Chapter 30 - Return to New York.

Life seemed so great for both men for the first few days after they got back to NYC. They both felt so close. The time they’d spent together in Pittsburgh had strengthened their connection. Brian was feeling much more confident about this whole relationship thing, too. If he could handle being ‘Out and Proud’ about his boyfriend in front of the Liberty Avenue gang, then he could easily handle it back here in the relative obscurity of the big city.

Not only was his personal life solid, but being with Justin was doing wonderful things for Brian’s career as well. They’d spent most of the flight home working up a new marketing idea for a Pittsburgh company called Electric Owl Studios - a new technology firm that was spun off from CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center that makes interactive kiosks to entertain children while they wait at doctor’s offices. Brian had seen a blurb on the company in the local business magazine while they were waiting for their flight. After a little online research, Brian was assured this was the perfect company to benefit from his special approach. Kennedy & Collins already had several clients in the medical technology field so there was always the possibility of tie-in marketing with one of those bigger firms. As soon as Brian voiced his interest in the company and showed Justin the website, the young artist took off with the ideas. Before they’d landed in New York the two men had an entire campaign roughed out complete with some wonderful artwork from Justin that blended perfectly with the graphics used in the kiosks. Brian had presented the idea the following day to his boss - who’d loved the idea - and by the end of the week, Brian had signed the company as a new client. He was definitely the fastest rising star at Kennedy & Collins.

Justin, meanwhile, was over-the-moon with excitement at how well his artwork was being received by the critics at the advertising firm. He’d received another check for his freelance work on Electric Owl Studios which went a long way towards making him feel more secure financially. More important than the money, though, was the encouragement and inspiration he felt every time Brian showed interest in Justin’s work.

Outside of school, nobody had ever shown Justin that much support. Ever since he’d made the decision to leave Dartmouth and pursue a career in the desperately uncertain world of professional art, Justin had been on his own. His father had disowned him for taking that step. His mother, although less judgmental, had still cautioned her son against the decision because she worried he’d have a tough time. Daphne hadn’t judged him, but she wasn’t really a part of the art world, so her encouragement was a little empty. However, Brian WAS involved in the world of art every day and he really knew his stuff. Brian’s overt pride in Justin’s work did more than anything else to help bolster the young artist’s confidence and reassure him that his decision to concentrate on his art wasn’t the disaster that everyone else told him it would be.

All this happiness and satisfaction meant that the boys were still lying in bed late on Sunday morning, enjoying themselves, completely unprepared for their world to come to an abrupt change.

*Bounce, bounce, bounce . . . *

*Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .*

*Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .*

Brian put his hand down under the covers and held Justin’s bobbing head still for a moment. “Sunshine, I can’t concentrate on what you’re doing with your fuzzball making all that fucking noise. Can’t you DO something? It’s messing up the perfect blow job here!”

*Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .*

“I thought you’d be happy that Winston is keeping himself amused and out of our hair,” Justin teased, turtling his head up from beneath the duvet and smiling at the sounds coming from the front room.

*Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .*

“But it’s been going on for almost an hour. How long can he keep this up? It’s driving me bonkers, Sunshine,” Brian complained just as another *Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .* came echoing through the air.

Justin had to admit the repetitive bouncing noises were just a bit bothersome. Winston had apparently found one of those little plastic bouncy balls, the kind that were small enough that he could pick it up in his little furry mouth, and had come up with the idea of jumping up onto the top of the dining room table, dropping the ball so that it bounced across the table, down onto the seat of one of the chairs and then onto the floor. Winston would then chase madly after the ball, which was never allowed to completely escape, bat it around on the floor, pounce on, chew it a few times to make sure it had learned it’s lesson and then carry it back up to the top of the table to start the whole process over again. The *Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .* was the noise of the little ball cascading down off the table over and over and over again.

“Just ignore the cat, Brian. I’m sure that what I have planned should be enough to keep your attention for a few minutes,” Justin purred, throwing back the blankets and slowly trailing his tongue up Brian’s torso starting at his navel, leaving behind curly trails of saliva to decorate Brian’s beautiful taut tan skin.

