Crisco is for Sissies[M]

[TruthSayer]

Raa couldn't help the little groan at the sight of Marcus' opening his legs. He swore he could smell it, the musk that meant heat and salt and sweet things wafting up from the telltale tent in Marcus' jeans. It would be an easy... easy thing to lift Marcus' hips towards his mouth, to press his nose there to see if the scent was real, or just his imagination, to see if the taste would be as good as the smell. Tingles ran over him, shivering little things that pulled his skin tight at the tug on his hair, fingers tightening convulsively high on Marcus' thigh. The sight of pale skin, pert little nipples, and a dusting line of fine hair just beneath his belly button made Raa's eyes going momentarily blurry, arousal fierce in his veins as his eyes tracked invisible lines over Marcus' flesh, drawn inexplicably to the massive bruise on his right hip.

Arousal ground to a halt as guilt and the fear of almost loosing Marcus permanently hit him like a bucket of cold water. It was as bitter as bile in his mouth, and his gaze flicked away from it, his arms sliding behind Marcus' back and under his knees as he stood. "Maybe you should take a bath," he muttered. He only had a shower in his bathroom, but the master had a tub so large Kendall could lay flat on his back on it.

[Tammika]

Marcus saw the fire die down as his eyes caught sight of the ugly bruise on his hip. The pain in his legs was worse so he nearly forgot about it snuggled on the couch with Raa instead of crammed in his mustang. He sighed, understanding the change but pouting obviously over it too. "..And just when I had you going." He wiggled one foot as they made their way to the master bedroom eyes widening when he saw the tub.

"Shit Raa! There's room for...two in there."

[TruthSayer]

Raa was certain that if Marcus had said that at any other time in any other place, it would have made his blood burn with want. As it was, they were in Kendall and Aban's bathroom, staring a tub that could more than easily fit two, the lip of which holding several half burned tea lights that made the room smell vaguely like vanilla, and Raa could just glimpse the massive four-poster California King from the corner of his eye.

His first thought was a resounding ECH!; his second was that there was no way in hell Marcus was going to bathe in that tub. He would grab a folding chair from outside if he had to for Marcus to sit on in his shower, or he would stand blindfolded in there with him to help hold him up, but that bathtub was out of the question.

He about-faced out of the bathroom and resolutely kept his eyes from turning toward the California King as he made his way down the hall to his own room, muttering the entire time.

[Tammika]

Marcus could almost hear Raa's line of thought as his eyes shifted from him to the tub, a nervous side glance at the bed and a giggle worked it's way up slowly. When Raa turned and marched out of the room, he couldn't hold it in any longer . He was glad Raa was carrying him because otherwise he would be on the floor laughing.

"Oh my god Raa, you are hilarious!" He laughed the whole way back to Raa's room and made grabby hands for the huge tub. "But I wanted a bubble bath!" He was laughing much to hard to make the whine sound anywhere close to real.

[TruthSayer]

"It's not funny!" Raa shot back, gaze wide and face painted with remembered horror as his steps slowed to a stop in the hallway, Marcus held tight against him as though Raa were using him as a shield.

"Have you ever walked in on your parents having sex?" he whispered, words tumbling out so fast they stumbled over each other. "Of seeing that... and then them feeling like they have to talk to you about it afterward? And it's gay sex and the one to talk to you about is a human sexualities professor and he's got diagrams and then wonders why you're a friggin' virgin at 19!"

[Tammika]

"He's got diagrams?" This strangely interested Marcus but he waved his hand. "Never mind.... but umm yes, I have walked in on my parents and I have totally different feelings towards it than you do." He giggled and even reddened at the thought. Seeing his parents so..active and... sexy was very weird, but not traumatizing. At the time he was very confused by his own reaction being only ten years old, but later he realized how extremely beautiful it was.. a bit kinky, but beautiful. "Let's just say if I told you what I saw you wouldn't believe me nor would you ever look at my mother the same way again." he stuck his tongue out and added, "I'm a lot like my mother you know? I'll say that much." He wiggled his eyebrows and kissed Raa on the nose.

[TruthSayer]

"Ew...." Raa did not need that vision of Sherry in his head. "I'm going to die a virgin," he said, nodding resolutely as he carried Marcus the rest of the way to his room and set him down on the bed. "I'll become a Tibetan monk and shave my head and meditate all day. Live on a mountain top, eat locusts, pray to Buddha to get every image that just conjured up out of my head."

He turned toward to the door, middle fingers and thumbs meeting as he closed his eyes and walked the hallway by memory alone toward the back door, chanting calming "ohms" with each slow step he took.

He grabbed a canvas fold up chair from the back patio that looked like it might fit in his shower, and extra towels from the dryer in case it didn't and they had to leave the shower door open. When he got back to his room, he set up the bathroom as best he could.

