The sun was shining as bright as a neon light on Broadway when Justin stepped out of the old pre-war building on St. Nicholas St. that he had been living in for the last six months. He could barely afford the $1100 a month rent on his studio apartment but he liked the location and neighborhood. He even appreciated the fact that this building had an elevator since a lot of the older buildings didn't. He lived on the top most floor so the elevator was a definite selling point.
When Justin had first moved to New York he had stayed briefly with a friend of Daphnes, his best friend from school days. That situation ended before the first month was over. Her friend was nice enough, but he was a slob extraordinaire and whined incessantly about the unfairness of life. A few weeks with him and Justin was pulling his beautiful blond locks out of his head. He had lucked out when he got word from Lindsay's old art gallery that a piece he had on display (that he had almost forgotten about) had sold for a ridiculously high price. Justin had used the $5,000 to go apartment hunting and found the perfect place in less than a week. By the time he had started his second month in the City he was happily ensconced in his new home.
One of the perks of his new apartment was its direct access to the roof. Justin liked nothing better than taking his art supplies, easel, and canvas to the roof on a good day and pouring his heart into his work. Another advantage was that, although the apartment was rather small, it had perfect lighting for an artist with a huge bay window that reminded Justin painfully of Brian's loft. The biggest perk of all was that the place was all his.
He was grateful to Ethan for one thing...the man had taught him how to furnish a place on a tight budget. Justin had managed to find all sorts of goodies that others had discarded as he explored his new home base. The only thing that he hadn't needed to buy or scrounge was the Queen size bed with the firm mattress and oversize pillows. That had been a house warming gift from Brian. Leave it to Brian to make sure that Justin had a comfortable bed, since he had taken advantage of the bed himself almost every weekend that Justin had lived at the apartment.
Justin had been chilled by Brian's words that last night in Pittsburgh before he left. Brian had said something ridiculous about 'never again' when talking about the two of them seeing each other. But it hadn't taken Justin long to realize that it was only Brian's way of protecting himself from the chance of being hurt more than he could bear. He had wanted to give Justin an out in case the young man had tired of him...the big goof!
After being gone for only a week Justin had threatened to use his limited funds to take the train back to Pittsburgh every weekend just to see Brian...and the others a little too, of course. That was on a Thursday night. Friday afternoon, a knock on the door of the place he shared with Daphne's friend revealed a tired Brian Kinney standing there with a sheepish grin on his face.
"I couldn't let you waste your hard earned money on me, Sunshine, so I decided to start earning some mega frequent flyer miles and New York City seemed as good a place as any to go to," he said, with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
That had been the beginning. Despite his hectic schedule in getting Babylon back on its feet and keeping his growing list of clients happy at Kinnetik, Brian had managed to visit Justin nearly every weekend with only a few exceptions. The visits had become even more of a pleasure when Justin moved to his own place and the men indulged their passion for each other over and over again that first night there.
And so it had gone...from that first night on St. Nicholas Street until last night. Last night was the first time since Justin had moved to New York that Brian had said he would be in town for another visit and then not shown up. There had been other times when Brian could not make it, but he had always given Justin a heads up as quickly as he could. This time Justin hadn't heard a word. Brian was supposed to arrive on his flight by eight p.m. and Justin had waited anxiously to see his lover again. He had made a light supper of a wilted spinach salad just for Brian (he preferred heartier fare himself) but the hours sped by and no Brian. Justin had checked the airlines and discovered the plane was on time.
By eleven, Justin was feeling nervous. He called Ted who confirmed that Brian had a reservation on the exact flight Justin expected. He had seen Brian at the office that day and even discussed the floor show at Babylon for the weekend. He told Justin that the man seemed normal enough albeit extremely tired, although he hadn't hung around the office all day and he had no appointments that Ted knew about with clients. He had actually spent less than half a day at the office according to Ted. Other than that, Brian's second in charge could give him no more information.
