"Doing what's right is no guarantee against misfortune."
~~ William McFee
"Nice choice Dad. Why don't you just hook that burger up to an IV, it's quicker and more efficient." Molly said.
Craig shot his daughter a frustrated look.
"If I could I would. It's not like anyone would give a shit if I had a heart attack."
Molly sighed and shook her head.
"I give a shit. And whether or not you believe it, mom still gives a shit too," she told him.
Craig curled his lip in contempt and snorted.
"Please, the only thing she gives a shit about is screwing that teenage boy toy of hers." Craig snapped.
Molly frowned at him showing her disappointment at his petulance.
"Tucker is not a teenager and you better start getting use to them being together. I have a feeling he's going to pop the question soon. They've been together almost eight years now. I'd say it's about time they got married." Molly said.
"Why in Gods name would your mother want to remarry?" Craig asked in all sincerity.
"Um, I don't know, maybe for the same reason you remarried?" Molly countered.
"Unfortunately reason has nothing to do with marriage. If it did I would have avoided it like the plague. Instead I let insanity rule and ended up in yet another ugly divorce that stripped me of my money and pride leaving me with nothing except for some old photo's and bad memories to keep me company on lonely nights." Craig answered bitterly.
"First you're not exactly penniless. And second, the only reason you're lonely is because you choose to be. You shut yourself off from everyone." Molly said.
Craig didn't respond to her accusation mainly because it was true. Instead he buried his teeth, and his emotions, into the greasy burger in front of him. He didn't want to waste the one day a week he spent with his daughter talking about past mistakes.
He and Molly had been meeting every Saturday since he divorced Jennifer for a father daughter luncheon. It was the one thing in his life that was constant, and that he looked forward to. His daughter was his life. Well, what was left of it. He effectively destroyed every other relationship he had including the two most important ones, that with his first wife and his son. Both which could have been avoided if he weren't so stubborn and thick headed.
Molly reached over and grabbed her fathers' wrist, forcing him to lower the burger from his mouth.
"You know it's never too late to fix things." She said looking at him with those knowing eyes that tore at his heart.
Craig wished that there was some alternative universe in which that was true but there wasn't. His pride and arrogance over the years cost him dearly. It cost him his family. Though he and Jen still talked on occasion, it was only to discuss their daughter, or some financial issue. His son however was completely lost to him. They hadn't spoken in almost ten years.
Ten years...
When he said it out loud, it seemed like a lifetime. It was one of the reasons he never said it out loud. Though Molly often spoke of her brother, and his life, Craig refused to respond in anyway to her recounting of his life. He'd pretend not to listen giving her the impression he was not interested. Still, she never gave up, and in truth, he didn't want her to.
He knew his son blamed himself for the divorce, and Craig let him believe that because he was so angry at him. Angry and afraid. He wished his son wasn't gay. Life was hard enough without having the extra burden of being a societal outcast. And like it or not, that was what gays were in the good old U.S. of A.
Craig wasn't a religious man. He didn't have a moral opinion on it either way but he did know the reality of what being gay meant in today's society. Too often news of gay bashing, discrimination and teen gay suicide was reported on the six o'clock news. Craig didn't want his son to become one of those statistics. As it turned out, in the end that was exactly what he became. Another gay boy who fell victim to a hate crime.
And it was all 'his'fault...
Everything changed the day one Brian fucking Kinney walked into their lives. Before 'he' came along, things were fine. He could have handled Justin being gay. True, it took some getting use to, but he certainly could have accepted his son dating another boy his own age, from a good family. But in typical Justin fashion, he had to rebel and take up with a much older man with a reputation of being a whore, drunk and drug user. Craig couldn't stand by and watch his boy being taken advantage of by someone like that. He did everything in his power to break that relationship up, even some things he wasn't proud of like attacking the man on the streets of Liberty Avenue and ramming his car into the back of his jeep. In both cases he was reacting out of desperation. He was fighting for his son. A fight that proved to be futile.
Craig remembered the exact day he lost the battle for his son. It was the day 'that man' brought Justin home after he had run away. Craig was scared out of his mind for his son. It was fear that prompted him to make those rules. Rules that didn't sit well with that selfish prick who was using his son. He told Craig that his rules about Justin not being allowed to visit gay bars, or see 'him' ever again was not love, that it was hate. He couldn't have been more wrong.
