Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction

 


CHAPTER FORTY-SIX


 


JUSTIN


 


“Have you finished my present yet?”


 


“Brian!”  I flop onto my back.  “It’s supposed to be a surprise!”


 


He chuckles.  “Right.  Like there’s any other reason you’d be buried in your studio until the wee hours.”


 


“I could be working on something else!  My creative urges aren’t exclusively limited to you, you know!”


 


“Uh huh.  So have you finished it?”


 


I sigh.  “Almost.  It just needs a few touches.”  I’d begun my Blake painting almost on a whim, but as it developed I’d begun to realise that it actually had potential.  It was the first time I’d tried to paint figures in detail instead of the broad abstracts I’d favoured since the bashing, and I wasn’t sure my fine motor skills were up to it.  It had certainly been a challenge, both physically and emotionally, and in the beginning I couldn’t work for long before my hand cramped, which is why it’s taken so much fucking time to complete.  But I’ve persevered and, since the piece has turned out much better than I thought it would, I’ve decided to get it finished as a Christmas present for Brian.  A few more hours work and it will be done; then all I need is to find a frame for it.  I’m hoping that Brian will see it for what it is: not just as a representation of the two of us, but as a statement about the future … that it doesn’t have to be defined by the past.


 


“Don’t wear yourself out,” Brian says softly, as though he’s read my mind.  “I have plans for tonight, and I don’t want you falling asleep on me.”


 


I grin at the sultry tone of his voice.  “Why, Mr. Kinney.  Are you saying you’ve missed me?”


 


“Why, Mr. Taylor.  Are you saying you haven’t?”


 


I hug Brian’s pillow and pull the duvet tighter, pretending it’s his body I’m wrapped around. “So when do you think you’ll get here?” 


 


“I’ve just got to go in this morning to wrap up a couple of things, then Theodore can take care of the rest.  I’m planning to be at Britin some time after lunch.”


 


I roll over, squinting out of the window at the dull, leaden sky.  “Don’t leave it too late.  The weather forecast said there was going to be really heavy snow later.  I don’t fancy being snowed in by myself over Christmas.  I might starve to death.”


 


He snorts.  “Not likely.  You must have enough nutriment stored in your ass alone to last you into New Year.”


 


“My ass is not a camel’s hump,” I point out.  Then I sit upright, ignoring the chill in the air and glaring at the phone.  “Are you saying I have a fat ass?” I demand, outraged.


 


“Let’s call it generous,” he replies judiciously.


 


“Generous?  Fucking generous?”  I can hear my voice rising.  “Let’s call it fucking fat!


 


“Justin,” his voice is beginning to shake with laughter.  “Justin.  Stop queening.  You know that your ass is without doubt the hottest, tightest ass I have ever had the pleasure to know, and fuck, I’ve known a few.  I will always maintain that, from a plethora of outstanding features, your ass stands out most of all.”


 


“Meaning it’s fat!”  I lean back on the pillows, beginning to giggle.


 


“Twat.”


 


“Whatever.”  I start to shiver, so I lie back down and pull the duvet up to my chin.  “Anyway.  Don’t risk it.  Promise.”


 


“Never fear, Sunshine, I’ll get to you.  I promise.” 


 


“Make sure you bring something interesting for dinner,” I tell him.


 


“Only if you promise to supply the dessert.”


 


“Deal,” I smile. 


 


“I’ll expect a warm welcome, then.”


 


“I’ll get the logs in.”


 


“Just don’t set the house on fire before I get there,” he laughs.


 


“Brian.  I am an adult.  I can be trusted with matches.”


 


“Uh huh.  Like the way you singed your eyebrows when you thought it would be a good idea to get the logs to catch by squirting lighter fuel on them?”


 


“Shut up.”  I brush my fingers over my eyebrows; most of the crispy bits have snapped off now.  “I won’t do it again.”


 


“Uh huh.”


 


“Stop saying Uh huh.”


 


“I’ll see you later.”


 


“Later,” I reply.  I wait until I hear him hang up and then lean over to check the clock on the nightstand.  Only eight.  


 


I put down the phone and snuggle deeper into the bed. 


 


 


*********************************************************


 


 


BRIAN


 


“Mel?  What the fuck’s wrong?” 


 


“Brian, I’m at Allegheny General!”  She’s breathing hard.  “It’s Gus!”


 


I sit bolt upright, my hand clutching the phone in a death-grip.  I have nightmare flashes of fists, bats, cars.  “What’s happened?”


 


“His teacher called me at work.  He threw up at his party … they thought it was something he’d eaten, but the other kids were fine.  When he threw up again they called me … when I got there he was crying because his tummy was hurting.  I took him home, but he was still being sick.   In the end I just stuck him in the car and took him to Emergency!”


 


I’m on my feet, buzzing for Cynthia as I grab my coat.  “Where’s Linds?”


 


“They couldn’t contact her,” Mel replies breathlessly.  “Her cell keeps going to voicemail.  That’s why they called me!”


 


Cynthia appears at the doorway.  “Gus is ill,” I tell her tersely.  “He’s at the hospital … tell Ted he’s going to have to take the reins.”  She gives me a startled look before nodding and hurrying away.


 


“Lindsay said something about being sick yesterday,” I say, juggling the phone as I wrestle with my coat.  “She said she was going to drop Gus off and then go back to bed … I’ll swing by on my way, find out what’s going on.”


 


“Good idea,” Mel says.  “But hurry, Brian.  Please.”


 


“I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Don’t worry, Mel.  He’ll be fine.”


 


I hang up, grab my brief case and hurry out of the office, tossing ‘I’ll call you,” in Cynthia’s direction as I pass.  Of course Gus will be alright.  It’s probably just a bug, a kid thing, and Mel’s over-reacted the way she did when the kid had earache. It’s not like he’s been bashed or run over.  Still, it’d be really nice to stop getting these fucking phone calls telling me that someone I love is in hospital.


 


Really, really nice.


 


I walk through reception and push open the doors, and the first lungful of freezing air makes me gasp.  A few snowflakes are already beginning to fall.


 


 


 


TBC


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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