Chapter 7

The Chill Pill

They went to Babylon for a while but the delights of sweaty, muscular men, or the easy sex if the back room were lost to them…this time.

“So who was that?” Justin asked on their way home…uhhh…Brian’s place. Justin gave himself a shake. I wouldn’t do to start thinking along those lines.

“Anita,” answered Brian shortly.

“Anita who?” asked Justin conversationally.

“Anita Blowjob!!” Brian yelled, Never you mind who she is!”

“Well, all right, Brian! I was just asking!” Justin said. He turned away.

The ride back to the loft was much different than the others. There was no hand holding, no intimacy, no head resting on Brian’s chest and Justin didn’t pretend to fall asleep with his head of Brian’s shoulder. Instead, he remained facing away, looking out his side of the window.

Brian sighed. “Remember the “Special K” I offered you the first night?” At Justin’s nod, he continued, “Anita is my go to person for those and other drugs when I don’t want to bother going to the doctor about. Most of them…recreational.”

“Ohhhh…you shouldn’t take recreational drugs or drugs not prescribed or recommended by a doctor. Self prescribing drugs can also be very dangerous,” Justin said seriously.

“Oh my! Well, I wasn’t aware I had accidentally turned on the After School Special Network! Now…where’s that remote?” Brian pulled out an invisible remote, pointed it pointedly at Justin and said “CLEEEEK! There we go!! Much better!”

“Is that why you didn’t want me coming over with you? Didn’t want me to stop you from getting high!” Justin’s voice was rife with bitterness.

“I didn’t want you there because I didn’t want to make you an accomplice. What I was doing wasn’t legal. Besides, Anita and her gang are criminals. And you’re a…military…and…and…what you are! I thought putting you two in the same room would be like putting a cat and a dog together in a burlap sack.”

“Hmmm….good point.” Justin thought it over.

“Besides…I wasn’t getting high or anything to get me high this time.”

“What were you getting then?”

“Under the counter pills. They’re usually prescribed to insomniacs. They’re rather strong sedatives.”

B*J*B*J*B*J*B*J*

Well, to say Justin had a big problem with this was a huge understatement.

“Brian! You cannot take someone else’s sedatives! You could die! What if they’re too strong!?” he yelled for what seemed like the millionth time.

“You’re the one who wanted me to be asleep. Well, I’ll be asleep. Tell me you’ve changed your mind and these go in the garbage. Otherwise, I’m willing to take the risk.” Was all Brian would reply.

But Justin could not relent.

Eventually, they made it back to the loft. Justin tried another tactic.

“GIVE ME THOSE PILLS!!!” he yelled and jumped his best ninja jump at Brian’s face.

However, Brian loved his face dearly and merely dodged neatly out of the way.

“YAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!” Justin screamed as he flew across the room, knocked over a lamp with his outstretched foot, and landed neatly yet upside down in Italian leather.

From where he sat with his head over the bottom of the armchair, Justin struggled to right himself. But it was no use. While he struggled, Brian popped the top, shook out a pill and flipped it in the air like a coin. He caught it on the way down and swallowed. Then he re-capped the bottle and dropped it down the front of his pants.

“You’re welcome to come and get it,” he leered suggestively.

“Hmmmphh….Dirty trick,” Justin grumbled.

“This coming from the ninja kicker,” commented Brian mildly. “By the way, you might want to keep it down. There’s a noise ordinance. And watch my stuff.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Justin answered sarcastically, “Although your priorities are a big garbled now, aren’t they? Now that you’ve just taken your life into your hands!”

“You’re so negative! I prefer…” Brian yawned, “I prefer to be a cup half full kinda guy. Now…think of it this way. You have all evening to work or play in a luxury apartment… out of the winter cold…without my…my supervision. Just make sure you leave me with something I can show my clients. I think…I think…this should cover tonight.” He pulled out several hundred dollars and put it on the kitchen island. He yawned hugely. “Wow…this is hitting me quick!”

“Prescription sedatives! Imagine that!” Justin said.

Brian kicked off his shoes and made his way quickly over to a painting. Behind it was a safe and he entered the combo quickly, pulled down his pants and put the pills inside. He locked them in.

He stepped out of his pants and padded nude from the waist down over to the bed. He sat down. He yawned even wider and longer than before.

