If there was anyone who thought that Woody’s sounded too busy and noisy it was like a Zen retreat, compared to Babylon on this raucous Friday night. The excited visitors to the popular dance club were celebrating the end of another long week in a way that only a large group of happily gay men could. Brian and his companions had no trouble being admitted to the club. They had been attending regularly since the doors first opened. No one even questioned Justin any longer either, despite that he was still almost three years under the legal age limit. He was with Brian, the undisputed top draw for the establishment, so that was good enough for the proprietors. And, of course, Justin was also the latest winner of the King of Babylon contest, which alone made him a welcome visitor.
Naturally, Brian knew nothing about Justin winning the crown on that fateful night, which occurred not long before the bashing. Nor did he know how he had reacted while watching Justin up there on the stage, showing off his moves, while nearly naked to the crowd of leering appreciative patrons. He would never admit that he felt a twinge of jealousy, but his actions said differently. Brian might not remember that night, but Justin certainly did. He had almost gotten a perverse sense of pride in being able to entice the trick that Brian was cultivating, away from him with his crown. It was Justin’s way of paying Brian back for making him feel like a back-up plan in case he didn’t find anyone more interesting to fuck with.
The best part of that whole situation came the next day, when Justin joined the gang at the diner for breakfast. Naturally they wanted to question him about the trick they saw Justin leaving with, but it was Brian’s response that was most intriguing. He gave it his best effort to show little reaction to what Justin was saying, but his eyes exposed his feelings. He really didn’t want to hear how good the sex was with the trick, and Justin knew it wasn’t because he had wanted the man for himself. Justin, despite Brian’s best efforts, had a firm grasp on who Brian was deep inside. Despite his youth, his spirit had connected to the older man soon after their first meeting. His goal became to make Brian recognize and admit that connection too. The Prom had become all the validation he needed that he had reached his goal. At least it was until Hobbs destroyed it all.
As Justin scanned the room, his thoughts centered on whether Brian would finally recall their connection, and how perfect their night was at the prom, right up to the moment before Hobbs turned their world upside down. The dance floor seemed a little crowded at the moment, so all five men made their way to the bar first. A little libation was just the ticket for loosening up their inner party animal. Brian ordered his favorite bourbon, requesting two of them. The bartender’s look questioned the request. “I’m really thirsty,” Brian declared, echoing a previous comment to a different bartender at Babylon. Both glasses were provided and once Emmett, Ted, and Michael had their drinks in hand, Justin accepted the glass Brian offered. They all clinked glasses together.
“Here’s to reliving the past,” Brian toasted.
Once the drinks were downed, the men surveyed their surroundings. Justin’s thoughts traveled back to that very first night when he stepped into the club to see a world he had only imagined before then. His first impression was a little daunting, which is why he suggested to Daphne that they turn around and leave. Thankfully, she wanted to stay, so instead they stepped further into the club and mingled with the crowd. It took a little time, but eventually Justin was able to spy Brian on the dance floor. He was sandwiched between two men, looking totally in control of both of them. It was at that moment that inspiration hit Justin. He would use the dance floor and the men Brian was flirting with to attract his attention. Without an ounce of trepidation, Justin peeled off his shirt and stepped onto the dance floor, leaving behind an astonished Daphne.
Justin still remembered the feeling it gave him when the duo encasing Brian, slowly but surely, found themselves more attracted to his style of dancing than they did Brian’s. Justin openly challenged Brian and it worked, much to his own amazement, not to mention his ego. The two men began grinding on Justin from both sides, but he knew it was Brian he wanted to dance with, not the hot hunks. Although he was enjoying their attention, he prayed that he wasn’t overplaying his hand. He didn’t have long to wait to find out if he had or not. Brian moved in quickly, using his arms to separate the tricks from Justin’s body, pushing them very decisively away from the teenager he still thought of as nothing more than a rather sweet twink. But there were those who observed this action from the balcony, and felt that something more was happening down on the dance floor. At the time, Justin had no way of knowing that it was totally out of character for Brian to feel the need to claim him as his own, if only for the night. Others knew from long experience that Brian didn’t do repeats, yet here he was with the same kid he had picked up such a short time ago.
