QaF Fic "Through a Mirror, Darkly" Chapter 7
I wanted to post last night but RL wouldn't let me but here's the next update!
Yay!
******SPOILER WARNING*******This is about two parallel worlds. One which we know about and another that our Brian has found himself in. There will be a major character death in the other world - actually - there already has been. There is nothing squicky, per se. It's just a dark story. Our boys will still be together in the end and no, they won't be dead but very much alive - this is the best way I can think of to show once and for fucking all how much Brian Kinney wants to be with Justin Taylor. Just trust me but yes, this will get angsty. *******SPOILER WARNING*********
Title: Through a Mirror Darkly
Chapter: 7
Pairing: Brian/Justin - duh!
Genre: Angst/Horror
Warnings: Character Death but not what you think.
Summary: Takes a strange turn at the end of Episode 217, when Brian goes to tell Justin about his new partnership.
Disclaimers: I don't own Cowlip or the boys and monkeys have been known to fly out of my ass and I was Caligula in my past life and blah blah blah - does anyone actually read this thing?
Author's Note: For the purpose of this story - Justin never went on the trip to Vermont since Mikey was a good friend to BOTH Brian and Justin and convinced Justin to stay and wait for Brian.
Chapter 1 Brian comes home from Chicago
Chapter 2 Brian tries to get some answers
Chapter 3 Brian confronts the blond in his loft
Chapter 4 Brian runs into Kip
Chapter 5 Brian learns who Justin is
Chapter 6 Brian and Michael learn more
"Yes, we're okay," Brian said with the same smile. "Now, come here and give me a proper hello."
Justin smiled and knew all was forgiven.
For whatever he may have done.
Justin smiled and ran up to Brian, then flung his arms around his neck.
He stopped just short of kissing his older lover. "Brian? Is everything okay?"
Brian took in the face of the younger man. He was looking up at him, an expectant look on his face. He gazed upon the trusting eyes and that's when it hit him.
He had never seen a trick look at him like this before. They looked at him with lust, with desire, with hope for the best fuck of their lives, but not this - trust, adoration and yes, Brian realized, love. Real, honest to God, love.
It was obvious Justin trusted Brian with everything he had. He could feel it not only in the way Justin looked at him, but the way he held him, the way he moved against him. It was as if he were molded to him, made just for him and there was no other place Justin would rather be.
Brian contemplated the position he was in. It was...intoxicating.
Although there was nothing more that Brian wanted to do at the moment than to take Justin right then and there in the living room, he needed to put some control in. Besides, he wanted to get an answer to a question that had been plaguing him since he first heard about Kip.
Brian stepped back when he realized Justin was still waiting for an answer. "Yeah, it is," Brian said and punctuated it with a kiss to Justin's forehead. Forehead kissing in Brian's mind was a bit too intimate for his tricks but he found it was just what was needed in this situation. Besides, Justin wasn't a trick. He was...well he wasn't exactly sure what Justin was, but he wasn't just a trick.
"Pour us a Beam," Brian said more of a statement than a request.
"Sure thing," Justin said and smiled back as he walked over to the liquor trolley.
"So," Brian continued as he watched Justin pour the drinks, "are you going to tell me what the story is on Kip?"
Justin stopped pouring and looked at the bottle he was holding in his hand. He swallowed once while still staring at the bottle, refusing to look back at Brian. "So you know?"
"I know something caused Kip to drop the suit, and I think, actually I know that you had something to do with it," Brian said smugly. "Why don't you tell me your version, so I don't have to guess," Brian said and then added, after he got into Justin's space and leaned down into his ear, "or have to ask the source directly."
Justin looked up into Brian's face, then finished pouring the glasses of Beam. He handed a glass to Brian and kept one for himself. He then distanced himself from Brian.
Justin drank about half the glass and then took in Brian's expectant face.
It was time to come clean, Justin mused to himself.
"Are you mad at me?" Justin asked while wincing. He wasn't sure if it was because of the liquor or the thought of Brian's answer.
Probably both.
"No, just tell me." Brian then added harshly, "And no bullshit! I'll know if you're lying," Brian added hoping his bluff worked.
