Chapter 12



The post-coital discussion with Justin was enough to prompt Brian into action. He'd been sitting back and brooding for too long. It was causing him to suffer and, worse, it was causing Justin to suffer. He needed to confront Mikey face to face.

Debbie had done her part. She had spent time talking to Michael, or shouting at him as the case may be. But she was wrong when she said it wasn't Brian's responsibility. He was the one who had fostered Mikey's submissive side. He knew now that he had done it to fill that part of himself that needed to care for a submissive person. His alpha side went much deeper than he had ever realized before. He had thought that dominating a trick in bed would be enough, but sex was a very small part of what made an alpha an alpha. So Brian had subconsciously used Mikey's neediness to fill in the gap. Now he needed to make things right.

He found Mikey at home, sitting in his living room in dirty sweats and eating a pint of ice cream. "That will make you fat."

Mikey looked up at Brian and frowned. "What are you doing here? I would think you'd be off fucking your pet."

"Did that last night," Brian shrugged. "Twice. And again in the shower this morning. Can we talk?" Mikey shrugged and stared into his pint of ice cream. Brian took that as consent and cleared the old newspapers off of the armchair and sat down. "Mikey. I owe you an apology."

"No one else seems to think you do," Mikey pouted.

"Then they're wrong," Brian said easily. "I'm sorry for letting you believe that there could ever be anything more than friendship between us. I'm sorry for letting you believe that you could be my sub. You're a needy beta, but you are a beta."

"I don't feel much like a beta," Mikey pouted.

"On your knees, sub!" Brian shouted suddenly.

Mikey looked up, startled. "What? What the fuck, Brian?"

Brian laughed. "That's what I thought. Mikey, no matter what else was going on, if I had said that to Justin, or any other sub for that matter, his first instinct would be to kneel. He might ask questions after, but his gut would tell him to kneel. Even our first night together, when he was so unsure of everything, he responded like a sub. You never have, Mikey. What did your gut tell you just now?"

"That you were being a prick," Mikey muttered.

Brian chuckled. "You see my point?"

"Yeah, I get it," Mikey said. He was quiet again for a while. "Why did you let me keep trying, then? If you've known this all along, why keep me hanging on?"

Brian flushed. "Because I needed you as much as you needed me."

"I don't understand," Mikey said.

"You needed someone who would look out for you," Brian said. "Not as a sub, but emotionally. And I needed you to need me. I was wrong, Mikey. I thought that I could be happy without a sub to care for. I thought I could just fuck a few subs and that would be enough. But it wasn't. I needed to take care of someone."

"So you took care of me," Mikey said.

"Yeah."

They were both silent for a long time while that sunk in. "Now what?"

Brian looked at his friend. "Now we figure out how to be friends without all the other bullshit. And you figure out who you are as a beta and find another beta who wants to be needed."

"And Justin?" Mikey asked quietly.

"He's mine for life Mikey," Brian said. He paused considering if he should explain about the Imprinting, but decided it would just complicate things further. "He's not going anywhere, and I don't want him to."

"You love him?" Mikey asked.

"I…."

Mikey laughed. "I guess some things don't change. Don't worry. I won't make you say it."

Brian scowled for a moment, but then let his irritation fade. "So, are we going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Mikey said. "We're going to be fine. I'm not so sure about Justin though."

"What do you mean," Brian asked.

"I mean, that sub sure hits like an alpha!" Mikey said. "My jaw was swollen for a week!"

"That's my Princess," Brian bragged. "He doesn't take shit from anyone but me!"

BJBJBJBJBJ

Brian and Mikey seemed to settle down after that. Mikey began finding ways to accept Justin into Brian's life and Justin and Brian worked hard to get things between them settled. Justin was accepted into PIFA and started college the next fall with a joy that Brian hadn't ever seen in the younger man. He flourished under the teaching and his work seemed to flourish right along with him.

Just as he had predicted, Justin's advanced placement credits went a long way towards helping him graduate early and three years after beginning college, Brian was able to attend his graduation, along with Jennifer, Molly, Debbie, Ted, Emmett Mikey and Mikey's lover Ben.

Once he had gotten it through his head that he wasn't really a sub, Mikey had come into his own and had struck out on his own. He'd quit his job, opened his own comic book store and had met the man of his dreams. Ben was a strong beta, and loved looking out for his timid beta partner. Their relationship had grown stronger over time and Brian wouldn't be surprised to hear that a wedding was in the making.