By midnight, Justin wanted desperately to make some more calls but he didn't know who to. He wouldn't dream of calling the Novotny/Bruckner house. Michael was a worry wart and it wasn't time yet to get his motor started. Emmett wouldn't know any more than Ted probably. The girls were gone. He considered Debbie, but if Brian was fine he'd be really pissed at Justin for bringing Debbie into his worries. She'd be calling the cops out, headed by Carl, and ordering them to find her missing boy.
Finally, around one a.m. Justin passed out from exhaustion on his little divan that he had gotten from a thrift shop. The night had been long and filled with an unnerving dream that would rouse Justin for a few minutes before he would drift off, just to wake an hour later with another one. When the morning came Justin woke early and felt no better than he had when he had fallen asleep. He started to think that maybe Brian had finally gotten tired of all the long distance part time lover crap and decided he needed to make some changes. If that was true...why hadn't the man just told him that? Justin knew it would break his heart and he would never be the same after that, but at least he would know where he stood. Where was Brian's brutally honest self right now, he asked himself as he stepped out of his apartment building with the intention of going to his favorite bakery two blocks down for his morning coffee and muffins? What he didn't know was that he was right about Brian's feelings about their arrangement. He was about to find out.
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Brian was wiped out. After all, he would be thirty six on his next birthday. He wasn't a kid anymore. Oh, he was still a stud...healthy and in good shape...but he really was taking on more than he could chew. The first few months of juggling Kinnetik, Babylon, and Justin, after the blond beauty had left the city, had been fun in a manic kind of way. But now Brian found himself getting more and more burned out from all the responsibilities. He had finally reached the stage of knowing that something had to give...but what? That was the question.
Brian would never give up Kinnetik, that was a given. Who he was as a man was in that company that Justin had named so aptly. It was his child and he had watched it grow to something he could be enormously proud of. No, Kinnetik stayed. That left Justin or Babylon. Well, he thought to himself, there was no contest there! Giving up Justin would be like giving up air, water, and food and still trying to stay alive! That wasn't happening!
He loved Babylon. The memories in that place brought huge smiles to his face. He had been King of Babylon without ever being crowned. His youthful identity was tied up in the place. Owning it had been a hell of a lot more fun than he would ever admit to anyone (except maybe Justin). But Babylon was a toy in a grown man's playground. He didn't need his toy anymore. He had found something much better to play with...and spend time with, and have fun with.
Brian wanted Justin...and not just for the weekends. He wanted him all the time, day in and day out. He wanted to be in the same city, the same home, the same bed with his Sunshine on a permanent basis. With that thought in mind, Brian had gone to work on Friday with only one goal and that was to get the ball rolling on an idea that he had been nurturing for several months now.
Brian left his office early and kept a lunch meeting he had made without telling anybody. His lunch date was with a young lady who worked for a New York leasing agency. She had made sure to bring plenty of postings for Brian to check out for office spaces for a new branch of Kinnetik that included living spaces. There were several that caught Brian's attention and the two made plans for Brian to check out the sites the following week.
After lunch Brian met with Jennifer. Brian swore the woman to secrecy and then set up plans to list Britin with her. He had toyed with the idea of selling the loft too or instead of the estate, but remembering how upset Justin had been when he thought Brian would sell the loft before made him back off that idea. He figured that someday he would buy Justin an even bigger and better estate when the time was right.
Brian was more eager than he had ever been to catch his six thirty p.m. flight. He had spent the next few hours getting packed, showering, and working out plans on how to divest himself of Babylon and inform his employees at Kinnetik of the changes. By four he was stretched out on his couch holding the ring box that he still had with his and Justin's wedding rings inside. He opened the box and stared at the gleaming circles nestled closely together in their bed of white satin. As his mind wandered to those precious weeks when he and Justin were engaged to be married, his eyes misted slightly and he closed them tightly with a sigh.
Brian never knew when his mind went blank and he drifted off to sleep. He dreamed of Justin, held tightly in his arms...Justin with his lips pressed firmly to his...Justin moaning his name in ecstasy...Justin holding his face in his hands and telling him that he loved him over and over again...Justin smiling at him with all the trust he felt for him shining through his clear blue eyes.
The hours dragged by as Brian's body finally gave in to its desperate need for rejuvenation.
