QAF | Brian/Justin | What's In A Name?
Title: What’s In a Name?
Author: laylafic
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Post 513
Universe: Set in the "Rule of the Jungle universe"
Word count: 4,228
Genre: Fluff
Summary: ‘Last time Brian got a kitten and Justin got a surprise. This time the kitten needs a name and Brian is being his usual stubborn self. Justin decides to take matters into his own hand.’
Notes: Written for the help_pakistan auction. Dedicated to teatotaller for winning the QAF fic offer. My winner had no specific requests, so I tried my hand at fluff. I needed it after the angsty ride I’d had with my other offer. Dunno if it works but… there you go! :)
What's in a name?
Settling back in Pittsburgh had turned out to be a lot simpler than Justin had expected.
He still maintained his connections in New York. He had jobs lined up in the City from now up till September of next year. He had a part-time position as an Assistant Manager at Sidney Bloom’s where he spent afternoons meeting potential customers and guiding them through the gallery’s exhibits. Sidney had also given him exclusive use of the gallery’s studio for his own work, so what he couldn’t work on at the studio at home -which in itself was very well-appointed and located in the eastern wing of the house which collected beautiful sunlight during the day- he worked on at the gallery.
The shorter hours at the gallery had given him the chance to freelance at a few advertising firms around the city. However, Brian kept giving him Kinnetik projects related to some of his major accounts that kept him so occupied, that Justin suspected his partner wanted his freelance work to remain exclusive to Kinnetik. Not that Justin minded it. Kinnetik had made a name for its cutting edge campaigns since its inception six years ago; it was considered one of the biggest agencies on the west coast now and having projects connected to Kinnetik on his CV only added to his own prestige.
All in all, things were settling into a nice routine for Justin. He was professionally involved with projects he not only enjoyed but also made good money on, and he had a partner who doted on him. Brian Kinney never ceased to amaze him.
Brian Kinney who also had adopted a kitten.
That should have been clue enough that the fates were pulling his leg for some reason. But sometimes Justin needed a bigger nudge to get the message across.
It was on the ninth day of the kitten’s arrival, when Justin was doing some work on his laptop that he heard Brian come in from outside and go into the kitchen to put something in the fridge. He looked up from the screen when Brian came into the living room and picked up the TV remote and sat down on the sofa across. The kitten as usual went running to her master, meowing happily as she rubbed against his leg, and Brian scratched her head, murmuring something softly as he switched channels.
Justin blinked at his boyfriend. "Brian?"
"What?" Brian answered distractedly, his eyes on the TV.
"What did you just call the kitten?"
Brian stared at him strangely. "Huh. I called her ‘Cat’."
"Okay." Justin looked at him closely. "But what’s her name?"
Brian looked down at the kitten, and happily patted her head. "Her name is ‘Cat’."
Justin blinked again. "Her name is not ‘Cat’, Brian. She is a cat."
Brian stared at him, his face expressionless. "I want to call her ‘Cat’."
Justin laughed suddenly. "That’s stupid."
"Why?" Brian shrugged. "She’s my cat, isn’t she? At least that’s what you insist all the time. So I will call her anything I feel like."
Justin shook his head. "Are you being deliberately ridiculous?"
Brian looked at him deadpan. "Are you being deliberately obtuse?"
"Insulting me won’t get you anywhere." Justin grinned at him. "We have to name the kitten."
"And I just did." Brian picked her up and started stroking her fur, making her purr in contentment. "Her name is ‘Cat’. Isn’t it, ‘Cat’?"
"Ridiculous." Justin snorted.
"Obtuse." Brian grinned at him.
That night, as Justin was lying in the circle of Brian’s arms, after having been fucked twice in the most satisfying way, he realized what he had to do. Not giving the kitten a proper name was not on. But it was totally Brian’s style to act in such a nonchalant way when it was obvious he adored the animal. But Justin was not going to let Brian get away with this stupid charade. Listening to his boyfriend snoring peacefully by his side, a smile broke onto his face.
Yes, he knew exactly what he was going to do. And by the time he was through, the kitten would have a decent name.
This was going to be fanfuckingtastic.
The next morning, Brian was sitting at the kitchen bar, drinking coffee, when Justin walked in with his messenger bag. He put it on a chair, then walked up to Brian with a sweet smile plastered on his face and planted a firm kiss on his lips, complete with tongue. Brian had a smile on his face by the time they were through.
"Saved any for me?" Justin nodded towards the coffeemaker, as he took a frozen waffle pack from the freezer and started unwrapping it.
"Yes," Brian replied, then scowled at Justin as he switched on the hotplate and placed the waffle on the grill. "That’s disgusting. Do you know how much processed sugar is in that crap? And that saturated fat content would give anyone with half a brain a nutritional nightmare. You’re gonna get a fat ass and then I will be forced to stop fucking you."
"Yeah, we’ll see when that day comes." Justin smirked at him. Then he turned and looked at the kitten sitting on the kitchen floor, looking up at the two of them as if she could understand their conversation, and greeted her: "Hey, Stripey."
Brian froze halfway through the motion of drinking coffee, the cup held in his hand mid-air. He looked at Justin. "Her name is not ‘Stripey’."
Justin shrugged. "I just named her."
"Don’t be an ass." Brian pressed his lips close. "She has no stripes. She has spots."
"If you want to call her Spotty, go right ahead." Justin smiled. "I like the sound of Stripey."
Brian scowled. "That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard for a kitten."
Justin raised both brows. "No more stupid than calling a cat ‘Cat’."
Brian’s nostrils flared. "She is a cat. So I call her Cat."
