EXPERIENTIA DOCET E pluribus Unum "One out of many" This Chapter 6 in the "EXPERIENTIA DOCET" series. Narrated by: Justin Taylor, and Nicholas Brendon featuring Cynthia Morgan, Brian Kinney, and others Series Rated NC-17 and contains no warnings or spoilers. Summary: September 2002 Justin works on the ad, as Brian watches on. However, Brian gets a small wake-up call in reference to Justin Disclaimer: no profit made… The Boys are not mine.. No matter how much I’d love to have them… * * * * * * * *Justin* Nick and I were sitting around the studio one day, just talking and we got to talking about this whole deal with Brian and this ad. Of course Nick, the crazy guy that he is thinks that it’s all funny. “You are so screwed in the head you know that? So this guy… this…” “Mr. Jacobs,” I finish for him. “Yeah, that guy. So he wants you to do this ad, because he has the hots for your mom, and hates your dad,” he asked me shaking his head. I only nod in agreement. “That is totally messed up. I mean I knew you had one fucked up childhood, but this just takes the cake. So you’re going to do it?” “Yeah,” I tell him. “I told Brian that I was going to do it, but only if he is in charge of it. He told me once that his other partner doesn’t like him much and keeps trying to force Brian out. So I figured that it will give him a little help with the jackass.” Nick nodded and smiled. I can tell that his mind is working overtime. “How about we make it extra special?” I look at him, not knowing what the hell he’s talking about. “How about we ensure that Brian, your Brian,” he said with a smile. “Is such a hot property that his other Partner can’t do anything?” I look over at Nick and try to imagine what it is he’s thinking about. I know Nick is just thrilled beyond belief that I have someone in my life, even if it is for a short time. Nick has on my tail since we met, wanted me to find someone I can share my life with. We’ve spent hours just talking about everything.. he’s one of the few people who know everything that has happened to me. He’s been a really good friend to me, and I know that I wouldn’t have gotten this far without him. In fact he’s part of the reason that I’m on this show. I had met Nick almost two years ago at some small function. We started working together on this little movie.. nothing much a second rate movie thing, that never hit big. But it was the start of a solid friendship between the two of us. We started hanging out, just talking and stuff.. It was like Daphne and me almost. Okay.. so Nick is straight, don’t get me wrong. But I guess that’s what makes us as good of friends as we are. We don’t have to worry about anything ruining it. “And what pray tell do you have in mind?” Nick leans over to me so he can whisper. “Well neither one of us is doing anything tomorrow afternoon.. so why don’t I come with you?” “You do know that if you do this that in a couple of weeks you have to go to Pittsburgh to do the actual commercial right,” I ask him letting him know what all this entails. It’s not that I don’t want him to do it, cause I think it’s great.. but I also don’t want to impose on him either. “Yes, I know that. But you don’t honestly think that I’d leave you alone in that city by yourself do you,” he added. And that is why we are such good friends. Nick knows what going to that city would mean to me. He knows that it will be hard for me, and he wants to be there to help me through it. That’s what friends are for. “Thanks.. for everything.” * * * * * * * *Nicholas* Okay.. So I know that I’m strange. I’ve been told that for years, but I kind of like being the strange one, you know. I mean, I’m a happily married man of one year, and I guess a part of me wants that for Justin.. okay so it’s not really possible for him, but I can try right? Here’s this good-looking guy, at least according to my lovely wife he is, and he’s been unhappy for a long time. It kind of sucks if you ask me. With everything that he has gone through, everything that has been thrown at him.. he deserves some happiness in his life. I guess in a way, it sort of sucks that I’m married.. and happily, since Justin is definitely a magnate for all the hot chicks around. It seems that every time we go out somewhere, someone is always hitting on him. Woman and men alike. Woman who want to show him that one night with them and he’ll be straight, and men.. well that goes without saying. So here I am.. waiting for this whole little ad to start. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to be doing, but Justin went off to talk to the head guy.. I think it is this Brian he’s so head over heals for.. or is it heals over head that Blake told me? I don’t know if I’ll ever understand that whole thing.. do I really want to? Nah.. I guess I can see what Justin sees in this guy, granted he seems a little rough to me, but he’s got the looks, the job, almost everything that a mother would love. My only hope is that he won’t break Justin’s heart. Not that I could do anything of course, but it’s the thought that counts.. Right? Anyway, we arrive here at the photographer’s studio and Justin pulls Brian aside. I can just imagine what he’s telling him.. ‘Hey my friend here would like to help sweeten the pot, if you know what I mean.’ After a little talk, the two walk up to me, and Brian holds out his hand, ‘welcoming me aboard.’ I kind of feel sorry for his secretary though, cause he sent her off right away to get a contract for me.. same as Justin’s he said. Well who am I to argue with the man? Neil, the photographer, is a long time acquaintance of Justin and mine. He’s done a lot of pictures and stuff of the cast from time to time. Of course we all know that he has some serious hots for Justin, which makes for an interesting time. The two always joke around, and mess around, you know a little flirting and stuff. Nothing too major since Neil knows that Justin will never be with him that way, but it’s always fun to watch. We start with a couple of ‘group’ shots and such, and every time I look over at Brian Kinney, I can almost see steam coming out of his ears. He does not look real happy at the way Neil is acting around Justin. Personally I think it’s funny. Here’s this guy – tall, dark, I guess you could say drop dead gorgeous – and he’s all jealous of a little dirty talk between the two. I don’t know if Neil notices the glare directed his way or not, but I don’t know how he could miss it. Justin is finished for now, cause Neil wants to do individual shots of the two of us, and I figured that Justin needed to calm his boyfriend down before things got too ugly. Jealousy can be a total bitch at times. * * * * * * * * Justin * It’s funny. The photographer who is doing this shoot is the same one that I have used on many occasions through the years. He’s the same one who did the pictures for the Advocate, actually. I know that he wants to have sex with me, he’s even told me that, but he knows that I don’t want that type of relationship with him. I won’t fuck him, it’s that simple. So we get along well.. okay so there is some playful flirting, but that’s normal for the two of us. I don’t think however that Brian likes it a whole lot. I catch a glimpse of Brian out of the corner of my eye and see the looks he’s giving poor Neil, but it’s not my fault. So when Neil decides to do some individual shots, Nick says he’ll go first. I’m glad that we’re on the same page in this cause Brian looks like he’s ready to kill. I don’t know if I’ve ever had anyone jealous because of me before. I walk up to Brian and place my hand on his arm and nod my head to the side. The only way I know that might calm him down is to get Neil out of his line of sight. We head out of the room and down the hall. “So what do you think so far,” I ask wanting to keep things light. It’s the only way we maybe able to survive his little jealousy flare-up, and stop it before it gets out of hand. “You fuck him,” Brian asks me and I immediately burst out in laughter. Of course this just pisses him off even more, cause he turns and storms down the hall. I run to catch up with him, and turn him around to face me. “No, and it’s not by lack of trying on his part.” I step back from him slightly and look him in the eye. “Why do you care if I have or not? Come on Brian.. It’s not like you haven’t fucked all of Pittsburgh, and then some. If I had one encounter with someone it shouldn’t matter one way or the other,” I stress. “Blake’s been talking hasn’t he,” Brian asked biting his lip, knowing the answer. “We’ve discussed you on occasion. What you didn’t think that I wouldn’t know about the Stud of Liberty Avenue did you?” I step up closer to him and hold his hand in mine. “Doesn’t believe in love, doesn’t do the same trick twice…God’s gift to gay PA.” Brian turns his head away from me, and I reach up and turn it back so he can see I’m telling the truth. “You think I care what you’re like there, back then? Brian.. I know you’re not that person, at least not with me.” Brian nods his head in agreement. We both know that the person that Blake had described is NOT the same person who had followed me around for days even after we had slept together. That Brian Kinney would’ve just left things alone when I stormed out of the office. “So what’s the problem? The past is the past.. we both have them. So fuck ‘em. Now I have to go back in there and finish this so that Nick and I can get back to the set.” “Fine.. but this isn’t over, Justin. Not by a long shot.” Brian took my hand back into his own and we walked back to the room where Neil and Nick were finishing up. * * * * * * * *Nicholas* Okay, now don’t ask me why the moment I finish, I head over to Brian. Maybe it was the fact that the second that Justin left his side, he began to tense up. Neil walks up to Justin and starts to unbutton some of the top buttons, then walks over and puts in a CD. The thing that I have learned about Justin is he always likes to loosen up during these things. Of course the thing that loosens him up the most is dancing. It also becomes some pretty awesome shots. “You know.. when Justin and I first met Neil, he was going all out trying to get Justin to sleep with him.” We watch Justin continue to dance around the area, moving in time to the music. I can say I know a lot of women who would die to have these pictures on their walls. Brian turned to me and I could almost say he scared me. He had this look in his eyes that told me that if I didn’t clarify what I was talking about.. I’d be dead. Now I know Justin wouldn’t let that happen, but Justin’s on the other side of the room, and I think Brian could do a lot of damage before Justin had a chance to stop him. “But once Justin told him no that he wouldn’t, things sort of calmed down. Oh they flirt, but it’s all in good fun.” I turn and look over at Justin, and I’m still amazed by his talent. Justin has always been at ease around people, well for the most part – and he always has a way to make others feel at ease. You get him in front of a camera and it’s like he owns the whole world. No one can deny – not even a straight guy like me – that Justin has this power to pull you in. I guess that’s why lately so many people want him. Justin has gotten a lot of offers lately; he’s on what I like to call the fast track. I even saw one of those magazines call him one of the hottest guys around, I think it might have been GQ or something I don’t remember. As I said before.. men and women all want a piece of him. But Justin has always been untouchable. No one had been able to get close, well really close to him in the horizontal type way.. until Brian Kinney. It isn’t like Justin hasn’t been with anyone, cause he has. It’s just that he always kept it quiet, not letting that person