Brian woke with a start nearly twelve hours later. After shaking the cobwebs from his brain and cursing himself mightily for conking out without even giving Justin a call, he made a quick decision not to bother the young man so early in the morning. He was probably still sound asleep anyway. Brian figured he'd be there before Justin got up since he was such a late riser.
A quick call assured Brian of a seat on the next plane out and Brian rushed around to get ready to leave. The thought of Justin's face when he heard what Brian had decided was enough to lend wings to Brian's feet and in no time he was at the departure gate for his plane to New York City and the start of a whole new life.
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Justin had finished his breakfast and was now headed back home. He had brought his cell with him in hopes that it would ring with Brian at the other end. Nothing. Justin tried hard not to feel abandoned but it was becoming more difficult with each passing minute. As he walked home he decided that enough was enough. When he got back to his place he was going to sit down and call everyone he could think of. He didn't care what Brian thought. He was worried about Brian and it was the man's own fault.
He was still musing on who to call first as he approached his building. A cab stood in front of the entryway. Justin moved to the door when he heard a familiar and welcome voice behind him. He turned around and saw Brian stepping out of the cab, turning to hand a single large bill to the driver.
"Keep the change," he informed the man, who grinned from ear to ear when he saw the hundred dollar bill and sped off before his customer could realize what he'd given him.
"Brian!" Justin shouted, rushing headlong into the brunets opening arms and nearly knocking him to the ground.
"Whoa there Sunshine!" Brian had been sure that Justin would be pissed at him for not calling or showing up last night and he had prepared himself to do some fancy dancing before the big reveal of his plans, but this greeting had taken him by surprise.
Justin began laying kisses all over Brian's face, his frustration with his lover all but forgotten in his relief that the man was still alive and breathing. A few minutes later he came to an abrupt halt. He pushed himself away from Brian and put on the angriest face he could muster under the circumstances.
"You shit," he shouted at a startled Brian. "What the fuck were you thinking...not calling me or telling me you'd be late. Do you have any idea how worried I'd be. What the hell makes you think I have nothing better to do than sit around and wait on you. And what did happen...and this better be good. Do you know how close I came to calling the whole gang, including Debbie, just to make sure you were still alive. Wh......."
Brian grabbed his lover back into his arms, planting a firm kiss hard on his mouth. Justin gave a half hearted attempt to pull away but then gave up and kissed Brian back. When Brian finally broke their kiss he gave his beautiful blond a huge shit-eating grin.
"I missed you too, Justin. Let's grab my bag and you take me up to your place where I promise you can punish me anyway you like after I tell you my story. Sound like a plan?"
Justin took a split second to consider the offer, then grabbed the bag from the ground where it had been dumped when Justin had attacked Brian.
"Don't think I won't take you up on your offer...the punishment I mean, you jerk," Justin said as he turned towards the front door, hiding his own grin from Brian.
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It had taken Brian several attempts to complete his story to an awe struck Justin. Every time he added another detail, Justin couldn't help interrupting with more questions. Finally Brian had reached the point that he had been longing for the whole time. The men had been sitting on Justin's old divan facing each other with an occasional touch to the face, arm, leg, or chest. All of a sudden, Brian paused. He slid from the couch and went down on one knee. He fished in his pants pocket for a moment and then brought out a familiar looking little box. Justin froze.
"Justin Taylor...will you marry me, for real this time?" Brian asked with his tongue poking out his cheek and a smile that was every bit as beautiful as Justin's trademark.
"Brian?"
"The answer is yes, but you have to be the one to say it," Brian whispered out loud.
Justin remained as still as a statue for a few more heartbeats and then threw himself onto Brian's body, wrapping himself around the man as tightly as he could.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!...Wait, you're not just saying this to keep me from being pissed at you for last night, right?"
"Wha...?"
"I'm just kidding," Justin laughed. He slowed himself down and looked Brian in the face with all the seriousness this moment needed. "Brian, I can't think of anything that would make me happier than belonging to you in every way, including legal. Not that I haven't belonged to you since that night under a lamp post years ago."
