Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

All parties convene for the big basketball game.  Deep emotions flare to the surface that will have lasting repercussions. What will be the result and who will come out on top? 

 

 

Gus approached the gym, observing some of his teammates already in uniform and shooting hoops.  Afraid that he was running late, he rushed over to his coach, Piper Stone, who was so caught up in watching the other boys on the court that she hadn't noticed his arrival yet.  Yes, as strange as it would seem, he had a female basketball coach.  From her appearance, however, she appeared to be more like the cheerleader type.  Her brown hair was groomed into a stylish but no-nonsense bob cut with blond highlights, the back short but the front longer.  Gus couldn't help smiling in amusement as he noticed the typical swatch of her hair hanging over the left eye just like always.  Sometimes he wondered how she could see to coach that way, but her piercing hazel eyes currently sporting a touch of pink eye shadow rarely missed what was going on, making it hard to get away with anything when she coached.

 

Today, she was wearing her typical outfit during practice:  a pair of 'up-to-there,' hot pink shorts, a white tank top, and knee-high, white socks.  Her favorite pair of pink Skechers© complimented her outfit perfectly, along with her pink, French-manicured nails.  If she didn't have a whistle hanging on a matching, pink cord around her neck, the statuesque young woman could have easily been mistaken for a clone of Britney Spears shooting a music video as part of some hormone-driven, teenage boy's favorite fantasy.  But every year, when a handful of horny straight kids signed up for the team in hopes of fulfilling that fantasy, their hopes were quickly dashed as they soon discovered she was one tough cookie.  Through the constant drills and practices she put them through, they quickly determined that she was actually there to win, and after she had turned the school's team around from a laughing stock into a serious contender for the state title, everyone stopped noticing her appearance so much and, instead, focused on her athletic prowess, love of the game, and innate talent for choosing just the right boys for each position as she worked on improving their skills.  Today, that was all culminating in the biggest game of the season.    

 

Just as Gus was about to reach her side, he winced as she brought the whistle up to her mouth and blew on it; the loud tweet resonated in his ears as she shouted in aggravation,  "No, no, no! I've told you a thousand times, Ricky! Move INTO the ball, not away from it!"  Her eyes flashed as she warned him sternly, "One more time, Marshall, and I'll glue your ass to the bench!"

 

"Um, coach, am I late?" Gus asked hesitantly from behind her, noticing she didn't take her eyes off the other players; but he knew she realized instantly who he was as she replied, "No, you're good, Kinney.   I'm just warming up the replacement players," she told him as she shook her head when one of the other boys dropped the ball like it was slicked up with butter. 

 

She turned around to explain, "And they always WILL be...if they don't get their act together!"  She said the last part a little more loudly on purpose so the other boys would hear her veiled threat.  She couldn't help smiling tightly at Gus, though, as she told him, "You're my ace in the hole, Kinney, so don't disappoint me tonight!"

 

"No, Ma'am," he told her dutifully with a smile of his own. 

 

She nodded as she peered back over at the other boys practicing.  "You all look like a bunch of damn junior varsity!  Derek!  Are you fucking up my drill now?  Pick up your feet and move!"  She shook her head in disgust, glancing over again at Gus as she instructed him, "Go suit up; we have a long practice ahead of us today."  She grimaced as she noticed one of the boys missing a pass.  "A VERY long practice."

 

Gus nodded with a grin as he rushed toward the locker room to change.     

 

Entering the locker room a few minutes later, he found some of his other teammates either sitting around bullshitting or just getting out of the showers.  After bestowing a cursory nod on some of his fellow players, he walked over to his locker to open it and take out his uniform.   He had just sat down to begin getting dressed when he heard a nearby locker door being slammed shut and a large, looming body plopped down beside him.  He cringed as he recognized who it was.

 

Owen smirked.  "Hey there, Kinney!  Ready for tonight?"

 

Pursing his lips tightly together, Gus tried his best to simply ignore the moron.  The last thing he wanted to do was waste any valuable time or energy on this loser.  He wanted to concentrate, instead, on the big game tonight.  He silently prayed that Owen wouldn't do anything to tarnish that.  However, as he twisted his body halfway around on the bench to look over at his friend-turned-adversary, he couldn't help noticing the other boy's terse, arrogant expression.

