Hitchhiker and the Twink Part 1 Notes: This has to be for Karul of Hal's Angels - you rock – and Lois – amazing Beta that she is. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "Justin, I don't want you driving too fast. You promised your father." Jennifer was standing on the front steps of their country home. Justin kissed his mother on the cheek and got in his new Mustang convertible. He'd put the top down to take advantage of the last of the summer days. "Mom, have I ever driven too fast?" he asked and shook his head. His parents had given him the car for his twentieth birthday even though it wasn't for a few weeks. But school was starting and his old car had finally died a graceful death. He'd worked hard for this car at his father's company each summer since he was sixteen. Not that he'd actually had to shell out the cash, no, his parents did that, but he had to show his parents he was responsible enough to handle the privilege of having a new car given to him. His family was well off, but each and every one had it ingrained in them that handling large amounts of money was a privilege that had to be earned not a right of birth. "I know you haven't dear, but I worry. The other drivers out there --- his mother's voice trailed off. She looked at her handsome son, his blonde hair shining in the morning sun. "I'm being silly, you have a good day and don't forget to pick up Molly at St. James" "I won't forget Mom. Luv ya" Justin put the car in gear and headed down the long driveway. Justin had enjoyed the six-mile drive into town each morning during the last school year. Molly left an hour earlier on the school bus so he was spared her chatter in the morning, her extra curricular activities meant he had to bring her home, for some reason he didn't mind the chatter on the return trip. It always took his mind off of his school day which being gay was sometimes pretty shitty, though now that he was at PIFA it had improved considerably from his high school years. He used to entertain ideas of all the gays in Pittsburgh rising up and beating the shit out of all the homophobic assholes at St. James, wiping them from the face of the earth in one move. Sort of a Buffy the Vampire slayer fantasy with the homophobes as the demons and vamps. He would especially like to see Chris Hobbs disappear in a puff of vamp dust. He was thinking these pleasant thoughts when he noticed a hitchhiker up ahead. The guy's ankle seemed to twist under him and he went down on the side of the road in a cloud of dust. Justin hoped he was OK, the country roads along here did have a lot of holes. The guy should watch where he's walking. Justin slowed down even more, he didn't want to raise any more dust than he had to. The poor guy was probably smothering in it as it was. As he drove closer he could see the grimace of pain on the man's face. Shit, he'd have to stop and help, but he'd probably be late, and luckily he only had a workshop first thing. Justin pulled up behind the man who was now cradling his ankle. "Are you OK mister?" Justin asked. "Do I fucking look OK to you kid? The auburn haired man leaned on his heavy backpack and forced himself to his feet. "I can't believe this day." He said and began to limp down the side of the road. "Do you want a ride somewhere?" The tall thin man turned and looked more closely at Justin. Justin stood beside his shiny red car, the morning sun reflecting off the chrome and the spotless paint. With a resigned sigh the man turned and limped toward Justin and his car. He threw his backpack into the backseat, wincing when he saw the cloud of dust that rose when it hit the white leather. Without a word he got into the passenger seat and did up his seat belt. Justin was a bit taken aback by the rudeness of the man, but he gave a mental shrug and got back into the car. He had driven down the road almost a mile when. "Didn't your parents ever tell you not to pick up hitchhikers Sonny Boy?" the man said to Justin as he reached into his shirt pocket for a cigarette. He had almost lit it when Justin noticed what he was doing and snatched it out of hand, broke it in half and tossed it out of the car. "No smoking in the car. And yes my parents told me not to pick up hitchhikers." "Look you little shit, that was my last cigarette." The man looked back at the small speck of white that was rapidly disappearing. "Well, you should have asked before you started to light it." He looked over at the man. "Considering I'm giving you a ride into town, you're damn rude." "Yeah, well tough shit. You can drop me off right here, it's fine with me." "You hurt your ankle, I can't drop you off this far from town, you'll never get a ride the rest of the way. I can ignore the rudeness, just tell me where you're going." The good-looking man sat in silence for a few moments while they continued toward Pittsburgh. "I'm going to the University." He mumbled. "You are?" Justin looked at him again. "Aren't you kind of old or are you a teacher?" "Now who's being rude?" the man asked. "Sorry" Justin said. He waited for the