"Well, look Brian, it was this way," Justin started and then turned away. "I saw your checkbook that day Lindsay came over with Gus, and I realized how much they depended on you, and how much you could stand to lose," Justin stopped and then turned to look at Brian. "It just didn't seem fair."
"Life isn't fair," Brian said with a shrug. No, Brian thought, because if life had been fair, he would have had this tasty morsel for himself on his world.
"I know, it's just," Justin sighed, "it's just, I knew I could do something. I just didn't know what at the time. Nobody was willing to do anything for you. I mean, sure," Justin said with a wave of his hand, "Mel took you on as a client, but she was going completely by the book and it didn't look good for you, because well, because you had slept with a junior co-worker."
There it was again - Justin had brought up Mel. He had to find out what the story was on that one.
"Yes, I know fucking Kip had been one of my biggest mistakes of my life," Brian said, among others. "Please continue," Brian said, "and without pointing out how royally I fucked up, thank you very much."
Justin smiled. "So we were at Woody's and I saw Kip there. Oh, I knew what he looked like because I saw him that night at the loft right after you sent me away..."
"So you could go study for your SATs," Brian supplied, piecing together information he had gleaned earlier at Woody's from the kid's outburst.
"Yeah. Oh, but he hadn't seen me at the loft," Justin said while shaking his head. "So I came on to him at the bar."
Brian raised his eyebrow at Justin. "Now this is getting interesting. Do go on."
"He brushed me off at first because he seemed pretty upset. So I followed him out to the alleyway and I propositioned him again. I also told him I knew you, and that I thought you were an asshole," Justin said as he winced. Brian did the eyebrow thing again. "Then I kissed him," Justin said and stood firm. He needed to get the story out before Brian wondered what his intentions had been toward Kip. "I hated it, but I needed to do something."
"I'm assuming this was all part of your evil plan?" Brian asked while smirking.
"What plan?!" Justin said while he threw his arms up in the air. "I had no idea what I was going to do. Anyways," Justin said and slumped down on the couch, "he finally became really interested in me..."
Brian scoffed, "yeah, it must have been a real hardship for him, someone like you coming on to someone like him."
Justin bit his lip and continued, "and we went back to his place."
"You went to a strange guy's house?!" Now this pissed Brian off and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.
"Yes...just like I came here that first time, Brian," Justin shot back. "Anyways, I got there, and I took my pants off and he just kneeled there, looking at my dick. It was...I don't know. I didn't want him to touch me but I pretended that I wanted it. Seriously, Brian, why did you do him? He really was repulsive...or maybe it was just what I knew he did."
Brian thought about it. There was nothing particularly special about Kip. Really.
Even Michael had asked him why he did it. And it was the same reason he did anyone that came along.
Because he could.
"So he was there, you were naked...did you let him fuck you?"
"Oh God. No, Brian, no!" Justin said incredulously. "You're the only...you've been the only one that I've let... So as I was saying, he kneeled down and started to go in for my cock. I couldn't stand the thought of him touching me so I started to talk shit about my age and my father and..."
"You let him know how old you were?"
"Yeah, so then when I saw he didn't care that I was a minor, I told him about my psycho father, which as you already know, wasn't too far from the truth," Justin said with a little chuckle.
Brian considered what Justin had just said. It seems life wasn't all tea and cookies for the other one as he had first thought. Apparently being with the kid had come with a price, and it had something to do with his father.
"So I told him, if he didn't want my psycho dad to find out about what he had almost done...I mean really, Brian, this guy wasn't very smart...we hadn't even done anything yet...then he should seriously consider dropping the suit."
"And that was it? He dropped it?"
"Um, yeah. That was the end of the conversation. I didn't have to convince him of anything else. I didn't hear anything else about it until the next day when it was my birthday and we were dancing and you were celebrating Kip mysteriously dropping the case," Justin said, Brian taking not of the way Justin had emphasized the word 'mysteriously.' "God, I loved that night. Remember how we danced all night long?" Justin asked while putting his arms around Brian. "We celebrated your good fortune, Emmett having seen the light by deciding not to see the light anymore, and," Justin said while planting tiny kisses all along Brian's throat, "we celebrated my turning eighteen at midnight by you fucking me in every," another moan by the kid, "single position."