Craig loved his son. He wanted him safe at any cost. Even if that meant forcing him to keep a low profile and not bring attention to himself. That child molester however didn't agree with him and what was worse was that his own wife didn't either. She insisted that he had to accept Justin for who he is, and not force him to hide it. And that they had to accept who Justin chose to be with. Little did she know how wrong she was then, but regretfully, she found out later, when that murderous bastard, Chris Hobbs, took a bat to their sons' head.
The bashing was a wake up call for Craig, in more ways then he could have ever imagined. He remembered the day his son came out of the coma. He was so happy his son was alive, and more determined then ever that this time, he would keep his son safe, a job he failed to do up till that point. His son almost died because of Kinney, a fact he revealed in front of Justin. That turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life. Justin screamed at him to leave the room and never come back to the hospital again. He said he'd rather die in 'his' arms then live another moment in his own fathers' presence. That was the proverbial straw that broke the back of what was left of their relationship.
Craig left the hospital that day and never looked back. Shortly after his divorce was final, he had remarried. Another colossal mistake as it turned out. In hindsight he realized that his marriage to Vicki was an attempt to fill the void left inside of him that was created the day he walked out of that hospital room. He never forgave Justin for what he said, but he never stopped loving him either. There was a moment, about a year after the bashing, when he had a glimmer of hope that he and Justin might have another chance at having a father/son relationship again but he screwed that up too. Justin had come to him to show him his artwork, and ask for aide in paying for his college but all Craig was interested in was the fact that he was not with Brian anymore. His glee was so evident, Justin got up and left. Having recognized his faux pas, Craig went down to the school a few days later to pay for his tuition only to find out it was already paid for. It didn't take a genius to figure out who paid for it. Apparently though he wasn't with Brian anymore, the man still had a hold on his son. A very strong hold that had lasted for thirteen years now.
And for the past thirteen years, Craig held on to his resentment for Brian Kinney; the man who stole his son's innocence, and love from him.
"Dad, did you hear me?" Molly asked bringing Craig out of his thoughts.
Craig put his burger down and smiled sadly at his daughter.
"You were always the dreamer pumpkin. Life isn't a fairytale honey. The ugly truth is some things can't be fixed. No amount of wishing is going to change things. And that's assuming I even want things to change. I don't. Your brother made his choice. He's out of my life and I'm fine with it." Craig said.
Molly huffed disbelievingly.
"Yeah, right, that's why you keep every photo I give you of Justin and his children in a shoe box under your bed. You know the pictures you tell me you throw away so I should stop giving them to you?" Molly said.
Craig's eyes widened at her omission.
Molly smiled an impish smile at him.
"You are so busted Dad," she said.
"What are you doing snooping around my apartment?" Craig asked.
"Cleaning. Since you fired your housekeeper your apartment is filthy. What did you think? That the laundry just magically got done?" Molly asked.
Craig grimaced. That smart-ass attitude was one thing she shared with her brother.
"Well you shouldn't go snooping in other people's things young lady. How would you like it if I snooped in your things?" He countered.
"I wouldn't, you're right, but I wasn't snooping, like I said I was cleaning. I was going to throw the old shoebox out but then I found the pictures in it. Old pictures of you and mom, me and Justin, which I wasn't surprised to find but I was surprised to find all the pictures I've been giving you over the years of Justin and his family. Though I noticed you cut Brian out of every one he was in." Molly said.
Craig made a face at the mention of Brianas if he had a bad taste in his mouth and pushed his hamburger away from him.
"I told you that you are never to mention 'his' name in front of me, ever." Craig said sharply.
Molly waved his warning away.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. The point is you still care. You would have never kept those pictures if you didn't. Doesn't it bother you Dad that you have grandchildren you've never seen?" Molly asked.
Her words pierced Craig's heart to the core though he couldn't let his daughter see that.
"I'm sure your brother is very grateful for that." Craig said.
Molly frowned. She wanted to deny her fathers' words but she couldn't. Justin was just as stubborn as their father. He refused to talk about him no matter how hard she tried to get him to.
"Perhaps. But you wouldn't know that unless you tried. Whatever your feelings for Justin, those are you grandchildren! And yes, I know four of them are adopted from Brian's side of the family, but Maria, Andy and Elliot are Justin's by blood." Molly said.