man to answer, but he never did. The rest of the drive was completed in silence. Justin drove up to the main entrance. "Where too, this is a big place?" "Here is fine." He waited until the car came to a stop and got out. When he reached into the back for his heavy bag he looked closely at Justin for the first time. Sapphire blue eyes full of trust looked back at him. "Don't pick up any more hitchhikers kid, you could end up some kind of statistic." Justin flashed him a smile "Hey, I can't listen to you, you're a stranger. I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." "Don't be a smart ass Sonny Boy." The man turned and began to limp toward the nearest building. Justin sat for a few minutes; the hazel eyes had taken his breath away. Too bad he'd never see this guy again, he thought as he drove to PIFA. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Justin was glad he'd put the top of his car up. It was raining so hard you could hardly see the road. He pulled up as close as he could to St. James and still Molly was dripping when she burst into the car. "Geeze Moll, couldn't you have used your umbrella?" Justin bitched as he watched his sister wring out her hair, letting the water drip on his floor. "Yeah, like I had a third hand to carry it in." Molly reached over and deposited her books on the rear seat. "What a stupid car, why didn't you get one that at least has a decent heater." "The heater works just fine. Shut up and let me concentrate on driving through this mess" "Eeeewww" Molly said "our road is going to be all muddy." "Well, then you can't bitch about the dust." Justin was about to turn off the paved highway onto the side road to their place when he noticed the man from this morning huddled under a small tree. The guy was completely drenched. He pulled over. "Moll, get in the back seat." "Fuck you Justin, I'm staying here." "Get in the back seat, I'm not making this guy get in there, the heater works better up front." "I'm telling Mom you picked up a hitchhiker." "Does he look like he's hitchhiking? No he doesn't, he's a friend I'm picking him up now get in the back seat or I'm telling Mom about you and Randy behind the football bleachers making out." "You little puke head" Molly said but she climbed over the seat into the back. Justin got out of the car and ran over to the huddled mess who had his head turned into his jacket and hadn't noticed Justin stopping. "Hey, come on, I'll give you a ride." Hazel eyes looked up with surprise. "Hey Sonny Boy, didn't you learn your lesson this morning?" "I sure did. Don't pick up hitchhikers. Are you hitchhiking?" "Apparently not." "Then get your ass in the car before we both drown." Justin reached down and picked up the soggy backpack and hurried to the driver's side of the car. The two wet men shivered inside the car. "Hurry up Justin and take me home" Molly whined from the back seat. The man turned in surprise. "Who's the little cutie in the back?" he asked Justin. "Thought you said you weren't picking up hitchhikers any more." "I'm Justin's sister Molly." She said pleased at being called cute by this wet but handsome man. "He is sooooo rude, he should have introduced us." "Well, Justin's sister Molly, I'm Brian Kinney" he held out his hand to her. Molly held out her hand and Brian took it and kissed the back. She giggled. Justin rolled his eyes but kept driving. If anything the rain was pounding down even harder. Justin looked at Brian, "Where do you live?" "I'm renting the old McGowan place. Do you know where that is?" Brian wasn't even going to attempt to be independent and walk the rest of the way. "Yeah, I do, it's not far from our place." Justin continued past their driveway driving another half mile down the road. He turned into the overgrown drive of the McGowan home only to be confronted with a blank space where a small bridge over the drainage ditch had been. It had evidently washed away and what was a four-foot ditch with a bit of water was now more than six feet across and up to the level of the road. "I'm thinking unless you can fly, you'd better come back to our place for the night." "Fuck" Brian said. He looked out at the mess that was his only entrance to the rural property. "That wasn't a polite thing to say Brian." Molly said from the backseat. "Mom says only people of little character revert to swearing in times of stress." "Yeah, Molly, well what would your mother say if she was soaking wet, had a sore ankle, was starving and cold and found she couldn't get home to her nice warm house because of a damn overflowing drainage ditch?" "Fuck" Molly said and giggled. "My point exactly." "It's nice to see we found a little friend for you Molly, someone you can relate to on your own level." Justin backed out of the drive and began the return trip to their home. "Up yours Justin Taylor, Brian and I both are far superior to you intellectually." She put her nose in the air. "You're just a stupid artist who thinks drawing pictures all day makes you sooooo smart." "Hmmmm, now my SAT's were 1500 and yours are?" Justin asked