#fishben

He tells himself that he wandered off my mistake. He didn’t know about the male dancers in the backrooms of the strip club Santi dragged him to, had no way of knowing what he’d find when he crossed over the beaded curtains covering the threshold. In fact, Frankie had meant to turn around and walk out back to the area where he belonged but— The drinks are stronger here, he overhears from one of the men. And if there is one thing Frankie loves it is a strong drink. 

Gotta make his money’s worth, after all. 

That is all that is— Strong drinks and the burgundy velvet couch that looks a lot more comfortable than the one in front of the house. He doesn’t care about the men on top of the stage, or the broad and well muscled men that fleet from one side of the room to the other. He certainly doesn’t care about the tall blond that stalks across the center stage wearing just a pair of tight boxers and combat boots, his muscled chest covered in body glitter shining in the strobing lights as he parades a smaller, skinnier man on a leash. 

And Frankie certainly doesn’t stop to think about what the blond’s thick neck would look like on a leash of his own. 

"Just because you own three versions of the same outfit doesn't mean the rest of us have to," Benny says to his brother.

Will just shakes his head. Blond hair falling across his face that he drags back. Except for the way they look, Frankie doesn't think the brothers could be any different. Will is quiet to the point of stoicism. Methodical, punctual, grounded. Benny is a tornado in a trailer park by comparison. Despite that, the brothers are closer than Frankie thought it was possible for family members to be.

Frankie was certain Will hated him the first few time they hung out, the man barely spoke, watched every move Frankie made. It wasn't until they were out one night and Benny had a few too many drinks. Frankie slipped his arm around Benny's waist and with a smile and a soft voice asked him if he was ready to go home. Benny leaned heavily on Frankie and nodded while giving him big sloppy kisses on his cheek and neck. Frankie only laughed and steered him out of the bar. Frankie figures he must have passed some test that night because after that Will started treating him like a friend, not just the guy his brother was currently hanging out with.

"I just know what I like. No harm in that." Will defends.

Frankie is sure this brotherly quarrel has legs but it's interrupted.

"Hey! Who said it was time to go on break?" Tess asks as she carries another box, conspicuously labeled clothes, into the house.

Benny takes the box from her while kissing her quickly on the cheek.

"You are the most beautiful and terrifying taskmaster there is."

"Finally, someone appreciate me."

Frankie rolls his eyes. "Hey, don't you have furniture you want to move in?" He asks Benny as he returns from the bedroom.

"Yeah, my cousin Joel is bringing it over in his truck."

On cue a van with the words Miller's Construction emblazoned on the side pulls up in front of the house.

Will looks at his watch. "Exactly twenty minutes late, which is exactly on time for Joel."

"Not everyone has an atomic internal clock ticking away in their head," Benny says.

"No, but everyone has an actual clock in their pocket," Will mumbles as Benny heads outside to meet his cousin.

Frankie pats Will on the shoulder. "You're fighting a losing battle, you know that right?"

Will sighs but heads out to help anyway.

Through the bay windows in Frankie's living room he and Tess watch Benny and Will greet their cousin.

"Jeeze, God just made all those Miller boys pretty, huh?" Tess says.

"Stop ogling and help me move this couch over. Benny has a chair he wants to fit in this corner."

"I think I should get to ogle a little bit in exchange for manual labor."

But Frankie is already on one side of the couch impatiently waiting for Tess to take the other side.

"Come help me and I promise I won't embarrass you too much when I invite Joel to join us for drinks later."

***

Frankie knows it's stupid because Benny has been spending most nights in this bed for the last few months but tonight feels different. Because tonight there's no discussion about if Benny needs to go home in the morning to get clothes, or check the mail, or water his plants. Because now home is here. The clothes, the mail, the plants (which is good for the plants because Benny loves buying them but hates watering them) they're all here.

Frankie waits in bed, half reading a book, while Benny washes up in the bathroom. Really, Frankie is listening. The sound of water splashing in the sink as Benny washes his face. The sound of the towel being pulled off the rack. The open and close of the medicine cabinet where Benny keeps his moisturizer. The sink goes on again as Benny brushes his teeth. Frankie knows that if he were in there with him, Benny would be bouncing his hip against Frankie's, grin full of toothpaste. He wonders if he bounces even when he's alone.

Finally, the man himself emerges. Tight gray boxer briefs hug his thick thighs. Smooth, pale skin stretched over his chest like he was built to do push ups. And there is so much more that he loves about this man, but his cock still twitches as the sight of him shirtless.

Frankie sets his book aside as Benny climbs into bed. He doesn't stop on his side, instead he crawls over to Frankie, straddling his hips and laying across his chest, face tucked against Frankie's bearded cheek. Frankie can't help the twitch in his hips as the weight of Benny presses him into the mattress.