Brian pulled Justin's face to his again and this time their kisses lingered until that extraordinary heat that only they could generate between themselves began to build again. That night they made love on the floor, then the bathtub, then the bed in a way that they had only done once before...the night they had parted before Justin caught his first plane to New York City.
************************************************
Everyone was fidgety. Debbie sat in the front pew of the Metropolitan Community Church and did her best to remain calm. She held her fistful of tissues tight in her hand, knowing she was going to need them any minute. Carl tapped her gently on her leg, reminding her that he was there to support her. Michael, Ben, and Hunter sat beside them. Michael still didn't believe it and had even made a hundred dollar bet with Ben that the ceremony would never go through. It wasn't that he didn't want it to happen...it was that he didn't believe it would happen.
Across the aisle sat Daphne with her steady, Marc, and Jennifer with her fiancee' Tucker. Molly sat prettily next to her Mom. Craig Taylor was conspicuously absent, but no one gave a care about that.
Debbie laughed when she heard Emmett sniffling behind her. She was about to offer him a tissue when she heard Drew offer it first. They had just started dating again last month and it did Debbie's heart good to see it. Ted and Blake held hands tightly as they remembered the commitment ceremony they had just had two months before.
Mel and Linds sat behind Jennifer doing their best to keep an excited Gus calm. Luckily, toddler JR was sound asleep in her Mommy's arms. The rest of the dozen or so pews were filled with co-workers, new and old friends, and clients of the happy couple.
Suddenly the music started. A deep rich voice began to sing the lyrics to 'Flying Without Wings' by Westlife. That was it...sniffles could already be heard muted by the music. Gasps could be heard when doors on either side of the altar opened and out stepped a beaming Brian and equally beautiful Justin. The men moved towards each other slowly until they stood facing each other in front of the minister. They clasped hands.
The minister spoke. "Friends, we are gathered here today to witness this union between Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor who have chosen this path to bind their hearts together for a lifetime. They have written their own vows and will declare themselves to you at this time."
Brian spoke first. "Justin, I come to you humbly with all that I am and all that I'll ever be to lay at your feet. You already own my heart..." he turned to the audience..."which some doubted I had, including myself." He turned back to Justin. "But you showed me that I not only had one but that it was in good working order. You refused to give up on me, no matter what I did to scare you away...and for that I owe you everything. It took almost losing you a second time to pull a declaration of love out of me, but I've never wanted to look back. It was the smartest thing I have ever done in my life. I know I'll act the fool again occasionally, but I also know that you'll be there to pull me up when I fall and stand with me through good or bad times. I trust you Justin...more than anything in my life. I admire and respect you....I love you, in every sense of the word. That is why I bind my life to yours this day. Whatever life has in store for me, I want to share it with you."
Justin spoke next. "Brian, I come to you humbly with all that I am and all that I'll ever be to lay at your feet. I've never been very good at hiding my feelings, so you've known for a very long time how I feel about you. But those feelings were youthful exuberance compared to what I feel now. I respect you more than any other person I know, and always have. You're a man of his word and honest to the point of frustration." There were numerous Amens from the audience. "I like you for who you are...a man who is willing to fight for what he believes in and who he believes in. The day I met you, I sensed that this was a man I could trust with my life. I've never regretted my decision to go with you that first night. I fell in love that night and that love only grew with the years. I expect it to grow even more with all the years before us. That is why I bind my life to yours this day. Whatever life has in store for me, I want to share it with you."
The minister removed two rings from his pocket. He handed the large one to Justin and the smaller to Brian.
Brian took Justin's left hand in his and placed the ring on his finger. "With this ring, I make you my own from this day forward and for all time."
Justin took Brian's in turn and placed the ring on his finger. "With this ring, I make you my own from this day forward and for all time.
The minister spoke last. "I now pronounce you life mates in our eyes. You may now kiss your husband."
Brian and Justin came together with the background noises of wild thunderous applause and weeping. They heard only the sound of their own hearts as they beat in time with each other. As they parted, Brian looked down into the shining blue eyes that he now knew he'd wake up to for the rest of his life.
"I love you, Justin...forever!"
"And longer, Brian!"
The end (or should I say...the beginning!)