Cost of Love – Priceless 
Chapter 7

The first thing Brian noticed when he woke up was that he was tangled up with Justin’s arms and legs. He breathed deeply of the sleepy smell of the boy in his arms. He hadn’t opened his eyes. He didn’t need to, to know that he was holding someone he could become very used to having in his bed. His bed, this one wasn’t built for someone more than six feet tall. Brian could feel the cool air on his feet, not that he minded. The sun was shining in the window. It must be fairly late in the morning he thought. He didn’t usually sleep in, but then he didn’t usually sleep the night through. There was something somehow safe and comforting about having Justin with him.

“Are you going to just lay there thinking all morning or are you going to make love to me?”

Brian huffed a laugh at the impertinent question from the young man in his arms. “I don’t make love, I fuck.” He began to rain kisses on the parts of Justin that he could reach. 

“You could have fooled me. I know you fuck, but what we did was something more. So don’t even think about arguing with me Bear, I know the difference.” Justin snuggled in a little closer if that was possible. He was all but vibrating from Brian’s kisses.

“You think you’re so smart.” Brian murmured and he continued the assault on Justin’s body with his lips, tongue and teeth. He knew that Justin was right. What he was doing was more than fucking. He was all but worshiping the pale skin that surrounded all that was Justin. And the thing of it was he couldn’t stop himself. Justin was more than a trick and he always had been.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

While Justin was keeping Brian occupied, things were happening in Pittsburgh that would keep them talking on Liberty Avenue for a long time afterward. It began with Stockwell discovering the theft of his blackmail items after he’d been released from his bindings by his wife who gone looking for him when he didn’t come in from the garage.

“What the fuck took you so long?” was only part of what came out of the man’s mouth as he continued to berate his wife after she released him. “I come home, you hear the car and you don’t think it’s odd that I don’t come into the house for an hour?” He barely controlled himself of the urge to hit out at her as he stalked into his den. He knew immediately that someone had been in there. Justin had taken great care to make sure everything was put back exactly like it should be, but Jim Stockwell could feel the presence of someone.

He turned the combination of the safe after making sure he was alone in the room, locking his wife out in the hallway. It was just what he’d thought. Kinney had managed somehow to steal the pictures. His heart fell when he realized that it was more than just the pictures of Brian Kinney that had been stolen, but pictures and papers that he’d used on others to keep himself in the style he’d become accustomed to. Kinney had to be behind this and Stockwell was going to get him any way he could.

“I want a search warrant for Brian Kinney’s place.” Stockwell barked into the phone.

“On what grounds?” asked the patient judge who Stockwell had always counted on for things like this.

“I think he’s behind the theft at my place.”

“The judge, who knew Brian from the baths, burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding.” He said when he could catch his breath. “Unless you caught him standing in the room with the painting in his hands, I’m not going to even justify the thought of Brian Kinney being a cat burglar.” He hung up the phone. Stockwell was incensed. He strode out of his den intent on facing Brian himself. Making sure he had his gun, Stockwell headed for Brian’s loft apartment.

Jeremie checked and double checked the material that Jasbir had returned with. He couldn’t believe the stupidity of some politicians. Shaking his head, Jeremie headed to the basement furnace that he kept for just such occasions despite the fact that he had another heating system. Ripping everything up into the smallest shreds possible, Jeremie set fire to it all. He stood and watched it burn and when it was nothing but ashes, he stirred the ashes with a poker rendering any large ash nothing but dust. Tomorrow he’d make a few phone calls so that the recipients of the blackmail could go on with their lives. It never hurt to have a favor or two owed. But he drew the line at blackmail.

Jeremie went to bed satisfied that he’d helped Justin as well as two other friends and one acquaintance. 

Stockwell spent an angry ten minutes pounding on Brian’s loft door before leaving. He then sat outside the building most of the night waiting for Brian to come home. The lights never did come on in Brian’s loft windows. Brian never returned home. Stockwell wondered where the man was and how he’d known to stay away.

The judge that Stockwell had called pondered the phone call for more than an hour before he set in motion an investigation of the man. He knew that there was no way Brian Kinney would do anything illegal, that left only Stockwell with something to hide. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When Brian woke up the second time, he could feel someone staring at him. He looked at Justin whose head was resting on Brian’s chest. Justin’s eyes were closed and he was smiling in his sleep. Lifting his head slightly off the pillow, Brian’s eyes landed on Daphne who was waiting patiently at the end of the bed, her legs crossed as she sat on the corner. “Good, you’re finally awake” she said. “You know for an old guy you sure sleep a lot.”

“I’m not old and I wasn’t sleeping.” Brian’s voice rumbled enough that Justin woke up. 

“Hey Daph” he croaked. “Go away.”

“I’m not going away. You guys have to get up. That guy Stockwell who was running for mayor, he’s in deep shit. It’s all over the news.”

“What?” Brian sat up in the bed dislodging Justin. “Turn on the television.” He commanded. “I’ve got to see this.”