Brian looked down at Justin who stopped kissing to look back up at him.
Brian remembered that night. Only his version was about one-hundred-eighty degrees from what Justin had just related. He had drunk himself into oblivion while the guys celebrated Emmett having come back to his senses.
He had caved in and had made sure to get the position in the company Kip had wanted - this, after Marty had told him to fix his mess himself. In his universe, there had been no lawyers who would go to bat for him and no little blond boys who had gone the extra mile and played hard ball with his conniving co-worker.
So Brian had got to keep his job, but at a price. He had been saddled with Kip and his incompetence for over a year.
Brian smiled down at Justin.
And there it was again. The look in his guileless, blue eyes - adoration, worship and trust.
Definitely trust.
Brian leaned down so his lips were barely touching Justin's. He took in the younger man's smell. He could smell the Beam but under that he could smell Justin himself. It was fresh, clean. A hint of soap, a hint of sweat. He rubbed his nose with Justin's nose, and then plunged his tongue into his mouth.
Justin kissed Brian back, mapping the inside of his mouth. Brian had become lost in the sensation of kissing Justin, plundering that sweet mouth when he was called out of his daze by Justin pulling away, Brian trying to reclaim the boy's lips.
"So," Justin said with a smile, "did you miss me?"
"Yes," Brian said will his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, "you could say I missed you." Of course, Brian knew that the full implication of the statement was lost on the young man before him. Yes, Brian realized, he had 'missed' Justin, only for him it had been meant on a night when his phone was turned on, the night he became a father for the first (and hopefully only) time.
Justin put his best seductive smile on and led Brian to the bedroom. Brian had stumbled into the desk on his way in.
Brian found he didn't really care all that much.
meanwhile in the other dimension
Brian put the Jeep in 'drive' and headed for the affluent suburb, remembering the house he had taken Justin to, to confront a father who wasn't willing to accept his son for who he was.
Brian braced himself for the battle that was yet to come.
Brian sat in the Jeep in front of the house, wondering what his next plan of action would be.
He must have sat out there for a good half an hour, not knowing how to proceed. The lights were on in the home and he could see movement beyond the curtains. Silhouettes against the brightness of the light shining from within.
Was one of those Justin?
He was trying to figure out what he would say once he knocked on the door, especially if Craig were to answer.
Hello, my name is Brian. You don't know me but I know your son. I took his virginity over a year ago. He's gay and I'm taking him home with me.
And then while everyone was standing around with their mouths hanging open, he would snatch Justin and they could run away.
Or he could enter the home on a false pretense and then just collect information.
Hello, my name is Brian and I'm with the Church of Latter Day Saints. Do you know God has a plan for you?
Brian had to laugh at the irony of that one. If God did have a plan for him, it was fucked up.
He wasn't going to get anywhere though if he stayed in the Jeep all night. Brian exited the car, walked up the path of the affluent home and stood on the porch, once again the ghosts of the past descending on him, almost as if they were mocking him in his time of pain.
"One more thing, Justin," his father started.
"Craig," Jennifer pleaded.
"No, I'm gonna say this. If you're going to live in this house, there's rules you have to obey. You are not to go to gay bars or talk about your disgusting lifestyle. And you are never, ever to see him again," Craig said while indicating Brian.
Well that wouldn't do, Brian mused.
Everyone was silent.
"So in other words," Brian said while smirking, "in order for Justin to live here, with you, he has to deny who he is, what he thinks and how he feels."
"I didn't ask for your opinion," Craig interrupted, "pal."
Brian stood. "That isn't love," Brian said and looked directly at Craig, "that's hate."
"Get the fuck out of my house," Craig said pointing at the door.
As Brian walked out of the room, "Justin, you coming?"
Would it be as easy as that this time?
He took a deep breath in and blew it out. Whatever Craig threw at him, he would deal with it. No matter what it was he came face to face with behind the door, he would deal.
Of course, he had to knock on the door first.
Brian tentatively raised his hand to rap on the door, or he could ring the doorbell or slam the knocker back and forth. He could do any one of those things. He had to be brave. He knew Justin would be if it were him.
