Chapter 1 - Thanks for putting up with this.

You know, I do some of my best thinking while lying under a bed. Ever since I was five and my parents were in their "at each others throats" phase, I'd end up scurrying under there. It was like my problems wouldn't be able touch me long enough to sort them out. Granted I only do this when I'm alone and under extreme emotional stress, but after leaving the next morning with my little night with Tino, the habit came back.

Just as Riccardo dropped me off at my apartment and I plopped down on my bed, every emotion I had felt that night hit me like a freight train. The relief, the fear, the anxiety, the pleasure; damn, I couldn't make heads or tails of it. By the time all those conflicting feelings were screaming like my parents, I did the only thing I could think of. And what do you know, I started feeling a little better. While I'm not sure how long I was laying on my back, it all started becoming clearer. In an odd way I could almost understand him: two people just trying to fit into this crazy world with little to fall back on. And maybe that forwardness was just the push I needed to take control. That and re-watching Suspicion during "Geezer Week" at a local theater didn't hurt either.

Since then, Tino and I (after a long talk) have been taking things slowly. A brief kiss here and there, the occasional fondling or make-out session while watching DVDs of old black-and-white movies (it helps to think of them as small records that need a laser instead of a needle to work) and learning more about each other than a year's worth of poker games could ever do.

The man never ceases to amaze me. None of us really thought anything about Tino beyond his eating habits and that his family was probably like the one in that film Mona tricked me into seeing called, The Devil's Rejects. (I sure know she enjoyed every minute of watching the look on my face when we saw it.) There's so much more to him and as much as I hate to admit it, I have to hand it to Endora from keeping him from going that way.

The old witch never cared much art, music or anything beyond her own climb for power, but to see his massive collection of opera and classical music CDs turned everything I ever thought about him upside-down. Especially when it came to that singing voice of his, God, it's so beautiful. Even more so if I get him moaning. Granted I was too busy with the urge to bust a nut the first time I heard it, but hearing it's song-like quality turns me on like nothing else.

Hell, it sure made that piece of crap, The Conqueror, somewhat watchable. Just laying on top of him, grinding my crotch into his as I remove my lips from his. A mix of fear and lust build inside of me as something took over and I began kissing and sucking his neck. Those beautiful moans came back, making me suck harder as if I could pull that voice out and kiss it's lips, thanking it everything. The joy I felt every time I heard him sing, the sadness that he's convinced himself that he's too screwed-up to go into the world and make a living off it yet feeling a certain sense of pride that I am one of the few to experience it. Granted it would not be for the fact I jizzed in my pants and I gave him enough hickies to make everyone ask him why he had his collar propped up.

"Dang, Tino. You look like a tool." I remember Mona chuckling.

"Vaffanculo."

But two days later, it all took a turn for the worst when you get to see someone's heart break.

Everyone knew that sooner or later Tino would have to face the truth and see Endora for the backstabbing bitch she really is, but we just weren’t prepared for how he’d react afterward. We all had our own little theories: going on an eating binge at the first morgue he saw, hunting down Endora or what I was hoping for: complete and utter denial. But what we got was something a little more disturbing.

He just...shut himself off. He'd go on fixing things and doing maintenance (even for the stuff that didn't need it) as if he couldn't feel emotions and had no free will. As for food, as nice as it was to see him eat something that wasn't people, he ate like a damn bird and looked like he was almost forcing himself. Even those pink, "touch-them-and-die" sunglasses his youngest brother gave him before he left got into the act. For a man who almost never took them off (except to sleep, bathe or to clean them), it was like he grew a third limb when he came into work without them. Worse yet, for those of us who were there it still replays in our heads each time we see him.

***

Of course there was a risk of sending him off on any mission involving Nightmare, but we didn't have much time and grabbed who ever we could get. Even with their b-movie idea of creating a horde of zombies from the bodies we tossed into the Clint River, we couldn't take the risk that could work. And with no Endora in sight, I figured we dodged a bullet and could all enjoy a nice cage match at Borgia's to celebrate.

