Normally Brian had no problem with storms. In fact, there was something in
the power of the thunder and lightning that was a turn-on for him, and he
liked nothing better than a good, long fuck while the building rumbled
around him, and the random flashes illuminated his bedroom and his bed and
whomever else happened to be in. In a good storm, it was like fucking in
strobe lights, with everything slowed down and distorted.
He wasn't as fond of being out in storms.
The night hadn't been going very well to begin with, so he supposed he should just add this to the list.
Mikey had been supposed to meet him at Babylon but had called off at the last minute because Ben hadn't been feeling well. Which left him to the tender mercies of Emmett and Ted. And that hadn't lasted long, because both of them found people to tuck them in within an hour of arriving at the club. What were the odds of Ted actually getting laid on the very night Brian needed someone to pick on the most? What were the odds of Emmett scoring on the same night.
These days, pretty good.
He'd stood there alone for a while, scanning the dance floor, looking for a bedtime buddy of his own, but no one appealed to him. And then Emmett happened to walk by with his new friend, a lanky redhead, and deal the final blow.
"He's not here, Brian." The man had whispered. "He doesn't come here any more, you know that."
Of course he knew that, and he gave Emmett a bored glance. "I hadn't noticed. Who gives a fuck if he does? It's a free country."
And Emmett had given him a look that said very plainly "You give a fuck" but had continued on his way, dragging the redhead behind him.
He'd watched the dancers for a few more minutes before he gave up and decided to go home. The night didn't have to be a total washout. He could probably find someone online within a couple of minutes.
He took one last look around the club, carefully avoiding the eyes of the dozen or so men trying to catch his interest, and the knowing grins on some of their faces. Gossip traveled too quickly around here, and they knew about him. A lot more than he wanted them to know. They knew that Peter Pan had lost his shadow, and quite a few of them were jockeying for the position of replacing it.
Well, they had another think coming. He was more than happy without him. He was having the time of his life. He was free again. Free to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted. No stupid rules hanging over his head, not any more. He could stay out until the sun rose and swallow tonsils guilt free.
So why wasn't he?
He left the club just as the rain began to fall, and the sky began to flash, and by the time he had almost reached his building, it was pouring so hard he could barely see out the windshield.
His headlights caught something directly in his path and his heart stopped. He veered quickly to the left, the tires of the jeep going up over the sidewalk, barely missing a fire hydrant.
He sat for a minute, panting, hearing nothing but his own breath and the rain beating on the hood of the jeep. Had he hit it, whatever it was? He didn't think so, but he didn't see any movement outside either.
He sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt, taking a breath and going outside into the monsoon.
There was nothing in the road, thank goodness, and nothing on the side of the road. Whatever it was had run off, and he'd soaked himself for nothing.
Cussing, Brian got back into his Jeep and drove off the sidewalk the short distance to his building, putting the car into park.
At that moment, something in the backseat sneezed, and Brian came very close to wetting his pants even more than they already were.
He wheeled around, his fists tight, ready to do battle with whomever had invaded his Jeep.
Or in this case, whatever.
Curled up on the backseat was a muddy, medium sized dog. It was too dirty for him to tell what color it was, but he could tell that it was just a mutt, no particular breed.
Terrified brown eyes locked on Brian's for a second and the dog lowered it's head submissively, it's tail moving back and forth across the seat, making an even bigger mess.
"FUCK!" Brian slammed his fist into his own seat, causing the dog to huddle in a tighter ball. It must have jumped in when he'd gone out to look for what he'd almost hit. And he was willing to bet that the mutt had been it.
Just what he needed tonight. He could almost believe that his mother had long-distance dialed God, asking him to please make sure not one single thing could go right for her wayward son this evening.
Brian exited the Jeep, slamming the door, and went around to the back.
"OUT!" he ordered, pointing.
The dog licked his hand.
"Oh no you don't! This is not a dog house! You! Out! Now!"
The tail moved again.
Brian, mindful of the dog's teeth, reached in and picked him up, but the dog did not fight. Instead he leaned forward again and his warm tongue lapped at Brian's chin.
"I hate a guy who doesn't take no for an answer!" Brian snapped, and put the dog on the sidewalk. "I'm not interested!"
He shut and locked the door to the Jeep and went inside his building without looking back at the mutt. He'd clean the Jeep out tomorrow, but tonight he was just too damn tired.
He left his clothing in a line on the floor as he made his way to his bedroom, finally flopping down naked on the blankets. He sniffed and made a face; he still smelled like wet dog, but he wasn't up to doing anything about it.
He could see his clothing on the floor from the corner of his eye and he moaned, fighting his natural urge for order down, stamping on it, and trying to bury it. They were going to mildew and start to smell really bad by morning, and he'd paid a fortune for that shirt.
Sometimes he really hated being anal retentive.