 

Owen's mouth twisted into a leer as he asked Gus, "How's that fiery little redheaded whore doing today?" 

 

Gus promptly launched himself at the other boy as his face turned red with rage.  "You son of a bitch!  You can't talk about her that way!"  He curled his fist into a tight ball as he cocked his arm back, ready to defend his friend's honor.  Before he had the chance to make contact, however, a couple of other boys nearby rushed to intercept him.

 

His fist mere inches from the other boy, who shrank back to avoid contact, a guard on the team caught his wrist tightly in his hand as he pleaded, "Whoa!  Take it easy, Gus!" 

 

"No, let him go!" Owen goaded him.  "He's nothing but a damn pussy!  I'm going to beat him up so bad even his faggot of a father won't recognize him!" 

 

"Why, you fucking bigot!" Gus exploded as he lunged for the other boy.  Despite his bravado, Owen promptly rose to his feet to avoid being hit as Gus broke free of the other boy's grasp and took off after him.  Pasting a brave front back on his face as he stood between the bench and Gus on the opposite side, Owen smirked as he reared back with his fist and punched one of the nearby lockers so hard he placed a large dent in it.  "Bring it on, Kinney!  This is what you'll face will look like when I get done with you!  Let's see what you've got!" 

 

Gus's face darkened even more as he started to jump over the bench to go after Owen. Several other boys moved to hold him back, but everyone stopped dead in his tracks as the shrill, piercing sound of a whistle was heard from a couple of feet away.  Everyone peered over at the doorway to see their coach standing there, her hands on her hips as she glared in contempt at the scene before her. 

 

"Stevens!" she called out authoritatively.  "Haul your ass over here - right now!" 

 

Owen forced himself to maintain an air of bluster as he swaggered over to the coach.  "What's up, Coach?" he asked nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.

 

"You're suspended from the team, that's what's up!" she growled. 

 

"What?!" Owen said in shock, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.  "What the hell?  Why?!"

 


Piper rolled her eyes.  As one of the first female coaches to break the gender barrier in high school basketball in the Pitts area, she knew all too well the damage and hurt that bigoted words could cause.  She was NOT going to abide by it on her watch.  "You have to ask?" she retorted, her eyes flashing in disgust.  "Your remarks are totally unacceptable... I won't tolerate any bigotry or homophobic crap on my team.  Go to the principal's office, Stevens - NOW!"

 

She stood there, folding her hands over her chest in a resolute manner, as Owen faced her defiantly, his mouth still agape as if he had done nothing wrong, until she asked, "Are you deaf, Stevens?  What part of 'now' do you not understand?  MOVE!" 

 

Shooting daggers at both the coach and then Gus, Owen muttered a string of profanities under his breath as he finally turned and stomped away, pausing for just a moment to glare over at Gus briefly with a deadly, icy stare before, smacking one of the corner lockers on the way out, he turned and headed out of the room. 

 

All the boys stood there as if frozen in place over what had happened until Piper yelled over to a tall, lanky, blond-haired boy who had just entered the locker room.  "Derek, stay in uniform!" she commanded, obviously intending to replace Owen with him. "You're playing tonight!"

 

Derek's face lit up with excitement as he nodded.  "Thanks, Coach!" he told her as he received high-fives from the rest of his friends. 

 

Gus sighed in relief as he watched Owen walk dejectedly away, but he knew somehow he hadn't heard or seen the last of the other boy.   It didn't take a mind reader to know that Owen was still royally pissed with Kayla over what had happened between them, but at least for the time being he wouldn't have to deal with him during the game.  Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he hurried to change into his uniform, purposefully forcing the other horrid boy out of his mind, at least for now, so he could concentrate on more pleasant matters:  namely, hopefully winning the game and scoring a few brownie points with a certain sexy blond who had promised to come and watch him play tonight.  A smile crept across his lips as he thought of Justin, and soon he was absorbed in getting ready for the big event.