Justin shook his head in mock-sorrow. "Brian, how would you feel if your parents had refused to name you when you were born? How would you feel if they’d instead opted to call you ‘Boy’?"
Brian sneered at him. "I wouldn’t have felt anything at that point, as a newly born, I would’ve developed an attachment to any name they had given me."
Justin looked at the kitten and snapped his fingers at her. "Hey Stripey."
"She’s not ‘Stripey’," Brian insisted. "You’re being annoying for no reason."
"Hey, look, she likes the name." Justin smiled widely as the kitten walked to him, meowing curiously. "Stripey, oh you sweet little kitty, oh Stripey."
"Fuck you." Brian snarled at him. "Her name is ‘Cat’."
"Striiiipeeeeey!" Justin sang out as he bent down to take the kitten in his hands.
Brian tried to take her from him. "Stop it."
Justin backed away from him. "I won’t."
Brian gritted his teeth. "Do it or else?"
Justin laughed in his face. "What are you gonna do? Not fuck me tonight?"
Brian took a deep breath as if attempting to calm himself. "She’s not ‘Stripey’."
"Then give her a name you like."
"I already did." Brian said slowly, "‘Cat.’"
Justin rolled his eyes and looked at the kitten. "Hey Stripey!" He said in a taunting sing-song manner. "How’re you doing, Stripey?"
"Justin!"
"Brian!"
Brian huffed. "You are doing this on purpose."
"Of course."
Brian made a face. "You will pay the price for daring me, you twat!"
Justin smirked. "Fine, I’ll pay the price when you have the guts to charge me for giving our cat a decent name."
Brian laughed. "’Stripey’ is a decent name?"
"Far more decent than no name." Brian put down his coffee mug and got up from the stool. "I don’t want her growing up with an identity problem, Brian." He watched as Brian moved to the door, shaking his head. "And for what reason? Because you were too chicken shit to admit that you care enough about your cat to give her a proper name?"
But Brian had already left, slamming the door shut behind him.
Justin rubbed his fingers to the kitten’s ears, hearing her purr in contentment and looked at her. "Stripey?" he asked her but she only stared at him in confusion. "No?" He smiled at her. "Okay, then I’ll think of something else?"
That whole day, Brian received fifteen text messages from Justin with the most ridiculous nickname suggestions he could come up with for the kitten. All variations on the name ‘Stripey’.
All of them were ignored.
In the evening, Justin drove into the driveway of the house just as Brian came out of the garage, having parked his car. They met at the door and Justin nudged his boyfriend.
"Hi Brian," he greeted him cheerfully.
"Shut up," Brian muttered as he opened the door and walked inside.
"I didn’t say a thing," Justin chirped as he followed him in.
"I’m not talking to you." Brian huffed.
"What did I do?" Justin looked at him mock-innocently.
Brian looked into his eyes. "I know what you’re up to, Sunshine."
Justin grinned. "Oh yeah. what am I up to?"
Brian said, "It’s not going to work."
Justin raised a brow. "That’s kinda premature, isn’t it?"
"You will fail," Brian declared.
"I would?"
"Yes." Brian said, putting his briefcase on the counter, "I’ve already given her a name."
Justin shrugged as they walked into the lounge. "So have I."
"Her name’s not ‘Stripey’," Brian insisted, as he went to the fridge to get a water bottle out.
"Of course not." Justin sniffed. "That’s just stupid."
"It is?" Brian looked surprised as he opened the cap and turned to look at him. Then he nodded. "Yes, it is. I told you it is."
"Yes." Justin nodded, as he watched Brian put the bottle to his mouth and started to drink. "Her name is certainly not Stripey." He smiled. "It is ‘Spittle’."
Brian started coughing as the water went down the wrong way. He hacked and wheezed, nearly turning red as he brought his breathing under control. He looked up at Justin in shock, gasping. "What?"
"Yes, I think it suits her." Justin bounced on his feet, grinning widely, as he looked around the room, looking for the cat. "Hey Spittle. Hey Spitty, Spitty, Spitty!" He called out and laughed out delightedly as the kitten came running out of the den, mewling. "Awww, she loves it."
Apparently rendered speechless, Brian could nothing except look at him in indignation. His lower lip quivered, even though his eyes were twinkling.
"Don’t pout, Brian," Justin said to him. "That isn’t a very good look on you."
"Fuck you!" Brian cursed and turned around, stalking into the Game Room.
"Oh, so now you’ll stomp away in anger. Very mature." Justin called out, the laughter evident in his voice. "Very, very mature, Brian!"
The text messages continued the next two days. Brian ignored them the first day, but the next day the frequency got so much on his nerves, that he had to turn his phone off.
On the third day, Justin reverted to leaving voice messages on his office’s direct line. Those too were ignored.
On the fourth day, when Brian saw the carefully taken hand-written notes (all twelve of them) left on his desk by Cynthia with the nick name suggestions based on the names ‘Stinky’, ‘Fleabait’ and ‘Buttsniffer’, he put his foot down.
"She doesn’t stink, she doesn’t have fleas, and she certainly doesn’t sniff anyone’s butts," he growled when he saw Justin that night.
"How would I know?" Justin blinked his eyes at him. "All I see is a poor little kitten that shows a tendency to develop a serious identity crisis because she has no name, and who could very well develop all those bad habits because of her insecurities."
"Do whatever you want, Sunshine." Brian stared at him. "Her name is Cat. Cat! Do you hear me?"
"Whatever you say, Brian." Justin laughed.
But Justin knew that if there was anyone who could out-stubborn Justin Taylor, it was Brian Kinney. So on the fifth day, Justin came up with a new plan.
