Brian dressed quickly and grabbed a piece of paper off Justin's desk. "Hey Baby, you look so cute sleeping that I couldn't bear to wake you up." He wrote. "But I'll see you tonight after the obligatory dinner with Mikey. I expect you to miss me!! Heart, B."
With a quick kiss to the top of Justin's head, Brian headed out of the bedroom. He found Anthony sitting at the table looking down at a text book and munching on some toast. Brian was amused when he saw that Ant was wearing glasses. "Morning." Brian said.
"Hey." Anthony looked up from his book. "You leavin?"
"Yah, I have to get to class." Brian replied. "I hate 7am classes. What are you doing up?"
"Studying." Anthony shrugged. "I have a midterm next week. I usually study early in the mornings."
"Good plan. You don't have to worry about noise." Brian grabbed his shoes.
"Can I ask you something, Brian?" Anthony looked a little nervous.
"Shoot." Brian replied, sitting down at the table to put his shoes on.
"What are you doing with Justin? Do you really want him? Or is this just a temporary thing?" Anthony felt an incredible urge to protect Justin from getting hurt again and he wanted to make sure that Brian was on the level.
"Are you serious? Are you his father now?" Brian asked, somewhat amused.
"I care about him more than his father does." Anthony said. "I don't want you to game him."
"I'm not, Ant." Brian said, completely seriously.
"Good. Me and you are okay, then." Anthony grinned. "Now get out of my apartment and get your ass to school so you can get a good job and support Justin while he's doing the starving artist thing." He teased.
"See you later." Brian said with a smile, moving towards the door.
"Later, Bri." Anthony said before going back to studying.
***
Brian stepped quietly into his apartment. He didn't want to get into a discussion about his spending another night at Justin's apartment with Daphne, so he tried not to wake her.
"Morning, Loverboy." Daphne said from the kitchen table. She was looking through the newspaper and drinking a mug of coffee.
"What the hell are you doing up?" He asked, nearly having jumped from his skin at hearing Daphne's voice.
"I have a workshop this morning." She told him. "Starts at eight. Plus, I knew you had class at seven and I wanted to hear all about your night with Justin." Brian rolled his eyes.
"You badly need to get your own life, Daph." He chuckled. "You keep living vicariously through me." Daphne laughed along with him.
"You're not getting out of telling me, Kinney, so spill." Daphne stood and grabbed another mug from the cabinet to pour Brian some coffee.
"Well, it started out as the night from hell... I met Mikey at Woody's and it seems like all he did was bad mouth Justin, and then he compared Justin with Jamie." He saw the shocked look come onto Daphne's face. "I had to get out of there."
"Who the hell does Michael think he is?" Daphne raged. "I don't know why you even want him around."
"Daph." Brian said warningly. He didn't want another friend who bad mouthed someone he cared about, even if he was mad at that someone at the moment.
"Fine. Get on with the story. I want to hear about Justin."
"Do you have a crush on my boyfriend?" Brian teased. When Daphne smacked him in the arm he chuckled. "Well, I went over there and he showed me some of his art."
"Is he any good?"
"He's amazing, Daph. He showed me some drawings he's done of me... they were amazing." Brian thought back to all the drawings in Justin's leather bound sketchbook. "I saw of picture of his ex."
"Hot?"
"I fucked him a few months ago... back room at Babylon." Brian still felt horrible about being one of the guys that Jonny cheated on Justin with.
"Fuck... Did Justin freak?" Daphne asked.
"No. He said that he knows that I've been with a lot of guys and that it's all in the past." Brian relayed. "But I still feel like shit about it."
"Well, if Justin says that he understands, then I'd leave it alone if I were you." Daphne said. "So... how was the sex?"
"If you really must know, we didn't fuck last night. We watched a movie and then went to sleep." Brian almost wanted to lie and tell her that he and Justin had mind blowing sex all night so that she wouldn't see his softer side.
"Awwww..." Daphne gushed. "Could you be any cuter!?!"
"On that note, I have to shower and get to class. I'll leave you here to gush." Brian finished off his coffee and disappeared into the bathroom.