 

 


 

Late Afternoon - Kinnetik

 

Ted stuck his head in Brian's doorway immediately after the meeting with the Judson account had ended in the conference room.  "Brian..."

 

"No time, Theodore," Brian promptly told him as he hurriedly shrugged into his suit jacket and tugged on his tie to loosen it before he snapped his briefcase closed and picked it up from his desk.  "Got to go."

 

"But...it's only 5:15; you're normally here later than that.  I thought..."

 

Brian walked around his desk toward his accountant and friend.  Placing his hand on Ted's shoulder, he peered into his eyes and smirked.  "Don't think too hard, Theodore; it might do some damage to your brain cells.  Got somewhere to be.  Handle it.  Later!" he called behind him as he hurried out the door, leaving a stunned Ted in his wake. 

 

Rushing out to his Jeep, he slid his long legs behind the wheel and started it up, immediately pulling out into traffic and accelerating.  There were many things that Brian made a priority in his life:  wooing and maintaining multi-million dollar accounts, satisfying his needs with a good fuck here and there, having an occasional drink with his friend Mikey as they shot pool at Woody's, and even getting service on his vehicle at regular intervals so it was maintained in tiptop condition.  But his biggest priority of all was his son, and he had promised to be at the big game tonight to watch him play.  So tonight, nothing - not even one of his largest and most prestigious accounts - would derail him from that promise.

 

As he wove his way in and out of the quickly burgeoning traffic, he couldn't help thinking about Justin, however, and a smile slowly grew on his face.  He found himself thinking more and more about the enigmatic young man who had quickly become so important to him.  Justin helped him to let loose a little more, to engage in intelligent conversation, to force him not to concentrate so much on his work, and to simply have fun; not to mention he was the most satisfying and amazing sexual partner he had ever had.  He couldn't wait to see him again. 

 

He became so absorbed in thinking about him, in fact, that he managed to miss his cutoff on the way to his loft.  Shaking his head in amazement, he managed to pull over to the shoulder and back up just enough to steer the Jeep in the right direction as he whispered, "You'll be the end of me yet, Sunshine.  But what a way to go." 

 


 

Later, as he was getting dressed at the loft - now clad in much more casual attire of a dark brown cashmere sweater, a pair of indigo blue, skinny, form-fitting jeans and a pair of dark brown loafers, he remembered Gus mentioning that the two of them needed to talk after the game about the man who had put such a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Well, Gus hadn't described him like that in so many words, but it was the impression nonetheless.  Even his son could tell there was something different about him lately, and Justin was definitely the cause.  The only question was:  what exactly would he say to him about Justin?  Even HE wasn't sure what to do or say when it came to him.  The only thing he DID know was that this man made him think and do things he would have never done before.  What that meant, however, he either refused to say or refused to acknowledge, at least for now. 

 


 

Legs crossed at the knees as she sat on the couch, Kayla swung her foot impatiently back and forth as she waited for her brother to appear.  Unlike him, she had been ready over fifteen minutes ago.  Tristan, however, was still nowhere to be found.  She huffed in restless exasperation, wondering what was taking so long.  It wasn't as if her brother had to pick out a pair of shoes out of 27 pairs like she always did.  How hard could it be to get ready for a guy?  They were all pretty much of the 'wash and wear' variety, weren't they?  Kind of like using the bathroom. They were in and out in no time; unlike girls, THEY never had to wait in line at the public restrooms. 

 

Finally unable to stand it any longer, she rose from the couch and walked upstairs to knock on her brother's bedroom door.  "Come on, Tristan, we're going to be late!" she yelled impatiently. 

 

After a few seconds, she finally heard a muffled, "I'm coming!  I need just a little more time...!"

 

"Aaargh!  Fine!  But hurry up!" she finally growled as she sighed heavily and returned downstairs to take her place back on the couch.  She fumed, still wondering what the problem was with her brother all of a sudden. He NEVER took this long to get ready, and it was just a ball game.  An important ball game, but just a game nonetheless.  So what was different this time?

