"Coup de Foudre" 105
Meanwhile, back at the comic book store...
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, July 2016
“How are you doing with those bins?” Michael asked.
“Okay,” said Gus. “How the heck do they get so mixed up? Why is an X-Men comic book in here with the Batman stuff?”
“Guys will pull out a book, look at it, and if they don’t want it, they shove it back wherever,” said Michael. “That’s half the job around here - getting the bins straightened out. And from now on, that’s your job.”
“Gee, thanks,” said Gus sarcastically.
Michael raised an eyebrow. “I can put you to work cleaning out the storage room, or washing the windows outside, or going down in the basement and checking the rat traps, if that’s what you’d prefer?”
Gus looked horrified. “You’re kidding, right?” Michael gave him a look. “Seriously? Rat traps? Tell me you’re kidding!”
“I’m not kidding,” Michael confirmed. “But we’ll get to those another time.”
“Ewww!”
“Yeah, ewww. Welcome to the reality of owning a business, kid.”
Michael went back to the cash register. He hadn’t been too thrilled when Justin asked him find some busy work to keep Gus out of his hair, but it was actually all right. There was always stuff to do around the store and Gus seemed glad to do it. Michael had been so focused on his mail-order business lately that he tended to ignore the store. The place really needed some spiffing up. Some new paint. Rearranging things. Having new bins built. Anything to brighten things up.
Maybe even…
The unthinkable.
Moving to a mall. Or at least away from Liberty Avenue.
When he’d first started going to Buzzy’s store he never thought about the location. The store was where it was. But things were changing. Downtown wasn’t a place where kids hung out anymore. And Liberty Avenue was a different world from when he was growing up. It wasn’t even particularly gay anymore. No, it was more upscale restaurants for well-to-do couples and tourists, and designer boutiques for women. Red Cape Comics stuck out on the block like a pimple on prom night. There were even rumors that Ali Baba’s Lebanese Take Out was moving, to be replaced by a Chipotle. Woody’s was still the center of the Gay Ghetto, but the clientele was looking older and older every year, and the other gay bars on the street were a lot less gay these days. Pistol was now a sports bar and while Boytoy (aka Pinkie's) still featured all-male strip shows, it was packed most nights with straight women having birthday and bachelorette parties.
And the landlord was making noise about raising the rent.
Jesus.
Or maybe a move to the university area would be a good thing. There were some funky stores around Carnegie Mellon and Pitt. Hipsters loved retro stuff and a lot of his best collectors were grad students who showed up on Wednesdays to check out the new releases. And he’d be closer to home, too. Moving might be easier than trying to revamp Red Cape.
Or…
The door opened, ringing that ridiculous bell. Why hadn’t he gotten rid of that thing years ago? What business still had a little bell that rang when someone opened the door?
“Michael?”
He was startled. “Emmett?”
“You act surprised to see me again,” Em said casually.
Michael blinked. “Surprised? Yes, I’m surprised, since you haven’t returned any of my calls.”
“I’ve been busy,” drawled Emmett, glancing around. “This is wedding season. And lots of summer parties. Not much time for chitchat.”
Michael leaned across the counter. “I’d think you’d at least call to find out how Brian is doing.” he said softly.
Emmett rolled his eyes. “Oh, is there some new problem with Brian?”
Now Michael was angry. Emmett was deliberately trying to be an ass. “Gus? Could you come over here, please?”
Gus trotted over, his eyes on Emmett the whole time. He didn’t know the guy, but he did know he’d been a friend of his dad’s, and of Michael’s. His pictures - younger and with a lot more hair - where all over Mrs. Horvath’s photo albums. But he’d never showed up at the hospital after the accident. And Michael seemed pissed off at him. “Yeah?”
Michael opened the cash register and took out a bill. “Here’s five bucks. Can you go down to the diner and get me a milkshake? I didn’t have lunch and I’m starving. Tell Kiki to put extra chocolate in it. She knows how I like it.”
“Sure,” said Gus. He knew when he was being gotten rid of. What the heck were these guys going to talk about? Something about Brian, definitely. And maybe Justin. He wanted to know very, very badly.
“Well, you can go,” said Michael.
Gus reluctantly went out the door.
“So Gus is working here now?” Emmett asked. “You just can’t tear yourself away from those Kinney men, can you? Although he’s awfully young.”
“Fuck you, Em,” said Michael. “Is there something you want? Because I have stuff to do!”
“I’m only seeing how you are!” Emmett exclaimed. “You don’t have to get all huffy! After all, you are my oldest friend in the Pitts.”
“No,” Michael corrected. “Brian is your oldest friend in the Pitts. I’m your second oldest friend.”