With a sigh, Brian got up and walked back down the stairs, gathering up the damp items.
Something bumped against the metal door of his loft.
He paused, listening.
There was another bump, and shuffling.
Followed by a sneeze.
Still naked, Brian jerked open the door to the loft.
"How did you get up here?" He demanded, staring down at the muddy dog.
The dog didn't seem quite as timid any more and gave him a friendly wag.
"GO HOME!" Brian demanded.
The dog got to its feet, and without warning darted past Brian into the loft.
"HEY!" Brian ran after it. "GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN MUTT!"
The dog ran for its life, and before Brian could catch him, jumped up on the sofa and gave a hard shake, flinging muddy water everywhere.
"Oh no you just didn't!" Brian yelled, making a dive for it. He missed, and his weight carried him over the top. He hit the floor with a thud, his head striking wood.
Something nuzzled his cheek, and the dog's tongue lapped at his ear.
Brian turned his head to give the dog a baleful look. "I'm going to break your neck!" He picked up the dog, wincing as the muddy fur stuck to his bare chest. Unimpressed by the threat, the dog licked his face again, tail wagging.
"Do you know how much that couch cost? How much my Jeep is going to cost to have cleaned?" He demanded, carrying the dog back toward the door. "A lot more than you're worth, I'll tell you that."
The brown eyes met his again, full of hope. He paused, shaking his head. "I must really be cracking up. I've been under a lot of stress, you know. I mean, it's 2AM and I'm standing here naked talking you."
The thunder crashed loudly, and in Brian's arms the dog cringed, giving the window a frightened look.
"Don't like storms, huh? It wouldn't hurt you. It's just noise." Brian assured the mutt.
"But it sucks being out in one. What the fuck am I doing?"
He had turned away from the door and was carrying the dog toward the bathroom. "Okay, you can stay for the night. But tomorrow, you're going to the pound!"
He turned on the shower and sat the mutt down inside, grabbing a bottle of shampoo. "And anyone who spends the night with me better be clean!"
He bent down, soaping up the mutt. He'd expected it to be scared, but instead the animal whined in pleasure, turning around periodically so that Brian could wash another part of him. And it was definitely a him, the man noted.
When the dog was clean, Brian started on himself as the dog watched in what the man could have sworn was amusement. "Yeah, well I'd lick my own nuts clean too if I could. We're not all as lucky as you."
He turned off the water and grabbed a couple of towels, wrapping one around his waist, and he sat down on the toilet.
"Come here."
The dog obediently went to him and Brian began toweling him off.
The animal looked a lot better clean. His fur was a dark golden color, like a retriever's, but he didn't look much like one in any other way. He probably had it in him somewhere though, along with about 50 other things.
"What is it with me and obsessive blonds?" Brian asked the dog, who cocked his head. "Just tell me that."
The dog gave him a very short bark.
"Whatever. I'm going to bed. Gotta get up bright and early to take you to your new cage."
He slapped his hip and the dog followed him, watching him lay down several layers of Out on the floor. "This is your bathroom. You have to do anything you do it there. Understand me?"
Wag.
Wondering exactly what kind of mess he would awake to find, Brian returned to his bed, crawling under the blankets, his entire body aching. He'd barely closed his eyes when he felt the bed dip next to him, and a warm body press up against his.
"Oh no. That is where I draw the line!" Brian pushed at the dog, who had started licking his hands. "No one sleeps in this bed without my permission and you don't have it! I hate hairy guys!"
He grabbed the dog and dumped him on the floor, lying back down.
A minute later, the bed dipped again.
"Look, I've had a long day." Brian pleaded. "Just leave me alone. I don't need this."
The dog gave him a look of sympathy and suddenly laid his head on Brian's chest with a sigh.
"Yeah, I guess your day hasn't been so hot either, huh? I mean, getting caught in the rain, almost getting run over." He reached out and began stroking the silky, damp ears, surprised at himself. He could blame it on his weariness tomorrow, he supposed.
"But you picked the wrong person to hook up with. I mean, if you'd picked someone with a rugrat, you'd have a home for life."
He was quiet for a minute. "I've got a rugrat, but he doesn't live with me. If he were older, I'd give you to him, but he's not even two yet. He doesn't know what to do with a dog. Although it would be pretty damn funny if you took a dump in Melanie's shoes."
He continued his absent-minded petting. "I don't know what to do with a dog either. Never owned one. Never had a cat or a bird or a fucking goldfish. My father used to say 'All I can do to keep you and your sister fed! I ain't throwing away money on some goddamned animal.'"
"But you'll have a good home. I mean, someone will snatch you up. You're cute enough. Everyone wants cute guys.
The dog licked Brian's chest.
"But you can't live with me. For one thing, I'm never home. You'd never get enough attention. And I can't take you with me to where I go, so you'd be bored and lonely all the time. It wouldn't be fair to you."
Another lick.
