Gapfiller for 4-11

 

 

 

(Brian and Lindsay are discussing Lindsay's quickie with Sam Auerbach)

 

 

 

"You're the last person I thought I'd ever discuss dick with." Brian chuckled.

 

 

 

"This isn't about dick," Lindsay replied.

 

 

 

"Since when?" Brian asked, disbelief tinging his voice.

 

 

 

"I love Melanie," Lindsay answered, by way of explanation.

 

 

 

"Sure, you do," Brian replied. He knew Lindsay loved her, not that he understood why.

 

 

 

"Then how could I have..." She pondered.

 

 

 

"Fucked a guy?" He questioned.

Lindsay continued to reason, "... it's not possible,"

 

 

 

"Anything's possible; it's explaining it that's the tricky part," He replied.

 

 

 

"But I've always been... you know..." She stammered.

 

 

 

"A carpet muncher," Brian said, earning a glare from Lindsay. She hated that phrase.

 

 

 

"...mmmm," Brian replied as he continued to look at pictures of the near-naked models for his latest campaign.

 

 

 

"Except for that one time in college when you and I... but that was just..."

 

 

 

"Midsummer madness," Brian replied, chuckling. "Still, there is a part of you, hell, of most people, that, once every decade or so, doesn't object to a stiff prick. Believe me, I understand,"

 

 

 

"Right, Brian, how could you understand? I'm not talking about giving someone a handjob while fucking them or the very occasional blow job, if you even do that. I'm talking about accepting a cock inside your body," clarified Lindsay snottily.  

 

 

 

"So am I, Lindz . . . Sometimes you just need to be fucked. To have a huge, beautiful cock stuffed inside you, slamming in hard and deep, making you feel..." Brian's eyes were glazing over as he spoke.

 

 

 

"Brian! You are so full of shit! You are the ‘ultimate top', you don't bottom, and I doubt you ever have. There is no way that you have any idea how it feels, nor would you want to," she replied confidently.

 

 

 

"Lindsay, Justin and I go out maybe twice a week. I, WE, need sex several times a day. If I fucked him that often, he wouldn't be able to walk," Brian smiled, shaking his head.

 

 

 

"But he never said anything about topping you!" Her face and voice registering shock and surprise, and something else, although she quickly tried to cover it up. The side of himself Brian just revealed was incomprehensible, especially considering how many years she'd known him. And to think that little Justin... NO, that just couldn't be, could it?

 

 

 

"Which is one of the reasons that he does it so often. The other reason is that he is an amazing top. Our private life is just that... private. And I don't expect to hear this spread around, do you understand?" Brian stated, glaring at his friend, and wondering if he should have mentioned it at all.

 

 

 

"But, Brian, how do you know you can trust him? He's just a kid. He's going to use this against you . . . You know I'm right, just watch," She couldn't resist projecting the seed of doubt that was taking root in her mind. She was appalled that Brian didn't seem more bothered by the idea. His next words to her confirmed just how ‘unbothered' he really was by her idea.

 

 

 

"Lindsay, listen to me. Justin has been fucking me regularly for over two years. In that time we have had fights, had orgies, and split up. Hell, he was even with the fiddler for two months. I have never once been concerned that he would say anything about what we do when we're alone. If this gets out, I will know where it came from, so I suggest that you just forget that you know about this and keep your mouth shut. I know that I can trust him. Don't let me find out that I can't trust you,"

 

 

 

"Brian, I would never..." Lindsay simpered.

 

 

 

"See that you don't... I mean it Lindz," Brian said seriously.

 

 

 

Just then Brian's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and smiled.

 

 

 

Lindsay saw his smile and grimaced. She couldn't understand what it was about Justin that had Brian so... she wasn't sure what to call it. Intrigued? Enthralled? Controlled? She mentally scoffed at the adjectives she was thinking in terms of Brian. All she knew was that whatever IT was that had and kept Brian hooked on Justin, she didn't like it. Before Justin became a fixture in his life, Brian never would have spoken to her that way. She wondered if Michael had any idea about this. She would have to think of a way to find out.

 

 

 

Brian answered the phone. He was speaking lovingly, and so quietly that Lindsay had to strain to hear him.

 

 

 

"Hey! I hope you're almost done because I find myself very much in need of something hot, hard, and special... Great. I'll meet you at home... You too, Sunshine,"

 

 

 

"Sorry, Lindz. I have a date with a hot blond, so I've got to go. See you at dinner on Sunday, and remember what I said - not one word to anyone Lindz, not even Mel," Brian said, showing Lindsay out and locking up his office.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

When Brian walked into the loft Justin was already there. He was in the bedroom and it looked to Brian like he had been checking out their toy drawer. That made Brian's cock jump. Justin must know exactly what Brian meant when he said he wanted something special.

 

 

 

Justin walked up to Brian and kissed him sensually, tongue-fucking the older man's mouth and causing him to moan, then reaching down and grabbing his ass in a very possessive manner. Brian smiled. His lover was so onto him.

 

 

 

"You're feeling particularly needy aren't you, Brian?" Justin asked, knowing that the stud needed to be dominated by his younger lover. Brian nodded, trusting that his Sunshine would give him what he needed. Justin, in turn, loved that Brian was able to be so open and vulnerable with him and to ask for what he needed. "Strip and get on the bed. On your hands and knees. Ass in the air," Justin ordered.

 

 

 

As soon as Justin spoke Brian was as hard as a rock, just from the commanding sound in his lover's voice. He loved it when Justin got all butch-- a side most would never expect of the sweet, seemingly innocent blond. When Brian was in position Justin reached underneath the older man and snapped on the leather cock ring.

 

 

 

"Oh Jus... ahh... not that," Brian groaned.

 

 

 

"Just relax, you'll get what you need. I'll take care of you," Justin told his older lover. Brian nodded, knowing that he trusted Justin with his life.

 

 

 

Justin started by draping himself over Brian's back, kissing and nipping across his shoulders and down his back while grinding his huge hard cock against the ass that he was eventually going to fuck.

 

 

 

Brian groaned, pushing back against the blond and hoping he would hurry up. Brian felt Justin move to the side and reach for something, it was then that he knew that his blond partner had read him perfectly. Brian soon felt the leather paddle come down firmly across his ass.

 

 

 

"Oh, Jus. Oh... fuck, yes!" Brian moaned. Justin loved that as quiet as Brian was with tricks, he was totally the opposite with him. The older man would moan, beg, and sometimes even scream. Justin loved that he could elicit those responses from Brian. It let him know that he was more than just a fuck in a very long line of men, and made him feel loved.

 

 

 

Justin continued raining down quick, sharp, stinging blows from the paddle. After about twenty smacks Brian's ass was rosy and hot. Justin then tossed the paddle away and started moving his tongue across the marks and nipping softly, causing Brian to moan and push back, silently asking for more. Justin heard the unvoiced pleas and demanding dictates of the body beneath him. Spreading the rosy cheeks he licked and nibbled at the tight rosebud, wanting to open Brian up with his tongue. He knew that Brian loved when he prepared him this way; Justin loved it almost as much. He enjoyed the earthy taste of his man. Brian's mewling and moaning noises turned Justin on so much that several times he had to squeeze his cock hard to try and relieve the pressure so he wouldn't come before he even got inside the hot ass he loved to fuck.