***
Justin woke up and knew immediately that he was alone in the bed. He rolled over to look at the side of the bed that had become "Brian's side" in the nights he had spent there. He noticed a piece of paper on the pillow and picked it up. After reading it, he smiled and stretched out.
"Hey, J." Anthony said, coming into his room with a hot cup of coffee. "Time to get up or you'll be late for class."
"Thanks, dear." Justin smiled. "Brian left me a note."
"Aww!" Anthony rolled his eyes. "How insanely boyfriendy."
"Wow, Ant, another word to add to Anthony's Dictionary of made up words." Justin rolled out of bed and pulled a t-shirt over his head. "He called me baby and signed it heart B."
"God, you two are so fucking hetero!"
"Stop being so cynical, Ant." Justin laughed. "Now, I gotta shower and get ready for class because I have a big project to hand in this morning."
"Luck!"
"Thanks!" Justin grinned as he made his way to the bathroom. He wished he could start everyday so happily.
After Justin was finished in the shower, he dressed in a pair of faded jeans that had splatters of paint all over them, a t-shirt, and a sweater. He figured he would be in the studio for most of the afternoon and didn't want to have to come back to the apartment before making his way there. At the last minute, Justin decided to leave a message on Brian's machine to put him in a better mood before going out with Michael.
***
"You didn't have to meet me on campus." Brian said as he and Michael walked up to his apartment. "I told you I'd meet you at five. I wanted to come home and shower first."
"I got off work early and I knew you were out of class at four." Michael said with a smile. "It's no big deal. I'll wait while you shower."
"Fine." Brian grumbled. He opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside. He hoped there weren't any telltale signs that Justin had been there just a couple of nights before. Seeing none, he let Michael in.
"You sure you don't want to come out dancing after we eat? It'll be fun!" Michael got that whining tone in his voice. Brian saw the message light blinking on his machine and played it, hoping that it would get Michael to shut up for a few seconds.
"Hey, Bri. Your stunningly gorgeous roommate here. I'm studying at the library tonight and then staying at Tiernan's. See you in the morning!" Beep.
"Hey, Bri. Me again. Remember, you have the place to yourself tonight. Do something naughty! Bye, babes." Beep.
"Hey babe, it's Justin. Hope you didn't think it was one of the other boyfriends I'm sure you have hidden from me. *giggle* I got the note you left on my pillow when you slipped out of my bed in the wee hours. You're turning out to be a little romantic, arentcha? Well, I'll see you tonight. Eat fast! I don't want to share you with Michael. Byebyes." Beep.
Brian, who had been standing stalk still for the duration of the message, slowly turned and looked at Michael who looked absolutely livid. He braced himself for what was about to come. He knew he was in trouble when Michael didn't start yelling at him immediately. Brian watched as his friend's face got red and his eyes bugged out from his head.
"Boyfriend!" Michael suddenly exploded. "You've been lying to me this whole time?" Brian said nothing. "You weren't busy with school at all were you? You just wanted to spend time with your little boy toy instead of me!"
"Don't call him that." Brian ground out.
"What!?"
"Don't call him my boy toy." Brian replied firmly. "He's my boyfriend, ok?"
"No! Not okay! I told you not to see him anymore! I told you he was bad for you! I told you that he was going to hurt you just like Ja..." Michael was interrupted by an equally livid Brian.
"Don't say his name. Don't you ever compare him to Justin." Brian took a deep breath and decided to let out all the things that he had been waiting to say to his "friend". "Why did you expect me to do or believe any of the things you told me? I'm a big boy and I can decide for myself."
"Obviously my opinion doesn't matter to you at all!" Michael looked like he was about to burst out sobbing.
"Not when it pertains to something you know nothing about." Brian shook his head. "You're pissed off because Anthony hurt you. Well, you know what? I tried to warn you about him a few times. You shrugged it off. And now, now you're trying to sabotage my relationship because you're miserable. And you have this burning hatred for Justin because's he's friends with Ant."
"Ant?" Michael got a look of distaste on his face.
"Yah, Ant." Brian nodded firmly. "He and I have become sort of friends too."
"I can't believe you would do this to me!" Michael wailed. "You know exactly what he did to me and you're friends with him now."