"Just want to make it clear. Just because you're spending the night in my bed doesn't mean you're my boyfriend. Tomorrow I'm dropping you off at the pound and we'll never see each other again."
Lick.
"You're barking up the wrong tree, I tell you." He looked at the dog. "See, I just got out of a… I used to have a boyfriend, sort of, but things didn't work out."
The dog cocked his head again.
"He met this other guy, see? Guy his own age. And this guy really did a number on him, told him how much he loved him and wanted him and all this bullshit and he just ate it up. And so he left. Then this other guy decides that Justin, that was my sort of boyfriend, wasn't so great after all and dumped him.
"I guess I should be happy about that, I mean, someone did to him what he did to me. I half expected the little shit to come back here begging me to take him back. I wish he would have. I wanted the satisfaction of rubbing his nose in it."
The dog muttered something.
"But it was enough to convince me that I'd been right all along. Relationships just aren't worth the trouble, you know? It's all one big farce. Me? I'm just in it for the fucking. What about you? Active sex life? You ever go to Doggy Babylon or something?"
He leaned back on the pillows and the dog shifted with him. "I've really hit rock bottom." Brian groaned. "I think this is the best conversation I've had in weeks." A minute later, he was asleep and so was the dog, and the storm continued around them.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Brian groaned as sunlight hit his eyelids, and then gagged. Someone in his bed had terrible breath. Not that he wasn't unused to that but it smelled like...
Dog breath.
The events of last night came rushing back to him at the sight of a furry head on his pillow, and brown eyes watching him. Seeing Brian awake, the dog gave him a happy bark and began licking him.
"Uhhhgg, stop that!" Brian shoved the dog away and glanced at the clock. "SHIT! I'm late!" He jumped out of bed and run to the closet, dressing quickly. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" he demanded.
The dog appeared to be laughing.
"I don't even have time to take you to the pound. Just great!" Brian stomped out into the kitchen, stopping a split second before his foot hit a brown pile on the Out. He started to swear and the stopped and shrugged. At least the dog had used the papers and not the sofa."
He grabbed a plastic bowl out of the cabinet and filled it with water, feeling a pang of guilt he had not done so last night. He then changed the papers and rooted around in the refrigerator, pulling out several packs of lunch meat. "Here." He put the meat down in front of the dog. "Enjoy."
He realized he wasn't going to have time to take the dog to the pound after work either. Great, he was stuck with the mutt until tomorrow. He'd buy some dog food on the way home; maybe a leash or something. Give the mutt one last walk before incarcerating him.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Doggy! Mama! Doggy!"
Lindsay stood in the doorway of the loft, carrying Gus, and was peering over Brian's shoulder in amazement. "Brian? Since when do you have a dog?"
Brian moved aside and let her in. She sat Gus down, and the baby immediately toddled over toward the animal. She made a grab for him but Brian stopped her. "He doesn't bite."
He shut the door behind her, grinning as the dog began licking Gus's face, making the baby dissolve into giggles.
"Well?"
"I found him a few nights ago." Brian shrugged carelessly. "I was going to take him to the pound but they said since he's not a puppy, he'd probably get put to sleep. I'm still trying to find him another home, but I said he could stay with me until then." He looked at Lindsay thoughtfully.
"Oh no you don't! I'm raising your son; I'm not raising your dog too!"
"He is not my dog." Brian insisted. "He's just a house-guest with fleas."
"He looks a lot cleaner than some of the guys I've seen you bring up here." Lindsay snickered.
"Yeah, and he's got better manners too. That's why I'm letting him stay."
"Nice doggy." Gus announced, patting the mutt on the head.
"So what's his name?"
"I don't know. I never asked him."
"Well, he should have a name."
"Whoever decides to keep him can name him!"
Lindsay walked past Brian into the bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Brian asked.
The woman picked up several golden hairs from the bed. "Not going to keep him, huh? Then why are you sleeping with him?"
"Linds, if I kept every guy I slept with do you know how full this place would be by now?"
She burst out laughing. "I think you should keep him. It would be good for you to have someone else around again. Someone to greet you when you come home from work." She paused. "Especially now that Justin's gone."
Brian's face turned unreadable and he turned away.
"Brian, he misses you."
The man didn't answer.
"He feels terrible about what happened. He's miserable; he never goes out, just to work and school. I told him he needs to come see you but he's too stubborn. He says he blew his one chance."
"He's right." Brian shrugged.
"How can you say that? Brian, you miss him too! You know you do! Call him. Tell him you want him back."
"Until when? Until the next cute, young guy comes along and he moves on to greener pastures? Sorry, but no thanks. Tell him I've got another blond willing to hump my leg when I get home. And at least Oliver isn't going…" He stopped.
"Oliver? I thought you said he didn't have a name."
"He doesn't. But I couldn't just keep calling him dog. I thought, you know, like Oliver Twist."