And it was then, with that little bit of information, that memory of him walking down a crowded street to go back to the loft without needing Brian to hold his hand anymore, that it made it possible for Brian to knock on the door.
Steps were heard from inside and an then an 'I'll get it.'
The door opened and Brian came face to face with a pleasant looking Indian man.
The kind that came from India.
He reminded him of that M. Night Shyamalan guy.
"Yes, may I help you?"
"Um," what the hell Brian thought, he could be house-sitting, "I'm looking for the Taylors."
"Shoudn't you try the Yellow Pages," the man said without a hint of an accent. He then chuckled, "or maybe try the commercial area of town? I wouldn't know the directions for any tailors."
"I'm sorry," Brian said with a sense of dread in his voice, "the Taylors, not a tailor, but as in Jennifer and Craig Taylor."
'And Justin Taylor,' was what he wanted to add. He didn't give a two-bit fuck about the rest of them really.
The man nodded his head back and forth, "I'm sorry, no one by that name lives here."
Brian's heart, the one he knew he had despite everyone telling him he didn't over and over again constricted.
"Oh, wait up a minute," the man said and Brian's head perked up. "God! The name didn't register for a sec and then I remembered...those were the people I bought the house from about six months ago! Oh, you must be looking for them."
"Yes, yes, I am," Brian said excitedly. "Do you know where they went after?"
Brian felt hope once again.
"No, I don't but," the man started and then called behind him for his mother. He then turned back to Brian, "my mother talked to the woman for quite a while. She might know something."
Brian waited and waited. It seemed like it had taken eons for the woman to come to the door when in reality it was about three minutes tops.
"Yes, Sabah," a small woman with graying hair said.
"This man is looking for Mrs. Taylor," the man said and then the woman turned to Brian. What had once been a smiling, happy woman had changed. She looked closely at Brian, and then tried to slam the door on him.
"Mama! What are you doing? This man needs to know..."
The woman kept trying to close the door. "Do not talk to him! He does not belong here." She continued to try to close the door.
The man looked back. He was trying to mouth the words, 'sorry,' before the door was firmly slammed shut in front of him.
Brian could hear arguing and shouting behind the door. He realized that he was causing that effect everywhere he went tonight.
What was it the woman had said? 'He does not belong here.'
No, Brian thought, they should not be here. Justin should be here. Or more accurately, Justin should be at the loft.
Brian was about to turn away when he heard the front door opening. "Sir? Sir?"
Brian looked at the man coming out of the house walk up to him where he was standing on the porch. "I'm sorry about my mother. She was saying crazy things. You know how...well," the man said laughing, "mothers, yeah?"
"I know all too well," Brian said back, smiling weakly.
"She was saying strange things. I couldn't understand half her ramblings...something about a mirror. Anyhow, once she calms down, I'll ask her what she know about Mrs Taylor, okay?"
"You'd...you would help me?"
"You look like you need it. I can tell you're looking for someone, you look so...lost."
Brian thought that was the understatement to end all understatements.
"My Patricia," the man continued, "that's my wife, if something were to happen to her...well...I would be lost too. And I'd want someone to give me whatever help they could."
Brian smiled again. Maybe all breeders weren't so bad.
"Here's my cell number. Call me...anytime...day or night," Brian said and then smirked.
"What?" the man asked with a smile.
"I think you're the first straight man I've given my number to who I told it was okay to call anytime...that I wasn't hitting on."
The man laughed. "I'll call you as soon as I hear something. I promise," the man said and put his hand on Brian's shoulder.
"Thank you."
Brian watched the man go back into the house and then turned around, heading for his Jeep. He looked over when he heard the sound of rustling leaves on the large tree in the yard. Brian looked more closely at the tree. It was so old, its trunk gnarled. When he turned again, he could hear the leaves rustling once more which was strange since there was hardly any wind.
Brian continued walking down the path. Must be a cat up in the tree or something.
He once again heard the tree shaking and then a strange, squelching sound.
And then nothing.
It was then that Brian stopped in his tracks on the path and remembered something.
There had been no tree when he first walked up the path.
Brian turned around to look at the tree.
The tree was gone.
TBC
Yes, that was a nod to M Night Shyamalan, because I like his work and yes, I think he's beautiful.