"Michael, you should know how the game works by now." Brian shook his head in disgust.
"Are you playing Justin?" He asked, looking hopeful.
"No, I'm not playing Justin." Brian said firmly. "Listen, Michael, whatever is going on with Justin is entirely MY business. It has nothing to do with you and I suggest you stay out of it."
"You want me out of your life? Fine. I'm out. But when Justin fucks you over the same way Jamie did," Michael put emphasis on Brian's ex's name, "don't come whining to me."
"Fuck you, Michael." Brian shook his head and turned from his friend. "Get out of here. You make me sick."
"I hate you." Michael seemed to start crying as he rushed to the door, hurried outside, and slammed it.
Brian couldn't believe that everything had gotten so fucked up. He thought back to before he knew Justin, when life was easy. He and Michael would go out on the town, he would meet someone and either fuck him in the backroom or take him home and fuck him there, and then he would go to sleep. Next night, same thing. Now, with Justin in his life, things were different. He had an actual boyfriend. Brian shook his head. "I don't want to deal with this right now." He said, heading for the shower.
***
"Hey, J. Where's Loverboy?" Anthony asked as he walked out of his room, dressed for Babylon. "Didn't you say he was coming over right after dinner with whiney little Mikey?"
"He was supposed to." Justin said sadly. "But he said he was picking Michael up at five. He said he'd be here by 7:30 at the latest."
"So... what you're saying is that lover boy is like two hours late then?" Anthony said looking at his watch. Justin nodded. "It's settled then."
"What's settled?" Justin asked, looking up at his friend.
"We're going to Babylon." Anthony grinned. "We're gunna dance and drink and act depraved. I'm gunna find some little hottie and fuck him. You're gunna get your mind off being stood up and have a good time."
"But what if Brian's just running late? What if he comes here and I'm not here?" Justin asked. He really wanted to see Brian that night and wasn't opposed to making a fool of himself by waiting.
"Honey, after two hours of waiting, he can't expect you to still be sitting here. Come on, go put on something a little tighter so that every guy there knows that I walked in with the hottest guy in the place and let's get going." Anthony was trying to put on a happy face while he worried about what Brian was doing. He hoped that something had just come up and Brian wasn't out doing something... or someone... that was going to hurt Justin.
"Fine." Justin grumbled before standing and walking into his bedroom, a slight slump to his shoulders. "But if he comes here and I miss him, I'm blaming you."
"Blame him!" Anthony called. "He's the one who stood you up!"
"Must you phrase it that way?" Justin asked walking out of his room wearing the same jeans but a tight black jersey instead of the baggy sweater he had been wearing before.
"Ooh, hottie, you're going to turn some heads tonight." Anthony let out a low whistle. "I'm totally gunna be walking in there with the hottest guy in the club."
"It's going to help you get laid, isn't it?" Justin asked, laughing softly. Anthony didn't care too much about his image. As long as he got laid, Anthony didn't care what people thought of him.
"Hell yes, baby. When I'm seen with you, I'm going to have hoards of them flocking to me as soon as I leave your side." Anthony grinned. "I hope you're not averse to driving while I'm getting a blowjob in the back seat."
"Wouldn't be the first time." Justin chuckled.
***
Brian leaned on the railing and looked out over the dance floor. Just like every night at Babylon, there were hundreds of sweaty male bodies packed into the club and they were all looking to fuck and be fucked. Brian was on his way to a very bad hangover, but at that point he didn't care. During the three hours spent drinking in Woody's before venturing over to Babylon, he had become philosophical, spouting his drunken truth to anyone who would listen.
"Love is for losers! Everyone leaves! In the end, you get fucked harder than you ever do in the actual relationship." He'd spouted to the drag queen sitting on the barstool next to him, listening with amusement. "It's funny. I made this rule that I would never fuck my best friend. In the end, he fucked me!"
"Darlin'," the drag queen had said with concern, "maybe you ought to get someone to drive you home."
"Home? It's still early. Time for Babylon!" Brian had fallen down three times just getting himself out of Woody's, but he wasn't too concerned. The alcohol had clouded the thoughts that had been bothering him and that was all that mattered.