"Mother!" I wanted to roll my eyes the second I heard Tino's hopeful cry as he ran off to find her. Taking Mona and Aniki with me, I silently prayed that Tino wouldn't get himself hurt.

"Oh God." Just as I figured, Endora still looked like the same green-skinned, long nosed, withered old storybook witch I remember her as. "I thought I'd never see you again." Even though we were still a good distance away, I could easily sense her displeasure building up as he pulled her in for a hug.

"What are you doing?" I hoped her jaw was hurting from clinching her teeth as she growled at him the second he stepped back and took her hand in his.

"Rescuing you."

"Get off me you stupid boy!"

"Mother, it's no time to be scared." His denial kicking into overdrive, he gently grasped her shoulders. "I can protect you." His sense of hope would've been almost sweet if I couldn't easily predict what would happen next. "Then we can go and get father and...OW!"

"What part of "get off me" do you not understand?" She was practically spitting the words out as she rubbed the hand she slapped him with. "Thirty-five years wasting away in that decrepit old house, raising you and your worthless brothers and what do I get in return?" That's when I signal the others to quietly move in. I know, I couldn't believe my own restraint not to fry her on the spot. "Nothing. Not even one little spark of magic between the lot of you."

"But..." Just as he was about to reach out to her, another blow was stuck in the form of a bolt of magic. Just as I was about to blame the old witch for hurting him, one of the cutest little girls I ever seen popped out of the bushes she was hiding in.

"Grandma!" Not to mention a poor judge of character, seeing her run to Endora's side and hug her. "Who was that?"

"No one, Melluzine." Endora patted her on the head and smoothed out her rumpled green dress before they vanished in a puff of smoke. "No one at all."

***

By the second day, the boss decided it was time to talk some sense into him, so he sent Donnie. That's when I realized I had to get to Tino first. Not that I care about "Mr.-I'm-So-High-and-Mighty-Because-I'm-Dating-the-Boss'-Granddaughter," but something in my gut told me there would be trouble I didn't do something.

After giving him the wrong address, he turned to our new recruit, Aniki. "Hey, Yoko Ono, I need your help here."

With his usual growl whenever Donnie opened his mouth to him, Aniki followed. As much of a creep Donnie can be, I can't really blame anyone for mistaking Aniki for a dame from a distance. Sure he can't help his effeminate features, but the earring doesn't really help. And don't even mention that to him unless you want a dirty look.

***

Thankfully the rules of driving haven't changed much since I was frozen so I was able to get to Tino's apartment complex with no problem other than that my mind just wouldn't shut-up about him. Was he hanging from a rope? Torturing Endora and that little girl somewhere? Gone koo-koo and started eating his own flesh? Or would I have to scrape what's left of Donnie off the ground? "Please Tino, don't do anything stupid."

"Oh there you are, Fabio." At least there's something resembling an emotion in his voice. Good, he's got his sunglasses on and he's taking out the trash; nothing wrong with that. Except that part of the bag was dripping. "Mother believed in something called mana." As if he could read my thoughts, he pulled out a packet of frozen ground human from the bag and showed it to me. "That there was this force that resided in all living things and if you could consume them, you would gain that power. She thought it would awaken any magical abilities she hoped we had."

Once again I had to grit my teeth to keep from blurting. "Or she just wanted to make sure they would be so use to it and too ashamed to go into the outside world and away from mommy."

Looking down into the bag, he sighs. "Want to come with me?"

Seeing him finally reacting and let alone having any emotions (no matter how small) was tempting enough to fool myself that he was getting better and I could leave it at that. It's not I didn't care it's just, damn, I'm not good at this kind of stuff (especially with other men). At least with dames they'll just sob their eyes out and you can just be by their side and give them a few tissues every now and then. And maybe I'm just underestimating his resolve and that naive part of me that believes that he wouldn't hurt me could be right, but why do my damn feelings go all over the place when he's around?