 

 

 

After several minutes of tongue fucking Brian, Justin grabbed the lube and warmed some on his fingers. Starting with two fingers, Justin entered Brian. After pushing past the first ring of muscle he started scissoring his fingers. He wanted Brian stretched enough that he didn't hurt him, but not so much that the studly top wouldn't feel the burn of Justin's big cock stretching him out.

 

 

 

Finally, Brian was keening and pushing back on Justin's fingers so hard that if he hadn't been wearing the cock ring the sheets would have already been soaked. Justin slipped on the condom, smeared on some extra lube and very slowly and steadily pushed into the ass of the man that he loved, not stopping until his balls were pressed hard against Brian's ass. He grabbed onto Brian's hips to stop him from moving, knowing that if he moved right then it would be over very quickly.

 

 

 

After a few minutes, Justin started rocking slowly against Brian, wanting to build the anticipation and make it last. He pulled most of the way out and slowly fucked his lover with smooth, even strokes, brushing Brian's prostate on every few strokes. Brian was moaning loudly, begging Justin to speed up and fuck him harder. Finally, Justin had no choice but to speed up, the pressure was building in his balls so much that they were starting to ache. He grabbed onto Brian's hips and started pounding his prostate relentlessly, driving both of them toward culmination. When he reached down and unsnapped the cock ring and ran his thumb across the sensitive slit of Brian's cock, the older man screamed his pleasure, his cock throbbing and erupting. As soon as Brian's ass clamped down on his cock, Justin let out a loud groan and exploded into the condom.

 

 

 

As soon as Justin finished filling the condom Brian reached back to stop him from pulling out, needing the connection to last for a few more minutes. After their breathing and heart rates had returned to near normal, and Justin softened, they knew they had to separate, both hating losing that connection. Rolling on their sides away from the wet spot, Justin spooned behind his lover, holding him and giving him the comfort he needed as they fell asleep, relaxed and replete.

 

 

 

 

At first Lindsay had liked Justin. Brian was around more, visited he... Gus more. Justin always made himself available whenever she and Mel needed a babysitter, even on short notice. But then, Justin started coming over when Brian would visit, and Lindsay noticed that while Brian still focused on his son, along with Justin, he really didn't pay much attention to her at all. And when Justin would babysit, she and Mel would come home to find the two of them wrapped together on the couch. Sometimes it seemed like they were joined at the hip. It was bad enough she had to share Brian with Michael, but sharing him with the gorgeous blond artist was, to her mind, just unacceptable. He was not only beautiful, he was amazingly talented; he could have his pick of men. So why did he have to be with Brian, who was- in her mind anyway- hers?

 

It was not to be borne! 

 

So then she had the brilliant idea to introduce Justin to Ethan, disguising it as a ‘birthday surprise'. She had seen him playing his violin on the street and found out that he went to PIFA. So, when he told her about the recital he would be in she managed to get tickets for Melanie, Justin, and herself. That had worked for a while. Justin and Brian broke up and he moved in with the violin player. Brian had once again begun to visit her... erm GUS more, sans Justin, and everything was right again in The World According to Lindsay Peterson, who always knew BEST. After all, micromanaging without seeming to do so was a specific talent of hers.

 

But unfortunately, Ethan had been working out of town and he cheated on Justin. Even though Brian and Justin had both gone with others, Ethan had promised to be faithful. One little fuck-up and Justin dumped him. Then he and Brian had gotten back together and she wasn't happy. Now Brian had told her that he let Justin top him, and from the sound of the phone call she had snooped to overhear, they were closer than ever. 

 

Well, she would just have to talk to Michael. First to find out if he knew about Brian bottoming, and then to try and find a way for it to become common knowledge on Liberty that Brian had bent over for the usurping blond. They also needed to make it look like Justin was the one to spread the word. Brian would be humiliated, and that should be enough to make him dump the blond brat and go back to the way things should be- Brian by her side and more willing to open his wallet to her anytime.

 

Lindsay knew that Michael would be at his store, selling useless comics to the geeks of Pittsburgh. Melanie was home with Gus while she was out running errands, so she headed to Liberty to pump Michael for what he knew and hopefully a way to get Justin out of their lives, permanently. Walking into the store she saw a bunch of kids leaving with their purchases.

 

"Hey Lindsay, what's up, you look annoyed," greeted Michael, kissing her cheek.

 

"I am, Michael. I need to talk to you about Brian," she answered.

 

"Sounds serious. Is something wrong with him?" He asked.

 

"Well, it's more about him and Justin," she answered, piquing his interest. 

 

Even though he and Justin worked on Rage together, he would love to find a way to get the blond out of his ‘best friend's' life. To his mind, Justin took too much of Brian's focus away from where it belonged, on him. And then there was the drain on Brian's wallet, spending money on Justin when Michael could use the man's money for more important things, like going to Woody's and Babylon. Two places that lately Brian only went to a couple of times a week, instead of almost every night. Which meant if Michael wanted to go, he had to pay his own way. Ben had been trying to keep them on a budget, something that before Justin, Michael had never had to worry about because Brian always paid for him. 

 

"Are they breaking up again?" Michael asked, hopefully.

 

"Unfortunately, not that I know of," Lindsay answered, then continued "I stopped by to talk to Brian and he made some comments that were unsettling, to say the least,"

 

"Comments about what?" Michael questioned.

 

"How much do you know about Brian's sex life?" She questioned.

 

"I don't know, a lot, I think. It's not like Brian hides much about it," Michael answered.

 

"Do you know if he ever bottomed?" Lindsay asked.

 

"Brian! Never! He is the ultimate top. He would never bend over for ANYONE!" Michael answered surely.

 

"Well then, either he lied to me or he does bend over, at least for the blond brat!" Lindsay answered.

 

"Brian doesn't lie," Michael answered, pissed. "What the fuck, Lindsay? What did he say, exactly?"

 

Lindsay repeated the conversation she had had with Brian about Sam, and then told Michael about the phone conversation she had listened in on. At first Michael just sat there shaking his head, not believing that his best friend had so completely and willingly turned his life around and gone against everything he believed in for that fucking blond. Then he just got pissed.

 

"Well, we need to do something about this. He must have done something to Brian, or maybe he found a way to blackmail him," Michael said, grasping at straws to find a reason for Brian's behavior. 

 

"What can we do? There has to be a way to get Brian back to being Brian," Lindsay said, hoping to get Michael fired up and find a way to get rid of Justin.

 

"Well, we need to do something to get him pissed at Justin, really pissed, so that he wants him totally gone from Liberty," Michael said.

 

"Yes. Well, it better be more effective than your ‘rob the loft' idea. That got us nowhere, except the extra cash was nice while it lasted," answered Lindsay.

 

"Well, your ‘find him a new boyfriend' ploy didn't last long either," sniped Michael. Then he perked up suddenly. "You said the little shit has been topping Brian since before the fiddler, right?"

