Blinded

Chapter 9

The Thai takeout was eaten in uncomfortable silence. Neither Brian nor Justin wanted to acknowledge the elephant occupying most of the room. Justin had gathered up the sinister notes and added them to the pile in the desk drawer. The recorder was set aside as they sat at the table to eat their dinners.

Brian got Justin to identify the location of the food according to its place on the clock. He decided to forego using chopsticks in favor of the more familiar fork. He found it much more difficult to eat Thai food than regular food. The noodles were slippery and he often had a mouthful of fork and little else. That suited him on some level as his stomach was churning and he had to force what food he was able to capture to go down.

When the pathetic meal was finally finished Brian said he wanted to count off the loft so that he could get around a bit by himself. He explained what he wanted as Justin walked him from door to desk, door to sofa, door to steps to the bedroom, door to the counter in the kitchen. Once they had done that Brian had them walk all the distances from the corner of the sofa and then from the counter in the kitchen. Finally he said he needed a break, but he would want Justin to help him navigate the bedroom later.

They sat down on the sofa and Justin turned on the TV. They caught just the end of the news. The weather was the final story in that a big blow was expected to hit Pittsburgh that night. The temperature would hover just around freezing and they could get rain, ice or snow depending on what the temperature did. People were being advised to stay off the roads.

"Guess I'll have to cancel Babylon tonight," Brian observed sticking his tongue in his cheek.

"What's Babylon?" Justin asked hoping to start a conversation that would relieve some of the tension and discomfort between them.

"You really are a baby, aren't you?" Brian asked sardonically.

"I'm not a baby, and I don't appreciate being laughed at," Justin said in a huff. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Brian even thought the man couldn't see him.

"I feel that," Brian said after a bit.

"What?"

"You're glaring at me."

Justin giggled. "How the fuck do you know that?"

"My other senses are heightened," Brian said knowingly. "I can feel the tension in your body."

"No kidding," Justin scoffed. "You should damn well feel the glare. You caused it."

"I … I didn't mean to make fun of you. Can we start over?"

"Sure," Justin said. He didn't want to fight with Brian. "Tell me what Babylon is."

"Haven't you heard of it before?"

"I've heard of the ancient city of Babylon. Isn't it where Baghdad is now?"

"This Babylon is a nightclub, a gay club, full of the best men that Pittsburgh has to offer."

"Really?" Justin asked leaning forward now totally interested. "Do you go there often?"

"Often enough."

"What's it like?"

"Maybe I'll take you there someday."

"You will? That would be great."

"Have you been to Liberty Avenue?" Brian asked.

"I got my friend Daphne to drive me down there a few weeks ago, but I chickened out. She finally just drove me back home."

"That was probably just as well."

"Why? I want … to … to find out things."

Brian chuckled. "I can imagine. But sometimes people aren't ready to find out things."

"You do think I'm a baby," Justin griped. His arms came across his chest and he glared at the older man.

"You're glaring again," Brian stated.

"Fuck off!"

"Justin," Brian warned. "I meant that you need to be careful. There are men on Liberty, or at Babylon, who would like nothing better than to take advantage of a fresh piece of meat."

"Piece of meat? I'm not a piece of meat."

"To them you are. Everything in the gay world isn't … kind and sweet. You have to be careful. Never go with someone you don't know. Don't take drugs from strangers. Don't wander around alone. Never … and I mean never … have unprotected sex."

"Hmmph," Justin reacted. "Like I'm going to have sex at all."

"You will … eventually, and you need to be careful."

"Do you lecture all your houseguests like this?" Justin asked deciding to give in to his bitchy feelings.

"I never have houseguests," Brian stated.

"You don't?" Justin asked. Suddenly he felt special being able to spend this time with Brian.

"Getting back to what I was saying," Brian continued ignoring Justin's question. "You need to be careful out there."

"Will you take me to Babylon sometime?" Justin asked.

"Me?"

"You told me about it. You could show me the ropes."

Brian snorted. "When did I become your mentor?"

"When you told me you were gay."

Brian stared in the direction of Justin's voice. He didn't know how to answer that. He never wanted to be anyone's mentor, never wanted that responsibility. But somehow he seemed to have become one. "What do you look like?" Brian asked suddenly.

"What? Why do you want to know?"

"I can't be seen out with a troll," Brian laughed.

Justin chuckled. "I have it on good authority from my friend Daphne that I'm not exactly a troll."

"Is that so? Describe yourself."