Brian let the tickling sensation of Justin’s tongue lull him back into a more complacent mindframe and he settled back into the pillows, determined to block out the cat’s antics. It was going very well, too, for the first little while. Justin was engaged in nibbling his way slowly over to one hard brown little nub of a nipple, the cool air and wetness from his mouth causing Brian’s skin to stipple with delicious waves of tingly pleasure. The creative little artist found the spot he was looking for, but just teased Brian with a flicking tongue for several seconds before Brian’s groan told him he had the man’s full attention.

While sucking hard on Brian’s one nipple, he lightly tickled the other with his hand, barely touching the very tip of the delicate, highly sensitized skin and causing Brian to arch up into his hand, desperate for more. Sucking hard, Justin stretched out his body along the supple lengths of Brian’s long frame and reveled in the feeling of all that heated flesh coming into contact with his own. Every centimeter where their bodies touched vibrated with urgency and the need for more contact. The length of hardness pressed against his own crotch told him how clearly he had captivated Brian’s interest.

Justin finally felt safe and decided to work his way up towards Brian’s tempting raspberry red lips. He bit at the tender skin along the way, leaving pretty little red marks all along Brian’s collarbone and up his neck. Justin felt a tiny twinge of guilt at marking his man like this, but he hoped that the red would fade enough to be barely visible against Brian’s olive-toned skin by morning - if not, he was bound to hear a complaint or two from his image conscious companion. But, Brian just tasted so good, it was impossible to stop himself from indulging in every single nip, lick, and mouthful. Sometimes Justin felt that he could devour Brian whole.

When Justin pressed hard with his tongue against the pulse point at the crook between Brian’s neck and shoulder, Brian shuddered. They’d been together for such a short time, but already Justin knew almost every one of his most erogenous spots. Brian let the glow that Justin’s talented mouth started, radiate out through every hyped up neuron in his body. Somehow there seemed to be a direct link between that one spot on his neck and his leaking, steel hard cock. Brian pressed his aching dick against Justin’s own equally impressive stiffy, happily rutting away with sheer abandon, allowing the pulsing repetitive pressure to quickly grow between them.

Brian was so lost in the feelings that were coursing through him that he didn’t even hear the next *Bounce, bounce, bounce . . .* coming through the open bedroom door. However, as Justin started to reach towards the nightstand to grab a condom out of the nearby bowl, they both hear a muffled *thump* and then a very distinctive *MERRrrrrrrlll*. The growling cat noises didn’t abate, either. In fact, they were moving closer to the bedroom doorway. Not even Justin could ignore the hissing Winston at this point and he rolled off Brian, seriously worried that his cat was having a seizure or something. Maybe he swallowed the bouncy ball . . .

Just then a snarling and hissing cat, with all his pointy parts out and the hair on his arched back all standing on end, sidled into sight, framed by the doorway. He was standing there as if guarding the bedroom from some encroaching, rabid rodent, giving ground only grudgingly as something that clearly was unwelcome approached. Brian and Justin were now sitting up in bed, the duvet clutched to Justin’s chest, waiting with bated breath to see what evil thing had invaded their home.  

Finally, Winston had been pushed far enough. He plopped his furry behind down just inside the bedroom door, raised up on his haunches with one claw held up showing four long and very well sharpened talons. A heartbeat later, a menacing large shadowy form moved into sight in the hallway at the same moment that Winston let out a piercing, panther-like scream that made both men cringe, and launched himself at the threatening shadow with claws fully extended and kitty fangs bared!

“Shit! FUCK! OW, OW, OW, OW. GET IT OFF OF ME! FUCKING CAT!” came the screams of the unknown intruder.

Brian had already leapt out of bed, ready to run off to assist the fearless cat in defending their home from whatever menace was attacking. Of course, Brian was butt naked and armed only with an extra-large pump-top bottle of lube, but his brave spirit hadn’t really allowed him to take that into consideration when he made the split second decision to run to Winston’s aid. Justin was right behind his man, also naked but even less prepared to fight off the assailant, seeing as the only thing he had in his hands was an unopened condom packet. Justin did do the most helpful thing of all, though, flipping on the hallway light as he emerged from the bedroom.

