INVASION - Chapters 1 to 4
Summary: Lindsay's cousin, Justin, comes to Pittsburgh to watch the children while she and Melanie try to work out their problems.
Rating: R
Genre: AU
Chapter One
The design, lighting, and music of Babylon is just like all the other gay dance clubs Justin’s been to. When he asked his cousin where a young gay boy could get some action, she was quick to answer with “Babylon.” The line to get in was crazy and Justin wondered if it was truly worth the wait. But since he hasn’t had sex in at least four days, he was determined.
Nothing impressive, Justin thinks to himself upon entering Babylon. That was until he lays his eyes on him. A god among a rank of men. Sex personified. A walking orgasm. Just what the doctor ordered. And many other clichéd phrases leap into Justin’s mind when he sees him.
Justin’s been watching him for the past two hours, still nursing the same beer he bought when he first got there. It’s flat and warm now, but he pays it no heed.
The guy has danced with a dozen or so men, making a trip on three separate occasions to the back room. Finally. Someone who’d be able to keep up with me. When it comes to sex, Justin isn’t humble. Three relationships and one abusive boyfriend later, Justin needs no humility. It’s all about sex. And this guy... Damn. This guy is like... Yum.
Justin’s always a little incoherent when he becomes attracted to someone. Like, strongly attracted. Like, fuck me from behind, flip me over, and do it again attracted. Like, I’m going to eat you up and swallow you down attracted. Like--
“His name’s Brian Kinney and he doesn’t go for blond twinks like yourself,” a petulant voice interrupts Justin’s mind ramblings.
Mind ramblings. That’s what Daphne called them when they were in junior high and he’d just blank out in the middle of a conversation. Sometimes his mind is too loud and he has to ignore everything else and listen to it, otherwise it just won’t shut up. It’s gotten better with age.
Justin looks into the brown eyes of a frowning man. Not bad, Justin muses, eyeing the man up and down. Pittsburgh, by far, has the hottest men.
“And I don’t go for blond twinks either,” the man huffs, but blushes slightly under Justin’s gaze.
Nodding toward the muscular man who’s arm is draped over his new friend, Justin smiles. “No. I see you have a hunk of your own. Don’t worry. I’m just looking.” His gaze wanders back to... Brian? Was that his name? “Besides, aren’t twinks like twenty-one, at the oldest?”
The brown-eyed man’s frown grows. “So?”
“So, I’m twenty-five. Well beyond twink, I hope.”
“You sure don’t dress it.”
And that’s how their relationship begins. A little more whiny than Justin prefers, there’s something about Michael that’s ultimately likable.
Justin learns that Brian Kinney is, as quoted by Ben, “The Stud of Liberty Avenue.”
“And a nonstop, glorified sex-machine,” another man saddles up to the bar. Justin’s eyes widen at the man’s attire. Pink and orange? Justin’s got to give the guy some props, though, because he wouldn’t be seen dead in something that disgustingly bright.
“I was just looking,” Justin reemphasizes. Brian heads to the back room yet again. “I’m normally into smaller guys. Artsy types. Not... him.”
They all just shake their heads at Justin’s obvious desire.
“Look, kid,” Michael begins. Justin’s youthful appearance is already an inside joke. “Don’t mess around with Brian. He’s probably a great fuck and all--”
Justin raises an eyebrow--a motion that immediately reminds the others of Brian. “Probably?”
Shrugging, Michael replies, “I wouldn't know.”
“But I do. And he is. A great fuck,” Ben offers, wrapping his arms around Michael’s waist from behind and pulling him closer. He begins to grind his hips slowly. “But you seem like a nice kid. You should stay away from him.”
“Yeah,” Michael’s eyes glaze over as Ben continues his hip jutting. “It’s easy to fall in love with Brian Kinney. It’s not as easy to fall out.”
“And it’s even harder to get him to like you. And impossible to get him to love you,” Emmett finishes, sipping his very blue drink. He winks at Justin.
“Do I have ‘romantic’ tattooed on my forehead or something?” Justin asks, furrowing his brows together. “I’m not looking for a relationship. Just a fuck.”
They shake their heads. Michael mutters something like “kids these days” and they all fall into a comfortable silence.
Justin turns to watch Brian again. The trick in front of Brian is trying desperately to keep his attention. Brian’s eyes lift up, off the trick’s ass, and he gazes around the room with practiced boredom. For a split second, Brian eyes Justin. But he suddenly grabs the trick and is dragging him out the door. Justin isn’t sure if they really made eye contact, or if it was just wishful thinking.