Wednesday was a busy day for Brian. He had a strategy meeting with the art department at ten, a budget meeting with Theodore at eleven thirty and Leo Brown was coming to the office for lunch.
So when Justin walked into Kinnetik at one-fifteen pm, with a carton in one hand and what looked like some kind of a weird woven basket in the other, Brian was surprised.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he scowled at him.
"Is that any way to greet your partner?" Justin grinned at Cynthia’s eye-roll as he handed her one of the packages, and then reached up to kiss Brian. "I had a meeting with the agent and stopped by Deb’s on the way back. She made Lasagna, and insisted I bring some for you."
Brian made a face. "Deb’s Lasagna with all that artery-clogging fat in it? Thanks but no thanks, I would prefer not to have a heart attack anytime soon. Besides I have a client lunch. I don’t have time for…"
"Oh, hello Mr. Brown," Justin interrupted him as he noticed Leo Brown come out of Brian’s office. "How’re you doing?" He greeted the distinguished older man. He’d worked on the last two campaigns for Brown Athletics, and Leo had gotten to know him very well.
"Hello Justin." Leo looked at him warmly. "I’m fine, how about you?
"I’m doing great." Justin smiled at him. "How’s the campaign coming along?"
"Wonderful." Leo smiled. "How’s the art world? Any new shows coming up?"
"Oh yeah, in November," Justin replied, "I’ll send you the invitation, you must come."
"I wouldn’t miss it for the world," Leo smiled.
"Thanks, Mr. Brown." Justin turned to Brian who was watching them with a knowing smile on his face, which dropped when Justin handed him the basket he was carrying. "Here."
Brian took the basket and looked at it hesitantly. "This is Deb’s Lasagna?"
"Of course not, silly." Justin chuckled. "That’s ‘Blender’."
"That’s what?" Brian exclaimed, just as a very familiar mewl came out of the basket.
"Oh, who’s that?" Leo asked as Justin opened the cover of the basket and took the kitten out.
"That’s Brian’s kitten," he said proudly, petting the kitten with gentle hands.
"How sweet." Leo looked at Brian with surprise. "I didn’t know you had a cat, Brian." His eyebrow quirked. "You don’t look like a cat person to me."
"I assure you, Leo, I’m not," Brian replied with gritted teeth. He looked at Justin. "You brought the cat to your interview with the agent?"
"Hey, she gets lonely at home." Justin shrugged innocently. "And she’s great company." He tickled the kitten behind her ears and she meowed in happiness. "Hey Blender," he said to her.
"Justin!" Brian gave him a warning look, as Cynthia giggled in the background.
"Blender?" Leo looked between the two of them. "That’s an… interesting name."
"Oh, Brian named her," Justin told him. "We call her Blenda sometimes. Or Blendy-poo. Sometimes even Blenderina." He grinned. "Any variation of the word, you know. She loves them all. She’s a good sport like that."
"I’m sure she does!" Leo was giving them a strange look, as if he couldn’t quite grasp what he was witnessing. "Why Brian, you’re a… surprising man."
"That’s me, Leo." Brian gave Justin a skunk eye as he smiled sweetly at his client. "Surprising!"
Justin nodded. "Oh, you have no idea, Mr. Brown."
Later that evening, Theodore Schmidt received a call as he was driving back home.
"Thanks, Ted."
"Don’t mention it. Just tell me, did it work?"
"I’m not sure yet. He’s not really talking to me at the moment. But I think I’m gonna fall back on some old strategies. Those are surefire done deals."
"I meant it literally, Justin. Don’t mention it. If Brian finds out I told you that Leo Brown was going to be there when you called, he’s gonna kill me."
"Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry about it. I won’t."
"Thanks. Don’t call me again."
Justin stood at the door to the Game Room and smiled. There Brian was, with the storyboards spread out in front of him, the TV tuned to some random sports channel, and the reading glasses - a recent addition - perched on his nose sexily as he made notes on the sheets with a pen, all the while pretending to ignore the fact that Justin was standing at the door watching him. How could Justin resist the man when he was like this? Sure he could pretend all he wanted that he was pissed at Justin forcing the cat name issue… but Justin was positive that Brian knew how ridiculous he was being. Besides, Justin had a plan now. A reliable, never to be doubted plan which he should’ve thought of way earlier.
Ah well, it was never too late to apply the correct wisdom when the time called for it. Even if that wisdom came a bit later than it probably should have.
He made his way to the couch with his supplies and settled down next to his boyfriend. He moved some of Brian’s boards and put the bowl down in front of him.
Brian looked at the bowl and then at him. "Popcorn? You are gonna entice me with popcorn?"
"It’s low fat, Brian," he said. "Only 25 calories per cup. Even you should approve."
Brian leaned back on his seat, straightening his legs along the couch, his eyebrow raised sarcastically. "How considerate of you."
"I’m always considerate." Justin smiled as he pulled out the DVD and waved in front of him. "See, James Dean. Rebel without a cause."
"Uh huh." Brian watched as Justin got to his feet and went to the Home theatre system to put in the DVD in the player. He switched it on and then came back to sit down on the other end of the couch. He turned on his seat so that he was facing Brian and pulled his legs under him. "And what do we have here?" He pulled out the small bottle he had in his pocket and put it on the table. "Voila."
"What are you doing?" Brian looked at him strangely as Justin took out a towel and laid it on his knees, then wrapped his hands around Brian’s ankles.
"I’m putting your feet on my lap," Justin said as he pulled Brian’s legs straight and arranged them on his towel-covered knees. He then carefully started folding Brian’s trousers up his ankles as he stroked the long, beautiful feet he loved so much. He picked up the bottle and removed its cap. "And here’s your favorite scented oil."
