Mechanical Michelangelo part 37
THIRTY SEVEN The Waiting Game
Brian sat amongst Justin’s hustler friends, playing on the play station he would never admit to buying. The door opened and Mikey walked in, “I have your-shopping.” He frowned as he saw Brian with the boys, moving the bag higher over his hip.
“Fuck, Brian, if I’d known you had me out shopping for the hustlers I would have said no.” He plucked a packet of chips from the top of the bag and threw them at Brian’s head, happy when he hit his target.
Brian refused to be distracted from the game. Leon picked up the chips and waved his thanks to Mikey before opening them and eating contentedly, smacking Pete’s hands away.
Mikey sighed, annoyed at Brian’s lack of attention and put the shopping on the kitchen counter. “This place is a fucking mess.” Sleeping bags littered the floor and denim clad hustlers lounged over every available piece of furniture.
He picked up a few empty bottles of Coca Cola on his way to the living room, putting them in the already overflowing bin.
“Leave that, Mikey, it’s what the cleaner is for.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you should have got the cleaner to do your shopping.”
“If you didn’t want to do me a favour, you should have said no.”
“I thought you were drunk, or high, or something, it’s the only time you ever eat junk like that.”
Brian looked up from the game, and stared into Mikey’s pouting face. “You think I’d get drunk and high in the middle of the day, before going to see Justin?”
Mikey shrugged, uncomfortable, the hustlers weren’t looking, but he knew they were listening to everything he said. “What else am I supposed to think?”
Brian focused back on Lara Croft’s unappetising backside as she ran through the jungle, refusing to show how hurt he felt at that comment. It probably wouldn’t have hurt so much if it wasn’t true, but he knew, without Cam’s intervention, he would probably still be tricking and drinking, all whilst high, all in an unsuccessful attempt to forget what happened to Justin.
“Shit!” Lara died a bloody death and Leon laughed, taking the controls from Brian.
“My turn, loser.”
Brian pushed himself from the sofa, going to the kitchen and getting himself a bottle of water, knowing that Mikey would follow.
“How can you all sit here playing computer games while Justin is in hospital? And why are they still here? Justin’s awake now.”
Brian opened the water taking his time drinking, letting the chilled water run down his throat. “They’re here because Justin wants them to be. Because he needs them. And as too why we’re not there…Justin is at his first physio, we didn’t want to crowd him.”
“What about Cam and Bren? Are they at the hospital, they’re allowed to crowd him?”
Brian laughed dryly. “It sounds to me like you don’t want them here, are you offering to stand by Justin’s bedside and offer him support during physiotherapy?” Mikey had the decency to blush.
“That’s not what I mean, I’m worried about you, don’t want anyone taking advantage of you. How ever you act, I know you’re hurting too.”
“Bren and Cam are at the hospital with Justin. Cam has taken all his holiday from work to be here, and if you hadn’t noticed, Bren owns his own business, in fact, he’s pretty well off, they aren’t taking advantage.”
They were the only ones keeping him sane at the moment. It was amazing how more open he could be with strangers, with people who didn’t expect anything from him, not for themselves anyway. The only thing Cam and Bren, even the hustlers wanted from him was to help Justin, and not hurt him.
“Cam and Bren need to be there for Justin right now, because he needs them more than anyone, they’ve always been there for each other, they’re like his security blanket, or something.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Why should it?” Mikey didn’t need to know about the problems he was having with Cameron right now, he’d never hear the end of it otherwise. “Why would Justin need me? I wasn’t there when he started to hustle, I wasn’t there when he ended up in the hospital the first time, I didn’t save him from any of those things, and worst of all, the one time I was there, I couldn’t save him anyway.”
Mikey pulled Brian into his arms, hugging him tightly, unconcerned when he didn’t hug back. “Wait, Justin was in the hospital?”
Brian shook his head, realising he should never have gotten into this conversation with Mikey. “Just leave it, I mean it.”
“OK, jeez, don’t blame me for worrying alright?” There was an uneasy silence before Mikey thought rapidly and changed the subject. “Ma’s going to the hospital after she gets off work, she’s going to take Justin some ‘real food’.” Mikey pulled out another packet of chips from the bag on the counter and opened them, munching absently.
“That’s good.”
***
Brian found Cameron outside Justin’s hospital room later that night. “How is he?”
