JUSTIN

I look down at him. His eyes are drifting shut, his lips are parted and swollen. I brush my fingers against his cock before grasping it and starting to inch my way down. “Oh...” I groan.

“You okay?” His eyes fly open, they are filled with worry and he stops me from moving. “Justin?”

“Brian, I am fine. Less fine if you don't let me finish!” I protest.

“Okay, but the…”

“Brian, please!” I whimper and gently start to push his hands away. “Please?”

“Yes, please.” He moans, and slides one hand to my cock and the other to my chest and plays with my nipple.

I almost cum there and then. I hadn’t realised how much I missed his touch until he refused to touch me. Well, not refused in the real sense of the word, but was worried that I wasn't ready for that after all that had happened. And, if truth be told, I wasn’t. It wasn’t until we were just making coffee that the dam broke…

Start of flashback

KITCHEN - MORNING, THE DAY BEFORE

JUSTIN

As has been for the last couple of nights, I couldn’t sleep. I didn't think I would be having flashbacks or bad dreams, but I do.

“Want to talk?” Brian asks as he pads into the kitchen, wiping his chest which makes me frown.

“You sweat when you have nightmares and grip…”

“I don’t have nightmares, just bad dreams and…”

“Me. You are talking to me. You have nightmares. I had nightmares when I was shot, for months, almost over a year, so don’t bullshit me. If you want to be angry, be angry, but don’t shut me out.”

“I am not shutting…”

“Yes you are, and you are blaming me.”

“I am not!” I explode, and step right in his space but he holds his ground.

“Yes you are, same way that Michael blames me for pulling his focus and not…”

“‘Whose focus?!” I snap, finding myself gripping the counter at the mention of his name.

“Ben’s, not Michael's. Try to breathe, okay? Despite all appearances, Michael is one of the most egomaniacal men in the world. He believes that he should be the centre to all, and has been that way since I met him. I think he hates me because of the one thing I wouldn’t do…”

“Fuck him! You wouldn’t fuck him! If you had it would’ve gotten out of his system and then that be that!”

“Like I said, you blame me, but it is not my fault. Nobody controls the actions of another person, other than by manipulation. I did not manipulate Michael…”

“Why not just fuck him and have done?!” I scream as the tears flow. “I would not have had to go through…”

“I don’t fuck people I don’t like. I don’t have sex for the sake of having sex. Despite all appearances, I may be a slut, actually I am a slut, but I have to like the guy that the ass or cock is attached to and I don’t like him!” We stare at each other for a few minutes in silence. “In the brief time you have known him, what do you think would've happened?”

“What do you mean?” I loosen my grip and he rubs my knuckles.

“If I had fucked him, what do you think would’ve happened?”

“He would’ve told Ben and broken up the friendship I guess.” I murmur then sigh as I feel the tension leaving my body, I rest my head against his chest, taking in the smell of the coffee, then I lift my head and stare at him. “No that’s wrong. He would not have said a word, not outright, he would’ve hinted and held it over you.”

“Beautiful and smart.” He brushes my cheek. “Completely right. The thing with Michael is that he power plays. He likes to have something over everyone, and with my reputation, he thought he could use that. Yes, he wanted to be fucked by me, but he also wanted to fuck Ben over because Ben loves me more than him...and always will.”

“I am so angry at him…both of them.”

“I know, and that is understandable, but he was going off what he was told by Bellwether and Michael.”

“How did you know I mean Michael?”

“Who else could you mean? I feel sorry for Gold…” He guides me back to the stool and pushes me to sit. “...he is so young, and to have to die like that. Can you tell me what happened tonight to make you want coffee, so you don’t go back to sleep?”

I stand and pull him onto the stool and stand between his legs.”It is not anything he did, because he did nothing, but it is the smell. The smell of the chloroform and the smile on his face. I keep imagining the smile on their faces.”

“Whose?” He strokes my back and I feel more tears start to bubble. “You have to say it, you have to say their names. It will help. Now I know who shot me and why, I have…”

“Dixon and Michael!” I weep. “I could always smell him. Mothballs, he always smelt of mothballs. And Michael, when he looked at Mercy, there was always that “hah” smirk like…”

“He knew something you didn't. Well, with Mercy we know what that was, but for me, he never smiled at me like that. If he ever looked at me it was with anger and resentment. Anger because I wouldn't do that stupid comic, you know he said that it could bring us closer, a collaboration of our great minds and talent.”

“Your great mind and talent.” I snicker. “I mean really it was aw...oh, I remember something! I think he called him the day he took me. He thanked someone for the information and he was sorry that he lost his work in the studio fire...” He rubs my arms. “When he hung up he was laughing, saying that Lindsay and the fool had one thing in common: could not write, and in his case draw, for shit!”

“We need to tell the police that, it could prove helpful in the case against Michael.” He turns us around so I am back on the stool. “Don't move, just getting a pen and paper, or do you want to just record it on your phone?”

“What case? And just record it.”

“Withholding of information and aiding and abetting.” He comes back with my phone and closes my jaw. “Okay, we might not be able to get him on the last two, but definitely on the first. He didn't tell the authorities everything. Gold did once he believed that I wasn't responsible for him being infected.”

