You're from a whole other world
A different dimension
You open my eyes
And I'm ready to go, lead me into the light

KATY PERRY - E.T.

chapter 8

Entering the diner, Brian wishes the bell over the door didn't chime so loudly as everyone turned to see who was entering. Fuck. By this time, everyone in Liberty Avenue had heard the news: Brian Kinney had married some sweet-looking blond boy from Denmark. Of course rumors were spreading like wildfire regarding the story behind the quick marriage.

"Brian! Over here!" Michael calls out, as if the brunet couldn't see him already in the booth.

With a resigned sigh, Brian walks over and sits down with the gang, knowing that he couldn't avoid them forever. "Hey," he mutters, leaning back and pretending to be interested in whatever was going on across the counter between Deb and another customer.

"Don't just say hey," Emmett scolds, "You've been avoiding us for a whole week!"

Tongue in cheek, Brian finally looks over at them and comments, "I've been busy." And a Busy Brian is a fuckin' happy Brian...emphasis on fucking.

"Where's the hubby?" Ted asks, holding back a chuckle. He picks up his coffee and takes a sip, knowing that Brian wouldn't elbow him with hot, scalding liquid in his hands...or at least he hopes not.

"Home." Brian answers. He looks over at Deb again, "Can I get some service over here?"

"Keep your pants on!" Debbie barks back with a smile before returning to the customer at the counter.

"Home?" Michael lights up, "You mean he went back to his planet??"

Brian frowns, looking over at his friend before realizing what he had said. "No...I meant the loft. He's at the loft."

"Holy shit, he called Justin's home. Someone notify the press, be still my heart! This is news, news news!" Emmett gushs, fanning himself before straightening up and saying, "No, seriously, Brian. This is newsworthy. What is going on with you two?"

Ted grins, "Big Bad Kinney is in loooove."

"Keep it up, Teddy," Brian says with a threatening smirk, "See what happens....I sign your paychecks."

Ted smiles, shaking his head, "You won't do anything because that would make Sunshine sad." He bursts into a fit of laughter.

Emmett laughs and claps his hands while Michael frowns and shakes his head.

"Hey, Ted?" Brian begins, "Fuck off."

"You know," Emmett says, "We never got to see your romantic wedding..."

"Fuck off." Brian says again.

"I bet we could pull off an amazing wedding here," Emmett continues.

Brian narrows his eyes at him. "If you value your life, I would suggest you fuck off."

"Where's your better half?" Deb says as she walks over to the table, chuckling at her own comment.

Michael snorts. "If you mean Justin, Brian left him at the loft."

Ted smiles and corrects his friend, "You mean, Justin is at home.."

Scowling, Michael shakes his head, "Just wait until people in the government show up in bubble suits and shove you in an air bubble for observation," he mutters to Brian.

Wacking her son on the head, Debbie doesn't miss a beat. "Why didn't you bring that sweet boy here?"

Brian smiles sweetly, wanting to say so much, but also not wanting to get smacked in the head. "Because he was talking to some of his friends through my lap top."

Ted murmurs to the others at the table, "I wonder how much that phone bill is gonna cost him..."

Michael scowls again, "That's dangerous, Brian! You are playing with fire! He is nothing but trouble! You'll see when something weird starts growing on your skin and little alien spawns burst through your pores and eat you alive!"

They all stop and stare at Michael for a moment. Soon however, Deb breaks the silence by smacking her son over the head again. "What kind of drugs are you on?!"

"Maybe you've hit him over the head one too many times, Deb?" Brian suggests, quickly ducking before her hand swaps him. Laughing, he takes her hand and goes in for the kill as she looks at him suspiciously. "Justin hasn't been feeling wanted," he juts his chin over at Michael. "and he's homesick too."

The red head frowns at Michael. "Michael, I am very disappointed in you. Justin is Brian's husband. And I admit he's a bit...unique, but he's a sweet boy and Brian loves him, so you're going to stop this nonesense and be welcoming, goddamnit, or so help me, you'll be sorry!" Before her son can answer, she turns back to Brian and points her brightly painted fingernail at him. "As for you..."

Brian smiles sweetly, "I'll have some coffee."

She nods, "And I know just the thing for your sweetiepie." Walking off, they watch her go around the counter and returning to the table with a large cheese danish. She puts it in front of Brian. "A danish for the Danish," she grins widely, "That'll remind him of home."