[Tammika]

"The hell you won't! Not as long as Marcus Philip Davenport the third is alive and kicking. And you shave that head of lusciously sexy hair and I'll chain you up in my room until it grows back!" He shouted after Raa. While Raa was off doing God knows what, he leaned down and took off the boot on his left foot. The ankle was still swollen and he was way past due on an cold heat rotation the nurse recommended. Snatches of her instruction came floating back to his mind and he regretted not heeding them. It was so swollen he couldn't bend it more than a half inch in any direction.

Tossing the boot and his other shoe on the floor he leaned back on the bed and raised his hips to slide out of his jeans easily balancing on his upper back and one foot, but shaking slightly from the random cramping. As Raa walked back in he smiled through the slight pain. "I am so fucking glad I'm in shape otherwise this would be hell." he dropped his hips and held his leg out to Raa, pants around his ankles and soon to be in nothing but his underwear. "Here, pull 'em off. I can't get it without locking up. This is so annoying."

[TruthSayer]

Raa blinked, one brow raised at the sight before him that in a lot of ways probably wasn't sexy, but in quite a few were.

"Locusts," he muttered, stepping forward to help, keeping the litany running through his mind like a prayer. "Buddha. Tibetan monks, mountain tops, and Sherry. Locusts..."

[Tammika]

"Ow, ow ow ow. Saam!"

"Coming coming!" Sam flipped backwards over the couch and jogged into the kitchen, surprised that he was actually asking for help. "Jeez, Marcus, give me that." Sam grabbed potholders and took one of the two pans Marcus had obviously pulled from the oven setting it down on the stove top. "Why are you trying to carry both of them at the same time you bonehead?!"

Just shut up and close the oven and hand me the cheese, not the bag the stuff in the blue bowl."

"You are so anal when you're cooking." Sam mumbled, but did as he asked and then some, staying in the kitchen to help. Their mom was running late so he had to do everything last minute for the family dinner and he was nervous, glancing out the window expecting Raa at any second. Even though it was his uncle, Raa and a cop in the same vicinity was asking for trouble.

His mom had called and would be home anytime now so he was starting to feel a little less frazzled. Marcus' dad was pacing in and out of his study, giving Vicky directions to the house. She had been there plenty of times, but today she was coming in straight from another city and she was terrible with directions. Her husband, Marcus's uncle TJ, was on his way back out to meet her knowing how lost his wife could get.

"She will probably end up in New Mexico if i don't go meet her."

Busy, but an okay start of the evening.

Sam's flat voice interrupted Marcus' worrying. "You can stop freaking out now. Prince Charming is here snow white."

Marcus relaxed a little and smiled.

"You two are so sickening sometimes."

[TruthSayer]

Raa glanced nervously in the rearview, checking the artful mess he'd styled his hair into for the tenth time since turning down the dirt road leading to Marcus' house. He was glad to meet some of Marcus' family. He really was. Honest. Now if could just get his nerves to believe that, he would be fine. After all, it was only an aunt and uncle, and by now Raa was sure that Marcus' immediate family didn't mind him, and although he'd become considerably more comfortable with Sherry and was able to talk to Mr. Davenport without trying to force conversation, this was still their family. Mr. Davenport's older brother, and Raa had the sinking feeling that if whoever this TJ Davenport and his wife were, if they didn't like him, the family was likely to circle their wagons.

But that was stupid. Why the hell wouldn't they like him? After all, he was a guy, distinctly Lebanese, had a juvenile record a mile long, and was planning to pop their nephew's cherry in four days time. And to top it all off, he was planning to do so in their cabin.

Raa pulled to a stop in what had become his parking space in front of the house, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel for a moment, glanced in the mirror again, and cut the engine, climbing out, jingling his keys for a moment before he put them in his pocket. He kicked the door closed with a gentle bang, and walked to the door, sniffing the air that grew thicker with the scents of food the closer he got to the house; he had no idea what Marcus was cooking, but it smelled damn good.

[Tammika]

His ankle had heeled enough so he only favored it slightly. If you didn't know him you could barely notice it. As annoying as it was and as much as he would like to forget the whole day, the accident served to improve his swimming time a fraction. Strengthening his arms by letting his legs hang limp was more of a workout than he'd had i a long time. The remnant of his injury didn't stop him from flying to the door when Raa pulled up. He went out the side door and through the garage, meeting him before he came inside.

"Hey you. My mom is not home yet, my aunt is lost, my uncle left again to go find her aaand I burned my hand.. twice. So, how are you?" He grinned and wrapped his arms around Raa's waist, feeling the nervousness. He couldn't blame him. He felt a little off too, which was not normal. His uncle could be very overbearing and had an odd way of being overprotective with him. As long as his aunt was there things would be okay, he hoped.