Feedback is love.
And I've really been loving ALL the lovely feedback I've been getting too!
*smooches and hugs*
Yay!
******SPOILER WARNING*******This is about two parallel worlds. One which we know about and another that our Brian has found himself in. There will be a major character death in the other world - actually - there already has been. There is nothing squicky, per se. It's just a dark story. Our boys will still be together in the end and no, they won't be dead but very much alive - this is the best way I can think of to show once and for fucking all how much Brian Kinney wants to be with Justin Taylor. Just trust me but yes, this will get angsty. *******SPOILER WARNING*********
Title: Through a Mirror Darkly
Chapter: 7
Pairing: Brian/Justin - duh!
Genre: Angst/Horror
Warnings: Character Death but not what you think.
Summary: Takes a strange turn at the end of Episode 217, when Brian goes to tell Justin about his new partnership.
Disclaimers: I don't own Cowlip or the boys and monkeys have been known to fly out of my ass and I was Caligula in my past life and blah blah blah - does anyone actually read this thing?
Author's Note: For the purpose of this story - Justin never went on the trip to Vermont since Mikey was a good friend to BOTH Brian and Justin and convinced Justin to stay and wait for Brian.
Chapter 1 Brian comes home from Chicago
Chapter 2 Brian tries to get some answers
Chapter 3 Brian confronts the blond in his loft
Chapter 4 Brian runs into Kip
Chapter 5 Brian learns who Justin is
Chapter 6 Brian and Michael learn more
"Yes, we're okay," Brian said with the same smile. "Now, come here and give me a proper hello."
Justin smiled and knew all was forgiven.
For whatever he may have done.
Justin smiled and ran up to Brian, then flung his arms around his neck.
He stopped just short of kissing his older lover. "Brian? Is everything okay?"
Brian took in the face of the younger man. He was looking up at him, an expectant look on his face. He gazed upon the trusting eyes and that's when it hit him.
He had never seen a trick look at him like this before. They looked at him with lust, with desire, with hope for the best fuck of their lives, but not this - trust, adoration and yes, Brian realized, love. Real, honest to God, love.
It was obvious Justin trusted Brian with everything he had. He could feel it not only in the way Justin looked at him, but the way he held him, the way he moved against him. It was as if he were molded to him, made just for him and there was no other place Justin would rather be.
Brian contemplated the position he was in. It was...intoxicating.
Although there was nothing more that Brian wanted to do at the moment than to take Justin right then and there in the living room, he needed to put some control in. Besides, he wanted to get an answer to a question that had been plaguing him since he first heard about Kip.
Brian stepped back when he realized Justin was still waiting for an answer. "Yeah, it is," Brian said and punctuated it with a kiss to Justin's forehead. Forehead kissing in Brian's mind was a bit too intimate for his tricks but he found it was just what was needed in this situation. Besides, Justin wasn't a trick. He was...well he wasn't exactly sure what Justin was, but he wasn't just a trick.
"Pour us a Beam," Brian said more of a statement than a request.
"Sure thing," Justin said and smiled back as he walked over to the liquor trolley.
"So," Brian continued as he watched Justin pour the drinks, "are you going to tell me what the story is on Kip?"
Justin stopped pouring and looked at the bottle he was holding in his hand. He swallowed once while still staring at the bottle, refusing to look back at Brian. "So you know?"
"I know something caused Kip to drop the suit, and I think, actually I know that you had something to do with it," Brian said smugly. "Why don't you tell me your version, so I don't have to guess," Brian said and then added, after he got into Justin's space and leaned down into his ear, "or have to ask the source directly."
Justin looked up into Brian's face, then finished pouring the glasses of Beam. He handed a glass to Brian and kept one for himself. He then distanced himself from Brian.
Justin drank about half the glass and then took in Brian's expectant face.
It was time to come clean, Justin mused to himself.
"Are you mad at me?" Justin asked while wincing. He wasn't sure if it was because of the liquor or the thought of Brian's answer.
Probably both.
"No, just tell me." Brian then added harshly, "And no bullshit! I'll know if you're lying," Brian added hoping his bluff worked.
