Previously On Queer As Folk: After one last farewell party, Brian and Justin moved out of the loft and into Britin Manor.
Ted bought Babylon from Brian.
Ted and Emmett- both engaged - began planning a double wedding.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Justin was grateful for a day off. Brian had left early that morning for work, so Justin was home alone. He'd decided to start painting their bedroom as a surprise for Brian. What color will he like? Justin wondered, looking at the myriad of colors that Brian had bought. When his eyes fell upon the blue can, he knew that that was the right color. The bedroom in the loft had a blue the Justin reminded himself.
While he painted, Justin began to think about his artwork. Now that they were settled into the new place and he had his very own cozy studio, it was about time he got to work on the masterpiece that would hopefully make him famous and earn him enough money to take Brian to Sydney for Gay Mardi Gras. Maybe I'll buy him his own Gucci or Armani store, too, Justin thought.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that he was done with the first layer of paint right away. Time flies when you're daydreaming. Justin got off of the stepladder and went into the bathroom to wash the paint off his hands. He was starving and eating food with paint on his hands didn't sound particularly appetizing. On his way out, he opened the window to help air the room out and dry the paint faster.
When he got downstairs, Justin put some leftover lasagna in the oven and went into his studio. A fresh canvas was waiting for him, calling to him. Picking up his paintbrush, he dipped it into the red paint and started making random strokes. His imagination took over and it was as though he had no real control over his hand.
Justin had set the alarm on his cell phone to go off when the lasagna needed to be taken out of the oven. The loud ringing broke his concentration and sighing, he set the brush down. Every time my muse shows up, I'm needed elsewhere. He went into the kitchen and pulled the food out. While it was cooling, he ran upstairs to check on the bedroom; the paint was dry.
After eating, Justin had to force himself to go back to painting the bedroom. He really wanted to go back into his studio and work on his new painting, but he knew that in the scheme of things, getting the bedroom painted was more important. To entertain him while he worked, he turned on the radio to full blast.
Hours passed by. When Justin looked out the window, the sun was low in the sky. Brian'll be home soon. He'll be glad that I got the bedroom done, he thought, turning the radio off. He washed the blue paint off once more and then moved all of the painting equipment into the next room over––the nursery. Maybe Brian will let me paint bunnies or something on the wall, Justin thought with a smile. Yeah, right.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Hello?" Justin managed to get the phone out of his pocket while juggling his equipment.
"Hey, it's me." God he sounds so sexy!
"Hey, Brian." He set down the stepladder.
"I just wanted to let you know that I was running a little late at work, but I'm leaving the office right now. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine. You're never going to guess what I did today!" Justin could barely contain his excitement.
"Do I want to know?"
"You'll see when you it when you get home. I hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will. Do you want to pick up anything for dinner? I could stop and get take-out from the Thai place," Brian suggested.
"If you want to. It doesn't really matter to me."
"Okay I'll pick some up then. The usual?"
"That's fine. I can't wait to see you."
"Me neither. I love you." Justin's heart beat faster.
"Love you, too. Bye."
"Bye." Brian disconnected.
Smiling, Justin put the phone back in his pocket and turned the light off in the nursery.
Since Brian was going to be late and was bringing food home, he had a little extra time to work on his masterpiece.
Brian put the car in park and got out, juggling his briefcase, the keys, and the take-out bags. I feel like a goddamn octopus, he thought. Balancing the food on top of his briefcase, he managed to unlock the front door. "I'm home," he called, kicking the door shut behind him. No response. "Sunshine," Brian said, looking around. Still no answer.
He dropped the food off in the kitchen and went upstairs, expecting to find Justin painting one of the rooms. When he turned the light on in their bedroom, he paused. The walls that had been white when he left that morning were now a dark navy blue. It's almost like the loft, he thought, grinning. It feels like home already.
Brian checked every square inch of the second floor before trying the first floor. He already knew that Justin wasn't in the kitchen or dining room, and chances were that he wasn't in the gym or Brian's office. He opened the door to Justin's studio. There he was, back to the door, intensely making brush strokes on the canvas. "Justin," he said.
Justin gasped and whirled around. "Brian, you scared the shit out of me!" he said, his hand flying to his chest. He took a few calming breaths.
"Sorry. I've just spent the last fifteen minutes looking all over the goddamn house for you."
"Why didn't you shout for me?"
"I did. Twice."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm just so wrapped up in my..." He turned to the canvas.
"What is it?" Brian asked, moving closer.
"No!" Justin stood in front of the canvas so that Brian couldn't see any of it. "You can't see it yet!"
"Okay." Brian held his hands up in surrender. "Since when do you care if anyone sees your work before it's finished?"