"Elliot is Justin's child, we don't know who the biological father of the twins is. Though Maria is the spitting image of Justin." Craig said a wistful smile on his face.
Molly was encouraged by that smile.
"Yes, she is. And she's has his temperament too. She's always creating some sort of mischief." Molly said.
Craig laughed despite himself.
"Well I guess that curse works after all." Craig said.
"What curse is that?" Molly asked
"The one all mothers put on their children, wishing that they have children of their own that act just like they did when they were young." Craig replied.
Molly laughed.
"So?" Molly left the unasked question hanging in the air between them.
"So stop looking through my things." Craig replied.
Molly pouted.
"I don't know who is more stubborn, you or my brother!" She said folding her arms over her chest.
"Let's just finish our lunch and enjoy the rest of the day together, ok?" Craig asked hoping to get her to stop nagging him about things he couldn't think of for too long because it was just too painful to.
Molly relented and went back to eating her salad. A few blissful minutes of silence passed before Molly spoke, making Craig almost choke on his burger.
"By the way Dad, I also came across a few pictures of a woman I didn't recognize in that old shoebox. A pretty blonde lady. There was one where you had your arm around her shoulder, and you were holding me in your other arm. I couldn't have been more than four at the time, but I don't remember her. Who is she?" Molly asked.
Christ! Craig thought. Talk about the past coming back to bite you in the ass. Well his past just took a huge chunk out of his posterior. He hadn't thought of that woman in the picture in years. Too many years...
'Maude Talbot'
He'd almost forgotten he had those pictures of her. He could kick himself for not burning them. How was he going to explain Maude to Molly? He could lie, that was always an option, but he was so tired of lying. Yet if he told her the truth he risked losing her. Molly was very forgiving. She forgave him for many things. She forgave him for tearing their family apart with the divorce, for not making any attempt to reconcile with her brother, and for subjecting her to his second cold hearted bitch of a wife, Vicki. He doubted very much that she'd forgive him for cheating on her mother when she was just four years old. And he was sure as hell she wouldn't forgive him if she knew his affair resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. A pregnancy he refused to acknowledge except for his offer to take his Mistress to the clinic to abort the child. An offer Maude refused before leaving town, never to be heard from again. No, Molly would never forgive him that, nor would he expect her too. He never forgave himself.
Craig starred at the half eaten greasy burger on the table. How many mistakes was a man allowed in his life he wondered? He was sure he was past his quota. Except for Molly, he caused such pain for the people he loved the most in his life. Truth was he was a selfish prick. Yes, he loved Maude, but not enough to break up his 'picture' perfect life with his bluestocking wife and well bred children for. And yes, he loved Jen, though not enough to stay faithful to her. Again he let his own needs drive him. And Justin... yes he loved his son, but not enough to accept him for who he is, or the man he chose to be with. Craig claimed to love, yet each time that love was tested, he failed. When it really counted, he chose himself and his needs over those he claimed to love believing he was doing the 'right' thing for them, but he wasn't. His choices were always based on what was right for him.
Craig laughed out loud a bit hysterically startling Molly...Life was cruelly ironic. As it turned out, Brian was right. That wasn't love, that was hate.
"Um Dad, are you ok?" Molly asked.
Craig looked up at his daughter and made a decision. This time, maybe for the first time in his life, he wasn't going to do the 'right' thing. No, this time he was going to do the noble thing. He was going to tell Molly the truth because that was what you did when you loved someone. Regardless of the out come.
"No honey I'm not. Actually, I've never been ok, or even remotely so. But I'd like to be." Craig said then stood up from the table and held his hand out for his daughter to take.
"Come on pumpkin lets go for a walk. We need to talk."
PART 2
Justin stood up from the garden bench he was sitting on when he saw Chino emerge from the house. He'd been acting liaison for the past several hours while Brian and Howes tried to extricate the demons' influence from Lizzy. It had been a long process and according to Chino's last update, they were almost finished. Justin was hoping this time Chino would be bringing him news that the deed was done, and he had his daughter back.
Chino smiled at him as he approached sending Justin's hope soaring.
"It's done, isn't it? They were successful?" He asked.
Chino stopped in front of Justin and put his hands on his shoulders.
