Date: Fri, 04 Oct 2002 23:31:42 -0400 From: Steve Griffin Subject: All My Children 9 AMC belongs to ABC Daytime and Disney. I am making absolutely zero money here, and my only profit is reader feedback. Please don't archive or distribute this without my permission. Don't read this if you aren't over 18 or the age of majority in your area. One or two chapters to go...I'm sorry to those who enjoy the Tad/Aidan/JR sections, that is only a small part in this chapter. There will be more in chapter 10, I promise. If you have ANY comments, please e-mail me at knack6@hotmail.com -- Ben wasn't sure what his favorite view of Leo was, but walking away had to be at the top of the list. The man had such a beautiful ass, and Ben should know, since a few minutes ago he had just finished spraying whip cream down the crack and diving in. Maybe not sugary sweet, but still quite a taste. And the sounds...the sounds Leo made...each moan and plea from that slightly off-key, vulnerable voice made Ben hard enough to hammer nails. Even when he flipped Leo over and gave him a facial, that face was so elegant, so enraptured. Ben and Leo had shared the blended tastes of apple, cheery, dried and fresh semen, reinvigorating their tired tongues. Their erections, on the other hand, needed a break. Ben wanted to take a nap, but Leo bounded off the sofa, doing his usual half-strut to the bathroom. Hearing running water from the bathtub faucet, Ben stretched, spreading his taut arms and legs wide before joining his brother in the small bathroom. "I thought we could use a soak." Ben rubbed his stomach, nodding. "Good idea. Not sure if two people can fit in here though." Sinking his lean frame into the narrow tub, Leo waved his hand a few times, the slight breeze wafting across Ben's bare torso. "C'mon in, the water's fine." Seeing Leo studying him, Ben took a deep breath and walked to the rim, putting a foot inside the bath. The juxtaposition of the cool tile and the warm water sent a sharp dagger through his frazzled mind, and he shakily sat down in the tub. "You OK, bro?" Biting into his lower lip, Ben "mmhmmed" as he sat astride Leo, each on opposite sides, Leo's long legs sliding over his, almost pinning him in place, gently kneading his spent, reddened crotch. "Careful there." Ben rested his head under a large washcloth pressed between his head and the space between the tub and the wall. When staring at the ceiling became too tiring, he shut his eyes, resting, licking away the salty sweat dripping from his forehead. This was the first time in ages he'd ever relaxed, ever stopped thinking, and he knew it would have to end soon. Sick of his gloomy thoughts, he nudged his own heavy foot around Leo's ball sac, pressing his big toe in slowly. "I remember the first time I saw you in leather pants...I wanted to peel them off you and fuck you right there in the hospital." Mock-gasping, Leo crooked his finger, clucking his tongue in disdain. "Naughty, naugthy boy. What do naughty boys get in return for their wickedness, huh?" Ben's peaceful visage was suddenly rained down on by a large torrent of water. Sputtering, he barely had time to dodge the second wave tossed against his face. "Asshole!" Laughter filled the room as Ben lunged forward to hold down the splashing arms. Water emptied onto the floor as the brothers jostled, jockeying for power until finally, Ben managed to hold Leo in a tight grip. Exhaling deeply, their energy dampened down, they gazed into each other's eyes. Leo sighed, freeing a hand to run down Ben's cheek. "I've never seen you look this..." "Human?" Ben finished for him. Leo shook his head. "Relaxed." Running his slightly pruned fingers up Leo's wet, leanly muscled chest, he stopped his trek at Leo's swanlike neck, their foreheads pressed together, letting himself surrender completely to the other man's hypnotic powers. "That's because I've never felt this, this..." "...much like a great big girl?" Hearing the shrill tones bounce across the bathroom, Ben knew immediately who had interrupted them. But only when Leo bounded out of the bathtub did Ben know for sure that Greenlee had arrived. "I have to change the locks," he muttered under his breath. Scowling, Greenlee marched over to the tub, jabbing her finger into his chest. "I heard that! This is my building, and I'm kicking your lying, stealing, firebug butt out of here NOW! Start packing." He walked to the living room, refusing to run or be ashamed in her presence. He had nothing to be ashamed of anyway, he thought to himself, not from whorish trash like her. As Ben dressed, Greenlee surveyed the living room and kitchen, tuning out Leo's pleas for understanding. Her eyes bugged out when she saw the abused pie and half-empty whipped cream canister. "Is this some sort of incestathon? Leo, you take brotherly love waaaay too far. Maybe you two can find a good deal on a cardboard box." Still naked and dripping wet, Leo grasped at Greenlee's well-manicured hand. "I'd say you should fall to your knees, but you've probably worn them out today." Flinching at her ugly tone, Leo squeezed her fingers, pleading with his puppy-dog eyes. "Greens...I love you. Nothing can change that. Nothing ever will. I'll do anything to prove that to you." Pushing him away, Greenlee rubbed her wet hand against her pants as she began walking to the door. "Fine, prove it. Disown him. He's scum, he's going to jail soon, and I've never believed he's your real brother anyway. You tell him to stay out of your life, and beg me for forgiveness enough, and maybe we can work this out. Until then...you know the rest." The sonic-boom door slam told Leo not to follow her. Instead, he gathered up his clothes, desperately trying to find his boxers and avoid eye contact with Ben. "Here." Ben handed him the wrinkled underwear, Leo muttering thanks before slipping