All the Rage

Chapter 7

Justin was still holed up in his little corner sketching to his heart's content. He loved the remnants of the fresco that the PIFA people were revealing. It was badly damaged having been covered with some kind of horrible stucco type stuff, but it was possible to see that it had been a mythological scene, probably Jupiter and Io. He would know for sure as more was revealed. He wondered if the fresco on the opposite wall would be mythological too. He had never painted anything like that and it would be a real challenge to try to match the style of the original artist and create the feeling of mythological Greece. Justin could feel his fingers itching to pick up a brush and paints. Instead he sketched hoping he was capturing the feel of the fresco as it continued to be revealed.

When Justin's phone started vibrating in his pants, he jumped and gasped for air. He had been so engrossed in the sketch that he was completely taken off guard.

"Hey," he said into the phone knowing that it was Brian.

"Hey, yourself. You haven't broken anything else, have you?" Brian asked.

"Just a pencil or two," Justin chuckled.

"Good."

"How's everything on your end?" There was a long pause that made Justin start to worry. "Did something happen?"

"Um … I … I had to do something I didn't want to do," Brian managed to get out.

"You did? What did you do?"

"I had to give Bree a timeout," Brian said sadly.

Justin felt himself grinning and was about to laugh when the tone of Brian's voice registered and he realized how upset Brian must be. He had never had to discipline Bree before. "What did she do?" Justin asked trying to keep his voice level.

"She stole Patrick's crayon and pushed him."

"But … she's only half his size."

"I know, but she's mighty … and she's willful."

"Willful?"

"She wouldn't say she was sorry or give back the crayon, so … I had no choice."

"I know, Brian. We talked about when this might happen."

"But I expected you to do it."

Justin chuckled. "Things don't always work out the way we expect."

"How did you know to be away today?"

"I didn't," Justin laughed. "It's just the luck of the Irish that she chose today to be a bad girl. How did Bree take the time out?"

"She sniffled and whimpered. It … almost broke my heart."

"How do you know she whimpered if she was in her room?"

"I listened at the door," Brian admitted.

Justin smiled. He could just picture Brian trying to make himself stay out of the room until the timeout was over. It would have broken Brian's heart not to go comfort the little angel, turned devil, who was the apple of his eye. "How long did you give her?"

"Five minutes."

"Five whole minutes!" Justin chuckled.

"Hey, I almost didn't make it," Brian said seeing a bit of the humor in this turn of events.

"But Bree did."

"Yeah, she seems fine and she kissed me and made up with Patrick."

"Then all's well that ends well."

"It didn't feel so 'well' a while ago."

"You did the right thing, Brian. She has to learn that she can't always have her way, and she certainly can't go around pushing people when she doesn't get it."

"Thanks, I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome. I hope the rest of the day goes better."

"Me too, and you take care of yourself."

"I will."

"Later."

"Later."

Justin closed his phone and returned his attention to the work on the frescoes. He picked up his pencil and was about to start sketching when he heard Hunter's voice saying his name.

"Hey, Hunter," Justin said looking up. "What are you doing over here?"

"Expanding my knowledge of old buildings," Hunter grinned at Justin.

"In a good way, I hope," Justin said with a smile.

Hunter nodded. "There's someone I'd like you to meet," Hunter said stepping aside and revealing what looked like a young man standing behind him.

Justin realized that this must be Lacy that Hunter had e-mailed him about. "Hello," Justin said.

Lacy looked at him carefully and then she gasped, "You're JT!"

Justin laughed. "Well, JT is based on me."

"Wow! Then, is there a real Rage?"

Justin nodded. "That would be my partner, Brian."

"Holy shit! I love that comic so much. Was it all your idea?"

"No, if you look at the credits, you'll see that I collaborate with Michael Novotny. He writes the dialogue and most of the story lines, and I do the art work."

"I love the drawings," Lacy continued to gush. "Your work is so great."

"Do you like to draw?" Justin asked knowing from Hunter's e-mail that she did.

"Oh, yes."

"Do you have some of your work that I could look at?"

"I … I have a few drawings over at the clinic. Hunter gave me some paper and pencils."

"I'd love to see some of them," Justin said hoping that her work really was as good as Hunter had let on.

"You … you'd actually look at them?"

"Of course," Justin laughed.

