Inverted
Inverted 10/10
Making Plans
Summary: A 17 year old Brian meets a 29 year old Justin and sparks fly.
Inverted
Chapter 10
"So, what are you doing after graduation?" Cynthia's been asking this question for the last two weeks, ever since her acceptance letters started pouring in.
"I have no idea. You?"
"I got my acceptance letter to Pitt and they sent me all their information. You're required to stay in the dorms for the first year, so I guess the whole school and living arrangements thing is taken care of. I got a few scholarships. I'm going to have to take out loans for the rest."
I sit there silently playing with the straw in my soda, when I feel Cynthia staring at me.
"You are staying in Pittsburgh, aren't you?"
I have no idea. "I'm not sure. I got accepted to Pitt and CMU. There were a few out of state schools too. I haven't sent any letters back yet."
"You're leaving me!"
Leave it to a drama queen. I roll my eyes. "I didn't say that. I said I haven't decided yet. Pitt's a good school. Alex's alma mater. But you know me, Cyn. I've been dreaming of getting out of this city since before I can remember." I watch Cynthia as she digs through her purse for something. She pulls out a pen a small scrap of paper.
"We're going to make a list of pros of cons." I've already done this a million times in my head, but I indulge her and we end up spending the next half hour in the diner writing down the pros and cons of in-state vs out-of state. The whole thing just ends up making Cyn frustrated because really, there's not all that much keeping me in Pittsburgh. The list includes Cyn, Mikey, Deb and familiarity. The out-of-state list is full of things like starting over, more independence, getting away from Jack and Joan, meeting new people, etc.
Cyn sits back in the booth. "Well, I guess you are leaving me."
The one thing missing on that in-state list is Justin. And it's stupid that he'd have any kind of impact on my decision to leave Pittsburgh. But he does. I guess I've kind of gotten attached...kind of.
XXXXXXXXXX
I sit at Deb's kitchen table waiting for Mikey to get home. I don't know how I managed to beat him to his own house, considering I stopped by Justin's place before coming here. He' must be making out with Ben somewhere. Go them. "So, Michael told me you might not be going to school in Pittsburgh." Mikey and his big mouth.
"Yeah, I'm not sure, Deb."
"I thought you and Justin were hot and heavy?"
Who the fuck did she hear that from? "Who did you hear that from?"
"Who hasn't been talking about it? Liberty Ave's most eligible bachelor, Justin Taylor settles down with the hottest thing to hit Liberty Ave since Justin Taylor." I'm the hottest guy on Liberty Ave...I knew I was hot, but...yeah, yeah I can see that. Brian Kinney, hottest thing on Liberty Ave. "Smug doesn't suit you, Brian." Right, back to the conversation.
"Justin hasn't settled down. He doesn't even date like that. I heard he's more of a fuck 'em and chuck 'em type anyway."
"Where did you hear that from?" Deb shook her head and continued before I could answer. "If that were true, why hasn't he chucked you yet?"
I've been wondering the same thing. "Maybe I'm just an amazing fuck."
She laughs, actually laughs. "Honey, you're 18, you're not that good."
Cyn said almost exactly the same thing. Why must they all doubt me? Some people just have natural ability for this type of thing, right?
"Hey ma," Mikey's home. "I invited Ben over."
I catch Deb roll her eyes. For some reason she's never been a huge fan of Ben's. But he makes her baby happy so she deals. "Michael, before you and Deb begin your tearful after-school reunion--" I'm interrupted briefly by a slap to the head from Deb, but continue. I'm used to it. "I have something to give you." I pull open my messenger bag and hand a manila envelope to Mikey." Justin had me trek halfway across town, via public transportation no less, just to hand deliver this to you. He said it was urgent. Couldn't wait until after we fucked, no, no. You had to have it now." I roll my eyes and sigh under my breath. "Comic books, I don't fucking get it." I speak louder so everyone can hear me. "Alright, I'm out of here. Justin owes me a few favors."
I'm halfway out the door when I hear Mikey's reaction to the contents of the envelope. "I don't even need these. He gave me these last week."
I turn back. "What?"
"I already got these sketches last week."
I pull out my cell phone. "You've got to be kidding me." I turn back around to leave and toss over my shoulder "I'll talk to you later Mikey." I'm over at the bus stop when my call finally goes to Justin's voicemail. Just as I hear Justin's polite voice say "leave a message after the beep," I hear thunder overhead. Needless to say, the message I leave isn't polite in the least. I think I ended it at a near yell, with "instead of having me do your fucking errands, you could have been fucking me!" Of course that draws the stare of a little old lady waiting for a bus as well. "Mind your own fucking business, lady." I hate eavesdroppers. The whole bus ride I'm pissed off, imagining what I could have been doing instead of riding public transportation.