That, of course, was not Justin’s only memory of time spent at Babylon. It was simply the most significant one in their early ‘relationship’. At the time, Brian would have cursed out anyone who dared to call it a ‘relationship’. Yet, it was the beginning of something, no matter what name it was called by. Of course, not all memories of Babylon visits were positive ones. Justin would never forget the night that the gang stepped out of Babylon and Brian showed off his decidedly unsexy rental car after Justin’s father messed up the Jeep. As Michael, Ted, and Emmett walked away, Brian began kissing on him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Craig appeared and cold-cocked Brian. He didn’t stop with simply knocking Brian to the ground. He continued his attack with kicks to Brian’s stomach and ribs. Justin rushed to stop the attack seconds after realizing what was happening. Once Brian was back on his feet, he would have fought back until he was warned who the attacker was.
Justin had always loved his father, but at that moment his anger at the man was red hot. When Craig gave him a choice of coming back home and giving up his aberrant behavior, or never returning home again, Justin hesitated for less than a second. He made his stand and shouted that he would never go back home again. Although he wouldn’t say it out loud, he felt afraid. Some of the fear receded as Brian comforted him. By the next day, the fear had evaporated. He relished telling his story about defending Brian at the diner over breakfast. As the memory of that night flashed through Justin’s brain, it occurred to him that maybe some memories were better left forgotten. He didn’t like the idea of Brian remembering how much harm he had come to, thanks to his dad. But then again, he probably already knew about it, thanks to the stories others told him. After all, someone had to give him a reason why he had let Justin live at the loft for a short while. The night of his father’s attack was the whole reason behind that move.
Happily, most of the Babylon memories were pleasant ones. It was at Babylon, while they were dancing the night away, that Brian told Justin how the sexual harassment against him by a co-worker had been inexplicably dropped. Standing at the bar, Justin had to inwardly smile at this memory. He was the only one who knew exactly why the lawsuit was dropped. At the time, he decided he’d keep it to himself. Maybe, just maybe, he might reveal the truth someday. He often wondered why he didn’t say anything. Of course, it wouldn’t matter even if he had told the truth back then. Brian certainly wouldn’t recall who his hero was now, even if he had known at the time.
It was also at Babylon that Justin told everyone he would be attending PIFA after graduation. He was pleased to see that Brian seemed happy to hear the news, after his slightly less enthusiastic reaction to hearing Justin had applied to Dartmouth and other out-of-town colleges. They were also at Babylon when Justin told them he decided to change direction and attend Dartmouth instead, after finding out about his parent’s divorce and blaming himself for their decision. Brian, never one to mince words, confronted Justin, challenging him to be brave and forge his own path the way he did on the night they met. Brian’s words made all the difference. Later that night, he destroyed his Dartmouth application. It was just one more example of how Brian changed his life for the better.
But all the thoughts running through Justin’s mind tonight involved the past. He wasn’t standing here in Babylon so that he could think only of the past, which he couldn’t share with Brian. His interest in coming here this time with Brian was to make new memories, with the hope that in doing so he would bring back the past for the man he loved. And now was the time to begin. The one thing they did best together at Babylon was dance. Justin set his drink down and grabbed Brian’s free hand. Brian looked at him quizzically.
“Let’s dance,” Justin said, pulling Brian away from the bar.
Brian quickly set his glass down and followed Justin to the dance floor. It didn’t occur to him that letting Justin take the lead in pulling him to the dance floor was completely out of character for him. Without recognizing it, he instinctively wanted to dance with Justin. Moments later they were dancing in perfect timing with each other. Michael, Emmett, and Ted saw what was happening and recognized the familiarity of the scene. One dance led to two, then three, then four. Each dance brought them physically closer to one another, until there was no longer a quarter inch of space between their bodies. By the end of the fourth dance, their lips were fused together as they swayed to the music. Finally, thirst brought them back to the bar for another round of drinks.
“You two looked quite comfortable out there on the dance floor together. Any sparks of recognition strike you, Brian?” asked Emmett.