with a smirk while he turned in their driveway. "It doesn't count, I had a bad day that day. I had cramps. I'm writing them again." Justin grinned at her. "The old 'I had cramps' ploy. Well, Moll, what ever gets you through the day. But if I recall on the day I wrote, I had a fire in my locker and was pushed down the stairs. Of course we all know that 'cramps' are far worse than 'gay bashing'." "Yeah, always with the 'gay' card." Molly began "This is all very interesting children, but I really don't want to hear any more bickering, some of us are adults here in the car and this adult has a bitch of a head ache." Brian looked at Justin and then Molly with a tongue in cheek smirk. Silence reigned in the car for the few minutes it took to get back to Justin's home. Only the steady beating of the rain on the canvas top was heard. Justin pulled up to the garage and stopped the car. "Everybody out" he said. "Justin, open the damn garage doors - it's wet out there" Molly complained "Can't - I lost the door opener thingy" Justin mumbled and he opened his door. "I'm telling Mom, you are going to get into sooooo much trouble. Mom said that you weren't going to get another one." Brian opened the car door and stepped out into the pouring rain. "Ok Princess, and you too little Molly, I'm pretty sure both of you won't melt." Justin, his face red glared at Brian and then at Molly, but nevertheless got out of the car and began to head toward the house. Brian held the seat forward for Molly and she climbed out flashing Brian a smile. "Good one Brian" she said. She reached back and pulled his sodden backpack off the floor and handed it too him. "Hey thanks Molly." Brian said. He shouldered his backpack and began to walk toward the heavily wooded area in back of the house. "Hey Brian, where you going?" Molly said. She stood in the rain oblivious to the fact that she was quickly becoming drenched. "Home" Brian said and continued to walk. "But Brian, the storm is terrible, and it has to be at least a mile through the woods to the McGowan place." "Like I said Molly, people don't melt." Brian smiled at the young girl. "You go on inside before you catch cold. It won't take me long to walk home this way. Tell the little Drama Princess thanks for the ride." Molly watched as Brian disappeared into the trees, then turned and walked into the house. Her mother who was standing by the kitchen sink peeling potatoes for supper, looked up. "Hi Molly, you should have come in a little faster dear, you're soaking wet." "Yeah, well your rude little gay boy left Brian outside in the rain to walk home, he didn't even offer him a chance to dry off and get a hot drink or anything." "Who is Brian dear?" Jennifer asked as she handed Molly a towel to dry her hair and took her sweater over to the sink to ring out some of the water. "He's this really nice guy who lives at the McGowan place. We gave him a ride home and Justin was so rude. He couldn't get over the drainage ditch 'cause the little bridge has washed out so we brought him here. I thought Justin would at least invite him in, but oh no, he had to get all Drama Princessy and now Brian is walking home through the woods." Jennifer laughed "Drama Princessy, where in the world did you hear a term like that?" she giggled "I like it, we'll have to remember that." She looked out the window into the grey sky. "It doesn't look like the storm is going to let up any too soon. I hope your friend makes it home alright." "Me too, he was really nice." She looked toward her brother's rooms. "Justin probably thought he was hot and knew he'd never stand a chance with hunk like Brian. He has the most amazing hazel eyes, you could fall right into them." "Molly, dear, not every good looking male is gay." The two of them looked at each other and started to laugh. "No it just looks like that" they said together. "I'm going to get changed. If Brian catches a cold, it's going to be all Justin's fault." Justin walked into the room and heard Molly's last statement. "How is it going to be my fault?" he looked around "Where's Brian?" Molly hit him on the arm. "He's walking home through the woods you shit." She stalked off to her rooms to change. "Owwww" Justin said grabbing his arm. "You have pointy little knuckles and they hurt. Why didn't you make him stay?" "After your little Drama Princessy scene - like he'd really want to stay." "Give it up Mol - you were the juvenile one." He winced as he heard her door slam shut. He looked at his mother who was standing there shaking her head. "Sorry Mom" he opened the fridge to check for something to snack on. Grabbing an apple he went over to the French Doors off the dining room and stared at the mass of trees outside and wondered how Brian would find his way through them to his home. He felt ashamed that he hadn't asked him in to dry off and maybe get his mom to let him stay for supper. But Brian looked so much older than him and he was sure that he would have been given the brush off. Something about the tall man was oddly attractive. He wondered why he was living where he was and why he was still going to school at his age. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Brian struggled through the underbrush rarely hesitating in his push to get home, maybe light a fire, and have a hot shower and something warm to drink. He had a couple of hours homework to do but other than that it should be a quiet evening. He looked up hoping to catch a glimpse of the sky through the thick canopy of trees. From what he could tell, it didn't look like it was going to improve much. The weather reminded him of some of the storms he'd ridden out during his ten years with the Navy. At least the ground underneath him wasn't moving with twenty-foot swells. He'd have the special pleasure tonight of imagining what he'd like to do to the blonde twink with the 'to die for' blue eyes. His cock twitched at the thought and he chuckled to himself. Keeping the blue eyes clearly in the front of his thoughts, the forest soon disappeared and he ended up on the edge of the clearing near the small house he was renting. When he entered the back porch he took off all of his wet clothing and only then realized just how cold he felt. Shivering he gathered them up and headed inside stopping only long enough to drop his clothes in the washer and add a few others that were waiting there. Years in the Navy had instilled in Brian the need for everything to be 'ship shape' he put the washer on and moved to the living room naked, comfortable in his own skin, though he was shivering with the cold dampness that seemed to have leached into the small house. He lit the fire that he kept ready and waiting on the fireplace hearth. Once he was sure it was burning properly he headed to the bathroom and the deep old fashioned claw footed tub. He missed having a shower, but on miserable days like this he enjoyed the pleasure he received in soaking in lots of hot water. While the tub was filling, he checked on the fire and added another log. He poured himself a glass of JB and grabbed the book he was reading off the kitchen table. He looked at the stereo and decided to leave it off. After so many years of living on a ship with too many men and no peace and quiet he reveled in the silence of his small home. There had been times when the incessant drone of the ships motors had almost driven him crazy. The sound had a way of wrapping itself around a person then, niggling deep down inside until your very body hummed in sync with the vast mass of steel that surrounded you on all sides. He was sure that he would have gone insane if it hadn't been for his childhood friend Michael Novotny. Michael had been there for him since they were both fourteen. He knew that all of their friends were sure it was Brian who had pulled them together and saved Michael's ass time after time in various teenage escapes, but in reality, it was Michael and his family that had saved Brian from a life on the streets or worse. He settled into the hot water, a loud sigh escaping his lips as the water moved up his chest. He leaned back and shut his eyes enjoying the end of his wet day but interesting day. He reached over and grabbed his drink off the chair beside the tub, sipping the whiskey the comforting burn of the alcohol warmed him up inside. It was times like this when he wished he'd never given up smoking. He thought about opening his book but it was too much effort to contemplate. The jarring ring of his phone on the chair startled him and he almost dropped the heavy crystal glass still half full of JB. "Hey" he purred into the phone. "Hey yourself, what's with the Mr. Sex voice on the phone." Michael laughed. "I didn't think you cared." "I don't asshole" Brian smiled and took another sip of whiskey, "I was hoping it was the blonde twink I met today." "You give him your phone number?" "No" "So he was supposed to read your mind and pluck the number from the many inside?" "It could happen." Brian laughed. "All the time Brian, all the time. Look I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up after school. But a shipment came in and I forgot all about the time." "You've got to stop reading the merchandise Mikey." Brian took another sip. "At least until you drive me home." "Sorry again. Look tell me about blondy, was he hot?" "Oh yes, I'd say he was an eleven on a scale of one to ten." He smiled thinking of the blue eyes. "Remember the sky in Hawaii that night, just before we left port at Christmas? Remember how blue it was or were you too busy remember the hot beach boys at the baths?" "I remember the sky Brian, it's not all about cock you know." "Well, a lot of it is about cock" they both chuckled "His eyes are that shade of blue." "Sounds good, so did you ask him out?" "You must be kidding. I can see it now. First of all he's like probably twelve, well maybe older, he has his own car and he is studying at PIFA, but he looks twelve. Plus he is from another world, not Italian or Irish working class that's for damn sure. Next I'd have to say - want to share a donut or something and by the way, you have to drive us to the donut