"Yes, it's done. They cleaned her psyche of the demons' influence completely. It was difficult, but they managed to extract the subliminal directive and erase her memories from the past several hours, replacing them with new ones. Howes hypnotized her and she's asleep. Brian will be out in a minute to tell you the details." Chino said.
Justin's knees went weak at the good news. He didn't realize until this moment how truly frightened he was. He slumped back down onto the bench and put his face in his hands and cried.
Alarmed, Chino sat next to him and started rubbing his back.
"Hey, it's okay now. Honest. Lizzy will wake up thinking Brian brought her here to see her brother. She'll have no ill effects of the demons manipulations. Please...don't cry..." Chino said.
Justin quickly wiped his tears away and sat up straight.
"I'm sorry, I was just a bit overwhelmed. It was so difficult being out here not knowing what was going on, or being able to help." Justin said.
Chino heard the hint of resentment in Justin's voice. He didn't have to be psychic to know Justin was pissed Brian wouldn't allow him to stay while he and Howes worked on dislodging the demon's influence from their daughter. Intellectually, Justin understood why Howes and Brian had to handle the situation alone. They had the necessary powers needed to pry Lizzy free from the demons grasp while he didn't. Plus they didn't need any outside emotional distractions. And Justin would have been just that. He was too upset over the condition of their daughter. But the heart didn't always follow the brains reasoning. It had its own reasoning and Justin's heart was not happy with Brian at the moment.
"I know how you feel. Being left out is never easy." Chino said.
Justin looked at the boy and saw sadness in his eyes.
"Have you been left out a lot Chino?" He asked with sincere concern.
Chino shifted his eyes to the ground and shrugged his shoulders.
"When you're different, you're always left out," he answered.
Justin furrowed his brow. He wasn't sure if Chino was referring to the fact that he was different because of his powers or because he was gay. His intuition was telling him it was the latter.
Without thought, Justin put his hand under Chino's chin and turned his face so that their eyes met. He smiled affectionately at him.
"Sometimes we feel isolated because we put ourselves in that position. You don't have to be you know. You just need to open up and trust people. Howes and the girls would not love you any less, you must know that. Being gay doesn't change who you are, or how you love. I'm guessing you've had no experiences with other boys yet, have you?" Justin asked.
Chino's eyes glassed over with emotion. He didn't bother to deny he was gay. He knew it would be futile to try, not that he wanted to deny it in any case. It was very liberating to be able to talk to someone about it.
"No, I haven't. I...just couldn't." Chino said staring into Justin's bright blue eyes.
Justin smiled at him.
"Yes you can. You're a very attractive young man Chino. You need to have more confidence, and trust in yourself. You'll meet someone and when you do, you'll know if it's right. When that happens, don't think, just go for it. Don't be afraid. Have some balls." Justin said smiling, taking the edge off his words.
Chino looked deep into Justin's eyes and decided to take his advice. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Justin's... and waited...
Justin was shocked at Chinos' advance. 'Fuck!' He thought. He should have seen this coming. Chino had a crush on him. He knew it, he felt it; he just didn't think the boy would act on it! Justin remained frozen staring at Chino's closed eyes thinking about what his next move should be.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Brian was going to freak out on him. He had two choices. He could rebuff Chino making his first kiss memory that of shame, confusion and embarrassment, or simply just kiss the boy back and let him taste how 'right' and good it was to be gay, then gently explain that he was flattered, but very much in love with Brian. Justin sighed inwardly. Having made his choice, he silently prayed for strength. Not for what he was about to do, but for what he had to face once he did it. Brian's wrath.
Chino's nerves were starting to take a hold of him. He knew Justin wasn't the one for him, he'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to see how much he and Brian were in love with each other, but he was attracted to him and well...he just wanted to know how it felt to kiss another boy! Just once in his life he wanted to know. He was way to shy to come out. He couldn't do it with the people he loved and trusted the most, he knew there was NO way he'd be able to come out to total strangers. He doubted he'd ever have another chance like this again and though he knew Superman was going to kill him, it was worth it. Well it would be worth it if Justin would just kiss him back...
And then it happened.
