I think I've finally had enough

I think I maybe think too much
I think this might be it for us

Blow me one last kiss

--"Blow Me (One Last Kiss)," Pink (2012)

Friday, July 13

Short on sleep and very hungover, Brandon staggered into the house around 10 AM. He went into the kitchen, desperately needing something to drink. In his sleepy state, he didn't notice the two discarded shirts on the floor until he slipped on them, nearly smacking his face on the countertop before breaking his fall with his hands.

He bent down and picked up the two shirts, recognizing them as the shirts that Brian and Justin had been wearing the night before at Babylon. He dropped them back where he'd found them.

"Shit," Brandon whispered, knowing that if the boys had lost their shirts downstairs that it meant they'd probably lost the rest of their clothes upstairs.

Brandon was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, drinking a glass of orange juice, when he heard giggling coming from the staircase. Brian and a shirtless Justin appeared a few moments later, with Justin walking with a noticeable waddle.

"Oh... good morning," Brian said to Brandon, a smirk on his face.

"Morning," he replied dryly.

Justin smiled at Brandon. "Hi."

Brian made the introductions. "Justin, this is my step-brother, Brandon. Brandon, meet Justin. He and I just spent a lovely evening together."

Brandon flashed a fake smile at the blond. "I bet you did."

"And where were you all night, young man?" Brian asked Brandon in a mocking tone.

"I was out, Dad," Brandon answered before draining the rest of his juice and getting up to put his dirty glass in the sink.

"I fed Rocco, he was howling in the hallway at dawn."

"Thanks," Brandon said.

Brian picked his and Justin's shirts up from the floor and handed Justin's over to him. "Don't forget this."

Justin put his shirt back on and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to Debbie's house, so she doesn't worry about me."

"Wouldn't want that," Brandon mumbled as he headed toward the stairs.

"It was nice meeting you, Brandon," Justin said to the retreating young man, who tossed his hand up in a lazy wave without looking back.

Brian walked Justin to the front door.

"So, do you want to have dinner or something later?" Justin asked, a hopeful look on his face.

This would normally be when Brian would say something like "You can see me again in your dreams" when a trick asked him about a future meeting. With this particular trick, the last thing Brian wanted to do was throw him away like all the others. He'd had a very enjoyable night with Justin and saw a lot of potential in how good the boy could be in the sack if he had the right man to teach him.

Who was a better teacher in the fine art of fucking than Brian Kinney?

No one.

"Sure. Do you like Thai?"

"I like anything edible."

"I'll pick you up at seven," Brian said before wrapping his arms around the blond and planting a kiss on him.

Brandon wanted to take a nap, but he had no time to spare. He took a quick shower, swallowed a bunch of Advil, and put on some clean clothes. The door to Brian's room was closed, so he was able to leave without being noticed.

He got into his Porsche and drove back across town. He parked in front of an old apartment building two blocks over from Liberty Avenue, where he had been just two nights before.

Brandon walked up to the third floor and knocked on the door to apartment 3B. He waited several seconds before knocking a second time.

Finally, the door was answered by the apartment's occupant, Ben Bruckner. Said occupant was wearing nothing but a pair of blue basketball shorts, which were riding low on his hips. He looked like he had just finished working out, his face flushed and a sheen of sweat on his sculpted chest.

Brandon openly checked out the attractive man. "Hey, Ben."

"Uh... Brandon," Ben said, having to take a moment to remember his name. "What are you doing here?"

Brandon shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood and wondered if you wanted to grab some lunch."

Before Ben could answer, none other than Michael Novotny came waddling out into the living room, the same waddle that Justin had exhibited earlier. The boy as wearing a pair of gray sweatpants that were very baggy on him, most likely a pair that he'd found in Ben's room and pulled on.

Michael was obviously shocked to see Brandon standing in the doorway, since he didn't know that Ben and Brandon knew each other. He was so shocked and confused that all he could do was stare at his neighbor with his mouth open.