Brian stares at the offending pastry in front of him.

"Aw, well isn't that thoughtful." Emmett comments. "You know, Debbie, I was just telling Brian how sad we all are to have missed his wed...Umpf!" He falls forward, clutching his shin under the table.

"You know what, Deb?" Brian says, still smiling, "Justin is going to love this, thank you."

Smiling back, Deb pats his cheek and walks away. Immediately Brian's smile fades and he glowers at Emmett, "Don't even fuckin' think about it."

Michael shakes his head. "I can't believe you, Brian. I really can't believe you."

Rolling his head, Brian sighs, "Get over it, Michael."

"Whatever, I'm done warning you. You'll just have to find out the hard way, but don't go crying to me about it!" Michael warns, crossing his arms.

Emmett laughs, "I doubt Brian will be crying...if anything, Brian has been looking fairly well fucked, and in the best way possible." he winks over at his friend, and Brian tries not to smile as he looks away.

"Sex with an alien, you're insane." Michael mutters.

"Don't knock it, 'til you try it, Mikey." Brian says with a grin. He smiles at Deb as she puts his coffee in front of him.

"We'll see you and Justin tomorrow for dinner, right?" Deb asks, hands back on her hips in a gesture that screams Dare to say No.

Brian shrugs, "We'll see. Justin isn't really used to Italian food." In all honesty, Justin had confided in Brian that evening after leaving Deb's home that he hated the texture of the noodles, and that furthermore, the food smelled like the droppings of a Yakat...which Brian was pretty sure wasn't pleasant. He waves his hand dismissively, shrugging again as he continues to explain to Deb, "It was pretty heavy for him last week."

"Oh, that poor boy!" Deb says with a nod, "Of course. You know what? I know what'll cheer your Sunshine up! On Sunday, I'm going to shake it up! Instead of Italian, I'm going to bring Denmark back to Justin! I'll make..pickled meatballs or some shit like that." She grins and pats Brian's shoulder. "It'll be great. Oooh, I'm going to go to that fancy European grocery store tonight after work..." she walks off, still talking.

Ted frowns, "Now you've done it, Brian. I don't want to eat pickled meatballs!"

"I don't think balls should ever be pickled." Emmett comments to himself.

Checking his watch, Brian stands up, "Well, Boys, I'm off to work." He turns to Ted, "You gonna be late?"

Standing up, Ted follows him out of the booth. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Babylon tonight?" Michael asks before they take a step away.

"Ted nods, "Definitely. It wouldn't be a Friday night without a night at Babylon." He looks over at Brian, "Hey, you should bring Justin! I bet he'd get a kick out of it."

Emmett nods, "Yeah, maybe he'll realize there's other fish in the sea." He smirks at Brian, and Brian shows him his middle finger.

Michael begins to whine again. "Shit, don't bring the alien to Babylon!"

But Brian and Ted have already left the diner. Sighing, Emmett pats Michael's hands. "Think of it this way...an alien and your best friend are fucking."

Michael slowly turns to stare at Emmett. "How in the hell is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"It doesn't. I just like saying it." Kissing his cheek, Emmett slides out of the booth, "See you tonight, Baby."

With a groan, Michael rests his head on the table. "Why me?"

Later that day, when Brian returns to the loft after a long day at the office, he is greeted by a rush of 'naked blond horny Justin,' which has been the common occurence around six pm Monday thru Friday. "Hey," Brian says between kisses, he helps Justin remove his own clothing and soon he can feel his feet leaving the ground. "You're right," Brian says, tightening his hold on the blond. "Sex in the air is much better than using the sling."

"Fuck now, talk later," Justin murmurs and he slides the condom over Brian's ready cock.

Forty minutes later, the two are lying in the bed. "Brian?"

"Hmm?" Brian asks, staring at the ceiling. He still couldn't believe how much longer it took for him to come down after fucking Justin compared the all the other guys he used to fuck. There was no comparison: Justin was an amazing lover.

"What's Babylon like?" Justin says, rolling over to his side. He traces his finger tip over Brian's profile, pausing when he reaches Brian's lips for a moment before skimming down his chin.

"Loud music, lights, hot guys dancing...it's fun, you'll like it." Brian sighs sofly, enjoying the afterglow. He loved the quiet moments after they fucked, but he also loved hearing Justin's voice. I am not a lesbian. goddamnit, what the hell has happened to me?

