Title: The Seven Deadly Sins 4

Author: Birgitt Schuknecht

Fandom: due South

Rating: NC17 (slash)

Pairing: Vecchio/Zuko

Category: drama/AU

Disclaimer: The characters used in the following story are not mine. I do not make any money out of this. It's written for fun and for the fans of the show.

Spoilers: None (takes place before the pilot)

By Birgitt Schuknecht.

Night Four (28th of October)

Luxuria (Lust)

Half past eight. He had checked the clock for the fourth time in barely five minutes. Ray sighed. It shouldn't take him so long. Impatiently he jumped out of the bed, not bothering to put on the robe Frankie had supplied him with.

'Frankie.' Ray sighed audibly and he started to pace the nearly dark room. The little light came in from the streetlights from below the windows. Ray moved over to them and looked down on the street. The window was streaked with rain and the few people outside hurried, some carrying umbrellas.

'Not a good night to be outside.' He leaned his forehead against the cold glass and closed his eyes. 'Not a good night to be inside, either. Especially if you cannot leave if you want to.'

Although he had given Frankie his word that he wouldn't leave, Frankie had given him a smile that was distorted by the dark bruise that showed now in his face. "Ray, I can't possibly trust you, can I? And I can't let you go, not now." As Ray had asked why not Frankie had just shaken his head and left, locking the door from outside.

Not that Ray couldn't have fled if he really wanted to. That was what puzzled him most. What made him stay here. What had happened last night had been... humiliating? No, not quite so. It was more like an embarrassing revelation. Of his own feelings, his own emotions. Frankie and he had been close when the were still very young men. Very close. After the break-up Ray had divided his former friend as best as possible, denying all tender emotions that he knew had been in him all the time. When time had gone by he had started to believe what his mind had tried to convince him of. That Frankie was a heart- and soulless killer and criminal. And he - as a police officer - had committed himself to fight crime.

Yesterday's events had brought Ray back into his own past. Into this house, into Frankie's arms. Afterwards... yes, afterwards he had felt like shit. When Frankie had made him watch burning Mark's letter, he had felt like he had betrayed his lover. How could he have enjoyed Frankie taking him if he had really loved Mark?

Then Frankie had brought him into his bedroom and he hadn't loosened the rope before he had ordered Charlie to lock the door from the outside. They had slept in one bed, without making love. Ray still wondered why he hadn't killed Frankie right there and then. He couldn't explain his emotions but he had to accept that they existed. He had called the precinct this morning and excused his absence. Ray had had the impression that Welsh had sounded relieved when he had accepted his explanation of total exhaustion.

Passion and desire? Yes, without doubt. Love? Ray didn't dare to answer that. He refused to think about love. It wasn't possible. Mark was dead only two days and he thought about a relationship to the man who was responsible for his death. What about his oath to kill Frank Zuko? Didn't he have a bit of honour? It can't be love, it must be... lust. Yes, lust. That's it. And lust can be overcome. He just needed enough willpower. Ray snorted. 'Willpower. You sound like a woman's journal telling you, you could lose 20 pounds in two days by the sheer force of your mind. This is the reality. You couldn't resist him yesterday and now you're here, waiting for him to end his appointment, waiting for Frankie to come back to you.'

"I am sick," he said it aloud to convince himself of this truth. But all he could think of was the tenderness of Frankie's touches, the sweetness of his kisses and the fire of his thrusts. Ray sat down on the bed, closed his eyes again and remembered the hours he'd spent with Mark.

Where Frankie was demanding, Mark had been giving. As he had written in his letter to Ray he felt the greed that was in Ray and now Ray knew that Mark had fed that greed constantly. And now he hadn't even the possibility to tell Mark how much he had meant to him. The irony of the situation was telling. 'A fantastic way to show that you loved Mark and mourning for him.' A shiver ran down Ray's spine and he cuddled under the covers again.

He awoke with a start when Frankie lay a hand on his chest. His touch was warm and soft and after Ray had pulled back for the fraction of a second he now leaned back into the other man. Ray could feel Frankie's erection in his back and noticed only a second later his own arousal. Frankie placed his left leg over Ray's thigh and started kissing the back of Ray's neck.