"That would be so great. But maybe they're not very good," Lacy said having some self-doubt creep into her euphoria at meeting the creator of Rage.

"Why don't you bring them by tomorrow afternoon?" Justin said. "And let me be the judge of that."

"Okay," Lacy said practically hugging herself at this stroke of good fortune.

"Thanks, Justin," Hunter said giving Justin a wink for his efforts. "Come on, Lacy. We better let Justin get back to work."

"Huh?" Lacy said staring at Justin's sketchbook. "That's so good," she said unable to tear her eyes away from the picture Justin was drawing based on the fresco.

"Lacy, we need to go," Hunter said taking her arm and trying to lead her away.

"See you tomorrow, Justin," Lacy called over her shoulder as Hunter hustled her out of the theater.

"Looks like you have a major fan there," John said as he walked over. He had been listening to the conversation between Justin and the young man. "I thought he was going to drool all over you."

"It wasn't that bad," Justin laughed. "Hunter thought Lacy would enjoy meeting me. Apparently she likes to draw."

"She?"

"Hunter says Lacy's a girl."

"Well fuck me! I would never have guessed."

"That seems to be the way she wants it."

John shrugged. "Did you hear from Brian?"

"Yep, why do you ask?"

"I had a call from Patrick."

"Shit!"

"Did Brian tell you what was going on?"

"He had to give Bree a timeout. I think it hurt Brian more than it did Bree."

"Yeah," John agreed. "Patrick said Bree was in her room crying and Uncle Brian was sitting by her door looking very sad."

"That would be it in a nutshell," Justin said. "Do you think we should go home early?"

"I think we should let them sort it out themselves and go home when we are scheduled."

"Okay, that seems like a plan. I hope the place is still standing," Justin observed.

"Brian won't get that upset, will he?"

"It's Bree who has the stubborn streak a mile wide."

"Just like her father," John suggested.

"Just like Brian."

"It makes for a volatile situation."

"Yeah, but I like your idea. We stay out of it and let them settle it between themselves."

"And pick up the pieces afterwards."

"Maybe," Justin said with a sigh as he went back to his drawing.

*****

"Lacy, you don't have to go back out there!" Hunter nearly shouted in frustration at Lacy who was packing up her meager belongings in a thread worn backpack and preparing to go back out onto the streets.

"Hunter, I have to, I..."

"No, you don't. Look if you don't want to sleep here, come home with me or I'll find you some place. Please, Lacy, how long do you think you can survive out there? One day you'll piss off a john who wants a real boy not a trick that just looks like one," Hunter pleaded with the girl.

"What do you know about it?" Lacy screamed at Hunter. "How can you possibly know how it feels to have them do, do, things to you? Day after day, night after night."

"How? Because I was there! Do you know how I met Justin?" Lacy shook her head. "I was out on the streets; my own mother started pimping me when I was barely a teen. I propositioned Ben. He and Michael eventually took me in, cared for me, got me help. With a lot of help, including Justin's, I managed to turn my life around and so can you. Lacy, give me a chance, give yourself a chance." Hunter stared at Lacy, waiting for a sign that she'd give him the opportunity to help her. He saw her start to relax just a little bit when an idea came to him.

"Lacy, I'm hungry, and it's almost dinnertime. Let's go to the diner. I want you to meet someone." Hunter said with a glint in his eyes. Lacy nodded. Hunter and Lacy locked up the clinic and went to the Liberty diner for dinner.

*****

"Well the house is still standing," Justin remarked as he and John pulled up in front of the cottage and right behind Bobby's car. The three men got out of their cars and stood on the path.

"Looks quiet enough," Bobby said while straining to see inside the windows.

"And I don't hear any shouting or crying," John added as he cocked his head toward the house.

"I guess we should go inside," Justin said bravely as he led John and Bobby toward the front door. They all exchanged looks, took a collective deep breath and Justin opened the door.

The three men were immediately assaulted by the wonderful aroma of a roast that was presently sizzling in the oven. Fresh rolls and sweet potatoes were in the warming oven. And the salad was rinsed, chopped and draining in a colander in the sink. There was even gravy in a pot on the stove. Bobby dipped his pinky into the gravy which was staying warm in a double boiler, and tasted it.

"Shit! This is good! Tastes like Claire!" Bobby announced with enthusiasm.

"My mom, she's got to be here. I can't believe he did this all on his own," John commented in disbelief then went in search of his mother.