shop." Michael laughed, "It's not that bad Brian. What happened to the money I paid you back for the this quarter?" "Tuition baby, tuition, and two big bottles of JB, and a few books." "I wish I could pay you back faster." "It's only money Mikey, we're best friends, what I have is yours." "So, you want to share blondy?" Michael knew the answer to this one already. Brian hadn't been really interested in another guy for years and when he was interested, he certainly didn't share. "You have your hunky professor Mikey, and you know I don't share my toys." "You always were a selfish little brat with your toys." Michael laughed, "Remember that time we bought the decoder rings from the back of the Marvel comic book?" "You broke yours in about five minutes and wanted me to give you mine. Not a chance Novotny, I still have that ring." "No shit - I think mine is at the bottom of the trunk at Mom's." "Yeah, all squashed and bent if I recall." Brian took another sip. "I'm going to give mine to the man I fall in love with. Of course at the rate I'm going, it could become a rare antique before that happens." "Just what the average queer wants as a commitment ring, a piece of tin decoder ring that will turn his finger green in eight seconds flat. You better fall in love with a guy with a good sense of humor." Brian's thoughts went to the blonde in the red mustang convertible, his pale hair blowing in the wind as they moved into town that morning. He still couldn't get the smile out of his mind that Justin had given him when he dropped him off. "I'm sure the man I fall for will love to have a Buck Rodgers decoder ring." "He'll need it to understand all your mysterious looks and dark moods." "Fuck you Seaman" "In your dreams Petty Officer Kinney" and they both laughed at their little "in" joke that they had shared for years. "Look, you ruined what could have been some hot fantasies in the bath tonight. I'm hanging up, the water's getting cold and I'm starving." "Poor baby, I'm about to go home to a hot hunk" he laughed "Sucker" The both laughed. "See you at Deb's on Sunday" Brian said "Hey, bring blondy" "Sure, I'd love to scare him to death with all of us - sounds like a plan. Of course I could cut out the middleman and just never see him again. It would save wear and tear on my nerves." "Yep, that would work. But what fun would it be for the rest of us? How often do we get to meet a guy you are actually interested in?" "I only met him today long enough for a ride into town and a ride back home. It's not the love meeting of the century." Brian pulled himself out of the tub; he tucked the phone to his shoulder talking as he dried off. "Chat later Mikey, give Ben a big sloppy one from me." "Gross, Brian, see you Sunday, I'll tell Ma to set an extra place." "A good little Seaman would shut up while he's ahead" "Ahhhhh, but we all know that I'm not a good little Seaman." "Yeah, we do at that." Brian said quietly as he hung up the phone. He remembered the hell they both had gone through when he and Mikey had been Dishonorably Discharged because of Mikey's antics and Brian's defense. Talk about coming out of the closet with a bang. The Navy didn't appreciate it one damn bit and the two of them soon found themselves back in Pittsburgh as civilians in short order. Brian and Michael pooled their money for Michael to open his comic book store. Brian himself enrolled in the last few courses he needed to get his degree in Marketing. He already had been approached by two of the best advertising firms in Pittsburgh. He had another couple of months to decide which one he'd go with, he hoped his small savings would hold out that long. His cousin was letting him stay rent-free in this tiny house. He had almost crumbled when his car had died but was keeping up with his studies by hitchhiking into town and Mikey driving him home whenever he could. It wasn't easy, but Brian was determined to make it pay off. Brian walked into his bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans and a heavy sweater, he didn't bother with shoes or socks, he loved the freedom of bare feet. He was about to head for the kitchen, when he realized that he could smell smoke. He went into the living room to check the fireplace, everything seemed fine, but the smell of burning wood and creosote was strong. He padded around the house looking for the source of the smell when he looked out the window and could see the reflection of flames against the darkened sky. "Shit" he thought, the fucking house was on fire. He grabbed his cell phone, a small locked metal box, slipped on his still wet shoes, pulled his prized leather jacket off the hook by the door. He was almost outside when he had the foresight to take his backpack by the handle. His hours of work where in that damp bag, he'd hate to lose it. When he opened the door of the house the down draft sucked the flames from the burning roof through the hot ceiling and into the whole house. In seconds it was a flaming mass of horror. He had barely cleared the sagging wooden front porch when the main