Justin couldn't believe that he had fallen for Ethan's lies.  The minute he had the chance, his so called "boyfriend" had taken up with the first star struck fan he encountered.  His impassioned I love you's all meant nothing now.  The violinist had ruined their six month relationship with one night of indiscretion.   Although Justin wondered if perhaps there were many more, and he had been foolishly blinded by Ethan's romantic ways.

Searching for an affordable apartment to call his own, Justin thought everything seemed so expensive.  After all, he was barely making above minimum wage at the diner.  But luckily for him, his mother was a real estate agent, so she would be able to at least help him find something within his price range.

After a month of sleeping on his best friend's uncomfortable couch, Justin had finally located an apartment.   It was not in the best of neighborhoods, and it needed a great deal of work.  But on the other hand, he could swing the rent, and the light from the windows was amazing.  Since Justin was also an artist, that particular feature was of the utmost importance. 

Jennifer Taylor had reluctantly showed her son the run down apartment.  She was hoping he wouldn't like it, but of course he did.  Even though things were hard for her since she and Craig had divorced, this was her only son.  So she made one last futile attempt to convince him to move in with her and Molly.  Justin refused the heartfelt offer, stating that it was time for him to make it on his own.  He teased her that he was going to embody the term "struggling artist".   Jennifer wasn't surprised, and knew better than to argue with him when his mind was made up.  He had always been stubborn, even as a baby.

Brian Kinney was a successful man in every sense of the word.  He had a terrific job with Vangard, the top advertising company in Pittsburgh, and was in line to become a partner soon.  He was father to a wonderful little boy, courtesy of  his best friend's biological clock ticking.  His son Gus lived with his two mommies, and was the one accomplishment he was the most proud of.   Although he didn't see his little boy as much as he should, the child loved him unconditionally. 

Brian also took pride in the fact that he was the reigning stud of Liberty Avenue.  Every fag in town wanted to experience a legendary Kinney fuck.  Brian was always happy to oblige, but he was careful not to do repeats.  You see, Brian didn't believe in boyfriends.  He especially didn't believe in love.  His firsthand look at his own parent's horrendous marriage had completely soured him on that.  Despite his self indulgent lifestyle, Brian always felt that something was missing.

Justin was at the diner, working the morning shift.  During the five months he had been there, he usually worked behind the counter, which he preferred.  Justin loved to study people, and he'd sometimes sketch them.  From his vantage point, he was able to watch the various customers who frequented the lively place.   For someone would undoubtedly catch his eye, and he'd find himself having to draw them once he got home.   

All of the regular clientèle was there this morning.  To others, they might appear to be freaks, but to Justin this was home.  He belonged here, and was comfortable in this environment, and with who he was.  He watched as a couple of drag queens strutted in, followed closely by Debbie's son Michael, and his friends.  Debbie was the head waitress, and a PFLAG chapter president.  She was a strange, loud woman, but also lovable and gregarious.  She had taken an instant liking to Justin, even bestowing the nickname Sunshine upon him, due to his blond hair and winsome smile.

Justin's eyes were always drawn to one of Michael's buddies.  The man's name was Brian Kinney.  Justin didn't really know him well, having only had several brief interactions with him.  But the man was sex on legs.  He was a tall brunet, with striking good looks, and a sleek chiseled build.  Justin was well aware of the King of Liberty Avenue, as he was referred to by the endless stream of fags who gushed his praise.   From the gossip he had heard about the way the man treated people, he sounded like an arrogant ass.  Justin recalled with satisfaction how he had deflected Brian's bold come on, when he first began working at the diner, and was living with Ethan.  Since the unexpected rejection, the older man barely acknowledged him these days.

Justin had just begun to fix up his new home.  He started by painting it.  His friend Daphne came over to help, and they had a great time together.  Too bad most of the paint wound up on them, instead of the walls.  It could have been due to their little paint war.  Daphne had accidentally painted Justin's hand, and he dabbed the tip of her nose.  Before long, they were giggling and covered head to toe with splotches of paint.

After his best friend left, he took a shower to scrub what little of the substance had remained.  Although they had both cleaned off, smidgeons of paint were still embedded under their nails, and in their hair.  As the warm water cascaded down his body, he felt the weariness of his long day catching up to him.  Refreshed, Justin stepped out of the misty stall, and threw on his underwear.  He gratefully slipped under the soft inviting sheets, as his aching body immediately curled into them. 

It was no surprise that Justin easily transitioned into a deep sleep.  He was suddenly awakened by the shrill ringing of the phone.  It brought him out of his restful state, interrupting an especially good dream.  Justin rolled over, the weight of his tired limbs felt like lead.  He glanced at the time.

'Shit, it's nearly midnight,' he thought.  He reached for the phone, annoyed at the lateness of the hour.   'Who the fuck was it?'  He managed to croak a "hello" into the receiver, and then waited for a response.

"I have great fucking news," the other voice on the line boomed.  "You were right.  They caved, and now it's all ours.  Get your ass up, we need to go out and have a damn celebration for pulling this off."   

"But...."

"That was cutting it far too close for my taste.  I loathe to admit it, but because of your genius, we're now $2 million dollars richer," the man continued.  "What's wrong with you?  Don't you have anything to say?"

"I...I ," Justin stammered.  "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number."

"What?" the man said, as he processed Justin's statement.  Then he quickly checked the display screen for the number he had dialed.  "Shit, so I do.  Why didn't you stop me from rambling on?" the man asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You seemed so excited, I couldn't really get a word in."

"Aha.  Sorry if I woke you."

"No problem."

"Bye."

"Bye."

The brunet hung up and chuckled. 

"Okay, let's try this again," he said out loud.  He dialed what was hopefully the correct number, and waited for his friend to answer.

Justin returned the phone to it's base, and laid back down on his pillow.  The stranger on the other end of the phone sounded ecstatic, but had obviously dialed his number in error.  Of course, if he were $2 million dollars richer, he'd be that excited too.  Still, there was something vaguely familiar about the voice, although Justin couldn't quite place it.

The brunet grinned as he ended his call.  He wasn't the least bit surprised when the older man had apologized, muttering that 'right now he just wanted to get some much needed rest'.  To appease him, his friend promised that they could celebrate tomorrow after work.  Unfortunately, he'd have to wait to get his rocks off until then.

The brunet leaned back on his couch, and took another swig of the imported beer he was holding.  Guess this would have to do.  He was disappointed, wishing he had someone to celebrate his good news with.  That was the only downside about the way he chose to live his life.  Even he occasionally craved physical affection from a loved one, namely another man, because he was after all queer. 

Rising from his comfortable position, the brunet walked over to his computer.  Maybe there was some way he could salvage tonight, so he typed in gaydemon.com.  He took his hand and started to rub himself through the material in his pants.  Unzipping them, he pulled out his aroused cock, and it promptly sprang to attention.  His eyes became glued to the video currently being played on the screen, as he began to pleasure himself. 

His breathing became erratic, when he increased the speed of his strokes.  Gliding his hand up and down, pre cum began to dribble from the slit on the head of his cock.  He felt a familiar tightening in his balls indicating that his orgasm was close.  The brunet's thoughts were suddenly invaded by the other person on the end of his accidental call.  The voice had sounded so sexy, and he wondered if the guy was gay too.  He let his mind drift, as he conjured the perfect body and face to go with the raspy tenor he had jarred from sleep, to nudge him over the edge. 

A geyser of cum shot up as he climaxed, making his entire body shudder.  He felt satisfied, and let out a sigh of relief, admitting to himself, 'Not what I really wanted, but it did the trick.'

As the brunet reached for a towel to clean himself, his thoughts returned to the stranger.  'Why the fuck had his voice popped into his head?'  The guy's words made him appear to be young and unassuming, perhaps he was even a virgin.  Hmmm...

Justin had no idea that his midnight caller had jerked off thinking about him.  He only knew that the chance call was disturbing him, and he was having a hard time getting back to sleep.

The next day after attending a full morning of classes, he had to do a ten hour shift at the diner.  Justin didn't know how he was managing to stay awake.  He had only gotten a few hours of rest last night.  Debbie had noticed him yawning and rubbing his eyes, and asked him if he was okay.  God, he couldn't wait to climb into his own bed, and block out the rest of the world. 

Just then, further adding to his misery, Ethan walked in.  Justin realized that his ex-boyfriend looked even worse than him.  The fiddler had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was greasier than usual. 

"Hey Justin."

"Ethan.  Why are you here?"

"I needed to see you," Ethan said looking forlorn.  "I can't sleep, I can't eat. You're all I think about."

"I wish you'd thought about me more when we were together," Justin coldly stated.

Ethan had the sense to cast his eyes down in shame.  Then he slowly looked up, directly into Justin's steel blue eyes, while he made his plea.

"I miss you.  I love you.  I want you back."

"Well, I don't miss you.  And I certainly don't love you anymore."

"Justin I..."

"No...don't.  Our entire relationship was a lie.  I told you before, the only thing you ever really loved was your music."

"Yeah, my music's for shit now too," the fiddler snickered.  His eyes surprisingly welled up with tears.

Justin understood then.  That was the real reason Ethan was here, begging him to forgive him.  Their breakup was evidently affecting his music.  Ethan loved that violin more than he loved anyone or anything else.  Justin was fuming now.

"Listen, you selfish prick.  I don't want you to come here anymore.  I don't want to see your face anywhere near me."

"Justin, give me a chance..."

"No Ethan.  Just go!  Leave, and don't come back."

With that said, Justin turned his back on his pathetic ex, and walked into the kitchen.  He took deep breaths to calm himself down, since his body was shaking with anger and disgust. 

'How could he have been so foolish?'  He wasted six months on that jerk.  'It's a good thing I don't have time to date anymore,' Justin pondered gratefully.  He was definitely not ready to enter into another relationship.  The blond just wanted to have some fun, and forget about his problems.

At thirty-five years old, Rick Matthews was three years older than his colleague and friend, Brian Kinney.  They had worked together on the Brewster Electronics account.  Through the combined efforts of their hard work, and a calculated risk, they had managed to clinch the muti-million dollar deal for their agency.  When they greeted each other this morning at the office, they shook hands and embraced, pleased with their conquest. Their affection toward each other was genuine. 

Rick had ample time to let his mind wander, since the meeting led by his boss Gardner Vance was another waste of time brainstorming session.  Amongst the room of top notch ad executives, Rick's eyes were drawn to the brash brunet, who appeared to be just as bored as him.  He recalled the first time he and Brian collaborated on an account together.  They had found out just how similar they were back then.  They both had dashing good looks, were smart, and had truly competitive natures.  However, Brian seemed to be fearless with an unwavering self confidence.  Rick was secretly impressed with the man. 

One fateful day, Brian and Rick had been working late at the office.  Their obvious attraction was instant and intense.  They soon found out they had something else very important in common, that they were both gay.  Their ensuing sexual tryst was inevitable, and they wound up fucking right there in the conference room. 

Rick's dick twitched, as he remembered vividly how Brian gave him the best fuck he had ever experienced.  After their liaison, Rick became absolutely smitten with his colleague.  However, Brian being Brian, Rick quickly found out that he was not interested in a relationship.  He had just been a convenient fuck.  Brian's cavalier attitude nearly caused Rick to become his lifelong enemy.  But oddly enough instead, they worked through the early stages of their awkward, strained relationship, to became the best of friends. 

The more Rick came to know Brian, the more he was thankful that he had gotten over his infatuation with the gorgeous brunet.  In retrospect, the two men were very different in regards to how they lived their personal lives.  Brian loved to live the fast life, hanging out at bars and clubs, and fucking every guy he could.  While Rick preferred to be in a monogamous relationship, and was not at all into the party scene.  However, like every gay man, he did enjoy the occasional clandestine rendezvous with a stranger.  Unfortunately, at the moment, there was no one special in his life.  So when Brian suggested they go to Babylon tonight to celebrate their achievement, he figured why the fuck not?