 

Suddenly, she had an epiphany as she put her suspicions together.  Of course; it was the only thing that made sense.  The main difference tonight was that GUS would be playing in the game.  That had to be it.  Her brother was preening so much because he wanted to make a good impression in front of her best friend.  She grinned.  She had always suspected that her brother was gay - despite his dark, good looks and the constant, appreciative stares he received from the girls who noticed him whenever they went out together to the mall, to get something to eat, or to see a movie, he never seemed interested in returning their admiration or making any moves to meet up with any of them.  It was as if he were impervious to them.  She had initially thought he was just too caught up in getting back home to work on his latest car or his studies, or he was too fascinated with the newest video game to care.  But the more she saw how her brother acted around Gus - and the longer she observed the occasional, stolen glances he engaged in when he thought no one was looking - the more she was beginning to think there was an actual attraction there. 

 

She smiled broadly now to herself.  She was convinced; it made perfect sense - her brother had the hots for her best friend!  She giggled at the thought of how Gus was totally oblivious, apparently, to the whole situation.  It wasn't exactly her concern, but she kind of liked the idea of her brother and her best friend hooking up.  They had a lot in common, actually; they both loved sports - basketball, especially.  They both were fascinated with the newest cars on the market, they both seemed to enjoy the same types of movies - and hated hers, she thought with a grin.  And they were both free of any entanglements. 

 

Well, almost, she thought as she sobered.  There was the slight issue of Gus's infatuation with Justin.  She sighed.  If only he wasn't so fascinated with him.  Justin was cool - and definitely hot.  There was no denying that.  And he was a nice, honorable guy.  But for her brother's sake, part of her still wished that things could be different.  Her ruminations were interrupted just then, however, as her brother finally lumbered down the stairs to join her. 

 

"Is this okay?" he asked her tentatively as he noticed the odd look on her face.  He was wearing a pair of tight, black jeans and a soft gray sweatshirt with black sneakers. He looked totally adorable, she thought.  But would Gus feel the same way? 

 

She smirked.  "Yeah...I'll go change into my 'I'm With Stupid' shirt and then we can go," she kidded him.  Her brother, however, was too nervous to notice the teasing inflection in her voice as his face creased with worry and insecurity, despite how ruggedly handsome he looked at the moment.

 

He looked at her, horrified, as he glanced down at what he was wearing.  "Shit," he muttered as he turned and abruptly raced back up the steps. "I knew it!"

 

Kayla groaned.  "Me and my big mouth," she lamented as she rolled her eyes in resignation.  "And they think GIRLS are fickle!"  It would be another fifteen minutes - and two more changes of outfits - before her brother was finally ready to go.

 


 

Thirty Minutes until the Game...

 

A light rain had kicked up as Justin rode his bike in the direction of the school; he wasn't all that keen on watching a basketball game - sports had never appealed to him especially - but he had promised Gus that he would come...

 

Gus.  The kid was very persistent as well as stubborn.  He wasn't naïve; he could see that Gus liked him as more than just a friend.  He could see it in the almost goofy way that he looked at him.  He had seen his share of that look before; enough to know that Gus was infatuated with him.  He had been careful to be honest with him from the start and not to lead him on, but something told him that Gus wasn't going to be dissuaded too easily from his pursuit.  Perhaps it had been a mistake to come to the game then, but he always kept his promises and he DID like him - but only as a friend.  He pulled his helmet off as his bike came to a stop in the school's parking lot and he turned it off, his misbehaving hair flying recklessly around his head as he sighed.  What was he going to do? 

 


 

Game Time...

 

Gus stepped outside of the tunnel leading into the gym; he paused for a second among the excited, bustling crowd to scan both sides of the bleachers in an attempt to find his father.  After a few seconds, he spotted him sitting in the middle of the left side where typically the home crowd sat, right underneath a large banner that read "Tigers Rule."  His father seemed a little uncomfortable wedged in between a large group of students and what appeared to be a couple of parents on the other side, but as their eyes caught he smiled warmly at his son and waved briefly as Gus grinned back at him and nodded.  Farther down, toward the end of the same side of the bleachers, he spotted the other person he was looking for.  His heart began to accelerate and his face warmed as he observed Justin sitting by himself, a sketchpad in one hand and a graphite pencil in the other as he drew something.  Even though it seemed a little out of place in the middle of the crowd's rowdiness, he had to smile at the concentration on his face.  Justin was truly one of a kind; that was one of the things he admired in him.  Scanning the crowd further, he finally spied his best friend and her brother sitting in the middle of the bleachers several rows up, right where they could see all the action clearly.  Kayla, spotting him, yelled down to him, "Give 'em hell!" as she waved at him.  Gus laughed; he loved his best friend for her constant support and her enthusiasm.  Waving back at her briefly and smiling at Tristan in acknowledgment, he turned and headed back toward the locker room to wait for the start of the game with his teammates. 

