"Beautiful Day"
By: Ann
*************
Author's Note: This story is the sequel to "Love, Brian". It's 11 at night so don't expect anything too creative. I'm bored, therefore I am motivated to write a story. Why? I have no idea. Let's just say my Queer As Folk soundtrack is in my CD player so it's inspiring me. I dedicate this story to 3 special people. Gale Harold and Randy Harrison for being wonderful actors and inspiring me to write these, and to my best friend Justin for reading and critiquing my work. You guys are number one in my book.
**************
Brian's note. 'Oh my god someone catch me before I faint!', thought Justin. He never thought Brian would actually admit he gave a shit. He'd only dreamed of a moment like this, and now it was actually a reality. His legs kept shaking and he couldn't walk straight. Daphne was laughing at him.....'I guess I do look like a freak, but I can't help it!', thought Justin. Daphne, after reading Brian's note, immediately agreed to take Justin to Brian's after his shift at the Diner was over. Justin was going nuts.
"What am I going to say to him? Better yet, what is he going to say now that he's laid his feelings out on the floor like that? Does he regret writing the note? Will he shove me away? I hope he meant it. I really want this to work. I love Brian, more than anything else in my life."
Daphne rolled her eyes at her friend. She'd heard it all before. Still she couldn't help but laugh.
"Justin everything's going to be fine so stop freaking out. I'm sure Brian wouldn't leave a note in your bookbag if it didn't mean SOMETHING."
Justin calmed down a bit. Brian wouldn't do something like that… would he?
~~~~~~
"Oh my God time is going so slow."
Justin had an hour to go at the Diner before he could get to Brian's. His anxiety was growing by the minute, and he felt like he was going to explode. Debbie came over to him with a plate of lemon bars.
"Hey Sunshine! Need some sugar?"
She handed him a lemon bar. Justin took it and smiled at her. She always knew just what he needed. His smile faded when he realized what the real plan was. He moaned when she invited him to sit with her in one of the booths.
"So what's going on?"
"Nothing Deb, why?"
"Don't bullshit me Justin. I know when something's up. I hate secrets."
"It has to do with Brian so I know you don't want to hear it."
Debbie leaned towards him.
"I heard something about a note. Can I see it?"
"How'd you know?"
"I bugged Daphne about it when she dropped you off. She told me she would be back at 7:30 and I asked where you were headed. I guess she didn't know that you were hiding it from me."
Justin rolled his eyes and pulled the note out of his pocket. He looked at it for a minute, then handed it over. Debbie read it about 8 times before she put it down; an amazed look on her face.
"Well I'll be damned."
Justin smiled and put the note back in his pocket. Just then he heard a car horn outside. He looked at Debbie.
"Okay Sunshine, you're done. I'll do the dishes."
Justin kissed Debbie on the cheek and bounded out the door.
~~~~~~
The car ride was hell. It seemed Daphne didn't know there was a gas pedal in the car.
"Daphne you drive like my grandma."
"Shut up Justin, you should consider yourself lucky you didn't have to get Deb to drive you here!"
~~~~~~
Brian was lighting the last of the candles when his buzzer went off. He pushed the button and unlocked the door. After a minute, he heard the familiar hum of the elevator making the ascent to his loft. He was nervous as hell, but he wasn't just ready to show it. "Brian Kinney, you are fucked!" he exclaimed as he heard the knocking on the door. He hesitated at the counter for a moment, then made his way to the door. He put on his best "what the fuck do you want" look, and pulled open the door.
Justin. "He looks more beautiful every time I see him," thought Brian as he looked at his golden boy. He hoped Justin couldn't read his thoughts, because that would be embarrassing as hell, and he didn't need that right now. He decided to keep his cool… at least until he got Justin inside the door that is.
"I didn't think you'd come," said Brian.
"I didn't think I'd come either. Look, is this some kind of joke? Because if it is it's not funny. I had my doubts all the way over here."
"Why would I be joking?"
"Because you always act like you don't give a shit about me."
Brian looked at Justin, shocked.
"Well if I didn't give a shit about you, then why'd I let you hang around so long?"
Justin smiled.
"Because I'd just keep following you around anyway."
Brian nodded, smiling.
"Yeah I guess you're right."