Justin had been exhausted an hour ago, but he now felt a surge of adrenalin coursing through him.  It was probably because he had finally stood up to his ex-boyfriend.  Telling Ethan exactly what he thought of him, and their so called relationship gave him a rush.  Since it was already past eleven o'clock, Justin decided to head towards the popular gay nightclub, Babylon.  He desperately needed to blow off some energy, and he couldn't think of a better environment.  Justin looked forward to dancing and fucking his way to oblivion. 

Entering the gay wonderland with his mission in mind, Justin was primed for action.  He eagerly scoped out the place, getting the lay of the land.  A tall luscious man, with shaggy brown hair, and beautiful blue/gray eyes immediately approached him.  Justin accepted his invitation to dance, and let the man lead him to the dance floor.  It had been a long time since he felt so free, and his body responded readily to the lively beat of the music.  He swayed back and forth, losing himself in the song. 

Rick stood next to Brian, and followed the man's gaze.  He was transfixed on a young hot blond.  Rick understood how the twink managed to capture his friend's attention.  The stunning blond seductively moved his hips, teasing and taunting his tall partner.  He was enthralling to watch.

"Wow, he's hot."

"He's okay," Brian smirked.  "He works at the diner." 

"You going to go for it?" Rick asked.

"Nah, not this one.  I saw someone over there who has my name on his ass though."

With that comment, Brian walked away, intent on nailing his prey.  Rick figured that Brian had already sampled the kid's charms, because he knew his friend had a steadfast rule of not doing repeats.  However, Rick chose to remain in the same spot enjoying the agile blond for a while, before returning to the bar to get another drink. 

Justin soon found himself in the back room, with the tall trick on his knees.  Although the man did a first rate job at sucking him off, Justin was merely getting started.  He suddenly recognized a familiar face entering the back room, just as he was taking his leave.  Seems as if the stud of Liberty Avenue had scored a tall, dark and handsome hunk, who wore a triumphant smile on his face, and little else.  Justin nodded a curt hello to the older man, as he continued his trek to the bar to get a drink, and bide his time until his next opportunity for pleasure. 

While indulging himself at the bar, Justin had an unobstructed view of Brian emerging with a smirk from the back room.  With just a few long strides, he reached the bar, and was now standing a few feet away from Justin.  Brian was chatting amicably with another man, and from the looks of it, they were most likely close friends.  Justin wasn't the least bit shocked to see Brian there.  He was well aware that Kinney frequented the clubs at least a few times a week.  The man's sexual libido was legendary. 

Justin got a ringside view of the arrogant man in action again, cornering a lean brown haired twink this time.  After a brief conversation, they both disappeared into the back room.  No wonder the older man ignored him every time their paths happened to cross.  Justin surmised that he must be the only person to ever turn down Brian Kinney. 

A short while later, Brian returned to his friend's side once again.  For some reason, Justin wanted nothing more than to wipe that self satisfied, smug look off the older man's face.  The blond's lips curled upward into a devilish grin, as he planned his next move.   Justin brazenly waltzed right over to where Brian and his friend were standing.  He purposely invaded Brian's personal space, giving him a quick glance, and then turning his head.  He looked directly at Brian's friend, and flashed an engaging smile.

"How's it going?"

Rick was caught off guard, and he could see Brian frowning behind the kid.  Was the heavenly blond really talking to him, and not Brian?  Fuck, maybe this was his lucky night.

"Uh great, how about you?"

"I'm fine.  Just in the mood to dance.  So, how 'bout it?"

Brian could barely make out their exchange, because the music was blaring.  The blond little twat actually had his back to him.  Brian scowled, as the two men set down their drinks, and walked toward the dance floor.  

Rick was thrilled that the young man had selected him, and was openly flirting.  As the blond danced his way closer, Rick reached out to brush sweaty strands of gold out of the kid's eyes.  His entire body tingled in anticipation, from the seductive look the young man bestowed upon him. 

"Let's get out of here," the blond suggested, eyeing the back room.

"Sure."

They left the dance floor, and Justin couldn't resist the urge to turn and look at Brian's reaction.  Justin's blue eyes made contact with intense hazel ones, as he caught the man staring.  The older man's face registered surprise, but he abruptly looked away.  'Fuck you,' Justin thought, as he felt a strange sense of empowerment.  Justin grinned, realizing that this day was turning out to be one of the best days of his life.  He was proud of himself, since he had succeeded in putting two arrogant assholes in their place.

In the back room, Justin got down on his knees, and gave Brian's good looking friend a blow job.  He knew it was something that he was naturally skilled at.  But he was being particularly vigilant and attentive to the older man's cock, because he wanted to give him a mind blowing orgasm.  From the groans and jerks of the man's body, the blond could tell it had worked.  Justin rose, and ran his fingers over Rick's hard muscular chest.  He pushed the material of the shirt aside to lick and nip the aroused pink nubs. 

Justin masterfully trailed kisses along the man's jaw, and down to his neck.  He could detect the man's dick springing to life again with a renewed hard on.  He gripped Rick's shoulders, and directed him to turn around.  The man hesitated briefly before turning his back to the blond, and bracing himself against the wall.  Justin unbuckled his own pants, to release his swollen member.  He slicked a condom over his erection, and prepared Rick's tight hole with a generous amount of lube. 

When Rick told him to take it slow, Justin figured the man was usually a top.  He was careful to ease his cock past the first ring of muscles.  Rick sucked in a deep breath as Justin paused to allow him to adjust to the intrusion.  Then Justin continued pushing forward, his dick sliding deep into Rick's ass, making him groan.  He pulled out, making the man shiver.   Sliding back in, he aimed for the older man's prostate.  Rick moaned words of encouragement, as the blond quickened his pace.  Before long, they were both on the verge of an orgasm.  Rick called out as he came.  Three thrusts later, Justin shot his virile load into the condom with a grunt.

The men departed together.  After a brief exchange, they said their goodbyes.  Justin took particular delight in knowing that Rick would be regaling Brian with the details of their encounter. 

Rick had the biggest damn smile on his face.  Of course he had to tell Brian all about the blond and his talented mouth.  When Rick admitted that he let Justin fuck him, Brian was dismayed.  To his knowledge, Rick was a top, and very rarely bottomed.  How the fuck the blond had managed to turn the tables was a mystery.  Brian also didn't know why he let the kid get to him.  He wasn't even his type.

"Was he good for you?" Rick asked Brian.

"I wouldn't know," Brian said sounding annoyed.  Then he quickly changed the subject. 

Justin hauled his tired ass over to the diner for the morning shift.   When the cook unwittingly banged the pots together, he cringed and rubbed his temples.  Since the blond had a bit of a hangover, he found that he was hypersensitive to loud sounds.  And right now, his head felt as if it was going to explode.

Debbie took pity on him, and told him to go home early.  He was appreciative, because he desperately needed to get some rest before going to his afternoon class.  Her kindness came at a price though, because Debbie deemed it her duty to give him a less than motherly lecture, about fucking and sucking until all hours of the night.  'Jeez, sometimes the boisterous woman could be worse than his own mother.'

Rick usually didn't go out at night during the middle of the work week, but he was glad he deviated from his normal routine for once.  On the bright side, he had terrific, memorable sex with the blond from last night, whose name he discovered was Justin.  But then he was also forced to accept that it would be their only time together.  He had asked for the blond's phone number, and the young man explained that he wasn't looking for any type of relationship.  Although Justin was tactful about it, his words had sounded all too familiar to Rick.  It was as if the kid had stolen a quote directly from the Kinney operating manual. 

Brian had played it very cool last night, but Rick knew that his friend was perplexed by the beguiling blond.  If he was gauging Brian's reaction correctly, he would take an educated guess that his studly friend's advances had already been rejected by the kid.  This was nothing short of amazing, since he had witnessed firsthand how no one seemed to be immune to Brian's charms.  The charismatic brunet had the adoration of men, women and children.  'Good for Justin,' Rick enthused.  It's about time someone presented a challenge to Brian. 

In his short but pleasant dream during the early morning hours, Brian had visions of a pliant blond dancing seductively.   The brunet woke up thinking about Justin.  He tried to act indifferent, but the truth was that he was irritated by what had happened.  First the blond flatly turned him down, and now it seemed that he was going out of his way to annoy him.  Brian didn't like it one bit.  He didn't waste any more time thinking of it though, because his day was going to be way too busy.  Anyway, no twink was that important to Brian Kinney.

Justin's 3:00 p.m. class at Carnegie Mellon was barely tolerable.  This particular art history elective had been a poor choice, and as a result, he was suffering the consequences.  Damn, it was only dinnertime, and he was already yawning from the boredom of his day.  His plan was to eat something substantial, and watch some TV before retiring for the night.   

Although the blond felt restless, he finally settled in for the evening.  He was drifting off to sleep, when the phone rang, making him flinch.  He noted that it was just about midnight.  The caller ID indicated "Unknown Caller".  'This had better be good,' Justin thought, as he picked up the receiver.

"Hey."

"Uh hey."

"Remember me?" 

Justin tried hard to think of who it could be, but didn't have a clue.  There was an awkward silence, and then the other man spoke again.

"How quickly we forget.  The other night?  Two million dollars richer?"

"Ohhh, you're the guy that had the wrong number."

BINGO.  "Yep, that would be me."

"This isn't another accidental call, is it?"  Justin questioned.

"No, as a matter of fact, I called to talk to you."

"Really?"  Justin's brows furrowed as he waited to hear the reason.

"Ah ha.  Ever have a shit day, and just feel like bitching to someone?"

"That's an understatement.  But why me?  Why not one of your friends?"

"Your voice intrigued me.  Besides, I have no interest in talking to any of my friends.  They all think the worst of me anyway."

"Then they don't sound like very good friends to me."

"Yeah, maybe.  But they're like family, and they're not always wrong about me."

Brian and Justin talked for two long hours.  During their conversation, they revealed everything, yet nothing about themselves.  The anonymity of it all was exciting to both of them.

"This is kind of nice," Justin exclaimed honestly.

"Mysterious, yet liberating," Brian conceded.

Justin laughed.  "Okay, is this when you start talking dirty to me?"

"Not quite yet, Picasso.  I'll save that for the next time."

"Picasso?"

"Yes, do you like your new name?  You said you were an artist."

"Hmmm... It's growing on me."

"I've got an early presentation," Brian announced.  "So, I've got to go."

"Wait, what do I call you?"

"Ummm....why don't I leave that up to you?  Sweet dreams."

"You too.  Night."

Justin smiled.  'Did he really just talk on the phone with relative ease for two entire hours, with a virtual stranger?  And was the stranger ever going to call again?'

Brian was enjoying this game, maybe a little too much.  He found it very entertaining, and it was providing a diversion from his problems.  Although the young man appeared apprehensive at first, he soon willingly played along with the charade.

Not knowing who he was talking to on the other end, was definitely a turn on for Brian.  He had to admit that he was curious to know more about the young stranger.  He knew that it wouldn't be long before he was dialing his number again.  Brian's last thought before he fell asleep, was to wonder what weird name the kid would choose for him.  He knew that at the moment they were engaging in friendly bantering.  But he had also confided quite a lot in this stranger, during the course of the conversation. Brian planned on taking this to a more intimate level. 

Justin stretched against the sheets with a wicked smile on his face.  His long, interesting chat with the sexy, mysterious man was making his dick stir.   He discovered that the ability to say things to someone without them knowing your identity was strangely arousing, and emancipating at the same time.  Justin began to stroke his dick as he thought of the man's voice, and the way he had christened him with the nickname "Picasso".   Again, something about the man's tone was familiar.   The blonde envisioned someone tall, dark and handsome.  He couldn't make out the features, but the hazy image was enough to make him hard.