Justin kissed him back. Tentatively at first, but then Chino felt Justin's hand reach around his neck and gently cup it, pushing him closer so that their lips melted together more securely. Chino felt as if he was floating on air the sensation was so powerful. So electrifying. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears and feel his blood rushing through his veins and flowing directly to his loins. The feeling was overwhelming, and all consuming. He didn't believe anything could feel more euphoric but he was wrong. Just when he was about to swoon from the chaste kiss, Justin took him to a whole other level of bliss by pushing past his lips and into his mouth with his tongue to seek out his own. Chino moaned deeply and followed Justin's lead. The kiss deepened but then suddenly, it ebbed a bit. Somewhere in the back of Chino's mind he felt a shift in Justin's posture but his body was on fire and he ignored it as he pushed forward seeking more, needing more.
Justin watched closely as Chino reacted to his first kiss. He wanted Chino to know, to really know what it felt like to be kissed by a man. None of this chaste closed mouth peck. He knew if he didn't take the initiative, Chino never would. The boy was truly a virgin, in every sense of the word. So Justin took matters into his own hands and introduced Chino to his first opened mouth kiss. The look on the boys face was priceless. While Chino kept his eyes squeezed shut, Justin kept his wide open. He had to fight the urge to smile watching the myriad of emotions flit across Chino's face. First, enjoyment, then shock when Justin entered his mouth, then the jackpot of emotions, desire. If there was any doubt in the boys mind after this kiss that being gay wasn't the most fucking fantastic thing on this earth, then he didn't deserve to be gay. He hoped now Chino would have motive to go out and overcome his shyness and start meeting other gay men. Now that he knew what he was missing, Justin was sure he'd find a way to come out of his shell.
Unfortunately, Justin's elated feeling over his 'good Samaritan' deed was short lived when he spied Brian walking towards them. He pulled back a bit, but didn't break the kiss. He didn't want to act like what they were doing was wrong in any way. That could be disastrous for the boys' confidence. Somehow he had to convey this to Brian before he made a scene that would damage Chino's self esteem permanently. However if the look on Brian's face was any indication, and it was, that wasn't going to be easy.
Brian was tired. More like exhausted. Ousting Joffith's demonic suggestion from Lizzy's subconscious was more cumbersome then he anticipated. Howes warned him about being cocky about his abilities. He realized now that he needed to take the threat Joffith presented more seriously. If removing a mere suggestion was that difficult, he hated to think how difficult, if not impossible, it would be to rid a body of a full-blown possession. It wasn't that he didn't know what he was up against; it was that he believed he could handle Joffith on his own if given the chance. He just found out he was wrong. If it came down to him and the demon battling it out, he questioned whether or not he'd emerge the victor.
As worrisome as that was, it wasn't what concerned him the most. What concerned him was the fact that Joffith risked losing two souls now, Lizzy and Jagger's, in his goal to get to Brian. By interfering in 'free will', as Joffith did in both his children's case, he forfeited their souls.
On the one hand, that was good news. His children's souls were safe from Joffiths, or any other demons grasp. Joffith all but guaranteed their entrance into Heaven, or at the very least, one of the upper levels. Short of either of them committing some heinous crime on their own, they would be spared the horrors of the underworld. On the other hand however, it proved just how desperate Joffith was getting in his attempt at getting Brian's soul. And that kind of desperation caused innocent people to get hurt. Like his children, or Justin, or his spirit guide, Richie.
Brian had to find a way to deal with Joffith, and fast. But right now all he wanted to do was find his own soul mate, and take a long nap wrapped his arms. However, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, he'd have to remove him from Chino's arms first to accomplish that.
The last thing Brian expected to see as he walked out to the garden was his lover in the arms of the black haired beauty, embraced in a passionate kiss. Ok, this HAD to be, once again, the work of the demon he thought. But then Justin flashed him a look that screamed, "Don't over-react." Yeah, like that was going to happen.
Brian walked right up to the couple and starred down at them with a murderous look. He noticed two things, one, Chino was oblivious to his presence, (no surprise there, anyone kissed by Justin would be lost to the outside world. No one kissed like him) and two, Justin was 'detached' from the kiss. It was that detachment that literally saved the boy. Brian shot an annoyed eyebrow up at Justin. As secure as he was in their relationship, there simply was so far Justin could push him. He was sure that in the back of that convoluted mind of his blond, there was a reasonable explanation for what he was witnessing. Reasonable according to Justin's standard. He on the other had, was sure he would NOT find it reasonable at all. To add insult to injury, Justin raised his free hand, his other hand ...God he was so going to make Justin pay for this... was cupping the back of the boys neck, and signaled him to move back!