 

"Yeah, so?" replied Lindsay.

 

"Well guess who is back in town? I saw him at the park the other day," answered Michael. "And he may want to find a way to get back at Justin. Let me see what I can do," Michael said, thinking about how to approach Ethan with what he wanted the jilted musician to do.

 

After Lindsay left Michael closed the shop and headed to the park to find Ethan. He watched him play and collect money, then waited until people had left and the musician was alone and packing up to go home. 

 

As he approached, Ethan saw him and sneered, "What do you want, Michael? I'm staying away from your friend, not that he would talk to me anyway," 

 

"If you mean Justin, we're not exactly friends, more like acquaintances who have to put up with each other," Michael commented.

 

"Whatever. Why are you here? I doubt you came for the music, so what do you want?" Ethan asked, not caring if he was being nasty.

 

"I have something to discuss with you. Maybe a way for both of us to get some satisfaction," Michael answered.

 

Ethan looked at the sloppily dressed man and commented "I'm not sleeping with you. You are sooo not my type," 

 

"Ewww. Number one, I'm married, and number two you are not my type either. What I'm talking about is getting back at Justin. And making sure that he gets what he deserves," Michael answered.

 

Michael explained his plan to Ethan and the musician agreed. The two hundred dollars in cash and the thought of humiliating Brian and making Justin lose the man he wanted to spend his life with was too much to pass up. Ethan would inform any trick he had that the Stud of Liberty Avenue was a very willing bottom for the blond. Ethan was known for having taken the blond from the stud, so it seemed plausible that he would know things that had happened behind closed doors when Brian and Justin were together. Michael warned Ethan not to acknowledge him if he saw him on Liberty. He didn't want anyone to suspect he had anything to do with what was going to happen when it got back to Brian that his Sunshine had bragged about topping the stud. After leaving Ethan in the park Michael called Lindsay and let her know that things had gone well and what Ethan had agreed to do.

 

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

 

Brian had told Justin of his talk with Lindsay, and he said that he warned his son's mother that she needed to keep her mouth shut. 

 

"Well, I hope she does, otherwise Michael might have a stroke. I can't imagine that he would take that kind of news well," Justin answered. 

 

"We will see how he and Lindsay act at dinner on Sunday. Hopefully everything will be normal, or at least as normal as the family usually is," Brian commented.

 

Just then the buzzer went off. They looked at each other. Neither one was expecting anyone and they hadn't ordered food. Justin answered the door.

 

"It's Todd. I need to talk to you and Brian," came the voice over the intercom. Justin buzzed him in and looked over at Brian. Both men shrugged, neither one knowing why Pittsburgh's number one bottom would need to talk to them.

 

Justin pulled back the door and the men waited. A couple of minutes later the elevator opened and Todd stepped out. Both Justin and Brian looked at him in surprise. Justin was the first one to speak.

 

"Wow Todd, I never realized how tall you are,"

 

Then Brian said, "I don't think I've ever seen you standing up," looking up at the man and chuckling. He was at least three inches taller than Brian. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Brian asked while Justin brought beers for all of them from the fridge.

 

"You guys know that I don't usually get involved in the Liberty Avenue drama, but I was in the park today and overheard something that I think you two deserve to know about, and you are not going to like it, at all," Todd started.

 

He proceeded to tell Brian and Justin about seeing Michael and Ethan in the park and relayed everything that was said. Brian stood up and started pacing. Justin just sat fuming. Todd got nervous because neither man was saying anything. He got up, deciding to get out of there and go home. When Brian saw him stand, he spoke,

 

"Stay, Todd. We believe you. You have never done anything that would have us think you would make anything like this up. Thank you for telling us. Now we just need to figure out what to do about all three of them," Brian announced.

 

"I say that for now, we do nothing. If we confront them they will just say it's a lie. Now that Michael knows, he would make sure it got around one way or another. He will probably say that I drugged you or something else that his tiny little mind came up with," Justin commented.

 

"Oh well Sunshine, I wonder if they will try to make you the new stud now. Hell, you're the only one who ever got to fuck me. That in itself is an accomplishment," Brian said with a smirk.

 

The three men sat around finishing their beers and talked about what to do about the three people who wanted to fuck up their lives. They decided that doing nothing for now would be the best thing, since nothing had been done yet and all they had was the information Todd overheard in the park. They gave Todd their phone numbers in case he heard anything new. He promised to let them know when the information started to be circulated.

 

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

 

Sunday dinner at Debs was the same as usual, but both men noticed the looks passing between Lindsay and Michael. Neither Brian nor Justin said anything about what they had been told, wanting to wait until they could get both Lindsay and Michael to turn on each other if they needed them to. 

 

The following week the gossip started to be circulated. First it was just a couple of people, and then it just seemed to snowball. As they had agreed to do, the couple pretended to be oblivious to what was being circulated on the Avenue. It wasn't actually that hard. No one would dare say anything out loud where they could be overheard by either Brian or Justin. All they ever got was looks and people quietly whispering. 

 

Things had been busy for everyone and so several Sundays went by before the next family dinner. By the time it came around though, both Brian and Justin were ready for the blowout that was going to happen. After everyone had begun eating and Brian and Justin kept getting glances from everyone other than Michael and Lindsay, Emmett voiced the question everyone wanted to ask.

 

"Brian, have you heard the latest rumor going around?" The tall queen asked from the other side of the table.

 

"Yes. I have heard it. I heard that I bend over for Sunshine here. I also heard that he is the one who blabbed it," He answered, sounding pissed as he continued to eat.

 

"I told you that you couldn't trust him, Brian. See, I was right!" Shouted Lindsay, while glaring at Justin.

 

"How could you humiliate him like that you little shit," Yelled Michael. "Brian, you need to throw his ass out, before he causes any more trouble for you,"

 

Deb even chimed in "Justin, you should know how much Brian values not having private things spread around. You should be ashamed of yourself,"

 

Justin just sat there, not even looking up from his plate. He knew he hadn't done anything, of course, but it upset him that his ‘family' could treat him this way. The only thing keeping him from jumping up and slapping both Michael and Lindsay was Brian's leg pressed tightly against his, giving him strength and reminding him that he was there and they were in this together.

 

Suddenly Brian cleared his throat and pulled a tape recorder out of his pocket and set it on the table. Making sure the volume was all the way up he turned it on. Michael's voice came on loud and clear, telling Ethan what he had found out from Lindsay. Then asking the musician if he would help them humiliate Brian to get rid of Justin and then Ethan agreeing to the plan. 

 

Lindsay paled as Melanie looked at her wife and asked, "So, were you going to tell me about Sam or just let me go on thinking that you could keep your pants on around a willing dick?" 

 

Lindsay started to stammer and cry, "Mel... I... I... it's not what you think..."

 

Melanie just shook her head, "Don't bother coming home," she said as she picked up Gus and walked out the door.