"What isn't Oliver going to do?" Lindsay put her hand on Brian's arm. "Leave you for someone else."
Brian didn't answer and walked back toward the kitchen, where Gus was now happily wrestling with Oliver.
"You like the doggy, Gus?"
Gus nodded.
"Well, you can see him whenever you come over here." Brian promised. "His name is Oliver."
"Ovver."
"Yeah, close enough."
He looked up at Lindsay and sighed. "Yes, I'm keeping him. Satisfied?"
"Very. But you won't be until you have a certain other blond here as well."
"Mommy is being pushy again." Brian said to Gus.
"Daddy is being bullheaded." Lindsay picked up their child. "Tell him he needs to go be nice to Justin."
"Dada." Gus gave him a stern look. "Be nice."
The dog barked.
"That's three against one and it's not fair!" Brian complained. "Besides, I've got a good reason."
"What's that?"
"Justin is allergic to everything. What if he's allergic to dogs? Am I supposed to just kick Oliver out?"
"Brian Kinney, that is the lamest excuse I have ever heard in my life!" Lindsay fumed. "I am going to see Justin and I am telling him to come over here, and you are going to let him in and work this out!"
"Yeah." Gus agreed, although he was too busy trying to reach the dog again to have understood much of what his mother was saying.
"Fine. I'll talk to him. Just enough to tell him that I never want to see him again. Will that settle it?"
"It's better than nothing. Come on, Gus. Let's go find Justin."
"Bye Dada. Bye Ovver." Gus called, waving at the dog.
Brian closed the door and looked back at the dog.
"When this blond guy shows up, and he will, do me a favor? Pee on his leg?"
Oliver panted.
"You're on their side, aren't you?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Justin took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the loft. To his surprise, he heard barking coming from inside, and Brian ordering someone to calm down. The door slid open.
God it had been too long since he'd seen him. He'd forgotten just how beautiful Brian was, and he'd never looked more beautiful than he did right now.
"Lindsay said you wanted to see me?" Justin finally managed to say, and Brian stepped aside so that he could enter.
It felt strange to be back here, where he had lived for so long. Everything looked the same, with the exception of silver bowls in the middle of the kitchen floor and newspapers on the floor in the corner.
And the golden dog sitting at his feet wagging its tail up at him.
"Who's this?" Justin asked.
"My new boyfriend. Say hello, Oliver." Brian ordered.
The dog barked.
Justin sat down and the dog began licking his face as Justin scratched his ears. "Hi Oliver. Yeah, you are a handsome boy, aren't you? You're a cutie." He looked up at Brian. "Why did you get a dog?"
"I didn't. He got me. He showed up at my door and wouldn't go away. Sound familiar?"
"He has good tastes." Justin said softly.
"He's a pain in the ass, that's what he is." Brian grumbled. "He sheds everywhere."
"I could take him." Justin offered. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me?"
"No." Brian ran a hand through his hair. "And you're not getting my dog." That came out a little more forceful than he had intended.
"So what then?" Justin asked, rubbing the dog's stomach.
"I miss you."
The boy looked up in shock, and Brian shrugged. "When things went bad, I blamed you for all of it. I mean, you were the one who left, after all. And I'd followed all your damn rules. But... I don't know. I mean, I'd always been honest with you about everything, and I realized that you weren't honest with me because I wouldn't let you be. I made you afraid to be. You pretended to like what we were doing and how we were living, and you didn't. You hated it, and I was too blind to see that. And I'm sorry. We both fucked it up, but a lot of what we had was pretty good. I want that back."
Justin closed his eyes for a minute, and Brian continued. "I don't mean pick up where we left off. I want to do it the right way this time. Take it slowly."
"What do you have in mind?" Justin was smiling now, and he looked radiant.
"Go out to dinner with me tonight. Just the two of us. We take it one date at a time. Maybe if we do it the way it should be done... maybe it can work this time."
"Yeah. I'd like that. I've missed you too."
"But Oliver is part of the deal now." Brian knelt down and the dog crawled over to him, putting his head in the man's lap. "I think you'll like him. You guys have a lot in common."
Justin laughed.
"I'm serious. Like when he kisses me awake. His breath could kill a horse."
"Brian!"
"And if he's really tired, he doesn't always hit the paper when he's taking a leak."
Justin smacked his arm lightly and Brian reached out to touch his cheek. "And if I've had a bad day, he just lays there against me and listens to me rant, and he lets me take it all out of him, no matter how unfair that is."
"Who'd have ever thought?" Justin looked down at Oliver. "Brian Kinney is actually in love."
"Pretty wild, huh?"
"I knew you had it in you."
"You knew more than I did. Come on, its time for his walk."
At the word walk, Oliver ran and got his leash, but instead of handing it to Brain, held it out to Justin instead.
"I guess he approves of me." The boy laughed, snapping the leash on the dog's collar.