"A massage lure," Brian drawled as a smile attempted to break at the corners of his lips. "Intriguing."
Justin rubbed a little oil on his fingers and then pressed said fingers on the pressure points on Brian’s ankle, watching him closely for his reaction. "Mmmm, see, I knew you’d like it.
"Actually, ‘Sweet Almond’ is your favorite," Brian said nonchalantly. "I’m more partial to ‘Cedarwood’."
Justin gently cupped Brian’s left heel in one hand and then slowly, with his other hand, stretched the foot up and down and around in circles, watching Brian’s eyes slide close. "Mmmm. Says the man who had three consecutive orgasms the last time I tried this with him prone on the bed."
"As you can see," Brian murmured, "I’m not prone on my bed."
"No, you’re not." He squeezed the foot with both hands at the toes and worked his way up to above the ankles and back down. "And yet you are hard already," he smiled, seeing Brian’s erection tenting at the crotch.
Brian opened one eye to look at him and then moved his other foot to rub over his Justin’s crotch, as if to prove a point. "So are you."
Justin twisted at the touch of that heel rubbing against his hardness. "What can I do, I like getting my hands on you any chance I can get."
He used his fingers and thumbs to stroke both on the top and bottom of the foot, making Brian groan. "This is good," he sighed. Justin could see his lover’s breathing growing fast.
"I’m always good." He smiled as he started on the other foot.
"That you are, Mr. Taylor." Brian settled back on the couch and closed his eyes again. "That you are."
Justin was at the gallery the next day when the courier guy brought him the package.
He opened it only to find a small cellophane wrapped article in it. He unwrapped it carefully and a classy little pet collar fell in his hands. A smile broke on his face as he noticed the intricately crafted nylon webbing, the delicate ribbon trim, the tag ring and a silver jingle bell attached to it. He turned it around and saw the prominent "Z" embroidered on it and felt his eyebrows rise in his forehead.
Justin took out his cell-phone and pressed 1 on the speed-dial. Brian picked up on the third ring.
"Her name is ‘Z’?"
"Don’t be ridiculous," Brian replied. "That’s just her first initial."
"Uh huh."
"Her name is Zeta."
Justin stared at the collar in his hand. "Zeta? As in Catherine Zeta-Jones?"
"No," Brian said slowly. "More like Zeta …. the nuclear charge on an electron."
Justin felt his brows knitting. "Electrons?"
"Quantum chemistry," Brian explained.
Ah. The Chemistry Club geek emerges. Justin felt a smile begin at the corners of his mouth. "Mmmmmm. Going all sci fi on me, are you?"
"Think of it. She’s always in motion. In flux, like an electron," Brian said. "It fits."
Suddenly Justin had a vision of the kitten running around his feet as he’d heated dinner in the kitchen the night before. Meowing, constantly talking to him, jumping around him, trying to get his attention-and yes, constantly in motion, revolving around him. First coming at him from the left, then from the right, then from the front, then from behind. And then yelping in excitement as Brian came downstairs as she purred and jumped and rubbed against him until he bent down to pick her up and said something to her as she mewled and pawed at him in adulation. Brian was right. The name did fit.
Zeta. He let the smile spread on his face. "I like it," he said.
"Thank fucking Christ."
He laughed as he leaned against his desk. "Well, now you see what I meant? This is so much better than boring old Cat."
"That was perfectly apt on its own," the stubbornness in Brian’s voice was slowly, but obviously, giving way to reason. "But… since you insisted."
Justin chuckled. "Well, I’m glad for once you listened."
"Hmmmm." Brian sounded pleased. "Well, you owe me a thousand blowjobs for this."
Well, it was nice some things didn’t change. "Why? For urging you to name your own kitten?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with names?"
"Well, apparently, for you, yes." He chuckled. "Not much difficult for me, though. I’ve been naming things for you forever." Which was true. He’d helped Brian pick Gus’ name. He had given Brian the idea for ‘Kinnetik.’ And when they were in their silly, jokey moods, they still referred to the house as ‘Britin.’ It was true, Justin did consider himself pretty good at naming things.
But it was apparent Brian was not in an agreeable mood. "Well, obviously you’re losing your touch," Brian said. "Stripey and Spittle and Blender are no names for a cat that belongs to me."
"Stripey, Spittle and Blender were jokes." Justin shook his head. "I just wanted you to wake up and do some creative thinking of your own. And guess what, it worked."
"Which brings us back to the issue at hand," Brian said. "A thousand blowjobs from you."
Justin sighed. "You can collect them over … the next one year."
"You must be out of your fucking mind to think I’ll be waiting that long." Brian said disbelievingly. "I was thinking more in the tune of … in the next one month."
He snorted. "What do you expect me to do, stay down on my knees every fucking second I’m with you?"
"That’s not such a bad idea," Brian said airily. "The worshipful stance does suit you very well."
Justin laughed again. "That’s what I love about you. You’re always so full of yourself."
"Admit it." He could hear the smile in Brian’s voice. "You love sucking my cock."
"Well, there’s no denying that."
"Then, it’s settled," Brian said. "I expect to collect the first batch when you come home tonight."
"We’ll see." With a laugh, Justin straightened up, nodding at Kelly, the gallery director, who was waving to him from the front.
"Yes, we will, won’t we?" Brian said. And then, as if he could read Justin’s mind, he bid his farewell "OK, go away now, I’ll see you later."
"Later," Justin smiled, ending the call. He put the phone in his pocket, and looked down at the collar once again.
Zeta. The kitten finally had a name. A name that made sense.