“Can’t say that it did,” Brian answered. “But I have to say, you are one fucking good dancer, Justin.”
“Good enough to win the King of Babylon contest,” piped up Ted.
Brian looked surprised. “No one passed on that little tidbit of history. Are they messing with me? Did you really win that contest?”
“Scout’s honor,” Justin promised. “But I’ll tell you more about it later. So, if you enjoyed dancing with me so much, how about giving it a go again?”
“Lead the way.”
The next couple of hours passed quickly as the couple took turns dancing, drinking, and making snappy comments about the other patrons during breaks. Although Brian was obviously enjoying himself a great deal, he still showed no signs of recalling previous visits to Babylon with Justin, or any of the events that occurred there when they were together. As the night began to wind down, Justin decided there was only one place left to go in Babylon that could possibly do the trick… the back room. It was the first time he ever had any sexual contact in a public place and, of course, it was Brian who made him feel safe enough to do it. For the last time the entire gang grouped together at the bar.
“I think I’m ready to call it a night,” said Ted. “I’ve had my quota of rejections for one night. You coming, Em?”
Emmett turned to Ted. “Since you’re my ride, I guess the answer is yes,” he sighed. He turned to Michael. “You coming with?”
Michael had been living with Emmett before moving in with Dr. Dave, so when he returned to Pittsburgh he was welcomed back into Em’s place. Debbie had wanted to leave her son’s room free in case Justin changed his mind and wanted the room back again after the bashing. Michael looked over at Brian with a silent question in his eyes.
“You go ahead with the boys, Mikey. Justin and I will tackle a couple more dances and call it a night ourselves. If that sounds okay with you?” He asked, turning to Justin.
Justin nodded his assent. He waited until Michael, Ted, and Emmett were out of sight, then turned to Brian.
“I have a different idea in mind rather than another dance. There’s one other place that we sometimes visited together.”
“And where would that be?”
“Right here… in the back room.”
“I took you to the back room?” Brian seemed genuinely surprised. Justin nodded.
Brian kept thinking how young Justin must have seemed to him during the previous year. He had certainly not interacted in such a way with anyone in their teens since he was also a teenager, and not even very often then. Yet now he was being told that he introduced Justin to public sex in the back room. And apparently it hadn’t scared the kid away, because he was suggesting a revisit now. Well, if Justin was game, so was he.
Brian took Justin by the hand and did the leading this time. The two stepped through the door and entered a place that was entirely different from the bar and dance floor. There were certainly plenty of noises in here too, but the sounds were entirely different. Rather than music, laughter, and gossiping, these sounds included moans, groans of pleasure, and heavy breathing. The couple passed man after man standing or kneeling along the walls until they reached the inner sanctum. There they saw bodies meshed together on scattered couches and chairs.
They finally stopped at a small alcove that appeared to be empty. Brian pulled Justin into the space and pulled him close to his body. One arm wrapped tightly around Justin’s back, while his other pulled Justin’s face up closer to his own. His lips captured Justin’s and began working their magic. Justin could feel the reaction their torrid kiss was causing for Brian, as well as his own. Their mutual stiffness pressed into one another as if begging for a little attention. The kiss didn’t stop. Brian worked Justin’s lips with an ease that came from years of practice. Justin, despite having much less experience, met each kiss with equal fervor. Brian had taught him well and he was happy to share his knowledge with the man he loved once again. The couple continued to grind their loins together through their clothing when Brian suddenly pulled away. Justin was left startled and out of breath. His face registered his surprise. Had he done something wrong? The answer came swiftly.
“I want more than a quick blow job or fuck tonight, Justin. I want you all to myself all night. Will you come with me to my place? Screw trying to bring back old memories for now. Let’s see if we can make some new memories instead. Are you with me?”
Brian didn’t need to ask twice. Justin wanted Brian to remember what they had built during their first year together more than anything in the world, but the simple fact that Brian wanted to be with him now, despite not having those shared memories, was satisfaction enough for the time being. Tonight was what counted right now. Tomorrow was another day.
To be continued…………