Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 18:32:51 -0600 From: Roy Reini Subject: Leith - chapter 8 - college section This story contains portrayals of homosexual actions and lifestyles. There may be references to, or explicit descriptions of, sex between consenting adults. If homosexuality, sexually explicit language, or swearing offends you, or if reading material that contains these topics violates any law or personal or religious beliefs, or if you under 18 years of age, please leave now, without proceeding further. This story is entirely fictional, and any resemblances to actual persons are completely coincidental. Actual locations are mentioned, and are used for 'background' only. Many of the character's names are Finnish. For those who wish to know how they are pronounced, read on. Mikko - MEEK-ko Paavo - PAH-vo Joel - YOE-el Halonen - HALL-oh-nen Leith - LEE-th Roy roynm@mac.com suomalainen@mac.com Leith - chapter 8 ---------- Joel sat on the edge of the bed and watched his oldest son walk into the bathroom and silently close the door. Joel closed his eyes and bowed his head. He was trying to put up a strong front to everyone, but his mind was in turmoil. He and his brother had decided before Mikko had even left Chicago that they both wanted to try and reestablish a close relationship, but would, under no circumstances, do anything that would harm Joel's wife Susan, or his sons, Brett, Glenn and Kent. Joel massaged the back of his neck and then rubbed his eyes. 'It was *easy* to say those things about Susan and the boys when Mikko was in Chicago, a distant memory and a voice on the telephone.' He flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. That memory and voice once again became reality yesterday. Mikko had stepped into the airport looking pale and apprehensive. 'When I saw him standing there with Leith, I found I wasn't thinking of Susan, or the boys. I was *only* thinking of holding my brother. Nothing else mattered. . . . Nothing at all.' Joel closed his eyes. He could still feel Mikko's embrace and how his brother rested his head on his shoulder. 'I've not realized how much I missed the strength of his embrace, the scent of him, the sound of his laughter, or the way he casually rests his hand on my shoulder whenever he wants to touch, and someone else is around.' In the early morning silence, he heard Brett open the door to his bedroom. He could imagine his son climbing into bed and lying next to his cousin. He grinned slightly, thinking how Brett's sole concern was losing his virginity. 'Brett,' he thought, sadly. 'The loss of your virginity, means the loss of innocence. If you *knew* that, I wonder if you'd be so determined.' Joel turned onto his side and propped himself up on an elbow and looked at the spot on the floor where he and his brother had sex yesterday. Once Mikko had stripped, Joel found he didn't care about his wife, his sons, or the fact his oldest son and nephew were sitting only steps away, watching him penetrate his brother. Nothing was important. In those few minutes, he began to feel as if his entire life since coming to Arizona had been a sham. The only thing that felt . . . right . . . was when he was in his brother's arms. 'I love Susan,' he told himself afterward while he watched, Mikko and the boys roughhouse in the pool. After a moment, he corrected himself. 'I've *learned* to love Susan. It's not something natural like what I feel when Mikko's holding me. He's so strong.' Joel grinned to himself. 'I love the strength behind each kiss. There's nothing fragile about making love to him.' He sighed and sat up, prepared to tell his brother that Susan knew his son was gay. 'I'm afraid of Mikko,' he thought as he stood and straightened the bedclothes on his son's bed. 'I'm frightened of being with him because of what I'll do. When I'm with him I can't think straight.' He looked toward Brett's bedroom and wondered what was happening. ---------- Brett walked away from his father and slowly closed the door behind him, squinting into the sun-filled bathroom. The news that his mother had seen him and Leith in the pool last night, kissing, had been a shock for him. He smiled wryly. 'I'll bet it was a bit of a shock for *her* too.' He tried to imagine what went through her mind when she saw him and Leith naked . . . with erections . . . kissing, and chuckled at the thought. His father had told him his mother understood about him being gay, but Brett knew his mother, and things were never *that* simple with her. He looked out the window to the backyard and the gently moving palms, silhouetted against the light pink of the morning sky. The sun was balanced on the eastern horizon, the best time to be out of doors in the desert summer. He usually liked to swim in the early morning, his exercise accompanied by birdsong. Today, he wanted to be in his cousin's arms. 'Mom knowing about Leith and me is only the tip of the iceberg,' he thought. 