them on. "I guess I won't be seeing you anytime soon." Leo sighed, dropping his pants and shirt to the couch to put his arms around Ben. "Ben, you don't know what we've been through. I've done some really shitty things to her. She deserves my undivided attention." "And I deserve nothing, right?" Leo froze. "I-I..." Shoulders sagging, Leo stared down at his feet, too hurt to look into his brother's wounded, haunted face. "I don't want to hurt you, Ben." Half-sneering, half-smirking, Ben now shoved Leo away as Greenlee had a few moments earlier. "No problem, BRO. You're not the first, probably won't be the last. Like you said, Greenlee comes first. I understand that. I'm just the latest bastard in a long line of Vanessa's bastards, and to expect anything other than rejection is insane." Ben marched to the door, his heart breaking with every step. "Please leave." Slipping on his sweater, Leo left, turning at the exit to gauge Ben's reaction, to try to make him understand. His eyes were steely, dead, the way they were when they first met. Leo knew he had done this, and he hated himself. Before he left, all he could say was: "I'm sorry." ** "I won't! No! Leave me alone, you bitch!" His tormenter sighed. She had let most of the thugs leave, as smacking Tim Dillon around had been ineffective. No wonder, since his stepmother was a psycho and his father was once Pine Valley's biggest blowhard. This was supposed to be relatively simple. So much for that. "Time for plan B." Sweating, blood pouring from various cuts on his face, Tim barely had the energy to squint, barely had the energy to moan in emotional pain as he saw a photograph of his little sister's angelic face. "I can do to her what I just did to you, pretty boy, or I can do much, much worse. Now dial the number." His hand shaking, Tim swallowed hard, fighting back tears. He had no choice. Amanda came first. "H-Hello, Leo? Sorry, Maggie gave me your cell number. I have to talk to you. Yeah, very important. I got a job at a warehouse, and my lunch break's almost up. You better hurry. OK, thanks, really man. The address is..." ** *bambambambam* Kicking at the kitchen cabinet was far less satisfying than Ben had hoped. He needed Leo so much that it hurt to be estranged from him for even a few moments. Leo had given him the benefit of the doubt, had told him how special he was, and even if Leo had to take time to be with that bitch Greenlee, he didn't deserve to be shrugged off, dismissed the way Ben had dismissed him. Sparing the cabinet more abuse, Ben grabbed his jacket and ran out the door. By the time he got out to the parking lot, Leo's car was pulling out. "He's gone...DAMN!" Impulses firing, Ben jumped into his own vehicle and followed him. ** JR had barely had time to sit down on the couch when Tad commanded him to sit up. JR had only seen such a bitterness in his adopted father's eyes when it came to David or JR's biological father, Adam. Not to him. "My boy is all grown up, obviously without dear old Dad's knowledge. I want to see how much you know. I wanna see the whole show. Can you help with that, Aidan?" Boldly squeezing Aidan's crotch, Tad was surprised at the viselike grip on his wrist, pushing him away. Aidan stared at him, stared him down, with one of the most frightening glowers he had ever seen. "I'm not your lil' puppet, and neither's he. So grow the hell up." Tad was frozen in time for a moment, a glassy smile congealed in place. Suddenly, Aidan pushed him against the arm of the couch, straddling his waist. A very menacing smile crossed his gritty, catwalker features. "Let's give the kid here a show, shall we? Judging by what's poking into my backside, you're up for it." Tad had been in mourning for months, blind and enraged at the world. He had forgotten what passion was like, what sex was like. Against his better judgment, Tad grabbed the back of Aidan's neck and pulled him in for a rough kiss. Tad the cad was back and raring to go. ** Leo shut his car door, glancing around at the buildings tinted by late-afternoon sun. "TIM! TIM!" Nowhere to be found. Maybe he was in the building... Ben arrived a few moments later. As he began to exit his car, he spotted a figure dressed in black on a warehouse rooftop, checking and loading his rifle. "gun." It was a trap. Someone wanted to kill Leo. "FUCK!" What to do, what to do. After calling 911 and amazingly getting through immediately, he screamed the address into the phone and told them there was a gunman. Throwing the cell down, he tried to figure out what to do. He was a selfish person - he had to be to survive. Leo knew what kind of life he'd gotten himself into with all the Proteus business. He, Ben, David, they all ran the risks of their mother's drug lord legacy. He could drive away, or stay in his car and wait for the police to arrive. Leo would never know. The cops wouldn't blame him - there was an assassin on the roof, shooting anything that moved. It should have been a very simple decision. For the man known as Trey Kenyon, and the scared little boy inside him known as Ben Sheppard, the decision was remarkably easy to make. He jumped out of his car, running towards his brother, pointing at the roof. "LEO, GET DOOOOWWWWWWWNNNNN!!!!!" As if he were in slow motion, Leo processed the scream one syllable at a time. Slowly, he craned his head to the skies, and saw the rifle, saw the trigger aimed at him, saw Ben running towards him. "BEN, GO! RUN! GO!" A single shot rang out, hitting one of the young men. The gunman stared on impassively, preparing to fire again, when unknown hands pushed him off the roof, pushed him to his screaming death. Then all remained silent, except for a single whispering voice, slowly rising in volume, crying out his brother's name, crying over the carnage he had just witnessed. "No. Oh God, no. Noooooooo......"