Chapter 27 - Newshound On The Scent.

Justin was still trying to decide if he needed to get dressed and start searching for his buck naked bear buddy, when an unabashed Brian unhurriedly reopened the loft door and casually strolled off towards the shower without a word. Justin suspected that he hadn't really gone very far - he'd probably stopped halfway down the stairs and waited until his temper was back under control. It was more about making the dramatic exit and slamming the door shut as the perfect end to his tirade rather than a need to walkabout in the altogether. The timing of such things was very important to a true Drama Queen like Brian. Justin thought he was simply adorable - but would, of course, never voice such sentiments to the queen himself.

After a silent shower, Brian ordered Justin to follow him. The brooding brunet led the way down to the jeep and drove them to a trendy boutique that specialized in gadgets for the modern man. After an hour long consultation with the most obsequious salesperson Justin had ever imagined, they finally walked out of the store equipped with the latest in men's grooming products: A triple-lithium bladed, cordless-electric, rechargeable, waterproof grooming system with seven different blade attachments, guaranteed to make Brian the best groomed metrosexual in the entire Pittsburgh metropolitan area, if not the whole of Pennsylvania. Justin was drafted into providing necessary hair removal assistance, fully trained by the solicitous salesman in the various uses of the new 'system' and then sworn to secrecy and cursed with dire consequences if he ever told a soul about any of this.

The shopping therapy seemed to have done the trick though. Brian was once more in control of his Grizzly Bear temper and seemed at peace with his new, hairier self. Spending more than $500 on a glorified electric razor seemed to restore Brian's confidence that all would be okay. He was even in a pleasant enough mood that Justin convinced him to accompany him to the Diner for brunch before the young waiter started his afternoon shift.

Debbie, who had since been informed by Jennifer about Justin's renewed college plans, welcomed them with a huge smile, crushing hugs and profuse apologies for having ever doubted either of them. The boys were then seated with all due honors and Deb rushed to get them drinks and take their orders. Brian ordered his usual egg-white omelet. Justin enough to feed a small army - he knew that a good portion of anything he ordered would go to feed the growing belly seated beside him even though Brian didn't want to be seen ordering that much.

"Isn't he feeding you, Sunshine?" Debbie teased, noting the mammoth size of Justin's order.

"I'm a growing boy, Deb," Justin laughed back, patting his stomach. "I need to keep my strength up, you know."

"Who knew feeding that bubble butt of yours took so much fuel?" Debbie shot back as she moved off to put in their order.

"Little does she know, that's not all you're feeding, is it Sunshine," Brian teased quietly and groped his personal nutritionist under the table.

Nobody noticed how the obese, rumpled, hippie-looking dude in the corner smiled as he watched the boys' antics. If anyone had been looking at him, they might have noted how the Bluetooth device in his ear seemed to be hooked up to a small digital recorder instead of a phone and how that had a strange looking microphone about as long as the fork sitting next to his plate, which was pointed in the direction of Brian and Justin's booth. But, nobody in this joint would be looking at some Lardass guy when there were so many gorgeous hotties around instead.

When the food was served, Brian and Justin tucked into it like there was no tomorrow. It was kind of hard to keep track of who was eating what since they both ate off each other's plates, laughed and traded food and even, when Brian thought no one was looking, fed each other. They really weren't being all that discreet though and Debbie wasn't the only onlooker who commented on how cute the couple was. Luckily, nobody was foolhardy enough to tell Brian he was acting like part of a 'couple'.

When most of the brunch had been dispatched, Justin finally pushed away his plate, stretched and yawned, causing his tee to ride up, showing off a considerable portion of his overstuffed belly. "Oh, Brian. I'm sooooo full," Justin commented as he arched his back and rubbed his bare belly. "I wish I could go back to the loft and sleep this off for a couple hours."

"Or, I could work it off you in another, rather pleasant manner, Sunshine," Brian offered, rubbing his hand over the expanse of blond boy belly to emphasize his point.