And they headed outside. The sun was high and bright, and Brian couldn't stop smiling, warm in the unconditional love of his two blonds.
He wasn't as fond of being out in storms.
The night hadn't been going very well to begin with, so he supposed he should just add this to the list.
Mikey had been supposed to meet him at Babylon but had called off at the last minute because Ben hadn't been feeling well. Which left him to the tender mercies of Emmett and Ted. And that hadn't lasted long, because both of them found people to tuck them in within an hour of arriving at the club. What were the odds of Ted actually getting laid on the very night Brian needed someone to pick on the most? What were the odds of Emmett scoring on the same night.
These days, pretty good.
He'd stood there alone for a while, scanning the dance floor, looking for a bedtime buddy of his own, but no one appealed to him. And then Emmett happened to walk by with his new friend, a lanky redhead, and deal the final blow.
"He's not here, Brian." The man had whispered. "He doesn't come here any more, you know that."
Of course he knew that, and he gave Emmett a bored glance. "I hadn't noticed. Who gives a fuck if he does? It's a free country."
And Emmett had given him a look that said very plainly "You give a fuck" but had continued on his way, dragging the redhead behind him.
He'd watched the dancers for a few more minutes before he gave up and decided to go home. The night didn't have to be a total washout. He could probably find someone online within a couple of minutes.
He took one last look around the club, carefully avoiding the eyes of the dozen or so men trying to catch his interest, and the knowing grins on some of their faces. Gossip traveled too quickly around here, and they knew about him. A lot more than he wanted them to know. They knew that Peter Pan had lost his shadow, and quite a few of them were jockeying for the position of replacing it.
Well, they had another think coming. He was more than happy without him. He was having the time of his life. He was free again. Free to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted. No stupid rules hanging over his head, not any more. He could stay out until the sun rose and swallow tonsils guilt free.
So why wasn't he?
He left the club just as the rain began to fall, and the sky began to flash, and by the time he had almost reached his building, it was pouring so hard he could barely see out the windshield.
His headlights caught something directly in his path and his heart stopped. He veered quickly to the left, the tires of the jeep going up over the sidewalk, barely missing a fire hydrant.
He sat for a minute, panting, hearing nothing but his own breath and the rain beating on the hood of the jeep. Had he hit it, whatever it was? He didn't think so, but he didn't see any movement outside either.
He sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt, taking a breath and going outside into the monsoon.
There was nothing in the road, thank goodness, and nothing on the side of the road. Whatever it was had run off, and he'd soaked himself for nothing.
Cussing, Brian got back into his Jeep and drove off the sidewalk the short distance to his building, putting the car into park.
At that moment, something in the backseat sneezed, and Brian came very close to wetting his pants even more than they already were.
He wheeled around, his fists tight, ready to do battle with whomever had invaded his Jeep.
Or in this case, whatever.
Curled up on the backseat was a muddy, medium sized dog. It was too dirty for him to tell what color it was, but he could tell that it was just a mutt, no particular breed.
Terrified brown eyes locked on Brian's for a second and the dog lowered it's head submissively, it's tail moving back and forth across the seat, making an even bigger mess.
"FUCK!" Brian slammed his fist into his own seat, causing the dog to huddle in a tighter ball. It must have jumped in when he'd gone out to look for what he'd almost hit. And he was willing to bet that the mutt had been it.
Just what he needed tonight. He could almost believe that his mother had long-distance dialed God, asking him to please make sure not one single thing could go right for her wayward son this evening.
Brian exited the Jeep, slamming the door, and went around to the back.
"OUT!" he ordered, pointing.
The dog licked his hand.
"Oh no you don't! This is not a dog house! You! Out! Now!"
The tail moved again.
Brian, mindful of the dog's teeth, reached in and picked him up, but the dog did not fight. Instead he leaned forward again and his warm tongue lapped at Brian's chin.
"I hate a guy who doesn't take no for an answer!" Brian snapped, and put the dog on the sidewalk. "I'm not interested!"
He shut and locked the door to the Jeep and went inside his building without looking back at the mutt. He'd clean the Jeep out tomorrow, but tonight he was just too damn tired.
He left his clothing in a line on the floor as he made his way to his bedroom, finally flopping down naked on the blankets. He sniffed and made a face; he still smelled like wet dog, but he wasn't up to doing anything about it.
He could see his clothing on the floor from the corner of his eye and he moaned, fighting his natural urge for order down, stamping on it, and trying to bury it. They were going to mildew and start to smell really bad by morning, and he'd paid a fortune for that shirt.
Sometimes he really hated being anal retentive.
With a sigh, Brian got up and walked back down the stairs, gathering up the damp items.
Something bumped against the metal door of his loft.
He paused, listening.
There was another bump, and shuffling.
Followed by a sneeze.
