Chapter 32 - How To Argue 101. (Sunday In The Sun: Aftermath)

As soon as the Pentathlon of Passion was finished, The Master gathered the boys back up and thanked them for their efforts that day. He seemed quite happy with the day’s outcome. Not a word was said about Justin’s team’s efforts to sabotage Brian. If Brian hadn’t already been so hopping mad that he could barely see straight, he might have said something. As it was, he was too busy glaring at the clique of sniggering, whispering boys who tended to break out into loud cackles of laughter every time they looked Brian’s way.

Brian barely heard the rest of The Master’s announcements. He only knew that Dane had won the week’s Blog Bitch award - which garnered him the reward of a future indulgence - because all the others gathered around the big lug and spent an inordinate amount of time congratulating him. From the short excerpt passage that they read aloud, it seemed like their resident giant was really a poet in disguise. Who knew?

Brian DID notice however when a certain little blond went up to the bigger blond and, with a knowing look in his direction, made a show of being extra touchy-feely with the blogging wonder. The kiss with full tongue was especially nauseating. And it didn’t help at all that the infuriating brat then turned to his cronies in crime and fucking giggled. GIGGLED! Then the little devil hooked his arm through Dane’s and led him away into the house with a proprietary air that sliced right through Brian’s gut!

Kerek and Malik’s giggling died away pretty quickly however as soon as they looked over and saw the horribly hurt look on Brian’s usually impassive face. Malik felt his heart drop into his stomach. For a brief instant, Malik looked into Brian’s eyes and saw such an incredible weight of betrayal and vulnerability that it made him sick to his stomach. He had no idea that Brian, who was always so brash and self-confident, would take their teasing so much to heart. But it was all there in his eyes. The hurt. The fear. The pain of betrayal.

“Fuck!” Malik didn’t even realize he’d spoken aloud until he heard his own voice.

Everyone nearby turned to see what it was he was so shocked about. Including Justin. Which was when the youngest House Boy saw the direction of Malik’s gaze. Justin turned towards Brian as well, curious about whatever had caused his friend to exclaim the way he had. And he too saw the depth of anguish in the beautiful, wide open, hazel eyes that had, up till now, always been masked behind a facade of unflappable urbanity.

“Fuck!” Justin echoed the shock he’d heard from Malik.

Since the boys had the night off, they’d requested pizza for dinner. Everyone agreed this should be eaten in the living room while they watched the movie - a porn-free selection for a change - that Dane had picked out as his reward for winning the Orgasm Challenge on Fetish Friday. Dane had opted for a humorous classic: Monty Python’s, ‘Life of Brian’. When he’d requested that particular selection, he’d thought it would be a fun choice and he could use it to tease Brian a bit. However, considering the day they’d had and the state Brian was in now, he no longer thought that would be wise.

Their own resident Brian had been quiet and withdrawn all evening. After they'd been dismissed by The Master, Brian had retreated to the Break Room for his hour of downtime. While he was gone, everyone had bombarded Justin with questions until the boy had finally spilled the beans and confessed that they'd had an argument that seemed to have gotten a little out of hand.

Living up each other's asses as they had been for the past couple of weeks - both literally and metaphorically speaking - everyone had become really attuned to each other's moods. They all felt the shift in the dynamics when one of their numbers was feeling off. And this rift between Brian and Justin was screwing up everyone's mojo. It was uncomfortable in the extreme for the entire household - well, except for Daniel, who not-so-secretly reveled in the air of discord and was probably plotting about how to use it to his advantage. But the rest of the boys didn't like it one bit.

When Brian had finally emerged from the Break Room, everyone was extremely solicitous of his needs. He was given the best seat in the house for the movie - the seat on the couch next to the arm rest and directly in front of the big screen television. Paal brought Brian's dinner over - a large serving of caesar salad with one very small slice of margarita pizza and a bottle of his favorite hoppy IPA. Meanwhile, Justin sat at the far end of the couch, clearly stewing over what he should do or say, shooting the occasional worried look in Brian's direction and pretty much ignoring his plateful of food.

After they'd all grabbed something to eat, Dane popped the movie into the DVD player and claimed the seat next to Brian. The gentle giant started to explain his movie choice and apologize, but Brian waved off his concerns. Brian was a huge movie buff and, while his personal preference might have been for dramas, he'd watched enough Monty Python to be able to quote quite a few of the movie's more famous lines. He was also a big fan of Graham Chapman, who'd been an out and proud gay actor long before it was socially acceptable in the States. So, while Brian wasn't chortling along with the rest, he wasn't unhappy to sit and watch the movie with the other House Boys either.