Justin reached under his pillow, and pulled out his strategically placed stash of lube.  Spreading it generously on his hand, he continued to stroke himself.  He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation for a while.  He then greased a digit on his left hand, and plunged it into his hole in an effort to push him over the edge.  He was fingering himself as he palmed his shaft, and it felt sooo good.  Justin's body arched, as the white sticky fluid erupted in spurts from the slit of his engorged cock.  The warm liquid squirted mostly on his chest, but some of it caught the side of his face.   He let out a satisfied sigh, and lay like that for a blissful moment, reveling in the waves of his orgasm.  When his breathing returned to normal, he washed up.  Then he nestled under the covers, and quickly lapsed into a peaceful slumber.

Justin was in a genial mood, that is, until he spied Brian and his crew entering the diner.  A hush fell over the place, as all eyes were riveted on the handsome brunet.  Even he had to admit, that for 7:30 in the freaking morning, the man did look breathtakingly beautiful. 

Brian ran his fingers through his hair, as he took a seat in the usual booth with his entourage.  He grimaced when he noticed that insufferable blond twink behind the counter.  He could feel the younger man staring at him.  It both pleased and irritated him, as he recalled the surprising events at Babylon the other night.

Although Brian was secure in the effect he had on the multitude of fags in the diner, he was acutely cognizant of the blond's relative indifference to him.  He supposed that's what had attracted him to the kid in the first place.  Of course the fact that he was absolutely hot, may have been a factor too.  For whatever reason, Brian surmised the blond didn't approve of him, and seemed to be initiating some sort of challenge by his recent actions. 

'The man has no morals,' Justin seethed, as Brian shot him a self satisfied smirk.  His cocky strut past Justin, left no doubt in his mind what the arrogant prick was up to.  Having witnessed the entire ten second interaction between Kinney and his dark haired trick, their rendezvous in the bathroom was to be expected.  Justin tried to focus on the task at hand, as he poured coffee into a mug for a customer at the counter.  As much as he felt nothing but contempt for the older man right now, his body betrayed him, as his cock stiffened with an involuntary reaction to the close proximity of the self assured cad. 

Justin was furious at himself for feeding Brian's already inflated ego.  However, he discovered that he didn't posses the willpower necessary to avert his gaze from the conceited brunet.  What was it about Brian that made him want to strangle him, and throw himself at his feet at the same time?  Justin was dismayed by the internal struggle that was presently going on inside of him.  He was in need of a distraction from his newfound quandary.  Thank heavens for his midnight caller.  Justin prayed that he would get another phone call from the mystery man tonight. 

If there was a scorekeeper, Brian knew he had surely won this round.  He had purposely flaunted his conquest in front of the blond's glaring blue eyes.  At least he sparked some type of emotion from the twink. 

Brian's mind quickly strayed to his interaction late last night with the young stranger on the phone, who seemed amenable to his subtle advances.  Brian was relieved to be able to lower his mask, and reveal his true self to someone. For even though the blond twink from the diner might think he was an asshole, the young stranger knew that he was more than that.  Brian was comforted by that thought, and it brought him an inner peace.

It had been a long day for Justin, one that was filled with anticipation.  He found himself constantly checking the time, and wishing that he hadn't gone straight home after class.  The five hours till midnight proved to be excruciatingly slow.  He had tried to rest, but couldn't.  He had surfed the TV channels for a decent movie, but had not been successful. 

So Justin stood at the window chain smoking, and blowing puffs of smoke into the air.  He cradled the phone between his chin and neck, while attempting to engage his mother, and then his best friend, in meaningful telephone conversations to pass the time.  His mother was busy, and couldn't talk for long, and Daphne had chatted incessantly.   Justin couldn't even recall half of what she droned on about, because his mind couldn't seem to focus on anything.

11:45, fifteen minutes to go.  Justin lay sprawled across his bed, with the phone securely by his side.  He could detect his heartbeat quickening, as his eyes bore intently into the telephone, willing it to ring.  His fingers anxiously skimmed the receiver, in an effort to rouse it to life.  When it finally vibrated with the sounds of its high pitched ring, Justin felt a fluttering in his gut.  He waited until the third ring to answer.

"Hey Picasso."

"Hey." 

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I was just working on an assignment for school," Justin lied.  He couldn't very well tell the man that he had been waiting by the phone all this time, absolutely desperate for his call.

They proceeded to exchange pleasantries about their respective days.  Brian related anecdotes of an important business meeting with a client, and a brief surprise visit from his two and a half year old son, and his mother. 

Justin loved it when the intriguing stranger spoke about his little boy.  He always emoted such love and pride in his voice.  The man seemed amazed at the child's ability to love him unconditionally, something that Justin sensed had been lacking in the man's personal life.

Justin shared more stories of his close knit family.  But Brian heard the change in the young man's tone, when he discussed his current estrangement from his father.  In an effort to bring back the levity to their conversation, Brian switched the subject.

"By the way, did you choose a name for me?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that."

"Well?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did.  Since you came up with a name related to something about my life, I decided to do that too."

"And what did you come up with?"

"Going by what you've talked about so far, I've made an observation."

"And your observation is...?"

"You're a total snob, and a label freak."

Brian laughed.  "And how ever did you come to that conclusion?"

"Maybe it had something to do with that amusing story you told of your son throwing up on your new designer suit, or maybe because you've mentioned on several occasions that you only buy the best."

Brian immediately became defensive.  How could he expect the kid to understand how the hardships of the past, had made him strive to attain the finer things in life. 

"Since we grew up piss poor, I would say I deserve to splurge on myself now and then," he hurled at the blond.

Justin felt a twinge of regret, and clarified his intent. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing.  I'm merely explaining how I chose your new moniker." 

"Hmmmm...now you've got me curious.  What the fuck is it?" Brian queried.

"Um, well as I was saying before, I've noticed you have a penchant for designer labels.  Hence, I shall hereby refer to you as Versace," Justin pronounced with a trace of sarcastic humor.

"Versace...."  Brian mulled it over for a second.  "I have to say Picasso, that's fucking brilliant."

"Thanks.  Glad to hear that I'm living up to my namesake."

Brian could hear the smile in the young man's voice, even over the phone, and a delightful warmth spread through his body.  They spoke for another hour before Justin confessed that he had to go.  He had a test in his art history class, and he hadn't cracked the book open yet. 

Brian ended the call on an interesting note, by informing Justin that he was going to be responsible for him staying up all night. 

"Why?" Justin questioned naively.

"Let's just say that it's going to be a restless and uncomfortable evening, due to the lascivious thoughts floating around in my head."

"Oh," the blond exclaimed as he realized what the man was alluding to.  Then he added coyly in almost a whisper, "If it makes you feel any better, I think about you too...  Goodnight Versace."

Justin could have sworn he heard an exasperated sigh, just before his mystery man expelled his own parting words. 

"Later, Picasso," Brian vowed in a low breathy voice, dripping with desire.

"Fuck," Justin groaned as he hung up the phone.

Justin was in pain, his balls were aching.  Why did Versace (he loved that name), have to be so darn mysterious and sexy.  Now he'd have to settle for another less than satisfying hand job to relieve his full fledged erection. 

As Justin cleaned up after wanking off, he had a frightening thought about the man on the other end of the phone.  Although he imagined him to be hot as hell, what if he was 300 pounds with a big nose and crooked teeth?  He'd seen horror stories on talk shows before, of people who finally met that person on the other end of the phone or computer, only to be hugely disappointed and shocked. 

Justin truly wanted to meet Versace in person.   However, another part of him didn't want to spoil the image of the perfect man he had conjured up, to fit with that beautiful voice.  Versace was kind, funny and sensual.  Justin liked to think of him as a sort of hero, because he always seemed to be rescuing one of his friends.  However, from the way they treated him, it didn't sound like they appreciated him at all.  Justin made a decision, that even if Versace looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame, he would give him a chance. After all, looks weren't everything. 

The next day at Vangard...

Rick had successfully baited Brian into admitting out loud that he hadn't scored with Justin, that kid who worked at the diner.  Rick was deriving pleasure from needling his friend, that at least there was someone that had found him more attractive than Brian. 

"Then why don't you ask him out?"  Brian retorted.

"I already did."

"Next you'll be getting married and live happily ever after," Brian sniped in a sing song voice. 

"Well if I'm going to get married, it's not going to be with Justin.  Seems he's afflicted with the same disease you have," Rick declared.

"And what might that be?" Brian asked, arching an eyebrow.

"He's commitment phobic.  Doesn't want anything serious.  I did hear though, that he recently broke up with his boyfriend.  That's probably why he feels that way right now," Rick reasoned.

Brian had Rick's words in mind that evening when he walked into the diner after work.   His eyes immediately zeroed in on the mop of blond hair behind the counter.  He paused before sitting down on one of the stools.  Brian could tell that the young man, Justin, wasn't too pleased to be waiting on him. 

"What are the specials?" Brian inquired nonchalantly.

"Tonight's special is fettuccine Alfredo," Justin announced blandly.

"I don't do carbs after 7:00," Brian informed him, "and it's almost 7:30."

Brian expected the kid to come back with some snippy remark, but instead, Justin seemed to be deep in thought.  

Justin scrunched his face in consternation.  He distinctly remembered hearing those exact same words before, "I don't do carbs after 7:00".  'It suddenly dawned on him, the timbre of Brian's voice, it's the same as...  No way, it couldn't be, could it?'

Brian saw a puzzled expression come over Justin's face.  The blond hadn't acknowledged Brian's order of split pea soup, so he spoke up again.

"I'll take a bowl of split pea soup to go."

Justin remained preoccupied by his thoughts, staring into space.

"Is this a particularly...hard...order?" Brian sarcastically quipped, purposely enunciating the last three words.

Those words finally succeeded in shaking Justin from his trance. 

"If you're finished daydreaming, can I have a bowl of split pea to go?"

"Uh...sure."  Justin forced himself to move to get the soup. 

Brian took the bag from Justin, and handed him a twenty.  "Keep the change," he decreed with a troublesome frown, before he made a hasty exit out the door. 

Justin managed to mutter, "I'm taking a break".  Then with his brain still in a fog, shuffled through the back door into the alleyway.  He leaned against the wall, with his back to it, his hands on his slightly bent knees.  He tilted his head up, trying to regulate his hyperventilated breathing.  His mind was having trouble accepting what his heart already sensed was true.  However, there was no refuting based on the most recent evidence, that Brian Kinney and his mystery man, Versace, were actually one in the same. 

"Shit!" 

Justin was still feeling light headed when he asked if he could leave work a little early.  Since business was slow tonight at the diner, he was told they could manage without him.

Walking home to his apartment, Justin shook his head in disbelief.  It was all so incredibly ironic.  Brian, the man who grated on his nerves, was the man he found it so easy to confide in?   It was Brian who shared tales of his dysfunctional family, and his miserable childhood.   Brian was the one who had a little boy that he adored.  Damn, he didn't even know Brian had a little boy.  This was all too much to absorb.   

Justin collapsed on his worn, rickety sofa, after stealing a beer from the fridge.  He held the cool bottle up to his forehead for a minute, before bringing the spout to his lips.  Justin relished the feel of the cool amber liquid sliding down his throat.  'What was he going to do now that he knew the truth?' 

His thoughts drifted back to last night, before he knew Versace's identity.  He had been intrigued by the prospect of having something more than a phone relationship with the man.  Although Justin never would have envisioned that it was the self proclaimed stud of Liberty Avenue on the other end of the phone, it was somehow a relief.  At least now he knew that his mystery man was not only hot, but on fire.  Justin admitted to himself, that even through his disdain for Brian, he had always felt this underlying powerful attraction. 