really know him, or let that person near us. He said he was protecting us, what he had with us.. but I’m not so sure. I think that Justin –after everything that he’s been through, all the hell he went through – he just wasn’t ready to give himself to anyone that way again. He had been so hurt by his family’s reaction to him being gay, and the hell he went through at school. The bashing was the worst for him, I know. He just wasn’t ready to put himself in the position to be hurt again. He couldn’t do it anymore. He wouldn’t do it anymore. I can’t even imagine what it was like for him back there. That’s why I’m so determined to go with him on this trip. There’s no way that Justin nor I will allow Blake to go back there yet.. at least not without some sort of back up plan.. and Blake said he’s still not ready to face all of that again. More importantly the man he loved back there. Justin heads out of the main room to change into something else, and I can’t help but notice Brian’s eyes follow him as one of the costume people.. a male, mind you, heads back into that room as well. I can almost see Brian take a step in that direction, wanting to yank Justin out of there. “You know, Justin gets hit on every day,” I tell Brian. “But no one has held his interest. No one had been able to get past the walls he had constructed around his heart.” Justin comes out of the room in a skin-tight blue shirt that I know will bring out the color of his eyes. My wife is constantly telling me that Justin should wear that color more because of the effect on his eyes.. how much it brings them out. I turn to Brian so I can look him in the eye. “You have started to break through that mess. Just don’t hurt him.. don’t make him regret ever opening up to you. As his friend, I won’t let you hurt him. And that’s all I have to say.” I turn away from Brian and look back toward Justin. I can only hope that things will work out between the two. I hate to see Justin get hurt. He deserves some happiness in this life. Justin continues to move with the music, this time a little more upbeat, and more techno I guess. He’s really getting into it, and I know that he has completely forgotten about the two of us. I however, am stuck here with a man who is starting to clench his fists, and I can almost see him walking over to Neil and ripping his throat out. I can say if Neil goes up to Justin one more time to ‘fix’ something on his outfit.. I won’t be able to stop the beating that will take place. * * * * * * * *Justin* After I finish a couple of shots I say good-bye to Neil and head over to where Brian and Nick are. They have been in some type of discussion and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I know Nick, and I know that he is wanting to be sure that I don’t get hurt, but I still can’t help but be a little annoyed. I shake my head, and make my way over to my two wayward boys. Not that I would tell either one of them that..I like living thank-you very much. “Well we better get heading back,” I say to Nick, and watch as he makes his way out of the room. “I’ll be right out,” I call out to him. Brian turns and talks to his secretary for a moment, discussing the next step, and I just wait for him to turn back to me. When Brian turned to me, he placed his hands on my hips and pulled me closer to him. God.. if I didn’t have to get back to the studio.. no clear that thought out of your mind. “So,” he began leaning in to lightly brush his lips against mine. I know that he’s jealous of Neil.. but what am I going to do? I can’t stop people from looking, and it’s not like he doesn’t have people looking at him as well. If I got pissed at every person who ever looked at Brian with a lusty look.. then I’d have a full time job. As long as no one touches.. wait I KNOW I can’t think about that right now. We’re just starting out, and I’m not even sure if this will work out between us. I know who and what he is.. I can’t and won’t ignore it. So who am I to say that he can’t do what he always had done before? If I did would it just push him away from me? No.. for now, I’ll just enjoy this while it lasts. “I have to get back,” I say kissing him back. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and pull him closer to me, letting my tongue glide across his lips. Plunging his own tongue into my mouth, we start to lose ourselves in each other. God.. no one kisses like this man. Brian pulls away first, and I feel the sudden loss and moan in disappointment. “Go.. you have to make all that money,” he said pulling back a little more. “See you tonight?” “I’ll be done around eleven,” I tell him. I reach into my pocket and pull out the spare key I had made. “I’ll meet you there,” I tell him placing the key in his hand. “Later,” he says kissing me again lightly. “Later.” I turn and walk out of the small studio and toward Nick. I see him shake his head as I walk up to him. “What,” I ask, knowing full well what he’s going to say. “Oh nothing. He’s jealous,” Nick laughs as we get into his car. I laugh along with him and shake my head. “It is funny, isn’t it?” Nick pulls the car out of the parking lot and we head toward the freeway and the studio. “The two of you will most definitely keep each other on your toes.. I don’t think it will ever get boring.” “I hope not.. I hope not,” I say looking out of the window. I hope that things between Brian and I will work out. I hope that we can be with each other for a long time. I know that I’ll do whatever I can to try and make that happen. Whatever I have to do to keep us together, I’ll try. If it’s not meant to be and we go our separate ways then I will know that I did everything in my power to try and make this work when all the odds are against us. I’ll know that we made a go at this, and it was fun while it lasted. Not that I’m going to give up easily.. Brian’s in for one hell of a ride. * * * * * * * TBC