After graduation, they all went back to the loft to celebrate. Brian had gone over the top, once again, and the place was packed with friends and family. The food was catered and the booze flowed freely. Once the older generation had gone, the music began and the party lasted well into the night.

The next morning, Brian had woken Justin early and hustled his sub through a quick shower and breakfast.

"This isn't like the time you whisked me off to New York, is it?" Justin asked sleepily as he sat in the passenger seat of Brian's car. He had recently replaced the jeep with a classic corvette after some prick had totaled it.

"Not exactly," Brian smirked. "No airplanes this time."

Justin sat up straighter. "But there is a surprise?"

"Isn't there always?" Brian teased.

"You constantly surprise me," Justin admitted. Then he sat back and tried to figure out where they were headed.

Twenty minutes later, as they headed up Mount Washington, he realized he didn't have a clue. "Where are we going, Brian?"

"You finished school, so I thought it was time we had a new start," Brian said cryptically.

Justin began to understand when they pulled up in the small driveway of a huge house with a "sold" sign still on the tiny front lawn. "You bought us a house?"

"I did," Brian said smugly. "And not just any house. Come on, I'll show you."

Brian was right. It wasn't just any house. It was more like a four story mansion. Built on Grandview Avenue overlooking the Monongahela River and Downtown Pittsburgh, the house was a new modern construction with a deck on every level and a rooftop observation deck complete with a hot tub and an area to have cookouts. The back yard was small but had enough room for a lap pool and a small yard. The first level of the house had a three car garage, ensuring they would never have to fight for parking on the crowded Mount Washington streets. It also had a small family room with French doors which led out to the pool deck, a powder room, and a utility room.

The second story of the house was the main living area. The mostly open floor plan showed the living room, kitchen and dining area in a glance. There was also another half bath there, and when Justin looked, he found a small den near the back of the house where Brian could have his office.

The third story was mostly taken up with bedrooms. The master suite took up the entire front of the house and had French doors to let them enjoy the view of the city from their private balcony. The walk in closet was larger than their bedroom at the loft, and the master bath was both huge and luxurious. The rest of that level was taken up by two small guest rooms and a bathroom between them.

The fourth floor, however, was what Justin had always dreamed of. The front of the house was open, with wall to wall windows. Justin could that Brian had already determined that this space would be his studio, because there was a brand new easel set up near the windows. Over head, the skylights let in more of the natural light, making this room the brightest and best of the house. There was a small kitchenette towards the back of the house that could be used when entertaining on the roof deck and a fourth bedroom and bath on that level.

"It's perfect," Justin gushed as he walked over to see the view from where his easel was set.

"You haven't even seen the roof deck yet," Brian said.

"Don't have to," Justin said smugly. "You would never settle for anything less than perfect. And this is perfect." He walked back over to Brian and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Brian smirked. "Okay, lets take a quick look upstairs and then I want to show you one more thing before we meet with the decorator."

Justin loved the built in gas grill and the hot tub. He could imagine having their friends over for parties, or having late night parties for two up there. Then he followed Brian back down to the first level.

"The garage?" Justin asked as Brian opened the door he had skipped before.

"Yeah," Brian said as he ushered Justin through. Justin stopped right inside the door. There was a luxury SUV parked in the middle space. "You need a way to get around town. Something to carry your huge canvases in, now that I have the corvette. You can't exactly haul them on the bus or carry them on the incline."

Justin laughed. "Jesus Brian. A house and now… Can we afford all this?"

Brian smirked. He had followed Justin's advice and had struck out on his own not long after Justin had started college. Now, two and a half years later, Kinnetik was thriving. "The business is doing better than anyone could have predicted, and I've invested wisely over the years. We can afford this."

Justin leaned up and gave Brian a lingering kiss. Even after almost four years together, Brian still marveled at the fact that he never got tired of Justin's kisses. Or his body. Or, even more unbelievably, of his company.

"I don't think we have time for more of this before the decorator arrives," Brian said as he reluctantly pushed Justin away. "Behave yourself for a couple hours and we can christen this house after she goes."

"Mmm," Justin hummed as he pictured just how they would christen their new house. "Think we could turn one of those extra rooms into a play room? We could have a swing and a paddling bench and display all of our favorite toys…."

Brian laughed. "That is one possibility. I was thinking more along the lines of a workout room."

Justin frowned but then brightened. "There are three rooms. We don't really need more than one guest room. Who ever comes to visit us anyway? Everyone we know lives here in town."

"You have a point," Brian conceded and leaned in to steal more kisses, his fingers tracing over the collar around Justin's neck. When the doorbell rang a while later, neither man heard it.

The End