wl_fanfiction | [FIC] When Darkness Falls 4/?

makingamochrie.livejournal.com posting in

Mornin, everyone. Well, since this is really a bit of a soap opera, and we've already had angst, alcoholism, implied abuse and stuff, what does every good soap opera need? Yup. Sex.

This chapter's going to be a bit long, so some will continue in the comments section so I can get it all out, as it were.

TITLE: When Darkness Falls
PART: 4/? goodness only knows
PAIRING: This part: Greg/Brad/Colin (implied), Greg/Brad (not implied), Colin/Jeff (not implied) *gulp*! None of these are pairings I would have imagined on my own, folks.
RATING: NC-17 for mild smut (very vanilla)
DISCLAIMER: FICTION. I don't own them, I don't own them, I don't even want to bone them! (well, except LT, but whatever) FICTION, and hoo boy is it!
SUMMARY: If the train's a rockin, boots be a'knockin! (alternately: Jump on the train, catch a ride! Whoo Whoo! Jump on the train, catch a ride! Whoo Whoo! Love that song!)

“Wow, Drew,” Greg breathed as the group stood staring at the private train waiting for them. “This is seriously the shit!”

“It should be, for the bucks I shelled out,” Drew grumbled, jumping onto the first step. “Come on, everybody, hop aboard. Your luggage has already been stowed, so let’s get moving. We’ve got some miles to cover before our next show.”

Everyone filed on in a single line, talking quietly among themselves until the door hissed shut behind the last person. They were crowded into one of several entertainment cars. Plush couches lined both walls beneath the large windows, and a huge big-screen television hung down from the ceiling at one end. Most of the men, well above the average in height, would have to remember to duck down when they passed, or risk a knock to the skull.

“Ok, here’s the deal,” Drew continued, rubbing his hands together. “This is your night porter, John.” The thin man wearing a blue uniform and cap smiled at all of them. “He’s here to help you with anything you need, so don’t hesitate to ask. Roger is your day porter, and the same goes for him. Now, lucky for you guys, this train is large enough so that all of you have your own berths.” Surprised murmurs sounded. Drew held up his hands. “I know, I know, and I doubt that some of them are even going to be used,” and here he gave a few of the performers a significant glance, “but regardless, they’re yours for the taking. Everyone’s already been assigned a berth, and your luggage has been stowed there. See John when we’re done. Next. Despite what you might have been hoping, this isn’t going to be a booze cruise.” More murmuring, this time dissatisfied. Ryan stared out at the blackness beyond the window, his face betraying nothing, pretending that he didn’t care that he was the reason they were looking like kids who’d been told their trip to Disneyland had just been cancelled. “Yeah, well, deal. No booze allowed onboard. We’ll be making several stops along the way, so if you wanna get hammered, do it then. If you don’t like it, you’re free to leave.”

No one moved.

“Good. Next, breakfast is at seven, lunch at twelve, and dinner, when we’re not performing, is at six. There’s a snack bar in the third car down that has munchies, coffee, soda, juices, milk and water, and it’s open 24/7. What you’re standing in now is one of three entertainment cars. Movies, board games, cards, shit like that are in the cabinets at the end of the couches. The other cars are in front of us and behind. Porn’s in the one in front. If you don’t want to see that shit, avoid it. You don’t have to pass through it to get anywhere, cause the only thing in front is the engine, and the engineer’s a Marine buddy of mine who’d be more than happy to rip your head off if you set foot in his territory, so I’d advise against it. And the car at the very back has the hot-tub and that’s were my ass is gonna be every second. Any questions?”

There weren’t any.

“Great. I guess I’ve got nothing left except to say thanks to all of you for agreeing to do this gig with me, and I know we’ll have fun along the way.” He grinned. “Try and get a little sleep tonight. Next stop, Boise State!”

“Par-tay,” Greg muttered, turning to the porter with an expectant look on his face. “Got a room for the Proop-dog?”

*******

“Fuckin A, man,” Greg breathed as he finally felt himself softening within Brad’s attentive mouth. “Your skills and a moving train, damn, that’s a fine scene!”

Chuckling softly, Brad came to lie beside Greg in the narrow bunk, cradling the smaller man against him and stroking his hair. Greg frowned as he reached down and found that Brad wasn’t exactly up for business. “What’s the matter? You spring a leak or something?”

