Beyond the Yellow Brick Road-Chapter 47 Illumination EXTENSION
Hi, guys! As I'm working on the finale of this series, I have a bit of a problem. The scene that follows the end of Chapter 47 fits better with it than it does as an opening to the finale. So, after stressing about whether to kill it, rework it, or extend the last chapter, I've decided on the 3rd option. This scene picks up directly at the end of 47. Enjoy! ~Plum
BEYOND THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD-CHAPTER 47-ILLUMINATION **EXTENSION**
BRIAN’S POV
I guess the change in my pocket just wasn’t enough
You didn’t want to leave that moment in that way with Justin, but when he’s dead set on digging his heels in, it’s in your best interest not to be underfoot, so you waited until around seven o’clock pm that night and went back over to Babylon with dinner for both of you in tow. You ate together in the Babylon office accompanied by stilted conversation and very little eye contact. He knew he’d pissed you off when you finally asked him, “What the fuck are so pissed about? “
“Seriously? You have to ask me that?”
“Yeah, because I don’t dare hazard a guess. You scold me for not being open with you and then you shut down like this.”
“Secrets. That’s what I’m pissed about, Brian. Secrets. I don’t like them, and you already know that anyway, so that makes it twice as bad.”
“What the fuck? You keep secrets from me sometimes. You don’t see me going all Midol on your ass.”
“Really? What secret have I kept from you?” he asked.
…..
“Well…the Eggo thing. You wouldn’t tell me about that. I had to figure that out by myself.”
Justin looked a little shocked, “What do you mean you figured it out?”
“It’s that fucking milk crate in your old studio. You sat on it and it gave you waffle-ass, and then Zeek fucked you.”
“Zeek told you that?”
“No, nobody told me shit. I saw what Richard looked like after he sat there during his break-up with Jon. He came out of there with marks all over his pants.” You knocked on your skull, “I’m smart like that.”
Justin sat back in his chair in a rather dramatic fashion and came at you hard, “The Eggo thing? You think a stupid secret like that is comparable to the secrets you keep from me? Honestly, Brian.”
You were honest, “Well, yeah, I sort of do.”
“Well, that’s fucking stupid. I kept that ‘secret’ so as not to embarrass you. The secrets you keep hurt me.”
“How does knowing about my freaking nutrition program hurt you? “
Justin stood up, walked around the desk and leaned against it with his arms crossed. He was standing so close you could feel the steam rising from his brain, “Did it ever occur to you that I might want to take care of you, Brian? That I married you so I could actually love you and not just when we’re naked? Every part of your life where I might be able to contribute, you farm out to some goddamn robot or hired help-“
“Justin, you hired the chef, not me.”
“Yeah, and thank god I did because, otherwise, you would have never told me about this cult you’re in.”
“Well, if you want to take care of me, then why’d you hire him in the first place?”
“Because…I’m not the best cook in the world, and I wanted both of us to eat well, eat healthy, and have our schedules free to pursue work and shit. I wanted to do that for you as your partner and then you have to come in and co-opt that, too. Hell, it’s not just co-opting; it’s corrupting. The only time I really feel like your equal is when we’re fucking.”
“Well, that’s about eighty percent of your life, so that’s pretty good,” you teased him. He flipped you off. “Justin, come on. I’m not trying to hurt you; I’m trying to make your life, hell our life care-free-“
“I don’t want my life to be ‘care-free;’ I want to care for you. That’s what makes me happy. Now, please get out of here so I can work. I’ve got a lot to do after we missed yesterday, and we shouldn’t discuss our personal problems here.”
“Justin---"
“Please. I just need some space, okay?”
You stood up and tried to stay, “You want me to drop out of the program? I will, okay. I’ll drop out.”
“No,” he said emphatically, “You’re missing the point. If you drop out, something else will just take its place. I want you to grasp what I’m saying to you. Now please, out. Let me work. I’ve got a long night ahead of me.”
You left the office and walked the catwalk to the stairs. Halfway down, you stopped, frozen in thought. Your employees were testing the lights and the sound system all around you-everything was flashing and buzzing--and, yet, you just stood there…thinking.
…..
And thinking.
……
And then, slowly, you turned around and walked back to the Babylon office, knocked once on the door and opened it. Justin didn’t look startled; the security cameras were up on the wall in front of his desk; he probably watched you for those few minutes. And although he wasn’t surprised to see you, he did look worn out, his head resting in his hands. You closed the door behind you, leaned against it and made a request, “Can you come here for a minute?” He looked a little puzzled, but got up anyway and walked over to you. “I have something to say,” you offered before he could start up again.