He thought she was going to like it.
***
The End
Author: laylafic
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Post 513
Universe: Set in the "Rule of the Jungle universe"
Word count: 4,228
Genre: Fluff
Summary: ‘Last time Brian got a kitten and Justin got a surprise. This time the kitten needs a name and Brian is being his usual stubborn self. Justin decides to take matters into his own hand.’
Notes: Written for the help_pakistan auction. Dedicated to teatotaller for winning the QAF fic offer. My winner had no specific requests, so I tried my hand at fluff. I needed it after the angsty ride I’d had with my other offer. Dunno if it works but… there you go! :)
What's in a name?
Settling back in Pittsburgh had turned out to be a lot simpler than Justin had expected.
He still maintained his connections in New York. He had jobs lined up in the City from now up till September of next year. He had a part-time position as an Assistant Manager at Sidney Bloom’s where he spent afternoons meeting potential customers and guiding them through the gallery’s exhibits. Sidney had also given him exclusive use of the gallery’s studio for his own work, so what he couldn’t work on at the studio at home -which in itself was very well-appointed and located in the eastern wing of the house which collected beautiful sunlight during the day- he worked on at the gallery.
The shorter hours at the gallery had given him the chance to freelance at a few advertising firms around the city. However, Brian kept giving him Kinnetik projects related to some of his major accounts that kept him so occupied, that Justin suspected his partner wanted his freelance work to remain exclusive to Kinnetik. Not that Justin minded it. Kinnetik had made a name for its cutting edge campaigns since its inception six years ago; it was considered one of the biggest agencies on the west coast now and having projects connected to Kinnetik on his CV only added to his own prestige.
All in all, things were settling into a nice routine for Justin. He was professionally involved with projects he not only enjoyed but also made good money on, and he had a partner who doted on him. Brian Kinney never ceased to amaze him.
Brian Kinney who also had adopted a kitten.
That should have been clue enough that the fates were pulling his leg for some reason. But sometimes Justin needed a bigger nudge to get the message across.
It was on the ninth day of the kitten’s arrival, when Justin was doing some work on his laptop that he heard Brian come in from outside and go into the kitchen to put something in the fridge. He looked up from the screen when Brian came into the living room and picked up the TV remote and sat down on the sofa across. The kitten as usual went running to her master, meowing happily as she rubbed against his leg, and Brian scratched her head, murmuring something softly as he switched channels.
Justin blinked at his boyfriend. "Brian?"
"What?" Brian answered distractedly, his eyes on the TV.
"What did you just call the kitten?"
Brian stared at him strangely. "Huh. I called her ‘Cat’."
"Okay." Justin looked at him closely. "But what’s her name?"
Brian looked down at the kitten, and happily patted her head. "Her name is ‘Cat’."
Justin blinked again. "Her name is not ‘Cat’, Brian. She is a cat."
Brian stared at him, his face expressionless. "I want to call her ‘Cat’."
Justin laughed suddenly. "That’s stupid."
"Why?" Brian shrugged. "She’s my cat, isn’t she? At least that’s what you insist all the time. So I will call her anything I feel like."
Justin shook his head. "Are you being deliberately ridiculous?"
Brian looked at him deadpan. "Are you being deliberately obtuse?"
"Insulting me won’t get you anywhere." Justin grinned at him. "We have to name the kitten."
"And I just did." Brian picked her up and started stroking her fur, making her purr in contentment. "Her name is ‘Cat’. Isn’t it, ‘Cat’?"
"Ridiculous." Justin snorted.
"Obtuse." Brian grinned at him.
That night, as Justin was lying in the circle of Brian’s arms, after having been fucked twice in the most satisfying way, he realized what he had to do. Not giving the kitten a proper name was not on. But it was totally Brian’s style to act in such a nonchalant way when it was obvious he adored the animal. But Justin was not going to let Brian get away with this stupid charade. Listening to his boyfriend snoring peacefully by his side, a smile broke onto his face.
Yes, he knew exactly what he was going to do. And by the time he was through, the kitten would have a decent name.
This was going to be fanfuckingtastic.
The next morning, Brian was sitting at the kitchen bar, drinking coffee, when Justin walked in with his messenger bag. He put it on a chair, then walked up to Brian with a sweet smile plastered on his face and planted a firm kiss on his lips, complete with tongue. Brian had a smile on his face by the time they were through.
"Saved any for me?" Justin nodded towards the coffeemaker, as he took a frozen waffle pack from the freezer and started unwrapping it.
"Yes," Brian replied, then scowled at Justin as he switched on the hotplate and placed the waffle on the grill. "That’s disgusting. Do you know how much processed sugar is in that crap? And that saturated fat content would give anyone with half a brain a nutritional nightmare. You’re gonna get a fat ass and then I will be forced to stop fucking you."
"Yeah, we’ll see when that day comes." Justin smirked at him. Then he turned and looked at the kitten sitting on the kitchen floor, looking up at the two of them as if she could understand their conversation, and greeted her: "Hey, Stripey."
Brian froze halfway through the motion of drinking coffee, the cup held in his hand mid-air. He looked at Justin. "Her name is not ‘Stripey’."
Justin shrugged. "I just named her."
"Don’t be an ass." Brian pressed his lips close. "She has no stripes. She has spots."
"If you want to call her Spotty, go right ahead." Justin smiled. "I like the sound of Stripey."
Brian scowled. "That’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard for a kitten."
Justin raised both brows. "No more stupid than calling a cat ‘Cat’."
Brian’s nostrils flared. "She is a cat. So I call her Cat."