Justin realized that the older man was still oblivious to their connection.  However, it was just a matter of time before he discovered the truth.  Once Justin got over his shock, he began to feel a wave of excitement. He would continue with the masquerade, and let Brian figure it out on his own.  Until then, he wanted to play along with the man, and see where their relationship went.  At the moment, Justin definitely had a clear advantage in knowing Versace's identity, and he fully intended to use it.

It was five minutes to midnight.  Brian relaxed on his bed, comfortable in only his birthday suit.  He smiled as he thought of Picasso, and his groin burned with anticipation.  For tonight would be the night he would take their acquaintance to another level. 

Brian confidently picked up the phone, and dialed the number he had ingrained into his memory.  'This is going to be an interesting night,' he predicted.

Justin's mind was reeling from his newly uncovered information.  Brian Kinney was Versace, fuck me!  How could one person be so complex, and have so many layers?  Justin had pegged Brian as an asshole, a gorgeous one at that, but still an asshole, who didn't give a shit about anyone but himself.  Only to discover now, that there is so much more to the man.  Before Justin knew his identity, Brian's devotion to his friends and above all, his little boy, had earned his utmost respect.  The man he came to know, had revealed himself to be kind and self sacrificing, with doubts and insecurities like everyone else. 

When he first heard the nickname Brian had chosen especially for him, Justin was thrilled.  However, what would Brian have to say once he found out that it was he who was Picasso? Although Justin knew he should probably be honest, and immediately divulge who he was, he wasn't ready to do that.  He wanted to know more about the enigma that was Brian Kinney.  As Picasso, he could do it.  But if Brian knew that he knew who he was, he wouldn't be as open and wouldn't talk as freely as he had the past few nights.

While he pondered topics to broach, Justin realized that he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge about the man.  However, he didn't want Brian to get suspicious, yet there was so much to ask.  He jumped when the phone rang, startling him.  His heart pounded loudly in his chest. 

"Shit, midnight.  Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

Justin knew he had to calm himself down before he answered.  Brian didn't know it was him...he could do this.  He reached for the receiver, and noticed that his hands were trembling.  'Damn, I've got to get a grip,' he thought.  He took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

"Hey"

"Hey, Picasso.  Did you miss me?" 

Justin could imagine the man's impish grin on the other end of the phone.

"Maybe," he answered, trying to play it cool.

Brian wasn't ordinarily so cautious, but he felt he needed to take his time with Picasso.  He truly liked him, and didn't want to scare him off.  He figured he would talk to him first, and then test the waters.  He always felt so comfortable with Picasso, especially since he was totally unaware of his bad boy image amongst the gay community.  So as usual, they started off with discussing the events of the day. 

After exchanging tidbits about their daily grind, Justin sensed he should make his move.

"So Versace," Justin interjected, "are you a popular guy?"

"Uh...I'd like to think so."

"Hmmm...then you're probably good looking."

"I get by."  Brian was actually surprised that this topic had not come up before. 

"You must have your pick of tricks."

"I do okay."  Brian didn't want to brag that he could have anyone he wanted.  Picasso might guess who he was, and he wasn't ready to reveal that much...at least not yet.

"I'm curious, have you ever been rejected?"

The older man frowned as he could only think of one instance, which happened quite recently.  Brian had always been truthful with Picasso.  He swallowed his pride, and answered honestly.

"Yes, once, and only once."

"Sounds like an interesting story.  Why don't you tell me about it."

"Not much to tell.  There was this infuriating blond haired twink, who turned me down."

"That guy was a fool."

"Well, you know what they say about blonds," Brian snarked.  Then he thought better of his statement and added, "Hope I didn't offend you if you're one."   

But Justin wouldn't confirm it one way or another. 

"He is really hot though.  He's got this amazing ass," Brian rattled on, reminiscing fondly about the object of his desire. 

"Is that so?"  Justin questioned.

"Yeah, but he wants no part of me.  He thinks I'm a jerk."

"Well I don't think you are."

"That's nice to know.'  Brian hesitated before he said, "Bet you've got a great ass."

"I've been told it's one of my most favorable assets."

Brian smiled, and then in a low seductive voice suggested, "I'd like to know all about your assets."

His comment was greeted with silence.

"Tell me what you think about at night, when you're all alone," Brian coaxed his young cohort. 

"I think about our conversations."

"Is that all?" Brian asked.

"I think about how sexy your voice is," Justin confessed.

Brian began to touch himself.  "Crap, you make me so horny Picasso...what are you wearing right now?"

"Well I was wearing my underwear, but somehow it magically seems to have disappeared."

At that remark, Brian gave a throaty chuckle.  He was going to make Picasso cum hard tonight, of that he was sure.

"Are you touching yourself?"  Brian continued in his sexiest voice.

Justin closed his eyes as he stroked himself.  "Mmmmm....yes."

Brian heard his labored breathing, and knew he was telling the truth.  'Fuck.'

"Are you?" Justin asked.

"You bet Picasso.  I'm gliding my hand up and down all nine inches."  Brian couldn't help but throw that extra enticement into his answer.

Justin let out a needy gasp. 

"I'm right there with you Picasso.  I'm getting the lube, and greasing your tight little hole with my long talented fingers."

"Oh yeah?" 

"Yeah.  Do you like the way it feels?"

"It feels so good, Versace.  I love getting finger fucked."

Brian's breath hitched, and his dick swelled with the thought. 

"I'm gonna get you nice and wet and hot for me."

"Oh yeah.  Then what are you going to do?" Justin egged him on.

"When your hole is worked enough, I'm gonna spread your legs far apart.  Then I'm going to put the head of my big fat cock against your crack, and shove it in."

"Aaaah" Justin sighed.  "Give it to me, all of it, fuck me."

"What did you say?  What do you want Picasso?" Brian taunted.

"I said, FUCK ME.  Stick your big dick up my ass, and make me scream."

"You want me to fuck that tight ass?  Give it to you hard and fast?"

"Yes, yes.  Oh shit, I'm gonna cum."

Brian wouldn't let up.  He continued his onslaught.  "I'm plowing into your ass, Picasso.  My balls are slapping against your cheeks."

Justin was panting, as Brian's voice was getting hoarse and raw with lust.  Justin felt his balls tighten, and no longer able to hold back, his dick spasmed, with white ribbons of cum shooting up into the air.  It splashed back down onto his hand and stomach, with some of it landing on the sheets. 

When Brian heard him yell, and say "God",  it was enough to spark his own orgasm.  He came with his eyes closed, and head back, releasing a satisfied grunt.

"Christ, that was hot,"  Brian managed to gasp between shallow breaths.

"Very,"  Justin emphatically agreed.  He laid there for a while, listening to Brian's breathing return to normal.  He felt slightly guilty for being able to envision his partner's face and body.

Breaking the silence, Justin remarked, "I've got to go clean up.  I'm a fucking mess."

"I've got my own fucking mess to attend to," Brian teased.  "Later," he said.

"Later."

'Wow,' Brian thought.  If it was this good over the phone, he wondered what it would be like in person.  Against his better judgement, he had decided tonight that he would soon arrange to meet his mysterious Picasso in the flesh.

Okay, every time he turned around, he caught that blond haired twink gawking at him.  'What the fuck was his problem?'  And it wasn't just his usual look of disdain.  He actually had an odd expression on his face, as if he were trying to figure something out.  Brian chalked up the kid's weirdness to his youth, and the fact that there was going to be a full moon tonight.

Justin tried to avert his gaze, but he couldn't.   Brian Kinney was a walking, talking endless stream of contradictions.  The man was irritatingly arrogant and cocky on the outside.  Yet Justin, or rather Picasso knew that deep down inside he was insecure, and possessed an endearing sweetness.  Hence, this caused Justin to experience a myriad of emotions, that were currently creating havoc in his head and his heart.  He wasn't quite sure what to listen to, or what his next move should be. 

Brian rose from the booth to head off to Vangard.  'Damn kid is still ogling me,' he snarled to himself.  For a fleeting moment, Brian felt vulnerable, as if the kid was able to see right through him.  He almost blushed when the young man cast him a shy smile.  'What the fuck?'  There was definitely something up with this kid.  What game was he playing now?  Brian shook his head, furrowing his brow as he briskly left the diner.

It was 12:20 am.  As Brian finally came with a fervent shout, sweat trickled down the side of his flushed face.  It was Picasso's tortured wailing about his ass spasming, and then his breathy emission of "Versace" when he shot his load, which had instantly triggered Brian's own powerful release.  Both spent and sated, they listened to each other's staggered breaths for a while, the stretch of silence not feeling the least bit awkward to either of them.

However, it was Brian who spoke first, surprising Justin with his blunt request. 

"I want to fuck you in person." 

"I want that too..."  Justin instinctively responded, a little too quickly.

Brian grinned.  "Think you can handle my full nine inches for real Picasso?"

"I know I can," Justin answered coyly.

Brian's dick stirred again.  This time it was because of the unexpected confidence that registered in Picasso's voice. 

"Hmmmm...I guess we'll have to arrange to meet then.  The sooner the better."

Justin had been thinking the same thing, ever since their first heated bout of phone sex.  In fact, he had already hatched a tentative plan, and it seemed now was the perfect time to spring it on Brian.

"Friday night is the annual Masquerade Ball at Babylon."

"And what do you..." Brian began to question, but Justin abruptly cut him off before he could finish.

"We can meet there.  Everyone has to don a mask to get admitted."

"I'm well aware of the rules of that particular night.  I'm very familiar with the club."

"Sorry, of course you are."  Justin gave himself a palm to the head.

"We'll meet at midnight in the back room, by the area with the netting," Brian proposed.

Justin didn't know why, but arranging a clandestine encounter, all sounded so romantic to him.  If Brian could hear his thoughts however, he was sure the older man would cringe in horror. 

"That's perfect," he agreed.  "We can reveal our true selves to each other, at the exact same time."

"How ridiculously romantic...," Brian teased, as if he were privy to Justin's earlier thoughts.  Then he added sarcastically, "Don't worry Picasso, I'll fuck you even if you turn out to be a troll."

"Gee thanks, Versace.  I guess even if you're a freak, I'll allow you the pleasure of getting into my exquisite ass, perhaps just this once." 

"Touche," Brian rebounded with an air of respect and amusement in his tone.

"But then all will be exposed soon enough, won't it?" Brian chuckled.  "See ya Friday Picasso."

"Yeah, until Friday, Versace."

As soon as Justin hung up the phone, he began to panic.  'What the fuck did he do?  Did he really just agree to meet Brian at Babylon?'  Maybe he could get Brian to fuck him before he removed his mask.  He couldn't imagine what the older man's reaction would be when he found out the truth.  What on earth made him think that this was a good idea???

Brian was elated at the prospect of meeting his Picasso, and to his disgust, realized he was acting almost giddy from the notion.  Why was he behaving like a fucking lovesick teenager in anticipation of his first date?  Brian Kinney didn't do dates, Brian Kinney didn't do boyfriends.  And yet, somehow he sensed that Picasso could never be relegated simply as a one night stand.  

It had been nearly a month since Brian took a chance, and called the stranger with the enchanting voice on the other end of his misdialed call.  Although they hadn't met in person yet, they knew each other intimately from their almost nightly discussions.  Never before had Brian opened up to someone, and shared personal information about himself and his family, as he did with this stranger on the phone.  He wasn't certain why he had felt so at ease in revealing some of his innermost beliefs.  It wasn't like him to share his feelings, having always considered it a weakness.  Hell, he hadn't even told some of these things to his childhood friend Michael, or his best buddy Rick.

