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Chapter 19 - That Love Surge.

Their shared psychic vision confirming that the kidnapper had, indeed, received the ransom money and was planning to return Gus had put Brian in a much better mood. Between that and the truly amazing sex, the afternoon was certainly ending on a much better note than it had started on. It felt like they’d turned a corner. Both men were more confident they’d finally get Gus back and everything would turn out for the best.

That spark of hopefulness had also reenergized Brian. He had almost immediately leapt out of bed, grabbed Justin’s hand, and towed the boy after him into the shower. An erotic soaping had led to more sexy shower fun. By the time they were done, Justin was nice and clean both inside and out. 

The happy, playful mood followed them out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. Brian was acting like a total goof, tickling and goosing Justin every time he got close enough to get his hands on the boy. Not that Justin was trying all that hard to keep away, mind you. But just when the horsing around looked like it might propel them back into bed for a third go round, Justin’s loudly growling stomach interrupted the festivities.  

“Rude much?” Brian teased. 

“Hey, it’s been a long time since breakfast, you know?”

“Well, if this is your way of getting me to buy you lunch, I suppose it’s pretty effective,” Brian smiled down at the boy. “It’s not like I could concentrate on fucking you again with that noisy monster in your stomach complaining all the time.” Brian rolled out of bed and picked up a pile of Justin’s clothing off the floor, tossing the fabric at the youth’s head. “Get dressed and we’ll make a run to the Diner.”

The responsive gurgling from his gut was a pretty strong indication that Justin’s stomach approved of that idea. However, the reminder that it was obviously long past lunch prompted the boy to peek at the clock on Brian’s nightstand. He groaned. 

“I’d love to let you buy me lunch, Brian, but is there any chance we can get it to go? I sorta need to be back at school before three . . . I’m technically still grounded and if I’m not there when my dad arrives to pick me up, I’m afraid he just might follow through on his threats to have you arrested.” 

Brian shook his head and mumbled a quiet, “fucking asshole,” under his breath but didn’t try to argue the point. “Better get a move on then, Cinderella, or we won’t get you home before you turn into a pumpkin.”

It didn’t take long for them both to pull on some clothing and head out the door. Despite the small splash of cold water from Justin’s mention of his father, the boys’ mood was still jubilant. They were goofing and teasing and playing around all the way to the car. They only quieted briefly, long enough for Brian to call ahead so Debbie could get a start on their order before they arrived, but other than that they continued to act almost giddy.

Brian was fortunate to snag a parking space on the block right in front of the Diner when they arrived. He got out of the Jeep and then waited on the sidewalk for his passenger, wrapping one arm familiarly around the youth’s waist as they walked together towards their destination. Justin loved that public show of intimacy. Of course, the moment he thought that, Brian, who was still dialed in to all Justin’s emotions, retaliated by using the fingers resting against his side to tickle him. Which is why they were both giggling like school girls as they tumbled through the front door of the Diner.

They plopped down on the first two stools at the lunch counter together, wearing matching, goofy grins, as Brian greeted the waitress who was staring at them in disbelief. “Hey, Deb. Is my order ready?” Brian asked with an open and honest smile that made him look ten years younger.

“Who the hell ARE you, and what have you done with Brian Kinney?” was Debbie’s shocked response.

“If you can’t remember who I am, maybe I need to chat with Mikey about looking into long-term nursing home care for you, Deb,” Brian teased, the little chortle of mirth taking away any possible sting from the words.

“Asshole,” Debbie replied with an answering smile. “I guess I just didn’t recognize you without your trademark scowl and the customary chip on your shoulder. It’s a nice change though.” Debbie turned around and yelled through the order window, “hey, Paul, where’s that to go order?”

“Two minutes, Deb,” the answer was yelled back.

“You and your gorgeous friend want something to drink while you’re waiting?” Deb asked, eyeing Justin with a question in her glance.

“Deb, Justin. Justin, Deb,” Brian introduced them in his typical brusque fashion. “And yeah, you can get him a soda and I’ll have a coffee for the road.”

“Justin, huh? You mean to tell me you know his name? That’s different,” Deb commented as she bustled around filling their drink order. 

“Justin isn’t a trick, Deb,” Brian immediately corrected with a beaming smile directed the youth’s way. “He’s . . . He’s a friend.”

Justin blushed and blasted them all with a smile so bright it was almost incandescent. Underneath the words he could sense the surge of affection Brian felt at the admission. Their connection was so strong now that he didn’t think either of them could ever escape it. It felt really good. Really. Like something that had become an integral part of him. And knowing that Brian was feeling it too made his happiness bubble over even more.