"I'm always right. You should know that by now."
"Don't get smart, or you won't get what I invited you here for."
"Yeah, okay Brian. So where do you want me? On the couch, the counter?"
Brian gave Justin a playful shove.
"And that is NOT the reason you're here. I mean, it might end up that way afterward, but not now."
Justin looked at Brian, a confused look on his face.
"No sex? Brian are you feeling okay?"
"I didn't say no sex, I just said that will come later. Now will you stop asking questions? I'll explain everything I promise. Now sit down and keep your mouth shut until I'm done. This is hard enough as it is."
Justin was silent as he sat down on the lounger.
"Great, now that I have your attention I'll start. Okay shit I don't know where to begin."
"How about at the beginning?"
"I thought I told you to shut up. Keep it up and I'll kick your ass out of here and you'll never know what I was going to say, and believe me, I think you want to hear it."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Now please continue."
"Okay I will."
"Okay."
"Okay, now I know you don't want to talk about this, since you don't remember a lot of your prom night after our goodbye kiss, but I need to get this out, so listen up."
Justin sat up in the lounger, giving Brian his full attention. Brian came over and sat on the edge of the lounger facing Justin.
"Justin, you scared the shit out of me that night. It was the first time in my life where I thought I was going to lose myself. Even Mikey couldn't help me out. I felt like the world was pulled out from under me and I was falling into nothingness. I felt more alone than I ever have in my entire life. I was so scared that I wasn't ever going to see you again."
Justin touched Brian's face.
"It's okay Brian, I'm still here and I'm okay."
Brian pushed Justin's hand away.
"Thank God for that. It not only made me realize I DO have feelings for you, but I realized what a shit I've been to you the past year we've known each other. When I was sitting in that hospital lobby all I was thinking was how can I make it up to you? How can I make things better between us? I am so sorry I treated you like that. I know I'm not a very good person sometimes. I have a short temper and I don't like to let people close to me. But you saw past all the bullshit and you see me for who I am. Mikey doesn't even know me as well as you do. And I barely had to tell you everything. At Mikey's birthday party everyone hated me for inviting Tracey, and you were the only one who understood why I did it, and you didn't judge me for it. You didn't walk away. You stayed and helped me clean up, then you slept beside me all night. I know I didn't show it, but that meant a lot to me. Mikey's my best friend and it was just as hard for me to shove him away as it was for him to be humiliated by me. I don't know how I would have been if I were alone that night."
Brian shuddered at the thought. Justin tried to grab his hand, but Brian pushed it away again.
"Stop Justin just give me a minute okay? Now where was I… oh yeah the party. Well not only did you calm me down but you tracked Mikey down and told him what I did, which I was pissed about, but at the same time I was happy to have my best friend back. Then there was the thing with Kip."
Justin froze.
"Uh, w-what thing about K-Kip?"
"Don't play dumb Justin. I know it was you who threatened Kip. That was a very dangerous thing to do, but I never thanked you for that. I don't know what you did, nor do I want to know, but you saved my ass. I could have lost everything. So I'm sorry for treating you like shit. You don't deserve it. Sometimes I wonder why you're still following me around. You deserve so much better than me, but you still want me for some reason. You're the only one who has put up with me… the only one who has bothered to. Ted and Emmett are good friends but they don't give a shit about my life because they know that they wouldn't find out anyway. Mikey likes to be the superhero but there's some things he stays out of. He especially likes to stay away from any problems concerning you."
Justin gave an evil grin. Brian kicked him playfully in the leg.
"Face it Brian, you need me!"
"I told you to stay quiet until I was finished."
Justin shut his mouth again, waiting for the rest.
"I know I haven't been the best boyf… person to you, but I do give a shit about you and I AM sorry for all the bullshit over the past year. And wipe that shit-eating grin off your face Justin because I was NOT going to say what you thought I was so drop it."
Justin snickered.
"Brian you're forgiven."
Justin snaked a hand around Brian's neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Brian pulled back.
"Not so fast, there's one more thing."
Justin moaned.
"What is it now?"
"Patience Justin. I'll be right back."
Justin slumped down on the lounger as he watched Brian get up and walk into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he returned with a long wooden box. He sat down on the edge of the lounger and handed it to a very anxious Justin.