"My best friend, Dahchane, is going out tonight too." Justin begins to giggle, which makes Brian smile. The brunet opens his eyes to look at his lover as the blond continues talking, "she met someone...and she moved in with him...I mean, technically, she was living in the abandoned apartment above his, but he didn't know she wasn't paying rent or anything. And now she's with him, and she likes him a lot. I think maybe as much as I like you. I want to meet him. Dahchane and I have been best friends since we were babies. Her parents are famous like mine...so we were pretty much destined to know each other and be friends." He takes a deep breath. "Maybe you'd like to meet her one day? We could all meet everyone together?"

Brian stares at him for a moment, getting lost in Justin's blue eyes. Why the hell not? Smiling softly, he says, "Sure thing. Is she in Pittsburg too?"

Grinning widely, Justin replies, "Close. We're in the same state, I mean. She is living in Harrisburg," he leans down to kiss the brunet below him. Justin smiles again, studying Brian's face for a few moments before kissing him again. He continues, "I want you to meet my friends. I want to show everyone who you are."

"You do?" Brian asks, not sure if he should be surprised, nervous or creeped out.

Justin nods, kissing Brian again. He whispers against his lover's ear. "You are very important to me, Brian, and I want my friends to know you because I like you a lot and want to be with you kanish."

"Kanish?" Brian asks.

He nods, lightly licking Brian's earlobe. Smiling, he continues to whisper, "I don't think there is an English translation for Kanish. It's like a bond."

"A bond?" Brian asks, running his fingers through Justin's soft blond hair.

"Kanish," Justin whispers again, lightly kissing Brian's cheek.

Brian smiles, kissing Justin back. "Kanish." I like that.

An hour later, the door knocks and Brian opens it, "What?" he asks, annoyed that they managed to enter without pushing the buzzer for admittance.

Michael walks in with Ben, followed by Emmett and Ted. Emmet smiles, "Oooh, look at you!" he gestures at Justin's tight pants and FCUK shirt.

Justin smiles back, "Hello." he walks over to Brian and kisses his cheek, asking, "Are they coming too?"

"Obviously!" Michael says, crossing his arms, "We go to Babylon every Friday night. Always. Before you even landed here, Alien-Wonder."

"Alien Wonder?" Justin asks, he turns to Brian, "Is that an American expression?"

"No, just a stupid one," Brian says, pulling Justin against him and kissing him deeply. Justin moans a bit, pressing his body against Brian's.

Michael rolls his eyes while Emmett smiles and coos. "Emmett, quit encouraging them!" Michael scolds. "Soon Brian will be pulling out a sling..."

"How do you know Brian has a sling?" Ben asks with surprised curiousity. Ted snickers, agreeing with Ben's question. However before Michael can reply, Justin speaks up with a smile.

"That was last night. Tonight Brian is going to teach me about beads." Justin continues to smile, looking over at Brian before returning his attention the their guests. "I liked the sling. But I don't think it's my favorite. We have a pretty long list of things to go through before I will be able to make an informed decision such as that."

The three men stare at him for a few minutes until finally Michael regains his voice, shouting, "Are you shitting me?!"

Justin frowns, looking behind Brian's back. "I don't understand."

Brian pulls the blond back towards him. "Figure of speech."

Ben chuckles, "Michael, what Brian does really isn't any of our business." He wraps his arms over Michael's chest as he stands behind his dark-haired partner. "So why don't we head out to Babylon, and they can meet us there?" He checks his watch before nodding to himself.

"Why am I the only one bothered by the fact that Brian is fucking an alien?!" Michael whines, turning around in Ben's arms to face him. Ben smiles, and kisses Michael's forehead.

"Because he isn't just fucking an alien, Michael," Emmett says, walking over and patting his friend on the shoulder, "He's fucking his alien husband." He starts to laugh when he sees Michael's expression.

Ted chuckles, "If I still had jerk-at-work, I would be making a fortune over this. Can you imagine?" He waves his arms in the air as he speaks, as if the words are visible in front of him, "Liberty Avenue's own Brian Kinney and his alien twink LIVE."

"Theodore," Brian says, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Shut the fuck up."

"Fuck!" Justin says with a laugh, and Brian kisses his cheek. "I still love that word."

"Not as much as it loves you, Sunshine," Brian murmurs softly, licking Justin's ear. The blond giggles, wrapping his arms over Brian's shoulders. "Let's ditch these guys and just fuck."