 


 

Later that Evening...

 

There were seven seconds left until the end of the game, and the tension inside the gym could be cut with a knife. The scoreboard hanging high up on the far wall told the tale:  the Tigers were trailing, 80 to 78, but it was their ball.  The coach had called their last time out as her players huddled around her.  Everyone in the bleachers was standing now, waiting to see what the final seconds would bring.  Would it be triumph - or despair?  The Tigers had trailed throughout the game - as much as 10 points at halftime - only to claw their way back to within two points now.  Would it all be for naught, however?  Would tonight be the end of their year's tumultuous journey? 

 

The boys all peered over at their determined coach as she told them, "We are going to win this game, damn it!"  She turned to Gus as she told him, "And YOU are going to do it, Kinney!"  Gus nodded, his mouth dry as he tried to exude confidence as the other boys looked at him hopefully, their hunger to win written all over their faces.  Inside, however, his stomach was churning with nervousness.  He had managed to score 19 points tonight - an admirable feat - but it would all be quickly forgotten if they went down to defeat. 

 

He watched as his coach looked over at Owen's replacement.  "Derek, you take the ball out to Gus - and all of you give him room to pass, you got it?"

 

"Yes, Coach," all of them said in unison.

 

"What was that?" she demanded.  "I didn't hear you."

 

"YES, COACH!" they all shouted loudly above the din as she nodded, satisfied. 

 

"That's more like it," she told them.  "Now get your asses out there and let's WIN this game!" 

 

As they broke up, the referee handed the ball to Derek.  Gus stood on the half line of the court, guarded tightly by a slightly taller boy who stood close vigil right behind him, knowing that he would likely be the one who would be front and center of the action.  As the ball was put into play, Gus motioned for Derek to pass him the ball.  A few seconds of dodging and averting the other boy, Gus finally reached for the high-arcing ball that was lobbed his way.  He could almost feel the anticipation as he jumped up as high as he could and stretched out his fingertips, finally coming down with the ball firmly in his grasp.  Looking at the all-important goal several yards away from him, he bounced the ball once as the clock continued to count down the remaining seconds.  Five...four...three...

 

With two seconds left and everyone's heated gazes fixed upon him, Gus jogged to the left and then deftly turned around as the opposing player was caught off guard.  As he neared the three-point line, he finally stretched his long, lean body up high, took quick aim, and let go of the ball, watching with his teammates, his coach, the other team, and everyone else in the gym as they held their respective breaths and watched the ball gracefully curving toward the net, almost in slow motion.  The buzzer went off then, signaling the end of the game, just as the ball slid inside with a soft whooshing sound.

 

Gus and his teammates jumped up into the air, ecstatic, as the entire gym erupted into screams of jubilation while they celebrated their last-minute victory; as the other team's players sadly shuffled off the court in shock over their last-minute loss, everyone came streaming down from the bleachers to congratulate the victors.  Gus glanced up to see Justin on his feet, smiling down at him and giving him a 'thumbs-up' sign, while he watched his father clamp his hand over his jaw and shake his head in amazement.  He grinned up at his father and shrugged as Brian smirked back at him.

 

He soon lost track of both Justin and his father when Kayla and Tristan suddenly appeared nearby as they scampered over to his side. 

 

"Way to go, champ!" Tristan shouted amidst the racket as some of Gus's teammates slapped him on the back and congratulated him.  "That was some shot!" 

 

Not sure what to do, Tristan clamped his hand on Gus's shoulder and gave it a squeeze as Gus replied a little self-consciously, "Thanks.  I'm glad you were here to see it."