About a third of the way into the movie - right at the point where it was explained that 'Blessed Are The Cheesemakers' wasn't meant to be taken literally and was instead a reference to any manufacturers of dairy products - Justin got up the gumption to approach the other end of the couch. His tentative, "want another beer, Brian?" was rebuffed with an inarticulate shrug that sent him scurrying off to the kitchen. The kid didn't even try to approach Brian again the rest of the evening. And, before the final credits had started to run along with Eric Idle's catchy rendition of "Always Look On The Bright Side", Justin had disappeared into the basement, followed by Malik and Kerek.

Brian watched the twinkie trio's retreat before he got up from the couch himself. He hadn't taken even one step though, before he was halted by a hand on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Paal's kind, dark brown eyes focused intently on him. Normally, Brian would have run from the sort of 'talk' he knew would accompany that look, but something about the Indian man's serious expression held him in his place.

"Brian, my friend, I realize that it is probably none of my business, however, I do not like seeing both you and the little one so sad," Paal sounded concerned and fatherly. "You do know you are being quite silly about all this, do you not? Whatever you are arguing over, it is not worth it. Right now, the only thing hurt is your ego, but if you go on as you are your prideful stubbornness might cost you something much more precious."

"Thank you, Swami Paal. But if I need spiritual advice, I'll go get a tarot reading from Mysterious Marilyn. At least she makes me laugh," Brian snarked in an attempt to deflect all that concerned sympathy.

"Just fucking go and talk to him already you bloody idiot!" Dane chimed in, berating Brian from his spot on the couch. "YOU may not realize what a good thing you've got going, but everyone else around here sure does. And not everyone's going to wait while you dick around trying to figure out how to get your head out of your ass. You'll lose him." Dane's warning sounded almost like a threat - like he'd be the first one waiting in line to snatch up an unclaimed Cupcake - and it was a threat that Brian didn't take lightly.

In spite of what an exhausting day it had been - physically and emotionally - Brian couldn't settle. He'd been pacing around and around the empty bedroom for several long minutes. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to strangle Justin or grab him and kiss the fucking shit out of him. How could one tiny little blond boy be so completely aggravating?

Brian hated emotional confrontations. All his life he’d avoided them wherever and however he could. Emotionally detached was his default setting. When he couldn’t completely avoid emotional situations, he tended to react defensively, using humor or sarcasm to deflect any potentially hurtful words. And, if that didn’t work, he’d strike out and get angry. But, after what the other guys had said earlier, he thought that maybe, just this once, he was going to have to try and actually have a conversation about all this with the kid. He didn’t want to but he really couldn’t stand leaving things the way they were.

Hence the pacing. He was gearing himself up to talk to the kid. Getting his thoughts in order and preparing his pitch. He could sell anything, right? This was really no different. Right? And when the kid came upstairs to go to bed, Brian would be ready for him. He could do the conversation thing. He was sure he could do it . . . Maybe. If only the twink would get here already!

When the door knob rattled announcing that someone was about to enter the room, Brian was actually relieved to think he could finally get this over with. He turned towards the door, an expectant and hopeful look on his face. It was ‘GO’ time.

“Hey!” Brian’s shoulders sagged as a dark brown face peeked tentatively around the edge of the door. Malik looked and sounded way more timid than usual. “Is it safe to come in?” Brian waved him in and then flopped down on the bed dispiritedly. “Brian. I just want to say that I’m sorry, man. I know that we kind of went overboard with the jokes and all. We didn’t really mean anything by it. We were just having fun and teasing you a bit, you know. But, I get that you didn’t find it as funny as we did. So . . .”  Malik broke off, not sure if his apology was accepted or not since Brian was still lying on the bed completely silent and not meeting his eyes. “You’re not going to kick me out of bed too are you?”

“I didn’t kick him out of bed!” Brian insisted.

“Then why is Justin sleeping . . .” Malik looked back over his shoulder and it looked, from Brian’s vantage point, like the direction of his gaze was pointed across the hall towards the bedroom where Dane and Kerek usually slept.

Brian didn’t let the boy finish. “It’s his choice where the fuck he wants to be. If he doesn’t want  me . . . If he doesn’t want to sleep here then that’s his call. Why should I give a fuck?” Brian angrily flipped over on his side so that he was facing the wall and Malik couldn’t see the hurt look in his eyes.

