The real
Chapter 7-
Brian
sat on his bed and sighed. God only
knew where Stefan had run off to. He stood up and dragged himself into the
shower. He brushed out his hair to
avoid the gnarly mess he'd had last time. He turned the knob and waited until the shower was warm enough to grace
his skin, and then stepped in. He moaned
a little at the comforting spray. He
wished that Stefan were here to wash his hair, and scrub his body. He wished Stef were there just to hold him
close until the water was no longer warm. He wondered where Stef was right now. He knew it had something to do with his surprise, and he couldn't wait
until Steve's birthday, so he could finally know what it was. They'd been dating for 3 weeks, knowing each
other for nearly ten years. His
thoughts drifted to his lover, and wondered what he was doing right now. He stopped wondering, as it only rose his
excitement.
Steve
jolted from his sleep and looked at the clock. He'd been here for a long time! "Well, good mornin' sunshine!" Dave laughed, smiling an irresistible smile, comparable to Brian's. Steve flipped over so he was looking into
Dave's eyes. He moved in to kiss Dave,
not caring what anyone else thought anymore. Dave hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then returned the kiss,
softly running his fingers through Steve's long hair. Steve's heart swelled with happiness. All of the loneliness that had been there three or four days ago,
was completely gone, filled by this man under his body. Dave, too, was no longer lonely. He didn't have to flirt with nurses and
doctors, and he didn't have to pay or beg someone to go out with him. He had someone, and he wasn't about to let
that go. Steve broke the kiss and
looked into Dave's eyes. "I love
you." He whispered, softly. Dave pressed his lips to Steve's
forehead. "And I love you, Steven." Steve stood up and reached out for Dave's
hand. Dave took it and was pulled up,
to be just a little taller than his lover. "I think we need to talk about some stuff before we get closer." Steve said. "Will it change things if I admitted that I was, and still am, a
skirt-chaser?" Dave asked, one eyebrow
arched up. "Not at all. In fact, I like to chase them too." Dave laughed at Steve. They left the apartment and headed for a
café to sit and talk.
Stefan
looked around the small boutique. He saw
a large necklace that was obviously very old, with large rubies in it. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever
seen. He wondered what it would look
like adorned on Brian's neck. "You like
that one?" Kugler asked. Stefan nodded. "Yes, I love it, and it would look nice on my boyfriend's neck,
but it isn't what I am after today. I'm
looking for an engagement ring." Stefan
said. The old man smiled at the lanky
boy. "Finally getting' hitched, are
you, little one?" He asked. "Who's the lucky man?" Stefan smiled. Mr. Kugler was one of the ones who took it very well when he came
out. His sister found it rather
disgusting, and basically shunned him. The rest of his family took it great, however, and he was thankful for
that. Stefan smiled. "You remember Brian Molko? You made a necklace for him, for David
Bowie's wedding?" He asked. Kugler nodded. "Five foot two and eyes of blue? I do remember him well." He
said, eyes twinkling. Stefan laughed at
the joke. Brian was 5'6, but they
always joked about it. Stefan always
thought of Kugler as a second father. Kugler always thought of young Stefan, hell, even Stefan now, as a
son. He'd never had a son of his own,
and Stefan would frequently come and visit him. "I actually have his record here. His ring size and everything!" The man said. "Well, pick out a
stone, and a design. I'll discount it
for you, Stefie." Kugler said. "Thank you!" Stefan sat down at a stool and looked at a setting. He saw a white gold ring. There was a spot for a large stone, and two
smaller stones on either side. He
showed it to his old friend, who nodded and took it. Then Stefan looked through stones. He saw a plain diamond, that was rather large, and he picked that
one. Kugler nodded, and picked it
up. He then chose a Ruby, and finally a
green emerald. "Any specific shape you
want that cut into?" Kugler asked. "I would like the large one cut into a
heart, and the other two cut as stars, unless that's too much trouble…" "Nonsense! My great great grampa started this business, and I was my daddy's
apprentice for years! Now I run the
business, and I can cut the stone into any shape in the world." He paused and smiled. "Except for circles." He joked. "When do you need this by?" "Wednesday." Kugler nodded. "Come see me on Tuesday." He said, shooing Stefan away to work on the
precious ring. Stefan stepped out and
walked back down the street.