"Well? Are you going to open it or stare at the box all night?"
Justin opened the box and laughed. He pulled out a bracelet made of cowry shells, the same one as Brian's. Something made him look closer. It wasn't made the same as Brian's, it was better. The shells were shiny and polished, and had a clear coat of protectant on them so they wouldn't get damaged. The hemp that held the shells together was stronger so it wouldn't break so easily. Instead of a loop and knot to hold it on the wrist there was a clasp made from a whole cowry shell split in half. Justin looked at it, amazed.
"Do you like it?"
Justin nodded 'yes'.
"Good. I always caught you looking at mine so I figured I would get you one so mine wouldn't be missing one day… unlike you I need mine for other reasons than decorating my wrist."
Brian gave Justin a shove. Justin looked at him quizzically.
"What do you mean, for other reasons?"
Brian shifted uncomfortably.
"Well here I'll show you."
Brian undid the knot on the back of his bracelet and took it off, revealing a long thick scar on the outside of his wrist. Justin gasped.
"What happened?"
"Long story."
"Well I have time."
"I know that, but I don't want to go into all the gory details so I'll give you the Reader's Digest version okay?"
Justin slumped back, defeated.
"Okay, when I was little my dad used to take me fishing with him and his buddies. Well one day he was drunk off his ass as usual, and he wasn't watching his fishing pole. I was cleaning the fish guts out of the boat by leaning over the side of the boat with a bucket, getting water from the bay, and dumping it onto the deck. Well as I was filling the bucket, Jack had apparently drifted off into a drunken slumber and was awakened when a flock of birds went right over our heads. He jerked the pole up, and the hook came up beside my wrist and cut it. Now Jack's buddies were pretty concerned about it and wanted to go back and take me to a doctor, but Jack told them I needed to be a man about it and take the pain until we got back. So I sat in the cabin with a cloth around my wrist for 8 fucking hours, and by then the doctor's office was closed. My mom freaked out and took me to the hospital, where I got 15 stitches in my wrist."
"Wow, your dad really was an asshole."
"Yeah, you don't know the half of it. Anyway, when I was in middle and high school, people would make up rumors that I was suicidal and shit, so people stayed away from me. I liked it that way, so I told people I was going to blow up the school too, just so they would keep their distance. They did. Except for Mikey. He knew the real reason but kept his mouth shut. When I got to college I was tired of people asking me about it. That's when I met Lindsay. She bought me this bracelet. I had put it on my right wrist, but she took it off, explaining it was just the right size to hide the scar. I've worn it ever since, and will continue to wear it until it breaks."
"Well if it ever breaks, tell me and I'll get you another one."
"Thanks Justin. I appreciate the sentiment."
"Welcome."
Justin shifted in the lounger, and looked at Brian.
"So this bracelet is basically just an "I'm sorry for treating you like shit" gift right?"
"Well that depends on how you want to look at it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well you can look at it like that, or you can flip the bracelet over and get a different meaning altogether."
Justin slowly flipped the bracelet over. There were eight shells on the bracelet not counting the smaller shell for the clasp, and the backs of them were flat. There was a word inscribed on the back of each one, and they formed a sentence when read in order. Justin looked closely and read silently: "You changed my life forever. I love you." A tear slid down Justin's cheek and reached his chin, where it fell onto the clasp. Justin wiped the tear and looked at the clasp. One half of the shell had an inscription. He squinted to make it out: Brian. Justin looked at it for a moment, then looked at the other half of the clasp. The other half said Justin. He hooked the clasp together, creating the whole shell. He then understood, and more tears rolled down his face.
"Thank you Brian."
"Thank you, Justin."
"I always knew you loved me. I told you that when we were discussing your ridiculous latte consumption in the Jeep."
"Oh yeah and then I told you to shut the fuck up."
Justin laughed and stood up. He grabbed Brian's hand and pulled him up with him. Brian smiled as Justin wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him close. The radio had been on ever since the conversation started, playing low in the background. They started to sway back and forth. Justin picked up the bracelet and held it out to a confused Brian. Justin just smiled and held out his wrist. Brian smiled back and put the bracelet on.
"Looks good on you."
"Thank you Brian, this means so much to me."
"You're welcome Justin."