Cam shook his head sadly, “Not good. They say he may never draw again.” Deep green eyes looked up into hazel eyes. “Which means he won’t be able to tattoo again. He’s convinced he’ll be on the streets, selling his ass to anyone who’ll pay for it.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Brian wouldn’t fail him again, not about something like that.
“I know, do you think Bren would let that happen? Even if Justin never goes back to work at Mechanical Michelangelo, Bren will never let Justin go back to that. Bren would never let either of us go back to that.”
Brian remembered what Justin had revealed about Cameron and found he wasn’t quite sure what to say, if he should bring it up, or pretend he knew nothing. “Look, I know I’ve been shitty…”
Cam laughed softly and shook his head. “There’s no need to try and be nice to me now Justin told you about my shitty childhood. I don’t want you to hurt him.”
“I can’t promise I won’t.” He was an asshole, he was emotionally inept and he was probably the last person Justin should rely on.
“I know, I just didn’t want you to disappear without trying first. He wants me, Bren and the boys around because we’re safe, because he doesn’t have to pretend in front of us, it might take him a while to realise he needs you too, I don’t want him to realise that and for you to then realise you don’t want him needing you.”
“I didn’t save him when it counted, I’m not going to drop out now, when I might be able to make a difference.”
“Good.”
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself, it doesn’t mean we’ll make it, or that we’ll even stay friends, it means I’m not going to let him push me away this time, and if he runs, I’ll find him. I don’t do relationships, I barely do friendships, just ask Mikey.”
Cameron smirked, pleased at Brian’s discomfort.
“Fuck, why are we even talking like this, he’ll be able to draw and tattoo again, it’ll just take a little time and lots of hard work and things between us will be fine.” Brian ran his hand through his hair, “Your little lost boys are still at mine, feel free to join them.”
“He’s sleeping now, don’t wake him up,” Cam said as he waked away.
Justin’s room was bathed in darkness, he lay tangled in the white hospital sheets, a frown marring skin just as pale. Brian moved the chair closer to the bed, careful not to wake him.
Justin murmured in his sleep, twisting, kicking out his legs and tangling them further in the sheets. His right arm twitched and Brian caught it in his hands, rubbing the tender skin and opening his clawed fingers massaging his palm.
Brian sat amongst Justin’s hustler friends, playing on the play station he would never admit to buying. The door opened and Mikey walked in, “I have your-shopping.” He frowned as he saw Brian with the boys, moving the bag higher over his hip.
“Fuck, Brian, if I’d known you had me out shopping for the hustlers I would have said no.” He plucked a packet of chips from the top of the bag and threw them at Brian’s head, happy when he hit his target.
Brian refused to be distracted from the game. Leon picked up the chips and waved his thanks to Mikey before opening them and eating contentedly, smacking Pete’s hands away.
Mikey sighed, annoyed at Brian’s lack of attention and put the shopping on the kitchen counter. “This place is a fucking mess.” Sleeping bags littered the floor and denim clad hustlers lounged over every available piece of furniture.
He picked up a few empty bottles of Coca Cola on his way to the living room, putting them in the already overflowing bin.
“Leave that, Mikey, it’s what the cleaner is for.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you should have got the cleaner to do your shopping.”
“If you didn’t want to do me a favour, you should have said no.”
“I thought you were drunk, or high, or something, it’s the only time you ever eat junk like that.”
Brian looked up from the game, and stared into Mikey’s pouting face. “You think I’d get drunk and high in the middle of the day, before going to see Justin?”
Mikey shrugged, uncomfortable, the hustlers weren’t looking, but he knew they were listening to everything he said. “What else am I supposed to think?”
Brian focused back on Lara Croft’s unappetising backside as she ran through the jungle, refusing to show how hurt he felt at that comment. It probably wouldn’t have hurt so much if it wasn’t true, but he knew, without Cam’s intervention, he would probably still be tricking and drinking, all whilst high, all in an unsuccessful attempt to forget what happened to Justin.
“Shit!” Lara died a bloody death and Leon laughed, taking the controls from Brian.
“My turn, loser.”
Brian pushed himself from the sofa, going to the kitchen and getting himself a bottle of water, knowing that Mikey would follow.
“How can you all sit here playing computer games while Justin is in hospital? And why are they still here? Justin’s awake now.”