Slowly, his new friends drift away too, eventually leaving him alone with a nasty tasting beer and a feeling reminiscent to disappointment.
A somewhat attractive redhead glides over to Justin and after some persuasion and a couple shots of whiskey later, is able to convince Justin for a trip to Babylon’s notorious back room.
He isn’t bad, either.
Justin thinks he’s going to like Pittsburgh.
*****
Brian ambles into the diner the next morning, a dark pair of sunglasses shading his bloodshot eyes from the world. The rest of the gang have been there for almost half an hour, waiting patiently for the last member to make his appearance. They had planned on meeting an hour earlier, but from experience know to always arrive a half an hour late, accepting that Brian will never show up on time.
“Glad you could make it, your majesty,” Ted grumbles.
Sliding into the booth next to him, Brian grins brightly, “Who said you had to wait? The only reason I can get away acting like a king,” Brian steals Ted’s coffee, gulping it down quickly, reveling in the burn, “Is because you let me.” He hands Ted his cup back and reaches for the one Debbie just set down for him.
The rest of the them roll their eyes, but there’s some truth in Brian’s statement, so they offer no witty retort.
“Have a good time last night, oh great one?” Emmett smirks, cutting into his newly arrived pancakes.
“Same as the night before, I guess. It’s always the same.” Brian orders some toast and, to everyone’s surprise, some eggs. “It’s getting boring,” Brian admits as he leans back and stretches his arms toward the ceiling. They all can’t help but stare as Brian’s skin and muscles shift with his new position. Letting his arms fall back to his lap, Brian smiles. “It’s always so... I don’t know... It’s like, nothing new. I can time everything before I get there. Like I know what’s gonna happen. Arrive at such and such time, get such drink, such and such trick will try, yet again, to get me to fuck them, dance, fuck, dance, fuck, drink...” Brian trails off. “I just want something different for once.”
They sit in amazed silence until Emmett says, “It’s ‘cause you’re getting ol--” But upon seeing Brian’s eyebrows raise, he retracts his statement and declares, “You’re finally growing up.”
Brian snorts, “Gee whiz. Thanks, dad.” He looks around the booth. “Where are the girls?”
“They want us to meet them at their place after breakfast. They have something they want to talk to us about.”
Their breakfast runs smoother than usual because Brian is in a particularly good mood. Silently, they hope that whatever Melanie and Lindsay have to tell them won't ruin Brian's good mood. They all reap from the benefits of a happy Brian.
Chapter Two
They’re all more than a little surprised when Justin answers the door.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Boy Wonder?” Michael asks, glancing at his equally confused boyfriend.
“Waiting for you, grandpa.” Justin stuns them with a glorifyingly beautiful smile. “I’m Lindsay’s cousin.”
Justin tries everything not to stare at Brian. Even in his casual Sunday clothes, Brian still looks immensely edible.
“Aren’t you just the cutest thing!” Debbie squeals, pushing past Michael and Ben to yank Justin into a terrifying hug. “I’m-a call you Sunshine, Sunshine. ‘Cause you are just too cute for words.” She pulls back, pinches his cheeks and squeals again. For a split second, Justin wonders if this will be the way he’s to die: squeezed to death by an overzealous fag hag.
“Let him go, Deb. You wanna kill him?” Brian reaches over and gently unwraps Justin from Debbie’s death-grip. “I’m Brian, Sunshine. I see you’ve met Mikey and Ben. The others can introduce themselves.” He’s all smiles today. A rarity for Brian, but Justin doesn’t know this. Immediately, he’s put at ease.
“You’re so kind, Brian,” Ted rolls his eyes and holds out his hand. “I’m Ted.”
Quick introductions and then they are ushered into the house. The girls are waiting nervously in the living room.
Brian breaks the thick silence. “What the fuck’s going on?”
Glaring at him momentarily, Lindsay clears her throat. “Um. I know most of you guys don’t know this, but Mel and I have been dealing with some... shit...”
“That’s an understatement,” Melanie mumbles, shifting further away from Lindsay.
“We’re trying to work things out, but it isn’t easy with the kids and work and... stuff... So, uh, we’re gonna go on a vacation... alone.”
“Ditching the kids for a fuck-fest, stellar parenting skills, maw and mommy.” Brian’s voice drips with sarcasm.