By the time I walk from the bus stop to Justin's apartment I'm soaked and a little, maybe a lot, pissed. Before I even get in the door I'm yelling "Why the fuck did you send me halfway--" The dark entryway stops me. The entryway is never dark. I turn around the corner and call out, "Justin?" I smell him first. That weird combination of soap and paint. My arms are filled with him second. My eyes finally get adjusted to the dim light and I see a few candles spread around the living room. Leave it to Justin to actually own candles. And why am I thinking about candles, when Justin is in my arms and--I feel around--shirtless? Yes, very shirtless. I can do this.
Justin pulls my bag off my shoulder and over my head. He's walking us back toward his bedroom, unbuttoning my shirt and kissing me at the same time. Such a multi-tasker. By the time we get to the side of his bed, my shirt's on the floor somewhere, and my hands are down the back of Justin's thin sweatpants. Justin's lips move from mine to my ear. He whispers "I want you to fuck me," and I freeze. Over the last few months, Justin and I have done a lot of things in bed, but that hasn't been one of them. Every time we've been together, he's made it clear how things were going to be. Not that I ever minded. Sure, Justin has an ass made for fucking, but he also has cock made for fucking. And frankly, I'll take him anyway I can get him.
Justin places a few kisses on my jaw, interrupting my thoughts. "You should know...I haven't done this in awhile."
That's not too surprising. "How long is a while?"
Justin locks eyes with me. "College. The last time I was in a relationship." Now, that is surprising. The last time he was in a relationship. A relationship. "So, do you want me, Brian?" I'm a pretty smart guy, and right now I can tell we're not just talking about sex. Justin and I, in a relationship, together. The idea of it doesn't scare me. And no matter how much I've denied it in the past, it's what I've wanted from the start.
I'm not just a fuck. We're not just fuck buddies. We're...together.
I swallow before answering his question, "Yeah, I do."
XXXXXXXXXX
That night, as I come with Justin underneath me, the words "I love you" spill out of my lips. Justin's response doesn't come until we're both nearly asleep, him spooned behind me, his arm over my waist. I feel the soft words murmured against my neck, "love you too."
XXXXXXXXXX
I wake up before Justin and quietly get out of bed. I slip on the robe he bought me awhile back and walk into the living room, grabbing my messenger bag, before heading to his studio. I sit down at my desk and open my bag, pulling out all of my acceptance letters. I start separating them. A pile for out-of-state. A pile for in-state. A pile for Pittsburgh. As I'm looking at the three neat stacks, I feel arms drape over my shoulders. Justin's hands slip into the loosely tied robe. "What are you up to?"
"More of what we did last night."
Justin laughs and pulls away from me. He moves in front of me, sitting on the corner of the desk. "No, the papers." He nods toward the piles.
"Acceptance letters." I point at each one. "Out-of-state. In-state. Pittsburgh." The out-of-state pile is noticeably larger than the other two. One in-state school, Penn State. CMU and Pitt in Pittsburgh.
Justin nods. His voice forcefully casual, when he asks "so, where do you think you'll end up?"
I inhale and look at Justin. "Well, my boyfr--" I stop when I realize in the midst of all the sex we had last night, we never decided on the terminology.
Justin answers my unspoken question. "Your boyfriend."
"Well, my boyfriend is in Pittsburgh. So the choice seems obvious, doesn't it?"
He doesn't look as pleased with my answer as I thought he would be. "You're not staying because of me, are you?"
I think about it for a second and realize, no, I'm not staying just for Justin. "No, you are a big factor, but there are other reasons. Pitt and CMU are great schools. My friends are here, the city..." Another thought comes to mind. "Did you know I'm the hottest thing to hit Liberty Ave since Justin Taylor?"
Justin rolled his eyes. "Like your head needs to be any bigger. I can see it now. Brian Kinney, Stud of Liberty Ave."
I reach for Justin's hand and take it in mine. "That's okay." I pull him closer to me until he's kind of sitting in my lap. "But I think I like Brian Kinney, Justin Taylor's boyfriend, better."
Justin frowns. "You're not an extension of me, Brian."
"Okay, how about Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor, the Hottest Couple on Liberty Ave?"
Justin smiles. "I can live with that."
"Yeah. So can I."
The End
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Author's Notes: And, that's all folks. The end of Inverted. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to vanna12 for doing her beta thing.