Ok, that was it. Two can play at this game. Brian sent Justin one of his sexy smirks, causing Justin's eyes to widen in fear, and sat down on the other side of Chino. He then proceeded to run his hand down and around Chino's thigh and up to his groin where he expertly massaged it, ever so gently, so that Chino wouldn't know if the feeling was coming from the actual physical contact, or from the kiss.
Justin knew what Brian was doing and placed his hand over Brian's in an attempt to remove it. Brian leaned forward and whispered into his ear ...
"down".
Justin knew what he meant and immediately let his shield down, yet kept his hand over Brian's.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Brian sent the mental question into Justin mind.
"I was trying to get Chino to come out." Justin thought, knowing Brian would read him.
"Well I'd say you succeeded there Sunshine. Though I would have preferred it if you just fucked him." Brian said.
Justin mentally cringed at Brian's words, and Brian felt it. Good, he thought. Kissing was something they only did together. Even when they shared a trick, they never kissed him. The last time Justin kissed a virgin was at some party Daphne threw. Brian suspected Justin was using the same logic he used then to justify kissing that boy with Chino now.
"Brian he kissed me. I swear. I know I should have pulled away, but I couldn't. If I had rejected him, after giving him this long ass speech about having balls about coming out, he would have retreated so deep into his shell, too afraid to ever come out again. How could I destroy the boys' confidence like that? Even you have to admit that would be cruel." Justin asked, well almost pleaded. He needed Brian to understand this was a special circumstance.
"Did I NOT warn you about those fucking long ass talks you love to have? Now what are you going to do? May I remind you that you STILL have your lips locked on his? I would think you've given him more than enough confidence by now, don't you agree?" Brian asked with a bit of sarcasm.
Again Justin mentally cringed.
"I intend to stop kissing him. I would have by now if I weren't afraid how he's going to react when he sees you here! That's why I was shooing you away." Justin tried to explain; only his explanation just inflamed Brian more.
"End it NOW! Or I swear to God Justin I'll end it for you, and it won't be pretty. Shoo me away? What the fuck!"
"Ok, ok! Just promise me you won't make a scene. Brian, please...this is his first kiss ever. Do you really want it to be a bad memory for him?"
Brian silently curse, Justin heard it loud and clear. The little shit always knew how to get to him.
"Ok, I promise." Brian said out loud.
This time Chino heard him loud and clear and jump up so fast from the bench he fell to the ground flat on his face.
"Oh for Christ sakes." Brian said clearly exasperated as he hauled the boy up by his shirt collar.
"Come here boy," he said pulling Chino to him.
Chino felt like a deer caught in the headlights expecting to be run over and killed at any moment. Instead, Brian pulled him down onto his lap and attacked his mouth.
And attack was the word. Where as Justin's kiss was soft, and full of discovery, Brian's was demanding and conquering. It frightened him, yet compelled him at the same time. He felt like a moth being drawn into the fire yet for the life of him he couldn't back away. Even if it meant being burnt because the fire was commanding him, enticing him with the promise of something he couldn't comprehend, but wanted, no desired.
"Brian, enough!"
"Now, now Sunshine. We don't want to cause a scene and frighten the poor boy now do we? I'm just doing as you advised. Making this a good memory for him." Brian mockingly communicated to Justin mentally.
Justin sent every foul expletive he could think of Brian's way. Brian broke the kiss and laughed startling Chino.
"Well, now that you've been properly kissed by both me and MY partner, why don't you meet us tonight in our room and we can introduce you to all the other joys of gay sex." Brian offered.
Justin shot daggers at Brian with his eyes. Brian shrugged it off. He started this, now he was going to have to deal with the consequences.
Chino was shaking so hard his teeth chattered. He couldn't speak he was so scared, and aroused.
"Jesus Brian look what you've done!" Justin said then gently moved Chino from Brian's lap and back on to the bench.
"I'm sorry Chino. Don't let Brian unnerve you. He's not angry with you. I told him I encouraged you to kiss me." Justin lied.
Brian shot his brow up.
"But ho..ww..." Chino asked through chattering teeth.
"Telepathically. Which, by the way, we have you to thank for teaching me how to!" Justin said trying to lighten the mood of the situation.
Chino looked back and forth from Brian to Justin with cautious eyes.