"Well, look Brian, it was this way," Justin started and then turned away. "I saw your checkbook that day Lindsay came over with Gus, and I realized how much they depended on you, and how much you could stand to lose," Justin stopped and then turned to look at Brian. "It just didn't seem fair."
"Life isn't fair," Brian said with a shrug. No, Brian thought, because if life had been fair, he would have had this tasty morsel for himself on his world.
"I know, it's just," Justin sighed, "it's just, I knew I could do something. I just didn't know what at the time. Nobody was willing to do anything for you. I mean, sure," Justin said with a wave of his hand, "Mel took you on as a client, but she was going completely by the book and it didn't look good for you, because well, because you had slept with a junior co-worker."
There it was again - Justin had brought up Mel. He had to find out what the story was on that one.
"Yes, I know fucking Kip had been one of my biggest mistakes of my life," Brian said, among others. "Please continue," Brian said, "and without pointing out how royally I fucked up, thank you very much."
Justin smiled. "So we were at Woody's and I saw Kip there. Oh, I knew what he looked like because I saw him that night at the loft right after you sent me away..."
"So you could go study for your SATs," Brian supplied, piecing together information he had gleaned earlier at Woody's from the kid's outburst.
"Yeah. Oh, but he hadn't seen me at the loft," Justin said while shaking his head. "So I came on to him at the bar."
Brian raised his eyebrow at Justin. "Now this is getting interesting. Do go on."
"He brushed me off at first because he seemed pretty upset. So I followed him out to the alleyway and I propositioned him again. I also told him I knew you, and that I thought you were an asshole," Justin said as he winced. Brian did the eyebrow thing again. "Then I kissed him," Justin said and stood firm. He needed to get the story out before Brian wondered what his intentions had been toward Kip. "I hated it, but I needed to do something."
"I'm assuming this was all part of your evil plan?" Brian asked while smirking.
"What plan?!" Justin said while he threw his arms up in the air. "I had no idea what I was going to do. Anyways," Justin said and slumped down on the couch, "he finally became really interested in me..."
Brian scoffed, "yeah, it must have been a real hardship for him, someone like you coming on to someone like him."
Justin bit his lip and continued, "and we went back to his place."
"You went to a strange guy's house?!" Now this pissed Brian off and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.
"Yes...just like I came here that first time, Brian," Justin shot back. "Anyways, I got there, and I took my pants off and he just kneeled there, looking at my dick. It was...I don't know. I didn't want him to touch me but I pretended that I wanted it. Seriously, Brian, why did you do him? He really was repulsive...or maybe it was just what I knew he did."
Brian thought about it. There was nothing particularly special about Kip. Really.
Even Michael had asked him why he did it. And it was the same reason he did anyone that came along.
Because he could.
"So he was there, you were naked...did you let him fuck you?"
"Oh God. No, Brian, no!" Justin said incredulously. "You're the only...you've been the only one that I've let... So as I was saying, he kneeled down and started to go in for my cock. I couldn't stand the thought of him touching me so I started to talk shit about my age and my father and..."
"You let him know how old you were?"
"Yeah, so then when I saw he didn't care that I was a minor, I told him about my psycho father, which as you already know, wasn't too far from the truth," Justin said with a little chuckle.
Brian considered what Justin had just said. It seems life wasn't all tea and cookies for the other one as he had first thought. Apparently being with the kid had come with a price, and it had something to do with his father.
"So I told him, if he didn't want my psycho dad to find out about what he had almost done...I mean really, Brian, this guy wasn't very smart...we hadn't even done anything yet...then he should seriously consider dropping the suit."
"And that was it? He dropped it?"
"Um, yeah. That was the end of the conversation. I didn't have to convince him of anything else. I didn't hear anything else about it until the next day when it was my birthday and we were dancing and you were celebrating Kip mysteriously dropping the case," Justin said, Brian taking not of the way Justin had emphasized the word 'mysteriously.' "God, I loved that night. Remember how we danced all night long?" Justin asked while putting his arms around Brian. "We celebrated your good fortune, Emmett having seen the light by deciding not to see the light anymore, and," Justin said while planting tiny kisses all along Brian's throat, "we celebrated my turning eighteen at midnight by you fucking me in every," another moan by the kid, "single position."