Justin was silent for a minute.
"Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"So does this mean we're a couple?"
"We'll try Justin. I've never been in a relationship with someone so I can't guarantee I won't fuck it up somehow, but I promise you this. I will try, and if I do fuck up, I'll be honest with you."
"I love you Brian."
"I love you too Justin."
"So, we've been dancing a while now…"
"Yeah so?"
"So umm it's really nice and all, but can we do something else?"
"What did you have in mind?"
Justin smiled and kissed Brian. Brian kissed him back. The kiss lasted a few minutes, growing more intense by the second. Justin reached for Brian's shirt. Brian lifted his arms, and they broke their kiss so Justin could get the shirt over his head. Brian went for Justin's shirt, pulling it off as well. Justin then went for the belt buckle, as did Brian. Justin unzipped Brian's pants. No underwear, as usual. Brian unzipped Justin's pants to discover a leopard thong. Brian laughed, Justin blushed.
"Planning ahead Justin?"
"Well… you know… I wanted to do something… different."
Brian pulled the thong off.
"As much as I enjoyed that, it has to take its place on the floor now."
Justin smiled as Brian played with his left nipple, licking and biting at it. Brian left the left nipple and did the same to the right, while Justin ran his fingers through Brian's silky hair. Brian's tongue trailed down Justin's chest and played with Justin's belly button. Justin giggled and Brian licked back up, trailing up Justin's neck and chin, and landing in his mouth. Brian's tongue trailed back down, while his eyes never left Justin's. Justin let out a low moan as Brian's tongue licked at his already hardening cock. Justin's knees got weak as he felt Brian's mouth engulf him. He continued running his fingers through Brian's hair. Brian knew Justin couldn't last much longer, so he stopped his assault and his mouth returned to Justin's waiting lips. Justin's breathing was ragged, and so was Brian's.
"Brian… enough… fuck me now… please."
Brian looked Justin in the eyes.
"No."
"What?"
"I said no."
"Is this a joke? If it is it's really cruel."
"No it's not a joke. From this point on there won't be any more fucking here."
Justin looked blankly at Brian.
"From this point on, we're doing something different, something we haven't done. We're going to make love."
Justin let out his breath and pulled Brian's face close to his.
"Make love to me Brian."
With that, Brian picked Justin up and carried him to the bed. Justin laughed as he threw him onto the soft duvet.
"Better throw this on the floor…..we don't want to mess it up."
"Fuck it, it's washable."
With that, Brian landed on top of Justin, kissing up his chest. Justin put his legs up and on to Brian's shoulders. Brian grabbed the condom and lube off the bedside table. He ripped the condom open with his teeth and rolled it down his achingly hard shaft. He then squirted some lube on his first three fingers. Justin gasped as a lube covered finger entered him, then two, then three. Brian took his fingers out and rubbed the remaining lube on the condom. He then placed his cock at Justin's small throbbing opening. He looked at Justin.
"Ready?"
"I've been ready since I got here."
With that, Brian slowly pushed himself inside of the man he loved. Justin let out a long moan, adjusting to Brian's always surprising length. Justin nodded, and Brian started moving in and out, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Brian grabbed Justin's cock and started stroking it. Justin came first, his muscles retracting making Brian come close behind. Exhausted, Brian rolled off of Justin.
"Was it good for you?"
"Yeah it was. You?"
"Yeah."
"Brian?"
"What?"
"Since we're a couple now, do I still have to live with Deb? I mean, that's okay and all, but I don't want to burden them anymore, plus with my work schedule we only see each other at night as it is…"
"Okay Justin you can live here."
"Really?"
"Just remember the rules this time. I don't need anymore suits and juicers stolen from me."
"I promise."
"Do you have off tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Well I don't have anything to do either, so we'll get your stuff out of Mikey's room, and then we'll go to your mom's townhouse and get the rest."
"I have a lot of stuff Brian."
"And I have storage space."
"What time do you want to get up?"
"Set the clock for 10."
"Okay."
Justin leaned over and set the alarm. He then rolled back over toward Brian and put his head on Brian's chest. Within minutes Justin was snoring softly. Brian ran his fingers through Justin's hair as he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
"I love you Justin."