"Mmmmm. That sounds nice . . . But my shift starts in ten minutes," Justin commented as he pulled his shirt back down into place and started to move away from the booth.

"Perfect," Brian declared, jumping up to follow behind his little working boy. "That gives me just enough time to help you wash up before you start work." Brian snickered as he trotted past Justin and pulled the laughing boy after him into the Diner's small but well-used bathroom.

While the promiscuous pair were otherwise engaged, Lardy Larry in the corner quickly looked through the photos he'd snapped of the two using his cell phone. 'Yep! Perfect' he thought to himself as he came to the pic he'd captured of both Brian and Justin rubbing the younger man's almost bare stomach. 'That's the money shot!'

Deb rapped her beringed knuckles loudly against the bathroom door ten minutes later. "Time's up, Sunshine. Get your bubble butt out here!" Deb ordered.

"I'm coming, Deb," you could easily hear Justin's response through the flimsy door.

"I'm sure you are, dear," Debbie yelled back loudly enough so the whole Diner would hear her joke. "But you still have a shift to work, so put it back in your pants for now! Ha!"

About thirty seconds later, a sweaty, red-faced Justin stumbled out of the washroom followed by a cool-looking, unflappable, smirking Brian. There was a tittering of laughter as they walked back to their table. Brian swatted the adorable bubble butt and then reseated himself while Justin scampered off to grab an apron and wash his hands. Then, recomposed, the young waiter strolled back over and refilled Brian's coffee (with decaf, of course), before starting to clear the plates.

"Have I ever told you how much I LOVE the service here, Sunshine?" Brian commented as the youth gave him a dirty look and then moved off to clear another table.

Brian camped out a while longer in his booth, just relaxing, sipping his coffee and watching Justin flitting around. It was Saturday afternoon and he really didn't have anyplace he had to be. It was nice to just sit for a change - and the scenery here was excellent. Plus, it was as good a place as any to think through some things he needed to resolve. Soon.

"Want anything else, Brian?" Justin broke into the quiet man's reverie.

"No," Brian shook his head but then scooted over and gestured to Justin to join him for a minute. "So . . . You probably won't be able to keep working here, after September," Brian commented. "Not with school and . . . Everything else. Right?"

"No. Probably not," Justin agreed reluctantly. "But then I won't have any money at all. It's going to be hard . . ."

"That's not why I asked, Justin. You don't have to worry about money. Remember, we have a deal."

"I know, but I can't just take your money Brian. I don't want to be a burden. I should be contributing, too. . ."

"And, you will be, Sunshine. You're going to have the hardest job there is. . . But, I was thinking . . . Would you want to take on some freelance art work? Something you could do from home and complete at your own pace? Or would that be too much, with everything else?" Brian asked, sincerely concerned.

"That would be perfect, Brian! That way I'd still be bringing in some money. And I'm sure I could fit it in around school and everything else." Justin sounded so enthusiastic that Brian was glad he'd brought up the suggestion.

"Well, I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can set you up with an interview at Ryder with the Art Director," Brian added, smiling at the bright excited little blond.

"You're amazing, Brian," Justin enthused and grappled the larger man into a big bear hug. Then, whispering so that nobody would overhear, Justin added, "I love you. We're going to make the best parents ever, you know!"

Brian started to return the hug, then suddenly remembered that they were in public. He pried Justin off him. "Get back to work, you!" he ordered brusquely and immediately stood up to leave. "Later, Twat!"

"Later!" Justin smiled and turned back to his work.

Lardy Larry flicked off the recorder and rubbed his hands together gleefully. That $200 bucks he'd spent for the super high-gain directional mic had been totally worth it. He'd been able to capture every word of the whispered conversation his targets had just had. Between this recording and the photos he'd got, he was going to make a mint on this story. Now, all he needed was just a little more background info and then . . .