"Oh for Christ sake calm down. I'm not angry with you, Justin is right. About that anyway. But I was serious about you coming to our room tonight. Justin say's you're too shy to come out. A kiss, though pleasant, is not going to give you the confidence you're really going to need once you meet someone. You're in your twenties now Chino. Guys are going to expect you to have some experience. You don't want your first time to be a disaster. Trust me fags are vicious cunts when they want to be. It would behoove you...wait...did I just use the fucking word 'behoove'?" Brian stopped mid-sentence to look at Justin.
Justin and Chino both laughed. Justin knew Brian did that on purpose for Chino's sake. He as still very nervous about Brian's reaction to finding him kissing his partner.
"Um, I believe you did dear." Justin replied impishly.
Brian scowled at Justin for using the endearment, dear...
"Well that little misstep stays between us, got it?" Brian said looking at Chino.
Chino raised his hands in defeat.
"Hey, your secret is safe with me," he replied in an even tone. His teeth had stopped chattering.
"Good. Like I was saying, you are going to need some real time experience. We can give that to you. I promise you we won't do anything you don't want us to, and I promise not to frighten you by kissing you like that again, deal?" Brian asked.
Chino blushed from head to toe.
"Well, I didn't mind being kissed. By either or you," he said in a very low voice.
"I know kid. But Justin and I have rules, we don't kiss tric...um, other men. We both like you so we made an exception. But believe me, there are many other sensations you'll be enjoying. Plus you'll be learning things you need to know once you start tricking. I mean dating. Jesus this shit is hard." Brian said.
Justin laughed.
"You're doing fine," he said.
Chino looked at Justin.
"Are you ok with this?" He asked. Just like the kiss, Chino knew this might be his only chance at actually having sex, and he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity.
"Yes, very much so. It will be fun, you'll see," he said reassuringly.
Chino let out a very relieved sigh.
"Ok. But if you guys want to change your mind..."
"We won't." Brian interrupted his thought.
"Now run along and get some rest. It's going to be a long night." Brian said gracing Chino with his best sexy smirk.
Chino nodded then practically ran from the bench.
Brian and Justin laughed as they watched him disappear into the house.
"You know this means condoms back on again for the next six months." Brian said once their laughter died down.
"Why? I mean I know we'll use condoms tonight, Chino needs to know how serious we are about using condoms, and how serious he should be about it, but he's a virgin." Justin said. It had been so long since they tricked he couldn't imagine going back to condoms. There truly was nothing like bare-backing with Brian.
"Hey, we agreed, this situation is no different. Just because the boy says he's a virgin, we don't know that for sure. No matter how he acts. For all we know, he could be giving us an Oscar award winning performance." Brian said.
Justin frowned. Fuck! He thought. Once again he let his impulsive nature take over and this time it was going to cost him six months of latex sex. When will he ever learn...
Brian didn't need to read Justin's mind to know what he was thinking.
He pulled his blond into his arms and kissed him soundly.
"We're doing the right thing." Brian said pulling back from Justin.
Justin looked up at Brian with lust-glazed eyes.
"It may be right, but it isn't noble. If we're to be honest, fucking him won't be a hardship on either of us." Justin said.
Brian laughed.
"No, it won't. The kid is fucking hot as hell," he admitted.
"Hmmm.." Justin answered laying his head on Brian's chest.
Brian rubbed his back.
"How are you?" Justin asked.
Brian smiled and kissed the top of Justin's head. He didn't ask how Lizzy was, he trusted Brian enough to know that she was fine. He didn't trust him enough though to tell him if he wasn't fine. Smart kid.
"Joffith is going to be harder to deal with then I thought." Brian answered truthfully.
Justin wrapped his arms around Brian and squeezed tightly.
"He won't beat us Brian, I won't let that happen."
Brian believed him. There was something about Justin's beliefs that always rang true. If he believed it strongly enough, it was so. He was almost prophetic in that aspect. Self fulfilling prophetic. It was as if he wished it hard it enough, nothing was impossible.
"Then we've nothing to worry about." Brian responded.
"Think again Sonny boy. You've got problems." Jacks voice echoed in his head.
Fuck! He forgot to raise his shields after letting them down to communicate with Justin.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Brian answered in his head, not wanting to alarm Justin.
"You've got two evil spirits after your ass boy. What the fuck did you do?" Jack answered.