windows burst from the heat and pressure inside. He stood outside beside the carcass of his old car watching his home of the last ten months burn to the ground. The shock hadn't sunk in when a strong arm pulled him in for a close comforting hug. He looked down and wasn't surprised to see the top of a blonde head leaning into him. "Hey Princess, you were in the neighborhood?" he asked his voice was almost too low for Justin to hear over the noise of the fire. "Was there anyone else in there?" A much older version of Justin asked him. Brian shook his head no. The man spoke into the phone he held in his hand. "It's ok Peter, there was only one occupant and he seems to be alright." He listened for a moment. "No, you still can't get here the water's too high. I'll stay and make sure it burns out. Justin can take the young man who was living here back to our house." Justin looked up at Brian. "That's my dad - he's a take charge kind of guy" he grinned at Brian. "It's a straight guy kind of thing." He looked at his father who walked back to them. "Dad, this is Brian Kinney, I'll take him back to Mom and Molly." "Hi, I'm Craig Taylor. Don't let the women bully you Brian. Jennifer will be wanting to 'mother you' and Molly is almost as bad." Brian looked at him confused. "I can call one of my friends - he began. "It's late and the weather's the shits. We have more than enough room for you to stay. In fact Justin, after your mother's done with him, give Brian the key to Uncle John's place out back. I'm sure he'll be more comfortable there than in the house with the rest of you noisy bunch." "Ok Dad" Justin looked at Brian. "Come on Brian, you're all wet again, and a bit shocky, Mom'll feed you and drive you nuts for awhile then you can escape to Uncle John's. His place is amazing and he won't mind, he's in Europe for eighteen more months." Brian let himself be led back through the forest to Justin's home. He never noticed when the young blonde took his hand, barely registering the comforting feeling of the warm fingers threaded through his. Brian and Justin had just reached the rear door of the house when it was thrown open and Molly and his mother rushed out. Molly took Brian by the arm and whisked him inside both her and her mother chattering a mile a minute. "Come on in Brian. Justin, you take Brian to your room and find him something warm and dry to put on. I think that your father has clean sweats in his middle drawer. Your father called and said Brian would be staying at John's place. I know John left most of his clothes there. Brian can use anything he needs until he can get some replacements." Jennifer was pulling items out of the refrigerator as she talked. "Hi Brian, hey the fire more than sucks. I'm glad you're ok." Molly looked at Justin. "See I told you he should have stayed here." Justin shook his head at the two of them. "Let Brian at least get in the door before you start organizing his life." He said to his mother. To Molly he said "Shut up Mol" still holding Brian's hand he led him down the hallway to his rooms. "Sorry about that Brian, they'll smother you with kindness if you give them half a chance. If you want to get out of your wet stuff, I'll go find you Dad's sweats. We can put your stuff in the dryer so you won't be stuck dressed like a forty five year old straight guy." Brian looked at Justin "Is this some kind of genetic trait this wholesale take over thing?" "Awe, the hitchhiker I've come to know and love speaks and just as friendly as ever I see." Justin grinned at him. Brian smirked at Justin. "Touché" He couldn't quite believe Justin and his family taking a stranger into their midst without a second thought. "Where's the shower Princess, I'm frozen?" "It's right through there" Justin indicated a door. "Towels are in the closet inside. I'll go get the stuff of Dad's." he looked hard at Brian "My name is Justin." "I'll remember that Princess." Brian turned and walked through the door, smiling to himself at the look of outrage on the blonde's face. He stripped down quickly and got into the large shower, turning the water as hot as he could stand. He was pleased to see that Justin's shampoo was the same kind he liked and that the soap was some kind of French milled soap barely scented with a citrus like smell. Luxuriating in the hot water that had filled the bathroom with steam, he never noticed when Justin slipped through the door to leave the clean clothes on the counter. Justin stood for a moment and watched Brian through the shower door. He wished he had the nerve to strip down and join him. Just the few moments of watching the tall lanky man had him rock hard. He left the room doing his best to will his hard cock soft. There was no way he could face his mother in this state. When Brian was out of the shower he smiled to himself when he saw the clothes on the counter. "Well blondy" he thought "Did you like the view?" Jennifer had sandwiches on the table along with a glass of milk and a slice of chocolate cake. She was the first to notice Brian hesitating at the doorway. "Come