'Was this guy, this Picasso, really a stranger?' Brian began to wonder.  If the guy was queer, lived in the Pitts, and frequented Babylon, chances were it was someone he knew, or at the very least had seen around.  Brian was having second thoughts about Friday.  Maybe he shouldn't show up.  Maybe he didn't really want to know who Picasso was.  But then he inwardly chastised himself, 'Have some balls Kinney'.  

Brian resolved that he was going to make his appearance, and see this through.   He needed to find out the identity of his mysterious Picasso, a man he hadn't met, but nonetheless had formed a strong bond with in such a short period of time.  Brian needed to do this for himself, especially to satisfy his own curiousity. 

The impatient brunet was left with no other choice, but to anxiously wait for the two agonizing days to pass, until the pre-arranged rendezvous would take place.  An unsuspecting chill seeped into his bones, making Brian involuntarily shudder.  If he were a superstitious man, perhaps he would have detected that he was being forewarned.

Brian checked himself out in the mirror for the third time.  He looked hot.  "I'd fuck me," he confirmed proudly.  But then again, he had always been confident in his ability to walk into a room, and turn heads.  Yet tonight, Brian was being more meticulous than usual.  He spruced himself up with a new designer shirt, and a touch of expensive cologne.  

Even though he had positive vibes about Picasso's attractiveness, he sincerely hoped he was right.  He already considered the young man his confidante, but now he wanted to seduce him into becoming his lover as well.  If their physical connection proved to be half as enticing as their psychological/emotional foreplay, they were destined for a momentous first night together. 

Brian smirked at the possibilities, as he slid a condom into his back pocket.  Then he decided to slip another one in there, just in case.  No one could ever accuse him of being unprepared. 

Justin paraded another outfit in front of his most trusted friend and fag hag, for what felt like the umpteenth time. 

"That one makes you look hot," Daphne commented.

"You've said that about every single outfit I've put together," Justin complained.  He scrunched his face, and fisted a clump of his blond locks in frustration. 

Daphne shrugged her shoulders, and said, "Then stop behaving like a drama princess, and pick one to wear."

"I don't know why I'm spending so much time on this anyway.  Brian's probably not going to hang around long enough to even notice what I'm wearing." 

Justin talked freely to Daphne since he had disclosed his entire predicament to her, including the identity of the mysterious Versace. 

"That's no way to talk," his best friend cautioned.   "You've got to think positive, Jus."

"I don't know Daph, he may not be interested once he knows that I'm Picasso."

"Then he doesn't deserve you." 

Daphne wished Justin had more confidence in himself.  Since his asshole father had done a number on him, she suspected that Justin subconsciously sabotaged any opportunity for happiness, because he felt he wasn't worthy.  It was a shame, he had so much to offer, especially as a potential boyfriend. 

"Brian Kinney better realize how lucky he is," she chided out loud.

"From your mouth to God's ears," Justin declared with a wistful sigh.

The Masquerade Ball was a popular event.   Babylon was packed with every fag who lived within range of the Pitts.  The air was charged with sexual energy.

Justin had purposely planned to get to the club a little early.  After a few drinks, he bounded towards the back room, eager to stake a claim for a spot in their arranged meeting area.  Justin waited anxiously with his mask securely covering the upper half of his face.  It would all come down to tonight.  He silently prayed that after the initial shock wore off, Brian would be pleased to discover that it was him.  He had long ago accepted that this was certainly what he wanted, what he hoped for.  Their unorthodox courtship had convinced him that he wanted a relationship with the man.

It was five minutes past midnight, and Justin was beginning to worry that Brian wasn't going to show.   But then all of a sudden he spotted a tall, lanky figure walking directly towards him. 

Brian had searched around for Picasso in the section of the back room where they had agreed to meet, when his eyes rested upon the only person without a partner.  The young man was short, with ash blond hair, and a sleek twink physique.  Brian was immediately struck by a sense of familiarity.  As he ventured closer, the man's demeanor reminded Brian of someone, although he couldn't quite place who.  He felt the heat intensify as crystal blue eyes locked on him as he approached.

"Picasso I presume?" 

"Yes," Justin acknowledged, "and you're Versace."

Brian backed the young man up against the wall, and traced a finger along the length of his torso.  Without uttering a word, his lips came crashing down on the unsuspecting Picasso's mouth.  The kiss was rough and urgent. 

After Justin's initial shock, he responded to Brian's kiss, parting his lips and accepting the hungry invasion of his tongue.  Brian's impassioned probing of the inside of his mouth, awakened his entire body with wanton desire.  He thrust his fingers into the older man's chestnut locks, pulling him closer, and molding the contour of his body into him.  Justin relaxed completely into Brian's embrace.  He could feel the man's arousal through the material of his pants, pressing into him.

Justin was yearning for Brian to take him right there at that moment, but it was not to be.  For the older man reigned in his lust, gathering enough control to pull away.  He stared at Justin and simply stated, "It's time we took our masks off.  Ready Picasso?"

Justin sucked in a breath, and nervously nodded his head in agreement.  'God, please don't let him freak,' he silently pleaded.

"On the count of three," Brian deemed.  He couldn't wait to get this over with, and find out who his mystery man was.  The suspense was driving him crazy.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three." 

They lifted their masks up and off at the same time.  Brian blinked as if he wasn't sure he was seeing straight.  He frowned and took a step back.

"What..the..fuck?"

Justin took one look at Brian's expression and knew that it wasn't good.  He inched forward and said, "Brian, let me explain."

Brian shook his head and took another step backward, away from Justin. 

"Wait a minute, you knew it was me?"

"Well not at first..."

"What the fuck is this, another one of your games?  What is it with you?"

"No...it's not like that...I swear..."

"Fuck you!"  Brian yelled angrily.  He pivoted on his heels, and stormed off. 

Justin felt like shit.  Brian thought he was doing this to taunt him.  Now Brian despised him!  Why did he ever think this could work out?  He was humiliated and crushed, and on the verge of hysterics.

Emerging from the back room with distraught tears staining his pale complexion, Justin blindly brushed past a gaggle of gay men, to flee Babylon in a hurry.  However, the young man wasn't aware of his previously masked acquaintance intently observing his escape from an obscure corner of the bar, with a baffled expression etched on his face.

Brian didn't know what to make of it.  The blond kid from the diner, Justin, was his Picasso.  He assumed that the insolent kid was toying with him, which had incensed him.  But then a short time later he spied Justin hastily leaving the back room, and it looked like he was crying, although he couldn't be positive.

Now he began to doubt everything the kid had ever said to him.  Did he make all of it up as part of a scheme, or was he being truthful?  Brian was disappointed in the outcome of his much anticipated meeting, and departed Babylon in an unusually foul mood. 

Charging up the steps to his loft, he still couldn't fathom why the kid had bothered to meet him in person.  Justin had to know that he would be pissed to find out the blond knew his identity, yet hadn't said anything. The night had gone nothing like he had planned.  Brian felt even more frustrated and confused.  He grabbed a bottle of Beam, and in true Kinney fashion, proceeded to get shit-faced. 

Justin was so upset, he flung himself onto his bed, and let the tears flow.  He was mostly angry at himself for getting his hopes up.  Of course Brian thought he was playing some twisted game with him!  They hadn't had an amicable interaction in months.  Did he really expect the man to be happy about his revelation?  This whole situation sucked, big time. 

Morning rolled around all too quickly.  Justin was still brooding about the disastrous events of last night, feeling dejected and depressed.  He called in sick to work, because he found that he didn't possess the energy to get up out of his bed, and make the trek to Liberty Avenue.  He shut his cell phone off, and put his answering machine on.  He just wanted to be left alone.

Daphne was beginning to panic.  She had tried to reach Justin since early this morning, with no luck.  Justin would have called her if things had gone well last night, of that she was sure.  When Daphne showed up at the diner, and found out that he had called in sick, her anxiety began to mount. It just wasn't like Justin not to answer his phone, especially if he knew it was her.  There was nothing left to do, but go to his apartment. 

Daphne made a quick stop at her place.  She snatched the extra key Justin had given to her, and sped off again in her car.  Daphne banged loudly on the apartment door, and before a despondent Justin had a chance to walk over and answer it, impatiently let herself in with the key.

"Justin, I've been worried about you," she admonished.

"As you can see, I'm still alive Daph."

"Barely," Daphne remarked as she drank in his disheveled appearance.  He looked absolutely miserable.

Justin went to lay back down on his bed. 

"What the fuck's wrong?" Daphne asked her best friend.

"Everything.  Brian thinks I purposely deceived him to humiliate him."

"What?"

"He wouldn't give me a chance to explain anything.  Just said "Fuck you", and walked away."

"That was a shitty thing to do.  You should forget about him Jus."

"Believe me, I wish I could."  Justin paused and than added, "The worst thing is, I was falling in love with him Daph." 

Daphne stayed with him for a while, listening to him queen out, berating himself for being foolish enough to believe that the man had a heart, and that he was human.  The more Justin went on, the more Daphne realized how much he was hurting inside.  She eventually said goodbye, giving him a tight hug and a peck on the cheek, and making him promise to call her tomorrow.

Daphne Chanders didn't know Brian Kinney, but he was responsible for Justin's unhappiness.  Therefore, she embarked on a mission to help her friend, which included giving that asshole Kinney, a piece of her mind.  Fortunately, Daphne had remembered the name of the agency Brian worked for because Justin had mentioned it once.  Being a resourceful person, she easily located the address of the firm in the business section of the phonebook.  She scribbled it down on a piece of paper, and was on her way.

Brian Kinney was already having a shit day.  So he wasn't surprised when Cynthia entered his office, with a foreboding look on her face. 

"What?" Brian snapped.

"Uh...there's a girl here to see you, says that she's a friend of Justin?"

"Tell her I'm busy."

Cynthia slipped out the door to give Brian's message to the young lady pacing in front of her desk. 

Brian suddenly heard loud voices coming from just outside his office, and recognized one of them as his assistant's. 

"I told you, you can't see him,"  Cynthia warned.  But Daphne had already pushed past her.  Although Cynthia tried to grab hold of her by the arm, Daphne managed to shake her off. 

"It's okay Cynthia," Brian said, trying to avoid a physical altercation between the two young women. 

Cynthia turned to Brian and questioned warily, "You sure boss?  I could get security."

"They'll be no need for that.  Thank you Cynthia."

Cynthia was miffed at his casual dismissal, and gave Daphne an icy glare, as she turned to leave.

"Have a seat Miss..."

"Daphne, Daphne Chanders, I'm Justin's best friend."

"I see.  I suppose he sent you here?"

"No, as a matter of fact, Justin doesn't even know I'm here."  She resented the way he referred to Justin as "he", and purposely emphasized his name.

"Listen, Mr. Kinney..."

"Brian," he corrected.

"Okay, Brian.  Justin is very upset about what happened last night.  He thinks you hate him."

That's about right, Brian thought to himself. 

"He deceived me with his little mind games."

"How did he manage to do that?  You're the one who called him and started this entire charade.  He just went along with it.  He didn't know it was you until recently."

"And he didn't say a word when he found out," Brian sputtered.  "Figured he'd have the perfect opportunity to make me look like an ass."

"I don't think you have any trouble doing that all by yourself," Daphne shot back.  "You don't need any help from him."

Brian smirked in amusement at the girl's spunk.

Daphne continued her lamenting, her features animated.  "I don't know why, but the truth is he likes you a lot, maybe even loves you.  When you didn't even let him explain his reason for not telling you who he was, he was crushed."

Brian sat quietly behind his desk, not reacting to anything Daphne was saying.  However, he was listening to every single word.

"He was afraid that you would freak once you found out it was him.  And now I realize he was right.  You don't understand, and you're too...too much of a jerk to give him a chance.  Well I've got a newsflash for you, Justin is Picasso.  He's still the guy you talked with for hours on the phone.  He's still the guy you were once so anxious to meet.  It's your loss if you miss out on someone as special as Justin."