"Two? What the fuck? I don't understand. Who is the other spirit? As far as I know, Joffith is the only demon who thinks he has a score to settle with me." Brian responded.
"Yeah well I'm not sure if this evil spirit is a demon or not, but he's residing on the lowest level. I'm talking so low,I can't even go there." Jack said.
"That fucking low huh?" Brian replied.
"Watch it Sonny boy. I'm trying to help you here." Jack said.
"Well what can you tell me about this other spirit?" Brian asked.
"Not much, just that Joffith's in cahoots with him. I believe his goal is to get you down to that level so this demon or spirit or whatever the fuck, can deal with you. He has no intentions of dealing with you himself." Jack said.
This didn't surprise Brian. Joffith had been avoiding dealing with him directly. Instead he'd been using his children to get to him. But who was this other demon?
"Anything else you can tell me?" Brian asked.
"That's all I got for now, but I'm working on it." Jack said.
"Ok, thanks Pop." Brian said.
"Brian?" Justin broke through his thoughts. Brian immediately raised his shields blocking Jack out.
"What is it Sunshine?" Brian asked.
"Who were you just talking to?"
Brian should have known Justin would pick up on that.
"Jack," he answered.
Justin sat up.
"What did he say? Did he have any new information?" Justin asked eagerly.
"Nothing new. He's still working on it. He was just checking in." Brian lied.
Yeah, that's right. Brian Kinney lied to one person, the only person he should never lie to. He knew how wrong that was, and he also knew it was going to come back and bite him in the ass soon enough, but sometimes, as fucked up as it sounded, doing the wrong thing, was the right thing to do. And this was one of those circumstances where that fucked up logic applied.
"Come on, I'm horny." Brian said changing the subject.
Justin rose with him silently and followed him back into the house. He knew Brian was lying to him. He rarely did it, and when he did, he always had some fucked up notion as to why it was the 'right' thing to do, but Justin knew every time. Though he didn't let on to Brian that he knew. Brian would tell him, in his own time. For now all he could do was give him his support, and hope what ever it was that Jack told him, he wouldn't make a move without consulting him first.
"You know what I think we need Brian?" Justin asked.
"Another ten inch dildo?" Brian answered.
"Close. Another long fuck session." Justin said.
Brian couldn't agree more. A good long fuck session was always very cathartic for them. It cleared their minds of all the bullshit that was going on around them at the time, and now was the perfect time to clear away the bullshit.
"How ever did you get to be so smart Sunshine?" He asked.
"Hmmm.. I learned from the Master. But let's make sure not to wear ourselves out before tonight. We wouldn't want to disappoint Chino." Justin said.
Brian donned an exaggerated affronted look which made Justin laugh.
"Now when have you EVER known me to disappoint when it came to sex?" Brian asked.
"Never. I was more concerned about you wearing ME out." Justin said.
Brian laughed.
"That's right, I almost forgot. You're going to turn THIRTY next month." Brian said.
Justin growled at Brian.
"You're really going to make me suffer this birthday aren't you?" Justin asked.
"Of course I am don't be ridiculous. How else am I going to get you back for all those age jokes you've been throwing at me over the years." Brian said.
Justin groaned.
"Ah don't worry Sunshine. You'll always be young and beautiful to me." Brian said wrapping his arm around Justin's shoulders.
"Wait, I thought it was your job to be forever young and beautiful." Justin said.
"Yeah, well that job is getting increasingly harder to do. I'm going to need some help." Brian said.
"Hmmm...I can understand how that can happen. We all can use a little help now and then." Justin said sending Brian a knowing look.
Brian tucked his bottom lip into his mouth. His boy was on to him. Why was he not surprised?
"Yeah. And right now, I need help relieving this hard on," he said placing Justin's hand over his cock.
Justin laughed and pulled away from Brian.
"First one to the room gets to top!" Justin said then sprinted off before finishing his sentence.
"Hey! That's cheating! Oh and like that's gonna make me dread losing." Brian said yet took off after him, determined to get there first.
PART 3
Four very long, satisfying hours later they lay in their cum coated sheets, their bodies dripping with sweat and the smell of sex permeating their skin. Minds cleared and bodies sated.
Brian turned to Justin and nudged his shoulder.
Justin looked over at him with heavy lidded eyes. Sleep was seconds away.
"I think Richie's in trouble." Brian said.