"Briiiiiaaaaaaan," Michael whines, stomping his feet. "We go to Babylon every Friday night! Come on....." he turns to Ted, "Tell him, Ted!"

"Uh...what?" Ted asks, confused. He looks over at Brian and Justin who are practically humping each other while standing.

"They are pretty hot together, aren't they?" Emmett comments, fanning himself.

"Argh!" Michael throws his arms up in the air and walks over to Brian, pulling him off of the blond. "You can fuck him in the backroom, alright? Come on, let's go already!"

"What's the rush?" Emmett asks, "Don't tell me it's Beach night? I thought that was next week? Teddy, is tonight Beach night? I didn't bring my lime green speedos!"

Ted frowns, pulling out his blackberry. "No, it isn't Beach night...you're right, Em, that's next week. Tonight is just the usual fare."

Ben sighs, shaking his head, "Come on, Michael, they'll meet us there. Brian, Justin, we'll see you there, okay?" He waves them off with a smile and slides open the door.

Sighing, Emmett says as he walks through the door, "Sharing means caring, Brian! Liberty Avenue is waiting in anticipation to meet your new squeeze!"

Ted chuckles, walking out behind him, "Maybe I should up the cover charge tonight?"

Once the door slides shut, Brian groans loudly. "It's about fuckin' time they left." Justin laughs, nodding his head in agreement. "One more round?"

babylon

"It's about time you got here!" Michael scolds loudly over the thumpa-thumpa music. "We left the loft two hours ago!"

"Sorry, Michael, we were...distracted," Brian says, laughing as he kisses the side of Justin's face.

The blond nods his head, smiling happily. "We were playing with the beads...the blue ones, because Brian said they match my eyes, and he said it would look totally hot in my ass. It was pretty hot, and it felt good too; but later tonight I want to try the bead stick." He turns to Brian, explaining, "It feels like the fruit jam you have in your fridge. That just seems really interesting. Oooh, is that champagne? I love champagne." He gestures to the drink someone is having across the bar.

Ben clears his throat, "Um, well...yes,..uh, I mean, no, that isn't champagne..I don't think..." he tries to look everywhere else besides Brian and Justin as he can feel the heat rising in his face.

Emmett just stares at them both for a moment until finally grinning. "You guys are just adorable! Justin, you are too cute for words."

Justin frowns, tilting his head to one side. "But there are many words that are similar to 'cute.' Do you mean that I am more than just cute? Because there are quite a few words that would be considered more than 'cute.' For example, 'Sexually attractive' generally fits into that category unless you are referring to small children or pets. If so, then that would potentially be unacceptable in your area of residence." He gives Emmett a helpful smile.

Ted lifts his drink in the air, "To Justin and his sexual attractiveness."

"Theodore," Brian begins, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Shut the fuck up."

"Ben," Michael says, quickly turning his back to Brian and Justin, "Let's dance."

Justin smiles, watching the couple make their way through the crowd and begin dancing. "That looks like fun. Why is everyone wearing so little clothing here? Are we planning to take a shower together?" He looks up at the ceiling, "Is that what those pipes are for?" He smiles, looking back at Brian, "Very efficient."

Emmett laughs, shaking his head, "No, Sweetie, most of these sexy bods are showing off their goods...some are hot from the dancing and others are just hot." He smacks his lips together, and gestures towards one particularly handsome man dancing in a pair of tight shorts and nothing else on except for boots.

Justin nods his head in undestanding. "Oh, okay." Immediately he begins to pull off his shirt, but Brian stops him. "What's wrong?"

"Justin," Brian says, trying to choose his words carefully so that no one thinks he might actually be jealous or possessive over his supposed husband. "If you take your shirt off, these assholes will be all over you."

Justin frowns, "And that's...not good?" He looks back at the crowd, "I don't get it."

Ted laughs, "I think what Brian is trying to say is that he doesn't want to share you!"

Justin looks over at Ted, and then to Emmet who is nodding. Grinning, Justin looks back at Brian, who is scowling. "Oh, Brian, Kanish!" He wraps his arms around Brian's neck. "Kanish."

Sighing, Brian rolls his eyes, refusing to let others see how totally and completely in love he has fallen. "Yeah, Kanish."

"What's kanish?" Emmett asks.

Justin is about to explain when suddenly a young woman with dark hair grabs his arm, "Juswafexinglayin!"