Having heard footsteps on the creaky floor behind him, Ben turned and looked at Michael. He then turned back to Brandon before shoving the man into the hallway and closing the door behind them.

"Look, Brandon, we had fun the other night, but it can't happen again."

"Uh-huh," was all Brandon could say, wondering if Brian had anything to do with Ben and Michael reuniting.

Whether he had a hand in it or not, it appeared that Brian had officially won their bet.

Ben looked at Brandon apologetically. "I have a boyfriend now, so..."

"Understood," Brandon said, pasting on a smile. "You boys have fun."

Ben, being a gentleman, stuck his hand out. Brandon gave him a quick handshake before leaving.

Brian was typing on his laptop when Brandon walked into his room carrying a bouquet of red roses.

"Well, congratulations, Mr. Kinney," Brandon announced as he tossed the flowers onto Brian's desk.

Brian smiled wide at having successfully bedded Justin. "Thanks, now we just have to wait and see if Michael-"

"Oh, he did, he did," Brandon confirmed. "The little weasel has been popped."

Brian tilted his head in surprise. "How do you know that? Did Michael tell you?"

"No, but you don't need to worry about how I know... Jesus, are you gonna change your sheets?" Brandon said, looking over at Brian's rumpled bed in disgust.

"Tell me how you know," Brian said, closing his laptop and standing up from his desk.

Brandon sighed. "I may have had a... thing with Ben the other night."

Brian put his hands on his hips and waited for his step-brother to explain further.

"I saw him at Babylon, after Debbie had caught him and Michael kissing, and I went home with him."

Brian scowled, angry that Brandon had once again meddled in their bet, but allowed him to continue.

"You don't get to have all the fun. Anyway, I went over to his place this morning and Michael was there. They'd obviously just finished fucking, so despite my interferences, your plan to get Michael in Ben's bed worked. Again, congratulations."

Brian ran his fingers through his hair, willing himself to calm down and accept his victory. "Thank you. I assume you've come here to make some sort of arrangements?"

"Well, if you change your sheets and give me time to prepare, we can get started at sundown tonight, say around 8:30?" Brandon said, slowly walking toward him.

Brian picked up the bouquet and slapped it to Brandon's chest. "Maybe some other time. I have a date tonight."

"A date?" Brandon repeated, sneering. "With the twink?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes."

"Why? You've had him, so why waste any more time on him?" Brandon asked, knowing all about Brian's usual "hump and dump" policy.

Brian inhaled deeply and exhaled with a sigh, as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "I like him... a lot. I want to try to have something real with him."

Brandon didn't know what to say, so he grabbed the back of Brian's neck and tried to kiss him. Before their lips could connect, Brian pushed him away.

"What the fuck?" Brian asked.

"What the fuck, indeed!" Brandon said, throwing the flowers on the floor. "You're Brian Fucking Kinney, you're a heartless shit who cares about no one and nothing, other than getting off and that fucking car of yours. Do you honestly believe you've done a complete one-eighty in the few days you've known this kid? People don't change overnight, Brian."

"People's ways aren't set in stone, we evolve," Brian replied.

"Wait... his parents don't know about you, do they? What do you think is gonna happen once they move here? Craig Taylor is the new president of our school. From what I saw online, he's an active member of the Republican Party, even ran an ultra-conservative, yet unsuccessful, campaign for Congress a few years ago. I'm sure your reputation of being a deviant homosexual and how you corrupted his innocent son will come around soon. Do you think his parents will accept having a faggot for a son and you as his, dare I say, boyfriend?"

Brian tried to look unconcerned. "We'll deal with it if it becomes a problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to hit the gym and take a nap before I meet Justin for dinner."

Brandon stared at his step-brother for several breaths before he turned and walked out of the room.

Brian was doing upright barbell rows at the gym when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Hey, Brian," Emmett said, giving him a toothy smile.

Brian turned to find the young man dressed in a tight red tank top that said "Sorry Girls, I Suck Dick" in white lettering and a tiny pair of rainbow-striped shorts.

"Hello, Rainbow Bright," Brian replied.

"How's it going?"