Brian looked down at Justin who stopped kissing to look back up at him.
Brian remembered that night. Only his version was about one-hundred-eighty degrees from what Justin had just related. He had drunk himself into oblivion while the guys celebrated Emmett having come back to his senses.
He had caved in and had made sure to get the position in the company Kip had wanted - this, after Marty had told him to fix his mess himself. In his universe, there had been no lawyers who would go to bat for him and no little blond boys who had gone the extra mile and played hard ball with his conniving co-worker.
So Brian had got to keep his job, but at a price. He had been saddled with Kip and his incompetence for over a year.
Brian smiled down at Justin.
And there it was again. The look in his guileless, blue eyes - adoration, worship and trust.
Definitely trust.
Brian leaned down so his lips were barely touching Justin's. He took in the younger man's smell. He could smell the Beam but under that he could smell Justin himself. It was fresh, clean. A hint of soap, a hint of sweat. He rubbed his nose with Justin's nose, and then plunged his tongue into his mouth.
Justin kissed Brian back, mapping the inside of his mouth. Brian had become lost in the sensation of kissing Justin, plundering that sweet mouth when he was called out of his daze by Justin pulling away, Brian trying to reclaim the boy's lips.
"So," Justin said with a smile, "did you miss me?"
"Yes," Brian said will his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, "you could say I missed you." Of course, Brian knew that the full implication of the statement was lost on the young man before him. Yes, Brian realized, he had 'missed' Justin, only for him it had been meant on a night when his phone was turned on, the night he became a father for the first (and hopefully only) time.
Justin put his best seductive smile on and led Brian to the bedroom. Brian had stumbled into the desk on his way in.
Brian found he didn't really care all that much.
meanwhile in the other dimension
Brian put the Jeep in 'drive' and headed for the affluent suburb, remembering the house he had taken Justin to, to confront a father who wasn't willing to accept his son for who he was.
Brian braced himself for the battle that was yet to come.
Brian sat in the Jeep in front of the house, wondering what his next plan of action would be.
He must have sat out there for a good half an hour, not knowing how to proceed. The lights were on in the home and he could see movement beyond the curtains. Silhouettes against the brightness of the light shining from within.
Was one of those Justin?
He was trying to figure out what he would say once he knocked on the door, especially if Craig were to answer.
Hello, my name is Brian. You don't know me but I know your son. I took his virginity over a year ago. He's gay and I'm taking him home with me.
And then while everyone was standing around with their mouths hanging open, he would snatch Justin and they could run away.
Or he could enter the home on a false pretense and then just collect information.
Hello, my name is Brian and I'm with the Church of Latter Day Saints. Do you know God has a plan for you?
Brian had to laugh at the irony of that one. If God did have a plan for him, it was fucked up.
He wasn't going to get anywhere though if he stayed in the Jeep all night. Brian exited the car, walked up the path of the affluent home and stood on the porch, once again the ghosts of the past descending on him, almost as if they were mocking him in his time of pain.
"One more thing, Justin," his father started.
"Craig," Jennifer pleaded.
"No, I'm gonna say this. If you're going to live in this house, there's rules you have to obey. You are not to go to gay bars or talk about your disgusting lifestyle. And you are never, ever to see him again," Craig said while indicating Brian.
Well that wouldn't do, Brian mused.
Everyone was silent.
"So in other words," Brian said while smirking, "in order for Justin to live here, with you, he has to deny who he is, what he thinks and how he feels."
"I didn't ask for your opinion," Craig interrupted, "pal."
Brian stood. "That isn't love," Brian said and looked directly at Craig, "that's hate."
"Get the fuck out of my house," Craig said pointing at the door.
As Brian walked out of the room, "Justin, you coming?"
Would it be as easy as that this time?
He took a deep breath in and blew it out. Whatever Craig threw at him, he would deal with it. No matter what it was he came face to face with behind the door, he would deal.
Of course, he had to knock on the door first.
Brian tentatively raised his hand to rap on the door, or he could ring the doorbell or slam the knocker back and forth. He could do any one of those things. He had to be brave. He knew Justin would be if it were him.