"Are you finished?"  Brian asked, seemingly unruffled by her rant.

"Yes," Daphne answered abruptly, pursing her lips tightly, in an effort to control her emotions.

"Good, because I have to get back to work.  It was such a pleasure to meet you Daphne," Brian said with a sardonic lilt, as he came from behind the desk.

"Sorry I can't say the same, Brian.  You should think about what I said." 

Daphne sprung up from the chair, and snipped, "I'll show myself out." 

Brian was impressed by the defiant slip of a girl, as she left with her head held high.  He admired her fiery spirit, and loyalty to her friend.  She had barged into his office, determined to say her piece, and she had.

To his surprise, he actually did find himself thinking about the young man from the diner.  Daphne was right, whether he was ready to admit it or not, it was Justin who conversed freely with him all those nights, sharing his dreams and heartaches.  Brian had indeed been the one to encourage the relationship, by calling the younger man time and time again. 

'What were the exact words Daphne had used?'  "He likes you a lot, maybe even loves you."  Instead of those words scaring him, they actually made Brian smile.  No wonder the kid had been looking at him strangely lately.  And if Brian was being completely honest with himself, he was smitten with the young man he knew as Picasso, and was going to miss their intimate talks.  Fuck, he must really be going insane!

Brian had a crucial decision to make.  Was he going to let his pride get in the way, and let Justin go?  Or was he going to go after the kid, and take a chance by putting his feelings out there, which is something he'd never done before. 

It was busy at the diner, with the usual crowd for breakfast in the early morning hours.  Brian made an unobtrusive entrance, followed by his closest and dearest friend, Michael.  They commandeered one side of a booth, sitting opposite two other members of their gang, Ted and Emmett.  The four friends bantered about the mundane stuff gay guys talk about, such as who had a great ass, and who got laid last night.  But Brian wasn't paying attention to the conversation, because other thoughts were running through his head.

"Brian, are you even listening?" Michael whined. 

Hearing his friend's complaint, Brian became conscious of the fact that he had been staring at the blond behind the counter.  He did his best to try and focus on what Mikey was saying.  His friend continued dominating the topic of discussion with an overzealous description of a hot guy he had encountered in his store.  According to him, the guy looked like Superman. 

'Fanfuckingtastic ' Brian thought to himself.  'At least he'll have someone else to obsess over now, instead of me.'  His gaze happened to inadvertently land upon Justin, who promptly turned away. 

Brian pretended once again to be listening to Michael.  However, he was actually mulling over the past couple of nights, and how he suddenly felt this huge void in his life.  He knew that void could only be filled up by one person, but his Picasso wouldn't even look at him.  How the fuck was he going to fix this?  And did he want to fix this?

The younger man had every right to be upset with him.  He had yelled at him, accused him of playing games, and essentially told him to fuck off.  Brian might have been fine with how things ended up between them, had it not been for Daphne telling him what a piece of shit he was.  In her blunt way, she made him realize that he was being unfair, not to mention jumping to conclusions.  And, if he chose to believe the other tidbit of information she had disclosed, Justin, or should he say Picasso, was falling in love with him. 

Brian considered going over to Justin and apologizing, but his pride prevented him from doing it in front of an audience.  However, he tracked the young man as he disappeared into the kitchen.  Not wanting to miss his opportunity, Brian bid farewell to his buddies, as he observed the fair haired worker, who was now lugging two garbage bags toward the side exit. 

Justin hoisted the second sack of trash into the dumpster.  When he turned to go back inside, he nearly jumped out of his skin, because he almost collided with Brian. 

"What the fuck?  Brian..."

"Oops, my intention certainly wasn't to scare you."

"Well then, is there a reason why you're lurking around, watching me throw out the garbage?"

"As a matter of fact there is."

Justin arched his eyebrows in anticipation of Brian's explanation.

"I was wrong the other night."

"The other night?" Justin quizzed.

"Yes, I thought you kept the truth from me because you were orchestrating some kind of twisted game."

Justin continued to stare at him, expecting him to elaborate.

"I didn't know that you were...that you like me.  I should have known by the way you were always staring at me.  Or the way you kissed me back at Babylon."

"Your ego is unbelievable,"  Justin exclaimed incredulously, starting to get pissed.

Brian knew that he was not good at expressing himself, so he grabbed Justin to show him how he felt.  In one swift motion, he tugged the blond to him, claiming his mouth with a wet, searing kiss. 

Justin managed to slide his hands up Brian's chest, and shove him away, breaking all contact.

"What do you think you're doing?  Fuck you, Brian."

The older man sighed in frustration.  That was clearly a mistake, and now Justin was even more pissed at him.  He could only attempt to salvage this by being candid.

"Look Justin.  I...as you know, I'm not the best at expressing my feelings.  Let's try this again...please?"

"I'm listening," Justin informed him with a scowl.  It was Brian's uncharacteristic addition of the word please, which had convinced him to stay.

"When I didn't know who you were...when I knew you only as Picasso, I enjoyed our discussions.  And the other night at Babylon, I was sincerely looking forward to meeting you in person.  It's just that when I saw it was you, I was shocked.  I didn't react very well."

"That's putting it mildly," Justin interrupted.

Brian closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose before he continued.  'Why was this so fucking hard for him to say?'

"What I'm trying to pose is that I'd like for us to see each other." 

Justin stood quietly for a few moments, absorbing everything the older man had said.  When he finally addressed Brian directly, there was conviction in his voice.

"I need some time to think.  Just because the great Brian Kinney decides that he wants a relationship now, doesn't mean I'm going to agree to it."

Brian's entire body tensed and he snapped, "Maybe we should just forget about this." 

Justin huffed, and ran his fingers through his hair.  "No, let's not.  I'm not saying no.  Please just...I just want a little time."

This seemed to calm Brian, and he visibly relaxed. 

"When will I know what you decide?" he asked, trying to exert some patience.

Justin's features softened when he suggested, "Why don't you call me tonight.  If I answer the phone that means yes.  If I don't, then it's a no."

Brian smirked, "Alright Picasso, we'll play this your way."

In the Kinney residence, Brian spent the evening reviewing his recent exchange with Justin.  He took a chance, and had laid his cards on the table.  He told himself that he wouldn't give a shit if Justin didn't answer the phone.  It wouldn't matter, because he would go on with his life.  But then deep down inside, he knew the truth.  He had opened up to Picasso, sharing his innermost feelings, and exposing his true self.  If the young man decided not to give them a chance, he would never again make himself that vulnerable.   

Midnight eventually rolled around.  Brian took a deep breath, and reached for the phone.  He dialed Justin's number, and waited.

It rang once...then twice... the little shit wasn't picking up.  Fuck!

The phone began to ring, right on cue.  Justin rubbed his hand over the smooth plastic receiver, listening to, and feeling it's high pitched resonating, his stomach in knots.  For hours he had agonized over all the pros and cons of being with Brian Kinney, even going so far as to construct a list.  In the end he had crumpled up the paper in his fist, and thrown it away.  He let one vital question guide him to his decision, 'Was he willing to accept Brian as he was, with all of his bullshit?'

Another darn ring permeated the room...

As Brian's pulse quickened in anticipation, he found it ironic that he was now waiting for Picasso to pick up the phone.  He was actually the one to propose a relationship of sorts.  How is it that the alluring blond had managed to turn the tables on him?

Justin firmly grasped the receiver after the fifth ring, praying he hadn't waited too long. 

"Hey." 

"Hey yourself."

'Thank you, God!'  Justin silently decreed, when he heard Brian's familiar voice.

"For a minute I thought you weren't going to answer," Brian confessed, giving away his relief.

"Me too.  But, I've done some thinking, and it made me realize something."

"What's that Picasso?"

"Just like you had to come to terms with me being Picasso, I had to remember that you were still Versace.  It was you, Brian Kinney, Versace, or whatever name you choose to use, who became my friend, the person I confide in, the one I'm attracted to."

"That's pretty fucking amazing since it seemed as if you despised me just a month ago."

"Just goes to show you, that you can never really know someone.  Sometimes, you need to look past their exterior, to see what's on the inside."

"Hmmmm...such profound words coming from someone so young.  But I have to admit, I'm glad you didn't let my somewhat decadent lifestyle scare you away."  Although Justin couldn't see him, he could hear the playfulness in Brian's words.

Feeling giddy, Justin let a chuckle escape and proclaimed,  "It would take more than that to scare me away.   Besides, I'm looking forward to confirming that all the rumors about your legendary fucking are true." 

"And I look forward to living up to my reputation," Brian replied in a low seductive voice.

"Good, then how about proving it to me tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes, I'm horny as hell, and I can't wait to get my hands on you, or should I say my mouth?"

"Uh...I'll be right over...just tell me where you live." 

A burgeoning erection was straining against Brian's denim jeans, as it didn't take much to imagine Justin's sweet lips around his cock.

Brian couldn't believe he was willingly driving to a sketchy area of the neighborhood, at one o'clock in the fucking morning, no less.   But he had a raging woody, that needed to be attended to.  And the promise of a certain blond young man's mouth devouring his cock, was enough inspiration to make it worth the risk.  He parked in front of the run down building, and hoped that his jeep would still be there when he came out.

Justin answered the door wearing only his dockers and a grin.  His smile became broader when he noticed Brian's eyes slowly travel over his body, and darken with lust.  The older man strode past him, and swiftly slammed the door shut.  He pinned Justin up against the door, and traced the younger man's rose-colored lips with his tongue, making them glisten. 

Brian's hand groped Justin's package, eliciting an encouraging groan.  Unzipping Justin's pants, enabled his warm hand to envelope the kid's surprisingly huge dick, for his stature.  Justin deepened their kiss in response to Brian's ministrations, sucking on the older man's tongue.

Breaking their impassioned lip lock,  Brian guided Justin to the floor, and laid him on his back.  Quickly divesting the blond of his pants and underwear, he slipped out of his own clothes in record time. 

Justin's gaze didn't waver from the sexy man in front of him.  The sight of a naked Brian, caused his arousal to heighten.  With nothing to conceal his need, his dick swelled, and raised proudly from his body.

Brian covered the blond's form with his, attacking the porcelain white skin with his mouth and hands.  He nibbled on Justin's ear, and licked the crook of his neck.  The purring sounds coming from the kid, let him know that his efforts were succeeding in pleasuring the compliant young man beneath him. 

The older man glided his hands over smooth, soft flesh, as he lowered his head to focus on a new, unexplored area.  Brian ran his moist tongue along the length of Justin's torso, skimming over a sensitive nipple, ghosting over toned abs,and finally dipping into his navel.  The young man's body arched appreciatively under his skilled moves.

Justin squeezed his eyelids shut, enjoying the tingling sensations dispersing throughout his entire nervous system, stimulating it into overload.  He was thrown into a full blown state of euphoria, when Brian suddenly flipped him over, and began rimming him.  He delved unmercifully into Justin's hole, making it involuntarily quiver.  At this point, Justin was squirming with the desire to be filled with Brian's engorged cock. 

"Please, fuck me...Versace," he begged. 

"Patience Picasso...patience.  I promise I'll give you what you need soon."

Brian was tempted to fuck him, but he wasn't finished playing yet.  He retrieved a condom and lube from his pants pocket, and resumed his torturing of the young man.  He blew on his wet hole, and watched it's eager response.  Then he pressed a lubed finger in to the tight channel.  Justin let out a small gasp at the intrusion.  When Brian placed a second finger inside, his excitement mounted as he saw it disappear into the kid's crack.  Scissoring his fingers to further stretch him,  Justin urgently cried out his need.