Brian opened the water taking his time drinking, letting the chilled water run down his throat. “They’re here because Justin wants them to be. Because he needs them. And as too why we’re not there…Justin is at his first physio, we didn’t want to crowd him.”
“What about Cam and Bren? Are they at the hospital, they’re allowed to crowd him?”
Brian laughed dryly. “It sounds to me like you don’t want them here, are you offering to stand by Justin’s bedside and offer him support during physiotherapy?” Mikey had the decency to blush.
“That’s not what I mean, I’m worried about you, don’t want anyone taking advantage of you. How ever you act, I know you’re hurting too.”
“Bren and Cam are at the hospital with Justin. Cam has taken all his holiday from work to be here, and if you hadn’t noticed, Bren owns his own business, in fact, he’s pretty well off, they aren’t taking advantage.”
They were the only ones keeping him sane at the moment. It was amazing how more open he could be with strangers, with people who didn’t expect anything from him, not for themselves anyway. The only thing Cam and Bren, even the hustlers wanted from him was to help Justin, and not hurt him.
“Cam and Bren need to be there for Justin right now, because he needs them more than anyone, they’ve always been there for each other, they’re like his security blanket, or something.”
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Why should it?” Mikey didn’t need to know about the problems he was having with Cameron right now, he’d never hear the end of it otherwise. “Why would Justin need me? I wasn’t there when he started to hustle, I wasn’t there when he ended up in the hospital the first time, I didn’t save him from any of those things, and worst of all, the one time I was there, I couldn’t save him anyway.”
Mikey pulled Brian into his arms, hugging him tightly, unconcerned when he didn’t hug back. “Wait, Justin was in the hospital?”
Brian shook his head, realising he should never have gotten into this conversation with Mikey. “Just leave it, I mean it.”
“OK, jeez, don’t blame me for worrying alright?” There was an uneasy silence before Mikey thought rapidly and changed the subject. “Ma’s going to the hospital after she gets off work, she’s going to take Justin some ‘real food’.” Mikey pulled out another packet of chips from the bag on the counter and opened them, munching absently.
“That’s good.”
***
Brian found Cameron outside Justin’s hospital room later that night. “How is he?”
Cam shook his head sadly, “Not good. They say he may never draw again.” Deep green eyes looked up into hazel eyes. “Which means he won’t be able to tattoo again. He’s convinced he’ll be on the streets, selling his ass to anyone who’ll pay for it.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Brian wouldn’t fail him again, not about something like that.
“I know, do you think Bren would let that happen? Even if Justin never goes back to work at Mechanical Michelangelo, Bren will never let Justin go back to that. Bren would never let either of us go back to that.”
Brian remembered what Justin had revealed about Cameron and found he wasn’t quite sure what to say, if he should bring it up, or pretend he knew nothing. “Look, I know I’ve been shitty…”
Cam laughed softly and shook his head. “There’s no need to try and be nice to me now Justin told you about my shitty childhood. I don’t want you to hurt him.”
“I can’t promise I won’t.” He was an asshole, he was emotionally inept and he was probably the last person Justin should rely on.
“I know, I just didn’t want you to disappear without trying first. He wants me, Bren and the boys around because we’re safe, because he doesn’t have to pretend in front of us, it might take him a while to realise he needs you too, I don’t want him to realise that and for you to then realise you don’t want him needing you.”
“I didn’t save him when it counted, I’m not going to drop out now, when I might be able to make a difference.”
“Good.”
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself, it doesn’t mean we’ll make it, or that we’ll even stay friends, it means I’m not going to let him push me away this time, and if he runs, I’ll find him. I don’t do relationships, I barely do friendships, just ask Mikey.”
Cameron smirked, pleased at Brian’s discomfort.
“Fuck, why are we even talking like this, he’ll be able to draw and tattoo again, it’ll just take a little time and lots of hard work and things between us will be fine.” Brian ran his hand through his hair, “Your little lost boys are still at mine, feel free to join them.”
“He’s sleeping now, don’t wake him up,” Cam said as he waked away.
Justin’s room was bathed in darkness, he lay tangled in the white hospital sheets, a frown marring skin just as pale. Brian moved the chair closer to the bed, careful not to wake him.
Justin murmured in his sleep, twisting, kicking out his legs and tangling them further in the sheets. His right arm twitched and Brian caught it in his hands, rubbing the tender skin and opening his clawed fingers massaging his palm.