“I’m fine,” Brad replied. “Getting you off was all I needed.”

Greg snorted. “Yeah, and I’m Pope Joan. You still worried about Colin?”

Brad blushed faintly and looked down. “Yeah.”

“He’s a big boy, Brad. He can take care of himself.”

“And I suppose it’s just fine with you that the man who pounded the shit out of him is just across the hall!?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, man. Nothing’s gonna happen.”

Brad frowned. “You don’t know that for sure.”

“I do,” Greg replied firmly. “And so would you, if you’d take a second to actually look at him instead of wanting to put your foot up his ass. He’s dead inside from what he did. Fucking dead, man. Col’s in more danger of this fucking train going off the tracks than he is from anything Ryan could do to him.”

“Great. You had to go and put that thought in my head. Thanks.”

“Anytime, my man. I’m here to help.” He eyed the man lying next to him. “You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous.”

“So?” Brad said, shrugging. “Maybe I am. So what?”

Disentangling himself, Greg sat up. “So what? So what!? Brad, don’t do this to yourself, man! Dude, believe me, you’re looking at is some major heartache trying to drive down that road.” He laid a hand against Brad’s chest. “What we got here, man, this is a good thing. You, me, Colin, we have a few laughs, a good fuck every now and then, we keep it light, you know? No strings. No worries. You start bringing that love shit into it, well, I already know the end of that story, and lemme tell you, you’re not gonna like the way it turns out.”

“How?” Brad demanded. “How does it turn out?”

“With you crying in the gutter, my friend.”

“Why do you say that? What the fuck do you know?”

“And I’m the one who needs glasses,” Greg breathed, shaking his head. “Brad, listen to me, man, okay? You can’t have someone’s heart when he’s already given it away.”

“Who? Who’s he given it away to?”

Greg just rolled his eyes.

“Ryan?! You’re trying to tell me that he’s still in love with Ryan? After everything that bastard did to him?”

“Love’s a bitch, ain’t it?”

“Well, fuck me.”

“Love to. Except, you know, my flag’s currently at half-staff. How ‘bout you fuck me instead?”

And, for awhile at least, all thoughts of Colin, and Ryan, and everything else flew out the proverbial window.

*******

Colin was sitting alone in the middle of the entertainment car, sleepily staring out the window as the train swayed gently back and forth, lulling him, and giving him some peace he desperately needed. The show had gone great, and he was glad for that, because it was the only glue holding the tattered edges of himself together at the moment.

Seeing Ryan had, well, it had been the hardest thing he thought he’d ever gone through in his life. Seeing that thin, gaunt frame, looking into those searching, utterly shattered eyes, God!, he was so torn. There was a part of him that had never stopped loving Ryan, even through the worst of it. The final, physical blow might have ended things between them, but that wasn’t what had kept him away for so long. He stayed away because he had no other choice. If he had returned, and sometimes the need to do that was so intense it was unbearable, he would have been dead by his own hand within a month, at the very outside. Ryan was Colin’s alcohol, his addiction, and he knew it. And, like all addicts, he thought he could handle it, could handle himself, could just keep on keeping on until there was nothing left. Beyond nothing left. The blow Ryan had dealt him had been his wake-up call, and for that, he supposed, he’d always be grateful that he got off as lightly as he did.

He’d also forgiven Ryan for it long ago. It was, in reality, the very least of the damage they’d done to one another over the years. It was never meant for him anyway, not really. Ryan was lashing out at his life in general, and Colin only happened to be in the way. And yes, he knew that that was the case for about ninety nine percent of all cases of domestic violence, but he also knew that Ryan would slit his own wrists before ever raising so much as a finger to him in anger again.

And he knew something else as well. Maybe the most important thing of all. He could have blocked that last punch if he’d wanted to. He might have ended up with a broken wrist, but he could have blocked it. Of the two of them, he was the stronger. So he could have blocked it. Instead, he’d let it fall. And what did that say about him? About the man he thought he was? Damned if he knew.

Sighing softly, he laid his head back against the soft cushion. Too many thoughts. Too many emotions scrambling around in his head, begging his attention. His hand came up to rub the bridge of his nose. And now he was getting a headache on top of it all. Great. Just great.

The door to his right slid open and he watched as Jeff slipped through, clad in rumpled cargo shorts and a t-shirt in deference to the women sharing the train with them. He had a bottle of juice in his hand, and he gave Colin a sweet grin as he moved to sit next to him on the couch. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Not real tired yet, I guess,” Colin replied. “How ‘bout you?”