And it was then, with that little bit of information, that memory of him walking down a crowded street to go back to the loft without needing Brian to hold his hand anymore, that it made it possible for Brian to knock on the door.
Steps were heard from inside and an then an 'I'll get it.'
The door opened and Brian came face to face with a pleasant looking Indian man.
The kind that came from India.
He reminded him of that M. Night Shyamalan guy.
"Yes, may I help you?"
"Um," what the hell Brian thought, he could be house-sitting, "I'm looking for the Taylors."
"Shoudn't you try the Yellow Pages," the man said without a hint of an accent. He then chuckled, "or maybe try the commercial area of town? I wouldn't know the directions for any tailors."
"I'm sorry," Brian said with a sense of dread in his voice, "the Taylors, not a tailor, but as in Jennifer and Craig Taylor."
'And Justin Taylor,' was what he wanted to add. He didn't give a two-bit fuck about the rest of them really.
The man nodded his head back and forth, "I'm sorry, no one by that name lives here."
Brian's heart, the one he knew he had despite everyone telling him he didn't over and over again constricted.
"Oh, wait up a minute," the man said and Brian's head perked up. "God! The name didn't register for a sec and then I remembered...those were the people I bought the house from about six months ago! Oh, you must be looking for them."
"Yes, yes, I am," Brian said excitedly. "Do you know where they went after?"
Brian felt hope once again.
"No, I don't but," the man started and then called behind him for his mother. He then turned back to Brian, "my mother talked to the woman for quite a while. She might know something."
Brian waited and waited. It seemed like it had taken eons for the woman to come to the door when in reality it was about three minutes tops.
"Yes, Sabah," a small woman with graying hair said.
"This man is looking for Mrs. Taylor," the man said and then the woman turned to Brian. What had once been a smiling, happy woman had changed. She looked closely at Brian, and then tried to slam the door on him.
"Mama! What are you doing? This man needs to know..."
The woman kept trying to close the door. "Do not talk to him! He does not belong here." She continued to try to close the door.
The man looked back. He was trying to mouth the words, 'sorry,' before the door was firmly slammed shut in front of him.
Brian could hear arguing and shouting behind the door. He realized that he was causing that effect everywhere he went tonight.
What was it the woman had said? 'He does not belong here.'
No, Brian thought, they should not be here. Justin should be here. Or more accurately, Justin should be at the loft.
Brian was about to turn away when he heard the front door opening. "Sir? Sir?"
Brian looked at the man coming out of the house walk up to him where he was standing on the porch. "I'm sorry about my mother. She was saying crazy things. You know how...well," the man said laughing, "mothers, yeah?"
"I know all too well," Brian said back, smiling weakly.
"She was saying strange things. I couldn't understand half her ramblings...something about a mirror. Anyhow, once she calms down, I'll ask her what she know about Mrs Taylor, okay?"
"You'd...you would help me?"
"You look like you need it. I can tell you're looking for someone, you look so...lost."
Brian thought that was the understatement to end all understatements.
"My Patricia," the man continued, "that's my wife, if something were to happen to her...well...I would be lost too. And I'd want someone to give me whatever help they could."
Brian smiled again. Maybe all breeders weren't so bad.
"Here's my cell number. Call me...anytime...day or night," Brian said and then smirked.
"What?" the man asked with a smile.
"I think you're the first straight man I've given my number to who I told it was okay to call anytime...that I wasn't hitting on."
The man laughed. "I'll call you as soon as I hear something. I promise," the man said and put his hand on Brian's shoulder.
"Thank you."
Brian watched the man go back into the house and then turned around, heading for his Jeep. He looked over when he heard the sound of rustling leaves on the large tree in the yard. Brian looked more closely at the tree. It was so old, its trunk gnarled. When he turned again, he could hear the leaves rustling once more which was strange since there was hardly any wind.
Brian continued walking down the path. Must be a cat up in the tree or something.
He once again heard the tree shaking and then a strange, squelching sound.
And then nothing.
It was then that Brian stopped in his tracks on the path and remembered something.
There had been no tree when he first walked up the path.
Brian turned around to look at the tree.
The tree was gone.
TBC
Yes, that was a nod to M Night Shyamalan, because I like his work and yes, I think he's beautiful.
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