“He’s fucking adorable is what he is,” Deb added approvingly. “That smile seems familiar though. Don’t I remember you from somewhere before, Sunshine?”

“I came in here once, several months ago,” Justin reminded her. “After this one,” Justin poked Brian in the ribs, eliciting a squirm and a laugh, “blew me off. Your son, Michael, offered to console me with a cheeseburger . . . Right before he attempted to warn me off of Brian for good.” 

“Lucky for me you never listen to anyone cuz you’re such a stubborn little shit, right?” Brian smirked proudly at his boy.

“Yep. Lucky you,” Justin beamed back at him. “Now you’re stuck with me for life.”

And Brian Fucking Kinney, the man who normally would have shot down such an arrogant, overreaching statement faster than he kicked a trick to the curb after a Friday Night Blow Job, merely smiled back at the boy with such obvious affection that Debbie was temporarily shocked into silence. 

When she did find her voice again, and noted that Brian and his blond were still smiling loopily at each other, she just shook her head. “Ooooooookay. I repeat - what have you done with the real Brian Kinney?”

“I’m pretty sure we didn’t order a side of annoying commentary to go with the kid’s burger, Deb,” the man snarked, a bit of the old Brian finally showing through. “So, if you’ll kindly just hurry our food along, we can get the hell out of here and you can go back to bitching out the rest of your clientele.”

“There’s my big old grouchy stud,” Deb kidded as the cook rang the bell to indicate their order was finally ready. “Just had to check to make sure you’re still you, Brian.”

Brian stood up and pulled a few bills from his wallet without further comment. 

“Thanks, kiddo.” Deb rang up the sale and then turned to Justin, holding out the to go bag. “You take care of this one, Sunshine.”

Justin knew her words were meant as a warning of sorts, but he chose to intentionally misunderstand her. “I definitely plan to take care of him,” he answered with a possessive, full-wattage smile aimed at the tall brunet. 

In response, Brian reached out and grabbed hold of the blond’s hand, threading their fingers together, and didn’t let go.

Unfortunately, they didn’t make it all the way out of the restaurant. Just as Brian started to push open the door, the entrance was blocked by someone trying to enter. Brian stepped back to get out of the way, which allowed Michael Novotny room to come inside. Justin barely managed to hold back a groan; they had been so close to making a clean escape.

“Hey, Brian! I was just about to call you. Good timing, huh?” Michael burbled, leaning in to brush his lips against Brian’s in their usual greeting. “How did the ransom thing go? Did it work? You know, those things never go right in the movies. The bad guys pretty much always manage to outsmart the cops.”

The way Michael said it, he almost sounded like he was rooting for the kidnapper. Justin felt a surge of irritation from Brian that echoed his own. He couldn’t help but wonder if Michael was just clueless or if he was intentionally trying to get under Brian’s skin.

“It’s a long fucking story, Mikey,” Brian replied with a sigh. “One which I don’t have time for right now since I need to get this little truant back to school before he’s caught skipping again.” 

Brian used the hand he’d been holding onto to pull Justin forward, allowing Michael to see who it was Brian was referencing. Needless to say, Michael was NOT pleased to see the young empath again. The immediate surge of hatred and jealousy that hit Justin was almost staggering. Michael definitely had a problem with the fabled ‘green eyed monster’. Seriously, if looks could kill, Justin would have felt that look Michael was shooting at him like a bullet through the chest.

“What’s HE doing here? Again,” Michael whined.

“He came to back me up at the ransom drop,” Brian explained. “And it’s a good thing he did, cuz it ended up being a total shit show and I was glad to have the support.”

Again with the jealous glare that made Justin’s skin crawl. “You should have called me, Brian. I would have come with you.”

“I thought you said you had to work today?”

“Well, yeah, but I would have called in sick if you’d asked me to come with you.”

Justin wanted to interrupt and point out that a real friend wouldn’t have needed to be asked. A real friend would have known how hard the day was likely to be for Brian and would have made arrangements to be there in advance. Justin hadn’t needed to be asked. But he knew it wasn’t his place to say anything, so the teen simply bit his tongue and remained passively silent.

“So what happened, Brian? Tell me,” Michael insisted. 

Brian pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time and noted how late it was. “I have to get Justin all the way out to the ‘burbs by three, so I don’t have time to explain right now, Mikey. I’ll call you later.”

“Why don’t I just come with and you can explain on the way?” Michael offered, already backing out of the Diner and heading in the direction of the Jeep.