Brian placed the barbell back on the rack. "Fabulous."

"Can you spot me?" Emmett asked, pointing to the bench press. "Normally Brandon is my workout buddy, but he's not answering my texts, the bitch. I hope he's not avoiding me, because of my relationship with Teddy..."

Brian refrained from saying anything about his step-brother as Emmett loaded up the bar. For being one of the biggest queens in town, Ms. Honeycutt had a rather ripped physique and could bench as much as Brian.

Emmett did six reps, only needing a bit of encouragement and assistance from Brian during the last one. He got up so that they could switch places.

"So, when are you and Brandon going to throw a house party? I'm surprised your place hasn't been party central this week, with your folks out of the country... unless it has been and you two cunts haven't invited me."

Brian finished his set of six reps and sat up. "No parties yet."

Emmett stretched his shoulders in preparation for his next set. "Well, today is Friday and they'll be back on Sunday, right? It would be a fucking shame if you and Brandon didn't throw at least one good party, while you have the house to yourselves."

"Yeah," Brian said, slapping Emmett on his ass. "Good idea."

"Don't you give up, nah-nah-nah. I won't give up, nah-nah-nah. Let me love you. Let me love you..."

The Greene/Kinney house was filling up quickly with college-aged kids. "Let Me Love You" by DJ Snake ft. Justin Bieber was bumping on the expensive surround sound stereo system set up on the ground floor. There were two kegs, several bottles of wine and liquor, and plenty of quality marijuana to enjoy.

Emmett had taken it upon himself to compile a guest list from his phone contacts, which seemed to be made up of at least half of the regulars from Babylon along with every fag they had gone to high school with and a few of their CMU classmates who lived in Pittsburgh, all male. Brandon didn't know they were hosting a party until Emmett and Ted arrived with sandwich platters and other snacks, because Brian hadn't told him.

"You owe me some Thai food," Justin said to Brian as they danced to the beat of the catchy song in the large front parlor.

Brian smiled guiltily. "I know... how about tomorrow night?"

Justin leaned in for a kiss, getting a long, passionate one in return.

"Aww, look at you two lovebirds," Emmett cooed, breaking up their moment. "Great party, Brian."

"Yeah, I did it all by myself," Brian cracked, getting a tongue stuck out at him in return.

Something caught Emmett's eye over Brian's shoulder. "Well, there he is, oh, and with that hottie with a body from Babylon. Michael!"

Brian and Justin turned to find Michael and Ben walking in, hand-in-hand.

"That's the famous Ben? Wow, he's really hot," Justin said.

"He's alright," Brian lied.

"How are you guys doing?" Michael asked as he approached the group, a huge smile on his face.

"We're doing just fine, Sweetie," Emmett said, giving Michael a double-cheek kiss. "Are you going to introduce us to your gentleman friend?"

Michael beamed up at the man on his arm. "Guys, this is Ben Bruckner. Ben, this is my friend Emmett, and this is Justin, the guy I told you about who's staying with us, and you've met Brian-"

"Oh, yes, we've met," Brian said, sticking his hand out for Ben to shake.

Ben smiled at him. "Michael and I owe you a huge ‘thank you' for helping us get together."

"Anything to help out my dear friend Michael," Brian said, trying to hold back the sarcasm.

He suddenly found his arms full of the nerdy young man.

"Thank you, Brian, really," Michael said into his neck.

Brian patted him on his back, glad that he wasn't the one who had to take the kid to bed.

Pulling away from Brian, Michael looked over at Ted. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met."

Emmett draped his arm around his beau's shoulders. "This is my Teddy."

Ted started talking to Ben about his performance at the Spring concert, which allowed Brian and Justin to break away.

"You should have heard the fight that Michael and Debbie had when he came home earlier," Justin said. "Apparently he spent the night with Ben, and Debbie hadn't even noticed that I didn't come home last night because she was so worried about where Michael was. I could hear them yelling and cussing at each other from downstairs, even with my door closed. Debbie's not happy that he's with Ben, but Michael told her that he was going to date whoever he damn well pleased and she needed to mind her own fucking business."