“Brian” Justin whined, having been rudely dropped on the bed when Brian stood up. 

Daphne watched with interest as the naked Brian pulled on his pants. This was more exciting than the news she thought. Brian smirked at her and headed for the bathroom. He didn’t bother to shut the door and it was clear that he was relieving his bladder. Justin groaned but climbed out of bed as well. He pulled the sheet around him. “Go turn on the television, I’m not getting dressed with you in here.”

“Brian did” 

“Brian doesn’t care who sees his dick. I do.” 

“Fine, I’ll turn on the television.” Daphne flounced out.

Justin pulled on a pair of sweats and headed for the bathroom too. “You shouldn’t tease her” he said to Brian. “It isn’t fair to show her what she can’t have.”

“She shouldn’t be in our bedroom.” Brian was washing his hands. “Is this yours?” he held up a Power Puff Girl toothbrush. When Justin nodded, Brian began to use it to brush his teeth. 

“You know you could stop smoking, then your mouth wouldn’t feel so yucky when you wake up.” Justin was still kind of glowing from the ‘our’ bedroom comment.

“Black sweats?” Brian questioned. 

Justin looked down, shit he did put on the black ones. “Yeah, I like a change every now and then.”

“You just don’t seem the type to wear black.”

“What do you think, I’m the pink sweats type?” Justin laughed. “Maybe I’m trying to impress you with my fashion sense.” He nudged Brian with his hip while he washed his hands.

Brian laughed and swooped down for a kiss. “Nice toothpaste blondie” he whispered before their lips met. 

“Look, guys, it’s our building.” Daphne squealed from the living room. 

Brian and Justin looked at each other and then ran into the living room. Sure enough there was a news camera trained on their building. Stockwell was being led out of the building by two large uniformed police officers. Another older and rather well worn detective followed him. The detective declined to comment as to why Stockwell was in the Tremont street building and why he was being led away, obviously in custody.

“Where in hell were we when all this was going on?” Brian asked.

“Shuuuussshhhh” Justin held up his hand for silence as he strained to hear what the announcer was saying. “It was this morning. Stockwell was here this morning.” He looked at Brian. “I guess we were busy. I wonder why he was in our building.”

“He probably wanted to see me.” Brian continued to stare at the television set. “He seems to feel I can do something for him.”

“But you don’t want to, is that right?” Justin asked.

“That’s right, I don’t want to. I was going to tell him to pound sand anyway. I won’t be blackmailed.”

“He was blackmailing you?”

“He was trying to blackmail me. There’s a difference.” Brian sighed. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll just have to take my licks when they find the pictures he has.”

“What if he doesn’t have them anymore?” Justin asked. “I mean if they were the ones up at your place. Well those are long gone. They had to have been taken with a digital camera and I wouldn’t be surprised if the camera that was used is somewhat useless; not to mention the computer hard drive they were printed on.”

Brian turned and looked at Justin carefully, “What are you talking about?”

Daphne stood up. “Well I think I’ll go back to bed.” She wanted to get out there before Justin broke it to Brian what he did for exercise. 

“Brian, I think we should talk.” Justin looked rather miserable. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he’d have to tell Brian. He couldn’t keep a secret as big as this one from the man he was in love with.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Three Months Later

“Justin, I don’t even know these people.” Brian was protesting the fact that he had to attend Jasbir’s wedding. It had been postponed due to a few conflicts involving Brian and Justin and Brian’s insistence that Justin return everything Jeremie had given him down to the last cent and that included the car.

“You promised.” Justin’s bottom lip was out. Brian thought he looked adorable in his tux even with his lip out.

“You never told me the wedding was going to be this big. And that you were the best man. You’d think that little bit of information wouldn’t have slipped your mind.”

“I couldn’t think, I have to take the bus to school everyday.” The car was a sore point for Justin. He’d loved that car.

“Drama princess.” Brian pulled him close. “I’ll go to the wedding, I’ll even dance with the groom.”

“The bride Brian, you have to dance with the bride.”

“Whatever.”

“But I won’t and I mean won’t be friendly to Jasbir. He’s the one that got you into the mess you were in, in the first place.”

“You can’t blame Jasbir. I told you that. I did what I did of my own free will.” He smiled up at Brian. “You have to admit with the number of times that you lose your key, I’m handy to have around.”

“Yes you’re handy to have around.” Brian kissed his nose. “Did you send Jeremie that last check?”

“Yes but Jeremie doesn’t want the tuition back you know. He did it for me. It wasn’t money I earned.”

“Earned being a moot point Justin.” Brian sighed. “Owing me for the tuition is a lot better than being beholden to Jeremie. I know he’s a nice guy, but owing someone like him isn’t a good thing Justin, believe me I know.”

Justin didn’t bother to argue. He knew Brian was right. He knew what he’d been doing was wrong but he’d liked it and once he’d started, he didn’t know how to stop. As he left the hotel room hand in hand with the man he loved, he thought of the old Master Card advertising. Everything else cost money. But the cost of love really was priceless.

The end.
June 3, 2004