"Two please." It had sounded so simple, so natural, like it wasn't the first time ever Brian had paid for someone else to go into Babylon, well, someone else that wasn't Michael. No one could easily forget the time Brian opted to leave Emmett stood cold and poor on the street, whilst he pranced around buying drinks for everyone. He'd gotten a raise that day and he plied alcohol into all the hottest guys in Babylon before celebrating with an orgy at his loft. But this wasn't like that, Justin would already go back to his loft, he fucking lived there … for now.
Justin probably even had some money to get in to the club. Michael was sure he'd have been given cash from his mother. But it wasn't the actual money Michael had the problem with, God knew Brian could afford to take care of someone else but … it was the way he didn't bat an eyelid when he did it. He didn't grimace or shudder or look pained by his own generosity as he usually did when he was doing good things for other people. Instead, he looked comfortable … easy.
Michael watched as Brian and Justin made their way to the bar, Brian's hand resting gently on Justin's shoulder so as not to lose him in the crowd. Brian didn't give a shit if he lost Michael in the crowd anymore. Michael watched so intently he could almost hear Brian say, "two beers please." He could see the barman look at Justin and he could see Brian glare at the barman before ordering again more purposefully.
He got his way of course, he always did. So, Michael conceded, by that standard, Justin living with Brian was probably Brian's own way but Michael couldn't understand it. It didn't fit in with what he knew about Brian Kinney, the man who only looked after himself. The man who didn't give a shit. Michael felt better, when, after a while, Brian abandoned Justin, in favour a perusing a dark hair trick. That was more the Brian Kinney he knew and obsessed over.
Brian danced with his chosen trick but he couldn't help glancing over to Justin. He was stood with a guy who seemed harmless enough, good. But Brian couldn't relax. He wasn't really sure when he'd started caring this much, imagining the worst in all situations, desperate to stop anything bad happening to Justin. Determined not to come that close to losing him again. He closed his eye and breathed in slowly.
"Everything okay?" His trick asked, halting his dancing for a second, a look of mild concern on his face. Brian was under no illusion that the concern was for his welfare, probably more likely that he was worried about missing out on a potential Kinney fuck.
Brian watched out of the corner of his eye as the guy propositioned Justin and then watched as Justin shook his head slightly and returned to Emmett and Ted. Brian knew he could go now, leave this trick, tap Justin on the shoulder and ask him if he wanted to 'make it at early night', followed by a long hard night. But he didn't, because he didn't give a fuck … or at least he worked very, very hard so that people thought he didn't give a fuck, so he turned back to his chosen trick, smirked a little and said, "so where were we?" Before grabbing the guys arm and dragging him to the backroom.