Justin shook his head in mock-sorrow. "Brian, how would you feel if your parents had refused to name you when you were born? How would you feel if they’d instead opted to call you ‘Boy’?"
Brian sneered at him. "I wouldn’t have felt anything at that point, as a newly born, I would’ve developed an attachment to any name they had given me."
Justin looked at the kitten and snapped his fingers at her. "Hey Stripey."
"She’s not ‘Stripey’," Brian insisted. "You’re being annoying for no reason."
"Hey, look, she likes the name." Justin smiled widely as the kitten walked to him, meowing curiously. "Stripey, oh you sweet little kitty, oh Stripey."
"Fuck you." Brian snarled at him. "Her name is ‘Cat’."
"Striiiipeeeeey!" Justin sang out as he bent down to take the kitten in his hands.
Brian tried to take her from him. "Stop it."
Justin backed away from him. "I won’t."
Brian gritted his teeth. "Do it or else?"
Justin laughed in his face. "What are you gonna do? Not fuck me tonight?"
Brian took a deep breath as if attempting to calm himself. "She’s not ‘Stripey’."
"Then give her a name you like."
"I already did." Brian said slowly, "‘Cat.’"
Justin rolled his eyes and looked at the kitten. "Hey Stripey!" He said in a taunting sing-song manner. "How’re you doing, Stripey?"
"Justin!"
"Brian!"
Brian huffed. "You are doing this on purpose."
"Of course."
Brian made a face. "You will pay the price for daring me, you twat!"
Justin smirked. "Fine, I’ll pay the price when you have the guts to charge me for giving our cat a decent name."
Brian laughed. "’Stripey’ is a decent name?"
"Far more decent than no name." Brian put down his coffee mug and got up from the stool. "I don’t want her growing up with an identity problem, Brian." He watched as Brian moved to the door, shaking his head. "And for what reason? Because you were too chicken shit to admit that you care enough about your cat to give her a proper name?"
But Brian had already left, slamming the door shut behind him.
Justin rubbed his fingers to the kitten’s ears, hearing her purr in contentment and looked at her. "Stripey?" he asked her but she only stared at him in confusion. "No?" He smiled at her. "Okay, then I’ll think of something else?"
That whole day, Brian received fifteen text messages from Justin with the most ridiculous nickname suggestions he could come up with for the kitten. All variations on the name ‘Stripey’.
All of them were ignored.
In the evening, Justin drove into the driveway of the house just as Brian came out of the garage, having parked his car. They met at the door and Justin nudged his boyfriend.
"Hi Brian," he greeted him cheerfully.
"Shut up," Brian muttered as he opened the door and walked inside.
"I didn’t say a thing," Justin chirped as he followed him in.
"I’m not talking to you." Brian huffed.
"What did I do?" Justin looked at him mock-innocently.
Brian looked into his eyes. "I know what you’re up to, Sunshine."
Justin grinned. "Oh yeah. what am I up to?"
Brian said, "It’s not going to work."
Justin raised a brow. "That’s kinda premature, isn’t it?"
"You will fail," Brian declared.
"I would?"
"Yes." Brian said, putting his briefcase on the counter, "I’ve already given her a name."
Justin shrugged as they walked into the lounge. "So have I."
"Her name’s not ‘Stripey’," Brian insisted, as he went to the fridge to get a water bottle out.
"Of course not." Justin sniffed. "That’s just stupid."
"It is?" Brian looked surprised as he opened the cap and turned to look at him. Then he nodded. "Yes, it is. I told you it is."
"Yes." Justin nodded, as he watched Brian put the bottle to his mouth and started to drink. "Her name is certainly not Stripey." He smiled. "It is ‘Spittle’."
Brian started coughing as the water went down the wrong way. He hacked and wheezed, nearly turning red as he brought his breathing under control. He looked up at Justin in shock, gasping. "What?"
"Yes, I think it suits her." Justin bounced on his feet, grinning widely, as he looked around the room, looking for the cat. "Hey Spittle. Hey Spitty, Spitty, Spitty!" He called out and laughed out delightedly as the kitten came running out of the den, mewling. "Awww, she loves it."
Apparently rendered speechless, Brian could nothing except look at him in indignation. His lower lip quivered, even though his eyes were twinkling.
"Don’t pout, Brian," Justin said to him. "That isn’t a very good look on you."
"Fuck you!" Brian cursed and turned around, stalking into the Game Room.
"Oh, so now you’ll stomp away in anger. Very mature." Justin called out, the laughter evident in his voice. "Very, very mature, Brian!"
The text messages continued the next two days. Brian ignored them the first day, but the next day the frequency got so much on his nerves, that he had to turn his phone off.
On the third day, Justin reverted to leaving voice messages on his office’s direct line. Those too were ignored.
On the fourth day, when Brian saw the carefully taken hand-written notes (all twelve of them) left on his desk by Cynthia with the nick name suggestions based on the names ‘Stinky’, ‘Fleabait’ and ‘Buttsniffer’, he put his foot down.
"She doesn’t stink, she doesn’t have fleas, and she certainly doesn’t sniff anyone’s butts," he growled when he saw Justin that night.
"How would I know?" Justin blinked his eyes at him. "All I see is a poor little kitten that shows a tendency to develop a serious identity crisis because she has no name, and who could very well develop all those bad habits because of her insecurities."
"Do whatever you want, Sunshine." Brian stared at him. "Her name is Cat. Cat! Do you hear me?"
"Whatever you say, Brian." Justin laughed.
But Justin knew that if there was anyone who could out-stubborn Justin Taylor, it was Brian Kinney. So on the fifth day, Justin came up with a new plan.