"So," Benny says. "Joel and Tess really hit it off tonight."

"Oh that's what you want to talk about?" Frankie asks.

Benny lifts his head, lets it hovers just above Frankie's, devilish grin on display.

"I think they make a great couple."

Frankie is sure there is nothing he wants to think about less than Tess and Joel. He runs his hands over Benny's back, smoothing out the strong muscle there before making his way down to the curve of his ass. He feels the outline of the plug Benny has in, wonders how long it's been there for, waiting for Frankie's attention.

"They both have that same snarky sense of humor," Benny continues, clearly trying to antagonize Frankie.

In response Frankie smacks Benny's ass, hard. The sound echoing in the otherwise quiet room.

Benny flinches, his hard cock rubbing against Frankie's pelvis.

"Misbehaving already?" Frankie's voice is low in Benny's ear, his hands gripping the younger man's ass, forcing him to grind down.

Benny whimpers and the sound sends goosebumps up Frankie's arms.

"Maybe I need to be taught a lesson."

Frankie presses his hips up and digs his fingers into Benny's flesh like he can leave permanent space there, just for him. Benny's body folds over him, loose and pliant, exactly the way Frankie likes him. His to take care of. He spanks Benny again. He's going to take care of him.

He rolls Benny over onto his back, sliding his hands up Benny's sides, pushing his arms above his head. When Benny's fingers meet the bars of the headboard Frankie wraps his own hand around them.

"Don't move," Frankie instructs.

He gets up, stripping himself of his own underwear while he grabs the bondage cuffs from the bedside drawer. He straps them to Benny's wrists, cuffing him to the bed.

Straddling Benny's waist, Frankie's cock heavy over Ben's abdomen, he leans over and brushes his lips against Benny's ear.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Yes," comes Benny's huffed response.

"Safe word?"

"Frankie," Benny whines.

He wants Frankie to get on with it. But Frankie refuses to skip this part.

"Safe word?"

"Skittles."

"Good boy."

Frankie runs his fingers through Benny's hair once before he sits up on his knees.

"Open up."

With a smile Benny opens his mouth and Frankie slides his cock between the man's full lips. He doesn't move, just lets Benny suck on the tip, knowing this teases Benny even more than it teases himself.

Benny lifts his head as much as he can, trying to take more of Frankie, but Frankie won't let him. Pulls back only to have Benny pout and huff softly as he does. It's a look that will work on Frankie every time. He bends over to kiss Benny's swollen lips, letting his tongue take up space previously occupied by his cock. He can feel Benny's patience slipping. He twists under Frankie, tugging at the bonds, opening his mouth wider to consume.

Frankie's own resolve is slipping. The need to own this man below him, make him completely his, marked, now and forever, is overwhelming. Frankie gives up on slow. He reaches for the lube and covers his cock before gently remove the plug. He does't give Benny a chance to miss the sensation before his filling him, roughly rutting his hips against him.

Benny's eyes close, his head pushing back against the pillow, the look of pleasure so familiar to Frankie he can close his eyes and conjure it anywhere. And does sometimes. Bored at work, waiting for a call. Stuck in traffic. Waiting on line for coffee. He sees Benny's face, wonton, needy, lip red with teeth marks. Frankie knows he's done nothing to deserve this but he's going to fight like hell to keep it.

He fucks Benny, their chests pressed together, stealing kisses when the rhythm allows, until Frankie can't hold on and he's emptying himself, grunting and reaching his still slick hand between their bodies to grip Benny's cock. He pumps until Benny spills between them and Frankie slides out and over to Benny's side, reaching for the tissues.

He thoroughly cleans Benny's chest, taking advantage of the fact that Benny's arms are still bound above his head. He traces Benny's ribs with his lips until he elicits laughter.

"Not fair!" Benny squeals.

"Ah, ah, ah, I didn't hear the safe word," Frankie teases as he starts down the other side.

"Skittles! Skittles!" Benny shouts, his hips bucking off the bed in an attempt to keep Frankie away from his most ticklish areas.

Frankie laughs as he removes the cuffs. Benny immediately retaliates by rolling Frankie over onto his back, using his weight to pin him down.

"You are so lucky I love you so much," Benny says.

"What are you doing?" Benny approaches him, standing just behind him facing the mirror.

Benny, who always looks effortlessly beautiful. A button down, black shirt that fits tailored made against his still flat stomach despite his return to the world of carbs. Frankie reminds himself that even when he was Benny's age he didn't look like that so there's no point in comparing himself to the man now. But tonight they're going out for Benny's birthday and Frankie will be meeting his college friends for the first time and he wants to make a good impression. Right now he is certain they're going to walk into that bar and all of Benny's friends are going to wonder why Benny is dating that old dude.