Ray was still a little dozed from his sleep. "Frankie?"

"Yes, Ray," Frankie mumbled between two kisses.

"What time is it?" Ray had difficulties to keep his voice level. Then Frankie directed his attention to Ray's left earlobe and he moaned with pleasure.

Frankie just stopped for a heartbeat with his caresses as he looked at the alarm clock that stood on the nightstand on the other side of the bed. "It's a quarter past eleven."

"What? I nearly slept for three hours! What took you so long, Frankie?" Ray was wide awake now. He had spent the whole day in this room, doing nothing all the time. How could he have become so tired?

"None of your business, Ray. What is the fuss about anyway? I'm here now. And there is still time for everything you want me to do." Again Frankie kissed Ray's throat, then he started licking it.

Ray fought for control. 'This isn't love. This is lust. You can't betray Mark. You can't betray Mark.' All the time he knew he was belying himself, but he couldn't stop the litany he repeated silently over and over again. On the contrary, it helped him to concentrate on Frankie's closeness. His smell, his touch, his voice.

"Ray, what a waste it has been. All this time without you. Pretending to be a loving husband, a caring father, a devoted family man - without even the chance of being with the only man I ever desired. Of course there have been others. But I always smelt you, touched you, talked only to you." Frankie was kissing him with his voice and he took in every word with relish.

Once there had been a time when Ray would have given his life to hear those words from Frankie. But it surely was to late now, wasn't it? This couldn't possibly work out. It had to be a dream that would soon turn into a nightmare. Everything concerned with Frankie turned into a nightmare sooner or later. It had to be this way. If not, Ray had lived in a lie for nearly twenty years.

The dream didn't stop, though, and Ray drank in every detail of their love-making. Frankie made his way down Ray's back and let his tongue lead the way. After a few minutes Ray gave up his hesitation and let out moans and sighs that spurned on the other man's efforts. Finally the tongue reached Ray's lower back and it slid into the cleft between Ray's buttocks.

"Yes, Frankie... Don't stop now." Ray's voice was a mere whisper. He thought his heart would stop beating as he shuddered repeatedly under Frankie's tender caresses.

"Move around, Ray." Frankie didn't wait for Ray to follow his order, but turned him around himself. With his left hand he continued to massage Ray's ass cheeks while he started to lick Ray's fully erected cock. Ray gasped, gripping with his right hand into Frankie's hair. Then his grip relaxed again and he began stroking the damp mop of full, dark hair. When Frankie's tongue touched the tip of his cock he arched against him and Frankie welcomed his penis with his mouth wide open. He closed his mouth around it and started to suck. Ray responded by a rocking in a steady rhythm. It took him only a few seconds to come and he emptied himself into Frankie's mouth. The other man swallowed the cum and then let go of Ray's now depleted penis.

"Taste yourself," Frankie whispered and turned Ray onto his back, lowering himself upon him. Ray greeted the other man mouth with lips slightly parted. As Frankie's lips touched his own his tongue darted out and slid into Frankie's mouth. The scent and the taste made him dizzy and he drew in a deep breath as if he tried to capture every particle of himself that was to be found in Frankie's mouth.

It seemed to have been ages when Frankie finally pulled back. "Your turn, Ray." Ray wouldn't have needed the invitation. The taste and smell of his own semen had broken his last reservations. As Frankie lay on his back, he just slid down till he was on eye-level with Frankie's erection. Ray didn't have the patience to go slowly. He stretched out his tongue and teased the tip of the cock only once. Delighted by Frankie's yelp he took the whole of the penis into his mouth and started sucking immediately. Frankie pushed frantically against him, his moans and sighs coming in the same rhythm as his body's thrusts. When Ray tasted the precum he sucked involuntarily even harder, making Frankie cumming only seconds later. He swallowed all of it.

Ray released Frankie's cock, sated for now. He lay down on his back, his left arm touching Frankie's right. Both men's chest heaved up and down in harmony. Ray smiled as he tried to picture the two of them from above. They were so different. Both in outer appearance and in their characters. Friends had named the two of them 'The Bold and the Beautiful' and the two boys had spent hours discussing who was the bold and who the beautiful.