'I wonder if she suspects anything about Dad and Uncle Mikko.' He grimly thought of the dangerous game his father and uncle were playing. He sympathized with the two men, but . . . 'I wonder how they're going to manage any sort of sexual relationship. Hiding from Mom will take more of a toll on *them* than me hiding my sexual orientation took on *me.* The consequences of being found out were orders of magnitude greater.' He heaved a great sigh. 'I'm glad that's not *my* problem. They'll figure something out. He vigorously rubbed his hands over his face and puffed out his cheeks. He released a deep breath, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. 'Yesterday at this time,' he mused, 'life was simple. Today . . . well . . . whew!' His lips quirked upward as he thought about all that had gone on during the last few hours. 'I wouldn't go back to the simple life of yesterday for *anything!*" He turned his head slowly and looked toward the door to his bedroom, imagining his cousin's naked body sprawled on top of the bed. His mouth melted into a smile when he thought of being held in Leith's arms, and the feeling of his cousin's soft lips, and his suddenly complex life didn't seem so bad. 'Mom will learn to live with the fact I'm gay. Dad and Uncle Mikko will work something out to keep them both happy, and I'll do whatever I can to ease Leith's pain. I can't worry about Mom or Dad or Uncle Mikko. They can cope with . . . whatever. I just need to deal with Leith and me.' He felt the morning sun coming through the window warming his bare back. 'Everything will be all right.' Brett turned and studied himself in the mirror. 'He called me *sexy,*' thinking about Leith's words. 'No one's ever called me that. I've always been Brett Halonen, the small guy who blushes easily and who's easily ignored.' He examined his reflection in the mirror, trying to be honest with himself. 'Too short,' was his first thought, 'though I *do* look better since I've developed a few muscles, and everything *is* in proportion.' He flexed his arms, pleased with the results of his work on the high school gymnastics team and his time spent in the school's weight room. He ran an open palm over the contours of his smooth chest, pausing a moment to tease one of his small nipples. 'Sensitive nipples. *That's* a definite plus.' He grinned and sighed as his penis began to thicken at the sensation his fingers were causing. 'Nice eyes.' He continued his evaluation, 'though everyone always seems to think I'm sad.' He thought a moment. 'I'm not sad, really . . . maybe I'm just a little bit of a loner.' He shrugged slightly, returning his attention to the mirror. 'Short blond hair . . . slightly turned-up nose . . . pouty lips.' He leaned closer to the mirror and sighed. 'And a tendency to blush at the slightest provocation.' He shook his head. 'I should be accustomed to that by now.' He stepped back from the mirror and tossed the towel he was wearing onto the counter, continuing his self-examination. 'Flat, firm stomach, slender hips.' He turned so he was looking at his profile. 'Nice round butt.' He grinned and rubbed a hand over the firm curve, and then between his cheeks. 'Smooth hole,' he thought with a satisfied grin. 'I like that.' A slight frown furrowed his brow as he looked at his penis. 'It *would* be nice to be a little better endowed.' He grasped his penis and caressed it, running his fingers lovingly over its length. As always, it instantly responded to his touch causing him to smile. 'I guess the dick's okay. I'm not a big guy. I'd look weird with Leith or Uncle Mikko or Dad's dick.' He looked at himself in the mirror and shrugged. 'I can't change it, so I guess it'll have to do.' Once again, he looked toward the closed door to his bedroom. He yawned and stretched, rubbed his eyes, and then yawned again. 'A few minutes ago, I told Dad I was anxious to lose my virginity, but what I *really* want right now is a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, preferably lying next to Leith.' He smiled a dreamy smile and quietly opened the door to his bedroom. Brett's cousin lie face down, a smooth darkly tanned man amidst a tangled mass of white sheets. Brett stopped a moment to admire Leith's naked body and tousled black hair. None of Brett's previous sexual experiences had been as exciting as just standing in the doorway and *seeing* his naked cousin. He gently stroked himself as he examined the person before him. Leith's strong legs were spread, exposing the trail of dark hair separating his smooth white buttocks, and the scrotum with its heavy contents resting on the sheets between his legs. One of his arms was hanging over the side of the bed while the other clutched a pillow to his side. Without warning Leith thrashed about on the bed, twisting onto his side before returning to his stomach, catching his legs in the sheets. He groaned, gripped in the throes of a dream. Brett watched, all thoughts of sex forgotten for the moment. Leith clutched the pillow closer to him before flailing about once again. "Mason!" he shouted in a plaintive call. He