“Fuck you, Brian. You know what we’ve been going through--” Lindsay’s voice cracks.
“You knew about this shit from the beginning. If you only tried to help, nothing would’ve happened.”
“Ah, I see we’re using the old blame game today. Fabulous. You could’ve warned me and I would’ve brought my raincoat. You guys tend to spit when you ream me out for shit I’ve never had any control over.”
Justin eyes Brian and it’s pretty obvious that he’s hurt. At least to Justin; the rest of the room hushes Brian with obscenities and smacks.
“I agree with Brian, Mel. I mean, whatever happened is between you and Lindsay.” Justin surprises himself when he says this. He refuses to meet Brian’s interested gaze. “Just tell them what your plans are and get to it. I’m sure they have better stuff to do.”
Instead of biting Justin’s head off, Melanie sighs and says, “Look. We’re not running away from being parents, even though that’s what some people want to believe.” She casts an angry glare at Brian before continuing. “We’re trying to save our marriage and we can’t do that if we’re... distracted.”
Justin sees Brian bite his lips and huff silently to himself.
Interesting, Justin thinks.
“We love our kids. And we’re doing this for them.”
“Doing what, exactly?” Ben asks, his hand rubbing Michael’s knee in comfort.
“We’re going away for a little while.”
“How long?” Brian’s voice is strong.
“As long as it takes.”
“Days? Weeks? Months? And who’s going to look after the kids? Mikey and Ben sure as hell can’t. And I can’t even see that I’m properly fed, let alone two babies--” Brian stops himself, his breathing labored.
Very interesting. Justin’s studying Brian carefully. He wonders if any of Brian’s friends really know who Brian is. Because the man he sees before him is nothing like the man they all described.
“Brian,” Lindsay starts. “We know you’re concerned. But that’s why Justin’s here. He’s going to watch the kids. He’s going to stay here while we go and try to keep our family together. It’s not as bad as you think. We need to do this.”
“Don’t you have school or something?” Brian addresses Justin, eyeing the blond wearily.
“No. I graduated a couple years ago. I’m an artist. I can work anywhere.” Justin stops himself before he lectures the man on the fine principles of being an artist.
“You’ve ever taken care of a baby?” Michael asks, feeling the same sort of anxiety that Brian is.
“Yes. My little sister. And my friend, Daphne, her kid. I’m the godfather. My neighbors in L.A. had a three month old son I used to baby-sit on a regular basis. It’s no problem.”
Lindsay smiles at her cousin. “And we trust Justin.”
“Explicably.”
The rest of the conversation moves smoothly. Brian keeps his mouth shut and instead, stares out the window. While the others are distracted with the girl’s vacation plans, he sneaks out of the back door and stands next to the swing set in order to smoke a cigarette.
Justin goes to join him. They nod at each other and smoke in silence.
“So, you’re just going to go along with this bullshit?” Brian asks, startling Justin.
“I think it’s important they try to work this out.”
Brian takes off his sunglasses and pushes them into a pocket in the back of his jeans. “Right.”
“What? You don’t think they should work this out? You don’t want your kid to have a stable home?” Justin knows he sounds accusatory, but he’s just curious. Brian’s more complicated than anyone told him.
“Fuck you.”
Justin lights another cigarette, putting out his arm to stop Brian from storming off. “I didn’t mean it like that. Have another smoke with me. I was just wondering why you’re so against this.”
Sighing, Brian takes one of Justin’s cigarettes, even though he has a whole pack of him own. “You really think they’ll work this out? That going away will fix this?”
Justin nods slowly. “Well, I did...”
“Well, you don’t know shit. Because it isn’t going to help. It’s not that Lindsay cheated on Melanie. You know that’s not why Mel’s mad, right?”
Justin stops, the cigarette halfway to his mouth. “Oh. I didn’t know Linds cheated on Mel...”
Brian waves him off. “She did. And that would’ve been okay... Well, no. It probably wouldn’t have been okay, but Melanie’s also done her share of fucking up. It’s that Lindsay fucked a guy. And that’s something Melanie will never get over. It will always nag her. It will always sit in the back of her mind as she anxiously waits for the day that Lindsay leaves her for dick. So, going off on some little fantasy lesbian love retreat isn’t going to do shit. They’re still going to have to come home to the stress of having two children, high maintenance jobs, and insecure feelings. It’s gonna ultimately rip them apart.”
Justin stares at Brian, mouth open in wonder. “Are you a psychologist?”