The detective was stunned how fast his hate and disgust for Frankie had crumpled. What was it with him? This could not be happening. He lay in Frank Zuko's bed and started thinking happy thoughts about the man he wanted to kill not 24 hours ago. He reached out for the light on the bedside table and switched it on.

"What now? Switch it off, for God's sake." Frankie's voice sounded irritated but Ray chose to ignore it. No need to start a fight. He had to get himself some answers and it wouldn't do if he challenged Frankie with another argument. He had to get out of this before he went insane.

"What do you plan, Frankie? Why am I still here?" As he had spoken the last words he felt the irony of this situation once more.

Frankie turned his back on him, pulling his blanket over his shoulder and grunted. "I like your company, Ray."

Before Ray had the chance to react to Frankie's repelling gesture shouts could be heard from behind the door. Both men sat up in the bed. "Mr. Zuko, it's Charlie. They found Nico."

Frankie was out of the bed in a flash. "I'm downstairs in a minute." Then he turned to Ray. "Get dressed. I think you might be interested." Ray had no idea what Frankie was talking about, but his curiosity won. And it was a chance to leave this room after nearly 24 hours.

***

The study again. Ray followed Frankie into the brightly illuminated room. Charlie was there, of course, and two more of Frankie's goons who held a third man, with his clothes torn and crumpled. His face was sweat-covered and smeared with blood and dirt. His short black hair glistened in the light. His head hang down on his chest.

"Nico. You're back. I was worried about you. About your state of mind." Ray's stomach clenched at the sound of Frankie's voice. He knew what to expect when Frankie sounded that way. The cheerier his tone the more annoyed and irritated was Frankie. "Look at me." There was no reaction from Nico. Frankie only nodded once and the man to Nico's right grabbed into Nico's hair and pulled back his head. Nico gasped in astonishment and pain.

"There. Why did you run away? You hit me. I have to know why. Please tell me, Nico. I want to understand you." Frankie let his voice drop and he crossed his arms before his chest. "I'm waiting," he added when he got no reply.

Nico blinked rapidly as more sweat trickled into his eyes. He swallowed hard and then brought out. "I thought you would kill me, Mr. Zuko. I know I made a mistake, but I didn't want to kill her. It was... an accident. She screamed so loud I wanted to make her stop..." He let his eyes drop, thus trying to escape Frankie's stare that belied the jovial tone of his voice.

"And stop her you did. Nico, Nico, Nico. What can I do now? You leave me no choice. My instructions were clear. I can't work with men who can't accept orders. I possibly cannot." Frankie shook his head and sighed. For a short moment Ray had the impression that his men would imitate the gesture and the sigh. He shifted uncomfortably. He knew the rules of Frankie's game good enough to know what would follow now.

Nico seemed to know it, too. He let out a wail. "But I came back. I brought you the letter. I came back..." His last words nearly ended in a scream.

"You are right, Nico. I owe you." Ray saw the spark of hope in the young man's eyes at Frankie's words. "That's why I thought about a special treatment for you." Frankie turned to Charlie and stretched out his right hand. Charlie put a hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and brought out a handkerchief. He placed it onto his boss's palm. "Thank you, Charlie. Ray?" Ray stepped forward and Frankie unfolded the white linen. "Do you recognise it?"

Ray gasped in shock. It was his own gun. "How... Where..." He broke off, panic and confusion making him unable to form a coherent thought.

"Minor details, Ray, not of any interest. You wanted to know what I plan. Nico here will be an important part in the next scene of our little game. He will make such a fine corpse. Killed with the gun of a police officer. What do you say, Nico? Isn't that a wonderful way to leave this world? You'll be serving me and my plans even after your death." At the same time as Nico started screaming, Ray hauled himself at Frankie Zuko. Both men went down on the floor. Ray tried to get back on his feet. But before he was on his knees a blow landed on the back of his head and his mind filled with blackness.

End of Night Four