Still naked, Brian jerked open the door to the loft.
"How did you get up here?" He demanded, staring down at the muddy dog.
The dog didn't seem quite as timid any more and gave him a friendly wag.
"GO HOME!" Brian demanded.
The dog got to its feet, and without warning darted past Brian into the loft.
"HEY!" Brian ran after it. "GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN MUTT!"
The dog ran for its life, and before Brian could catch him, jumped up on the sofa and gave a hard shake, flinging muddy water everywhere.
"Oh no you just didn't!" Brian yelled, making a dive for it. He missed, and his weight carried him over the top. He hit the floor with a thud, his head striking wood.
Something nuzzled his cheek, and the dog's tongue lapped at his ear.
Brian turned his head to give the dog a baleful look. "I'm going to break your neck!" He picked up the dog, wincing as the muddy fur stuck to his bare chest. Unimpressed by the threat, the dog licked his face again, tail wagging.
"Do you know how much that couch cost? How much my Jeep is going to cost to have cleaned?" He demanded, carrying the dog back toward the door. "A lot more than you're worth, I'll tell you that."
The brown eyes met his again, full of hope. He paused, shaking his head. "I must really be cracking up. I've been under a lot of stress, you know. I mean, it's 2AM and I'm standing here naked talking you."
The thunder crashed loudly, and in Brian's arms the dog cringed, giving the window a frightened look.
"Don't like storms, huh? It wouldn't hurt you. It's just noise." Brian assured the mutt.
"But it sucks being out in one. What the fuck am I doing?"
He had turned away from the door and was carrying the dog toward the bathroom. "Okay, you can stay for the night. But tomorrow, you're going to the pound!"
He turned on the shower and sat the mutt down inside, grabbing a bottle of shampoo. "And anyone who spends the night with me better be clean!"
He bent down, soaping up the mutt. He'd expected it to be scared, but instead the animal whined in pleasure, turning around periodically so that Brian could wash another part of him. And it was definitely a him, the man noted.
When the dog was clean, Brian started on himself as the dog watched in what the man could have sworn was amusement. "Yeah, well I'd lick my own nuts clean too if I could. We're not all as lucky as you."
He turned off the water and grabbed a couple of towels, wrapping one around his waist, and he sat down on the toilet.
"Come here."
The dog obediently went to him and Brian began toweling him off.
The animal looked a lot better clean. His fur was a dark golden color, like a retriever's, but he didn't look much like one in any other way. He probably had it in him somewhere though, along with about 50 other things.
"What is it with me and obsessive blonds?" Brian asked the dog, who cocked his head. "Just tell me that."
The dog gave him a very short bark.
"Whatever. I'm going to bed. Gotta get up bright and early to take you to your new cage."
He slapped his hip and the dog followed him, watching him lay down several layers of Out on the floor. "This is your bathroom. You have to do anything you do it there. Understand me?"
Wag.
Wondering exactly what kind of mess he would awake to find, Brian returned to his bed, crawling under the blankets, his entire body aching. He'd barely closed his eyes when he felt the bed dip next to him, and a warm body press up against his.
"Oh no. That is where I draw the line!" Brian pushed at the dog, who had started licking his hands. "No one sleeps in this bed without my permission and you don't have it! I hate hairy guys!"
He grabbed the dog and dumped him on the floor, lying back down.
A minute later, the bed dipped again.
"Look, I've had a long day." Brian pleaded. "Just leave me alone. I don't need this."
The dog gave him a look of sympathy and suddenly laid his head on Brian's chest with a sigh.
"Yeah, I guess your day hasn't been so hot either, huh? I mean, getting caught in the rain, almost getting run over." He reached out and began stroking the silky, damp ears, surprised at himself. He could blame it on his weariness tomorrow, he supposed.
"But you picked the wrong person to hook up with. I mean, if you'd picked someone with a rugrat, you'd have a home for life."
He was quiet for a minute. "I've got a rugrat, but he doesn't live with me. If he were older, I'd give you to him, but he's not even two yet. He doesn't know what to do with a dog. Although it would be pretty damn funny if you took a dump in Melanie's shoes."
He continued his absent-minded petting. "I don't know what to do with a dog either. Never owned one. Never had a cat or a bird or a fucking goldfish. My father used to say 'All I can do to keep you and your sister fed! I ain't throwing away money on some goddamned animal.'"
"But you'll have a good home. I mean, someone will snatch you up. You're cute enough. Everyone wants cute guys.
The dog licked Brian's chest.
"But you can't live with me. For one thing, I'm never home. You'd never get enough attention. And I can't take you with me to where I go, so you'd be bored and lonely all the time. It wouldn't be fair to you."
Another lick.
"Just want to make it clear. Just because you're spending the night in my bed doesn't mean you're my boyfriend. Tomorrow I'm dropping you off at the pound and we'll never see each other again."
Lick.