Brian’s laughter is emphasized with a puff of smoke. “God, no. I hate doctors. I work in advertising.”
“Oh. You seem so... knowledgeable, I guess. I was just wondering.”
“It’s ‘cause I know them.”
Brian watches as Justin makes smoke rings. “I’ve always wanted to do that. I never could, though.” He shows Justin his attempts at smoke rings. It’s just one huge spout of gray smoke.
“Yeah. You suck.”
Brian flips him off and lights another cigarette. “Are you famous?”
“Huh? What?”
“You’re an artist. So, are you famous?”
“Oh.” Justin blushes slightly, making Brian grin. “I... My work sells.”
“That’s good.”
Justin nods and turns a little redder. He’s comfortable around Brian, but he hates talking about his art.
“Lindsay used to draw.”
“Yeah. I know. She was pretty good.”
“Not great, though.”
Justin bites his bottom lip and shakes his head. “No. Not really. Her portraits are okay.”
“She can’t do form very well, though. And her abstract work...” Brian trails off into a mock shudder. “Scary.”
“Yeah. She resented me for a while. But I think she’s over that. ‘Cause of Mel. I get along really well with Melanie.”
“Wow. One in a billion.”
“Yeah. She’s a bitch. But I like her. She’s... strong.”
Shrugging, Brian flicks some ash. They watch it hit the grass.
“I saw you at Babylon last night,” Brian admits, crushing newly fallen ash with his boot. “You were all buddy-buddy with Mikey and them.”
“Yeah. They’re pretty cool.” Justin can’t stop his heart from pounding quickly in his chest at Brian’s admission.
“You fuck anyone?”
“Last night?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah. Some redhead. He was pretty good.”
Brian nods and looks around Justin, to the house. “They’re beckoning us, Sunshine. We’d better go back.” Justin trails behind Brian, following him closely.
“You two have fun?” Emmett asks, eyebrows wagging a little.
“’Twas brilliant. Had a couple smokes. Talked about the weather.” Brian leans over to pick up Gus. “Hey there, Sonny Boy. Missed you.” The child laughs and licks Brian’s face. “You’re a natural.” He chuckles and gives Gus to Justin, wiping his face with the back of his hand. “Here. You’re gonna need the practice. He’s a handful.”
“He’s not that bad,” Lindsay admonishes, while at the same time Melanie says, “He gets it from his father.” They look at each other with quick smiles and Justin wonders if Brian is correct in his assumption that they will eventually break up.
He’s going to hope for the best.
Emmett slinks up next to Justin. “So, what do you think?”
“What do I think about what?”
Emmett motions to Brian with a curt nod.
“Oh. Him. He’s... complicated. I like him. He’s nice.”
“Nice? Brian Kinney?”
Shrugging, Justin watches as Brian jokes around with Michael and Ben. He thinks that maybe they could be good friends.
Even though he still desperately wants to fuck Brian.
Chapter Three
Brian gets a call from Justin at three on Wednesday morning. It’s a frantic phone call and Brian jolts up in bed, effectively knocking the phone of its perch and kicking his trick awake.
“Get the fuck out of my home,” Brian says into the phone and for a moment, Justin is confused. “Not you,” Brian explains, confusing the situation even more. “Him. Yeah. You. Go. Yeah? Fuck you, too. I would’ve kicked you out sooner if I didn’t fall asleep. Bye.” There’s a slight pause, then Brian asks Justin, “Who’s dying?”
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t stop crying and I can’t get a hold of Michael or Ben or Debbie. And Gus is being all fussy and keeps screaming for you and I can’t calm him down and the girl’s cell phone is unavailable--”
“Justin?” Brian hears deep breathing and loud wailing in the background. And noises that sound suspiciously like a hospital. “Where are you?”
“At the hospital. Look... I don’t... I don’t do well in hospitals. I need you... to come and take over before I freak out and have a panic attack or something.”
Brian’s already out the door before Justin can finish. He arrives at the hospital ten minutes later. Justin is visibly shaken and Gus is sitting, crying, on the chair next to him.
“Hey.” Brian crouches in front of Justin, putting a hand gently on his thigh. “You okay?”
Justin recoils from Brian’s touch, his eyes fearful for a moment, but then he registers that it’s Brian and he relaxes, slightly. “Hey. She’s really sick. An ear infection or something. Gus needs to sleep. Thank God the girls called the kids’ doctor before they left. Otherwise, I doubt they would’ve taken her.”