Shoving the bag into the fridge, he makes his way to the kitchen table, removes a picture from the wall and sits down. "Don't I feel like an idiot."

"Tino, don't say that." I pulled up a chair and sat in front of him. I didn't need to look down to see that it was the one of him and his family that he was holding. I should know, I see the thing every time I walk into his apartment. And as I'm happy as I am that him and his brothers took after their father in the looks department, there's that depressing feeling that I got whenever I looked at it and remembered what has probably happened to them.

"All this time when she said it didn't matter." He kept looking down, gripping the picture as tight as he could. "That it was ok that we couldn't learn anything; that she still loved us." My stomach starts to knot up as he starts trembling. "Can you believe it? Everyday I kept thinking that she was taking care of them. But if what she said was true then that would mean...Oh God."

I could see tears welling up in his eyes for a brief second between taking off the sunglasses and burying his face into one of his hands. Throwing caution into the wind, I edge my chair closer to him, let him rest his forehead against my chest and gently wrap my arms around his head. I don't know how long it took, other than it was enough time to make my arms start to feel uncomfortable, but I didn't care let alone focus on anything other than him. Maybe it had to do with everything being so eerily quiet that I couldn't even tell what he was doing. But something assured me that it was his chance to let everything out.

"Thanks." Finally stepping back, he wipes his eyes with a napkin before putting his sunglasses back on.

"No problem." That's when I caress his face and say something that I couldn't even believe. "I love you, Tino."

"About time you said that."

"What?"

"I figured I'd let you say it first."

"Bastardo." I laughed and then dove in and kissed him as if we never locked lips. It felt better than anything I've felt in a long time that I let my mind go blank, kneel down in front of him and open his pants. Ok, looks no different than the few dicks I've seen before; shouldn't be too bad. I just hope you enjoy it, Tino.

"Yeah, suck that dick, baby." Seeing him throw his head back and say that fueled me to suck harder. I'm glad that telling him about my love of dirty talk payed off. Just as long he doesn't say anything that one fling did, I won't be tempted to bite him. (Yes, I told him about her and he busted up laughing.)

It was just like that article in that trashy women's magazine I found in a bathroom said; you just have to watch how the other person responds and keep doing what they like. That is until his crotch got a mind of its own and started thrusting into my mouth as I immediately forgot how keep from gagging.

"Hey," Gently pulling his dick out of my mouth, he bends down to kiss me. "Just relax and enjoy yourself, it'll be a lot easier." Locking lips a second time for good measure, he lets me get back to work. "It worked for me."

Sometimes I swear he's almost too good to be true. The second I dropped all that pressure, I could see why a lot of those gay guys enjoy doing it. Just watching your partner in ecstasy and knowing that you alone are doing is pretty damn flattering. I still haven't gotten my gag reflex down, but it couldn't stop me from sucking and pumping his dick and loving every minute of it.

And when he finally came, I couldn't feel more proud. Thankfully those moments of curiosity where I had tasted my sperm made him cumming in my mouth easier to take. "Thanks." He mutters as I get up.

"It's no problem."

***

I know the rest of the clan was happy to breathe a sigh of relief. As for Donnie and Aniki, I couldn't help being amused at wondering how those two turned out last night.

"A little hand here." Aniki calls out while lugging a large cooler with both hands.

"You know how you Asians have to respect your elders?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I'm older so you keep your trap shut." I couldn't help smiling when he managed to briefly gave Donnie the one-finger-salute the second his back was turned. "There you are." He proudly smiled at Tino as Aniki was finally able to set the cooler down. "Got you a little something."

Tino simply nods at the cut-up legs and and feet inside. "Cost me a damn good Rolex just to convince that mortician to let me have them."

"I feel better already." With a quick roll of his eyes and excused himself.

"See, I told you. All he needed was something to eat."

THE END

NOTE: The whole idea of Endora being Tino's mom came from a conversation between a sister-in-fandom and playing with the idea of having some screwed-up family. Maybe the mom was a witch and his dad was a crook or something and this popped up.