Not Easy - Part 8

“The more things change the more they stay the same,” Ted said as he motioned at Brian dancing with some guy.

“I wonder where Justin is,” Emmett chimed in.

“Probably ‘studying’,” Michael said sarcastically.  Now that Molly was no longer in the picture it looked like Brian and Justin were back to their old pattern. 

“What happens between them is none of our business,” Ben tried to be the voice of reason.

“Ooh, there’s Justin,” Emmett pointed to the blonde who was heading towards the bar.

“You think he saw Brian?” Michael asked.

“He doesn’t look pissed or anything,” Ted replied.

~~

Justin ordered a drink, his back turned to the dance floor.  Suddenly he felt arms wrapping around his waist.

“I wanna take you home and fuck you all night,” the voice said into his ear. 

Then he felt the other man’s tongue rolling up and down his neck.

“I’ve heard that line before,” Justin said, smiling.

Brian spun him around so that they were facing each other, “That’s not a line, little boy, that’s a promise.”  He then placed his lips over Justin’s, hungry for the taste of his lover’s mouth on his tongue.

Oblivious to the eyes watching them they kissed until air supply became an issue.

“So, how was your visit with daddy?” Brian mocked.

“Fine.  Molly says hi,” Justin replied.  He’d been spending a lot of time at his father’s house these days.

Brian smiled. 

Justin noticed the guy that Brian was dancing with when he got here eyeing his lover.  “You have a fan,” he motioned. 

They both agreed that the rules didn’t work very well before.  Nor did the games.  Neither one of them was ready to be completely monogamous.  They didn’t go out of their way looking for tricks, but if they saw something they liked, they went after it.  If they felt like having another body in their bed, they went for it.  They just agreed to be honest about it. 

Brian turned around, barely glancing at the trick, then looked back at Justin.

“He wouldn’t do even for Ted,” Brian smirked.

Justin laughed.

“You wanna dance?” Brian asked.

“I thought you were gonna take me home and fuck me,” Justin gave him a mischievous grin.

“That was a line,” Brian returned his smile.

“Yeah, well, I bought it, so now you’re just gonna have to put out,” Justin grabbed Brian’s hand and pulled him towards the exit.

~~

It was almost noon when they woke up the next day, having made love all night.  As Brian got out of bed to make coffee, Justin lazily stretched out, not wanting to get up. 

“Come on, lazy butt, get up,” Brian called from the kitchen.

Rolling out of bed, Justin pulled on his sweats and headed to the kitchen.

“You’ve never complained about my butt before,” he said, placing a kiss on Brian’s shoulder, then taking a seat on one of the stools.

Brian smirked at him, then returned his attention to the contents of the fridge.  Realizing that breakfast consisting of guava juice and beer wasn’t such a good idea, Brian closed the door of the fridge and turned around.

“Diner?” he proposed.

“Sure,” Justin nodded.

They walked to the bedroom to get dressed.  Putting his sweater on, Justin turned around, watching Brian picking out a shirt to wear.

“What are you doing this Tuesday evening?” he asked.

“What I’m always doing on Tuesday evenings…fucking you,” Brian smirked.

“I meant before that,” Justin grinned.

“Uh…fucking you?”

“Well, we’d need to eat first, right?” Justin said, playing along.

“Of course.  Need to gather as much energy as we possibly can,” Brian snaked his arms around Justin’s waist.

“So, we’d have to get dinner first.”

“I guess so,” Brian said, leaning in for a kiss.

“So, we could have dinner with my dad.”

And everything stopped. 

Brian never felt his dick soften so quickly.  He looked at his lover, completely stunned, “Please, tell me you’re kidding.”

“He invited us over for dinner.”

He was obviously not kidding.  Brian took a step back, gazing up at him as if Justin just completely lost his mind and he’d have to call the men in white suits.

“Are you fucking insane?”

“Look, I told him that I wasn’t going to change.  That me being queer is never going to change.  That I wasn’t going to pretend to be someone I’m not.  And that if he was to accept me, he’d have to accept you too.”

“I don’t give a shit if he accepts me or not,” Brian hissed.

“He knows that you’re in my life.  That you’re going to be in my life.  He knows that.  That it’s not going to change.” Justin pleaded with him.

“Justin!”

“He’s trying, Brian.  He really is.  He’s changing.”

“People don’t change, Justin.”

“Yes, they do.  You’ve changed.  So have I.  Why can’t he?”

“Because homophobic pricks like him DON’T CHANGE!” Brian shouted.

“Brian, please?” Justin hoped Brian would see how important this was to him.

Brian sneered, “I don’t do family dinners.”