“Okay,” he said…barely.
“When we were in New York we talked about having faith in each other, remember?” He nodded. “Sometimes I feel like you still don’t have any faith in me, like there’s a part of you that thinks this isn’t real…what we have…our life and everything…and all I can tell you from my side of the equation, is that this is as real as it gets…but…Justin, real doesn’t mean perfect.”
……
……
“I know. You’re right,” he conceded.
“And for what it’s worth, I do want you to take care of me-"
“I don’t just mean twenty-four/seven blow jobs, Brian.”
You rolled your eyes, “I’m not talking about blow jobs, Jesus.” You reached out and grabbed his upper arms, pulling him against you. “I mean this,” you said and then you kissed him-hard and fast--and yielding only when you pulled back for a second to tell him, “This is what I want when we part for a few hours or a whole day or whatever; in fact, I don’t just want it, I expect it. Think you can handle that?”
He smiled and looked almost embarrassed, “Yeah. I can handle that.”
“Good,” you said, and the kiss you gave him after that drew him up on his toes and made him initially compliant when you popped the button on his pants and slid your hand down inside his underwear. You were stroking his crack with your finger tip when he responded, “You’re my boss. You can’t sexually harass me at work.” He tried to grab your hand and stop its journey, but you grabbed his wrist and pinned it behind his back.
And then you reminded him, “It’s Thursday, you know. We always have a contest at Babylon on Thursday. What’s tonight’s?”
His eyes opened wide, “Oh shit, Brian. I forgot.”
“Well, you better come up with one.”
He rested his forehead on your chest, tapping his fingers, “Okay…let me think for a second…. okay, I’ve got it: ‘Tightest Butthole.’”
You raised your eyebrow and tried not to laugh, “And you think you’re qualified to judge a contest like that?”
“I have to be; you married me.”
Your tongue rolled inside your cheek, “I’m just going to double check this claim of yours if that’s all right with you.”
……
……
“I could sue you for this,” he breathed against your neck.
“Go right ahead,” you told him, “It’s worth it.”
Go on to Beyond the Yellow Brick Road-Chapter 48-Legacy (finale) Part 1
Lyrics from Cee Lo Green’s Forget (Fuck) You.
BEYOND THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD-CHAPTER 47-ILLUMINATION **EXTENSION**
BRIAN’S POV
I guess the change in my pocket just wasn’t enough
You didn’t want to leave that moment in that way with Justin, but when he’s dead set on digging his heels in, it’s in your best interest not to be underfoot, so you waited until around seven o’clock pm that night and went back over to Babylon with dinner for both of you in tow. You ate together in the Babylon office accompanied by stilted conversation and very little eye contact. He knew he’d pissed you off when you finally asked him, “What the fuck are so pissed about? “
“Seriously? You have to ask me that?”
“Yeah, because I don’t dare hazard a guess. You scold me for not being open with you and then you shut down like this.”
“Secrets. That’s what I’m pissed about, Brian. Secrets. I don’t like them, and you already know that anyway, so that makes it twice as bad.”
“What the fuck? You keep secrets from me sometimes. You don’t see me going all Midol on your ass.”
“Really? What secret have I kept from you?” he asked.
…..
“Well…the Eggo thing. You wouldn’t tell me about that. I had to figure that out by myself.”
Justin looked a little shocked, “What do you mean you figured it out?”
“It’s that fucking milk crate in your old studio. You sat on it and it gave you waffle-ass, and then Zeek fucked you.”
“Zeek told you that?”
“No, nobody told me shit. I saw what Richard looked like after he sat there during his break-up with Jon. He came out of there with marks all over his pants.” You knocked on your skull, “I’m smart like that.”
Justin sat back in his chair in a rather dramatic fashion and came at you hard, “The Eggo thing? You think a stupid secret like that is comparable to the secrets you keep from me? Honestly, Brian.”
You were honest, “Well, yeah, I sort of do.”
“Well, that’s fucking stupid. I kept that ‘secret’ so as not to embarrass you. The secrets you keep hurt me.”