“Are you okay?” Brian presses again.
Justin nods, but says, “Not really. I’ve had some bad hospital experiences and would rather not be here.”
Brian moves to sit next to Justin, gathering Gus in his arms. The child promptly falls asleep. “He’s exhausted.”
“Yeah. I woke him up. He was sleeping so peacefully. The past couple nights he’s been calling out for his mothers... and you, even. Tonight was the first night he didn’t do that...” Justin trails off and scoots a little closer to Brian, closing his eyes.
“He called for me?”
“Mmm. Every night. Why don’t you ever come over to visit?”
Brian nuzzles his son’s soft hair. “I do. Occasionally. The girls don’t like me to come over too often. Probably ‘cause I interfere or something. If they want me to see him, they’ll usually call.”
“Oh. Well, you should come over more often. He likes you.” Justin reaches over to pat Gus’ back. “He’s a good kid. Not like Jenny. God, she’s a brat.”
Brian snorts, “She’s like, eight months, Sunshine.”
“Whatever. That kind of behavior stems early. It’s ‘cause everyone spoils her. Gus seems well rounded.”
“Yeah... Look, if you want to get out of here, I can wait for Jenny and the doctors.”
“I’d love to the fuck out of here. But, I have papers giving me permission to take Jenny home. You don’t.”
Brian nods. “I don’t even have papers giving me permission to take Gus home.”
Justin lifts his head to look at Brian. “You can take him home now. I’m giving you permission. It’ll probably be another half an hour or so, then Jenny and I can grab a cab and meet you at the house.”
“Cab?”
“Yeah. The girls took their car and I’m without transportation.”
“Cab?”
“Yes, Brian. A cab.”
“Like hell you’re gonna take a cab at four in the morning. I’ll just wait and give you a ride in the jeep.”
“Okay.” Justin isn’t about to argue. He’s tired and unhappy. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. You should, too.”
His head hits the back wall with a resounding thump, but he doesn’t open his eyes. Moments later, his breathing evens out and his hands fall from his lap to his sides. One hand stops on Brian’s leg. Brian doesn’t make any movement to shake him off. There’s a news program on the television and Brian watches as grotesque pictures from Iraq flash on screen. He shakes his head. That’s appropriate viewing material in a fucking hospital.
Justin’s head slips from the wall onto Brian’s shoulder. An older woman passes them and shakes her head, so Brian flips her off and runs his hands over Gus’ back.
It’s subtle. A slight movement in the right hand and, at first, Brian isn’t sure it’s happening. But then Justin’s hand forms a tight fist and his whole body starts to shake. Brian cradles Gus gently and leans over to put him on the chair, covering him with his jacket. He turns to Justin, watching as the younger man’s features shift from scared to absolutely horrified. He choses that moment to wake him.
Brian tentatively reaches out and places a hand on Justin’s shoulder. Justin jerks awake, his whole body leaps a couple inches from the chair. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he hisses. Brian quickly moves away from Justin. As Justin becomes more lucid, he looks around, stopping on Brian. “What are you doing...” And then he remembers and he covers his face with his hands. “God, I flipped out, huh? Shit. I’m sorry. I told you I don’t really like hospitals.”
Brian’s about to respond, but the doctor comes out, little Jenny enfolded in an obnoxiously gender-stereotypical pink blanket.
“She’s going to be fine. It was just an ear infection. Some water got into it and irritated her. We flushed the fluids and gave her some medication.” The doctor looks at Brian and Justin, holding out a piece of paper between them. “This is a prescription for her medicine. And her ears need cleaning three times a day. We were able to get a hold of the mothers. The bill will be sent to them.”
Brian grabs the paper and then motions for Justin to take the baby. “Bullshit. I’ll pay the bill right now.” He turns to Justin. “I’ll be right back.”
In the jeep, Justin opens the window and weaves his hand rhythmically in the wind. “I like this song,” he tells Brian, smiling tiredly. “They’re good. More people should listen to them.”
“Yeah. They’re one of my favorite bands,” Brian agrees, raising the volume. The children are sleeping like logs.
“S’kinda domestic, huh?”
“What is?”
With a grand sweep of his hands, Justin says again, “This. All of this. The whole... situation, I guess.”
Shrugging, Brian answers with a soft, “I don’t really know.”