on in Brian, there's nothing formal in this house." She indicated the food on the table. "You sit down and eat, you're so thin, I know you must be hungry." "Mrs. Taylor, I've always been thin. But I am hungry, I didn't have supper yet." Justin sliced himself a piece of cake and poured a glass of milk. "I'll join you." He said to Brian. "Hey, Molly, you want some cake?" "Like I'm going to eat carbs at this time of night." Molly said. She sat down at the table with the two men. "I'm sorry about your house burning down Brian." "It was my cousin's house and he's probably got lots of insurance on it. But it does kind of mess up my plans alright." Brian said to her. "What do you do Brian, for a living I mean?" Jennifer asked, she poured him another glass of milk and removed the empty sandwich plate. "I'm finishing up my the last courses toward my degree in Marketing. I have a couple of job offers for the spring when I graduate." He looked at her. "I've been in the Navy since I was eighteen, only been out for a little over a year." "Wow you must have looked so cool in your Navy Uniform. Guys in uniform make me hot." Molly grinned at him. "Molly Taylor, what a thing to say." Jennifer said, though she was thinking the same thing herself. "Excuse my daughter's bad manners, Brian." "Hey, Molly, I did look pretty hot in my uniform." Brian smirked at the girl. "I just bet you did." She replied. "Too bad you're gay." "Molly Taylor" Jennifer's voice was sharp. "Well it is Mom, all the good looking guys are gay and it's not fair." "How do you know I'm gay Molly, I didn't think I swished." Brian was laughing. "Cause of the way you looked at Justin, like you could eat him up." Justin's face turned beet red. "Crap Molly, you have to learn to keep your mouth shut." Jennifer burst out laughing. "I was thinking the same thing myself, you do look at Justin like that." "Mooooom" Justin was beyond embarrassed. Now it was Brian's turn to laugh. "I didn't know I was so transparent. He is a cutey." He looked at Justin. "A bit young though for me. Twelve is just a tad young." "I am not twelve. I'm twenty years old." Justin was indignant. "What are you thirty?" Brian was insulted, "I'm old enough" he refused to answer with his age; he didn't like to admit he was thirty-one. Molly and her mother looked at each other. "Let's leave these two alone to trade insults" Jennifer said. "I'm sure you have homework Molly." "Brian, Justin will show you John's place when you're done here. Justin, I know you have an early class tomorrow, so don't stay over there too late." "Mom, for gawd sake, I'm old enough to know when to go to bed." "Sorry dear, force of habit." She said and bent and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." She walked over to Brian and kissed his cheek. "You sleep well Brian, come to the house for breakfast. Do you have an early class as well?" Brian's cheek burned where she had kissed him. His own mother had never shown him such natural affection. "I do Mrs. Taylor, so I'll probably be leaving quite early." "It's Jennifer Brian, you come for breakfast, Justin can drive you in when he goes." "What am I the local taxi?" Justin grumbled. "Justin" the tone of his mother's voice spoke volumes. "Sorry" he mumbled. Brian was amused at the exchange between Justin and his mother. "I'd better get moving, I have homework too." "Your clothes are probably dry by now. You wait here, I'll go get them" Justin all but ran to the laundry room. He could hardly wait for Brian to see his Uncle John's place at the back of their property. Justin handed Brian an umbrella as they stepped outside. Craig met them on the walkway to John's studio. "Brian, the fire is out, the rain helped. It must have been the old chimney, I'm sure it hadn't been cleaned in years. Sorry, we weren't able to save anything." "I did manage to go get a couple of things. I appreciate your help Mr. Taylor." "That's what neighbors do Brian and you can call me Craig." He looked at Justin "Don't stay and bother Brian too late tonight Justin, I'm sure he could use some relaxation time." Justin rolled his eyes. "Do you and Mom think I'm going to throw the guy to the floor and have my way with him if I stay over there too long?" He shook his head "Geeze Dad, I don't know what you guys were like when you were twenty, but some of us have self control." "Justin, I'm well aware of what I was like at your age, that's why I'm telling you to behave." He looked at Brian. "You'll have to excuse the boy Brian, he has a reputation on Liberty Avenue that's even managed to trickle back to us old folks. We're thinking of chaining him in his room, except he might like that." He laughed and ruffled Justin's hair. "Boy I'll bet you'll be glad when you can get your own place." "Bite me Dad" Justin said and he laughed. "I'm not nearly as bad as all the stories you hear." "Riiiiight" his father said with a smile. "See you in the morning boys." He turned and continued on into the house. Brian had been listening to the exchange between father and son and was incredulous. The two