There was no response from the young man still standing undecidedly in the doorway. Malik felt more than a little guilty about how he’d acted earlier. He probably shouldn’t have encouraged Justin. But, then again, nobody really knew how badly Brian would take their little jokes. And now they were both hurt and angry and neither of them, apparently, had a fucking clue about how to fix things.

Malik got it that Justin was basically just a kid - he was only eighteen, for fuck’s sake - and, not that Mal was much older himself, but he did remember being eighteen. It was NOT an easy time. He remembered how hard that age was. He remembered being so uncontrollably horny all the time that he could barely think straight. And he remembered how it made you do the stupidest things. He remembered the night he’d broken up with his first boyfriend over a stupid argument about who’s turn it was to use the Playstation. He’d totally overreacted and taken Chris’ words to heart, taking offense when he’d called him a skid mark that wouldn’t come off the couch. Looking back the next day, he couldn’t believe that he’d been so quick to take offense at something that was probably meant as a joke. And then he’d been too fucking chicken shit to go explain and apologize and had just left. It was so stupid but so totally something a hormonally confused and inexperienced eighteen-year-old would do. But Mal was not about to let his friend, Justin, make the same mistake.

Of course, Brian didn’t have the excuse of being eighteen, even though he was acting as silly as Justin. None of them really knew anything about Brian’s history outside of what his reputation on Liberty Avenue told them. He was always so reserved and cool - well, except when he’d been around Justin - and that aloof exterior didn’t encourage people to ask him intimate questions about his life. Malik had sensed from the very beginning, though, that something in Brian’s past had left him emotionally vulnerable. And now Brian was acting like just another hurt and confused kid, rather than the mature, professional adult he seemed on the outside. It was like he had no clue about how a relationship was supposed to work or how to fix things with Justin. Couldn’t the big oaf see that Justin’s pranks and teasing were the kid’s unconventional and perhaps inept way of reopening communications, and not the intentional slight that Brian seemed to think it was.

These two really were challenged! Malik felt like shit for his part in making things worse, but still they just needed to grow up - both of them. However, it looked like it would take the two of them far too long to realize that on their own. Mal was going to have to take action.

Brian felt the bed shift behind him as Malik climbed in. The angry brunet refused to roll over or even acknowledge him. Damned twinks! All of them could go fuck themselves as far as Brian was concerned. He really didn’t need all the shit they caused in his life. And he wasn’t going to relent just because Malik scooted up behind him and left a gentle kiss on his shoulder.

“Brian?” Malik’s low-pitched voice was soothing, but Brian wasn’t ready to hear him yet. “Brian? Fine, if you don’t want to talk to me, I get it. I screwed up, all right? I’m sorry.” Malik had moved so that he was now sitting up behind Brian and was using his strong, skilled hands to rub away at the knots in Brian’s tense shoulders. “We really didn’t mean to hurt you, you know. We were just goofing around and got a little carried away.” Malik pushed a little harder on Brian’s right shoulder, pushing the now compliant man all the way over on his stomach so it was easier to give him a more thorough massage. “And you do understand that Justin’s kinda young, right? He told me before that he’s never had a boyfriend - or even dated anyone. I think he figured he was just being cute or funny by singling you out like that. He would never do something intentionally mean. It’s just not in his nature. And he wouldn’t have dreamed of teasing you like that if he didn’t feel something for you. It was really a compliment if you look at it that way.”

Brian grunted, still a bit angry but reluctantly conceding that maybe Malik had a point. He shifted around so his head was now more comfortably propped up on his arms while Malik continued with the pacifying massage. He hadn’t even realized how tense he was until Mal’s talented fingers had begun their therapy.

“Granted, I’m not sure what started your little argument. Justin was pretty angry to start with, so you must have done something to piss him off. But I really think that by the time the Pentathlon started he was already starting to regret the way he overreacted earlier,” Malik tried to explain how he saw things in order to give Brian a little better perspective. “I’m sure that he’s ready to apologize so y’all can move on to the make up sex part. He’s maybe just a little too embarrassed about everything to face you - which is why he’s hiding out right now. He’s young and inexperienced and not sure what to do. I’m sure you get that. But you do know that you’re going to have to apologize too, right?”

Brian snorted derisively but didn’t say anything.

“Damn, you are a stubborn one, aren’t you?” Malik couldn’t help the little smack he landed on Brian’s ass. “Would it kill you to go find him and just say two little words? ‘I’m sorry’. It’s not that tough, Brian.”