EL FIN
By: Ann
*************
Author's Note: This story is the sequel to "Love, Brian". It's 11 at night so don't expect anything too creative. I'm bored, therefore I am motivated to write a story. Why? I have no idea. Let's just say my Queer As Folk soundtrack is in my CD player so it's inspiring me. I dedicate this story to 3 special people. Gale Harold and Randy Harrison for being wonderful actors and inspiring me to write these, and to my best friend Justin for reading and critiquing my work. You guys are number one in my book.
**************
Brian's note. 'Oh my god someone catch me before I faint!', thought Justin. He never thought Brian would actually admit he gave a shit. He'd only dreamed of a moment like this, and now it was actually a reality. His legs kept shaking and he couldn't walk straight. Daphne was laughing at him.....'I guess I do look like a freak, but I can't help it!', thought Justin. Daphne, after reading Brian's note, immediately agreed to take Justin to Brian's after his shift at the Diner was over. Justin was going nuts.
"What am I going to say to him? Better yet, what is he going to say now that he's laid his feelings out on the floor like that? Does he regret writing the note? Will he shove me away? I hope he meant it. I really want this to work. I love Brian, more than anything else in my life."
Daphne rolled her eyes at her friend. She'd heard it all before. Still she couldn't help but laugh.
"Justin everything's going to be fine so stop freaking out. I'm sure Brian wouldn't leave a note in your bookbag if it didn't mean SOMETHING."
Justin calmed down a bit. Brian wouldn't do something like that… would he?
~~~~~~
"Oh my God time is going so slow."
Justin had an hour to go at the Diner before he could get to Brian's. His anxiety was growing by the minute, and he felt like he was going to explode. Debbie came over to him with a plate of lemon bars.
"Hey Sunshine! Need some sugar?"
She handed him a lemon bar. Justin took it and smiled at her. She always knew just what he needed. His smile faded when he realized what the real plan was. He moaned when she invited him to sit with her in one of the booths.
"So what's going on?"
"Nothing Deb, why?"
"Don't bullshit me Justin. I know when something's up. I hate secrets."
"It has to do with Brian so I know you don't want to hear it."
Debbie leaned towards him.
"I heard something about a note. Can I see it?"
"How'd you know?"
"I bugged Daphne about it when she dropped you off. She told me she would be back at 7:30 and I asked where you were headed. I guess she didn't know that you were hiding it from me."
Justin rolled his eyes and pulled the note out of his pocket. He looked at it for a minute, then handed it over. Debbie read it about 8 times before she put it down; an amazed look on her face.
"Well I'll be damned."
Justin smiled and put the note back in his pocket. Just then he heard a car horn outside. He looked at Debbie.
"Okay Sunshine, you're done. I'll do the dishes."
Justin kissed Debbie on the cheek and bounded out the door.
~~~~~~
The car ride was hell. It seemed Daphne didn't know there was a gas pedal in the car.
"Daphne you drive like my grandma."
"Shut up Justin, you should consider yourself lucky you didn't have to get Deb to drive you here!"
~~~~~~
Brian was lighting the last of the candles when his buzzer went off. He pushed the button and unlocked the door. After a minute, he heard the familiar hum of the elevator making the ascent to his loft. He was nervous as hell, but he wasn't just ready to show it. "Brian Kinney, you are fucked!" he exclaimed as he heard the knocking on the door. He hesitated at the counter for a moment, then made his way to the door. He put on his best "what the fuck do you want" look, and pulled open the door.
Justin. "He looks more beautiful every time I see him," thought Brian as he looked at his golden boy. He hoped Justin couldn't read his thoughts, because that would be embarrassing as hell, and he didn't need that right now. He decided to keep his cool… at least until he got Justin inside the door that is.
"I didn't think you'd come," said Brian.
"I didn't think I'd come either. Look, is this some kind of joke? Because if it is it's not funny. I had my doubts all the way over here."
"Why would I be joking?"
"Because you always act like you don't give a shit about me."
Brian looked at Justin, shocked.
"Well if I didn't give a shit about you, then why'd I let you hang around so long?"
Justin smiled.
"Because I'd just keep following you around anyway."
Brian nodded, smiling.
"Yeah I guess you're right."
"I'm always right. You should know that by now."
"Don't get smart, or you won't get what I invited you here for."