"Brian, I need your cock inside of me...now." 

Brian heeded his pleading, and removed his fingers.  He guided his leaking cock towards Justin's hole. Teasing it by rubbing the head against the opening, they both groaned at the skin on skin contact.  Not able to wait any longer, Brian adeptly took a condom, and rolled it onto his throbbing member.

With one arm around Justin's waist, he pulled him up, angling his hips so his ass was in the air.  Brian positioned his dick at the pink, primed entrance.  He pushed, squeezing his plump head into the channel.  Justin's muscles constricted around it.

"Fuck, you're tight!" Brian exclaimed.

"More," Justin gasped.  "I want it all."  He started pushing back to emphasize his point.

"Shit, Justin wait.  If you kept that up, you're going to make me cum too soon. Slow down."

Brian purposely removed his cock, and dragged a startled Justin to his feet, and to the nearby bed.  He pushed him face down onto the sheets. 

"There, that's better.  Now get ready to be fucked into the mattress," Brian ordered.

Justin did as he was told, and fisted the sheets, as he thrust his butt once again high into the air.

Brian smirked, thoroughly amused by Justin's enthusiasm.  The delectable rounded bottom, was beckoning him to finish what he had started.  It was about time he got down to some serious fucking.  He gripped Justin's waist with one hand, and lined up his cock with the other.  Plunging into the tight passage, he let out a sigh of ecstasy, as he breached the kid's narrow channel.  His head exploded with pleasure, as his balls grazed the curved mounds.  He withdrew halfway, and thrust back in, this time hitting Justin's prostate. 

"Oh God," Justin called out.  The young man chanted those words over and over again, as Brian masterfully continued to fuck him, driving him wild. 

Brian leaned his forehead against Justin's back, as he felt his balls tighten.  He reached his hand around to pull on Justin's cock.  He only jerked him a couple of times, before they both came hard.  Justin released his load, making a puddle in the sheets in front of him, with Brian's hot jizz filling up the latex sack ensconced in his ass.

Collapsing onto Justin, Brian remained there for a few blissful moments as he felt the spasms of his orgasm rippling through his body.  He could hear Justin moaning in relief. 

A short time later, Brian rolled off his young lover, and onto his back.  His flushed skin was sweaty and numb.  He turned his head to look at Justin, and heard the panting young man remark, "Wow, that was incredible."

"Spec..tacular," Brian agreed. 

Justin shimmied onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow.  His eyes glazed over with contentment, he announced, "I guess now you can say you owned up to your rumored reputation."

"As if there was ever any question," Brian teased.  "But you've yet to make good on your word," he challenged the blond.

"What do you mean?"

"I seem to recall you saying something about you being anxious to put your mouth on certain parts of my anatomy."

"I did say that, didn't I," Justin said with a mischievous grin.  "Guess I'll have to do something to rectify that," he added as he reached out and touched Brian's limp dick, causing it to spring back to life.

Brian woke up to the feel of sunshine warming his face.  His arm was draped leisurely over Justin's sleeping form.  Opening his bleary eyes to unfamiliar surroundings, he had forgotten that he wasn't at the loft.  Brian started to move, but when the blond clutched his arm and tugged him closer, he laid back down.

"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Kinney?" 

Justin shifted his body to face Brian.  "You can't escape that easily," he warned.

"Picasso, I'm not sure how you convinced me to come to this atrocious dwelling, but I'm in dire need of a shower.  Seems like you've dowsed me with your cum."  Looking down at his body, Brian frowned.  Then he scanned the sparse room and added apprehensively, "You do have a shower, don't you?"

Justin laughed.  "I'm not living in the stone age.  My apartment isn't that bad.  And I'd like you to know that there's a working shower too."

"Then point me in the right direction,"  Brian said, feeling relieved. 

"Sure, just go out the door, and down the hall to the left."

"Huh?"  the older man questioned.

"It's a communal shower, I share it with the other tenants on my floor."

"Of course you do," Brian said as he grimaced.  "Next time you're coming to my place.  At least it's got running water, and a comfortable bed."

Ignoring Brian's complaints, the only words Justin registered were "next time".  He inwardly smiled at this small victory.

That Monday at Kinnetik...

Rick was perplexed by Brian's uncharacteristically relaxed, cheerful demeanor.  He knew his friend wasn't a morning person and was beginning to have his suspicions.

"Hey Brian.  Have a good weekend buddy?" 

"Fan-fucking-tastic!" Brian exclaimed.  "How about you?" 

Rick crinkled his nose and looking confounded asked, "What have you done with my friend?"

"Hmph...why do you say that?"

"Maybe it's because of that shit eating grin you've had plastered on your face.  You're never this pleasant in the morning.  What the fuck is going on Kinney?"

Brian shrugged his shoulders, and beamed some more as he walked away.  He knew exactly why he was in such a good mood, but he didn't want Rick to know that it was because of Justin.  He would never hear the end of it.

Three weeks later...

The two men had been at it all through the night.  Having climaxed four times each, they were finally tuckered out from their fucking session.  His ass burning, Justin collapsed into Brian's soothing embrace, completely starry eyed and satiated.  

Laying there with the blond snuggling into him, Brian was honestly surprised that he was still intrigued with Justin.  They had been mating like rabbits for weeks.  Instead of becoming bored with the kid, he had actually become more enchanted with him. 

"Come on, rise and shine," he prodded Justin.  He remembered that the kid was working the early shift at the diner. 

"Want a lift?" 

Justin nodded his head in appreciation of Brian's offer.

Brian grinned as he grabbed Justin's wrists, easily lifting him off the bed.

"Can't we just stay here?" the weary young man lamented.

"Tempting proposition, but we both need to make money so we can enjoy the finer things in life."

"Correction, you need it to support your lavish lifestyle, I need it to survive."

"Get going drama princess," Brian cajoled.

Justin playfully stuck out his tongue, and Brian swatted his bubble butt in retaliation, as they scurried towards the bathroom.

Michael noticed Brian and Justin entering the diner together.  He didn't really think anything of it, until he caught the strange looks that were being exchanged between the two.  This was not the first time he had accidentally happened upon them ogling each other.

Debbie had asked Justin if he wouldn't mind serving today, since Kiki was out sick.  Of course he agreed, especially since one of his tables would be the one Brian and his friends were sitting at. 

"Hey guys,"  Justin said.  "What'll it be?"

As the young man took their orders, Michael was growing increasingly curious over the way Brian was looking at the kid.

Between eating their breakfast, the friends were making plans to meet at Babylon tonight, when Brian interrupted their chatter.

"I won't be there," he announced. 

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.  "This will be the third Friday you've blown us off."

"Really Mikey?  I hadn't been counting."

"Yeah Bri, you do seem preoccupied lately," Ted chimed in.

"I've got something better to do,"  Brian flatly stated, not feeling the need to inform his friends of his plans for the evening.

"Maybe he's got a secret boyfriend," Emmett teased.

Brian put his tongue against his cheek, and retorted, "Maybe I do."

"Yeah right.  Brian Kinney in a relationship?"  Ted smirked.

They all laughed at that remark but Brian was beginning to get pissed.  He noticed Justin busing the table near them, and stood up to address him.

"See you tonight, the usual time?"

Justin gave him a megawatt smile.  "You bet."

While his friends' jaws dropped in shock, Brian said, "Bye boys," and left.

He was walking to his car, when Michael ran after him, calling his name.

"Wait a minute, Brian." 

He faced his childhood friend. 

"Mikey."

"You were just kidding right?"

"About what?"

"You're not really seeing that twink that works in the diner, are you?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes."

"But...but I thought you despised each other?"

"Obviously we've changed our minds.  Now that you've satisfied your curiosity, I've got to get to work before Vance has my hide.  Later."

Michael just stood in the same spot with his mouth open, feeling like he was in an episode of the Twilight Zone.  Brian did not just say that he was dating that kid.  This had to be some kind of joke, he thought.  He was going to head back to the diner right now, and confront that busboy.  What was his name?  Oh yeah, Justin.

Brian hadn't intended on outing his and Justin's relationship, but it just slipped out.  He was angry at his friends, and their inability to see him as anything more than the slut of Liberty Avenue.   He was especially sick of Mikey's jealousy.  Didn't he get it by now?  He was never going to fuck him.  Why couldn't Mikey accept that, and move on with his life? 

Thank goodness for Justin.  He was the only one who didn't treat him like he was a major fuck up.  And Justin didn't idolize him, or follow him around like a love sick puppy.  Brian came to the startling realization that during the past couple of months, the kid had learned more about him, and now knew him even better than any of his so called friends.  Brian marveled at the way the blond had managed to worm his way into his heart.  Fact was, he hadn't even been sure that he had one, until Justin came along.

'Why was his childhood friend acting suspiciously like a pod person?  And what the hell was so special about that blond haired twerp anyway?'

Michael eagerly approached the fresh faced kid, pulling him aside to a quiet corner, so he could interrogate him. 

"What do you want?" Justin snapped, perturbed by the older man's unwelcomed maneuver.

"So...I hear you've been seeing Brian?"

"Did he tell you that?" 

When Brian's friend nodded in affirmation, Justin grinned brightly.  Brian actually admitted that they were a couple, that was huge!

The exalted look on the kid's face annoyed Michael, and he began issuing his daunting sermon.

"Look, I'm going to set you straight for your own good.  Brian doesn't do boyfriends.  I know you think you're his boyfriend now, but believe me, he doesn't want to be in a relationship."

"And how do you know what he wants?"

"He's my best friend, we know everything about each other.  He's told me on more than one occasion that he doesn't believe in love."

"Well, maybe he never met the right person," Justin spewed, starting to get riled up.

"Oh, and you're that person?"  Michael shook his head.  The kid was fucking unbelievable.  "You think you're the one he's going to give up tricking for?  Do you actually believe you're going to set up house together?"

"What's wrong Michael, you jealous?"

"Brian and I are friends.  I'm looking out for him.  The last thing he needs is a dreamy eyed kid stalking him.  Get this through your head, he's never going to be yours, so give up now before you get hurt."

Justin moved closer to Michael so his face was only an inch away from the other man.  He gritted his teeth and stated, "You'd just love for me to give up on him.  That way you can have him all to yourself."

"That's not true," Michael spat.

"You can observe a lot from behind the counter in here.  You're in love with him, and that's why you don't want him to be with me."  Justin knew this for a fact, because he had evidenced first hand the pathetic way Michael stared at Brian, hanging on his every word.

Michael scoffed at Justin's insinuation, and rambled on.  "Brian's never going to change.  He's a selfish shit, who fucks every guy he sees."

"Brian is generous and caring.  Besides, if he's so selfish, why does he always bail out his friends, including you?" Justin said defensively.

"You've known him for what, a matter of months?  I've known him for 15 years."

"And you'd think you'd have some clue about him.  You don't know shit about him Michael.  You only see what you want to see, perpetuating your own warped image of Brian Kinney."

"Listen, you little shit.  I was doing you a favor by trying to talk some sense into you, but...fuck you!"

"No Michael, fuck you for interfering, and worst of all for not believing in him, or seeing him for who he truly is!"

Justin forcefully shoved Michael aside, making him stagger backwards.  He regained his composure as he went to wait on another table of customers.

Michael huffed loudly in exasperation, and rejoined his friends at their booth.

"Let's get out of here," he barked.

"Is it true?  Is that kid really Brian's boyfriend?" Emmett inquired.

Michael scowled at the question, but reluctantly responded, "Yeah, I guess so.  But it won't last long.  I give it a month."

"A month, I give it more like a week," Ted said snidely.

"I don't know Teddy, the boy is absolutely yummy!  Have you noticed his long lashes, and that adorable bubble butt?" Emmett exclaimed.