"I hope you are hungry, I made enough food for a small army, a Mexican army apparently."

[TruthSayer]

Mexican food? Raa perked up at that. He hoped it was green chili enchiladas. Really hot green chili enchiladas that were so hot no one but Raa could eat them, because he was starving. Or tamales. Ooh, or possole.

"Starving," Raa said with a quick nod, and pressed a kiss to Marcus' lips, arms going around his waist. The longer he kissed Marcus, and the longer he felt Marcus pressed up against him, the better he felt about the entire situation.

[Tammika]

Raa's lips were always a pleasant distraction, but Marcus should have known better, should have remembered his uncle would be returning at any moment. A kiss or two in front of his family was o big deal, though if it was too long, his dad suddenly developed the overwhelming urge to cough uncontrollable, but that was easy stuff, even funny. Marcus even had it timed. Anything longer than twenty seconds of full lip contact and the coughing started.

He heard the car, but somehow Raa's tongue was much more interesting and then his legs were going weak and then... the front door slammed and the horn of a Dodge Ram 1500 blasted so loud he nearly screamed..in Raa's mouth.

His uncle TJ had pulled up a few feet in front of them with his Aunts Jeep behind him.

"What the hell kinda whore house you running, Mack? I have a reputation to uphold bro?" TJ Davenport stepped out of his truck in all his glory. Nearly a twin to his younger brother down to the same shade of blue eyes, but he had three inches on him and a lot more muscle, not that Marc Davenport was not in shape, he was just more lean.

"TJ that's my son and his boyfriend you're talking about there so watch your mouth." Marc's signature blank glare could be felt from the porch.

"Joking. Relax." TJ walked up just as Vicky approached the pair. Thankfully she nudged past him with a sly glare and leaned in to hug Marcus, who had stepped back to give her room. No one escaped without a hug and a peck on the cheek from Vicky and he wondered how Raa would fare. Almost a head shorter he leaned down to meet her halfway.

"Hey munchkin hun. How you doin? It's been too long, lord you are so tall. Is this the lovely Raa, you been going on and on about?" She turned to Raa and gave him a casual glance up and down and gave him a half hug, one hand on his cheek and pressed a quick peck on his other cheek. "Well aren't you just precious, I completely understand you now Marcus." She winked at Marcus who grinned back at her. A huge grin that spoke volumes. "You better take care of my munchkin now." It was both a suggestion and a command, only sweet Aunt Vicky could word things that way and Marcus smiled at Raa. God I love you Aunt Vicky! Then she had to add, "He a tricky little stinker but he has his good points.

[TruthSayer]

Raa nearly bit both their tongues at the horn, his heart jumping into his throat. He didn't have time to blush as TJ's words hit him, ticking something inside him off center that automatically had his back up.

Whore house...? he thought, turning to face the man with the glare he felt kept carefully off his face. It didn't matter that the man was a good head taller than Raa, nor that his bulk was probably twice that of Raa's. It didn't matter that Raa didn't entirely mind the implication in those words, but what the fuck did that say about Marcus, the prick?

Raa took a deep breath, teeth grinding inside his coldly welcoming smile as his eyes shifted from TJ to his wife, the woman just as tiny as Sherry, her smile such a perfect reflection of Sherry's that Raa felt almost at ease with her immediately. Until she kissed him on the cheek. His one arm that had gone half way toward automatically returning the hug froze, his eyes going wide as a blush slammed into his cheeks. When she looked him up and down, he stepped completely in back of Marcus, hands on his hips to keep him there.

"Hi," he said, smile unnerved as he looked at her over Marcus' shoulder.

[Tammika]

Marcus started snickering at his reaction to his aunt, thankful for her intervention and lifting the mood that was settling in. "I am not a stinker, I smell good I showered today. He backed towards the house slowly, pushing into Raa behind him. "Hey Uncle TJ." He muttered as an after thought on his way inside, dreading this moment.

"Hey Marky." He glanced at Raa nodded and cut his eyes away. Marcus could feel the coldness from both of them.

"Okay I have food to finish an you have yet to torture I mean say hi to Sam." He grinned and his uncle elbowed him as he passed.

"Don't tell me you did all the cooking again. Cooking or eating is there a day when you aren't in the kitchen. next thing you know you'll be as big as a house. You know your cousin Hana-"

"TJ get in the house, Hana has been fat for ages because her mother lets her sit in the house twenty-four seven playing video games and you know Marcus better than that, so get on in the house and leave your veiled threats for someone who cares or at least pretends to be intimidated by you." Aunt Vicky smacked him on the butt and walked past him into the house. Minutes later she was gushing about how big Sam was, though they had just seen them over the summer.