They don’t say anything else and after putting the kids to bed, Brian pats Justin’s shoulder and leaves. Justin watches through the window as the jeep becomes a mere speck in front of a gray horizon.
Chapter Four
“Brian paid for Jenny’s hospital bill?” Michael asks incredulously. He and Ben listened to Justin’s frantic messages the next morning and made plans with Justin for lunch that day. Justin has dark bags under his eyes and the kids are hyperactive.
“Yeah. Why? Doesn’t he help out ever? Linds told me once that he did.”
“He’s not supposed to. Not anymore. Not since he signed away his rights.”
“Oh. That’s what he meant,” Justin mutters. He sees the confusion on their faces and explains. “Last night, at the hospital, he mentioned not having any papers saying that he could take Gus home or something like that.”
“Yeah. They’ve been jerks about letting Brian spend time with Gus. Even though Brian’s the one who kept them together in the first place. Mel cheated on Linds. So, Lindsay was going to marry this French guy to help out with the bills and the only way Brian could make her think rationally was offer her his rights. That way they could be a real family, like they wanted from the beginning.” Michael cuts his huge burger in half. “God, I love greasy food.”
“The girls tend to take a lot from Brian, so we convinced him one night not to offer anymore,” Ben told Justin, glancing longingly at his boyfriend’s dripping burger.
“Oh,” Justin looks down at his spaghetti. He doesn’t really have an appetite. “I think this was different. A different kind of situation. I think he just wanted to get out of that place without any hassle, you know?”
“Sorry about that. If we remembered to turn the ringer back on...” Michael trails off and bites into his burger. He looks up and his eyes brightening at the sound of the diner’s door opening. “Brian!” He calls out over a mouthful of burger.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full?” Brian smirks, climbing into the booth next to Justin. “Hey, Sunshine. Long time, no see.”
Justin nods, handing Gus over to his father. “Take him. Please.”
“How’s parenthood?”
Justin answers with his middle finger.
“How come you’re not at work, Bri?” Michael asks, suspicion in his voice.
“Too tired. That’s the great thing about being your own boss. You make your own hours.”
Justin swirls some spaghetti around his fork, bringing it begrudgingly to his mouth. What he wouldn’t give for something other than greasy diner food.
“Didn’t you get any sleep last night?” Brian asks, leaning in to inspect Justin’s face. “You look like shit.”
“Feel like shit, too. Kids are wearing me out.”
“Already,” Michael laughs.
“Long night last night.”
Gus begins to babble to his father. Brian pretends he’s interested, snagging a fry off of Michael’s plate every few minutes. “Have you heard from Mel and Linds?”
Justin shakes his head. The movement makes him a little nauseous. He needs some sleep.
“Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? I’ll bring Gus home later. I’m sure Debbie and Vic would love to keep Jenny for a couple days while she’s recovering.”
Justin’s about to protest, but Michael interrupts. “He’s right. You should rest. Ma loves Jenny. She’ll jump at the chance to take her.”
Brian gets out of the booth and tugs on Justin’s arm. “Up and at ‘em, Sunshine. Go home. Get some sleep.”
Justin nods, sliding out of the booth. “I think I’ll take the bus home instead of waiting for a cab.”
“Bus?” Brian’s face twists in disgust. “You’re kidding me?”
“I told you last night I don’t have a car.”
Brian hands Justin a key. “Here, take the jeep. It’s just me and the kid today, I can use my other car.”
Justin looks at the key like it’s diseased. “I don’t know how to drive a jeep.”
“It’s easy. Right petal is gas, left petal is brake. D means drive. R means reverse. P means park. Easy.”
Justin grabs the keys and walks out without a second glance. Brian watches him with concern, then falls back into the booth, letting Gus play with Justin’s uneaten spaghetti.
“I like him. He’s a good kid,” Brian tells the others.
“Yeah, but he’s not a kid, Brian. He’s twenty-five. Only five years younger than you.”
Brian tilts his head and looks at his friend carefully. “So?”
“Well, I mean... If you like him...”
Brian snorts. “Save your breath, Mikey. I’m not turning into some love sick queer. I’m just telling you that I find him tolerable. I’m not gonna marry him.”
“Brian,” Michael says seriously, placing the last of his burger back on his plate. “You gave him the keys to your jeep,” he say slowly, as if speaking to a child.
Brian shrugs. He knew Michael would make a big deal out of that, but he didn’t want Justin taking the bus home when he’s about to drop from exhaustion.