 

Tristan grinned, thinking how incredible Gus looked at the moment, all hot and sweaty from his participation in the game. 

 

Gus smiled as he leaned over to shout in his ear, "I wanted you to be here." 

 

Tristan flushed with pleasure over the comment.  "I wanted to be here, too," he told him with a smile as they stared into each other's eyes.  It wasn't but a few seconds, however, before Kayla launched herself into Gus's arms.

 

She immediately backed away, however, as she felt the dampness of his uniform shirt seeping into her shirt.  "Eww...you're sweaty!" she announced as Gus and her brother laughed over her reaction.

 

"Hey, it wasn't MY idea to plaster yourself to me," he teased her with a smile. 

 

She grinned back at him ruefully.  "Maybe not," she agreed.  "But good job, Gus!  I'm so proud of you!" 

 

He smiled, touched at the compliment.  It meant a lot to him that Kayla was so supportive of him.  "Thanks," he told her as he reached over gingerly to place a kiss on her cheek. 

 

Just then his father appeared at his side as he placed his arm around Gus's shoulder and pulled him close.  He was smiling at his son, the pride clearly showing on his face.  "Hey, Sonny Boy!" he called out to him above the noise.  "That was one fantastic game...But how about next time you ease up on the drama just a little bit?  For those other parents who don't have such a strong heart."

 

Gus beamed over the praise.  "I'll remember that next time, Dad," he told him wryly with a grin as Brian nodded.  Just then, he saw a flash of medium-long, blond hair and his heart began to race as he recognized Justin heading his way.  At last he would get to introduce him to his father!  He fervently hoped that he liked him as much as he did.  He could see Justin having some difficulty threading his way over to him, but slowly but surely he was pushing his way closer and closer...

 

"So dinner's on me," his father said just then, causing him to turn his neck slightly back around to answer him.  "Where do you want to eat?  Tristan and Kayla can come too, if they want."

 

Kayla peered over at her brother, noticing that he seemed quite pleased with that idea.  That only confirmed her previous suspicions even more. 

 

Brian noticed that his son seemed preoccupied for some reason, his face turned away from him as if he were looking for something - or someone - as he responded vaguely, "Uh...I don't really care, Dad.  Whatever you want is fine with me." 

 

Brian frowned; normally Gus had very specific input into his likes and dislikes when it came to eating out.  "Are you okay?" 

 

Gus latched onto Justin's face just then as Justin smiled back at him from a few yards away.  "Yeah, Dad.  Everything's perfect...just perfect."  Or it soon WOULD be, he thought, his heart pounding now in anticipation.  Having Justin's admiration was better than anything; even better than scoring the winning shot.

 

Standing side by side with their backs to Justin, no one but Gus knew what had put such a smile on his face as all of a sudden the coach appeared nearby, standing next to a middle-aged gentleman distinctively out of place in a dark blue suit and matching blue, pinstriped tie with a crisp, white shirt. 

 

"Mr. Kinney!  Can I have a word with you, please?" Piper called out as Brian nodded at her in acknowledgment.

 

"Be right back, Sonny Boy!  I think I smell a college recruiter!" he told his son with a proud grin as Gus nodded back at him in excitement.  Things were looking better and better by the second...

 

"Want to come along?" his father asked as Gus shook his head.

 

"Not just yet, Dad!  I'll be right there!" Gus told him, wanting to remain where he was until Justin was able to arrive.  Brian nodded as he turned and disappeared into the bustling crowd still buzzing over what had just happened.

 

Gus just barely caught a glimpse of his father in conversation with the suited man when Justin finally managed to reach his side. 

 

"Hey!" Justin called out to him, a warm smile on his face that made Gus's pulse quicken.  "You picked a hell of a game to invite me to!" he teased him.  "That was amazing!" he praised him.  He had to admit - he hadn't really been all that interested in coming to see the game, but he sure witnessed an unbelievable ending that had him riveted to his place in the bleachers.