"Yeah, okay Brian. So where do you want me? On the couch, the counter?"
Brian gave Justin a playful shove.
"And that is NOT the reason you're here. I mean, it might end up that way afterward, but not now."
Justin looked at Brian, a confused look on his face.
"No sex? Brian are you feeling okay?"
"I didn't say no sex, I just said that will come later. Now will you stop asking questions? I'll explain everything I promise. Now sit down and keep your mouth shut until I'm done. This is hard enough as it is."
Justin was silent as he sat down on the lounger.
"Great, now that I have your attention I'll start. Okay shit I don't know where to begin."
"How about at the beginning?"
"I thought I told you to shut up. Keep it up and I'll kick your ass out of here and you'll never know what I was going to say, and believe me, I think you want to hear it."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Now please continue."
"Okay I will."
"Okay."
"Okay, now I know you don't want to talk about this, since you don't remember a lot of your prom night after our goodbye kiss, but I need to get this out, so listen up."
Justin sat up in the lounger, giving Brian his full attention. Brian came over and sat on the edge of the lounger facing Justin.
"Justin, you scared the shit out of me that night. It was the first time in my life where I thought I was going to lose myself. Even Mikey couldn't help me out. I felt like the world was pulled out from under me and I was falling into nothingness. I felt more alone than I ever have in my entire life. I was so scared that I wasn't ever going to see you again."
Justin touched Brian's face.
"It's okay Brian, I'm still here and I'm okay."
Brian pushed Justin's hand away.
"Thank God for that. It not only made me realize I DO have feelings for you, but I realized what a shit I've been to you the past year we've known each other. When I was sitting in that hospital lobby all I was thinking was how can I make it up to you? How can I make things better between us? I am so sorry I treated you like that. I know I'm not a very good person sometimes. I have a short temper and I don't like to let people close to me. But you saw past all the bullshit and you see me for who I am. Mikey doesn't even know me as well as you do. And I barely had to tell you everything. At Mikey's birthday party everyone hated me for inviting Tracey, and you were the only one who understood why I did it, and you didn't judge me for it. You didn't walk away. You stayed and helped me clean up, then you slept beside me all night. I know I didn't show it, but that meant a lot to me. Mikey's my best friend and it was just as hard for me to shove him away as it was for him to be humiliated by me. I don't know how I would have been if I were alone that night."
Brian shuddered at the thought. Justin tried to grab his hand, but Brian pushed it away again.
"Stop Justin just give me a minute okay? Now where was I… oh yeah the party. Well not only did you calm me down but you tracked Mikey down and told him what I did, which I was pissed about, but at the same time I was happy to have my best friend back. Then there was the thing with Kip."
Justin froze.
"Uh, w-what thing about K-Kip?"
"Don't play dumb Justin. I know it was you who threatened Kip. That was a very dangerous thing to do, but I never thanked you for that. I don't know what you did, nor do I want to know, but you saved my ass. I could have lost everything. So I'm sorry for treating you like shit. You don't deserve it. Sometimes I wonder why you're still following me around. You deserve so much better than me, but you still want me for some reason. You're the only one who has put up with me… the only one who has bothered to. Ted and Emmett are good friends but they don't give a shit about my life because they know that they wouldn't find out anyway. Mikey likes to be the superhero but there's some things he stays out of. He especially likes to stay away from any problems concerning you."
Justin gave an evil grin. Brian kicked him playfully in the leg.
"Face it Brian, you need me!"
"I told you to stay quiet until I was finished."
Justin shut his mouth again, waiting for the rest.
"I know I haven't been the best boyf… person to you, but I do give a shit about you and I AM sorry for all the bullshit over the past year. And wipe that shit-eating grin off your face Justin because I was NOT going to say what you thought I was so drop it."
Justin snickered.
"Brian you're forgiven."
Justin snaked a hand around Brian's neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Brian pulled back.
"Not so fast, there's one more thing."
Justin moaned.
"What is it now?"
"Patience Justin. I'll be right back."
Justin slumped down on the lounger as he watched Brian get up and walk into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he returned with a long wooden box. He sat down on the edge of the lounger and handed it to a very anxious Justin.
"Well? Are you going to open it or stare at the box all night?"