“It’s too early for those kind of feelings, anyway,” Ben smiles around his sandwich.
“Fuck off, professor. There are no feelings beyond civility. Jesus Christ, you guys are worse than Debbie.”
“Who do you think we learned it from?” Michael sticks his tongue out at his friend, who loses himself in wiping off the sauce from Gus’ small hands.
*****
When Brian carries a sleeping Gus into the Muncher’s home, he almost trips over Justin’s shoes, which were thrown carelessly in front of the door. He curses and turns on the hall light, the rest of the house is sleeping in darkness.
“Justin?” He calls out, unsure. He waits a moment and says Justin’s name again, louder. No answer.
Brian climbs the stairs and puts Gus into his bed. The child cuddles his pillow, rubbing his face against it before stilling. Brian watches Gus sleep for a few minutes.
He turns on the night light and leaves the door cracked open. Stopping in front of the largest guest room, Brian knocks on the door. He hears a noise and then some groaning. Moments later, Justin opens the door, shirtless, his hair falling every which way.
“Have you been asleep this whole time?”
Justin, still in a sleeping stupor, smiles groggily at Brian. “Mmm,” he mumbles. “You look hot.” He slowly presses a finger to Brian’s chest, running it up and down the hard body. “Wanna sleep over?”
Brian’s eyes furrow. “Justin,” he says, loud and clear.
Justin jumps back. “Oh. Hey, Brian. What’re ya doing here?”
Raising a brow, Brian tells him, “I came to drop off Gus and just wanted to tell you that he’s home. You’re a deep sleeper, huh?”
Justin rubs his eyes like a little kid, then looks up at Brian in wonder. “Yeah. My parents told me I used to sleep walk. And sometimes I talk in my sleep, too. I don’t think I do it anymore, though... Oh. God. What’d I do? Something totally embarrassing, huh?”
Brian laughs. “Oh, it wasn’t so much what you did as it was what you said...”
“Oh, no,” Justin groans, leaning against the door frame. “Ignore it. I was sleeping.”
Brian decides not to comment on subconscious behavior and instead asks, “Are you going back to bed?”
“I don’t know. I’m not tired anymore, but I still wanna just crawl into bed and sleep for another three days. Why? You wanna watch a movie or something? They have a pretty good selection. Plus, they have the animated Yellow Submarine. I love that film.”
Scoffing, Brian says, “Nah. It’s close to midnight. But, I wouldn’t say no to a cigarette.”
“Mmm. Yeah. That does sound good. Hang on.” He retreats into the room and comes back with a pack of Camels and a sweater. “It’s cold in Pittsburgh during the night.”
They settle on the backyard porch, sitting on the cold steps in silence. Brian isn’t sure whether it’s his breath or the smoke or a mixture of both that’s creating the small clouds that come from his mouth every time he exhales. Justin’s still trying to get his lighter to work. Leaning over, Brian flicks his open and Justin smiles gratefully.
“Thanks. God, I knew I should’ve gotten a BIC. These things are for shit,” he complains, tossing the lighter into the trash can in the corner.
“Nice shot.”
“Thanks. I used to play basketball in high school. Until they found out I was queer and kicked me off the team.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I fucked this guy who was best friends with the biggest asshole on campus, Chris Hobbs. I don’t know why the fuck the guy thought it would be a good idea to tell Chris... Well, made my life a living hell.”
Nodding, Brian turns slightly to Justin. “So, you missed your chance at a lucrative career in sports? Am I sitting near the next Kobe Bryant and don’t even know it?”
“God, no. Unlike Kobe, I know how to play on a team. It’s a solo game with him.”
Brian chuckles. “You don’t look like a sports fan.”
“M’not. Not really. Just basketball. And if you live in L.A., like I did for so many years, you sort of are required to watch the Lakers.” Brian tries another smoke ring, making Justin laugh and shake his head. “You’re hopeless.”
“Probably. So, do you like Pittsburgh?”
“Born and raised. It’s nothing new for me.”
“Really? Why’d you leave? No, wait. I understand why you’d leave. How come you’re back?”
“L.A. is too involved. I don’t give a fuck about half the shit those fuckers in Beverly do. I’m too much an east coast boy. All the way. I missed the snow. And my mom, my sister, and even my best friend Daphne are still here. Besides, being an artist, my home is expendable. I can be here or there. It doesn’t matter. I just prefer here. Plus, I don’t have to pay rent living with Linds and Mel. How about you? How come you’re not in L.A. making your fortune? Or New York for that matter?”