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It was a busy Saturday night at Woody's. It wasn't even 7:00 pm and the bar was already packed with the usual pre-club crowd. Everybody was already cruising for their first hook up of the night, it seemed. The studs and the hotties were eyeing the twinks. Friends were meeting up ready to start their nights. Everybody was busy with something or someone else. Which made it pretty easy for a troll like Lardy Larry to slip in unnoticed and take up a stool at the far end of the bar where he had a great view of the entire establishment.

The only person who even noticed the disreputable looking guy scoping out the place was Dr. Dave, who happened to be sitting in a booth facing the door right when the reporter came in. David waited until Michael got up to use the men's room and then he sauntered over to greet his friend. He already suspected what Larry might be doing here at Woody's tonight, and wanted to see if he could help his friend out a bit.

"Larry," David greeted as he neared his old friend's bar stool.

"Dr. Cameron, I presume," Larry replied with his standard hello. "What brings you out to a dive like this, Cameron?"

"There's worse dives, my friend. Besides, I'm here with my boyfriend, Michael. The real question is what brings you here? Last time I heard, you were straight, Larry. Any big changes you want to tell me about?"

"No way. I'm still a big fan of the ladies, Dave. Sorry to disappoint you," Larry reassured his buddy. "No. I'm just here following up on that lead you gave me. It's looking very, very promising, but I want to make sure on this before I publish anything."

"That's a wise move," David agreed with his friend's caution. "If you're going up against Brian Kinney, you're gonna want all your ducks in a row right from the start. I hear he's a real bitch if you cross him and if you're after his twink, well, just be prepared."

"I'll try, Dave. So, who do you suggest I talk to first around here?"

"The bartenders, of course. Don't they always know everything?" David winked at the current twenty-something hottie who was schlepping drinks and waved the man over. "Sam, this is my buddy Larry. Can you set him up and take care of him for me," David directed. "Well, I'd better get back to my date. Let me know if you need anything. See ya, Larry"

David found his way back to the table and discovered that Ted, Emmett and Em's date, Mason, were waiting with Michael. Unsurprisingly, the conversation was once more about Brian. David didn't think Michael was capable of having a conversation without the word 'Brian' popping up at least once every five minutes. It really irked him. He would love to see Brian Kinney brought down a peg or two. Maybe this thing Larry was pursuing would finally put Kinney in his place. David would love to see that - and he'd do whatever he could to help the process along.

". . . They're probably all comfy cozy together in THEIR loft. Well, I don't know how he did it, but I'm sure Boy Wonder must have fucking brainwashed him or something to get Brian to act like this. It's just NOT Brian. He's been acting strange for ages now . . . " Michael was again complaining.

"Honey, just leave it be," Emmett cautioned. "Unless you want your friendship with Brian to be permanently over, you need to just shut your pie hole and let Brian and Justin figure out their own relationship. They're big boys. They can both take care of themselves. And, if they fuck up their lives, they'll have to deal with it. So, you should just apologize for trying to interfere and make up with Brian."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that when he won't even return my calls," Michael whined again.

"Here," David took charge, tired of hearing the same whine over and over again. "Call him on my phone. He won't recognize the number. Invite him here, tonight, and then when he gets here you can make nice and then I can maybe stop hearing about it?"

Michael looked suitably ashamed - for about ten seconds - then he grabbed the phone from David and made the call.

"Kinney," was the terse greeting that answered the call.

"Brian, please don't hang up," Michael begged. "I'm sorry I pissed you off. I know you're still angry, but I miss you. . . The gang is all down here at Woody's and its just not the same without you. So, will you please just come and join us and let me apologize some more."

There was silence for a few moments, and then an amused, "you're pathetic, Mikey."

"Please!"

"Fine. Okay, I'll come to Woody's. But you better be on your best behavior, Mikey." Brian caved and then ended the call.

'Woody's After Work!' Brian quickly texted to Justin, wondering briefly when he'd started informing the twink about where he was going or inviting him along, whichever this was. But he didn't want to dwell on that scary topic. Instead he turned his attention to the arduous process of trying to figure out which of his club clothes he could still fit into.

