Epilogue


Saturday, February 23, 2002

"How much time do we have?" Justin asked as they entered the loft.

When they stepped in the bedroom, a glance at the clock on his nightstand confirmed what Brian already knew: "We're ten minutes late."

"Good thing I changed at my mom's."

"I don't understand why you keep changing clothes there when you have all you need here," Brian scoffed, removing his shirt. "With all the shit you leave at the loft, there can't be much left back there. You might as well move in."

"Is that a proposition, Mr. Kinney?"

His back to Justin, Brian stopped his movements, slowly realizing what he'd said.

Was he ready to live 24/7 with Justin?

Not that they weren't already doing it: with all the hours they spent on the Spencer and now the Eyeconic accounts at Kinnetik and the loft, they were together 4 to 5 days a week.

Brian had even made some space in his closet and drawers for Justin to leave some spare clothes. That way, in the morning, he didn't have to drive his blond home then back to PIFA or Kinnetik. It saved them a fucking hour. And an hour of fucking Justin was exactly what Brian needed to start his day in the best way.

Justin was a bit messy, but Brian loved having him in the loft. He loved spending time with him, talking or simply watching him doing his homework - although, most of his assignments were done at Jennifer's since Brian always has a hard time keeping his hands off the blond when they weren't at work.

"It is, Mr. Taylor," he confirmed, turning towards his lover. "You practically live here, anyway."

"But spending time with someone when you want is different from spending time with them because there's no other way. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"I never say anything that I'm not sure about."

"Yeah, but-"

"No 'buts', Sunshine. Move in with me," Brian said. "I can't promise it'll be easy and that I'll always be my charming self. Sometimes, I'll probably want to throw you out of here because, even after a hundred times of asking you to put your sneakers or sketchbooks away, you won't listen to me. And you'll be mad at me because I won't act like a lover should most of the time."

Justin stifled a laugh, remembering the argument they had a week ago when Brian had refused to spend a few days for Valentine's Day at a romantic inn within two hours drive north of Pittsburgh. The names of the inn, The Lovebirds, and the town, Sugarcreek, had made Brian nauseous. But learning their specialty, candlelight meals three times a day, had him walking out of the loft in a rage, accusing Justin of being a dyke in disguise and trying to turn him into a lesbian. Which he wasn't!

"Move in with me, Justin. Because even if it makes me mad, I like finding your sketchbooks and taking a look at them when you're not with me. And because you know I can compromise and have a candlelight dinner once in a while at the loft. Plus, it would save me a lot of gas and sanity if I didn't have to drive you to Jennifer's everyday," Brian smirked.

"Shut up! You love my mom!"

"Yes, and I know she loves me even more. Remember she wanted to meet my straight brother..."

"Oh, please. I was trying to forget that. I still can't believe she flirted with you!"

"What can I say? It seems like Taylors aren't able to resist me."

"You're unbelievable."

"It's true. I am."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Let's do it."

"Say it."

"Yes. Yes I'll move in with you," Justin finally said before sliding a hand behind Brian's neck and kissing his lover.

The softness of Justin's mouth, the way he surrendered completely and let him take control made Brian moan into their kiss. He buried one hand in the blond locks and kissed Justin harder, thrusting his tongue into his mouth. The young man whimpered and sucked on it, teasing him, and Brian felt ready to come.

Panting, he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead on Justin's.

"Come on, Sunshine. As much as I'd like to continue this in our bed, I promised the boys we would join them at the diner. Then maybe we could all go to Woody's... we do have something to celebrate after all..."

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"I don't get it."

"Don't get what, sweetie?"

"Brian!"

"What has he done this time?"

"I hardly see him anymore and when I do, that annoying kid's always with him!" Michael whined.

"Justin? You know they worked very hard on that new campaign when he joined Ki-" Ted tried to explain.

"But I don't understand why it had to be him!" Michael cut in. "He just arrived and he was already working with Brian? Why not Murphy? Or Damian? Or anybody else from the Art Department?"

"Brian needed someone to create the Spencer boards and Justin was the only one free since everybody was already working on something else."

"But he has no experience..."

"It turns out the kid's a fucking genius. Today, he suggested changing the color scheme of the Eyeconic 'Eye Candy' boards, stating everyone at art school was saying that 'orange is the new blue'."

"I can't believe his nerve! He's here for what? five minutes? and already suggests Brian doesn't know what he's doing?!"

"Brian was quite amazed by the suggestion," Ted continued. "I overheard him telling Cynthia Justin was not only a great artist but also a natural when it comes to advertising."

"I must be dreaming..." Michael muttered in disbelief.

"Remember how Brian always complains his team is unable to give him what he wants on the first try? Justin just needs a brief description to create the exact representation of Brian's vision. It's like they're sharing the same brain!"

"Great..." Michael rolled his eyes. "So now, the twink's been promoted from stalker to protégé... At least, they're not fucking."

"How can you be so sure?" Emmett asked.

"Because of the Kip incident. Brian will never risk being accused of sexual harassment again."

