Inverted
Inverted 8/10
A Kinney Family Moment
A 17 year old Brian meets a 29 year old Justin and sparks fly.
Inverted
Chapter 8
"Hey, Dad." I look him over. He's about as dressed up as he ever gets. He's wearing work boots, wrinkled pants, a stained white shirt and an ill-fitting jacket. I can smell the booze on his breath from my seat. He even looks unsteady on his feet. Someone would just have to look at Jack to know he's a complete drunk. I don't know why he bothers trying to be anything else.
Justin clears his throat, and I remember that he's still sitting across from me. "Dad, this is Justin. He's a friend of my boss." I put an emphasis on the last word, hoping that he'll take a hint and leave us the fuck alone. "Justin, this is my dad, Jack Kinney." Justin turns to my dad, and for a second it looks like he's about to give Jack a handshake, but he must change his mind.
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Kinney." He actually smiles when he says it, and suddenly I can imagine Justin in high school and being the boy girls brought home to make a good impression.
Jack is just standing there like he's forgotten how to speak. "What're you doing here, Dad?" I know for a fact this restaurant is way out of his price range. He'd rather spend his money at a bar.
Jack shrugs his shoulders. "The Warden dragged me here. She's trying to impress her church friends." He glances to his right. A few tables down, I can see my mother sitting with a couple.
He looks back at us and turns toward me. "Why are you here, Sonnyboy?" He laughs before continuing. "On a fucking date?" He's still laughing as if he just told the best joke. Now, I have a choice here. I could go along with the joke or I could tell the truth.
I'll never be ashamed of who I am. If anyone has a problem with me…well, fuck them.
And that means my dad too.
"Yeah, I am."
His posture straightens, his eyes narrow, and finally he stops laughing. "You're a fucking fairy?" He stares at us for a second. I'm sure he's about to cause a scene, which could be entertaining, but my mother suddenly appears at his side.
She barely acknowledges me, giving a small nod in my direction. "It's time for us to leave, Jack. You have to pay the bill."
"Sit your ass back down at the table, Joanie. I'll be over in a second."
I can tell that her pride is wounded. She hates when he talks to her like that in public. But she does what he says and walks back to her table. Jack puts his hands on our table and leans on it heavily. He's close enough that the smell of Jim Beam is overwhelming. "You better not tell your mother about this." He stands up straight and just walks away.
I look at Justin and he puts words to what I'm thinking. "What the fuck?"
"Just another Kinney Family Moment." The whole scene wasn't as bad as I had imagined it would be. When you think about coming out, you come up with all these different scenarios. Most of the scenarios I came up with ended with a few bruises or getting kicked out of the house. I hadn't counted on Jack wanting to have another secret to keep from Joan more than actually caring about his son being a fag.
Justin reaches over the table and touches my hand. "You want to get out of here?"
I nod slowly. "Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea." Justin takes care of the bill and we walk out to his car. My mind is still racing with what happened tonight and what it means and how it changes things. And I can tell there's something on Justin's mind too. We're a few blocks away from the loft before he says anything.
"Your dad isn't…uhm…he doesn't-"
"My dad doesn't hit me, Justin." He nods and for a second I consider just leaving it at that, but I continue. "Jack's just a miserable old drunk with a bad temper and an even worse mouth. He never should have had kids. Hell, he probably shouldn't have gotten married." He pulls into the parking garage. "I turn eighteen in a couple months, and I've saved up some money…"
"Brian, you know if you ever needed-"
"Yeah, I know, Justin."
"Good." He opens his car door and we both get out. We take the elevator up to his apartment, and suddenly I'm very tired. I just want to stop thinking about…all of it. Justin unlocks the front door to his apartment. He sets his keys on a small table in the front room. As I walk toward the master bedroom, I can hear him drop his wallet and watch onto the table too.
When I get to Justin's bedroom, I toe off my shoes and climb onto his bed fully clothed. It's a comfy bed, better than the one at my house. Justin walks into the room just as I'm getting comfortable. I put an arm behind my head and watch him unbutton his shirt and take it off, leaving just his undershirt and very flattering jeans on. He climbs onto the bed and lies down next to me. We're both looking through the sky light at the clouds for a few seconds before I break the silence.
"I think I have a new rule."
Justin turns toward me. "Really? And what's that?"
I look down at him to see his reaction when I answer. "I don't do dates." I can't stop myself from smirking a little when I say it, and he gives the barest hint of a smile.
"We had fun for awhile there, didn't we?" His fingers fiddle with a button on my shirt.
I roll over onto my side, facing him, and rest a hand on his hip before answering. "Yeah, but I think we would have had more fun here."
He gives me one of those amazing smiles and pushes me onto my back. He rolls on top of me and straddles my hips. "You're probably right."
"So, we don't do dates?" Justin's kissing my neck and I can feel him smile against my skin.
He moves up to my ear and whispers lowly. "We don't do dates." I take him by surprise and roll him onto his back so I'm on top.
"Good."
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Author's Notes: Thanks to vanna12 for doing her beta thing.