 

"You were great out there," Justin added as Gus blushed.  "Congratulations on the win; they couldn't have done it without you," he added as he grasped Gus's upper arm and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back and letting go of him.  He briefly wondered if that had been wise when he saw a look that bordered almost on idolizing worship appear on Gus's face as a result, but it was too late by then to take it back. 

 

"Thanks," Gus murmured self-consciously, reeling from receiving even a token of affection from the other boy.  He realized something as he turned to stare over at Tristan.  "Hey, you two haven't met yet!  Justin, this is Kayla's brother, Tristan."

 

Justin nodded at the older boy, who appeared to study him intently.  If he didn't know better, he would say the other boy was angry about something by the appearance of tight lines around his mouth and the way his eyes narrowed at him, but he decided he could be mistaken as he replied politely, "Nice to meet you, Tristan.  Your sister here is a real pistol, by the way."

 

Kayla rolled her eyes.  "Thanks...I think," she said as Justin grinned affectionately at her. 

 

Tristan remained silent at her side as he sized up the other boy.  He had to admit it - the boy was hot.  Blond, shaggy hair, piercing blue eyes, perfectly shaped nose, angular jaw and a well-proportioned body; plus an ass that would be the envy of any gay boy.  He immediately decided he did not care for him for all those reasons.

 

"Hey!" Gus said just then, interrupting his thoughts.  His eyes lit up all of a sudden as a wonderful idea occurred to him.  "My dad's taking me, Kayla and Tristan out to dinner to celebrate," he told Justin.  "Want to come?"  Please, he prayed silently in hopeful anticipation; he wanted so badly for his father to meet him.  He frowned in confusion as he noticed Justin's eyes widen in surprise over something, however.

 

"Shit!" Justin cursed as he realized what he had done.  "I left my sketchpad up in the bleachers!  I'd better go get it before I lose it!  I'll be right back!" he told Gus and the others as, with an apologetic nod, he turned and rushed back where he had come from, quickly being swallowed up in the crowd again.

 

Gus's face fell slightly as Justin scurried away; a look that did not go unnoticed by either Kayla or her brother.  She had seen a similar sort of look on Tristan's face a few seconds ago when Justin had first arrived and had been fawning over Gus with his praise and his brief token of affection, and it was clear to her exactly what it had meant, too:  her brother was, indeed, jealous.  Yes, Tristan definitely had it bad.  She felt sorry for him.  Her brother was a great guy, but so was Justin.  What was Gus going to do? What was SHE going to do?  She sighed softly.  Why couldn't life be simpler than it was? 

 

As soon as Justin walked away, Brian hurried back over to his son to inform him proudly, "He's from Yale, Sonny boy!  And he wants to take US out to dinner; how about that?"

 

Gus shook his head in amazement; what a night! 

 

Brian looked over at Kayla and Tristan.  "I'll have to take a rain check on that other dinner," he told them apologetically.  "Some other time this week?"

 

The two of them nodded at him in understanding as he told his son, "I'll meet you at the car, Gus!  I'm going to talk to him about what he might have to offer.  Hurry up and get changed!" 

 

"Uh..."  Gus began to explain that he was waiting for Justin to return so his father could meet him first, but before he even had a chance to explain his father had rushed away once more, leaving him alone with Kayla and Tristan as the other team members continuned to walk toward the locker room, pausing occasionally to wish him well and congratulate him. 

 

He stood there, torn over what to do.  He wanted desperately to wait for Justin to return, but his father was impatient to leave, and it was Yale, for fuck's sake!  He sighed in resignation.  What choice did he have?  He didn't get a chance to talk with a recruiter of that caliber very often; he just couldn't waste this opportunity. 

 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked Kayla as she nodded.  He noted a sort of odd look on her face - an even odder look on Tristan's - as he smiled back at her gratefully.  "Will you tell Justin what happened?" he asked her, but instead of nodding in the affirmative she indicated someone coming up from behind him with her eyes, and he turned around to see Justin returning. 

 

"Hey!  Listen," he began apologetically, "I have to go.  There's a recruiter here from Yale that wants to talk to me and my Dad over dinner!  So I'll see you in school?"