Wednesday was a busy day for Brian. He had a strategy meeting with the art department at ten, a budget meeting with Theodore at eleven thirty and Leo Brown was coming to the office for lunch.
So when Justin walked into Kinnetik at one-fifteen pm, with a carton in one hand and what looked like some kind of a weird woven basket in the other, Brian was surprised.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" he scowled at him.
"Is that any way to greet your partner?" Justin grinned at Cynthia’s eye-roll as he handed her one of the packages, and then reached up to kiss Brian. "I had a meeting with the agent and stopped by Deb’s on the way back. She made Lasagna, and insisted I bring some for you."
Brian made a face. "Deb’s Lasagna with all that artery-clogging fat in it? Thanks but no thanks, I would prefer not to have a heart attack anytime soon. Besides I have a client lunch. I don’t have time for…"
"Oh, hello Mr. Brown," Justin interrupted him as he noticed Leo Brown come out of Brian’s office. "How’re you doing?" He greeted the distinguished older man. He’d worked on the last two campaigns for Brown Athletics, and Leo had gotten to know him very well.
"Hello Justin." Leo looked at him warmly. "I’m fine, how about you?
"I’m doing great." Justin smiled at him. "How’s the campaign coming along?"
"Wonderful." Leo smiled. "How’s the art world? Any new shows coming up?"
"Oh yeah, in November," Justin replied, "I’ll send you the invitation, you must come."
"I wouldn’t miss it for the world," Leo smiled.
"Thanks, Mr. Brown." Justin turned to Brian who was watching them with a knowing smile on his face, which dropped when Justin handed him the basket he was carrying. "Here."
Brian took the basket and looked at it hesitantly. "This is Deb’s Lasagna?"
"Of course not, silly." Justin chuckled. "That’s ‘Blender’."
"That’s what?" Brian exclaimed, just as a very familiar mewl came out of the basket.
"Oh, who’s that?" Leo asked as Justin opened the cover of the basket and took the kitten out.
"That’s Brian’s kitten," he said proudly, petting the kitten with gentle hands.
"How sweet." Leo looked at Brian with surprise. "I didn’t know you had a cat, Brian." His eyebrow quirked. "You don’t look like a cat person to me."
"I assure you, Leo, I’m not," Brian replied with gritted teeth. He looked at Justin. "You brought the cat to your interview with the agent?"
"Hey, she gets lonely at home." Justin shrugged innocently. "And she’s great company." He tickled the kitten behind her ears and she meowed in happiness. "Hey Blender," he said to her.
"Justin!" Brian gave him a warning look, as Cynthia giggled in the background.
"Blender?" Leo looked between the two of them. "That’s an… interesting name."
"Oh, Brian named her," Justin told him. "We call her Blenda sometimes. Or Blendy-poo. Sometimes even Blenderina." He grinned. "Any variation of the word, you know. She loves them all. She’s a good sport like that."
"I’m sure she does!" Leo was giving them a strange look, as if he couldn’t quite grasp what he was witnessing. "Why Brian, you’re a… surprising man."
"That’s me, Leo." Brian gave Justin a skunk eye as he smiled sweetly at his client. "Surprising!"
Justin nodded. "Oh, you have no idea, Mr. Brown."
Later that evening, Theodore Schmidt received a call as he was driving back home.
"Thanks, Ted."
"Don’t mention it. Just tell me, did it work?"
"I’m not sure yet. He’s not really talking to me at the moment. But I think I’m gonna fall back on some old strategies. Those are surefire done deals."
"I meant it literally, Justin. Don’t mention it. If Brian finds out I told you that Leo Brown was going to be there when you called, he’s gonna kill me."
"Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry about it. I won’t."
"Thanks. Don’t call me again."
Justin stood at the door to the Game Room and smiled. There Brian was, with the storyboards spread out in front of him, the TV tuned to some random sports channel, and the reading glasses - a recent addition - perched on his nose sexily as he made notes on the sheets with a pen, all the while pretending to ignore the fact that Justin was standing at the door watching him. How could Justin resist the man when he was like this? Sure he could pretend all he wanted that he was pissed at Justin forcing the cat name issue… but Justin was positive that Brian knew how ridiculous he was being. Besides, Justin had a plan now. A reliable, never to be doubted plan which he should’ve thought of way earlier.
Ah well, it was never too late to apply the correct wisdom when the time called for it. Even if that wisdom came a bit later than it probably should have.
He made his way to the couch with his supplies and settled down next to his boyfriend. He moved some of Brian’s boards and put the bowl down in front of him.
Brian looked at the bowl and then at him. "Popcorn? You are gonna entice me with popcorn?"
"It’s low fat, Brian," he said. "Only 25 calories per cup. Even you should approve."
Brian leaned back on his seat, straightening his legs along the couch, his eyebrow raised sarcastically. "How considerate of you."
"I’m always considerate." Justin smiled as he pulled out the DVD and waved in front of him. "See, James Dean. Rebel without a cause."
"Uh huh." Brian watched as Justin got to his feet and went to the Home theatre system to put in the DVD in the player. He switched it on and then came back to sit down on the other end of the couch. He turned on his seat so that he was facing Brian and pulled his legs under him. "And what do we have here?" He pulled out the small bottle he had in his pocket and put it on the table. "Voila."
"What are you doing?" Brian looked at him strangely as Justin took out a towel and laid it on his knees, then wrapped his hands around Brian’s ankles.
"I’m putting your feet on my lap," Justin said as he pulled Brian’s legs straight and arranged them on his towel-covered knees. He then carefully started folding Brian’s trousers up his ankles as he stroked the long, beautiful feet he loved so much. He picked up the bottle and removed its cap. "And here’s your favorite scented oil."
