JUSTIN

Lucifer was stingy on the details, but could at least tell us where Brandon was, since he didn’t come to Babylon. I never really thought much about it, but Brandon was only a few years older than me, and his club of choice was BoyToy. Gabriel sneered at anyone who looked at me sideways, apparently worried about my virtue, which was long gone by this point.

“Since chatty is clamming up, do you have any idea how Lindsay is using Brandon?” I ask.

“My son, as Gabriel says, likes to rebel, and since Lindsay is the current thorn in my side, he let her hang out with him.” Lucifer tells us, licking his lips at a half dressed twink.

“Which keeps her safe, how?” I ask.

“The same way you kept Michael from driving Chris insane. You shielded the little morsel that brings hours of fun to the truly evil in hell.” Lucifer tells us.

“He shields her, but he doesn’t know he does it?” Michael asks.

“Yes he does, but distract him and I can get her home.” Lucifer tells us.

“Is that all we were here for, to distract him? Because there's a whole club willing to do that for you.” I point out, since Brandon had most of the eyes in the room.

“He will not distract your son in that way.” Gabriel growls.

“Not in any lifetime.” I told Lucifer.

Brandon was playing at the game Brian had already mastered at his age, disinterest. It would have worked if he hadn’t looked at me. I could see why guys wanted him, but he’d never have what Brian had in spades. He didn’t even pay attention when Lindsay handed him a drink, trying to stay as close to him as possible. I didn’t see the problem, until Brandon saw Lucifer. What I saw then looked like a bubble inflating around him and it encompassed Lindsay and a few others close by. 

“How does he not know he’s capable of creating that around him?” Michael asks, walking closer until he ended up inside it.

“My son hates me, so I sort of left out that he was the antichrist.” Lucifer mumbles.

“Why me, when like I said there are a hundred guys here you could use?” I ask.

“Because you were the prize for all the tops after Brian not only fucked you, but kept you.” Lucifer tells me.

“It’s also that your aura attracts the ones in darkness. Even Michael fought his feelings for you.” Gabriel tells me.

“What?” I ask.

“It wasn’t like I chased his ass, just thought maybe when we were in bed one time.” Michael scowls.

“When was that?” Brian asks, coming out of nowhere.

“Brian Kinney, imagine, you gracing us with your presence.” Brandon said, ignoring Lindsay chasing after him, only to stop when she saw me.

“Justin wanted to see where the kids hang out and I indulged him.” Brian says, pulling me into his arms.

“Or maybe he got tired of indulging you. Why would he want an old man when he could see the advantage of youth.” Brandon says smuggly.

“What are those?” I ask, as I watch Lucifer circle Lindsay. 

Brandon practically purred when I ran my hands down his chest, and I watched as his shield started closing up, only surrounding me and him. It felt slimy, and everything in my body started revolting. I couldn’t stop the power running through me, trying to break the shield Brandon put around us. I watched as Lindsay ran, not making further than the door before she disappeared. Only, I had a problem. Everything in me wanted to fight being swallowed up in Brandon. I could see everything he hid from the world, and also see he didn’t want to be who he was. In that moment everything shattered around us, my power swallowing his until Brian pulled me away from him. Michael stood in front of me, trying to absorb what I was exploding around us, and Brian held on as if nothing was happening. Somehow he was absorbing everything around us, and I looked at Gabriel to see him watching us. Eventually everything returned to normal, Brian was looking at me confused, before letting me go and staring around us.

“What the hell is going on?” Brian asks.

“That’s my question.” Brandon says, looking at the people partying around us as if nothing I did happened to them.

“Justin was trying to give you what you wanted to renounce your father.” Gabriel tells him.

“How did Brian do it?” I ask.

“He’s always been able to, just didn’t have a reason to since you and Michael didn’t know anything. Unfortunately he gets to forget for now.” Gabriel tells us, as Brian disappears.

“Where did he go?” Michael asks.

“He’s home sleeping, where he’ll be waiting for Jack Kinney to arrive, since the timeline just got moved by Justin.” Gabriel tells us.

“His Dad is coming tonight? But how did he get here anyway? We never came here.” I ask.

“I sent him. Because you were never supposed to get that close to Brandon. It’s why you never did in any of the lives.” Kira says, running to my arms.

“Baby, I missed you.” I tell her.

“I’m here, well as much as I can be for now. Metatron told me to tell you to stop screwing around with things that won’t matter.” Kira tells Gabriel.

“Did you know that was the way I’d react to Brandon?” I ask him.

“No, since you can tolerate Brian and Michael. But I needed to know what Lucifer was up to. He’s not the loving Dad he’s trying to make you believe.” Gabriel tells me.

“Daddy doesn’t need lessons from you. What happened is not his fault.” Kira tells Gabriel, who backed away from my daughter on a tirade. “If you don’t stop testing him, I’ll never talk to you again.” Kira tells him.

“Did he really want Lindsay gone?” Michael asks.

“Not really, just to get control of her. He wants the souls she’s been harvesting for him.” Kira tells him. “Uncle Mikey, you need to be ready to help my dad. And Daddy, this time be there when he comes home. Love you.” Kira tells us, disappearing.

“What about me? I don’t want to be this.” Brandon says, looking horrified at knowing.

“All you have to do is walk away. Just don’t expect the life you have to remain the same.” Gabriel tells him.

“It all disappears if you walk away.” Lucifer tells him.

“Or does it?” I ask, pushing my power out towards Lucifer, and smiling when he didn’t like it and couldn’t seem to do anything about it. “Are you afraid of Brandon, the way you said the angels were of us?” I ask, leaving Brandon to figure it out.

“By the way, Lindsay gets in our way and I’ll see how afraid you are of me.” I tell him.

“And I’ll make sure he doesn’t have anywhere to feed the power off to, just to you.” Michael tells him.

“I guess we sit and be where Kira tells us to be.” I tell Michael, just ready for this to end.