"You're barking up the wrong tree, I tell you." He looked at the dog. "See, I just got out of a… I used to have a boyfriend, sort of, but things didn't work out."
The dog cocked his head again.
"He met this other guy, see? Guy his own age. And this guy really did a number on him, told him how much he loved him and wanted him and all this bullshit and he just ate it up. And so he left. Then this other guy decides that Justin, that was my sort of boyfriend, wasn't so great after all and dumped him.
"I guess I should be happy about that, I mean, someone did to him what he did to me. I half expected the little shit to come back here begging me to take him back. I wish he would have. I wanted the satisfaction of rubbing his nose in it."
The dog muttered something.
"But it was enough to convince me that I'd been right all along. Relationships just aren't worth the trouble, you know? It's all one big farce. Me? I'm just in it for the fucking. What about you? Active sex life? You ever go to Doggy Babylon or something?"
He leaned back on the pillows and the dog shifted with him. "I've really hit rock bottom." Brian groaned. "I think this is the best conversation I've had in weeks." A minute later, he was asleep and so was the dog, and the storm continued around them.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Brian groaned as sunlight hit his eyelids, and then gagged. Someone in his bed had terrible breath. Not that he wasn't unused to that but it smelled like...
Dog breath.
The events of last night came rushing back to him at the sight of a furry head on his pillow, and brown eyes watching him. Seeing Brian awake, the dog gave him a happy bark and began licking him.
"Uhhhgg, stop that!" Brian shoved the dog away and glanced at the clock. "SHIT! I'm late!" He jumped out of bed and run to the closet, dressing quickly. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" he demanded.
The dog appeared to be laughing.
"I don't even have time to take you to the pound. Just great!" Brian stomped out into the kitchen, stopping a split second before his foot hit a brown pile on the Out. He started to swear and the stopped and shrugged. At least the dog had used the papers and not the sofa."
He grabbed a plastic bowl out of the cabinet and filled it with water, feeling a pang of guilt he had not done so last night. He then changed the papers and rooted around in the refrigerator, pulling out several packs of lunch meat. "Here." He put the meat down in front of the dog. "Enjoy."
He realized he wasn't going to have time to take the dog to the pound after work either. Great, he was stuck with the mutt until tomorrow. He'd buy some dog food on the way home; maybe a leash or something. Give the mutt one last walk before incarcerating him.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Doggy! Mama! Doggy!"
Lindsay stood in the doorway of the loft, carrying Gus, and was peering over Brian's shoulder in amazement. "Brian? Since when do you have a dog?"
Brian moved aside and let her in. She sat Gus down, and the baby immediately toddled over toward the animal. She made a grab for him but Brian stopped her. "He doesn't bite."
He shut the door behind her, grinning as the dog began licking Gus's face, making the baby dissolve into giggles.
"Well?"
"I found him a few nights ago." Brian shrugged carelessly. "I was going to take him to the pound but they said since he's not a puppy, he'd probably get put to sleep. I'm still trying to find him another home, but I said he could stay with me until then." He looked at Lindsay thoughtfully.
"Oh no you don't! I'm raising your son; I'm not raising your dog too!"
"He is not my dog." Brian insisted. "He's just a house-guest with fleas."
"He looks a lot cleaner than some of the guys I've seen you bring up here." Lindsay snickered.
"Yeah, and he's got better manners too. That's why I'm letting him stay."
"Nice doggy." Gus announced, patting the mutt on the head.
"So what's his name?"
"I don't know. I never asked him."
"Well, he should have a name."
"Whoever decides to keep him can name him!"
Lindsay walked past Brian into the bedroom.
"What are you doing?" Brian asked.
The woman picked up several golden hairs from the bed. "Not going to keep him, huh? Then why are you sleeping with him?"
"Linds, if I kept every guy I slept with do you know how full this place would be by now?"
She burst out laughing. "I think you should keep him. It would be good for you to have someone else around again. Someone to greet you when you come home from work." She paused. "Especially now that Justin's gone."
Brian's face turned unreadable and he turned away.
"Brian, he misses you."
The man didn't answer.
"He feels terrible about what happened. He's miserable; he never goes out, just to work and school. I told him he needs to come see you but he's too stubborn. He says he blew his one chance."
"He's right." Brian shrugged.
"How can you say that? Brian, you miss him too! You know you do! Call him. Tell him you want him back."
"Until when? Until the next cute, young guy comes along and he moves on to greener pastures? Sorry, but no thanks. Tell him I've got another blond willing to hump my leg when I get home. And at least Oliver isn't going…" He stopped.
"Oliver? I thought you said he didn't have a name."
"He doesn't. But I couldn't just keep calling him dog. I thought, you know, like Oliver Twist."
"What isn't Oliver going to do?" Lindsay put her hand on Brian's arm. "Leave you for someone else."