Justin looked down, knowing that he lost this round.  Brian put on the first shirt he pulled out of the closet and walked out of the bedroom.

“Where are you going?”  Justin asked, following him.

“Out.”

“What about breakfast?” Justin knew he sounded like a ten-year old, but couldn’t help it.

Brian stopped and turned around.  Leaning in, he whispered, “Go have breakfast with your daddy.” 

He left, leaving Justin standing in the middle of the loft, alone.

~~

Sitting at the kitchen counter in his father’s house, Justin watched his sister make lunch for the three of them.

“Molly, that knife is kinda sharp,” Justin grimaced when he saw her pick up a big knife.  “Why don’t you just let me finish it up?”

“No.  I’m making lunch,” she insisted, starting to cut the bread.

“Here,” Craig handed Justin a can of Sprite.  Then he grabbed a stool next to his son.

“Thanks,” Justin glanced at his dad.  Even though their relationship has been getting better, there was still some awkwardness between the two.

“Is Brian coming for dinner tomorrow?” Molly asked, putting the bread away and starting on the tomatoes.

“Uhm…” Justin looked at his father, then back at Molly.  “I don’t know.  He might have to work late,” he lied. 

The look on Craig’s face told him that he knew the real reason why Brian wasn’t coming.

Seeing the sad look on Molly’s face, Justin got up.  Walking around the kitchen counter, he took the knife out of her hand, “Now, why don’t we make your favorite?”

~~

It was Tuesday night and both Brian and Justin were getting ready to leave.  Justin looked over at his lover, taking in what he was wearing:  Brian’s usual ‘I’m gonna fuck your brains out’ clothes.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing a suit?” Brian asked, looking over at him.

“I’m going to dinner with my dad, not brunch at the White House,” Justin replied.  Things had been a bit tense for the last three days. 

Brian sat down on the bed, putting on his boots.

“What about you?  What are you doing tonight,” Justin asked.  “Or should I say, WHO are you doing tonight?”

Brian stood up, “Oh, you know, the usual.”  Grabbing his jacket from the bed, he left.

“Yeah, I know,” Justin mumbled.

~~

He didn’t feel like going to Babylon or Woody’s tonight.  All he really wanted to do was go back to the loft and spend the night with Justin.  But that wasn’t an option.  Justin was playing ‘we are family’ with the father of the year.  Brian parked the Jeep across the street from the diner and got out. 

Seeing Debbie at the counter, he cursed under his breath.  He was hoping she wouldn’t be working tonight since he wasn’t in a mood for a lecture, which he was sure he’d get.  Brian slumped into one of the booths and opened up a menu.

“Coffee?”  Debbie asked, standing next to him with a pot in her hand.

Brian nodded.

“Where are the rest of the boys?” She asked, pouring the steaming fluid into a cup.

“Probably getting their share of rejection for the week at Babylon,” he sneered.

“And Sunshine?”

Brian picked up his cup and took a sip.  Ignoring the look Debbie was giving him, he took his time swallowing and putting the cup back down. 

“So?” she prodded.

“Dinner with his dad,” he finally answered, somberly.

Placing the pot on the table, she sat down across from him.  Oh, great, here it comes, he thought.

“I gather you don’t approve,” she said.

“The guy is an asshole.”

“He’s still his father.”

“Big fucking deal.”

“It is a big deal…to Justin.  That’s why he’s giving him a second chance.”

“He doesn’t deserve one,” Brian said.

“Maybe not.  But it’s not your decision to make.  If he needs him…”

“He doesn’t NEED him,” Brian cut her off.

“Ok.  But he DOES want him.  He wants to have his father in his life.  You can’t make him feel guilty or bad about it.  You shouldn’t.  If he has a chance of having a relationship with his father, you should support him.”

Brian sighed, leaning back in his seat.  Why did he always feel like he’d gone through a ten-round boxing match after Debbie’s lectures?  And she always won. 

~~

It was a little after ten when he finally came home, having driven around town for the past couple of hours.  He carefully and as quietly as he could slid the door shut - a habit he picked up while Molly lived with them.  The loft was dark.  Figuring that Justin just probably went out to Babylon after dinner or stayed over at his dad’s, Brian made his way towards the bedroom. 

He froze in his tracks when he reached the top of the stairs.  Justin was curled up in a ball, crying. 

“Justin?”

Justin’s eyes snapped open and he tried to wipe away the tears, acting as if he was caught doing something top secret. 

“You’re home early,” he said, his voice hoarse.

“What’s wrong?”  Brian asked, concern written on his face.

He sniffled, “Nothing.  It’s nothing.”