"I'm about 5'9". I have blond hair and blue eyes … and I guess I look all right."

Brian smiled. He liked that touch of modesty. He thought Justin probably looked better than all right. "Come here," he said.

"Why?"

"I want to try something."

Justin wondered, or maybe that should be hoped, that Brian might kiss him again. He moved over beside Brian. Slowly Brian raised his hands and trailed his fingertips down the sides of Justin's face. The boy shivered under the touch.

Brian felt the soft down on Justin's cheeks and wondered if the kid shaved yet. His thumbs slid across Justin's lips and he had the distinct impression that Justin was on the verge of sucking them into his mouth. Brian grew hard at the thought. He moved his thumb down the bridge of Justin's nose and traced across the boy's cheeks. He heard Justin draw in a breath and wondered if Justin was hard too.

Brian's fingertips slid around Justin's eye sockets. Justin closed his eyes and felt Brian touch his eyelids. He felt his heart leap at the gentle searching touch. He knew Brian was a gentle man. Brian's hands moved to Justin's ears and traced the shape and contour. Justin gasped as Brian drew his hands away.

"So what do you think?" Justin asked rather breathlessly.

"I'd say you pass the fingertip test."

Justin giggled. "That's good."

Brian's hands swept through Justin's hair which was rather short and spiky, but soft to the touch. "I thought it would be longer," Brian observed.

"I could let it grow."

Brian smiled. Justin was so eager to please. The urge to kiss those lips and bury his face against Justin's ear and kiss those eyelids and stick his tongue down the boy's throat… Brian cleared his own throat and drew back. He heard Justin sigh.

"I think maybe I should go to bed," Brian said. "Will you be all right on the sofa?"

"I … I could always sleep with you."

Brian wished he could see Justin's face. He would like nothing better than for that to happen, both seeing the boy's face and sleeping with him, but he knew he had to be strong. "I don't think your mother would approve."

"Probably not, but we don't have to tell her," Justin said suggestively.

"You're being very bad."

"I can be even badder," Justin grinned.

"Badder?"

"Badder," Justin affirmed.

"Take me up to the bedroom. I need to count off the paces so that I can pee without soaking everything in my closet."

Justin laughed but he had kind of hoped that Brian would take him up on his offer. He guessed that wasn't going to happen now, at least not tonight. He allowed Brian to pace the three steps from the sofa to the bottom of the steps leading up to the bedroom. Brian climbed them and then waited for Justin.

"You'd fucking think I could find my way to my own fucking bed. I've done it in the dark a million times. I've done it drunk. I've done it stoned. I've done it dragging a trick along with me. But I've never done it blind," Brian said with a sigh. "And suddenly I'm lost. I don't know which way to go."

"Yes you do," Justin said trying to instill confidence in Brian. "Estimate how many steps to the bed."

"Four," Brian said uncertainly.

Justin moved forward and Brian counted. "Three," Justin said as Brian's shin hit the edge of the bed. "You can move along the edge of the bed. Just keep your leg against the platform. Brian did as directed counting the three paces to the other side of the bed. They counted off the steps to the closet and then the bathroom, the toilet, the sink and the shower.

"I think I'd like to take a shower before I go to bed," Brian said.

"Sure," Justin said turning on the shower to warm up. I put your shampoo in there and the soap."

"Thanks," Brian said unbuttoning his shirt.

Justin watched as Brian's bare chest came into view. He wanted to stay and see the rest of Brian's body, but he knew he better not, or he would be in the shower with the man in a second. "Um … where are some sheets and a pillow for the sofa?" Justin asked deciding he better get out of there. He didn't want to be turned down again.

"Top shelf of the closet should hold everything you'll need."

Justin turned and went to get what he needed. He deftly made up the couch and decided he would take a shower before he went to bed too. He could hear the water still running in the bathroom. He wondered if Brian was all right. Maybe he just took long showers. Justin waited a bit longer and then decided he better go up and make sure the man wasn't lying injured on the floor of the shower.

The door to the bathroom had been left open and Justin looked through. He could see Brian's naked form through the steam coated glass of the shower enclosure. His breath caught in his throat and he took an involuntary step forward, closer to the action. Brian was jacking off and Justin could make out the length of Brian's cock as his hand moved back and forth along the shaft. He felt the surge of blood to his own dick and squeezed it with his hand wanting to go join Brian and find mutual relief.