 

Michael jumped up from his chair "Brian, that's not me on there. You know I would never do anything like that to you. He must have found a way to make that tape," he shouted, pointing to Justin. "I'm your best friend, you have to believe me! He is just trying to come between us," 

 

Ben stood up, thanked Debbie for dinner and said he and Hunter needed to leave. Turning to Michael he said, "I don't even know who you are anymore. I'll be moving out, along with Hunter. Have a nice life, Michael,"

 

Michael and Lindsay looked around for anyone who would stand up for them and all they saw was disgust on the faces of the family. 

 

Debbie took the plates from in front of Michael and Lindsay as she looked at Justin, "I'm the one who should be ashamed Sunshine, that I could even think that you would do something like that to Brian, when it's clear that you love him more than those two, who profess to be his ‘best friends'. I'm so sorry for what I said and I hope that you can forgive me. And as for you two, get out of my house, NOW."

 

Michael stood up and charged toward Justin, fury clearly etched on his face. Brian quickly stood up and blocked his path.

 

"Don't, Michael," Brian growled.

 

"Like I told you at the party, you should have left him in that garage!" Michael shouted, without thinking. 

 

Suddenly Michael realized what he had said and stopped as he heard the gasps from around the table just before he felt Emmett's fist connect with his face. Brian had quickly turned and dropped to his knees in front of Justin, who was shaking with a combination of anger and hurt. Debbie went to get ice for Emmett's hand before opening the front door and telling both Michael and Lindsay to leave, again. Not caring one bit that Michael's eye was already beginning to close and the whole side of his face had started to swell. 

 

Brian held Justin tightly and ran his hand soothingly through the blond hair of the man that he loved. The others went into the kitchen to talk about what they had just heard. Brian had never said what caused him to hit Michael at the girl's anniversary party, but now they all knew and were ashamed that they had blamed Brian when all he was doing was defending the man that he clearly loved. 

 

Once Justin had calmed down, the others came back into the room. They all apologized to Brian for blaming him when he had hit Michael. Debbie was in tears, realizing that the son she had tried to raise to be a good, decent, caring man, was nothing but a jealous, backstabbing, narcissistic brat. Brian hugged her and told her that Michael is an adult and that his actions were his own, not the result of anything that she had done, 

 

"After all Ma, look how wonderful I turned out." he said to his pseudo mom. She just shook her head and hugged him. 

 

After everything had calmed down, they all sat down and had dessert. Brian had wanted to take Justin home but said he needed to get some sugar since Brian never wanted to take dessert home. While they were eating, Ted glanced at Brian a few times. 

 

Finally Brian commented, "Yes, Theodore, I do like to get fucked. But only because Justin is the best top in the Pitts, next to me of course. No one else has ever or will ever get near my ass," 

 

Ted had the good grace to blush at Brian's comment. Emmett just smirked. 

 

"What Emmylou? Or did you already know?" Brian asked, glancing at Justin.

 

"He never said a word, Brian. He didn't have to. I could see it in the way you acted toward each other. Just because I don't say something, doesn't mean I don't know something. Some things are private, and they should stay that way," Emmett commented, smiling at his friends.

 

After satisfying Justin's sweet tooth, the couple headed home. Brian had lost two friends but he had the person he loved and that is what really counts.

 

 

As Ben and Hunter left the house and got on their bikes, Ben was making a phone call.

 

 

 

"Okay thanks. I should be there in about 15 minutes." Turning to Hunter Ben told him, "Go back to the apartment and start gathering your stuff. I'm going to rent a van. Luckily, we don't really have much stuff to take. Pack a suitcase for a couple of days, too. We are going to stay at a hotel while we find a place to live. Shit, I didn't even ask if this is what you want to do. Do you want to come with me or would you rather stay with Michael? You are old enough to decide."

 

 

 

"I want to go with you. I may not like Blondie that much, but for Michael to wish him dead, that is just something I can't even wrap my head around. And to think we all blamed Brian for punching him. Why didn't Brian say anything to defend himself?" Hunter asked.

 

 

 

"Because that's how he is," Ben answered, sadly. "He would rather be blamed than admit that the man who called himself his best friend could be so intentionally cruel. He also didn't want to admit how much still cared for Justin, even when he was with Ethan," Ben replied.

 

 

 

Hunter nodded, "Yeah, it is kind of obvious that those two really belong to each other. Hey, I just thought of something. Do we have any boxes to put our stuff in?"

 

 

 

Taking a key off his ring, Ben handed it to Hunter, "This is to the storage space in the basement. You'll know which one it is because there is a picture of Captain Astro on the door. I put a bunch of boxes down there after I moved in with Michael. Just bring them all up. I want to get this done and get out as quickly as we can. Wherever those two are now, likely at Michael's store, they will probably head here later and I'd rather not see either one of them."

 

 

 

They each headed off to get what they needed done. Hunter headed to the storage room before heading upstairs. Opening the door to the room, he looked around, thinking about what an overstuffed dump it was... Well the majority of the space was anyway, since Ben's neatly stacked boxes were easy to spot. There were no prizes needed for guessing who the other bunch in the corner belonged to. Michael certainly would have never made a living as a housewife, whose main duty was to clean.

 

 

 

Shaking his head at that entire train of thought since it only led to disturbing places, he continued to ponder why the boxes weren't already broken down and folded. Once he'd made it to the other side of the storage locker, he decided to inspect their contents, at least set that one area to rights. While Hunter went about the process of shuffling the boxes into piles, and creating the illusion of order to the Michael-mess of the space, he saw a very comfortable looking armchair behind the stack. Upon further inspection, he couldn't help but wonder why it wasn't up in the apartment since it actually looked pretty comfortable, and probably cost more than the ratty furnitures currently adorning the place. Then he noticed that it was set up like a little private hiding place.

 

 

 

Now why would Michael need a man-cave type place when Ben had only moved in a short time ago? Hunter asked the question to himself as he continued to view the space for what it was. Taking a seat, he decided to examine the box next to the chair that at first looked like junk, but upon closer inspection was anything other than that. The first thing he pulled out of the box was what looked like one of Justin's drawings. Narrowing his eyes, he continued to peruse the artwork, immediately recognizing the subject as Brian, naked and asleep.

 

 

 

At first, Hunter allowed the little thrill he always got when he'd see Brian to flare to life... It was probably going to be one of the only times in his young life that he'd get to see the wonder and full glory of Brian Kinney; he'd be a fool to squander it! But his secret joy was short-lived when he spotted what looked like dried cum stains on the drawing. He dropped the paper and reached into his pocket for a pair of rubber gloves that he always kept with him, just in case he was ever bleeding or needed to touch anyone who was. It was one of the things that he and Ben both did for safety reasons.

 

 

 

Looking through the rest of the box, he found some papers that looked like receipts, very expensive underwear, and some other things that Michael would never have bought for himself. They were more like things Brian would have. But tucked down at the side of the box, he'd found an envelope, which in actuality felt like some sort of tape. He rolled it over in his hands, before really taking note of what it said on the outside: ‘In case the bitch tries to fuck me over'. Pulling out his phone, he called Ben immediately.

