~*~
Justin heard the keys rattling in the door and re-adjusted the pillow under his head. As if he didn’t have anything better to do on a Saturday night but lie around watching old Star Trek episodes on the television while Brian was out doing God knows what with God knows who. Or how many- that was always a good question. Tonight, he was more irritated than usual, though. It wasn’t like anything was really different, but maybe he wanted to be out there fucking the city’s population for a change. What was stopping him? Oh yeah…
He watched Brian walk through the door and past him, holding a brown paper bag in one hand, smoking a cigarette in the other. Justin waited until the bottle was in the cabinet and the beer was in the refrigerator before he finally said, “Brian?”
Brian twisted the lid off a bottle of beer and took a drink as he ran the finished butt under the faucet, throwing it into the small kitchen trashcan. He came closer, his eyes shifting to the TV and then back to Justin before he finally plopped down at the end of the couch, shoving Justin’s bare feet out of the way. “Yeah?”
“Uhm, did you forget something?”
Brian lifted his shoulders and shrugged, patting down his pockets as he gave Justin the patented ‘I have no clue what you’re talking about’ look. “Don’t think so. Got the usual vices,” he answered, with a grin.
“How about milk? It’s the only fucking thing I asked you to pick up.”
He saw the expression of remembrance and Brian shook his head. “Fuck.”
“Yeah, fuck. Geez, Brian, your mind completely shuts down unless it has to do with alcohol, cigs, or porn, doesn’t it?”
“Sorry. Must have been distracted or something.” He turned his attention toward the TV, ignoring the parental-like glare from the other side of the sofa.
Justin sighed the sigh that he always saved just for Brian, one that he seemed to be using more often than not as of late. “Let me guess. Dark hair, darker eyes…”
Brian grinned, still focused on the screen and took another sip from his bottle. “Couldn’t exactly see his eyes from where I was standing.”
Why exactly did he think living with Brian would be a good idea? Just because they’d been best friends for the last five years and because Justin would have never been able to afford an apartment like this on his own. But that meant putting up with Brian and whatever flavor of the night he happened to be bragging about.
“Michael’s on his way over, by the way.”
And him. Justin couldn’t help the eye roll and definitely didn’t try to hide it. Brian, as always, ignored it and pretended Justin hadn’t just mumbled, “That’s fucking great” under his breath.
Brian and Michael had been ‘Brian and Michael’ on and off for at least six months. They weren’t ‘together’, because for as long as he’d known him, Brian didn’t do boyfriends. Michael was more of a fuck-buddy who just happened to show up several times a week, waltzing in like he owned the place, flaunting their arrangement, getting under Justin’s skin like a painful splinter every chance he got.
“I guess I’ll be the one going back to the store then.”
Brian had the decency to at least pretend he felt bad, climbing up until he was laying half on the cushion and half on Justin. He leaned in, met Justin’s lips and kissed him softly before pushing away and moving off the couch. “I’ll make it up to you…” He slowly crossed Justin’s heart with the tips of his fingers. “I swear.”
Justin nodded. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
Brian smiled that charming smile that always managed to get him out of any kind of trouble and slid out of his black, leather jacket, throwing it over the back of the couch. “Gonna go shower.”
Justin watched him walk the length of the hallway, pulling his shirt over his head before he’d reached the bathroom door, showing the flex and pull of every taut muscle in his back. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly why Brian managed to get laid more than any other person in the entire Pittsburgh area.
Clearing the image in his mind, Justin’s attention traveled back to the screen, watching the infamous starship Captain locking lips with some undiscovered species of female. Why did everyone seem to be getting laid while all he got were cozy nights alone with the idiot box and a man named Orville Redenbacher?
He tried not to ponder the question for too long for the sake of depressing topics and was thankful for a sharp knock on the front door, followed by the very unthankful sight of Michael pushing it open and walking through, uninvited. Neither said a word, looking anywhere but at each other as Michael headed straight for the fridge, snatching a bottle of beer. Justin kept a subtle eye on him, hating the way he always made himself at home.
“Where’s Brian?” Michael called from the other room.
“Washing the stink off from the other guy he fucked before you got here.”
“Hmm... trying to make me jealous?”
Justin shook his head, watching Michael move across the room to sit right beside him.
“Got your bowl of popcorn and big pile of movies.” Michael reached inside the bag and stole a handful of kernels. “What, no hot date tonight?”
Justin glared and cuddled the bag closer to his body. A man’s popcorn was a sacred thing and as far as he was concerned, he already shared way too much with Michael as it was.
“For your information, I wanted to stay home. Unlike some people who have to get fucked every night.” He turned toward Michael with a serious look, eyeing him up and down. “I say you’re trying to compensate for something. Something you need to prove. Maybe size… stamina? What do you think?”
Michael glared and answered, “Not trying to prove anything. Guys who ‘can’ get laid do, while those that can’t,” he threw another handful of popcorn in his mouth and chewed, “spend Saturday nights with Captain Kirk.”
How he hated Michael. “Fuck off.”
Michael’s eyebrow shot up and he grinned. “As much as I love our conversations, that, is a much better idea.”
He kicked off his shoes and socks, tossed them beside the couch and stood up, flipping the top button on his jeans as he disappeared down the hallway and into the bathroom.
Stupid fucking asshole. Justin slumped down on the cushion and tried to watch the TV for the next few minutes, distracted by the sounds that were now coming from the shared bathroom. He could only imagine what was going on in there. He cringed and took that back. He had no inkling of desire to know what Michael and Brian were doing. In fact, right now would be a really good time to make that run to the corner store.
He had just finished dressing when he heard a large thump outside his bedroom door. He raced over, pulling the knob quickly as he yelled, “What the fuck are you two…”
He was met by a wet and naked Michael and a ‘barely’ towel-covered Brian, leaning against the wall, making out like horny teenagers.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, would you please do that somewhere else?!”
Making no acknowledgment that Justin was even there, Michael’s hand began pulling at the towel and sneaked underneath, making Brian’s eyes roll back and causing a breathless moan to escape his lips.
Justin shook his head and stormed past them, grabbing his keys from the end table. “Great. Just fucking great.”
He opened the door and yelled back, “This is my fucking apartment too, you know!” before he finally stomped out, slamming the door behind him.