Brian didn't answer and walked back toward the kitchen, where Gus was now happily wrestling with Oliver.
"You like the doggy, Gus?"
Gus nodded.
"Well, you can see him whenever you come over here." Brian promised. "His name is Oliver."
"Ovver."
"Yeah, close enough."
He looked up at Lindsay and sighed. "Yes, I'm keeping him. Satisfied?"
"Very. But you won't be until you have a certain other blond here as well."
"Mommy is being pushy again." Brian said to Gus.
"Daddy is being bullheaded." Lindsay picked up their child. "Tell him he needs to go be nice to Justin."
"Dada." Gus gave him a stern look. "Be nice."
The dog barked.
"That's three against one and it's not fair!" Brian complained. "Besides, I've got a good reason."
"What's that?"
"Justin is allergic to everything. What if he's allergic to dogs? Am I supposed to just kick Oliver out?"
"Brian Kinney, that is the lamest excuse I have ever heard in my life!" Lindsay fumed. "I am going to see Justin and I am telling him to come over here, and you are going to let him in and work this out!"
"Yeah." Gus agreed, although he was too busy trying to reach the dog again to have understood much of what his mother was saying.
"Fine. I'll talk to him. Just enough to tell him that I never want to see him again. Will that settle it?"
"It's better than nothing. Come on, Gus. Let's go find Justin."
"Bye Dada. Bye Ovver." Gus called, waving at the dog.
Brian closed the door and looked back at the dog.
"When this blond guy shows up, and he will, do me a favor? Pee on his leg?"
Oliver panted.
"You're on their side, aren't you?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Justin took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the loft. To his surprise, he heard barking coming from inside, and Brian ordering someone to calm down. The door slid open.
God it had been too long since he'd seen him. He'd forgotten just how beautiful Brian was, and he'd never looked more beautiful than he did right now.
"Lindsay said you wanted to see me?" Justin finally managed to say, and Brian stepped aside so that he could enter.
It felt strange to be back here, where he had lived for so long. Everything looked the same, with the exception of silver bowls in the middle of the kitchen floor and newspapers on the floor in the corner.
And the golden dog sitting at his feet wagging its tail up at him.
"Who's this?" Justin asked.
"My new boyfriend. Say hello, Oliver." Brian ordered.
The dog barked.
Justin sat down and the dog began licking his face as Justin scratched his ears. "Hi Oliver. Yeah, you are a handsome boy, aren't you? You're a cutie." He looked up at Brian. "Why did you get a dog?"
"I didn't. He got me. He showed up at my door and wouldn't go away. Sound familiar?"
"He has good tastes." Justin said softly.
"He's a pain in the ass, that's what he is." Brian grumbled. "He sheds everywhere."
"I could take him." Justin offered. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me?"
"No." Brian ran a hand through his hair. "And you're not getting my dog." That came out a little more forceful than he had intended.
"So what then?" Justin asked, rubbing the dog's stomach.
"I miss you."
The boy looked up in shock, and Brian shrugged. "When things went bad, I blamed you for all of it. I mean, you were the one who left, after all. And I'd followed all your damn rules. But... I don't know. I mean, I'd always been honest with you about everything, and I realized that you weren't honest with me because I wouldn't let you be. I made you afraid to be. You pretended to like what we were doing and how we were living, and you didn't. You hated it, and I was too blind to see that. And I'm sorry. We both fucked it up, but a lot of what we had was pretty good. I want that back."
Justin closed his eyes for a minute, and Brian continued. "I don't mean pick up where we left off. I want to do it the right way this time. Take it slowly."
"What do you have in mind?" Justin was smiling now, and he looked radiant.
"Go out to dinner with me tonight. Just the two of us. We take it one date at a time. Maybe if we do it the way it should be done... maybe it can work this time."
"Yeah. I'd like that. I've missed you too."
"But Oliver is part of the deal now." Brian knelt down and the dog crawled over to him, putting his head in the man's lap. "I think you'll like him. You guys have a lot in common."
Justin laughed.
"I'm serious. Like when he kisses me awake. His breath could kill a horse."
"Brian!"
"And if he's really tired, he doesn't always hit the paper when he's taking a leak."
Justin smacked his arm lightly and Brian reached out to touch his cheek. "And if I've had a bad day, he just lays there against me and listens to me rant, and he lets me take it all out of him, no matter how unfair that is."
"Who'd have ever thought?" Justin looked down at Oliver. "Brian Kinney is actually in love."
"Pretty wild, huh?"
"I knew you had it in you."
"You knew more than I did. Come on, its time for his walk."
At the word walk, Oliver ran and got his leash, but instead of handing it to Brain, held it out to Justin instead.
"I guess he approves of me." The boy laughed, snapping the leash on the dog's collar.
And they headed outside. The sun was high and bright, and Brian couldn't stop smiling, warm in the unconditional love of his two blonds.