struggled to sit up but succeeding only in sliding off the edge of the bed onto the floor, still tangled in the bedclothes. He hit the floor with a dull thud and shook his head, blinking his eyes in confusion. Brett crossed the room in a few quick steps and knelt by Leith's side. Leith's hips and legs remained tangled in the sheets, a white cocoon that held his legs tight, while his upper body draped over the edge of the bed so his head and shoulders rested on the floor. Once again he shook his head as if he were stunned, or not yet totally awake. He blinked and saw his cousin at his side. "Are you okay," Brett asked, looking at Leith's bewildered expression. Leith struggled a few moments to free himself and then turned to Brett with a sheepish smile. "Brettttt," he moaned in a petulant voice, reaching out a hand for help. "I've fallen . . . and I can't get up." 'Could it be he doesn't remember the dream, or the reason he's on the floor,' Brett asked himself taking Leith's warm hand. The single-word wail was something Brett would surely remember for the rest of his life. It was a sound of anguish like he had never heard. Leith's grin faded as he looked at Brett with a slight frown, not understanding why he was lying partially on the floor. "Was I making so much noise you kicked me out of bed just to get me to shut up?" He struggled a moment, finally freeing his legs and shifted around so he was lying entirely on the floor. He reached out and once again took Brett's hand, coaxing him to lie on top of him, and then wrapped him in a loose embrace. "Hey sexy," Leith murmured, looking at Brett's troubled face. "You look like you've seen a ghost." He ran the palms of his open hands over Brett's warm back, feeling the muscles shift beneath the skin. "Was I really that loud?" He kissed the tip of Brett's nose before moving to his ear. "Are you okay now," he murmured. Brett nodded silently and began to nuzzle the crook of Leith's neck making a low animal sound. "Bad dream," Brett mumbled after a moment. "Better now." He kissed Leith's neck at the same time he ground his groin into his cousin's. "Sorry you landed on the floor." He rolled off of his cousin and propped himself up on an elbow studying Leith's smiling face, his smooth chest and the light trail of hair leading to his thick pubic bush and thick cock. Brett murmured as he trailed his fingertips in a line over Leith's belly and then up to his chest. "You are so handsome. Has anyone ever told you that?" Leith turned his head slightly and grinned up at him, his eyes sparkling with pleasure. "Nope, you're the very first. 'Course, you want me to fuck your cute butt, so I can't count on you to be truthful, can I?" He paused a moment. "Hmmm?" He reached out and caressed Brett's chest, pausing a moment to lightly pinch one of his nipples. Brett whispered and moved closer, kissing Leith's ear. "Ohhhh yes. You are . . . very handsome, especially with your hair all messed up like this." He ran his fingers through Leith's hair. "And the fact you need to shave." He skimmed his fingertips over his cousin's chin, feeling the light stubble. "Very handsome." He ran his forefinger down the length of Leith's nose. Leith instantly reached up and grabbed Brett' hand, his eyes flashing. "Don't do that," he hissed. He blinked before his eyes focused on his hand gripping Brett's wrist. After a moment he bit his lip and lowered his eyes, loosening his fingers. Brett snatched his hand away, his mouth loosely hanging open in surprise. He glanced from his still-extended forefinger, to Leith and then back to his finger, not understanding what had just happened. His voice was trembling. "I . . . I . . . I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?" Leith brought both hands to his face and rubbed his eyes. He puffed out his cheeks as he released a deep weary breath, slowly shaking his head. "Ah, shit, Brett." He propped himself up on his left elbow facing his cousin and tried to grin. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. It was me. I'm sorry I shouted at you like that." He reached over and tilted Brett's chin up with a finger. "It's just." He took a deep breath. "It's just, Mason used to do that to me. That's." . . . He hesitated a moment. "That's no reason for me to shout, or to grab at you like I did." He reached out and examined Brett's wrist. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Brett shook his head, but still appeared shaken. "A couple times, things like that . . . have happened. I've reacted without thinking." He lowered his eyes. "I hope that with time they'll stop." He hesitated and studied his cousin's serious expression. "Am I forgiven?" Brett gave him a tremulous smile and slowly nodded. "Sure. It's just . . . Please don't make me afraid to touch you." He moved to a cross-legged sitting position, scooting closer. "I'm sure to do things, or say things that Mason once did. If I do, it's not because I'm trying to cause you pain." He reached for one of Leith's hands. "You have to remember, I'm *not* Mason. When I touch you it's *me*, Brett who's touching you." He squeezed Leith's hand. "Don't ever forget Mason, Leith. The things he said, the sound of his voice and his laugh. The way he touched you will always be special. Those memories are precious. But Leith." He paused a moment. "Look at me." Leith looked up with a crooked smile. "Don't let your memories of Mason . . . cripple you from accepting affection or stop other people . . . me . . . from touching you in certain ways. He loved you. So do I." Leith's eyes were suddenly misty. "You do?" Brett nodded slowly as a smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth. "And, even though we're on the floor," Brett continued, "you've got to remember, I'm stronger than I look." He snickered. "So, don't mess with me, buster, or I'll do more than push you off the bed." Leith snorted a soft laugh and looked at Brett with a slightly bowed head. "Like what, shorty?" Brett screeched. "Shorty!" He got to his knees in one smooth motion and faced Leith wearing a mock-angry expression, his hands on his hips and a partial erection spoiling the angry image. "Are you talking about my height, my hair, or my *dick*?" He wiggled his hips causing his penis to swing from side to side and then rolled onto Leith, straddling him and holding his shoulders to the floor. Leith snickered, egging his cousin on. "So." Brett tried without much success to look stern. "What are you calling short, my height, my hair or my dick?" He wiggled his butt against Leith's belly. "That's for *you* to guess," Leith teased, trying escape. Brett held him firmly to the bed clothes-covered floor. "Give up?" Leith laughed and continued to struggle half-heartedly. He caught Brett's eyes and then looked down at Brett's thickening cock. Both men stopped laughing, realizing the moment of teenage rough housing had suddenly morphed into something sexual. Leith's penis began to expand and brushed against Brett's butt as it reached full erection. "Do you give up," Brett asked once again, squirming against Leith's pubes. He reached behind him and wrapped his hand around his cousin's erection, caressing its length. When Leith failed to answer his question, Brett moved his hand lower and began to fondle his cousin's testicles. Leith gasped and tried to squirm beneath Brett's weight.. "What are the terms of surrender," he asked, in a voice gone husky. Each time he tried to thrust his hips the head of his cock kissed a cheek of Brett's butt. "Only one demand," Brett scooted back, rubbing Leith's erection between his buttocks. "You've gotta slide that monster up my asshole and fuck me." Leith's playful smile flickered and then died as he studied the man on top of him. This was not the shy, frail cousin he remembered from his childhood. The man sitting astride his waist was in control. Leith had felt the change in his cousin from the moment they met at the airport. Brett was meeting him as an equal, not as the timid person who had always seemed in need of a big brother. Brett leaned forward and licked a broad swath over Leith's neck, along his jaw, finally barely brushing his lips with his tongue. Brett's breath was warm, and his scent wrapped both men. It was a smell Leith had already come to associate with his cousin, a spice-like fragrance that was his natural order, mixed with the clean smell of their shower of only a few hours earlier. "Seriously? You really want me to fuck you?" Brett answered by pushing himself against Leith's erection and rubbing it between his ass cheeks. Leith inhaled sharply at the sensation and ran his open palms over Brett's sides, from his hips to his armpits and finally to gently pinch each nipple. "First time?" Leith's voice was husky. Brett nodded, once again leaning forward and licking his tongue across Leith's parted lips, trying to push himself against the erection rubbing against his butt. "It'll hurt," Leith warned. Brett winked. "I'm not as fragile as I look. Go slow and I'll be okay." He pushed back against the cock once again. "What do you want to use as lube?" Leith chuckled at the question. "Spit." He wiggled his tongue and Brett closed his eyes and groaned. "I've never been rimmed." He looked at his own erection resting against Leith's belly. "Shit, man, you'd better hurry. I'm 'bout ready to pop just thinking about you licking my butt hole." He groaned and moved his hips, rubbing his erection against his cousin. "I'm not only going to rim you, Mr. Sexy Gymnast," Leith's words were little more than a hint of breath close to Brett's ear. "I'm going to make love to you." He kissed Brett's neck, caressing his back and then running his fingers through his cousin's blond hair. He slowly ran his hands down Brett's sides and then grabbed his ass cheeks and pulled them apart attempting to reach for his hole. "I want you to remember your first time till you're old and grey." Leith kissed Brett again. He could feel Brett chuckle before he nipped at his earlobe. "At the rate I'm losing my hair, I'll never have