 

 

 

"Hey Dad, do you have a cassette player? Great! I need it, and also, I think you need to meet me in the storage room. I found a bunch of weird stuff in here, and no I wasn't really snooping... Well not really; I was cleaning but got sidetracked. Okay, I'll wait here, see you in a few."

 

 

 

While he waited for Ben, he gathered up the boxes he had come down for in the first place and set them just outside the door. Then he just looked around, his eyes stopping every so often on the creepiest place he'd ever been that had nothing to do with cobwebs, but everything to do with some stalker-type shit. He began to pace a bit, hoping Ben would hurry up. He didn't want to take a chance that Michael would come down here and find him looking around. It seemed like Michael spent a lot of time down here, working on his obsession with his 'best friend', while pulling his pud.

 

 

 

Hunter shivered at the reminder of the soiled drawing, wondering if Brian and Justin even knew where that drawing had ended up. He doubted it, otherwise little Mikey's secret vice would have long since been exposed. Not that he thought anyone would really call Michael on it. After all, no one had even bothered to ask Brian what really happened after he'd punched Michael. So why should the case of a missing drawing, and a clear invasion of privacy in regards to Brian's loft be any different?

 

 

 

Ten minutes later, Ben arrived and walked into the storage unit carrying a small cassette player. Hunter showed him what he had found in the corner where he had seen the boxes. Ben started to sit in the chair, but Hunter grabbed his arm and said that he may not want to do that. That was when Ben noticed he was wearing gloves. Hunter showed Ben the stained picture of Brian, and Ben just shook his head in disgust.

 

 

 

Then he showed Ben the box he found it in. Ben looked through the box before speaking. "Did anyone ever mention to you about the loft being robbed not long after Brian and Justin got together?" Ben asked.

 

 

 

"Michael mentioned something once. He said it was Justin's fault; claiming that he had gone out and left the door unlocked," Hunter answered.

 

 

 

"Well, from the things in this box it looks more like Justin was set up, by Michael. These are some of the things Brian mentioned that were stolen. I wasn't around when it happened, but Brian was drunk one night and told me all about it. He also told me, in confidence, that he was the one that bought Justin's drawing of him. He wanted to be able to say that he owned the first thing that Justin ever sold. He was really upset that it was stolen, because it was the one thing that could never be replaced. Where is the tape? I‘d like to hear what is on it," Ben said to Hunter as he set down the tape player.

 

 

 

Hunter opened the envelope and put the tape in the player, but as soon as Ben heard the voices on the tape and what they started to talk about, he shut it off and pulled out his phone. It didn't take long for the call to connect. "Hey Brian, it's Ben. Can you and Justin come to the basement at Michael's right away? Hunter found something I think you two need to know about."

 

 

 

"Ben, we just got home and Justin is a little... Hang on... Yeah, we're on our way. The basement?" Brian asked.

 

 

 

"Yeah. Michael's storage room. See you soon," Ben said, hanging up. Ben listened to part of the tape and was astounded at the lengths Michael and Lindsay were willing to go to get rid of Justin, someone who had never done anything to them... Well, other than being the one person that would make Brian Kinney fall in love.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Meanwhile 

 

 

 

Michael and Lindsay walked into Michael's comic shop and headed for the office, not really having anywhere else to go at the moment. Lindsay was worried what Mel would do if she showed up at their house and Michael didn't want to run into Ben at their apartment.

 

 

 

"Michael, you should probably put some ice on your face, although you deserved to be hit for what you said. I can't believe you said that about Justin," Lindsay told him as he headed for the fridge to do just that.

 

 

 

"You've probably thought the same thing Linds, so don't judge me," He answered.

 

 

 

"Of course I have, but I certainly wasn't stupid enough to say it out loud," She admitted.

 

 

 

"We'll need to figure out what to do now. Our partners don't want us around right now, but I'm sure Ben is packing as we speak, so I'll be able to go back to my apartment later."

 

 

 

"Well then I'll go with you then since I can't go back to my house," Lindsay stated.

 

 

 

"Why can't you go to your parents?" Michael asked petulantly, not liking that Lindsay didn't seem to be giving him any choice.

 

 

 

"I'm not on speaking terms with them at the moment, and besides, they would ask too many questions," She answered haughtily, before asking "You did get rid of the last of the things you had kept from the loft, right?" She remembered that he said he was going to save a few of the things that had been taken from the loft when he gave her the pictures of Gus that had been taken in the robbery.

 

 

 

"Yes, of course," Michael answered quickly, not wanting to admit that he couldn't bring himself to part with a few special things that he kept. Having a momentary flash that Ben might notice his private lounge if he went in the storage room to get his boxes, he quickly shook off that thought. If Ben wanted to get out, he would just grab his boxes which were neatly placed on the other side of the room and take them upstairs to pack.

 

 

 

"We definitely need to come up with a way to get back into Brian's good graces. Although, me being the mother of his only child, he won't stay mad at me for long, I'm sure. Especially since all I did, as far as he knows, is introduce Ethan and Justin. You, on the other hand, will need to do some groveling, both to Brian and to the fucking blond brat, both for what you did and for what you said, twice now," Lindsay stated confidently.

 

 

 

"Yeah. While you conveniently forget that you paid the fiddler, again with money you got from Brian, to suck up to the fucking blond and get him away from Brian," Michael sneered.

 

 

 

"Be that as it may, Michael, there is no proof of anything I may have done," Lindsay responded with a superior air.

 

 

 

Michael knew differently, but for once he kept his mouth shut, at least for the time being. He would make sure he got his best friend back by his side, even if he had to throw Lindsay to the wolves to do it.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Fifteen minutes later Brian and Justin showed up in the basement of Michael's apartment building.

 

 

 

"Okay Ben, what is so important that we needed to come down here and see? This night has already been hell, especially on Justin here," Brian asked, wrapping his arm around Justin's shoulders and pulling him close. They hadn't had time to talk yet, as they had just walked into the loft right before Ben called. Brian was worried about how Justin was feeling after learning what Michael had said about him. He just hoped Justin wasn't angry at him for not telling him what Michael had said, although they weren't together at the time.

 

 

 

"Well, unfortunately it's about to get worse," Ben told Brian as he handed him the box he had found, "and then there is this," he said, as he hit play on the recording while Brian looked through the box.

 

 

 

"Hey Linds, it's Michael. Is everything set up for the robbery today?"

 

 

 

"Yes, Michael. The guys have been paid, and they have the keys and code for the loft. I'm picking Justin up in five minutes and dropping him at his mother's. When Justin and I leave the guys will go to the loft, grab whatever they can get that looks expensive and put it in the van. I also told them to look for anything that looks sentimental. Brian will be even more pissed at Justin that way. I know he has pictures of Gus and some of his baby things, so I told them to check in his closet and grab whatever they can find. Then they will drop off the van by your apartment. Just don't forget I get half the money you get for the stuff you sell."

 

 

 

"Yeah, Linds, I know. I'm not going to stiff you on the money. This will be great! I'm glad you heard Justin's mother mention his sister's birthday. How did you get him to agree to go?"