“Brian Kinney was never my friend!” Emmett said. “He was a trick that went wrong. At least I think he was a trick, since I can’t remember a fucking thing about that night. But crystal will do that to a poor little Southern boy.”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Michael. “Since I’ve never tried it. But believe me, if you woke up in Brian Kinney’s bed, you were a trick, whether you have any memory of it or not!”
“Whatever,” Emmett yawned. “So… since you mentioned it, how is he?”
Michael glared. “Like you care.”
“I tried asking Ted,” said Emmett. “But he was an even bigger bitch to me than you are! I called him at work and he blew me off. Then I called him at home and he hung up on me. I only wanted to find out if Brian was doing all right. That’s all!”
Michael clenched his fists. He hated that people were gossiping about Brian, but Liberty Avenue being what it was, he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Are they all talking about the accident?”
“The little birdies are singing the song,” said Emmett coyly. “I stopped into Woody’s and that cute bartender was telling some guys all about it. Color me shocked - not! Although it figures that Brian would almost kill himself wiping out on a motorcycle. He should start acting his age… you know, like you do.”
“Like me, huh?” Michael snorted. “Boring old me?”
Emmett shrugged. “At least you didn’t hurt your little head falling off a bike!”
“You want to know the truth, Em?” Michael barked. “Brian almost died! I would never say that with Gus in the room, although I’m sure he knows it. Brian was in a coma but now he’s home. He’ll be away from work for weeks, maybe even months, while he has therapy. Remember how Justin was after he got bashed? Well, Brian is going through the same kind of thing. And Justin is living in the house, taking care of him.”
“That’s cozy,” Emmett sniffed. “Sunshine is exactly where he wants to be. Bully for him.”
Michael turned away. “Why are you here, Em? I know how you feel about Brian and Justin. You made that perfectly clear the last time you were here! Does it make you feel better somehow that Brian’s injured? Do you think that’s some kind of payback because he was snarky to you fifteen years ago? Then grow up, because Brian was snarky to everyone! Think about Ted. Ted was the real butt of Brian’s snark, not you. But Ted’s been great. He’s been there every step of the way, because whenever Ted needed help in the past, Brian was there for him. And now Ted is one of the top guys at Kinnetik.”
“Whoopee for Teddy,” Emmett deadpanned.
That made Michael see red. “Look, I have no idea what bug flew up your ass where Brian is concerned, but I don’t want to hear about it. As far as I’m concerned, we are no longer friends. Not that you give a shit, Em. I’m sure your A-Gay pals will be there if you ever need them. So, unless you’re planning to buy a comic book, I’ll have to excuse myself. I have stuff to do.”
Michael turned to his computer screen, shutting Emmett out.
Em stood there for a while, not sure what to say. He desperately wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. But he hadn’t done anything wrong! So why did he feel like Michael was right? And Ted? Well, fuck them! If they wanted to take Brian Kinney’s side in everything… and Justin’s side, too! Michael was right about one thing - he had plenty of friends! Friends with money and good taste and connections in this town. And they owned real businesses, too, not some piddling little comic book store!
The little bell rang and in came Gus, carrying a paper bag. “I got your milkshake. And Kiki gave me one for myself - for free! She said I was the cutest twink to come into the diner in ages. Isn’t that hilarious?” He set the bag down on the counter and took out the milkshakes and two straws. He looked at Michael’s face and then at Emmett’s. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, kid,” said Michael. “This gentleman and I were having a discussion. But he’s leaving now. Aren’t you, Mr. Honeycutt?”
“Yeah,” said Emmett. “I’m going.” He nodded to Gus. “And tell your father that I hope he feels better.”
“Sure. I’ll tell him.”
Gus was puzzled. Now he wished more than ever that he’d been able to hear what the two of them were talking about. Was it about Brian? Or something else? Next time he wouldn’t leave. He’d hide in the storage room or in the alley next to the dumpster and listen! He hated the feeling that things were going on and he was in the dark.
“Get busy with those bins,” said Michael sharply.
“Okay,” said Gus, recoiling. Michael had never raised his voice to him before. “Here’s your change.” He put down a handful of coins on the counter. “It’s all there.”
“Thanks,” said Michael, feeling like two cents. He shouldn’t bitch at the kid. It wasn’t his fault if Emmett made him mad. He pushed the straw into the lid and took a sip. “That’s a good milkshake. But the diner always did have the best food - and I’d say that even if my mom hadn’t worked there for twenty years.”
“Really? That’s a long time,” said Gus. “It must have been fun to hang out there."
“It was.” Michael gazed into space, remembering. “Did you ever hear about the time Brian and I skipped school and decided to come down to Liberty Avenue to ‘check out the freaks’?”
“No,” said Gus, all ears. “Tell me! Tell me everything!”