Justin groaned aloud. Brian huffed a little laugh and tugged the boy along by the hand he was still holding. Justin sensed that Brian was highly amused by the rivalry between his oldest friend and his newest lover. Justin briefly thought about calling him out on it, but before he could say a word, Brian used their empathic link to flood the boy with reassurance. Justin had nothing to worry about; what he and Brian had wasn’t something Michael would ever be able to replicate. Justin realized he’d never have to fight Michael for Brian’s attentions. 

And so Justin went without complaint. He didn’t even say anything when Michael insisted on riding shotgun, relegating the high schooler to the cramped back seat. He simply sat there, quietly noshing on the burger and fries Brian had bought for him, and listening with only half an ear as Michael monopolized the conversation all the way out to St. James’ Academy. 

“Hey, you!” Brian cautioned Justin with a backwards glare via the rear view mirror. “You better not get ketchup all over my fucking Jeep.” Justin smiled with his mouth open, displaying a gross mouthful of half-masticated burger, which caused the driver to laugh out loud. “Twat.”

Justin didn’t mind the reprimand. He understood that it was Brian’s way of letting Justin know he wasn’t being ignored or forgotten despite not being included in the conversation. Not that Justin would have had anything to say even if he’d been consulted. Michael had somehow managed to turn the conversation almost immediately from Gus and the ransom drop to his ongoing relationship troubles with his boyfriend, David. It sounded to the empath like this David was a bit of an asshole, to be honest. Justin didn’t understand what Michael saw in the guy. If only half of what he was complaining about was true, Justin would have broken up with the guy. And judging by the emotional responses he was reading from Brian, he wasn’t the only person who doubted that relationship would last. But, whatever. 

Meanwhile, Justin sat back and enjoyed the ongoing silent communion that was still happening between himself and Brian. Justin was thrilled how much more open Brian was after their breakthrough earlier that afternoon. He was also happy to note that Brian wasn’t even trying to close himself off anymore. He was just laying it all out there now; an open book, free for Justin to peruse at will. So even with Michael trying to ignore him and cut Justin out of the conversation, the boy had never felt so included. It was wonderful.

Maybe Justin’s mood was feeding back to Brian, or perhaps it was Brian’s renewed hopefulness about recovering his son, but everyone in the car just seemed happier on that drive. Justin was optimistic. Everything was going to turn out just fine. 

Even Mother Nature seemed to be in a better mood that afternoon and was cooperating by granting a distinct improvement in the weather. By the time they got to the area near Justin’s school it had become much warmer. The bright winter sun was shining down and the snow was starting to melt in earnest. Between the warmer weather and their shared emotional rapport it seemed that all was good. 

The lighter than usual traffic that afternoon was also contributing to the general sense of well-being, allowing them to make it all the way to the school with a good ten minutes to spare. Brian pulled up to the curb right in front of the building and hopped out so the back seat occupant could climb out as well. Right as Justin was about to reach over and pull his messenger bag from the back, however, he was distracted by Brian grabbing his hand and putting a small plastic object in it. Justin opened his palm and discovered it was one of those cheap grocery store burner phones. He looked up at Brian with surprise. 

“In case I need to get a hold of you and my mental telepathy is on the fritz,” Brian explained with a genuine smile.

“Oh, Brian. Thank you,” Justin gushed, so touched he was in danger of getting slightly moist. 

That phone was probably the most thoughtful thing Brian had ever done. And he’d obviously bought it before they’d known Gus was going to be okay. It meant that, even as worried and stressed out as Brian must have been over the past few days, he’d still taken the time to think about Justin. Basically, it was the sweetest gesture the love struck empath could imagine, and it endeared him to the outwardly gruff stud even more - as if that were possible. 

Justin determined right then and there that such thoughtfulness deserved a reward. Without even thinking about where they were, Justin pulled Brian around so the bigger man was pinned against the side of the Jeep, climbed to his tip toes, and landed a huge, smacking kiss on those beautiful crushed-cherry lips. Brian, of course, enthusiastically reciprocated. Then, for the next however-many-minutes, they got lost in themselves and that kiss, completely forgetting their surroundings. 

They didn’t come up for air until Mikey’s jeering interrupted. “Shit, Brian. Why don’t you just fuck him already and get it over with? Then maybe you’d finally get the kid out of your system and we could get rid of him.” 

Justin cringed at the burst of renewed jealousy that came along with Michael’s vituperative words and would have pulled away if Brian hadn’t wrapped him even tighter in his arms.

“I don’t think this is the kind of thing you can just ‘get out of your system’,” Brian whispered into the soft skin of Justin’s cheek. 

Justin thought he might melt right there on the spot. 