Brian looked over at Michael with newfound respect. "Good for him."

They dance through a few more songs before Anita, Brian's dealer, waved him over.

"I'll be back in a few," he said to Justin, giving him a kiss before going to talk with the drug-pushing drag queen.

Justin found an open spot on a couch and sat down to wait for Brian. He was watching the guys dancing and making out around him when Brian's step-brother sat down beside him.

"Hi," Justin said, turning to the handsome young man. "Brandon, right?"

"Yes, hi, Justin," Brandon said, flashing him a smile. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yeah, I've never actually been to anything like this before."

Brandon frowned. "You weren't invited to any parties in high school?"

"I wasn't what you would call ‘popular,'" Justin confessed.

"Well, you are the hottest guy here tonight," Brandon said as he scooted closer to the blond. "If I had gone to high school with you, I would have taken you to parties. Of course, I never threw any parties here, because I'm a good boy."

Justin tried moving away from Brandon, but he was blocked by the armrest. Although he found Brandon attractive, he got a very negative vibe from him. He recalled Brian telling him that his step-brother was an asshole.

"Do you want to dance?" Brandon asked, moving even closer towards him.

"Uh..." Justin said, looking to see if Brian was coming back yet. "You know that I'm with Brian, right? We're kind of like, boyfriends."

Brandon laughed. "Kid, everyone wants to be with Brian, but unfortunately, no one can have him. You seem like a really sweet boy and I don't want you to get hurt. Trust me, Brian is only going to hurt you, I've seen it happen time after time. He's not your boyfriend; Brian doesn't do boyfriends. Once he's through getting a taste of you, which probably won't take very long, he'll spit you into the gutter just like all the others."

Justin looked down at his hands and sighed sadly. Brandon wasn't telling him anything that Debbie hadn't already told him about the young man that he was pretty sure he was falling in love with, but it was still hard to hear it from someone who seemed to know Brian well.

"Yeah, but..." Justin began to say as he tried not to burst into tears. "You weren't there when we were doing it last night. You don't know all the things we did. The way he kissed me... the way he looked at me... the way he touched me... you don't know anything."

Brandon stared at him, nonplussed. "I'll tell you what I do know: he's probably fucked most of the guys here, and I'm sure they'd all line up to tell you how Brian used them purely for sex. How he kissed them, looked at them, touched them."

Justin didn't want to hear any more. He stood up and walked out of the room to get away from Brandon, but that only made the older boy follow him.

They walked into the kitchen where the kegs were set up.

"Hey, let me get you a drink," Brandon said to Justin.

The blond shook his head. "I don't like beer."

"Well..." Brandon said, stepping closer to Justin and wrapping his arms around him. "If you'd like something nicer, we have a big wine cellar in the basement, much better stuff than this cheap swill. We have a bar with some good scotch, too."

Justin struggled to break out of the stronger man's grasp. "No, I don't think so."

Undeterred by the boy's disinterest, Brandon pressed on. "Oh, come on, Blondie. Brian and I swap tricks all the time, he won't mind."

Before Justin could refuse him again, he was saved when Brian appeared.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked his step-brother.

Brandon let go of Justin and put his hands up. "Nothing, Bro, just trying to get a nibble of this sweet little twinkie here."

"What makes you think I'd even want you?" Justin asked Brandon. "If you ask me, you're a cheap imitation of Brian. Why would I waste my time with you when I have the real thing? You're just jealous because he has me and you don't."

The nosey queers around them let out a collective "Oohhh!"

Brandon stormed off towards the stairs, no doubt to go and lick his wounds in his room for the rest of the night.

Brian hugged Justin from behind. "Holy shit, Sunshine. You showed him who's boss."

The blond turned around to face him. At first, he thought about asking Brian about what Brandon had said but decided to let it go, considering the source. He hoped that he would become the exception to the rule.

Justin smiled when Katy Perry's "Walking on Air" began to play.

"Let's dance," the boy said.