Justin opened the box and laughed. He pulled out a bracelet made of cowry shells, the same one as Brian's. Something made him look closer. It wasn't made the same as Brian's, it was better. The shells were shiny and polished, and had a clear coat of protectant on them so they wouldn't get damaged. The hemp that held the shells together was stronger so it wouldn't break so easily. Instead of a loop and knot to hold it on the wrist there was a clasp made from a whole cowry shell split in half. Justin looked at it, amazed.
"Do you like it?"
Justin nodded 'yes'.
"Good. I always caught you looking at mine so I figured I would get you one so mine wouldn't be missing one day… unlike you I need mine for other reasons than decorating my wrist."
Brian gave Justin a shove. Justin looked at him quizzically.
"What do you mean, for other reasons?"
Brian shifted uncomfortably.
"Well here I'll show you."
Brian undid the knot on the back of his bracelet and took it off, revealing a long thick scar on the outside of his wrist. Justin gasped.
"What happened?"
"Long story."
"Well I have time."
"I know that, but I don't want to go into all the gory details so I'll give you the Reader's Digest version okay?"
Justin slumped back, defeated.
"Okay, when I was little my dad used to take me fishing with him and his buddies. Well one day he was drunk off his ass as usual, and he wasn't watching his fishing pole. I was cleaning the fish guts out of the boat by leaning over the side of the boat with a bucket, getting water from the bay, and dumping it onto the deck. Well as I was filling the bucket, Jack had apparently drifted off into a drunken slumber and was awakened when a flock of birds went right over our heads. He jerked the pole up, and the hook came up beside my wrist and cut it. Now Jack's buddies were pretty concerned about it and wanted to go back and take me to a doctor, but Jack told them I needed to be a man about it and take the pain until we got back. So I sat in the cabin with a cloth around my wrist for 8 fucking hours, and by then the doctor's office was closed. My mom freaked out and took me to the hospital, where I got 15 stitches in my wrist."
"Wow, your dad really was an asshole."
"Yeah, you don't know the half of it. Anyway, when I was in middle and high school, people would make up rumors that I was suicidal and shit, so people stayed away from me. I liked it that way, so I told people I was going to blow up the school too, just so they would keep their distance. They did. Except for Mikey. He knew the real reason but kept his mouth shut. When I got to college I was tired of people asking me about it. That's when I met Lindsay. She bought me this bracelet. I had put it on my right wrist, but she took it off, explaining it was just the right size to hide the scar. I've worn it ever since, and will continue to wear it until it breaks."
"Well if it ever breaks, tell me and I'll get you another one."
"Thanks Justin. I appreciate the sentiment."
"Welcome."
Justin shifted in the lounger, and looked at Brian.
"So this bracelet is basically just an "I'm sorry for treating you like shit" gift right?"
"Well that depends on how you want to look at it."
"What do you mean?"
"Well you can look at it like that, or you can flip the bracelet over and get a different meaning altogether."
Justin slowly flipped the bracelet over. There were eight shells on the bracelet not counting the smaller shell for the clasp, and the backs of them were flat. There was a word inscribed on the back of each one, and they formed a sentence when read in order. Justin looked closely and read silently: "You changed my life forever. I love you." A tear slid down Justin's cheek and reached his chin, where it fell onto the clasp. Justin wiped the tear and looked at the clasp. One half of the shell had an inscription. He squinted to make it out: Brian. Justin looked at it for a moment, then looked at the other half of the clasp. The other half said Justin. He hooked the clasp together, creating the whole shell. He then understood, and more tears rolled down his face.
"Thank you Brian."
"Thank you, Justin."
"I always knew you loved me. I told you that when we were discussing your ridiculous latte consumption in the Jeep."
"Oh yeah and then I told you to shut the fuck up."
Justin laughed and stood up. He grabbed Brian's hand and pulled him up with him. Brian smiled as Justin wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him close. The radio had been on ever since the conversation started, playing low in the background. They started to sway back and forth. Justin picked up the bracelet and held it out to a confused Brian. Justin just smiled and held out his wrist. Brian smiled back and put the bracelet on.
"Looks good on you."
"Thank you Brian, this means so much to me."
"You're welcome Justin."
Justin was silent for a minute.
"Brian?"
"Yeah?"