The clothing situation was getting rather serious. Brian had been putting off dealing with that particular issue for as long as possible. But considering he'd now swollen by more than seven pounds total since this fiasco had started, he knew he couldn't put it off much longer. It was time to talk to his tailor. That was NOT a conversation he was looking forward to.

After a half hour, Brian finally found a pair of black jeans he could still button closed under his belly and a shirt with long tails that hid things pretty well. The pants were a bit uncomfortable, but at least they could still be fastened. As long as no one looked too closely, it still wasn't obvious - he hoped. It was the best he could do, however, so he told himself he just wouldn't think about it. And, once dressed with everything concealed, he thought he still looked fuckable.

Brian made it to Woody's just after 8:00 pm. He was still feeling a bit self-conscious, but he put on his best Brian Kinney nonchalant mask and swaggered inside like he owned the place and . . . people bought it. He was, after all, still their hero - still beautiful, arrogant, controlling and their King. That's all the people wanted to see, so that's all they did see.

Brian rambled over to the gang's table and seated himself without comment. Everybody greeted him like nothing had changed. Mikey offered to pour him a beer from the half-full pitcher sitting on the table, but Brian waved him off and said he'd get himself something later. Then Emmett started off into one of his stories about Hazelhurst, Mississippi, and all the tension evaporated. It was just like old times.

And, just like old times, guys started cruising Brian. It was a huge boost to the man who was starting to regret wearing the uncomfortably tight pants. At least he hadn't completely lost his mojo. After the third time he repeated 'Not Interested', Brian felt right at home. He still knew how to play this game and it was good to be in control of something again.

It wasn't long before the bartender brought over a drink and advised that a guy at the bar had sent it for Brian. Brian was going to send it back, like he always did, but the waiter stopped him. "I told him you never accept drinks from guys, but he said you'd take this one," the waiter winked and held out his tray displaying the gift.

It appeared to be an ordinary brown glass beer bottle but it had been wrapped up in an artistically folded napkin. At the front, one of the corners of the napkin was folded down and the initials 'JT' surrounded by an elaborate cartouche which gave the impression of a pair of plump wide-opened lips had been drawn on the little flap. When Brian pulled down the napkin a little further, he noted with a smile that the drink was a non-alcoholic beer. Brian chuckled, gave the waiter a five dollar tip and told him to have the sender meet him in the men's room in five minutes. Then Brian took a long swig of his drink.

The guys all kidded him about breaking his own rule about accepting drinks from strangers. Brian just laughed and sipped at his drink completely unconcerned. Then, when the time was up, he stood up, guzzled down the last of his drink and slammed the empty bottle back on the table.

"Sorry, boys!" Brian intoned with a lecherous smile. "Duty calls. I have to go 'thank' the generous soul who sent me this kind token of his esteem. You'll have to carry on without me for a while."

As the lothario swaggered away, Ted looked at Michael and commented, "I think you were wrong earlier when you said Brian wasn't acting like himself. That, Michael, was the quintessential 'Brian Kinney'."

Over at the far end of the bar, the waiter who had delivered Brian's drink brought back the invitation and relayed it to the cute young blond who was waiting on the second-to-last bar stool. The gift giver was elated by Brian Kinney's reply and thanked the waiter profusely. He watched carefully and then, as soon as he noticed Brian getting up from the table in the back, the artist popped up and trotted off to the washroom, giggling in an adorable way at the thought of what awaited him.

The guy sitting at the next barstool caught the waiter's eye and they both laughed at the young man's antics. "You know that guy?" Larry questioned.

"Justin? Sure. He's a nice kid. Sweet, too. But way too hung up on Brian Kinney, if you ask me," the waiter explained with a shrug.

"Tell me everything you know about him," demanded the unattractive bar patron in the corner, waving a crisp, new $100 bill at the waiter and smiling in an equally unattractive manner.