“He . . . I’m not going to go pull the kid out of someone else’s bed just to fucking humiliate myself again by apologizing. Like I said, it’s his call where he wants to be . . . I don’t . . .  I can’t . . .” Brian couldn’t seem to find the right words for what he needed to say, and in the end just gave up.

“Fine. Be that way,” Malik chuckled at the man’s persistent orneriness. Brian really was just as inept at this relationship thing as Justin. “Except that, I happen to know Justin is sleeping on the couch downstairs right now.” Brian looked up at THAT particular gem of knowledge, a slow and very tentative smile creeping over his face. “How about I just go and let him know that you’re not asleep yet? Hmmm?” Malik clambered off the bed and started to head towards the door. “You two so owe me for this though. Now I’M gonna have to sleep on that lumpy couch!”

“So, are you all done queening out? Or should I give you a few more minutes,” Malik jumped on top of Justin, making the couch springs groan from the impact.

“Fuck! You weigh a fucking ton, Mal. Get the hell off me so I can breathe already!” Justin complained and tried ineffectually to push his solidly built friend off the top of him.

“Nope. I’m not going anywhere until you get off your perky little white boy ass and go make up with Brian. He’s sitting in the bedroom brooding and it’s really not a good look for him. He’ll get wrinkles. You have to go save him.” Malik teased, trying to cajole his friend into action.

“Fuck off, Mal!” Justin apparently wasn’t ready to joke about things. Justin scooted up into a sitting position, a cushion held to his chest almost like a shield, and looked at his buddy with such anguish it made Mal’s heart hurt. “I so totally screwed up today, Mal. I can’t believe I overreacted so bad. And, then, all those stupid pranks? I still can’t get over the way he looked. He was so . . . Fuck it! Brian’s probably never going to speak to me again.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re the BIGGEST drama queen ever?” Malik shoved Justin’s shoulder good naturedly but the blond boy only let himself fall over until he was face down in the cushions. “Sheesh! You and Brian both - you’re fucking WAY high maintenance. You so deserve each other!” Malik squirmed closer to the recumbent form and put his arms around the poor, dejected youth. “So, you DO know the correct way to have an argument, right? Cause I don’t think Brian does and fuck knows you act like you don’t have a clue either . . .” Justin’s head came up off the cushion long enough to give Mal a puzzled look. “Shit! You two are gonna kill me!”

Malik moved off Justin sufficiently so they could both sit up. “Okay, listen up. I’m going to instruct you in the PROPER way to argue and then it’ll be up to you two to take it from there. Ready?” Justin nodded, his face all wrinkled up with concentration. “You guys have already mastered the first part. You disagreed about something and you both said stupid shit - am I right?” Justin nodded again, so Malik continued. “After that it’s cool if you both get pissy and go off to lick your wounds and shit like that. That’s normal. And, you can even brood a bit and rant to your friends. That way you get it out of your system. You two did that part just fine too. Then, what you’re supposed to do is you both realize you’re being silly and that whatever you were arguing about was stupid. I think you’ve both reached that stage, am I right?” Another blond nod. “Good. You’re right on schedule. NOW - the hard part - one of you has to have the balls to go to the other and make the first apology. Then the other one apologizes back. You both admit you were idiots and totally overreacted. Then you get to kiss and fuck and all will be once again copacetic.”

“But, what if Brian’s still too angry to even talk to me,” Justin asked, sounding like a little boy and not a fledgling adult. “He looked so pissed off and he wouldn’t even talk to me during the movie.”

“He’ll talk to you now. But you’re going to have to be the one to make the first move. I don’t know what’s up with our Brian, but I don’t think he has much more experience at this relationship thing than you do.”

Justin took a deep, fortifying breath, then looked at Malik with a determined glint in his eye. “Here goes . . .” He got off the couch and started to walk toward the stairs, but paused after a few steps. “If I don’t come back in, like, an hour, send in a rescue squad, okay? You’ll probably find me lying on the floor in a tangled bloody heap after Brian bites my head off and someone will have to call emergency services.”

“Well, either that, or you’ll be in the middle of having the best make up sex ever seen on the planet. Either way, I’ll be happy to come barging in and save you from it,” Malik threw the cushion Justin had been hiding behind earlier at the boy’s head. “Just go already, will you?”

Justin hesitated at the door to the bedroom. He knew he was being a pussy. It was time to man up. Twisting the knob and pushing the door open a crack, he peeked around the edge and saw Brian sprawled out on the bed with all the pillows behind his back. He looked up at Justin apprehensively. Justin hovered by the door unsure what to do next.