“Oh Brian! You foolish, foolish man! Couldn’t you have just gone to sleep!” Justin rushed over.

“Nope…we would have ended up fucking…And I need you to….to work more hours than…than that would let us. Tole ja…desperate…don’t care …doesn’t matter…what happens…to me.”

“Don’t ever say that again! Do you understand me! You matter! You matter!”

‘Not to you. Not anymore.” Brian yawned, smiled hugely and winked sloppily. I am glad though…glad I met you…I just…” He yawned again.

“You just what? You just what!!?”

“I just…just wish…”

“Just wish …what?” asked Justin, shaking him a little to keep him awake.

“I…just……wish……...”

Brian fell back onto the bed, out cold.

B*J*B*J*B*J*B*J*

The first thing Justin did was rush into the bathroom and search out a mirror. He found a shaving mirror hanging on the showerhead and brought it back to the bed

After making sure Brian was still within the land of the living, he sighed in relief and frustration. He stripped the Stud and put him under the covers.

Then he turned to his work in distaste. They were in the exact same state as they were the last time he had seen them. Two easels were blank. One had a pair of hiking boots with it and said outdoorsy? That would need to be scrapped. The last one was with a pair of heels and there it appeared Brian had hit rock bottom for written simply was: Use drag queens? Justin laughed out loud, a musical, elfish laugh.

“Oh Brian…why must everything boil down to sex with you?” Justin murmured.

Of course, Brian was drugged and comatose (well, almost) and could not answer.

Justin closed his eyes and let his imagination paint the colors and ideas and then he let his fingers translate them onto the canvas. He loved this feeling, the freedom and quiet and colors that painted themselves onto the back of his eyelids. It was the one time of the day when he felt truly happy. A time when he felt utterly free.

In spite of the circumstances, Justin was glad they had done this and that he was able to start so early. Every so often though, he’d look over, make sure Brian was a nice pink color and every hour he’d check on him with the mirror.

Justin worked steadily in this way for several hours. He easily filled up 3 of the canvases and was halfway through his ideas on the fourth when he took a break. He took a beer from the fridge and found a take out box full of Thai that was not…horrible. He microwaved it and ate it along with the beer and relaxed in the Italian leather armchair. Brian was right. This was better than Woody’s or walking to and fro on the streets or his own shithole apartment.

After he finished the Thai, he stretched, cleaned up and washed his hands. He brought the beer back to the last canvas and finished up in a more leisurely way.

Brian slept on, he had curled into the covers and was hugging his other pillow in a death grip. He was smiling. He was dreaming a wonderful dream.

“Sunshine….” he whispered, “Ohhh…Sunshine…..”

Justin stilled. He was dreaming…of him?

He went over to the bed and prodded Brian. “Brian! Brian! Are those things wearing off? Are you awake?”

Brian stirred and rolled over but he didn’t wake. “Mmmmmmmm….made you dinner Sunshine….never….never did that before…never made dinner…..for….anyone….” He fell back deeply asleep and didn’t stir again.

“First I must look over what must be done…..then we can fuck…..You get artwork done…and I get my ass plowed. Nothing more.”

His own words came back to him and this time Justin could hear how crude, how ugly they were especially to one who had made a home cooked meal for the first time. To one who had dressed nice, and made his hair neat on purpose instead of messy on purpose. To one who had given up on tricking and dancing at Babylon ( a huge imposition on the Stud’s part, Justin was sure.)

At the moment, something inside the artist melted a little and the defenses he had learned to put up against the Brians of this world dropped a little. Just a little, mind you, but a little. He no longer felt the hostility and anger he did before and he forgave the Stud for throwing him out. Had their positions been reversed he now could easily see doing the same thing.

“Oh Brian….if I’d only known…” Justin murmured.

He returned to his work rested and refreshed and with a happier mindset. The ideas flowed even faster and more colorful now and Justin was soon done the grunt-work.

By this time it was about 11 pm. Justin stripped down to his underwear, set his phone alarm to 5 am and slid under the sheets. He lay on the other side of the pillow that Brian held with a death grip. Justin reached around and stroked his downy, tawny hair.

“Oh Brian…I’m so sorry,..” he whispered and then settled down for a short winter’s nap.

Of course, somewhere along the way, Brian discovered the blond boys arm…his shoulder….his neck…his chest. Still deep in slumber, the pillow was summarily abandoned and Brian pressed himself against a real blond boy elf.