“I’ve had my chance at both, but... they’re all here, you know? Mikey, Linds, Gus, and Deb. They’re my family. And I have Kinnetik. It’s making a big splash. I’m pretty comfortable here.”
Nodding, Justin whispers a soft, “Yeah.”
The night is quiet. Justin moves his head to the open door, listening to see if Gus woke up.
“He won’t wake up; he’s a deep sleeper,” Brian tells him, reaching for another cigarette. “Must get it from his moms.”
“Sorry about last night. I know you had company. That must’ve sucked.”
“What? I didn’t--Oh. Him. Yeah. Whatever. He was just a trick. Nothing special.”
“How come you’re not with Michael? I mean, it’s obvious you guys like each other and everything.”
“We’re best friends. We wouldn’t make good lovers. I could never offer him the stuff he wants in that kind of relationship. Plus, I could never love Mikey that way. Ever. And Ben’s really good for him.”
“I can tell, though.” Brian glances over at Justin, who’s playing with the foil from his cigarettes. “I can tell that Michael loves you. That way.”
“Maybe. But, it’s not the same kind of love he feels for Ben.”
“Did you always want to be a father?”
“Jesus,” Brian laughs. “You ask a lot of fucking questions.”
Justin smiles genuinely. “Sorry.”
Justin borrows Brian’s lighter for another cigarette and they inhale/exhale together. “I saw you, too,” Justin tells Brian, turning away, pretending he’s more interested in the fog covered roses.
“Saw me? Where?”
“At Babylon that night. I was watching you for a long time. That’s why Michael came up to me. To warn me.”
Brian shakes his head. “I’m not as bad as they made me out to be.”
“I know.”
“Oh.”
Justin wants to reach out and touch Brian’s hair. He wants to trace Brian’s lips with his fingers and cover his eyelids with kisses.
“My last boyfriend hit me,” Justin blurts out. For some reason, he feels Brian should know. “I have a lot of baggage.”
“I know.”
“Oh.”
“About the baggage. I didn’t know about... That sucks. I’m sorry.”
Justin’s shoulders lift up and then fall heavily. “Yeah. But, I sort of brought it upon myself, you know?”
Brian grinds his teeth. “No, I don’t know. Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“I don’t mean I deserved it,” Justin reiterates, noticing Brian’s reaction. “I just meant... that I knew what type of person he was and what would piss him off, but I went for it anyway. Whatever. I’m over it.”
“Why’d you tell me that?”
“Dunno. Thought you’d understand, I guess.”
Brian nods stiffly.
Justin silently curses himself for bringing up something that obviously makes Brian uncomfortable. “I was bashed at my senior prom.” Justin wants to smack himself. “I’m not trying to make you pity me or anything--”
“Good, ‘cause pity makes my dick soft.”
A breeze throws Justin’s hair in his eyes and the ash on his cigarette goes flying and lands on Brian’s arm. “Sorry,” he smiles, leaning over to wipe the ash off Brian’s arm and instead, places a soft kiss on his lips. Brian doesn’t do anything to stop him. “You’re the only guy I’ve ever really been interested in.”
“I’m honored.” Brian’s lips tighten into a frown. “You shouldn’t expect much, though. ‘Cause I don’t do relationships or boyfriends or anything like that.”
“I know. I just... I wanted you to know. So if I blush over something you say or do something extremely embarrassing, it’s ‘cause I like you. Just... warning you.”
“Thanks,” Brian all but whispers. “I should get going.” He stands up abruptly.
“Oh. Uh, yeah. Thanks for giving me the day off--” But Brian is already in the house and out the front door.
“Damn,” Justin says to himself, pulling out another cigarette and, forgetting that he threw it away, searches aimlessly for his lighter. “Damn,” he repeats, tossing the cigarette onto the grass and moving into the warm house. “Stupid.”
*****
Brian slams into his trick with an almost reckless abandon. The guy’s making these disgusting rutting noises and Brian loves it. He reaches down to pull his trick’s hair and for a moment, imagines the curly black hair as a soft blond. He stalls, his dick buried deep into his trick’s ass, and watches as the dark skin turns pale and the muscular body becomes lithe and small. But then the guy grunts and pushes back. Opening his eyes, Brian is comforted with the fact that this guy isn’t blond. And isn’t small.
And isn’t his best-friend’s cousin.
Onto Chapters 5-7....