By Gaedhal
Pittsburgh, July 2016
“How are you doing with those bins?” Michael asked.
“Okay,” said Gus. “How the heck do they get so mixed up? Why is an X-Men comic book in here with the Batman stuff?”
“Guys will pull out a book, look at it, and if they don’t want it, they shove it back wherever,” said Michael. “That’s half the job around here - getting the bins straightened out. And from now on, that’s your job.”
“Gee, thanks,” said Gus sarcastically.
Michael raised an eyebrow. “I can put you to work cleaning out the storage room, or washing the windows outside, or going down in the basement and checking the rat traps, if that’s what you’d prefer?”
Gus looked horrified. “You’re kidding, right?” Michael gave him a look. “Seriously? Rat traps? Tell me you’re kidding!”
“I’m not kidding,” Michael confirmed. “But we’ll get to those another time.”
“Ewww!”
“Yeah, ewww. Welcome to the reality of owning a business, kid.”
Michael went back to the cash register. He hadn’t been too thrilled when Justin asked him find some busy work to keep Gus out of his hair, but it was actually all right. There was always stuff to do around the store and Gus seemed glad to do it. Michael had been so focused on his mail-order business lately that he tended to ignore the store. The place really needed some spiffing up. Some new paint. Rearranging things. Having new bins built. Anything to brighten things up.
Maybe even…
The unthinkable.
Moving to a mall. Or at least away from Liberty Avenue.
When he’d first started going to Buzzy’s store he never thought about the location. The store was where it was. But things were changing. Downtown wasn’t a place where kids hung out anymore. And Liberty Avenue was a different world from when he was growing up. It wasn’t even particularly gay anymore. No, it was more upscale restaurants for well-to-do couples and tourists, and designer boutiques for women. Red Cape Comics stuck out on the block like a pimple on prom night. There were even rumors that Ali Baba’s Lebanese Take Out was moving, to be replaced by a Chipotle. Woody’s was still the center of the Gay Ghetto, but the clientele was looking older and older every year, and the other gay bars on the street were a lot less gay these days. Pistol was now a sports bar and while Boytoy (aka Pinkie's) still featured all-male strip shows, it was packed most nights with straight women having birthday and bachelorette parties.
And the landlord was making noise about raising the rent.
Jesus.
Or maybe a move to the university area would be a good thing. There were some funky stores around Carnegie Mellon and Pitt. Hipsters loved retro stuff and a lot of his best collectors were grad students who showed up on Wednesdays to check out the new releases. And he’d be closer to home, too. Moving might be easier than trying to revamp Red Cape.
Or…
The door opened, ringing that ridiculous bell. Why hadn’t he gotten rid of that thing years ago? What business still had a little bell that rang when someone opened the door?
“Michael?”
He was startled. “Emmett?”
“You act surprised to see me again,” Em said casually.
Michael blinked. “Surprised? Yes, I’m surprised, since you haven’t returned any of my calls.”
“I’ve been busy,” drawled Emmett, glancing around. “This is wedding season. And lots of summer parties. Not much time for chitchat.”
Michael leaned across the counter. “I’d think you’d at least call to find out how Brian is doing.” he said softly.
Emmett rolled his eyes. “Oh, is there some new problem with Brian?”
Now Michael was angry. Emmett was deliberately trying to be an ass. “Gus? Could you come over here, please?”
Gus trotted over, his eyes on Emmett the whole time. He didn’t know the guy, but he did know he’d been a friend of his dad’s, and of Michael’s. His pictures - younger and with a lot more hair - where all over Mrs. Horvath’s photo albums. But he’d never showed up at the hospital after the accident. And Michael seemed pissed off at him. “Yeah?”
Michael opened the cash register and took out a bill. “Here’s five bucks. Can you go down to the diner and get me a milkshake? I didn’t have lunch and I’m starving. Tell Kiki to put extra chocolate in it. She knows how I like it.”
“Sure,” said Gus. He knew when he was being gotten rid of. What the heck were these guys going to talk about? Something about Brian, definitely. And maybe Justin. He wanted to know very, very badly.
“Well, you can go,” said Michael.
Gus reluctantly went out the door.
“So Gus is working here now?” Emmett asked. “You just can’t tear yourself away from those Kinney men, can you? Although he’s awfully young.”
“Fuck you, Em,” said Michael. “Is there something you want? Because I have stuff to do!”
“I’m only seeing how you are!” Emmett exclaimed. “You don’t have to get all huffy! After all, you are my oldest friend in the Pitts.”
“No,” Michael corrected. “Brian is your oldest friend in the Pitts. I’m your second oldest friend.”