The blond turns and shrieks in happiness, pulling her into a hug, "You're here!" He quickly turns to Brian, "This is Dahchane!"

Brian nods, recognizing her from the video clip last week. "Hi," he says, trying not to feel awkward as he watches the two friends hug and jump around comparing each other's outfits and rambling on about something that no one seems to be able to understand until finally she takes a step back to announce the news.

"The war is over!" She says, grabbing Justin by his upper arm, "The word is now out. It's all over the cable systems and radio frequencies. I tried contacting you but you were away from any form of technology!"

"Sorry," Justin says with a sheepish smile, looking back at Brian, "We were fucking."

Dahchane giggles, looking back at Brian, "I figured as much." Letting go of her friend, she extends her hand, "Hello, you may call me Daphne."

Brian smiles, shaking her hand, "Nice to meet you, Daphne. I'm Brian."

"Wait, so does this mean you're going home?" Ted asks just as Michael and Ben return.

"What? What did we miss?" Ben asks, looking at Justin and the newcomer.

Emmett decides to fill them in. "This here is Justin's friend from Toprate. We call her Daphne. And she says that the war is now over."

Michael grins, "That's fantastic news! When are you leaving?" he asks Justin.

Daphne hugs Justin again, "Our leader, Leichcom, has already sent a ship for us. Our families are preparing for our arrival! The Makvins have been destroyed, and those who were not, have fled our galaxy. And the Empiral Cosmic Forces agreed to enforce the No Reentry Clause into effect towards Makvins. Given that they lost the war between themselves and us, they are no longer allowed to fly through our Ulas galaxy."

"Oh my God, this is wonderful! This is amazing!" Justin says, hugging her back and then letting go to hug Brian, "I am so happy!"

"Yeah, that's great," Michael says, patting Justin's back, "So when are you leaving?"

Daphne answers for him, "A ship should be landing in Walden, NY in the next few hours. Leichcom sent it through quantum tunneling. Klutavenish will making the arrangements here on Earth for us."

Ben opens his mouth, pauses, then asks, "You mean, faster than the speed of light? That actually exists? I know NASA has been working on that for years..." He turns back to Michael, "Remember that documentary we watched last week on quantum action?" Michael nods his head, though it's obvious that he hadn't been paying attention to the show at all. Ben smiles, not catching the blank look from his partner, "It's 10,000 times faster than light." He turns back to Justin and Daphne, "That is simply amaazing, astonishing!"

Michael nods, turning back to Justin, "So when are you leaving? Do you need a ride? I can call you a cab." He pulls out his wallet. "You need some cash for the fare? I have sixty...Ben, give him some money too...Ted? Emmett?"

"Daphne!" A young man calls out, he smiles when he reaches them. "There you are! You're too fast for me," he kisses her cheek.

She laughs, "Sorry. I spotted him and just too off," she kisses his lips, "Forgiven?"

He smiles, resting his forehead against hers, "Always..." kissing her again, she kisses him back, and then they both begin kissing once again.

"Seriously? You have to do this here?" Michael asks. He turns to Ted and Emmett, "Seriously?"

Smiling, the man pulls away first and shakes Justin's hand, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Leonard, Daphne's fiance."

Justin smiles back, "It's so good to meet you, Leonard. Daph has told me so much about you already. You're a physicist, right?"

He nods, pushing back his brown curls from his eyes, "Yes, I'm an experimental physicist. I've temporarily transferred from CIT to Carnegie Mellon to work on my current project in particle physics. I'm leading weekly discussions at the University while collaborating with Dr. Vogel regarding our mutual research in the Higgs Boson, which as you know, was considered to be the missing piece of the Standard Model of particle physics. Given that the CERN facility is touted as the world's largest particle physics laboratory, I would've been completely insane not to agree to this 12-month project!" he laughs, and Daphne joins him.

"Right..." Ted says, pretending to understand. Emmett nods as well, agreeing. "Yes, of course."

"You know your fiance is an alien, right?" Michael asks after a few moments. He ignores the smack on his arm from Emmett.

"Uh, yes. Yes, I do." Leonard says, adjusting his glasses. He looks over at Daphne and smiles proudly at her. "And I love her."

"Aww!" Emmett says when they kiss again. "This is so romantic. Aliens finding love on Earth..." he sighs.

Rolling his eyes, Michael sighs loudly and then remembers, "So when are you guys leaving?"