“Coming in?” Brian asked politely.

“Huh?” Justin seemed startled to hear the vision in front of him speak. “Oh. Yeah!” He stepped all the way into the room.

“Shut the door,” Brian instructed and Justin turned his back to the room, swallowed, closed his eyes and sighed before firmly pulling the door closed.

When Justin still just stood there, unspeaking, Brian actually got a small hint of a smile on his lips. “So, are you coming or going. Or coming and then going? Or coming and staying?” He asked, his tongue firmly implanted in his cheek.

At least that little bit of levity relaxed Justin enough that he remembered how to speak once again. “Hey!” Justin smiled shyly.

“Hey, yourself.” Brian was all cool nonchalance.

Justin took a few more tentative steps toward the bed. When it didn’t look like Brian was likely to spring on him, the boy carefully perched on the edge of the mattress. He looked at Brian intently but neither knew where to start. Justin chewed on his bottom lip nervously for several seconds, hesitating and trying to find the right words.

“I’m sorry, Brian,” He figured he’d open with classic honesty.

He looked up at the man he’d begun to have such strong feelings for and again paused. How was he supposed to do this without making things worse? Where did he start? Brian seemed just as confused and tongue tied. Which was ridiculous and would get them nowhere fast. Better to just get it over with.

Brian apparently had the same idea. They both started speaking at the same time.

“I shouldn’t have encouraged the guys to to play all of those pranks on you. I didn’t mean to . . .”

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I was just pissed off at Ted and my friend Michael . . .”

Both voices tapered off and Justin devolved into a spat of giggles. “I really am sorry Brian. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just being an ass, I guess, and I didn’t realize how overboard I was going until it was too late,” Justin, once launched on the path of apology, rambled on quite well. “Of course, you shouldn’t have yelled at me in the first place, but I guess I DID overreact to that too. I guess I kinda lost it. You may not have noticed, but Malik says I’m a total drama queen and he’s probably right. And then I didn’t know what to say or how to fix things and everything I did just seemed to make it worse and I’m really, really, really sorry. Can you please forgive me . . .”

Justin might have gone on for hours at the rate he was going if Brian hadn’t stifled the outburst with one finger laid gently across the full bubblegum pink lips. “It’s okay, Sunshine. We were both asses. I forgive you.” Brian was rewarded with a full wattage Sunshine smile. “Now shut up and fucking kiss me already you twat.”

The ecstatic blond boy bounced obediently up the bed until he landed squarely astraddle of Brian’s hips, his hands already buried in the soft, baby fine auburn hair and his lips happily descending to meet Brian’s own. The little spark of static electricity that zapped them in the process only added to the pleasure. And it felt so fucking good. So right. Brian couldn’t believe it had only been a few hours since their last kiss because it felt like he’d gone days without the touch of those firm, full, warm lips against his own. He felt his lips part and his tongue beginning to dart out for a more satisfying taste . . .

“Wait!” the panting blond boy pulled away from Brian’s embrace. “Wait, Brian. First, you have to say it.” Brian looked at him confused and a little pissed off at the interruption. Justin shook his head at the intransigent older man. “You have to say the words. Otherwise it doesn’t count.”

“Justin . . . I don’t . . .”

“No, Brian. You HAVE to say it. It’s a non-optional, social convention,” Justin was insistent.

Brian sighed. If he wanted to move on to the make up sex that he had already planned out in his head, he was going to have to make amends. He knew it. It didn’t matter that he hated to apologize. He hated that apologies were just empty words which really didn’t do anything. It didn’t make whatever you’d done wrong any better. It was just words.

But it seemed like the kid needed the words. The annoying little blond brat was sitting there, his nose all scrunched up adorably, holding his breath and waiting. Brian, and his principles, didn’t stand a chance against adorable blondness.

“Fine,” Brian took a deep breath and said the words. “I’m sorry.”

If it was possible to be literally blinded by a smile, Brian would have been once he’d been hit with the unbelievably bright smile beamed at him by his now-satisfied brat. “See, Brian. You said it and it didn’t kill you.”

“Actually, it did. I think I’m having a heart attack or maybe a stroke even as we speak!” Brian threw his head back with his tongue lolling out as evidence of his impending demise.

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to give you mouth-to-mouth then,” Justin teased, crawling back up Brian’s body so he could reach the dark raspberry lips he so wanted to lick.

“I think mouth-to-cock would be more effective,” Brian suggested with a tongue in cheek grin.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll get there,” Justin promised as he dove down and started in on his own make up sex plans.