"So does this mean we're a couple?"
"We'll try Justin. I've never been in a relationship with someone so I can't guarantee I won't fuck it up somehow, but I promise you this. I will try, and if I do fuck up, I'll be honest with you."
"I love you Brian."
"I love you too Justin."
"So, we've been dancing a while now…"
"Yeah so?"
"So umm it's really nice and all, but can we do something else?"
"What did you have in mind?"
Justin smiled and kissed Brian. Brian kissed him back. The kiss lasted a few minutes, growing more intense by the second. Justin reached for Brian's shirt. Brian lifted his arms, and they broke their kiss so Justin could get the shirt over his head. Brian went for Justin's shirt, pulling it off as well. Justin then went for the belt buckle, as did Brian. Justin unzipped Brian's pants. No underwear, as usual. Brian unzipped Justin's pants to discover a leopard thong. Brian laughed, Justin blushed.
"Planning ahead Justin?"
"Well… you know… I wanted to do something… different."
Brian pulled the thong off.
"As much as I enjoyed that, it has to take its place on the floor now."
Justin smiled as Brian played with his left nipple, licking and biting at it. Brian left the left nipple and did the same to the right, while Justin ran his fingers through Brian's silky hair. Brian's tongue trailed down Justin's chest and played with Justin's belly button. Justin giggled and Brian licked back up, trailing up Justin's neck and chin, and landing in his mouth. Brian's tongue trailed back down, while his eyes never left Justin's. Justin let out a low moan as Brian's tongue licked at his already hardening cock. Justin's knees got weak as he felt Brian's mouth engulf him. He continued running his fingers through Brian's hair. Brian knew Justin couldn't last much longer, so he stopped his assault and his mouth returned to Justin's waiting lips. Justin's breathing was ragged, and so was Brian's.
"Brian… enough… fuck me now… please."
Brian looked Justin in the eyes.
"No."
"What?"
"I said no."
"Is this a joke? If it is it's really cruel."
"No it's not a joke. From this point on there won't be any more fucking here."
Justin looked blankly at Brian.
"From this point on, we're doing something different, something we haven't done. We're going to make love."
Justin let out his breath and pulled Brian's face close to his.
"Make love to me Brian."
With that, Brian picked Justin up and carried him to the bed. Justin laughed as he threw him onto the soft duvet.
"Better throw this on the floor…..we don't want to mess it up."
"Fuck it, it's washable."
With that, Brian landed on top of Justin, kissing up his chest. Justin put his legs up and on to Brian's shoulders. Brian grabbed the condom and lube off the bedside table. He ripped the condom open with his teeth and rolled it down his achingly hard shaft. He then squirted some lube on his first three fingers. Justin gasped as a lube covered finger entered him, then two, then three. Brian took his fingers out and rubbed the remaining lube on the condom. He then placed his cock at Justin's small throbbing opening. He looked at Justin.
"Ready?"
"I've been ready since I got here."
With that, Brian slowly pushed himself inside of the man he loved. Justin let out a long moan, adjusting to Brian's always surprising length. Justin nodded, and Brian started moving in and out, slowly at first, then picking up speed. Brian grabbed Justin's cock and started stroking it. Justin came first, his muscles retracting making Brian come close behind. Exhausted, Brian rolled off of Justin.
"Was it good for you?"
"Yeah it was. You?"
"Yeah."
"Brian?"
"What?"
"Since we're a couple now, do I still have to live with Deb? I mean, that's okay and all, but I don't want to burden them anymore, plus with my work schedule we only see each other at night as it is…"
"Okay Justin you can live here."
"Really?"
"Just remember the rules this time. I don't need anymore suits and juicers stolen from me."
"I promise."
"Do you have off tomorrow?"
"Yeah."
"Well I don't have anything to do either, so we'll get your stuff out of Mikey's room, and then we'll go to your mom's townhouse and get the rest."
"I have a lot of stuff Brian."
"And I have storage space."
"What time do you want to get up?"
"Set the clock for 10."
"Okay."
Justin leaned over and set the alarm. He then rolled back over toward Brian and put his head on Brian's chest. Within minutes Justin was snoring softly. Brian ran his fingers through Justin's hair as he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
"I love you Justin."
EL FIN