“Brian Kinney was never my friend!” Emmett said. “He was a trick that went wrong. At least I think he was a trick, since I can’t remember a fucking thing about that night. But crystal will do that to a poor little Southern boy.”
“I wouldn’t know,” said Michael. “Since I’ve never tried it. But believe me, if you woke up in Brian Kinney’s bed, you were a trick, whether you have any memory of it or not!”
“Whatever,” Emmett yawned. “So… since you mentioned it, how is he?”
Michael glared. “Like you care.”
“I tried asking Ted,” said Emmett. “But he was an even bigger bitch to me than you are! I called him at work and he blew me off. Then I called him at home and he hung up on me. I only wanted to find out if Brian was doing all right. That’s all!”
Michael clenched his fists. He hated that people were gossiping about Brian, but Liberty Avenue being what it was, he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Are they all talking about the accident?”
“The little birdies are singing the song,” said Emmett coyly. “I stopped into Woody’s and that cute bartender was telling some guys all about it. Color me shocked - not! Although it figures that Brian would almost kill himself wiping out on a motorcycle. He should start acting his age… you know, like you do.”
“Like me, huh?” Michael snorted. “Boring old me?”
Emmett shrugged. “At least you didn’t hurt your little head falling off a bike!”
“You want to know the truth, Em?” Michael barked. “Brian almost died! I would never say that with Gus in the room, although I’m sure he knows it. Brian was in a coma but now he’s home. He’ll be away from work for weeks, maybe even months, while he has therapy. Remember how Justin was after he got bashed? Well, Brian is going through the same kind of thing. And Justin is living in the house, taking care of him.”
“That’s cozy,” Emmett sniffed. “Sunshine is exactly where he wants to be. Bully for him.”
Michael turned away. “Why are you here, Em? I know how you feel about Brian and Justin. You made that perfectly clear the last time you were here! Does it make you feel better somehow that Brian’s injured? Do you think that’s some kind of payback because he was snarky to you fifteen years ago? Then grow up, because Brian was snarky to everyone! Think about Ted. Ted was the real butt of Brian’s snark, not you. But Ted’s been great. He’s been there every step of the way, because whenever Ted needed help in the past, Brian was there for him. And now Ted is one of the top guys at Kinnetik.”
“Whoopee for Teddy,” Emmett deadpanned.
That made Michael see red. “Look, I have no idea what bug flew up your ass where Brian is concerned, but I don’t want to hear about it. As far as I’m concerned, we are no longer friends. Not that you give a shit, Em. I’m sure your A-Gay pals will be there if you ever need them. So, unless you’re planning to buy a comic book, I’ll have to excuse myself. I have stuff to do.”
Michael turned to his computer screen, shutting Emmett out.
Em stood there for a while, not sure what to say. He desperately wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. But he hadn’t done anything wrong! So why did he feel like Michael was right? And Ted? Well, fuck them! If they wanted to take Brian Kinney’s side in everything… and Justin’s side, too! Michael was right about one thing - he had plenty of friends! Friends with money and good taste and connections in this town. And they owned real businesses, too, not some piddling little comic book store!
The little bell rang and in came Gus, carrying a paper bag. “I got your milkshake. And Kiki gave me one for myself - for free! She said I was the cutest twink to come into the diner in ages. Isn’t that hilarious?” He set the bag down on the counter and took out the milkshakes and two straws. He looked at Michael’s face and then at Emmett’s. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, kid,” said Michael. “This gentleman and I were having a discussion. But he’s leaving now. Aren’t you, Mr. Honeycutt?”
“Yeah,” said Emmett. “I’m going.” He nodded to Gus. “And tell your father that I hope he feels better.”
“Sure. I’ll tell him.”
Gus was puzzled. Now he wished more than ever that he’d been able to hear what the two of them were talking about. Was it about Brian? Or something else? Next time he wouldn’t leave. He’d hide in the storage room or in the alley next to the dumpster and listen! He hated the feeling that things were going on and he was in the dark.
“Get busy with those bins,” said Michael sharply.
“Okay,” said Gus, recoiling. Michael had never raised his voice to him before. “Here’s your change.” He put down a handful of coins on the counter. “It’s all there.”
“Thanks,” said Michael, feeling like two cents. He shouldn’t bitch at the kid. It wasn’t his fault if Emmett made him mad. He pushed the straw into the lid and took a sip. “That’s a good milkshake. But the diner always did have the best food - and I’d say that even if my mom hadn’t worked there for twenty years.”
“Really? That’s a long time,” said Gus. “It must have been fun to hang out there."
“It was.” Michael gazed into space, remembering. “Did you ever hear about the time Brian and I skipped school and decided to come down to Liberty Avenue to ‘check out the freaks’?”
“No,” said Gus, all ears. “Tell me! Tell me everything!”