Soon all were gathered around the kitchen table and at the three bar stools at the counter. His mom had bits and pieces of a dress she was designing taking over the dinning room since her office over the garage was being renovated. And was begging everyone to forgive her for the mess.

"Marcus munchkin honey," he was sure she could not say his name without the extras. "You have out done yourself! Is this an authentic recipe? It all reminds me of our vacation in Mexico!"

"I got it from an overdose of Food network one Saturday. Nothing special."

"You liar! Nothing special? you guys should have seen him flipping around here before everybody got here." She did a perfect imitation of Marcus in spazz mode "Sam! Does this taste right? Sam where's this. Sam is this too hot, does it take away from the flavor? Like I know!"

"Shut up imp and sit down. I did not. Even so isn't that your second plate?"

"I never said it wasn't good, I'm just saying you didn't act like it was nothing special while you were cooking, Spaz Queen!"

"You-

"Marcus.."

"She started it."

"For a boy you sure do spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen." His uncles words again killed the conversation, but once again hi aunt picked it back up.

"Oh and sports all that tennis and swimming! National this year I hear! How exciting! You must tell me when and where I will most certainly be there."

"If she can find it." TJ mumbled loud enough for all to hear.

[TruthSayer]

Raa was getting very tired of dear ol' Uncle TJ's comments, especially since each one of them seemed aimed at Marcus in some way. He'd spent much of the time between they'd arrived and supper was ready avoiding the man, even going so far as to help Marcus cook what little was left to be done, though that boiled down to cutting lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a healthy pile of jalapenos, most of which Raa admitted to hoarding once the food was on the table. Maybe it was his heritage, but there was no such thing as too hot when it came to the food Raa ate.

And he kept stuffing food into his mouth to keep from saying the cadre of things that kept springing to his lips, because TJ was Mr. Davenport's brother, and Sherry's brother-in-law, and Marcus' and Sam's uncle, and despite the fact that Raa hadn't been able to get completely comfortable with Vicky, he did like her, and didn't want to piss her off by calling her husband a prick. That, and he knew Marcus really wanted that cabin.

So he said little, resorting to nods, half grins, and keeping his eyes away from TJ so he wouldn't glare. He hoped Vicky wouldn't think him rude for not joining in the conversation.

[Tammika]

Somewhere among the veiled insults and mock argument with Sam Marcus jumped on the task of bringing in more soda in from the garage, pointedly asking Raa to help him out.

"Drinks, right, I'm on it." As he stood he leaned in towards Raa so the others couldn't see him make a face. "You wanna help me out Raa?" Without waiting on an answer he headed for the garage.

"Sprite please, none of that nasty Mountain Dew, spawn!"

"Whatever."

[TruthSayer]

"What the hell is wrong with Mountain Dew?" Raa wanted to know, smacking Sam lightly on the head as he followed Marcus into the garage. He stretched his neck from side to side, shrugging his shoulders a few times as he shook the tension out of his arms; keeping his mouth shut was giving him a headache.

"So..." he said, holding his arms out for Marcus to pile the drinks in them. "Your family is nice." He meant Vicky, of course. TJ could suck on a rotten tit for all he cared.

[Tammika]

"It's really anti-freeze I'm tellin' you! Nasty!" Sam snapped back taking a swat at him as he passed by.


In the garage Marcus smiled sadly at Raa. "Aunt Vicky, yes. Uncle TJ..." Marcus sighed. "Please don't kill my uncle Raa. Normally he's not...this bad. Something's bothering him. Not sure what though but my dad is ready to kill him already." He stacked the drinks in Raa's arms and gabbed a few himself.



"-and yes Terrence I am well aware of that. Don't you think I'd find out as much about that as possible. Thanks for your concern, no matter how warped your way of showing it is, Terrence."

"I have seen it a million times these people always try and worm-"

"These people? These people? What kind of people are you talking about Uncle Teej? This conversation is disgusting and your words are making me wanna puke!"

"Sam don't-"

"No! Mom! You know he's full of it, thinking he can come in here and tell us where we're going wrong! I like Raa and right now a whole lot more than I like you!" Sam threw her wadded up napkin at her uncle and stomped off, followed by both her mother and aunt. Vicky patted Marc's shoulder as she passed by.

"Look, Mack, I'm just trying to tell you what I know for a fact."

"And I'm telling you again. We know everything we need to know about him. We trust him."

"Marcus is way out of his league with this kid and I don't trust the punk as far as I could throw him! You are making mistake Mack and Marcus will end up being a victim yet again!"

Marcus nearly dropped two cases of soda on his foot when that last sentences of the argument reached his ears. he felt so many emotions at one time he felt like he was going to puke up his heart. He stood frozen in the doorway eyes making contact with his dad.