Since Michael had stormed out of the apartment earlier, Brian had been plagued with doubts about his relationship with Justin. Was Michael right? In the end would Justin hurt him the way Jamie did? Had he lost his best friend over a guy that he would lose in the end anyways?
So now, standing at the railing above the dance floor at Babylon, Brian had only one thing on his mind: Find the hottest guy in the club and fuck him. Somewhere between the case of beer he drank and the tequila shooters, Brian had forgotten that he had Justin waiting for him, trusting him.
Brian spotted a tall, Hispanic guy in a tight wife beater on the dance floor, sparkles that had fallen on his skin making him seem to glow. Making his way down the stairs, Brian slowly moved in on his prey. It was a dance he had taken the time to perfect and it assured him that he would have any guy he wanted.
***
"Ahhh, Babylon." Anthony said with a big smile on his face as he and Justin walked inside the club. Justin still wasn't much in the mood for partying, but Anthony was determined to change that. He didn't want to see Justin wallowing over Kinney. "Shall we get you a drink, princess?"
"Sure." Justin nodded and Anthony flung his arm around Justin's shoulders, leading him to the bar. As much as Anthony wanted Justin to have a good time, he was feeling protective because Justin was vulnerable after being stood up.
"I'll have a double Beam on the rocks." Anthony ordered. "And my friend here will have something fruity with a little umbrella in it." Making sure Justin wasn't looking he mouthed the word "Virgin". The bartender nodded and set about making their drinks.
"Ant!" Justin laughed. "I don't drink those! Fruity umbrella drinks are for queens!"
"Well, darlin, tonight you're drinking the umbrella drinks." Anthony chuckled. "I need you in tip top form to drive my drunken ass home."
"And these aren't going to get me drunk?" Justin asked.
"Nope." He didn't want to tell Justin that there wasn't going to be any alcohol in his drinks, so he just nodded mischievously. The bartender handed them their drinks and Anthony paid.
"Wanna dance?" Justin asked. He loved dancing and always had fun when he and Anthony danced together. They made their way to the dance floor, drinks in hand, and started dancing very suggestively with each other. "Ant, people are starting to stare." Justin blushed.
"Well, we are the hottest guys here." Anthony grinned and looked around the dance floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Brian and looked closer. When he realized that Brian was leading the attractive Hispanic guy towards the back room by his shirt, he wanted to go over and hit Brian. "J, I found your boyfriend." Anthony regretted that he had to say the words, but felt that his friend deserved to know.
Justin followed Anthony's line of sight and was shocked. He saw Brian and some strange guy walking towards the backroom together, there was no question of what was about to happen. Justin broke away from Anthony and followed Brian. By the time he got there, Brian was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed as the other guy blew him.
"Fuck." Justin felt like the walls were closing in on him and he needed to get out. When he exited the backroom, Anthony was there waiting for him. "Take me home." Justin begged.
"Come on." Anthony wrapped his arm around Justin and they made their way to the exit. Anthony was fuming mad, but knew that he had to be there for Justin at that moment as opposed to going back into the club and ruining Brian's pretty face.
Justin was silent and completely still during the drive home, obviously lost in thought. When they arrived at their building, they got out of the car and Anthony took Justin's hand. Justin was still trying to process what he had seen. Had he really seen the guy he spent the previous night cuddled up to getting his dick sucked in the back room?
"Want to talk?" Anthony offered once they were in the apartment.
Justin shook his head. "Nothing really to say right now." He looked up at Anthony. "Will you sleep in my bed tonight? I don't want to be by myself."
"Of course." Anthony nodded. "I'll go change and see you in your room." Justin smiled slightly and went into his bedroom. He undressed quickly and climbed into bed, still in complete shock as to what had happened with Brian. When Anthony returned he was wearing a pair of baggy plaid pajama pants and a white wife beater.
"Thanks." Justin said after the lights were out and the two of them were lying in his bed. "I'm really glad you were there tonight."
"Anytime, Princess. Now, go to sleep." Anthony pressed a soft kiss to Justin's forehead before rolling over and pretending to sleep...
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