Justin was relieved when Michael and his friends departed.  Michael was such an idiot!  He had quickly discerned that the man was trying to drive a wedge between him and Brian.  Although he also knew that there was some merit in what Michael had to say.  Knowing Brian's past, he was most likely never going to be completely faithful.  He was someone who needed his space.  Perhaps it was time to have a serious talk with his lover.

Justin gained entrance to the loft with the spare key Brian had given him last week.  He discovered that Brian was home from the office, and had already changed his business attire into more casual clothes.  The man looked fetching in a pair of light blue jeans that were slung low on his hips, and were worn in all the right places.  He noticed appreciatively that the brunet hadn't bothered to put a shirt on, and his feet were bare.  As usual, the top button of Brian's pants was left precariously unbuttoned, making Justin's groin experience a stab of heated desire. 

Before Justin had a chance to speak, Brian seized the back of his neck, pulling him into him.  His mouth claimed his young lover's with a deep, souful kiss.  When Justin pulled away, he was breathless and light headed.  Why did Brian always effect him this way? 

Justin's actions puzzled Brian, and he intuitively detected that the blonde had something he wanted to discuss. 

"I had an interesting conversation with one of your friends, after you went to work this morning."

"Oh really, who?" 

"Evidently your best friend, Michael."

"Mikey?  What did he have to say to you?"

"He claims he was trying to do me a favor, by warning me that you don't do boyfriends." 

Brian bit his lower lip, and carefully considered what Justin had just articulated.

"Mikey should have known better than to interfere.  But you knew that piece of information anyway. Remember, we discussed it during one of our talks on the phone."

"Yes, I remember.  But that was before we became involved.  Do you still feel that way now?"

Brian paused, and had a strange expression on his face. 

"I was going to ask you this later, but I think I'll do it now."

"Ask me what?"

"Well, since you're here just about every night, and most days, it would be practical if you moved in."

"What?"

"It would make sense for us to live together, ...and I wouldn't particularly mind having you around all the time."

"Brian, I don't think that we should be..."

"What, don't tell me that's not what you want?"

"No, of course I won't.  I do want it, I want us."  Justin scratched his head, trying to formulate coherent thoughts.

"But..."  Brian said expectantly.

"Before I live here, we have to come to an understanding."  Justin declared.

"Okay.  Just tell me what it is."

Justin took an uneasy breath, and looking directly into Brian's intense hazel eyes he proposed, "You can fuck whoever you want, just not the same person twice, same goes for me."

Brian raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt. 

"No names or numbers exchanged."

The older man was smirking now, and waited for the next concession.

"And you don't kiss anyone on the mouth, but me."

The kid was shrewd, Brian was impressed.

"Anything else?" he said mockingly.

"Yes, you always come home...by two."

"By four."

"By three."

"Deal," Brian acquiesced.  "Now that we have that settled, can we do something about a more pressing issue?"

Justin furrowed his brows in consternation.

Brian reached for his boy.  Grabbing a handful of Justin's shirt, he jerked the young man towards him. Then stuck his hands down Justin's pants to massage his dick, while he nibbled on his ear lobe, and then nipped the side of his neck. 

Thoroughly turned on, Justin let out a groan.  His head tilted back, as he closed his eyes, enjoying the scintillating touch of his lover.  With his mouth glued to Justin's, Brian gravitated towards his bed, until the back of the blond's knees hit it.  Exerting his usual need for control of a situation, Brian easily nudged the young man onto his back, till he was lying vulnerably on the soft duvet.  Justin sensed by the fire in Brian's eyes, that he was in for a rough tumble tonight.  He was bursting with excitement, as he anticipated the scandalous things Brian would do to his body.

Yearning to become one with his lover, Brian was thinking with resignation how fucked he was.  The kid had essentially turned his world upside down, causing him to act more lesbianic with each passing day.  But it all felt so right. 

Picasso knew the real Brian Kinney, and hadn't run away.  Instead, he accepted his faults and dysfunctional past, making Brian feel secure and loved.  The unconditional love Justn offered was pure, and he wanted it, needed it.  So, fuck everyone else, for once Brian was going to follow his heart. 

Brian sauntered into the diner, expecting the inevitable.  As Michael headed his way, he braced himself.

"Brian, where the fuck have you been?"

"Mikey, nice to see you too."

"You haven't been around for days," Michael complained.

"I've been busy."

"Not with that twink I hope."

"Justin, his name is Justin," Brian answered curtly.

"Does that mean you're still seeing him?"

Brian was beginning to lose his patience, and decided to slam Michael with the truth.

"Actually, he moved into the loft." 

Michael's brown eyes became huge with surprise. 

"He what?  Brian, have you lost your mind?  You don't even know him." 

"Michael," Brian stated sternly.  "You're my oldest and dearest friend, but you're going to have to deal with this."

"Or what?  You'll stop being my friend?"

Brian shrugged his shoulders.

Michael huffed, "I can't believe you'd be willing to ruin our friendship over that blond haired little shit.  He's just using you!"

Angered by Michael's last remark, Brian shot back, "He's the only one who's not using me.  ...I've got to go."

"But Brian..."

"Mikey, it's your choice.  If you want to be in my life, you'll have to accept Justin."  Then he boldly revealed,  "And just for the record, I was the one who asked him to move in."

Brian abruptly left the diner, and didn't look back.  He knew Michael would have that hurt puppy dog look in his eyes.  And right at this moment, Brian couldn't deal with it. 

A few months later...

On the way to his office, Brian fondly recalled Justin's first night in his new abode.  Just as Brian had begun to feel some anxiety over living with someone for the first time, he had looked over at the kid, and all his worries dissipated.  Justin was sporting the most adorable grin on his face, and his blue eyes were shining brightly, as he found a place to store his art supplies.  When Justin had caught his stare, the young man's winsome smile became even bigger, and Brian's heart had melted.

He remembered how Justin had exclaimed with exuberance, "I'm going to make you the best dinner tonight.  I'm a pretty good cook you know."

In response, Brian had seductively proclaimed, "I don't doubt that.  But I'd like to sample dessert first."

Quickly covering the short distance between them, they had bombarded each other with sensual kisses and gropes.  Before long they were rutting like animals on the floor, in between tearing away clothes to clutch at bare skin.  They never did have dinner that night, having been too preoccupied with fucking in every position they could fathom. 

His thoughts returning to the present, Brian realized that for the first time, in a long time, he was happy.  His newfound contentment was all due to the presence, of a tenacious blond in his life.  He also realized, that he hadn't tricked since the day he asked Justin to move in.  He hadn't found the need to. 

 

Justin was humming happily, as he was putting the finishing touches on dinner.  The soft music that wafted through the loft, and lit candles scattered about, created the perfect ambience.  Tonight was going to be a special night, because he was finally going to tell Brian just how much he meant to him.   He had been so close a couple of times, but didn't say it, for fear of the older man's reaction.  But Justin didn't want to wait any longer.  It was high time he told Versace that he was in love with him. 

As the loft door slid open, Brian announced with a hint of sarcasm, "Hi honey, I'm home."

A smiling Justin approached him, and Brian hugged the young man to his chest, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  He kissed the blond's forehead, and then frowned when he noticed the altered state of the loft.

"And what's all this?"

"It's for you."

"Is it my birthday?"

Justin laughed, "No."

"Is it your birthday?"

"Nope.  I just wanted to make this night special for us." 

Pushing Brian towards the steps leading up to the bedroom Justin ordered, "Now go change, and make yourself comfortable."

"How about you help me change," Brian flirtatiously suggested.

"No way.  I remember the last time I helped you.  You wound up torturing me with that contraption you bought.....what was it called?"

"A cock crimper."

"Oh yeah."

"Now Picasso, you're not still holding that against me, are you?"

Justin crinkled his nose.  "I should.  My dick ached for days." 

"Let me make it up to you."

"Later, get changed," Justin reiterated, pointing Brian towards the bedroom.  He added, "I've been slaving over a hot stove the entire afternoon, and I don't want it to go to waste."

Brian reluctantly conceded, disappearing into his lair.  When he emerged ten minutes later, he had form fitting jeans on, with a black wifebeater. 

Justin's breath hitched, as he saw the flickering light of the candles reflecting on Brian's flawless skin.  'God, the man was gorgeous.'

Justin suppressed his desires, because he was determined to go through with his plan.  They dined at the carefully decorated table, complete with fancy silverware and china.  After the appetizers, Brian tried to convince Justin to ditch the rest of the meal, but to no avail.  

Finally, dessert was being served.  The two men sat elbow to elbow, feeding each other spoonfuls of chocolate mousse, while kissing.  As they savored the last bit, Justin knew that he was going to have a hard time preventing Brian from pouncing on him.  'Shit', the incorrigable man was already attacking his neck.

"Whoa Brian, I need to talk to you about something first."

Brian pulled back and remarked, "What's there to talk about.  Let's fuck."

Justin chuckled, but appeared uneasy.  Brian sensed his nervousness, and began to worry about what the blond was going to say.

"Brian, we've been together for a while now, and I thought it was time I was completely honest with you."

Brian was not so sure he liked the sound of Justin's words.  'What the fuck was the kid going to say?' 

Justin took Brian's hand, and led him to the cushions on the floor.  They both sat down, and Justin sidled closer to his lover.

"We've been friends, and now lovers.  I just wanted you to know how much you've come to mean to me.  I think about you all the time.  And whenever we're not in the same room, I miss you."

Brian grew still, and his eyes softened.  'Boy the kid was a real sucker for romance.'  But he could see and hear the depths of Justin's emotions in his voice, and his face, and it filled his heart with joy.

"I adore everything about you.  And I know that you're not perfect, but you're perfect for me.  And I know that you don't normally go for all of this romantic bullshit, but I'm going to say this anyway.  I love you Brian Kinney.  You're a beautiful person inside and out.  And I want to be with you, always."

Brian was shocked by Justin's admission.  He was also envious of the kid's courage in expressing his feelings, especially not knowing how he would react.  Brian reached his hand out to caress Justin's cheek, gliding his fingers over the smooth, perfect skin.  Despite the lump in his throat, the older man managed to speak.  He had always been truthful with Justin, and he wasn't going to stop now.

"I know that sometimes I have a hard time showing it, but I want you to know....I want you to know that you've made me feel things I've never felt before.  You've made me want things I've never wanted before.  What I'm trying to say is thank you for showing me what it feels like to love, and be loved."

Brian's voice cracked at the end of his little speech, making Justin tear up.  The younger man embraced Brian tightly, burying his face in his lover's neck.  He felt Brian's fingers lovingly stroke his hair, and his heart soared. 

"Now, can we fuck?"  Brian said, interrupting their touching moment with his usual wit. 

Justin laughed through tears of happiness and said, "Ever the romantic."

This time it was Brian's turn to laugh.

Something had changed for both of them tonight.  It was if their souls were now one.  Their ensuing session of lovemaking, was tender and sweet, bringing their ecstasy to new heights.

Completely sated, the two of them lay in their kings sized bed, entangled in each others arms.  Perspiration dripped down their bodies, and their erratic breathing was returning to normal.  Justin was about to drift off to sleep, when all of a sudden, Brian's voice startled him. 

"I want you to meet Gus.  He's coming for a visit with his mothers next weekend."

"You sure?" Justin questioned.

"Yeah, I'm sure.  In fact, there's going to be a family dinner that Saturday, and I'm bringing you with me."

"Okay.  But what if anyone asks how we met?  Are you going to tell them about how you accidentally called the wrong number one night?" Justin posed with a smirk on his face.

"No, I'm not," Brian emphatically replied. 

"Then what will you tell them?" the younger man asked, curious to hear his love's answer.

Brian leaned his forehead into Justin's as he whispered, "I'll tell them that I finally got the right number."