Justin rolled on his other side, turning his back to Brian. 

Dropping his jacket on the floor, Brian walked around the bed and laid on his side of the bed, facing Justin, their faces only inches apart.

“What’s wrong?” he asked again.

“Nothing.”  Realizing that Brian didn’t really buy it, Justin added, “It’s stupid.”

“What happened?” Brian insisted, a hundred percent sure that it had something to do with Justin’s father.

“My dad…he invited his…Kelly…to dinner and I just…”  He closed his eyes, not wanting to start crying again.  “I mean, my parents had been divorced for two years before mom…before this happened.  And he’s a human being.  He should be with somebody.  I just…I told you it was stupid.” 

Gently stroking Justin’s hair, Brian softly said, “It’s not stupid.”

Snuggling closer to his lover, Justin closed his eyes.  “I miss her,” he whispered.

“I know.”

They stayed like that for a while, silent, very still.   Brian was sure that Justin fell asleep.

“I’m sorry,” Justin said suddenly, startling him.

“For what?”

“For asking you to come with me.  I had no right to ask.  After what my dad did to you, I had no right.  I was being selfish.  I just…I really wanted you there.”

Brian didn’t say anything in return.  He just continued to run his fingers through Justin’s hair.  The truth was the reason that he hated Craig Taylor wasn’t because he almost broke his ribs or because he smashed into his Jeep.  It was because of all the shit he’d put Justin through.  All the pain he had caused him.  Brian was scared that Justin, being so trusting, would get his heart stomped all over again by his father.  He didn’t want that to happen.  But Debbie was right.  It wasn’t his choice.  It was Justin’s decision to let his father back into his life.  He didn’t want to put Justin into situation where he’d have to choose.  Brian was sure who Justin would choose.  Their relationship had never been stronger than now.  That wasn’t the issue.  He just never wanted to see Justin in that much emotional turmoil again. 

~~

Brian stood outside Craig Taylor’s house, a part of him still unable to believe what he was about to do.  He rang the doorbell.

“Brian!” Molly chirped, opening the door.

“Hey, Mol,” he hugged her. 

“I thought I was coming over tomorrow,” she asked.

“Yeah, you are.  Is your dad home?”

She nodded, pulling him inside after her.

Closing the door behind him, Brian saw Craig coming out of the kitchen.

“Justin’s not here,” Craig informed him.

“I know,” Brian replied.  He looked at Molly, “Justin said that he might have forgotten his sketchbook in your room.  Can you go check?”

“Sure,” she replied, then ran up the stairs.

When he was sure that Molly was gone, he turned his attention back to the other man. 

“So, are you gonna tell me to leave them alone again?” Craig asked him, sarcastically.

“Look, I pretty much think you’re a homophobic asshole who doesn’t deserve a second chance and I know that you think that I’m just a disgusting pedophile who corrupted your son.  And it’s fine.  I don’t really give a shit what you think of me.  But, it puts Justin in the middle, pulling him into two different directions.  It hurts him.  And he’s been through enough shit already.”

“I know.”

“I want Justin happy,” Brian stated.

“So do I,” Craig replied.

Brian smirked, “Wow.  There is something that we both agree on after all.”

When Craig just sneered back at him, Brian continued, “So, since neither of us is going anywhere any time soon, I guess there’s only one thing to do.”

~~

Justin closed the door behind him and looked around the loft.

“Hey,” Brian called from the kitchen.

Dropping his things on the couch, Justin walked over and gave his lover a kiss. 

“What smells so good?” he asked.  “Did you cook?”

Brian snickered, “Take out.  Got your favorite.”

Justin looked at the dish in Brian’s hands, “Mmm.  Yam.”

“Justin!”  Molly squealed when she saw her brother.

“Hey,” he said, “How did you get here?”

“I drove her.”

Looking up, Justin saw his father standing in front of him. 

“What’s going on?” Justin finally asked, getting over the initial shock.  His eyes moved from Brian to Craig to Brian again. 

“Brian invited us over for dinner,” Craig said, as if it was the most common occurrence in their lives.

Justin stared at Brian, who just gave him a very innocent look.

Placing the last dish on the table, Brian said, “Well, I’m starved.  Lets eat.”

Craig and Molly took their seats while Justin still stood in the same spot, trying to figure out what exactly just happened to his family. 

“Are you just gonna stand there all night?” Brian asked him, smirking.

“Uhm…no,” Justin was finally able to say.  He made himself move over to the dining table and sat down. 

Justin watched as the three of them passed the dishes around and poured soda.  He felt like he was in a dream.

“Can I eat on the couch?” Molly asked.

“No,” all three of them said in unison.

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