Justin chewed his lip in thought. "I don't know. Something tells me not to jinx this. I have a really good feeling about this painting for some reason."
"Whatever. Dinner's here if you're hungry."
"Okay. Thanks." Justin threw an old towel over the canvas and stood on his tiptoes to kiss Brian. "I'm sorry you had to go all over hell's half acre to find me."
"I was starting to panic," Brian admitted, laughing.
"Why?"
"Well we are kind of isolated out here. I thought maybe something had happened..."
"You don't have to worry about that. When did you become so paranoid?" Justin asked, teasing. Brian gave him a light tap on the backside.
"Ooh!"
They went into the kitchen and Brian grabbed the take-out. Sitting at the dinner table, he said, "I saw the bedroom."
"Oh. I hope blue's okay. I thought since the old bedroom was blue-ish that you'd like it." Justin smiled.
"It looks nice. I can't believe you got the whole room done in one day."
"One day is a long time when you have nothing else to do," Justin reminded him.
"You'll have the whole upstairs done before you know it. I guess we'll have to have that housewarming party soon, Michael's been bugging the fuck out of me about when everyone's going to be able to see the house."
"Yeah, my mom brought it up when we talked the other day."
"To be honest, I'm not really looking forward to having a whole bunch of people over. I'm still exhausted from the other night."
"Getting old is a bitch, huh?"
Brian threw a piece of shrimp at him. "I am not getting old," he insisted, laughing.
"Whatever you say. So, did you talk to Michael today?"
"Yeah. He told me that he saw Ted and Blake coming out of the back room at Babylon the other night." Brian raised his right eyebrow.
"Are you kidding?" Brian shook his head. "Wow. I don't know what to say. I mean, I know after he had his plastic surgery, Ted went back there once or twice...but it's been awhile."
"I just can't picture it. I mean, it's Theodore."
"He's the last person I'd expect to go back there."
"It takes all kinds I suppose."
After dinner, Justin hurried back to his studio. Brian had some work to finish, so he went into his new office, right next door. The office was furnished with the laptop and table that Brian had had in the loft. Booting up the computer, Brian sat in the chair, stretching. He felt a familiar tightening in his pants. Smirking, he got up and opened the door to Justin's studio. Work could wait.
Justin was hunched over his canvas, rubbing his hair. He must've hit a dry spot, Brian thought, coming up behind Justin and wrapping his arms around him. Justin moaned quietly. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, grinning.
"What do you think it is?" Brian shot back, kissing Justin's neck.
"Let's do it here," Justin said, turning around to face Brian, "right in front of the fireplace."
"If you insist." Justin pulled him down onto the floor.
Ted and Emmett were hanging out on the second floor catwalk of Babylon. "You know what I think this place needs?" Ted asked, sipping his cranberry spritzer.
"Less bears and more studs?" Emmett quipped.
"No! Some live entertainment."
"That could be cool," Emmett agreed.
"But who would we get to play here? Who would you, as a customer, like to see perform here?"
Emmett thought for a second. "Cyndi Lauper was amazing, but I doubt we'd be able to get her back here after last time."
"Yeah, bombs going off have a way of doing that," Ted said dryly.
"I wouldn't say that. She's from Queens. She's a tough cookie."
"Still…"
"What about Madonna?"
"Madonna?" Ted scoffed. Yeah, that was going to happen.
"Yeah! Couldn't you see her down there Voguing!" Emmett imitated Madonna. "Strike a pose."
"You are too much sometimes, Em."
"Okay fine, not Madonna. What about Liza?"
"Minnelli?"
"Do you know any other Lizas?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"No."
Ted took another sip of his drink. "I don't know, maybe it's not such a good idea after all."
"Of course it is, Teddy. We just have to find the right performer."
"I guess. Maybe I'll ask Brian tomorrow at work," Ted mused.
"I still say Madonna. Think about it; she's a gay icon, she's a diva, who could be better?" Emmett asked.
"We'll see. I don't know if I could afford to have her perform here," Ted admitted. Madonna would probably cost a fortune, a star of her magnitude.
"Then Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler are definitely out of the picture," Emmett teased.
"Thanks, Em. You're not really helping."
"Sorry. Don't worry, sweetie. We'll figure it out." Emmett rubbed Ted's shoulder comfortingly.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Michael joked, coming up behind them.
"When did you get here?" Emmett demanded.
"Just now. I was looking for you two."
"Where's Ben?" Ted asked.
"He's down at the bar getting drinks. So, what's up?"
Ted sighed. "I was just thinking about getting some live entertainment to liven things up around here."
"Who were you thinking?"
"I don't know, what do you think?"
"Um...how about Madonna?" Michael suggested.
"Ha!" Emmett clapped his hands and laughed.