Jeff chuckled. “Greg and Brad are going at it and the thumps against my wall aren’t conducive to a restful night, if you know what I mean.”

Colin grinned, shaking his head. He’d turned down an invitation to join the two of them earlier, needing some solitude and space. Now he felt himself welcoming Jeff’s quiet presence. “I’ll tell them to keep it down when I see them.”

“Nah. They’re having fun. I really don’t mind.” He looked at the tiny dots of light as the speeding train passed them by. “This is nice.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Jeff cracked the seal on the bottle in his hand. “Want some?”

Colin squinted at the label. “Papaya-Guava-Mango juice?”

“Hey,” Jeff smirked, “don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”

“Ok,” Colin replied, smiling. “I’m willing if you are.”

Jeff’s blush was, Colin decided, simply adorable.

“Oh. Oh! The juice! Here you are. It’s good.”

“We were talking about something else?” Colin asked, all innocence, before grabbing the bottle and taking a sip. “Mm. You’re right. It is good.” He took another sip before handing it back, enjoying the interesting combination of tastes. “You might want to, you know, wipe it off first.”

“Oh,” Jeff purred, grinning, “I already know where your lips have been, and believe me, I don’t mind them around my…neck.”

Chuckling, Colin shook his head, unable to believe he was having this conversation, and knowing he was probably blushing as badly as Jeff, if not worse. Damn fair skin anyway.

“By the way,” Jeff continued, leaning perceptibly closer, “speaking purely as the owner of a Chocolate Factory, I don’t believe our marriage was ever officially recognized.”

At a temporary loss, Colin raised his eyebrows at the younger man.

Jeff grinned. “I never got to kiss the Oompa Loompa.”

Unable to help himself, Colin broke down into gales of laughter, covering his mouth with his hand as his shoulders and, indeed, his entire body shook with his mirth. After a moment, Jeff joined in, laughing so hard that the juice he’d just consumed almost came shooting out of his nose.

“Oh, god, thank you,” Colin finally managed to gasp. “I have laughed that hard in…I don’t even remember when.”

“I don’t think I can either,” Jeff replied when his laughter finally gentled to isolated chuckles. “I’m glad I came out here.”

“I’m glad, too.”

They sat in companionable silence for awhile, simply content to watch what little they could see of the night-bathed world pass by in front of their windows. Colin felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he simply let them drop closed, letting the idle chatter in his mind die away to nothingness.

Then he felt something soft and warm brush against his lips, and when he opened his eyes, Jeff was grinning at him. “There. Now it’s official.”

“We should tell the porter. Maybe he could bake us a cake. Or at least throw rice, or something.”

Jeff chuckled and slid his hand against Colin’s. “I have a little something else in mind, actually.”

“Do you.”

“Mm hm. See, I have this deluxe honeymoon suite just two cars down and, well, the neighbors are a bit noisy, but it’s cozy, and private, and since all good marriages are supposed to be consummated on the wedding night, well….”

“Hm. I don’t know. Isn’t there some law against humans having sex with Oompa Loompas?”

“I won’t tell if you don’t!”

“Jeff….”

“Colin, if it freaks you out, just say so. But I want this. I really, really want this.” His hands boldly smoothed up Colin’s chest to linger against the sides of his face. “I happen to think that you’re an incredibly sexy man, and I’ve wanted you since the first time I shared the stage with you. Of course, I never stood a chance, what with Ryan, and Greg, and Brad, and all, but…well, you’re here now, and so am I, and I really want to make love with you. What do you say?”

“I say….” Colin’s own hands came up to thread themselves through the short, mussed locks of Jeff’s hair, bringing their lips together.

They both immediately got lost in the taste of one another, and the kiss escalated rapidly. Colin’s tongue traced a sly invitation across Jeff’s bottom lip, and the invitation was readily answered. Jeff opened his mouth and Colin slid inside, tasting different points, tickling his tongue over the roof before twining with Jeff’s own in a sensual duel that left them both moaning.

Finally pulling apart, Jeff grasped Colin’s hand. “Let’s take this show on the road, okay?”

“Right there with you,” Colin husked, coming to his feet and tugging Jeff to his as well. “Lead on.”

*******

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