"A massage lure," Brian drawled as a smile attempted to break at the corners of his lips. "Intriguing."
Justin rubbed a little oil on his fingers and then pressed said fingers on the pressure points on Brian’s ankle, watching him closely for his reaction. "Mmmm, see, I knew you’d like it.
"Actually, ‘Sweet Almond’ is your favorite," Brian said nonchalantly. "I’m more partial to ‘Cedarwood’."
Justin gently cupped Brian’s left heel in one hand and then slowly, with his other hand, stretched the foot up and down and around in circles, watching Brian’s eyes slide close. "Mmmm. Says the man who had three consecutive orgasms the last time I tried this with him prone on the bed."
"As you can see," Brian murmured, "I’m not prone on my bed."
"No, you’re not." He squeezed the foot with both hands at the toes and worked his way up to above the ankles and back down. "And yet you are hard already," he smiled, seeing Brian’s erection tenting at the crotch.
Brian opened one eye to look at him and then moved his other foot to rub over his Justin’s crotch, as if to prove a point. "So are you."
Justin twisted at the touch of that heel rubbing against his hardness. "What can I do, I like getting my hands on you any chance I can get."
He used his fingers and thumbs to stroke both on the top and bottom of the foot, making Brian groan. "This is good," he sighed. Justin could see his lover’s breathing growing fast.
"I’m always good." He smiled as he started on the other foot.
"That you are, Mr. Taylor." Brian settled back on the couch and closed his eyes again. "That you are."
Justin was at the gallery the next day when the courier guy brought him the package.
He opened it only to find a small cellophane wrapped article in it. He unwrapped it carefully and a classy little pet collar fell in his hands. A smile broke on his face as he noticed the intricately crafted nylon webbing, the delicate ribbon trim, the tag ring and a silver jingle bell attached to it. He turned it around and saw the prominent "Z" embroidered on it and felt his eyebrows rise in his forehead.
Justin took out his cell-phone and pressed 1 on the speed-dial. Brian picked up on the third ring.
"Her name is ‘Z’?"
"Don’t be ridiculous," Brian replied. "That’s just her first initial."
"Uh huh."
"Her name is Zeta."
Justin stared at the collar in his hand. "Zeta? As in Catherine Zeta-Jones?"
"No," Brian said slowly. "More like Zeta …. the nuclear charge on an electron."
Justin felt his brows knitting. "Electrons?"
"Quantum chemistry," Brian explained.
Ah. The Chemistry Club geek emerges. Justin felt a smile begin at the corners of his mouth. "Mmmmmm. Going all sci fi on me, are you?"
"Think of it. She’s always in motion. In flux, like an electron," Brian said. "It fits."
Suddenly Justin had a vision of the kitten running around his feet as he’d heated dinner in the kitchen the night before. Meowing, constantly talking to him, jumping around him, trying to get his attention-and yes, constantly in motion, revolving around him. First coming at him from the left, then from the right, then from the front, then from behind. And then yelping in excitement as Brian came downstairs as she purred and jumped and rubbed against him until he bent down to pick her up and said something to her as she mewled and pawed at him in adulation. Brian was right. The name did fit.
Zeta. He let the smile spread on his face. "I like it," he said.
"Thank fucking Christ."
He laughed as he leaned against his desk. "Well, now you see what I meant? This is so much better than boring old Cat."
"That was perfectly apt on its own," the stubbornness in Brian’s voice was slowly, but obviously, giving way to reason. "But… since you insisted."
Justin chuckled. "Well, I’m glad for once you listened."
"Hmmmm." Brian sounded pleased. "Well, you owe me a thousand blowjobs for this."
Well, it was nice some things didn’t change. "Why? For urging you to name your own kitten?"
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with names?"
"Well, apparently, for you, yes." He chuckled. "Not much difficult for me, though. I’ve been naming things for you forever." Which was true. He’d helped Brian pick Gus’ name. He had given Brian the idea for ‘Kinnetik.’ And when they were in their silly, jokey moods, they still referred to the house as ‘Britin.’ It was true, Justin did consider himself pretty good at naming things.
But it was apparent Brian was not in an agreeable mood. "Well, obviously you’re losing your touch," Brian said. "Stripey and Spittle and Blender are no names for a cat that belongs to me."
"Stripey, Spittle and Blender were jokes." Justin shook his head. "I just wanted you to wake up and do some creative thinking of your own. And guess what, it worked."
"Which brings us back to the issue at hand," Brian said. "A thousand blowjobs from you."
Justin sighed. "You can collect them over … the next one year."
"You must be out of your fucking mind to think I’ll be waiting that long." Brian said disbelievingly. "I was thinking more in the tune of … in the next one month."
He snorted. "What do you expect me to do, stay down on my knees every fucking second I’m with you?"
"That’s not such a bad idea," Brian said airily. "The worshipful stance does suit you very well."
Justin laughed again. "That’s what I love about you. You’re always so full of yourself."
"Admit it." He could hear the smile in Brian’s voice. "You love sucking my cock."
"Well, there’s no denying that."
"Then, it’s settled," Brian said. "I expect to collect the first batch when you come home tonight."
"We’ll see." With a laugh, Justin straightened up, nodding at Kelly, the gallery director, who was waving to him from the front.
"Yes, we will, won’t we?" Brian said. And then, as if he could read Justin’s mind, he bid his farewell "OK, go away now, I’ll see you later."
"Later," Justin smiled, ending the call. He put the phone in his pocket, and looked down at the collar once again.
Zeta. The kitten finally had a name. A name that made sense.
He thought she was going to like it.
***
The End