He might have, too, if the damned school bell hadn’t chosen that inopportune moment to ring. Within seconds, the doors were crashing open and a flock of students began to fly out of the building. Justin reluctantly pushed away from his lover’s embrace. 

Shit, he was so in love, it was ridiculous. So in love that the prospect of being separated from Brian physically hurt. He didn’t know how he was going to get through an entire night without touching him. This empathic bonding thing was great, but it might also kill him. 

“Later, Sunshine,” Brian said quietly, using the nickname Deb had bestowed on him back at the Diner. 

“Later,” he returned, backing slowly away from the Jeep, unwilling to break eye contact with Brian until the last possible moment, as he floated along on a surge of love that Brian couldn’t help but sense.

Brian stayed where he was, leaning sideways against the door of the Jeep, watching the blond’s retreat as the swarms of other students rapidly overtook him, and silently returning all the love that Justin was sending his way. 

Justin was so distracted by that love surge that at first he barely even registered the renewed swell of hatred and jealousy coming off Michael. He’d become desensitized to the angry little man’s antipathy, to some extent. But as Michael became more and more aware of the odd behavior his best friend was exhibiting, his resentment suddenly boiled over. Justin felt a wave of overwhelming hatred hit him. And for just a second, that hatred was redirected at Brian as well. A deep-seated, bitter, passionate resentment, obviously accumulated over years and years, which was so tied up with a similarly strong infatuation you couldn’t separate the two. There was so much raw animosity that it literally took Justin’s breath away and left him gasping right there on the sidewalk in front of his school. 

Clearly, Brian must have sensed Justin’s distress because he abandoned his relaxed posture leaning against the car and started walking towards Justin. Mikey was having none of that, though. He got out of the Jeep and, with a few jogging steps, easily caught up to his friend. Justin was far enough away that he shouldn’t have been able to hear Michael’s words, but it seemed the affinity between himself and Brian was now so strong he could actually see through his lover’s eyes and hear through his ears. Justin heard Michael ask where Brian was going and Brian fumbling to explain. Then Michael mentioned having to get back - something about needing to get ready for a date - distracting Brian from going after Justin. He looked over at the teen, but couldn’t detect anything outwardly wrong, and then looked back at Michael as if trying to suss out exactly what had his empath so twigged. Justin could sense Brian’s momentary confusion. 

“I’m glad the weather is shaping up,” Michael commented in his effort to distract Brian. “David doesn’t like to drive in the snow and I was worried he’d cancel our plans for tonight if it stayed too cold.”

As a way of underlining his comments, Michael started to unzip the heavy winter jacket he’d been wearing. 

Justin’s attention was diverted for a second by a honking horn coming from one of the cars that had just pulled up in front of the school. The car was a silver Audi, just like his dad drove, so he automatically started to move in that direction. He was torn between the desire to put as much distance between his father and Brian as possible, and his worry over those scary feelings that Michael had directed towards his lover. He didn’t know which way to walk. But, in the end, he figured Michael was the lesser of two evils. Yes, the man had a lot of hidden antipathy towards Brian, but hopefully their long friendship would override the negativity. And Craig had no such ambivalent sentiments towards Brian. 

However, as he neared the car he thought was his father’s, Justin couldn’t help but turn back one last time. He saw Brian staring his way and they both pulsed with a hidden longing for a few seconds more. Then Brian smiled and held a hand up in a silent gesture of farewell before getting back in the Jeep. Michael had watched all this with a worried expression, but when Brian got back in the car, he shot one last gloating look Justin’s way and then headed towards the passenger’s side door. He clearly thought he’d won that round and was leaving with the spoils, ie Brian.

Justin sighed and was just about to turn away himself when he saw Michael shrug off his bulky jacket and toss it over the back seat before getting in the car. 

It was no wonder Michael was too hot with that big coat on; underneath the jacket he had on a hoodie as well. A black hoodie . . . A black hoodie with the familiar Ironmen logo displayed across the chest . . .

The same black hoodie that Michael had been wearing a few days earlier when they’d all gone out to a bar together.

The same black hoodie, with an Ironmen logo, that the person who’d pulled the fire alarm at the museum had been wearing. 

The same person who must have been in on the scheme with the kidnapper, since they knew the kidnapper now had the ransom money. 

The same kidnapper who’d been complaining about a pile of unpaid bills that Brian wouldn’t help with. 

Just like Michael, who had been complaining about his mother’s and uncle’s unpaid bills to Brian.

“Fuck!” Justin gasped.

And in his panic he completely shut down the link between himself and Brian.  

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