And, God help him….Justin let him.

B*J*B*J*B*J*B*J*

At 5 am, Justin’s gentle alarm went off.

Justin awoke and quickly shut it off. He turned and checked on Brian.

The man was still rosy pink and was breathing deep and contentedly against his neck. He smiled the smile of pure content. His eyes flickered in REM sleep.

Well, whatever those pills did at least they weren’t strong enough to kill him. Justin sighed in relief.

Quietly and carefully, he extricated himself from the bed and took a quick shower. He dressed and set Brian’s phone and his clock radio both for 6 am making sure he picked the loudest and most annoying alarms possible. Then he made sure he had everything, left a quick note, grabbed the cash from the counter and got out of there, making sure the lock would engage as he shut the door.

B*J*B*J*B*J*B*J*

Brian was making dinner for Justin but the boy was too randy to wait for him, cooped up in the kitchen.

“No worries! I’ll take it from here,” said the turkey, so Brian handed the baster over and shut the oven door and let the turkey stew in its own juices and squirt itself with the baster to boot. Then he left the wooden spoons in charge of chopping the vegetables. One of them caught the eye of a dinner plate and together the dish ran away with the spoon out the door, which was open for some reason.

“Can you believe this is the first time I‘ve cooked dinner for someone,” Brian asked, sweeping Justin into his arms. Justin was wearing a tuxedo with a charcoal blue bow tie.

“I’m shoo you’ll be a shoe-in,” said Justin.

They began to dance. They danced through the living room and somehow they didn’t hit any of the furniture. They danced out the french doors onto the ballroom sized balcony. Brian gloried at the wind on his face and Justin was in his arms and he felt so hard and real.

“Justin you feel so good,” Brian murmured.

“Shoes,” said Justin. He was naked.

When had that happened? Brian looked down. He was naked too. So that was all right then.

Brian kissed Justin soundly. He moved down to his neck and tried to give him a hickey but his tongue couldn’t reach.

“Your burning is dinner,” said Justin.

The dinner! Brian turned to find the kitchen but it was gone. Brian ran and ran but didn’t get anywhere and suddenly he was in train station. He ran and ran some more and he saw a door. He went through and he was back in the ball room. There was a door standing in the middle of it.

Brian went through this door and he was in Woody’s. It was crowded and noisy but no-one seemed to mind that he was naked.

He ran through Woody’s, ran out the door and was back in the ball room. There was another door. He went through this one and in his conference room. Cynthia was there.

“Put a ring on his finger,” she said.

“It’s no use. He wouldn’t even eat dinner,” he replied.

“Ohhh…..I’m leaving…I’m going back to Ryder’s.” She walked out a door in the back.

“No! Wait a minute!” Brian felt a surge of panic. He ran after her through the door and was back on the balcony. There was another door.

This happened many times. But he was always somewhere else, the gym, work, Ryder’s office, the docks, Babylon, the back room, a castle throne room, or just back to the balcony. Over and over.

Finally he opened a door and Justin was back. He was wearing a tuxedo again.

Brian went up to him and took him in his arms. “It’s no use. I can’t find your dinner.”

“That’s ok. It doesn’t really---BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP----“

The Beep was so loud. It grew louder and louder and the more Brian tried to hold onto Justin, the more he kept making that terrible high pitched beep sound.

Brian opened his eyes. There was another even higher BEEPBEEPBEEP----BEEPBEEPBEEP----BEEPBEEPBEEP….

His body felt like a thousand pounds. But the beeps were bringing him round. He was in bed. It was a dream. And now it was morning.

B*J*B*J*B*J*B*J*

Eventually he found the offending devices and turned them off. Even more eventually he dragged himself to the shower where he sat under scalding, then freezing water to wake up all the way. And he still felt a thousand pounds.

Of course, Justin was gone. He saw the remains of the elf’s excursion into his fridge. He didn’t begrudge that.

And in his place he had left fabulous ads. Now these he could take and actually show his face at work with! Fabulous!

And best of all there was note left on one of them.

Brian,

I’ve had a slight change of heart.

I hope the ads are good. Let me know how they do.

The Diner at 6pm Let’s talk about dinner…Round 2.

If you want, I’ll cook you something. I can make Jumbalaya.

J

TBC