the chance to be grey." "Shhhhh." The two men gently touched lips seeking out each other's tongue. Once again, Brett thrust himself against Leith's erection, feeling his cock rub against Leith's wiry pubes, as they continued their slow gentle kiss. "You're gonna remember how I slowly slid into you," Leith murmured. Brett kissed him, feeling Leith's slippery tongue against his own. "And, you're gonna remember feeling my dick pulse as it fills your ass with my thick. . . " Another kiss. "white . . ." He nipped at Brett's lips, before he continued speaking. "Sperm." He opened his mouth wide and pulled Brett closer to him, seeking out his tongue. "Holy shit." Brett gasped for breath. "You're driving me crazy. I wanna shoot," he groaned. Leith rolled his head from side to side. "No, no, no. I've got plans for that beautiful dick of yours." He kissed Brett again, and then responded to the questioning sound Brett made deep in his throat. "When I finish fucking you . . . if you're not totally wiped out . . . you're gonna pump me full of *your* cum." He briefly kissed Brett again. "I want to feel you sliding into me and feel your weight on top of me as you take control." Brett was moaning in anticipation. "Show me how strong you are, sexy. I want you to make me yours." Brett leaned his head back and closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his mouth. "You ever fucked a guy before," Leith murmured, teasing the length of the penis lying on his stomach in its pool of precum. "Hmm?" Brett groaned his answer and jumped at Leith's touch. "You're gonna love the feeling." "Ohhhhhh," Brett groaned around Leith's tongue. ---------- Joel looked over his shoulder as he was about ready to close the bedroom door after telling his brother about Susan's discovery that their sons were gay. Mikko was staring into the distance, apparently in a daze after hearing the news, no doubt wondering what the news meant for *him* and his brother. He looked up and caught Joel's eye, trying to grin. Joel closed the door softly and walked down the hall. 'It's not even eight o'clock and already I feel as if it's been a long day.' He picked up the newspaper from the front porch and walked into the kitchen where his wife was beginning breakfast preparations. "G'morning, beautiful." He leaned close and kissed her on her neck. "How's the only lady I could ever love doing this morning? Did you get enough sleep?" He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table unfolding the newspaper. She smiled at him but didn't answer. He took it as a good sign that she was smiling. Under normal circumstances, Susan was a pretty levelheaded person. Recent circumstances had been anything but normal, and Joel was pleased she was coping as well as she was. After only a moment, he put the newspaper down on the table in disgust. "I don't know why I continue reading this crap." She looked over her shoulder and he gestured to the newspaper. "It's the same news every day. Nothing good ever happens in the world, only one disaster after another." He leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply and then grinned sheepishly when she continued to look at him. "I guess maybe *I'm* the one who didn't get enough sleep." He rubbed his face, his exhaustion catching up with him. "Did you just read something especially disturbing?" He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah, it's not anything in the paper. It's just other stuff on *top* of the regular shitty news." He held up the corner of the newspaper and then dropped it in disgust. His exhaustion became more evident as he continued speaking. "I spoke to both Brett and Mikko this morning." She turned and looked at him, but said nothing. "I wanted both of them to know what happened last night. I didn't speak with Leith. He was sound asleep." Joel swished his coffee in the cup. "I guess he and Brett had a pretty rough night, apart from the few moments you saw them, that is." He traced a pattern on the table with his finger, mentally reviewing the early-morning conversation with his son. Susan watched him for a moment and then put down what she was doing, checked the range to make sure nothing would burn, and turned to him with a puzzled expression. Joel sighed and took another sip of coffee. "I told you that Leith learned someone he thought of as very special could not return his affection?" Susan nodded, continuing to study her husband. "Well, apparently he's been holding all of his emotions inside. He didn't have anyone his own age to speak with. When both of the boys realized each other was gay, at first they were both excited." He looked at his wife who was listening to every word. "Brett tells me neither of them have had more than a couple experiences with another boy and they were happy to have found someone to be comfortable with." He grinned, but his eyes were tired and he sat back in his chair looking like he hadn't slept at all last night. "That's when you saw them in the pool. They knew they had found a kindred spirit. Brett