“How does knowing about my freaking nutrition program hurt you? “
Justin stood up, walked around the desk and leaned against it with his arms crossed. He was standing so close you could feel the steam rising from his brain, “Did it ever occur to you that I might want to take care of you, Brian? That I married you so I could actually love you and not just when we’re naked? Every part of your life where I might be able to contribute, you farm out to some goddamn robot or hired help-“
“Justin, you hired the chef, not me.”
“Yeah, and thank god I did because, otherwise, you would have never told me about this cult you’re in.”
“Well, if you want to take care of me, then why’d you hire him in the first place?”
“Because…I’m not the best cook in the world, and I wanted both of us to eat well, eat healthy, and have our schedules free to pursue work and shit. I wanted to do that for you as your partner and then you have to come in and co-opt that, too. Hell, it’s not just co-opting; it’s corrupting. The only time I really feel like your equal is when we’re fucking.”
“Well, that’s about eighty percent of your life, so that’s pretty good,” you teased him. He flipped you off. “Justin, come on. I’m not trying to hurt you; I’m trying to make your life, hell our life care-free-“
“I don’t want my life to be ‘care-free;’ I want to care for you. That’s what makes me happy. Now, please get out of here so I can work. I’ve got a lot to do after we missed yesterday, and we shouldn’t discuss our personal problems here.”
“Justin---"
“Please. I just need some space, okay?”
You stood up and tried to stay, “You want me to drop out of the program? I will, okay. I’ll drop out.”
“No,” he said emphatically, “You’re missing the point. If you drop out, something else will just take its place. I want you to grasp what I’m saying to you. Now please, out. Let me work. I’ve got a long night ahead of me.”
You left the office and walked the catwalk to the stairs. Halfway down, you stopped, frozen in thought. Your employees were testing the lights and the sound system all around you-everything was flashing and buzzing--and, yet, you just stood there…thinking.
…..
And thinking.
……
And then, slowly, you turned around and walked back to the Babylon office, knocked once on the door and opened it. Justin didn’t look startled; the security cameras were up on the wall in front of his desk; he probably watched you for those few minutes. And although he wasn’t surprised to see you, he did look worn out, his head resting in his hands. You closed the door behind you, leaned against it and made a request, “Can you come here for a minute?” He looked a little puzzled, but got up anyway and walked over to you. “I have something to say,” you offered before he could start up again.
“Okay,” he said…barely.
“When we were in New York we talked about having faith in each other, remember?” He nodded. “Sometimes I feel like you still don’t have any faith in me, like there’s a part of you that thinks this isn’t real…what we have…our life and everything…and all I can tell you from my side of the equation, is that this is as real as it gets…but…Justin, real doesn’t mean perfect.”
……
……
“I know. You’re right,” he conceded.
“And for what it’s worth, I do want you to take care of me-"
“I don’t just mean twenty-four/seven blow jobs, Brian.”
You rolled your eyes, “I’m not talking about blow jobs, Jesus.” You reached out and grabbed his upper arms, pulling him against you. “I mean this,” you said and then you kissed him-hard and fast--and yielding only when you pulled back for a second to tell him, “This is what I want when we part for a few hours or a whole day or whatever; in fact, I don’t just want it, I expect it. Think you can handle that?”
He smiled and looked almost embarrassed, “Yeah. I can handle that.”
“Good,” you said, and the kiss you gave him after that drew him up on his toes and made him initially compliant when you popped the button on his pants and slid your hand down inside his underwear. You were stroking his crack with your finger tip when he responded, “You’re my boss. You can’t sexually harass me at work.” He tried to grab your hand and stop its journey, but you grabbed his wrist and pinned it behind his back.
And then you reminded him, “It’s Thursday, you know. We always have a contest at Babylon on Thursday. What’s tonight’s?”
His eyes opened wide, “Oh shit, Brian. I forgot.”
“Well, you better come up with one.”
He rested his forehead on your chest, tapping his fingers, “Okay…let me think for a second…. okay, I’ve got it: ‘Tightest Butthole.’”
You raised your eyebrow and tried not to laugh, “And you think you’re qualified to judge a contest like that?”
“I have to be; you married me.”
Your tongue rolled inside your cheek, “I’m just going to double check this claim of yours if that’s all right with you.”
……
……
“I could sue you for this,” he breathed against your neck.
“Go right ahead,” you told him, “It’s worth it.”
Go on to Beyond the Yellow Brick Road-Chapter 48-Legacy (finale) Part 1
Lyrics from Cee Lo Green’s Forget (Fuck) You.