Brian continued to whack off. He was getting close when he sensed Justin's presence in the bathroom. The thought of the boy watching him was all it took to push him over the edge. He came with a guttural grunt and pumped his seed into the warm water. By the time he was finished he knew Justin was gone, but he smiled knowing what the boy had witnessed. Good thing Justin wouldn't know who Brian was thinking about as he had jerked off.

Brian fumbled to find a towel, but was able to do so without calling for help. He walked back into the bedroom wrapped only in the towel. He carefully paced off the number of steps to the side of the bed. He dropped the towel and climbed in under the duvet.

"Can I take a shower?" Justin asked from the living room.

"Of course," Brian replied. "You don't have to ask for things like that. Do what you want to."

Justin wanted to throw himself on top of Brian and have the man fuck his brains out, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He had watched Brian drop the towel in the darkness of the bedroom. He wanted to be wrapped around that long, lean body more than he had ever wanted anything in his young life. "Thanks," Justin said trying to make his voice sound normal. He walked past the bed and went into the bathroom closing the door behind him.

Brian heard the door close and smiled. Like he could see anything even standing with his face pressed against the glass of the shower stall. He smiled at the modesty of the young man keeping his activities in the bathroom to himself. Brian had to wonder if Justin would be whacking off thinking about him, just as he had done thinking about Justin.

Justin stood under the warm water envisioning Brian's body as he had seen it only a few minutes before. His hand slid down to his hard cock and he began stroking.

"I'm going to leave here a non-virgin," he vowed to the porcelain gods that surrounded him. That was his mission for the weekend and it would happen. He had waited far too long, and Brian was exactly what he wanted … and needed. He came with a gasp and quickly stepped out of the cooling water.

He walked into the bedroom and saw Brian propped up on his pillows. "Were you waiting for me?" Justin asked.

"I'm not sleepy yet."

"I could entertain you," Justin suggested.

"Do you sing?"

"Um … no," Justin said hesitantly. He hadn't meant to entertain Brian in that way at all.

"Then I don't think having you dance or draw will do much for me."

"Good night, Brian," Justin said getting angry at being rebuffed and teased every time he came on to Brian. He walked down into the living room.

"You can leave the lights on if you want to read. They won't bother me," Brian called.

"No kidding," Justin responded sarcastically.

He switched off the lights and slid in under the blanket leaving his towel on the floor beside the sofa. With the lights off and everything silent the wind became the dominant sound. It howled around the building and rattled the panes of glass.

"Fuck!" Brian said after a few minutes. "How are we supposed to sleep listening to that?"

"I like storms," Justin said. "My mother used to tell us stories about God bowling and whistling to make us not be afraid. After a while I used to make up stories about the gods being angry and hurling lightning bolts. They could only hurt each other not us."

"How old were you when you did that?"

"I don't know," Justin said thoughtfully. "Maybe eight."

"You were very advanced for your age."

"Yeah," Justin agreed.

"A smart little fucker," Brian added. Justin smiled into the darkness.

"Night, Brian."

"Night, John boy."

-----

"Brian, Brian," Justin said standing beside the man's bed.

"Huh, what?" Brian asked coming to. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have any more blankets? I'm freezing," Justin explained. He was standing naked beside the bed, but wrapped in the blanket that Brian had given him. His teeth were chattering.

"Why is it so cold?"

"The power's out. That wind must have blown down a power line. There's no heat and I'm so cold."

Brian could hear the wind howling outside. "Get in," he said pulling back the duvet. "Put the blanket on top."

Justin slid gratefully into the warm bed. He stayed close to the edge but he felt Brian's hand reach out and rub his arm.

"Jesus, Justin, you feel like a block of ice."

"I know," Justin admitted trying to keep his teeth from rattling in his head.

"Is that your teeth chattering that I can hear?" Brian asked.

"Yeah," Justin said as he continued to shiver.

He felt Brian slide closer and pull him back into the warmth of his body. Brian's hands rubbed along his arms and his sides and down his chest. The warmth of Brian's chest against his back made him feel so much better. He sighed contentedly feeling the chill leave his body as the heat of Brian's closeness took over.

"Is that better?" Brian asked.

"Much."

"Are your teeth still chattering?"

"No, but don't stop. That feels great."

"Too great," Brian thought as his cock started to harden. He wondered if Justin could feel it as it pressed against the crack of the boy's ass. Justin sighed and leaned into the warm body behind him. He could feel Brian's hard-on pressed against him and wished that Brian's hand would reach around and help him with his own.

Somehow they managed to get to sleep spooned together for warmth. Neither knew when the power came back on.