Leonard checks his watch, "Well, Daphne has theorized that we will know more in the next hour, however we should probably begin to head over to New York now." He looks over at Justin, nodding his head as he explains, "Traffic can be a real bitch on a Friday night."

"Wait," Ben asks, "You're going with her still?" he looks at Leonard with unmasked surprise.

Leonard nods his head, "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I? She's my fiance, and I love her. And why wouldn't an experimental particle physicist not go into space? My life work focuses on the fundamental structure of matter. This is an incredible experience for me."

Ted stares at him at wonder, "But what about your family? Your friends?"

Leonard shrugs, "My family wouldn't really notice, and as for my friends...they'll get over it. Actually, I think a few would want to tag along." He laughs again, pulling Daphne close, "But I'm not sharing my sweetie."

"Aw, you are so cute." Daphne says, giggling and kissing his nose.

Justin nods, turning back to Emmett, "See, 'sweet,' could also be used as a term instead of 'cute,' so I wouldn't consider it 'more than cute' unless you added another adjective to it." He feels Brian's grip tighten around his waist, and Justin turns to look at the blank expression of his lover's face. He frowns, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Brian says, letting go and taking a step back. He calls to the bartender for a drink.

Justin continues to frown, "But Brian, your heart rate has increased and your pulse is slightly irregular. Something is emotionally bothering you."

Ben smiles at Justin, patting his shoulder, "I think Brian is going to miss you."

Justin looks at him for a moment, and then it dawns on him. "Oh." He looks over at Brian, understanding. He nods, "Oh," he looks away, obviously disappointed.

Michael laughs out loud, "What, you didn't expect Brian to ditch us all and go in a space ship with you, did you?"

"Michael, stop," Ted whispers, shaking his head.

Michael shakes his head as well, "Justin, you're a great fuck for him, I have no doubt about it. But for one thing, you're an alien with weird powers...and for all anyone knows, once Leonard gets on the ship he's going to be tied down and probed in every organ in his body so they can learn how the human body works. No offense, Leonard."

Leonard frowns, "None taken."

Daphne frowns as well, and then turns to Leonard, touching his chest. "I don't need to probe any part of any body to know how humans work. Leonard's heart rate is 72 beats per minute, and his blood pressure is a healthy 120/80. There are no malignant growths within his body, and," she moves her hand down to his stomach, "he had a plain soy cheese pizza for dinner and a Sprite." She turns back to Michael and sticks her middle finger up.

Leonard smiles proudly, nodding his head as he gestures to Daphne's middle finger. "I taught her that."

Michael crosses his arms, "Fine, whatever, so you won't stick tubes up his ass and mouth and nose, and you won't cut him open, fine...but whatever, Brian has a life here. He owns this club, he owns an advertising agency, he has family and friends that he can't just abandon!"

Brian puts his drink down and slowly turns back to Michael, "And why not?" He leans his arms against the bar. "Why not, Mikey? Babylon will run fine without me. 6 months ago I spent a month in Ibiza and Ted did a great job managing the books, and with Todd's help, kept the publicity going with musical guests, live entertainment and new theme ideas." He takes another sip of Beam before continuing, "As for my agency, again, Ted has done a great job keeping it afloat when I'm out of town, and Cynthia has also been an amazing support as always. The two of them could run the company without me because they know what I want, and how I want it." Setting his glass down, he turns his whole body towards his friends. "And Gus, well...Lindsay told me that she and Melanie are looking at real estate in Australia right now. Lindsay was offered a job at the art school and a wall at the school's gallery. Melanie has been working with her new lawyer friend and may have a job waiting for her if they decide to stay. Gus loves it there, JR loves it there... so even if I did stay, I probably would see Gus once a year at most...and as for my friends, I think you can manage without me just fine."

Michael's jaw falls to the floor, and everyone just stands there, staring at him. "You aren't serious? Are you? Brian?" Michael stammers, "You can't be serious!"

Emmett slowly leans into Michael and comments, "I think he's serious."

Justin stares at Brian, surprised and still unsure. "Brian?"

Smiling, Brian lifts up his drink in the air and says to Justin, "Kanish."

Bursting into a wide grin, Justin jumps into Brian's arms. They both ignore the fallen drink as they kiss. They also ignore the stares from everyone.

Leonard puts his arm around Daphne, commenting, "Well I'm glad I won't be the only human learning how your technology works, Daphne."