As the light flooded the scene, Brian and Justin got a good look at the intruder, who was too busy trying to dislodge the guard-cat’s claws and teeth from his ankle to look up at the moment. The man who was unsuccessfully trying to fight off a very aggressive Winston was fairly tall, with light brown hair, a strongly formed chin with just a hint of a cleft and well-muscled upper body. The guy was wearing a silly little black mask that covered the area around his eyes but didn’t in any way disguise his identity. As soon as the light made it possible to identify the attacker, Justin froze in place, watching while first his cat and then his man took on the terrifying masked foe.

Justin looked on in horror as Winston finally got a good opening and clamped his teeth onto a vulnerable open piece of shin. At the exact same moment, Brian threw the heavy bottle of lube at the man, the pump-top exploding off upon impact and spraying the attacker everywhere with the finest quality lube available. Taken completely off guard, the invader fell backwards, landing on his rear as the dual team of Brian and Cat loomed over him, ready to strike again if he showed any further signs of aggression.

Justin, standing behind the advance forces, was trying to hold back his laughter. The man lying on the ground was looking up at all of them with a terrified expression, his arm half raised to try to fend off any possible attacks to his face. It appeared that the defenders had easily won the day and the apartment was going to remain a safe haven for the two lovebirds and their very protective cat.

“Justin?” the pathetic heap of invader on the floor pleaded when he eventually got a glimpse of the blond huddled against the wall trying to control his irreverent glee.

“Hey, Connor,” Justin managed to say with another chuckle. “Brian, I’d like to introduce my Ex - Connor James. Connor, this is Brian Kinney, and of course, you remember Winston?”

“Fucking cat . . .” the subdued invader mumbled as he rubbed at his bleeding ankle, and flinched again when the mere sound of his protesting voice caused Winston to take one more swipe at him with all claws extended.

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Fifteen minutes later, once the boys had some pants on and Connor had put a bandage on his bloody ankle, they were all sitting around the table drinking coffee. Winston had been partially mollified - as soon as Connor had removed the stupid little black mask, the cat had allowed himself to be picked up and petted into submission. The furry little defender was currently perched on Brian’s knee. His claws had been put away but he was still emitting a continuous low growl from the back of his throat despite the calming hand Brian ran across his back every so often. The couple of times that Connor dared to look disdainfully over at the cat, Winston’s growling would kick up a notch or two, his hackles would rise and Brian would chuckle with pride at the brave feline who was obviously determined to keep this bad man away from his people.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Connor,” Justin finally asked, tired of the small talk bullshit that they’d been trying to fill the silence with up till now.

“The movie I was working on is . . . on hiatus,” Connor explained tentatively.

“I think that’s Hollywood-speak, Sunshine, for the movie was canned,” Brian interpreted with a Kinney sneer directed in Connor’s direction, his mocking tone triggering another vocalization from the attack cat in Brian’s lap.

“Brett said he was going to have his people shop it around to some other studios. Brett said that there was a good chance he could get another production company to pick it up. Brett’s going to call me as soon as he gets funding secured. It should only be a month or two and then we’ll be back on set,” Connor explained quickly.

“Brett said, huh?” Brian couldn’t resist teasing the obviously insecure actor. “And, if Brett said you’d be just perfect for the part if only you’d jump off a cliff first, you’d jump first and ask questions later, right?”

“Fuck you. Who are you anyway? What’s this loser doing in OUR apartment, Justin?”

“Our apartment? Maybe you should say ‘Dad’s Apartment’, Connor,” Justin replied with evident cynicism not to mention outright anger. “When you left two months ago, without any warning and only leaving me a note - I might add - your daddy was pretty quick to relet the apartment. Brian here is the legal resident according to his sublease with your dad. And it’s only because of Brian’s inherent kindness that I wasn’t thrown out on the streets when you left, by the way. Thanks so much for looking out for me and letting your dad know I was still living in the apartment when you left.”