I look down at my hands. Now I have to tell him something that I have never told anyone, because as far as I was concerned I handled him and he backed right off, but having been told about his intentions towards me….

“What did he do?” Brian's voice is quiet and gentle. “You said you could always smell him. So what did Dixon do?”

“He tried to kiss me. He said that he stumbled and I mistook his intentions, but…”

“Am I the first to know?” I nod. “So when did your folks get involved?”

“When he started to turn up at places he had no reason to be, like at the gym I went to when he lived on the other side of town. I mentioned it to Molly and Hunter, they told my parents, and that was it.” More tears start to flow and he just holds me until they stop.

“Still want the coffee?” His voice still calming and soothing.

“No. Just want to sleep now.”

“Come on then.”

As he folds himself around me, the only thing I smell as I drift off is him and when I wake up the next afternoon, him and...oooh bacon! Eating makes me happy! Chuckling, I rush to the bathroom.

“Hungry?!” He calls over his shoulder as I head to the kitchen.

“For that and you, definitely!” I am feeling so much better, I should’ve talked to him or someone from the outset.

“Let's start on the meat in the pan!” He laughs, then kisses me before turning back to the bacon. “Do the toast then. Am boyfriend not servant, and besides you need carbs if you want to eat the other meat!”

End of flashback

BRIAN

He is seated. Sweat is glistening in his bush, I sit up on my elbows and he leans down so that we can kiss. “Move.” I order. He groans, then grips my biceps before he starts to plunge up and down. It is all heat. Absolute ecstasy. He isn’t making a sound, just has his head back with a beautiful smile on his face. His cock is bouncing against my abdomen. I stroke his thighs and he reaches for my hands.

“Us. This is us, and only us.” He breathes before arching his back and spraying across my chest.

“Oh yeah!” I cry, then catch him before he collapses backwards. I pull him into my arms and wait for his breathing to slow. He looks up at me still with that beautiful smile. “I think that we are back to where we were, yes?”

“The neophyte and stud are back where they belong, with each other.” He murmurs before gently kissing my throat, I nod and watch him drift off to sleep before following him less than a minute later.

OUTSIDE MICHAEL’S HOUSE - LATE EVENING, SAME DAY

MICHAEL

I watch Lindsey's car tear down the road and think the woman is deluded. She’s off to Hollywood, apparently. She came to apologise for blaming me for the fire, as she should, and the next person to do that should be Mercy, and now she's going to be a producer of some movie. She wants to leave the stench of Pittsburgh behind and be the bright star she’s destined to be. I just shake my head at some people’s unrealistic views of themselves.

“I can't wait to have a glass of wine and just lose myself in a marvelous The X Men!” I sigh as I open up the door.

It has been a long day, not the busiest either. Some people are still treating me as if I am in some way culpable for what happened to the toy, but as I have often said, what people do with the information they were given is their choice. I head to the kitchen after dumping my stuff, then grab the wine out of the fridge. There isn't much post and I haven't had any calls today. I head to the lounge and sink onto the sofa.

“Right, now to unwind…” I sigh then sniff. I frown and sniff again, I get up and walk around, then a movement outside the window catches my eye and I head to the door. “...hey, buddy! What do you want?!” I call to the guy walking back down my path.

“Oh, didn't think anybody was in.” He smiles at me as he approaches, I grimace at the cigar. “I thought I would come and say hi, just moved in. The name is Billy, live four doors up.”

“Oh right. Well, my name is Michael. Wow, that's a very strong smell. Aren't you worried about what it is doing to your lungs?” He blinks at me before taking a long drag, then blowing out a plume of smoke through his nostrils,  much like an angry bull. “I don't like the smell of cigars, I could smell it inside!” Another plume of smoke followed by an indifferent look before he shrugs, turns on his heel, then strides back down the path without another word. I shut the door, heading back to my wine, again marveling at people's stupidity.

AN HOUR LATER

“That is so hot!” I gape at the screen and rewind it. “What the hell is this film called?!” I try to make some room then think fuck it and pull my jeans and pants off. I rewind back the beginning of the scene but before pressing play pull up the information. “Faintaway. Hmm, now as a replacement show this is excellent!” I hit play and grab my cock just as the guy kneels down.

BILLY'S HOUSE - TWENTY MINUTES LATER

KITCHEN

BILLY

I look over my shoulder as the back door opens and Marguerite comes in; she looks pleased with herself. “So you did it?” I ask and wait for her to blow out the smoke ring.

“Did he recognise you?” She smiles at me through the smoke.

“Uh-uh, mine first. Did you manage to do it?” I pull her to me and a slow smile starts to spread across her face.

“Of course I did.” She chuckles. “As well as setting up the TV video feed, so that they play randomly, every day or so the smell of cigars will be pumped into that place via the air con. I was kind and started him off with a treat. There is a benefit to being a bed bound nerd!” We share a smoke filled kiss and I think about how he could have been the cause of her death too. “So I take it he didn't recognize you? Was he the same?”

“No, and I made sure to stay in his face but nothing. And yep, exactly as he was in school. Sanctimonious dickhead. Okay, you finish that…” I gesture at the cigar. “...and I will call Rajan to tell him that first stage is complete. He can come and have some fun now.”