 

Justin nodded, impressed.   "Wow, that's great, Gus!  Sure," he told him as Gus beamed.  Impulsively, the younger boy - emboldened by Justin's actions earlier - grabbed Justin and kissed him firmly on the cheek.  At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to aim for his lips instead, but he was too afraid in front of the burgeoning crowd to stretch his luck.  One day soon, though, he thought to himself, as he told Justin, "Thanks for coming!  I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

 

"Okay; good luck!" Justin told him as Gus hurried toward the locker room to take a quick shower and change.  Justin grinned over his excitement as, with a wave to everyone, the star of the game quickly disappeared out of sight.

 

"I'd better get going, too," he told the others.  "I'll see you in school, Kayla.  And nice meeting you, Tristan," he told the sullen-looking other boy who remained stonily silent.  He frowned slightly, still wondering what was up, before with a shrug he turned and headed toward the exit that would take him out to the parking lot.

 

As he reached the foyer just inside the school's entrance, he paused for a just a moment to put his sketchpad into his backpack to make sure he didn't lose it again and to put his driving gloves on as a familiar scent caught his attention.  He knew that masculine fragrance immediately and it made him smile in recognition, as well as conjure up all sorts of delicious fantasies.  He suddenly felt himself jostled then by a taller man in the crowd as he heard a mumbled, "Sorry."

 

Not bothering to turn around, he replied in understanding, "No problem," before he started to head toward the outside, stopping for just a second with a frown.  That scent...that voice.  No, it couldn't be.  What would HE be doing here at a high school basketball game?  He shook his head at the ridiculousness of that thought.  "You are so fucked, Taylor," he murmured to himself as he arrived outside and, taking a breath of relief over being out in the open again, headed toward his bike parked nearby.  Pulling his helmet on over his head and securing his backpack to the bike, he started up the Harley and slowly rode away.

 

Brian, meanwhile, stood in a corner of the lobby, waiting with the recruiter for his son to arrive so they could meet at a local steakhouse a few miles down the road.  As he had turned to look for his son a little earlier, he had wound up bumping into a smaller man standing too close to him and he couldn't help pushing him a little off-balance.  "Sorry," he had instinctively replied as he had turned to make sure the guy was okay.  He thought then that he had heard a response in return, but his recollection was quickly interrupted as the recruiter pointed out, "There he is," and the incident was soon forgotten. 

 

As his son walked up to them and introductions were made, he could hear the distinctive rumble of a motorcycle starting up in the parking lot, and his mind immediately centered upon Justin.  His heart fluttered at the thought of when he could see him again as Gus and the recruiter got to know each other a little better.  He shook his head slightly to clear his mind, realizing how much the other man had invaded his thoughts lately, before he turned to indicate with a nod of his head that he and his son were ready to go. 

 


 

A few minutes later...



Except for the radio playing, the ride home from the game was a silent one as Tristan drove his sister home.  Kayla, sitting in the front passenger seat, stole a couple of glances over at her brother before she broke the silence by simply saying, "I know."

 

Tristan turned to look at her, his face illuminated in the muted lighting of the car.  "You know what, Kayla?" 

 

"About your feelings, Tristan," she told him softly.



Tristan bristled, unable to admit he knew exactly what she was inferring.  His sister always was just a little too perceptive for her own good.  "What feelings?" he said defensively. 



She took a breath and let it out before stating simply, "You like Gus..."



"Sure; he's your friend," Tristan replied as he turned his eyes back to the road.  "Of course I like him..." he explained.



"No!" Kayla insisted quietly.  "You like him as more than just my friend...don't you?" she insisted.  When she didn't receive an immediate answer, she decided to press her luck just a little.  She already suspected that she was hitting the mark without her brother saying anything else, but she had to be sure.  "Look, Tristan, I know that seeing him with Justin had to be..."

 

"Drop it, Kayla," Tristan immediately retorted curtly, his voice hard.  He left no room for disagreement as they drove the rest of the way home in silence, and Kayla knew then that she had her answer.

 

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Chapter End Notes:

 

Yes, we know - no big reveal just yet.  But IT is coming - probably in two more chapters.  Hope you will stick around to see what happens. We have some surprises in store for you! Thanks for reading.:)

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