoring the combined taste of heat and skin and candy and Ben, he murmured and hummed happily to his lover and himself, joy spilling over. "I get a prize for this one, Mountie. One of those really cool football phones at the very least." He dipped his tongue into the hollow at Ben's hip. Gasp. "But you aren't a particular fan of football." "Oh, yeah." Ray pretended to consider that. "Well, then I want some sort of sports related phone. Hockey puck'd be ok, but you get me a curling stone phone, I'm taking it back." "See - seems, uh, uh . . fair, Ray," Fraser gasped back with difficulty. This time Ray's tongue was cleaning off his nipples, alternating one after the other until Ray was satisfied he'd erased all the slick red stuff. Sitting back once more to survey how he'd done, Ray figured he'd gotten basically all the candy trail and licked his lips, enjoying the taste to the last. Fraser also seemed to be enjoying - his legs and arms were twitching, his eyes were fluttering, and that broad chest heaved as he panted. Oh, yeah, the Mountie was totally gone. Do not pass go, do not operate heavy machinery. God, what a trip. He'd done that. He, Ray Kowalski, skinny Polish kid, with the bad eyes and the too thin body, had reduced this god to a quivering mass of goo. Greatness. Suddenly, as if someone had flipped a switch, all the delays and holding back caught up with Ray. He'd been so intent on Fraser's body, Fraser's pleasure, that he'd been able to, well, if not ignore the demands of his body, at least quash them under more important things. No longer. He was panting just as hard as Ben, and his dick throbbed in time with Ben's - whose cock was so hard, each heartbeat made it sway a bit as it jutted out over his stomach. Suddenly, he had to have that cock. Now. Now. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. He lunged towards the table for the lube, only to knock it down. Quick reflexes saved him from having to dive off the bed and go on a search and rescue mission. Thank god. Shaking so hard he almost dropped the lube again, Ray popped open the top. Ben's groan at the sound made him gasp and he shuddered as Fraser began moving more restlessly. "Please, Ray, please. Need - need you, now, please--" The rest of what he was going to say got lost in a garbled yell as Ray slathered only minimally warmed lube all over his cock. He thrust into Ray's hands as Ray spread it around quickly, just trying to cover all the surfaces as quickly as possible. Then Ray look him firmly in hand, and tipping him upright, began slowly lowing himself onto that gorgeous, throbbing cock. They'd gotten very, very good at this - Ray loved being on top like this, riding and sliding over his Mountie, the tightly controlled little hip movements he could use to drive Ben mad and make them both come like freight trains. He'd become a master at the combination of just a slight bearing down, deliberate relaxation, and little upward hitches that made the downward descent so spectacular, but this wasn't a time for finesse, and as Ray slammed himself down, Fraser thrust up, so that in one fell swoop, Fraser was balls-deep in Ray, both of them crying out at the sensation. "Ben!" Ray's voice broke as he began to swivel and thrust down in earnest, driving them now, fast as he could, towards oblivion. He reached down and anchored himself on Fraser's shoulders, holding on as hard as he could. They kissed hard as they thrust against each other, each determined to send the other over the edge first. In the end, it was Fraser who shattered first. His neck and back arched hard, he spilled deep inside his lover, jetting deep over and over and finally breaking free of his bonds in his overwhelming need to get as close to Ray as possible; he grabbed Ray's hips and held them fused to him, holding so tightly the red marks he left lasted for hours. It was enough. The feel of Ben's hands squeezing outside and his cock throbbing inside rolled through Ray, and without even needing to touch his cock, he climaxed, splattering both their stomachs, and collapsed, spent, against the chest beneath him. A long time later, both of their breathing back to normal, the sweat and stickiness dry on their bodies, they lay in the sun puddle spilling across their bed and savored the feel of themselves against the each other. Life was good. Finally, Fraser spoke, the quiet words echoing through his chest where Ray's head still lay, his body sprawled over Fraser in a delightfully untidy way. "Thank you, Ray." His voice was gravely and hoarse from pleasure. Ray lifted his head, his eyes curious and gleaming. "For what exactly, Ben?" "For showing me that there are indeed uses for Red Vines." Dropping his head back down on Ben's chest, Ray chortled his amusement against his lover's neck. "My pleasure, buddy, my pleasure." Silence settled between them again, as deep and alive as their contentment. Then, just as Ray felt himself drifting into sleep, he felt one of Ben's arms tighten around his shoulders, and the other slide smoothly to the back of his thigh. The world seemed to tilt as the Mountie rolled him and tucked him halfway beneath him. Next the world narrowed to just the sensation of warm breath against his neck. "Ray? Are there any more left in the box?" The End! End Vines by Aouda Fogg: aoudafogg@yahoo.com Author and story notes above.