 

 

 

"I asked him to come babysit Gus the other day and casually told him about hearing his mother mention the party she is throwing for his sister today. Then I reminded him that she would probably be upset if her big brother didn't stop by. It's called WASP guilt, works every time. I even offered to drop him off since he would have to take two buses to get there."

 

 

 

"Are you sure these guys won't fuck this up, Linds? We need the fucking blond brat GONE, permanently!"

 

 

 

"Trust me, Michael. For what we- or actually Brian- paid them for this, they will do it right. Besides, they are straight and don't even know or care who Brian Kinney is."

 

 

 

"I guess it kind of sucks that we had to have Brian pay for this, but I guess in a way he deserves it for allowing the fucking blond to stay and get in the way of our friendship. We will just have to keep a better eye on him from now on so this doesn't happen again. I hate to keep having to ask him for money, at least money that I don't get to keep."

 

 

 

"Just make sure Brian stays at the gym until I message you that they are gone. Now I have to go and get the blond brat and drop him off. It's so annoying having to make nice with him when all I want to do is rip his fucking hair out and tell him to leave Brian alone."

 

 

 

"Well hopefully by later today he will be out of our lives, PERMANENTLY. I'll talk to you later Linds. Don't forget to message me when they are done."

 

 

 

The recording stopped then, but no one moved to shut the tape off. Ben was in shock that he could have been so blind to what kind of a person Michael really was; and Hunter couldn't understand how Michael could be so two-faced, using Justin to help by illustrating a comic that made Michael money, and wanting him gone because Brian loved him. Justin was standing there shaking his head, as he seethed in anger. Brian stood there in shock, realizing that he had furiously blamed Justin for something that had nothing to do with him. Brian reached out to take Justin's hands in his as he looked at the fury on the younger man's face, hoping that Justin could forgive him for blaming him and throwing him out. Justin looked up into Brian's eyes and realized that the man he loved was hurting, realizing that the two people he had considered his best friends had betrayed him in one of the most horrible and conniving ways, making him let go of his anger temporarily to offer him comfort.

 

He reached up and wrapped his arms around Brian's neck and whispered into his ear, "I love you, and we will get through this together."

 

 

 

Brian blinked back tears as he realized that the young man in his arms was more than just his lover, he was, and had been for a long time, his true best friend.

 

 

 

All four men jumped when suddenly the same voices started up again.

 

 

 

"Michael, it's Lindsay. Listen, I think I have found a way to get Brian and Justin apart. I saw this guy playing a violin in the park today and stopped to talk to him. Turns out he goes to PIFA, and he will be having a recital on Justin's birthday. I'm going to get tickets for Mel, Justin, and myself and talk this guy up to Justin. I talked to the guy and showed him Justin's picture and he is very interested. I'm going to see how the first meeting goes and let you know what happens."

 

 

 

"We definitely need to do something, Linds. They are getting closer all the time! I'm getting sick of being blown off so Brian can spend time with that fucking blond slut. Does he even spend any time with his son anymore?" Michael asked, clearly more than annoyed. Which was probably due to the fact that even the cutting remarks about ‘boyfriends' didn't seem to be having the same response that they once had, which was his ‘best friend' grabbing the nearest trick and leaving the blond standing alone while Brian went to the backroom to prove he wasn't tied down.

 

 

 

"He usually has the bastard with him when he comes to see Gus, which gives me no chance to push the buttons I need to push. I'm sick of having to share Brian with him. It's just not fair!" Lindsay whined to Michael.

 

 

 

Michael didn't particularly like sharing Brian with Lindsay either, but at least she was a dyke and not able to give him what Michael desperately wanted to give the man who had been his obsession for half of his life. After another pause in the tape, there was another conversation.

 

 

 

"Michael, it's Lindsay. Ethan agreed to help us, for a fee. He wants two thousand dollars, and he will make sure he is a constant presence in Justin's life until he has them apart. Of course, we will need to get the money from Brian for this, but it's for his own good."

 

 

 

"Well I hope it works this time, Linds. Brian is starting to be a bitch about me always asking him for money. He had the nerve to tell me that he is not a bank. But I bet he gives plenty of money to the fucking kid though. He probably just bats his fucking eyes at Brian, wiggles his ass, and then gets whatever the fuck he wants," Michael whined, sounding like fingernails on a blackboard.

 

 

 

Suddenly Brian remembered many times when Lindsay and MIchael would both ask him for money, usually within days of each other. The more he thought about it, the stupider he felt. He had been totally manipulated by the two of them.

 

 

 

Ben noticed how upset Brian was getting and wanting to get everything over with, went over to him with the last thing he had.

 

 

 

"Brian, there is one more thing that Hunter found with this stuff. I put it in a bag," Ben told him as he handed him the bag with the sketch.

 

 

 

Brian looked at what he had been given and realized right away why Ben had put it in a bag. As Brian turned toward Justin with tears in his eyes Ben saw the man drop his mask back in place. Ben grabbed his boxes and motioned for Hunter to follow him.

 

 

 

"We are going upstairs to pack, you do what you need to do," Ben told the two men who were holding each other.

 

 

 

"Thank you, Ben. We'll be up in a while," Justin said as he held Brian tightly, wishing he could do more for his lover.

 

 

 

Brian gave Justin a tight squeeze and stepped back, taking both Justin's hands into one of his before speaking, "I have so much to apologize to you for; believing you could be so careless as to leave the loft without locking up, accusing you of letting my things be stolen, and most important, not protecting you from the two of them even though I knew they were jealous of you. Can you ever forgive me, Sunshine?"

 

 

 

"There is nothing to forgive, Brian. You didn't do any of that with malice, or because you didn't care about me. You had no reason to think that the two people who you considered to be your best friends would hurt you like that. And as for them being jealous of me, that had nothing to do with you and everything to do with them and their unrealistic fantasies in their own heads. You had never led either one of them on into thinking that you would one day be theirs. Now, what did Ben hand you that you are holding like it's tearing you apart?" Justin asked, stepping back.

 

 

 

With a shuddering sigh Brian turned the bag around to show Justin. "I kept this in the back of my closet, because back then I couldn't admit how much you meant to me. I wanted to be able to say that I was the first person to buy a Justin Taylor original."

 

 

 

"Why is it in a bag?" Justin questioned, reaching for it.

 

 

 

"Don't," Brian said, pulling the bag away from Justin. "I can't believe that he..." Brian said, shaking his head as he teared up.

 

 

 

Justin looked closer, suddenly realizing what was on the drawing and why Brian was so upset. "Do you want me to call Carl?" Justin asked. Brian just nodded. Pulling out his phone he dialed, and when the phone was answered he said "I'd like to speak to Detective Horvath, please." Less than a minute later Carl answered. "Carl, it's Justin. Brian and I need you to come to the basement of Michael's apartment building. It's important... Yes... Okay, we'll see you soon, thanks." Turning to Brian, he told him that Carl and his partner were on their way. Brian just nodded.