"The 'Kip incident'?" Blake asked. "What's that?"

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"Fuck! I forgot my lighter in the car," Brian cursed when they were about to enter the Liberty Diner. "Go in. It'll just take me a minute."

"Ok, but hurry!" Justin replied. "I have a feeling Mickey won't be happy to see me, let alone if you're not with me."

Brian huffed a laugh. "You should stop calling him like that fucking mouse. You know it drives him crazy and not in a good way."

"I will, when he stops saying 'Adopt a trick' every time he sees me."

"Twat," Brian replied before kissing Justin on the temple and walking back to the Jeep.

Justin watched him a few seconds then took a deep breath and entered the diner.

"Sunshine!" the colorful waitress greeted him, "What are you doin' here?"

"Hey, Debbie. I'm just waiting for... my lover."

"You've got a boyfriend? That's fucking great!" Debbie squeeled. "Someone I know?"

"Well, uh..." Justin hesitated, wondering if he'd start spreading the news of him moving in with Brian.

"Oh, honey... " Debbie shooked her head and sighed. "He finally fucked you, didn't he? And now you think Brian and you are a couple."

"Let me ask you something, Debbie. You've known Brian for what? fifteen years? You never thought of having a little faith in him?"

"Of course I have faith in Brian! He's like a son to me. But I've been watching him since he's fourteen and I know for a fact that he'll never be romantically involved with-"

"That's where you're wrong, Debbie," Justin interrupted her. "You're so used to him being an asshole and jumping from one trick to another that you don't even see the obvious anymore."

"What are you saying, Sunshine?"

"I'm saying that, the first time I saw him, my instincts were screaming for me to give him a chance. And that feeling was even stronger that day at your house when each of you just told me to run away. But I didn't, and I'm glad because Brian is a complicated but amazing man. He's ready to love and be loved and I'm the one he wants to give it a try with."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself, Sunshine..."

"He should be, considering I just asked him to move in with me," Brian said, joining them. "Come on, Justin. The others are waiting for us," he added, leaving Debbie speechless.

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"So if it's just professional," Drew said once Michael told them everything about Kip Thomas, "what's the problem?"

"I'm worried about Brian. He doesn't party anymore, or do booze or drugs. Nobody's seen him fucking at the baths or Babylon for months now. Hell! We don't see him anymore! It's like he's hiding..."

"You think the cancer could be back?" Emmett asked.

"I work with him," Ted replied. "I would know..."

"But what if there was no cure this time? What if Brian was dying?"

"Don't be so dramatic," Ben advised.

"I'm dramatic?! I tried talking to him, but all he says is he's feeling fabulous and I'm pathetic."

"Sounds like Brian to me..." Ted chuckled.

"Since when does being BFFs with a teen and living like a monk sound like Brian?"

"Don't you think that, maybe, Brian is just settling down?" Ben asked.

"Settling down?"

"Yes. With Justin." At the horrified look Michael threw him, Ben continued: "Come on, Michael! You can't honestly tell me you wouldn't be happy for him if that was true."

"Maybe the cancer isn't back but there's no way Brian's settling down," Michael assured. "Especially not with Boy Wonder!"

"And why's that? Because Justin is young, gorgeous and they're working together?"

"Gorgeous? How can you find him gorgeous? You're with me, remember?"

"I didn't say I was interested in him. I was just asking you why Brian wouldn't want to be with someone like Justin."

"Because that's not Brian, okay? That fucking stupid little shit stalks him and Brian lets him do it for whatever fucked up reason! But that doesn't mean anything except he's hurting Brian's reputation! He keeps him from going to Babylon and others, like that Brandon guy, are trying to take Brian's place. People think Brian's been tamed because he's always with Justin!"

"And that's wrong because...?"

"Because no one can tame Brian. Especially a fucking trick who won't go away!"

"And what if I want to be tamed?"

* ~ ¤ ~ *

All eyes turned to look at the newcomers.

"Have you ever thought about that, Mikey? Or is your fucking brain so small you never thought I could want a piece of happiness like anybody else?"

"But... you're happy! You have everything you could wish for: you're Pitttsburgh's hottest stud, one look from you and ten guys are on their knees, ready to blow you, you're a fucking big success, you even have a son raised by a couple of lesbians! What more could you possibly want? You don't need him... He's just a kid!"

"No, he's not. He may be young but he's not a kid. He's an incredible artist, smart and funny. I like spending time with him."

"But you already have friends. You have me. There's nothing you have with him you can't have with me."

"I seriously doubt the professor would agree with that..."

"No! That wasn't- I mean... I know you don't fuck Justin."

"I don't?"

"Well, he's working for you... He could be another Kip-"

"Justin's not Kip Thomas."

"You don't know that!"

"I know, alright! And if I didn't, it wouldn't matter! Justin's a risk worth taking."

"Worth taking?! Jesus Christ, Brian! You've lost your fucking mind! You're risking your business and your reputation for just a fuck? There's hundreds of gay men in Pittsburgh! You don't need him when you can have them all!"

