CHAPTER 3: WARM
BRIAN
I groan and sigh. “Can you sit up a bit?” Justin stands and wobbles, immediately we both reach to steady him. “What part of sit up a bit confused you?” I rebuke him gently. I pull him back down into the vee of my legs and he relaxes with a sigh. Slick covers him with a blanket and quirks an eyebrow.
“Got some chicken soup on with dumplings, think you can manage that Justin?” She asks standing up and smiling at me. “Ooh you’ve got it bad.”
“Shut up and go get the soup.” I grumble and feel myself blushing all over. Once she’s gone he finishes his tea in silence before turning to face me. I can’t help but kiss him again; she’s right I do have it bad and I don’t give a fuck.
“Who’s Michael?” He settles back into my chest; I’m about to answer when Slick comes back with the soup.
“He’s his best friend and someone who thinks he has the right to decide how and with whom Brian gets to live his life. Can’t stand him.” She puts the tray down. “Make sure he eats all of it,” she orders, grins again and leaves.
SLICK
I head back to the working area to look at his car. It’s not that bad but it really is down to the paint, I sigh then I grin. “Boys strip it right down.” They look at me in disbelief. “Yes I said strip it right back down, it needs a base and then a repaint.”
I head to the office and get the keys for one of his other babies and put that in my pocket. Sighing I look at the Phantom. It really is a great car but for Kinney, the black is just too flat. It needs something but for the life of me I can’t think what it is.
BRIAN
He’s as light as a feather as I carry him upstairs to the room that she sometimes lets me sleep in. He fell asleep within minutes of finishing off his soup. And as I cover him with the blankets and think about leaving him alone, he turns towards me as if seeking warmth. So I slip under the blankets and think just five minutes.
MICHAEL & BEN’S HOUSE
HUNTER
“Hey anybody in?!”
“Hey Hunter, how was the eating competition?” Ben asks.
“Must you shout like that before the door is closed? You never know who is listening.” Michael scowls at me as per usual. “So how was the tacky endeavour? Thank goodness Brian and I kept away from that.”
Ben and I exchange looks. Tacky endeavour, I mouth and he just shakes his head then mouths ‘coffee’ back to me and I nod.
“You may have done and Uncle Brian may wish he did. He got thrown up on twice and his car once by one of the contestants…” I grab the cup gratefully and take a swig. “It was grim, poor guy, and he was the winner.”
“Brian was there! Why didn’t you call me?” He demands, gathering his coat and phone. “I’m going to see him. He must be furious; you know what he’s like about his clothes! He must be traumatised. See you later.” Within 2 minutes he’s gone.
“Yeah so he drove them to Slick’s so that he could sort out his car first and is most likely still there fussing and griping about that. So there’s no point of you going to his loft because he’s not going to be there.” I smirk at the closed door.
“Do you think we should call him and give him a heads up that he will have a very cold and very distressed Michael on his stoop when he gets back?” Ben chuckles.
“Nah, it’s his newest baby. He’s not leaving that alone for a long time. Chances are that the cold will get to Michael before Uncle Brian gets home.”
“He’ll just sit in the car and wait for him,” Ben remarks shaking his head.
“You know that Slick has a room she sometimes lets him sleep in right?”
“Ah no I didn’t know that. Does Michael?”
“This is Slick we’re talking about. She locks down tighter than Fort Knox where Kinney and the need to know is concerned.”
SLICK’S CAR EMPORIUM
BEDROOM
JUSTIN
I’m having a lovely dream. I’m warm and in the arms of the man I love. He’s rubbing my back and actually someone is rubbing my back and saying something to me.
“Justin I need to pee… let go.” I open my eyes and blink a couple of times into the laughing green eyes of Brian. Brian who I threw up on and…”Seriously lift your leg,” he grumbles. I do and he dashes to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, he slides back into bed and I must have just been staring at him because he frowns at me. “You okay?”
“Mmm. Actually where’s the bathroom?” He points to a door and I quickly relieved myself and then get back in bed and he pulls me tightly into his side. “So is it just me?”
“Nope.” He flips me gently on my back. “Not just you. Who knew that the ‘kapow’ as Slick puts it would happen after throw up?”
There’s a knocking at the door and Slick pokes her head in. She has my bag in her hand. “Thought you might want this close, since you seemed to use it as a life preserver earlier. And the keys to the Bentley.” She puts them on the side table.
“Thank you, Slick. Uh, why did your parents call you Slick?”
“They didn’t. It’s a childhood nickname and only a select few, including those who don’t want a matching set, know my real name.” She gives Brian a warning glance and he does the key locking his mouth gesture. “Right so I’ve got the boys to take it down to the metal. Don’t freak… it needs the base as I said the first time, but the black ain’t doing it for me. It needs something to make it pop but can’t think of it right now. Look I’m shutting down for the night. You know where everything is so I’ll see you tomorrow.” She closes the door gently behind her and I look up at him.
“What? No I’m not telling you her real name. She really will give me a matching set,” he advises grimly.
“Matching set of what?” I ask, drawing shapes on his shirt.
“Balls.”
“Huh, I don’t understand.” I prop myself up on my elbow and look at him.
“You tell me about your scar and I tell you about my balls, agreed?”
I nod at him and then almost cry when he tells me that he had cancer and had to have his ball removed. And even though he’s got over that, he does feel less than perfect, far removed from what he was like before. His jaw drops when I tell him about the bashing that led to my scar and how little time the fucker got for it and the irony that followed. “He was given community service is a gay hospice and underestimated the strength off one of the residents. He ended up being pushed down the stairs, breaking his back and is now in a wheelchair.”
“So why are you on the streets then? Wait how old are you? You look about 12,” he teases gently. “Please at least be over 18; I’d hate to break my chicken rule but I will.”
“I’m 22 fuck you very much and my dad had a problem with a gay son so out I went.” He looks at me in horror. “Haven’t seen them for 3 years. I miss my mom and my sister but that’s it. What about you, how tough is the sirloin?”
“34 and it is prime rib fuck you very much,” he corrects and we both chuckle. It really does feel good to have something to laugh with.
OUTSIDE BRIAN’S LOFT
MICHAEL
Man it is cold! I’ve been waiting for a couple of hours and it got too cold to stay outside. He’s not returned any of my calls but that’s not surprising. Ah my phone is going. Not Brian but the next best friend, Lindsay.
“Hey Lindz, how are you and Gus? Wait let me put you on speaker. That’s better.”
“We’re fine and it’s not Lindz; it’s Mel. Humph… I knew you would pick up if she called. So daddy when are you going to speak to your daughter?”
I grimace and sigh. “Mel I don’t have time for this. Jenny was rude to me and I’m waiting for her to apologise before I see her. Now I’d like to actually speak to Lindsay.”
“Michael how are you? You and Jenny have still not made up yet? We’re all coming down next weekend and will be staying at Britin- still can’t believe he bought that place. I’m so looking forward to it though. So how’s he been? Has he been as debauched as ever?”
“Well from what I heard…”
SLICK’S CAR EMPORIUM
BEDROOM
BRIAN
His hair feels like silk and he’s drooling and snuffling on my chest but I really don’t care. He’s my home. But Slick is right. This needs to be kept from Michael in order for it to have a chance.