She laughs, "You'll figure it out, and if not, I'll help. Oh, Leonard. We'll have a wedding ceremony on the top of Gana Mountain! It will be beautiful." She smiles and sighs.

Ted snickers, "Will it be a double wedding?"

Justin turns to Ted and smiles, his arms still wrapped tightly around Brian. "Only if Brian wants too. Being kanish is enough in Toprate. However some people enjoy creating a ceremony so that their family and friends can be witness to their forever bond."

Forever bond? kanish means forever bond? Oh my God, what I am doing? What did I just agree to? Am I really going on a space ship? Holy fuck... Brian feels himself getting dizzy and he leans against the bar.

"Brian? Are you alright?" Justin asks, touching his forehead.

"Cold feet, Honey, that's what it is." Emmett says with a chuckle.

Justin looks down at Brian's feet. "How can you tell? He is wearing well-kept shoes and his socks are cotton based..."

"It's a figure of speech, Justin," Ben explains, patting his shoulder again. "It means he's nervous."

Nodding, Justin looks back at Brian, and kisses his lips softly. "Brian, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. I would love it if you came with me to Toprate, but I also will understand if you want to stay here on Earth."

Sighing, Brian looks into Justin's deep blue eyes, remembering how they looked the first time he saw them. The beauty and the light that glowed within him. Brian remembers that light, and the warmth, and the delicious heat. He remembers each smile, each laugh, each touch. How can I give that up? Shaking his head, he smiles, and turns to his friends, slugging one arm over Justin's shoulder. "I'm going with him."

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

Nothing can really be said at that point. And Michael, Ben, Ted and Emmett, riding in Ted's car, follow Brian's jeep, which follows Leonard's station wagon. In Ted's car, the only voice heard is Michael's, who is mostly crying, and sometimes Ben would speak up to offer a kind or sympathetic word. In Brian's jeep, there are no words, only the occassional kisses. And in Leonard's car, both Leonard and Daphne are singing loudly to Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody.'

After three hours, Ted's cell phone rings. "Hello?" He turns to Emmett in the passenger seat, "It's Brian."

Emmet turns to the back seat where Michael and Ben are, "Brian is on the phone!"

"What's up, Boss?" Ted asks, trying to keep his voice light. "I didn't realize how far away Walden, New York was...hahaha," his laughter dies pretty quickly, "Anywho, what's up?" Everyone waits in silence. Ted nods, "Okay, sounds good. Bye." Hanging up, he says to his friends, "Klutavenish is communicating through the radio waves. The ship will be landing in New York in approximately 6 hours from now."

Emmet sighs loudly, looking out the window. "I can't wrap my head around this. It hasn't even been a month, and yet it feels like years and no time at all. Does that make any sense?"

Ben nods his head from the backseat, "Yes, Emmett. Actually it does." He combs his fingers through Michael's hair. "So much has happened, and Brian is happy. Not his usual snarky happy, but actual happy. And we have Justin to thank for that."

Michael crosses his arms against his chest. "We made him happy too, Ben."

"Of course we did, Michael," Ben says, kissing Michael's temple. "But we aren't married to him. We aren't, what did Justin call it? Kanish. They are bonded. They love each other, and are happy in a way that we can't give to Brian no matter how hard we try, because the love he feels for Justin is more than a love of friendship...it's a love of lovers."

"What if it's just a phase? What if Brian wakes up one day and decides he made a huge mistake? He's in another fuckin' planet! They don't have Earth Embassies there!" Michael bemoans.

Ted sighs, "Well, that would be a problem. But Brian is a good problem solver. He'll probably meet some other hot alien and move to his planet, though I doubt that'll happen. Those two seem likely to last... who else could keep up his Brian's stamina other than an alien?"

Emmett nods his head in agreement. "Brian is absolutely smitten with Justin, and that boy feels the same. I think they'll last. Hey, maybe they can still visit?"

Michael scowls, "I doubt it."

Ben smiles softly, "Maybe. We can never be sure. But hey," he kisses Michael's cheek. "You still have me."

Smiling back, Michael nods, kissing Ben softly on the lips. "I'm the lucky one."

In the front seat, Emmett smiles at Ted, and Ted smiles back at his friend. "Only three more hours to go before we send Brian off to start a new life with Justin."

Emmett nods, still smiling, "I can't believe Justin's leaving already...I hope he liked being on Earth."

"Well, he is definitely bringing home one hell of a souviner," says Ted.