"First, Justin's not 'just a fuck' and second, he was ready to give up his contract with Kinnetik - and the money it provided to pay his entire tuition - to be with me. Even after all the family said to him about me at Thanksgiving. Even knowing I had cancer and could have it again in the future, he was willing to give us a chance." Brian sighed. "I don't even know why I'm discussing this with you!"

"Because I'm your best friend!"

"And as a best friend you should respect every choice I make in my life, whether you approve of them or not! That's what best friends do!" Brian passed a tired hand over his face. "Look, I never said a thing to you when you started a relationship with a man who's positive-"

"Because you like Ben," Michael replied, confident.

"Well, I didn't like David and never said a thing either when you started dating him. You chose to live with the doctor, you chose to follow him to Portland so he could be closer to his son, and you chose to come back to the Pitts after two fucking months! You chose, Mikey. Not me!" Brian lit up a cigarette and continue: "I knew he wasn't good for you. I knew you wouldn't last because he was too old, too much of a homebody and a fucking control freak with you! But it wasn't my place, even as a best friend, to tell you that. You needed to see that by yourself! You needed to make your own choices and mistakes."

"But you could have spared me from hurting..." Michael whined.

"And you'd have lived on 'what if' questions and ended up resenting me for interfering with your life! Your life, Mikey. Your choices. All I could do was respect your decisions and hope for the best." Brian turned towards Justin and looked at him. "I made a choice and you need to respect it. And if it turns out to be a mistake, then it'll be mine and Justin's."

"But he's just-" Michael tried again.

"Christ, Michael! Leave it!" Brian barked, stopping all conversations in the diner. "Stop putting down my partner!"

"Kinney has a partner," the patrons started to whisper. "What does that mean?"

"Awesome! So now, he's your partner? How can he? He's not even your type!" Michael laughed. "Even if you've broken your 'I don't do repeats' rule, fucking a guy doesn't mean you have a relationship with him!"

"Actually, it does when that guy is the only one I fucked for three months now."

"You-you mean-"

"Like I said, I made a choice. Justin and I are in a... relationship-"

"Oh my God! I didn't think he actually knew that word," the murmurs continued. "Brian Kinney talking about partners and relationships? That's not possible. He's participating in a game and they're making him say that!"

"-and we're monogamous! You apparently haven't noticed but I stopped tricking shortly after becoming cancer-free, almost a year ago."

"He's monogamous! Wait! Kinney, monogamous? Anita's shit fucked up his brain for good this time..."

"But I saw you bringing tricks to your loft!"

"You saw me going somewhere private with a man to try to get to know him and see if I'd be interested in more. I might have more or less redefined promiscuity but I do know there's more to life than fucking." Brian bent down and lightly kissed Justin's lips. "Justin may not be my usual type, but it doesn't matter because only he makes me happy."

A man in tangerine top and pants left the diner, running. "That's so unfair..." he sobbed, heartbroken, "I never had a chance with him!"

Brian took Justin's hand in his and shared a brilliant smile with the blond. "I asked Justin to move in with me. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," Michael said defeated. "As long as he doesn't hurt my best friend..."

"I won't hurt Brian," Justin spoke for the first time. "I promise you, Michael."

"I'm afraid I'll be the one doing the hurting," Brian admitted. "I'm just discovering what being a couple implies. I'm so new at all this lesbianic shit..."

"So far, you're doing great" Justin said with a comforting smile.

"Well," Emmett said, standing up before hugging Justin, "welcome to the family, baby!"

"Hands off, Honeycutt!" Brian growled, removing Emmett's hands from Justin's waist.

"Oh, you already have him all jealous! Good job, Princess!" he said, winking at Justin. Then he turned around to the table and added: "We need to celebrate. Woody's, here we come!"

* ~ ¤ ~ *

"So partners, huh?" Justin whispered later in Brian's ear while Emmett and Ted were ordering four bottles of Champagne at the bar at Woody's.

"Yeah... What do you think?"

"I like that," Justin said, beaming. "Come on, partner. Let's celebrate before you take me home and fuck me all night long."

"I knew there was a good reason I keep you around," Brian smirked before sitting in a booth and pulling Justin onto his lap.

What Brian had with Justin was nothing like what he had ever experienced with the handful of men he'd tried to know before. And although he'd enjoyed the years spent in a heavy haze of booze and drugs, he knew now he was just beginning his life.

What was that song saying? 'Once in your life you find someone who will turn your world around'?

Yes, Justin was something just right for him.

He might be young but he was mature, probably the most mature person he knew. And he was willing to love him.

Maybe he already did. And maybe Brian did too.

But he wasn't ready to tell Justin.

I can't say all the right things in one day, now can I?

* ~ ¤ ~ *

* ~ ¤ ~ *
And love is all I need
And I found it there in your heart
It isn't hard to see
We're in heaven

Lyrics from 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams
* ~ ¤ ~ *

Fin