Frankie's thoughts may be loud in his own head but Benny can't hear any of them. He's unbuttoning Frankie's shirt and tugging it from his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Frankie asks as he left standing in only jeans and a t-shirt.

Benny grabs Frankie's Standard Oil hat from where it's hanging on a hook by the bedroom door and puts it on Frankie's head. Then he smiles wide at Frankie's reflection.

"There's my guy."

"I was trying to dress up for you," Frankie explains.

"The bar ain't fancy."

"I know but"--

--"they're going to love you." Benny turns Frankie around so he can't look at the mirror anymore.

Frankie can't quite look at Benny either, unnerved by the way the man can get to the heart of Frankie's insecurities after only three months. Even if it's felt like more than three months. Because it's been three months of Benny's things finding permanent places in Frankie's home. The to-go coffee cup that lives in his drainboard. The extra toothbrush by the bathroom sink. The indent in the pillow on the right side of the bed that no one has slept on since… well, it's been awhile.

"You don't know that," Frankie mumbles.

"Of course I do." Benny stands up straight, using his full four inches of height over Frankie to impress upon the man his words. He tilts Frankie's head up, forcing him to meet his eyes.

And Frankie does. Looks right into them. Crystal clear like a mountain runoff you can drink from. Cool and inviting. The panic that was tightening around his lungs releases. Frankie exhales without realizing it.

"They'll love you because I do," Benny says.

He says it with that little smile. The one that sits at the corner of his mouth. The one that makes Frankie feral with want. Because he wants to kiss him right there, feel the smile spread and spread, to know he did that. He made this man happy.

Made him more than happy, apparently. Made him fall in love.

Frankie knows the weight of those words. They're too heavy for him to lift right now. Even if he feels them. He doesn't want to invite in the memories of the last time he said them. So, for now, he hopes he can show Benny.

"That sounded an awful lot like you said you wanted to be late to your own party."

Before Benny can respond Frankie has him seated on the dresser, the clothes he tried on and rejected pushed haphazardly to the floor. Benny's legs come easily around Frankie's hips like they belong there, slotted perfectly like puzzle pieces. Before Frankie's cap falls Benny grabs it, places it backwards on his own head. If that sight doesn't crack something open in Frankie, possessive and desperate to make sure Benny knows exactly how he feels and who he belongs to.

Frankie used to be an impatient lover. Rushing to the inevitable orgasm, not much caring how he got there. But not with Benny. Frankie's lips move slow over Benny's, his tongue languid as it gains entrance. He could stay here for hours, could probably come just from the feeling of Benny's warm spit in his mouth and the gentle friction of their cocks rubbing together. Like a fucking teenager watching his first porno. That's how Benny makes him feel. Desperate to experience everything for the first time.

Frankie's hands find bare skin, his dull nails dig against Benny's back before one hand comes to palm Benny's cock through his jeans. Benny rocks against him, lets out a soft moan as their teeth gnash together.

Everything about this terrifies Frankie. How easily he can lose himself in Benny scent, the sound of his whimper, his hot skin growing damp underneath Frankie's touch. All of it exposes Frankie. Because if he woke up tomorrow and Benny was gone, he's not sure he could get out of bed again.

But he pushes that thought away and instead unbuckles Benny's belt and tugs his jeans down to his ankles where they hang a few inches above the floor. He guides Benny to lean against the wall giving Frankie the perfect view of of Benny's stiff cock, bobbing impatiently for Frankie's attention.

Frankie bites his lower lip as he stares at it. It doesn't matter how many times he's put it in his mouth over the last few months, his own cock still gets hard at the sight. He glances up at Benny's face, pouty lips and pupils blown wide like he's already been fucked.

"Prettiest cock I've ever seen," Frankie whispers before he kisses the man again.

Frankie has to drag himself away from those lips or they really won't ever leave. He curls his body over Benny's and takes him between his lips. He works him slowly, taking him to the back of his throat, rubbing his tongue along the underside of his stiff length. Benny's hips buck and he whines Frankie's name. Frankie grips the base where his saliva is pooling rubbing it down along his tight balls and gently massaging them as his mouth keeps moving. Benny can't stay still above him, his breathing coming in pants and Frankie knows he won't last much longer. There will be time for teasing later, so he wraps his fingers back around the smooth skin and moves in time with his own mouth. With a cry Benny's orgasm hits. Warm come fills Frankie's mouth and he continues to pump Benny, slowing his motion, swallowing him down, licking him clean.

Benny's fingers comb through Frankie's hair several times before they're tugging at the strands and pulling Frankie to stand. Benny pushes himself up and presses his face against Frankie's chest.

"Is that how Francisco Morales says 'I love you'?"

Frankie huffs and presses a kiss to the top of Benny's head.

"For now."