“I . . . I didn’t know Dad would . . . I’m really sorry, Justin,” Connor stammered out a weak apology, blushing over the fact that he really hadn’t given Justin or the apartment even a second thought once he got called to L.A. for the movie part.

“Sorry is bullshit,” Brian added his opinion, easily seeing through the lame attempt at an apology.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway,” Connor said, ignoring Brian as best he could and smiling possessively up at Justin. “I’m back now and I’ll just tell Dad I need the apartment back. He’ll deal with it. I’m just so glad to be back here with you again, Babe!”

Connor got up from his chair at the table and sinuously maneuvered around the table towards the spot where Justin was sitting. As soon as he was close enough, he leaned his ass against the edge of the table and reached one long arm down so he could trail a finger down the side of Justin’s face. He smiled down avariciously at the younger blond, curling his fingers around under Justin’s chin and squeezing his fingers slightly to emphasize his claim to the man. Justin stared up at the familiar face for about half a second without doing anything, then he jerked his head to the side, loosening himself from Connor’s grip.

Before anyone was aware what was happening, Brian was right there, his hand gripping onto Connor’s wrist with a painful strength and pulling the arm back away from Justin’s face. “I think it’s past time for you to leave,” Brian said in a quiet but intense tone that didn’t leave any room for argument. “What part of ‘legal resident’ did you not get? I’ve got a valid sublease on this apartment for one year. If your Daddy or anybody else tries to break my lease, I’ll fucking sue them till they’ve got nothing left but their last names. And, in the meantime, I think it’s time for YOU to LEAVE.”

Brian was slowly and without fanfare using his superior strength to bend Connor’s arm away from Justin, pulling until the man’s arm was stretched to the back and side at a painful angle. Connor appeared startled and unready for any confrontation with this unknown factor. He finally looked up at Brian and stared into the brunet’s eyes, which had already turned a darker brown with anger. This was not the homecoming that Connor had envisaged - not by a long shot. He had expected that Justin would be just sitting there waiting for him, overjoyed that his lover was back. Nowhere in his little fantasies had Connor pictured that there would be another man. What had Justin done - hopped right out of his bed and into this guy’s before the sheets were even cold? This didn’t sound like HIS Justin. Connor’s little Justin was unassuming, insecure and would never . . .

“I agree, Brian. I think it’s definitely time for Connor to leave,” Justin seconded the proposal, getting up from his seat on the dining chair and moving over to hold open the front door.

Connor wrested his arm out of Brian’s grasp, a look of sheer loathing beating down on the brunet who wisely let go without a struggle and held his hands up in a gesture of capitulation. Connor turned on his heel and reluctantly walked over towards the door where Justin was standing. Justin was looking down at the carpet, apparently unready to meet Connor’s gaze. Both Brian and Winston followed two paces behind Connor as the former resident retreated.

“I missed you, Babe,” Connor said, stopping before going through the door and reaching out again to touch his boyfriend. “Every fucking day I was in Los Angeles, I thought about only you. When I heard the movie was cancelled, all I could think about was getting back here to you. I’m not giving up on us, Babe. I can’t give up on us. I still want you and I won’t give up on this.”

Connor bent down and seized Justin around the waist before anyone had a chance to react. He pulled the younger blond tight against him and smashed his lips down against the voluptuous coral pink lips. Justin’s body reacted automatically at first, returning the kiss instinctively, his lips responding without conscious volition. It was so much like old times that Justin hardly even thought about it at first. But then, over Connor’s shoulder, Justin caught a glimpse of Brian’s pain filled countenance watching every second of the tumultuous kiss.

Justin instantly broke off contact, placing his hands against Connor’s chest and shoving as hard as he could in order to break off the kiss. Connor let himself be pushed back, smiling smugly even as Justin turned his head and pulled his lips away. He’d felt Justin’s body’s response to his presence. Connor knew that it wasn’t over yet. Justin was still his - or at least his body was still his, no matter how angry Justin might still be at his abrupt abandonment.

“Bye, Babe,” Connor whispered provocatively as he confidently stepped back and shuffled out the door, never breaking eye contact with Justin until the door was violently slammed shut in his face by an angry Brian Kinney.