When John's search turned up nothing, he and Bobby joined Justin in the living room. Justin was standing near the sofa, his sketch pad and pencil in hand. He quietly turned and brought the pencil to his lips then nodded toward the sofa. Justin went back to sketching as John and Bobby came closer. This was definitely an 'awww' moment.

Brian was dressed in his usual black tank, worn jeans with the top button undone and his feet bare. Briana was lying on top of her daddy with her little head tucked under Brian's chin, one of her little hands clutching a small bit of Brian's shirt. Brian's arm held his daughter in place. Patrick was nestled close to Brian's chest, his arm stretched out so that his hand was touching Bree. Brian's other arm secured the boy close. Justin was furiously sketching, trying to capture the moment before they all woke up.

Just as Justin completed the preliminary sketch, the timer on the oven went off with a resounding 'ping.' Brian's eyes fluttered open and he smiled as his saw Justin staring down at him. Patrick stirred and Bobby lifted him up. Brian gave Bree a little kiss on her golden head before Justin relieved him of her. Brian stretched then got up to tend to the roast while Bobby and Justin tended to the kids. John followed Brian into the kitchen.

"Answer me something, truthfully, Brian," John started as he sat at the granite island and munched on a carrot. "Did you do this all by yourself or was my mother here to help."

"Oh ye of little faith," Brian snarked.

"Spill, little bro," John demanded.

"All right, no need to get your boxers in a bunch. Your mother was not here but I did call her for some advice. The roast basically cooks itself, just have to stick it in the oven at the right time. The biscuits are the little dough boy mix, you know that pop'n fresh thing. The kids had a great time helping with those, and I just boiled the hell out of the potatoes. And even I can't ruin salad."

John listened intently and agreed. Brian was more than qualified to read package instructions and follow directions. But...

"But the gravy, Bobby said it tastes like Claire's. How did you manage that?"

"Easy, big bro. It is Claire's. She knows how much I love her gravy, we all do. So when she makes up a batch, she makes extra and freezes it for me. I've got my own little stash," Brian stated proudly.

"Oh." Then it dawned on John that he didn't have a stash of his own mother's gravy.

"Hey! How'd you get her to give you her gravy? Even I don't have any!"

"I asked," Brian said smugly.

"You WHAT?"

"I asked. Did you ever ask?"

"I, I..."

"You know, big bro, I thought I taught you better than that. When you want something you gotta go after it. Next time, ask your mom for some gravy."

"Oh." John smacked his brother with a dish towel then proceeded to gather up the dishes and cutlery to set out on one of the wicker tables on the porch for dinner.

After a very quiet and enjoyable dinner, Brian and Bobby began the task of clearing the dishes and stowing the leftovers as John and Justin prepared the kids for bed. The guys then settled on the porch with beer and wine while the kids quietly played in Bree's room before bedtime.

"Listen guys," Brian began. "This has been fun but I really have to get some work done. I have several calls to make over the next few weeks and I have to really do some serious work on the Rage PR. I can take the Squirt with me to Harrisburg and the Pitts but your contingent of ladies will have to take Patrick. I hate to do this but I need to earn a living." Brian gazed at his family and noted three heads nodding in agreement. It had been fun leaving the kids with Brian, but no one had any doubts that Brian needed the freedom to move around and do his thing. A lot of what he did would have a significant role in the outcome of the theater and bowling alley. Not to mention the success of Rage. They all agreed; it was back to the babysitters for the children. Brian's temporary stint as house husband was coming to an end.

Later that night, the children were safely tucked in their bed, John and Bobby were cuddling in the brass bed on the porch and Brian and Justin were doing their own cuddling in their own bed.

"Bri?"

"Hm?"

"You feel better now?"

"About what?"

"Today, doling out the punishment."

"Not my favorite job in the world but yeah, I'm okay with it. I just hope I don't have to do it again for a very long time."

"Neither do I. You sounded so sad on the phone. I hate it when you're sad."

Justin cuddled closer and nipped at Brian's earlobe. Brian felt his cock twitch and grow hard, all sad thoughts miraculously vanished. Justin climbed up onto Brian while reaching for the tube of lube conveniently left under the pillows. Justin lubed himself up then slid himself down onto his mate's hard proud cock. Only love filled, lustful thoughts filled whatever brain cells were left that still had the power of reason.