The
pair had talked throughout their dinner, and now they were walking through a
park in the city. They stopped and sat
on a bench together. "So, you're from
Chicago?" Steve asked. Dave nodded. "Yeah. I left with
Elizabeth after her husband was killed in a car wreck. I went with her to help her care for their
daughter, at least until she was ready to live with her mother." Dave said. Steve nodded. "How long have you
been, um…" "Gay? I've been bi for a while, now. I used to have the hots for this doctor
named Luka, but I never acted on it, instead preferring to flirt with all the
pretty nurses." Steve smiled. "Do they know about your sexuality?" He asked. Dave shook his head. "No. I was terrified to tell anyone, for fear the
boss, Dr. Romano, would fire me. They
fired a pretty female psychologist, saying that she violated ethics for some
reason. My boss, Kerry, dated her, and
finally got pissed off enough to tell Romano that she was a lesbian, and that
scared the living hell out of him, hiring Kim back. Believe me, you do not want to take the wrath of Kerry
Weaver!" Steve laughed. "I guess not!" "So, you been gay, or bi long?" Dave asked. Steve shook his
head. "You know when Brian was brought
in the other day?" Dave nodded. "Yeah. Well, that morning, Stef and I raced to Brian's flat, just before we
found him, and because I lost, I had to…I had to french Stefan." He said. Dave smiled at the sexy thought. Steve changed the subject. "Maybe you should go home and visit people." He suggested. "You just
want to go to Chicago to get away, don't you?" Dave asked. Steve grinned. "For the time you've known me, you know me
all too well." He said, gently kissing
Dave's cheek. Dave smiled at this and
placed his hand on Steve's. He stared
into the eyes of his love, and realized the reason why he'd never kept a
girlfriend. Steve Hewitt was the one,
and not some disco skeeze he wanted to lay. (Can anyone guess where that's from?) He lunged in for another kiss, smiling as he felt Steve's hands
intertwine with his hair.
"Hey,
Stef?" Steve asked, looking up from his
weight lifting. "Huh?" Stef asked, looking up from a book he was
reading. "You know my birthday
tomorrow?" He asked. Stefan nodded. "The party's tonight." Steve said. Stef's eyes
widened. "WHAT!?" He shrieked, causing Brian to poke his head
into the door. "Something wrong,
love?" He asked. "No. Steve just told me about his birthday party change." Stefan said. "Oh, yeah. I guess I
should have told you the other night, but I was personally exhausted." He said with a grin on his face, turning and
running back into the kitchen of Steve's flat, to busy himself with his
cooking. "You tell my lover, but not
me?" Stef asked, skeptically. "I didn't think you'd make a big deal out of
it!" Steve said. "I suppose you're right. I got something for Brian, and I won't tell
you what it is, since I know damn well he's probably got his ear to the
door." "Damn!" A voice hissed from the kitchen door. Steve whined. "Oh, Come on!" Stefan
grabbed Steve's head and yanked him forward. He whispered the surprise into his ear. Steve's eyes widened. "Holy Shit!" Stef smiled, an odd
twinkle in his eyes. "Yeah. I'll see you, and don't let Brian know. He'll try every trick in the book, and so
even if he's threatening to castrate you, you don't tell him or anyone. 'Cause if you do, I will personally kick the
living shit out of you." He growled,
making Steve almost soil himself.
The
little bell Kugler had in his shop rang, and the old man walked out. "Stefie! I don't have your ring done yet!" He said. Stefan turned as white
as a ghost. "Are you serious?" He asked. "Of course…not!" The old man
said, picking up a small purple velvet box. He handed it over to Stefan, who opened it slightly. Inside was the white gold ring, with a large
diamond heart and the two little stars on either side. A tear trickled out of his eye as he looked
at its beauty. "Thank you!" He said, taking a wad of money out and
flopping it on the counter. "I'll be
back later, for other stuff. I promise,
Mr. K." HE said, waving as he
left. Kugler smiled as he watched the
man running away from the store.
"Happy
Birthday, Old Man!" Brian smiled. Steve grinned. "You're not that far off!" He said to the little man before him. Brian just grinned some more as he hugged his friend. Stef didn't come in for a while after
that. Dave was on the couch in the
flat, drinking a beer. Brian sat down
on a chair near him. He waited for Stefan
like a puppy its master. Brian was
loyal to Stefan, which was different from all the other boyfriends he had. Stefan was more than just a good fuck. He wanted to wake up next to him every
morning. He wanted to cuddle with him
every night before going to sleep. Brian's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He perked up, hoping it was Stef behind the
door, but it wasn't and his spirits fell again. Instead it was another schoolmate of Steve's. Brian had totally forgotten about the
surprise, and so he was just waiting to kiss Stefan hello. Soon enough, there was another knock at the
door. Stefan's grinning face was behind
it. "Hey, old man!" Steve looked over at Brian, then Dave, then
back to Stefan. "God, I hope I don't
act like Dave." He muttered, accepting
the hug by the giant. Brian popped out
of his chair and into Stefan's arms, happily greeting him. *For such a small
man, he has a lot of strength!* Stefan thought, remembering his surprise. He grasped everyone's attention, and then looked around. "I know that this is Steve's day, but he
knows about this. Sort of." He began, taking a deep breath and
continuing. "I have a surprise for
Brian, and I know that it will surprise the rest of you as well." He took the box out of the pocket of his
cords, and then dropped to his knee. He
presented it to Brian. "Bri? Will you marry me, love?" He asked, looking into Brian's aquamarine
eyes, which had tears in them. Brian
looked at Stefan, only noticing the look of pure love that Stefan had. "Well, I…I.."
5-29-01. Ha ha ha. Nice cliffhanger, huh? Most of you can figure out the ending, and for those in the ER section, I might be done with this story and return to 'Suzy is a Headbanger'. For those in the Placebo section, the ER section, and the Placebo Forum, I might just have to do a sequel with Dave and Steve. Not right away, but soon enough