"Did...I miss something?" Michael asked, looking between Ted and Emmett suspiciously.
"I suggested Madonna, but Teddy didn't go for it," Emmett explained, sticking his tongue out at Ted.
"I'm just not sure we could afford her is all. I hear she's pretty pricey."
"If the Stop Prop. Fourteen campaign could snag Cyndi Lauper, I'm sure we could get Madonna. From what Brian ever told me, this place makes good money."
"It does, but I used to be an accountant, remember? I'm all about saving money for the future."
"Think of it as an investment," Michael suggested helpfully.
"I guess, but how would I even get a hold of her manager? It isn't like I have great connections, you know?"
"How do other club owners do it?"Emmett asked, frowning.
"I don't know! I've been a club owner for less than a week."
"Maybe Brian could help you," Michael said.
"Oh yeah, that sounds like a great plan!" Ted exclaimed.
"Why not?"
"I don't want him to think I'm incapable of running Babylon!"
"He won't think that you're incapable of running Babylon," Michael assured him.
Ben found them. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked, handing Michael a beer.
"Ted wants to book Madonna to perform here," Michael replied.
"Really? That would be awesome! The crowd will eat her up! I listened to her all the time when I was in my twenties."
"Didn't we all?" Emmett asked.
Michael cleared his throat. "So, are you guys ready for the wedding? It's only a few weeks away now!" Ted and Emmett exchanged looks. "Well?"
"I'm looking forward to it," Emmett replied. "I can't wait to have what you guys do."
"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Ben assured him.
"You'd better say that," Michael said, grabbing Ben's arm.
"What about you, Teddy?" Emmett asked.
"Yeah." Ted nodded, avoiding Emmett's gaze.
"You aren't getting cold feet, are you?" Emmett knit his brows.
"No. I'm just...a little nervous is all."
"Don't be. Trust me, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."
Ted smiled. "It's just that it's such a big step, you know?"
"You're ready."
"Everybody gets a little nervous beforehand," Ben soothed.
"As long as you don't freak out and give yourself a stroke, you'll be fine," Michael joked.
"Gee thanks, Michael!" Ted exclaimed.
"Michael, you're going to scare him," Ben chided. "Ted, you'll be fine. If Brian can handle it, so can you."
"Thanks, Ben," Ted muttered. "Excuse me."
Ted made a beeline for the bathroom. "Nice one, Michael," Emmett teased.
"It wasn't my fault!" Michael insisted. A thought came to him. "Wait, Ben. Are you saying that you had second thoughts before you married me?" He crossed his arms over his chest. When he did that, he looked just like Debbie. It was eerie.
"No. I was just saying that people get nervous," Ben clarified.
"Uh huh, sure."
"You're not really mad are you?" Ben asked.
"No. I admit that I was a little nervous, too, but I knew that I loved you that I wouldn't regret it even for a second."
"Aww! That is too cute!" Emmett started to cry. "I'm gonna go check on, Teddy," he choked out.
As Emmett ran after Ted, Michael and Ben laughed. "Our friends," Michael remarked. "You gotta love 'em."
"Yes, you do," Ben agreed, taking a swig of his drink.
"I can't believe that within a few weeks' time, I will be able to say that all of my friends are married, it just blows my mind."
"I think it's nice."
"It is," Michael agreed. "It's just that, back in old days when we were all single, I never imagined that we'd all be married."
"I guess."
"Brian especially."
"None of us saw that happening."
"I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get married," Michael admitted.
"Really?"
"Well, I knew that it wasn't allowed here and I never seemed to have much luck with men before I met you."
Ted and Emmett came back from the bathroom. "Are you guys okay?" Michael asked.
"Fine," Emmett replied, dabbing at his face with paper towel.
"I'm better now," Ted answered, smiling.
"I'm sorry, Ted. I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's not your fault, Michael," Ted assured him. "It's just nerves."
Everyone was silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. "So...anyone wanna dance?" Emmett asked.
"Okay," Michael, Ben, and Ted said in unison. Emmett led the way down the stairs to the dance floor.
"Just imagine how hot this dance floor will get when we have major music stars performing here!" Emmett exclaimed.
"It'll be even more packed than usual!" Michael agreed.
"I don't know how many more people we could fit in here, we don't want to be shut down," Ted pointed out.
"Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" Emmett asked, grabbing Ted's hands and dancing. "Relax, have fun!"
Michael and Ben laughed and joined the dancing.
Next Time On Queer As Folk: Brian makes another of Justin's dreams come true. Ted asks Brian a favor. Emmett learns that first impressions aren't always true. Michael fears that he and Ben are losing the spark in their marriage and decides to fix it before it's too late.