of them continued on into the dark rainy night, following the flagstone pathway. "I take it your parents are aware you're gay?" "Hey, I came out of the womb swishing" Justin joked. "Actually, my Uncle John, dad's brother is gay and it's kind of no big deal in our family. When I realized my sexuality, it just seemed normal. Unfortunately, that's not quite how most of the kids at St. James felt, or rather a certain contingent of them. I'm not exactly a muscle queen so I endured a few years of hell. But hey, such is life." He looked at Brian "What were your parents like when you came out?" "Let's say, my best friend and I came out at the same time somewhat with a bang and leave it at that." He looked out into the distance, his face sad. "My mother hasn't spoken to me since and my father died last year hating me for it." Justin threaded his fingers through Brian's and they continued to walk. "That's totally bogus, you can't help who you are." "Don't worry about it. Mikey's mother and Uncle Vic are like my parents, so I'm not without some kind of family." "So your friend's Mom is ok with you guys being gay?" "Deb's known about the two of us for years, she's ok. She's like this super PFLAG mom - what every gay boy should have." He smiled down at Justin. "You don't mean Debbie Novotny do you?" Justin asked. "She and my mom are in PFLAG together. I love the diner where she works, I eat there all the time." "You do?" Brian realized that he'd never noticed Justin there before, but then again since he'd been back he'd rarely had enough money to indulge in the diner's menu. "Absolutely, Deb even lets me wait tables when I need gas money. Molly keeps borrowing from me and never, and I mean never pays me back. In the summer I work at Dad's company, but during the winter I have to rely on my summer savings and what I can pick up here and there. I've applied for an internship at Vanguard Advertising, if I get that then I'll be set until I graduate." "That's one of the places that I have a job offer." Brian said. "They are supposed to be the best." Justin unlocked the door to a stone-faced building. He stepped inside and flipped the light switch. "Here it is. Uncle John's studio and living quarters when he's in Pittsburgh. He's in Europe right now with a Museum in the art restoration department." Brian stepped inside. "This place is amazing." He stood there trying to take it all in at once. A large expanse of hardwood with islands that reflected the taste of the man, who must have designed the place, appeared before him. He noticed an easel, covered with a drop cloth, standing by a wall of windows that faced the forest. A small but functional kitchen and dining area and a sofa and chaise that faced a wall of electronics that had to be a media wall completed the large room. Across from where they stood was a few steps that led to an open loft. He could see a large bed and a door that must lead to the bathroom. "Your Uncle must be crazy to have left this." "He had a bad break up with a long time boyfriend, so he headed to Europe and this job." Justin looked at Brian. "It's one of the reason's I don't believe in love for queers. It just never works." "That's kind of a rash judgment from someone who's still a baby." Brian replied. "I've seen more than enough broken hearted gay boys to last me a lifetime. I don't believe in love, I do however believe in fucking. It satisfies the need of the moment, no fuss, no muss, no regrets. I can find myself a trick or two when the need arises in the back room at Babylon. I never do them twice, I never bother with names everyone gets what they came for and no broken hearts." "Awe, the reputation your father was mentioning" Brian smirked. "You're kind of young to have an established reputation." "I've been satisfying my needs on Liberty since I was seventeen Brian. You should try it sometime." "It's not the game for me. I'm not saying I wouldn't trick once in awhile. It happens. But in my case rarely, I'm looking for someone to who will love me and let me love him back. I'd like a relationship like my best friend has with his partner." "You've been reading too many Harlequin Romance novels. A love like that is for hetros and munchers not for queers." "And you blondy are so full of shit, I'm surprised your eyes aren't brown." Brian walked back to the door. "I'm tired and I still have to do some homework, what time does the taxi leave in the morning?" he smirked a tongue in cheek smirk. "Some day you are going to fall long and hard for someone, I hope I'm around to watch the fun" Justin flashed a brilliant smile. "You never know old man, but I doubt very much I'll be falling anywhere, let alone long and hard." He started to walk past Brian, stopping only long enough to reach up and kiss his lips, with a kiss so long and sweet that Brian's knees felt week. "Later" he said and shut the door. Brian stood frozen in place for a few moments while he processed the kiss, until finally he was able to turn and walk further into the room. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^