apologized for waking us, by the way. He thought they were being quiet." "Anyhow, it wasn't long after that Leith broke down. Brett said he had never seen anyone sob as Leith did." Joel looked at his wife with a troubled expression. "The rest of the night was spent either with Leith crying, or speaking to Brett of . . . everything that's happened over the past year." Joel paused for a long moment staring at something over his wife's shoulder. "Susan." He took a shuddering breath. "I didn't know." He tried to start speaking again and was only able to move his mouth. He cleared his throat. "Susan. Brett tells me that Julie and Mason weren't just killed as part of a bank robbery like Mikko has told us." Once again he took an unsteady breath and reached out for his wife's hand. "They were . . . executed." He tried to swallow around a lump in his throat at the same time he heard her gasp. "In front of everyone else . . . in the bank." Susan's eyes were large and she had a hand to her mouth in shock. "Mikko had tried to hide that from Leith, but it came out during the trial. Brett says Leith thinks there's even more that his father's not telling him but he's afraid to ask. It's troubling him to believe there's more to the story, and at the same time he feels guilty because he doesn't think he can handle one more thing." Everything, his lost love, the deaths of his mother and brother, and finding out some of the details of those deaths, caught up with him last night." "Oh, the poor boy." Susan turned a worried expression in the direction of Brett's bedroom. "He should get some professional help. No one can be expected to carry that kind of burden." She leaned back and continued to look in the direction of her son's bedroom. "The poor boy," she murmured once again and then looked at her husband. "I'm glad Brett was able to provide some help. I hope this all isn't too hard on *him.* He's so fragile." Joel took her hand. "Sweetheart, I don't think Brett is fragile at all. This morning he was, different, more self-confident. I think before Leith showed up yesterday he felt alone, both because he's gay and he's always felt inadequate for some reason. I think Leith has given him something he needed . . . someone to care for." "To love?" She asked slowly. Joel shrugged. "Perhaps. I don't know. I *do* know Brett was emotionally and physically exhausted this morning. The boys are going to sleep in. I told him we'd not bother them and would see them whenever they got hungry." Joel smiled in recollection. "He suggested we might put meals outside the door, like room service. I told him to think again." Susan chuckled. "Brett said *that*?" ---------- Mikko paused a moment at the door to Brett's bedroom and smiled when he heard his nephew's slightly manic laugh. 'I hope Brett's mother stays away from here,' he thought, turning down the hallway heading for the kitchen where he could smell breakfast being prepared. "G'morning." He walked into the kitchen and smiled at Susan when she turned to greet him. 'Something's different,' he thought, instantly. 'She's smiling, but her eyes are filled with . . . pity.' He flicked a glance in his brother's direction, but *he* was hidden behind the newspaper. "Are the boys up yet," he asked to no one in particular as he rested his hand on Joel's shoulder. Still hidden by the newspaper, Joel glanced up and grinned. Mikko squeezed slightly, a small but meaningful display of affection, and leaned forward to examine which section of the newspaper his brother was reading. Joel tilted the top of the paper forward and looked over it with a mock-frown. "You can't have it, Mikko," he snapped, trying to suppress a grin. This must be the hundredth time he and his brother had played out this scene. "The sports section is *mine.* He clutched the paper close to his chest. "Get your own." Mikko stepped back and playfully raised his hands in an 'I surrender,' pose, making a face at his brother. Joel mirrored the expression and grinned. 'Damn, it's good to be back together again.' "Go get some coffee or something." He looked over his shoulder, and yelled. "Susaaan! Distract my little brother with some coffee please, or we're going to have to have a wrestling match on the kitchen floor to see who gets to read the sports section first. I don't feel like wrestling this morning." "He always says that," Mikko laughed, looking over Susan's shoulder as she poured him a cup of coffee. "He never won a wrestling match in his life." "Did too," came the petulant voice from behind the newspaper. "You weren't there. You were probably sick or something. I don't remember." Susan laughed, handing Mikko a steaming cup. Once again, that look, and this time her hands lingered on his a moment longer than absolutely necessary, a display of affection he could not explain. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, dear lady." He accepted the coffee and brought it close to his face inhaling the fragrance. "If you ever decide to dump the guy over there," he nodded toward his brother. "I'm available." After taking his first sip he sighed. "I'll run away with anyone who makes coffee this good." She turned back to the stove with a merry laugh. "Sorry, Mikko. I'm not the one you're looking for. Joel makes the coffee in this house. You'll have to run away with him." Mikko tried not to sputter as he glanced at his brother over the rim of the cup. He leaned against the kitchen counter next to Susan and scrutinized his brother, cocking his head slightly to one side and pursing his lips. Joel lowered the newspaper a bit, curious to hear what his brother would say. "So," she asked, turning to her brother-in-law. "Are you going to take him? Sometimes he can be a big pain in the butt." Mikko grinned at the allusion before making a face and turning to her. "Naaah. I don't want him. He's too hairy." Susan laughed and returned to what she was doing as Mikko wandered over to the table and sat down with a long-suffering sigh. "Well dear lady, since you can't make coffee and he's too hairy, I guess I'll have to ask my right hand out on a date again tonight." He laughed and grabbed the newspaper Joel tossed in his direction. "Hey, Susan, I *knew* I could get him to give me the sports section! Look!" He held the newspaper aloft and then snatched it back when Joel reached out to try and take it from him. "Boys," Susan said in the same tone that demanded attention from her sons. "The boys aren't here," Joel answered instantly. "They're asleep," he and Mikko added simultaneously, innocently grinning and batting their eyelashes at her when she turned toward them with her hands on her hips. "There isn't any doubt you're brothers," she sighed, shaking her head. "Yep, ain't it great?" Joel caught Mikko's eye and winked. ---------- He closed the car door and leaned back in the driver's seat and sighed. Joel had offered the use of his car, and Mikko had jumped at the offer. He wanted to drive downtown and take a look at the building in which his new office was going to be located. But more than anything, he wanted to get away from the house. Something he did not understand was going on back in the kitchen. A couple times during breakfast he caught Susan watching him with a strange expression on her face. She wasn't even trying to be stealthy. When he caught her, she would grin and return to her breakfast. He felt as if at any moment he was going to do or say something inappropriate, and cause everyone some grief. 'Life is soooo complicated,' he thought, rubbing his eyes and twisting his head from side to side in an attempt to loosen his tense shoulder muscles. 'Leith and I have got to get out of this house, fast.' He continued to sit in silence. The automatic garage light went out, leaving him in total darkness. 'I hope the boys will be okay whenever they leave the bedroom.' He closed his eyes, appreciating the peace and quiet. 'Learning her son and nephew are gay could not account for all of Susan's unusual behavior. Even Joel seemed more subdued than usual. "Oh, Joel," he groaned, aloud, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes. "What did *either* of us do to deserve this? All I want is a chance to have the man I love most, nearby." He thought of yesterday's encounter on the bedroom floor, and how wonderful it was to feel his brother inside him. 'Sex with Joel is indescribable, but that's not the only reason I'm here.' He recalled the taste of his brother's tongue and the feeling of his butt cheeks with their light covering of hair. Mikko spread his legs slightly and massaged his groin trying to duplicate the feeling of his brother's erection pressing against his, as it was trapped between their bodies. He firmly groped himself one last time before sitting up, prepared to leave the garage. 'Sex with my brother may not be the *primary* reason I'm here, but it certainly ranks near the top.' "No," he said, aloud, speaking into the darkness. "That's not right." 'I can't think clearly when my dick is in control. But, can I control what we began yesterday? When Joel's *in* me, I don't care about anything but him. I can't allow myself to think like that. His family is too important. *He* knows that, but I'm not the only one who stops thinking when we're having sex.' Mikko thought back to this morning's breakfast, and how wonderful it was to be surrounded by a family. 'I can't let either one of us do anything to jeopardize Joel's family. I know what it's like to lose those you love.' He sat in silence for a few more minutes. Finally, he started the car's engine, backed down the long driveway, and headed toward the downtown skyscrapers shimmering in the hazy distance. ~To be continued~ Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I've been amazed at how many of you have taken a few moments to contact me about 'Leith' and my other story, 'Phalen.' I *always* welcome your email and enjoy hearing your thoughts. If you would like me to send a pic of the character(s), please ask. Best wishes, Roy Reinikainen roynm@mac.com suomalainen@mac.com