 

 

 

While they waited, Brian called Ben to let him know that Carl was on his way and would probably need to speak to him and Hunter. Ben said that they would be down in a few minutes since they were almost finished packing. Luckily, neither one of them had much stuff to pack. Twenty minutes later, Carl and his partner came down the basement stairs and walked over to where the men were waiting. Brian showed them Michael's little ‘man cave', the box of Brian's stolen items, and played the tape for them.

 

 

 

Carl and his partner looked everything over and tagged all the evidence. When he started to open the bag with the drawing, Brian stopped him.

 

 

 

"You might want to leave that in the bag, Carl."

 

 

 

Looking closer at the bag, Carl asked, "Is that?..."

 

 

 

"Yes."

 

 

 

"Michael's umm...?"

 

 

 

"Yes."

 

 

 

Shuddering and shaking his head, he tagged it in the bag and put it with the rest of the evidence in the box. He then talked to all four of the men before asking, "Do you know where they are now?"

 

 

 

"The most likely place is Michael's shop. Mel told Lindsay not to come home, and I told Michael that we would be leaving, so they are probably there waiting for us to be gone. I doubt that he even thought that we would come down here and find all of this stuff," Ben told Carl, who called the station and told whoever he talked to that they needed to send two cars to arrest Michael and Lindsay and bring them in for questioning.

 

 

 

"I need all of you to come down to the station and give your statements," Carl told the men.

 

 

 

"Does it need to be tonight, Carl?" Brian asked, hoping that they could do this in the morning, since he really needed to not think about all that had happened in the last few hours.

 

 

 

"No. If you would rather do it in the morning, that's fine. They won't be arraigned until after lunch tomorrow, so you just need to come in so your statements can be typed up before then. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for all that has happened today. Deb called me after you guys had left and told me what happened at dinner," Carl told them.

 

 

 

"Thanks, Carl. Would you like me to call Deb and let her know about this?" Brian asked, knowing that no matter what, this would hurt Deb.

 

 

 

"Thanks Brian, but I'll tell her. I was getting ready to go home when Justin called. I came because I wanted to make sure this was done right. Unfortunately, I know what happens to a lot of cases in this area. I knew if one of you was calling me directly it had to be something serious."

 

 

 

"Thanks again, Carl, and we will come in early tomorrow to give our statements," Justin told the man who had become a very welcome part of their little family. Everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

 

 

 

Carl went home and told Debbie what had happened to make him late. When he got finished telling her what Michael and Lindsay had done she just shook her head, then she told him that if either of them called she was just going to hang up the phone.

 

 

 

"It's about time that those two learned that there are consequences for their actions, after what was said at dinner, I have no more sympathy for either of them. If they are in jail at least Brian and Justin will get some peace." Carl just hugged her, knowing how hard it was for her to turn her back on anyone that needed help.

 

 

 

Brian was very quiet on the drive back to the loft. Justin stayed quiet because he knew Brian was very upset and would talk when he was ready. Once they got up to the loft Brian took Justin in his arms and just held him.

 

 

 

Unfortunately the calm was shattered by the ringing of Brian's phone. Looking at it, he turned it to show Justin who was calling.

 

 

 

"What do you want, Michael?" Brian said, as he answered his phone and put it on speaker.

 

 

 

"I was arrested! You need to come down here and get me out," Michael whined.

 

 

 

"What were you arrested for?" Brian asked.

 

 

 

"They said I robbed your loft."

 

 

 

"Now why would they think that, Michael?"

 

 

 

"I don't know. But it couldn't have been me, since I was with you at the gym when it happened. Remember? The only one there was him," Michael continued whining at Brian.

 

 

 

"Well, they must have had some reason to charge you, Michael. Maybe you should think really hard about what happened that day. I'm sure you can remember what happened after you went home. And maybe you left something lying around; something that you shouldn't have had in the first place? Something that did NOT belong to you," Brian said, before hanging up his phone.

 

 

 

Just then Justin's phone rang. Checking the caller ID, he saw that it was Lindsay. As soon as he connected the call and hit the speaker button, she started yelling at him, not even giving him a chance to say hello.

 

 

 

"Let me talk to Brian RIGHT NOW, Justin! His phone is busy, so give him your phone NOW," Lindsay demanded in her haughty, you'd better do as I say, voice.

 

 

 

"No. It's MY phone, which I pay for. So you will not tell me what to do with it, Lindsay," Justin answered enacting his own brand of WASP, as soon as she stopped talking. The difference was that he truly felt calm, even if he was a bit irritated by her audacity.

 

 

 

"Well then, just tell him to come to the police station and get me out of here," She demanded.

 

 

 

"No, I'm not going to do that either," Justin told the irate blonde.

 

 

 

"You better do it, Justin. I'm warning you; you won't like the consequences if you don't!"

 

 

 

"Really? Well considering the fact that you're there and I'm here WITH Brian, I think I can safely say I'm enjoying the consequences already."

 

 

 

"Now you listen to me, Little Boy! If you don't put Brian on the phone RIGHT THIS FUCKING SECOND, I'm going to..."

 

 

 

Suddenly Brian had had enough.

 

 

 

"And just what do you think you're going to do to him, Lindsay?" Brian growled.

 

 

 

"Oh Brian, thank God you're there. Listen Peter, I need you to come down and get me out of here. I don't know what they think I did, but you can't leave me in here," Lindsay simpered.

 

 

 

"You didn't answer my question, Lindsay, what do you think you're going to do to Justin? And do you think the way to get me to do something for you is by threatening my partner?" Brian asked in that controlled, ‘don't fuck with me' voice.

 

 

 

Lindsay whimpered, recognizing Brian's tone and mood immediately. She sighed, before responding in the voice of a lost little girl, which used to always get Brian to do what she wanted; the tone she needed to work wonders now. "I'm sorry, Peter. I'm just so upset. It's scary here and I need you. And he wouldn't give you the phone."

 

 

 

"Well, like he said, it's HIS phone. He doesn't have to do what you say. And after what you and Michael have already done to him, I won't do anything for you either," Brian answered, hanging up the phone. He then called Mel to let her know the basics of what had happened and told her he would call her in the morning after they went to the police station. He then shut off both of their phones before turning to Justin.

 

 

 

"I know we need to talk about all of this, but right now I need you inside me. Please Sunshine, make love to me. All I want right now is to know that we are together and that what they have tried to do won't affect us," Brian asked quietly.

 

 

 

Justin smiled and answered by taking Brian's hand and leading him to the bedroom. He turned to Brian and put a finger to his lips before he started to slowly undress the older man, kissing him as he removed his clothes. Once Brian was naked, Justin pointed to the bed. Brian climbed into the bed and moved to the center as he watched Justin strip off his clothes and climb in beside him. Starting at Brian's face, Justin softly kissed his way down his lover's body. When he reached Brian's feet he nudged his hip, signaling that he wanted him to turn over. Brian complied, loving how Justin was making him feel. Justin repeated the process starting at Brian's neck and ending at his feet. Pushing Brian's legs apart, Justin moved between them and separated Brian's cheeks before licking a path from behind his balls to his tightly clenched hole. He then slowly licked around the folds, gradually stiffening his tongue before pushing in and opening him up.

 

Finally, when Brian was moaning and almost whimpering, Justin grabbed the lube that Brian had placed next to his hip. Putting some in his hand, he warmed it before using his fingers to stretch Brian enough to accept his huge cock without too much discomfort. Once he had stretched him enough, Justin moved over and motioned for Brian to turn over onto his back. Moving back between Brian's legs, Justin moved up until he could push his knees under the older man's ass. Brian then wrapped his legs around the blond's waist and looked up into the blue eyes of the only man who he trusted enough to let inside him. As Justin pushed his condom covered cock inside the always tight hole, Brian sighed, knowing that this was where he was meant to be. They made love slowly, stopping several times to prolong the deep feelings they were sharing. Finally, when the pressure got to be too much for either of them they sped up and bucked against each other before groaning out their release.

 

As Justin collapsed on top of him, Brian spoke the words Justin had always wanted to hear from him, "I love you, Justin."

 

 

 

Justin knew that Brian loved him. It was in everything he said and did for the blond. But anytime Justin said it to Brian, he would answer 'You too', this was the first time he had said the words.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

The next morning they showered, including taking time for their favorite morning shower fuck. While they are getting dressed Brian commented, "Too bad we can't get Ian charged with anything. But all he did was take money to take you away from me."

 

 

 

"I'm sorry Br..." Justin started to say, before Brian grabbed his face and kissed him.

 

 

 

"That's over and done with Sunshine. No more apologies. Although I can't see where he gets off asking for money to be with you. You are fucking gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be with you?" Brian said with a smirk.

 

 

 

"Actually, there is one thing I can do," Justin commented smugly, remembering that he still had his old phone.

 

 

 

"What are you thinking in that sneaky head of yours?" Brian asked after seeing the look on Justin's face.

 

 

 

Justin smiled and went to the closet to get his old phone. He plugged in the charger and gave it a few minutes to get enough of a charge to turn it on. He had never erased the pictures he had of himself with Ethan while they were together. Brian had gotten him a new smartphone as soon as they got back together and Justin had just tossed the old one into his box in the closet.

 

 

 

"I could add some pictures to his Facebook page. The one where he has the pictures of him with his fans, and with his girlfriend," Justin said with a grin.

 

 

 

"I like the way you think, Sunshine," Brian commented, looking through Justin's pictures and pointing out some of the ‘better' pictures. Not that he wanted any reminders of that time, but he would not be looking at Ethan's Facebook page anyway. As soon as they had picked out the pictures Justin would post to the page, Justin grabbed Brian's face and kissed him hard, reminding him that he was right where he belonged.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

At the police station, Brian and Justin gave their statements. After that they stopped by and told Mel all the rest of what had happened at Michael's the night before. She was horrified and disgusted, telling both of them that she had absolutely no knowledge of any of what had been done, assuring them that she never would have gone along with any of it.

 

 

 

"I didn't think you did, Mel. You may not like me, but I can't see you doing anything to hurt Justin, or knowingly allowing anyone else to hurt him," Brian told her.

 

 

 

"It's not so much that I don't like you, Brian. You just rub me the wrong way," She answered.

 

 

 

Shuddering, Brian commented, "I am not rubbing you at all," mostly to break the tension.

 

 

 

Smiling, Mel said to him, "You know that if she is convicted she could be facing several years in prison, right?"

 

 

 

"Yes. And that is one of the reasons we wanted to come by. Can we get Lindsay's parental rights severed?" Brian asked.

 

 

 

"Well, it's very likely you could," Mel answered nervously, biting her lip. She didn't want to lose the son she loved.

 

 

 

"Not ME, Mel. WE. You will always be Gus's mom. But I would like to get my rights back, as long as doing it doesn't affect yours," Brian stated, much to Mel's relief.

 

 

 

"Let me check into what needs to be done, and I will get back to you. I know some of the laws have changed in the last few years. Many times they will now allow for a third parent, if there is one," Mel said, glancing at Justin.

 

 

 

Brian looked at Justin and asked, "Would you want to do that, Justin, be Gus's other dad?"

 

 

 

"Actually, I was thinking, not just for Gus. If you two want to, I know a little girl who could use a couple of dads like you two," Mel said quietly.

 

 

 

The two men looked at each other and then at Mel. Justin, with tears running down his face, hugged Mel tightly, Brian just patted her back and nodded. Mel told them she would get things going in the courts. None of them wanted Lindsay or Michael to have any influence over Gus or Jenny Rebecca.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

EPILOGUE

 

 

 

With no one willing to bail them out, Michael and Lindsay had no choice but to stay in jail and wait for their trials. And since neither one of them had any way of paying for a lawyer, despite both of them calling and writing to Brian, telling him that he should be willing to do this since they were friends, they both had to use public defenders. Lindsay had even reached out to her parents, who told her in no uncertain terms that they would not help her in any way and not to contact them again. Debbie refused all phone calls from Michael, sending him a letter through Carl telling him that she would have no part in helping someone who could be so intentionally cruel to anyone, especially to a member of their own family.

 

 

 

Two months later, the trials were held. Both Lindsay and Michael testified against the other, each claiming that the idea was the other person's. The audio tape and bill of sale records Michael had kept for all of the money they got, and split, for the sale of the items stolen from the loft, along with several of Brian's personal items found at each of their homes proved to the court that they shared equal culpability for the burglary of the loft. Both were found guilty and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, which included conspiracy and profiteering from stolen property. In addition, the judge ordered that when they were released they would be required to reimburse Brian for not only the value of the items stolen from him, but the money they had ‘borrowed' from him in order to pay for the burglary. 

 

 

 

Mel, Brian, and Justin went to court and asked that both Lindsay and Michael's parental rights be stripped from them, and that Mel, Brian, and Justin all be granted equal parental rights to both Gus and Jenny Rebecca. The judge granted their request and the children's names were changed to Gus Marcus-Taylor-Kinney and Jenny Rebecca Marcus-Taylor-Kinney. Without Lindsay and Michael's influence, Mel and Brian built up a genuine friendship between them, and they, along with Justin, worked out a schedule so everyone had equal time with both children. Brian and Justin decided that to make things easier, and to have a yard and rooms for their kids, bought a house down the block from Mel's. Eventually they would build something they wanted further away from the city, but this would work for now.

 

 

 

Once Ethan was outed on his Facebook page, his manager dropped him. It wasn't because he was gay, but because he had lied, both to his manager and to his girlfriend, who was the manager's niece. Ethan tried to blame and sue Justin for posting the pictures, but it was thrown out of court when Justin showed Ethan's Facebook message to his fans, asking them to post any pictures they had of meeting the violin player.

 

 

 

Ben and Hunter found an apartment closer to Ben's job and Hunter's school. Then Hunter introduced Ben to one of his teachers. The two hit it off and started dating, eventually getting married and adopting Hunter.

 

 

 

All in all, it was a chapter closed in their lives in reference to Michael and Lindsay, but they were each having the adventure of their lives forging new paths, and life long connections that through love and honesty would never be broken. In short, they all learned the true definition of FAMILY.

 

 

 

The End.