I Slumber 'Til My Prince Doth Come
May 25, 1993Robert stood at the base of the steps and called out, "Justin, Molly! Hurry up or we're going to be late." Turning to his amused partner, he groused, "I swear it takes those kids an hour just to put on their shoes."
Smiling faintly, Jeremy wrapped his arms around Robert's waist and gently brushed his lips against his lover's mouth. "It must be your influence, since I'm never late."
"Please! Don't even get me started." A sharp poke in Jeremy's side earned Robert a pout. "Give it up, Jeremy. You're always running behind schedule." Robert stepped out of his partner's embrace and walked over to a small table in the foyer. He picked up a gaily-decorated package before yelling up the stairs again. "Come on, you two. The party is going to be over before we even get there."
Justin clattered down the steps, Molly hot on his heels. They each held a gift, obviously wrapped by childish hands.
"Sorry, Rob. I was helping Molly finish up her present." Justin grabbed a lightweight jacket off the coat rack, and slid it on. "I'm ready."
Robert eyed Justin's gift curiously. "So, which one did you decide to give to Brian?" He'd helped Justin to frame several sketches that the boy had drawn, and he was interested in seeing which one had been chosen as the graduation present.
"I'll show you after Brian opens it, okay? 'Cause if he doesn't like it, I'm throwing it away."
Five-year-old Molly pouted and flung herself down in a huff on the bottom-most step. "I don't want to go, Uncle Jeremy. It's just going to be a bunch of silly grown-ups sitting around talking. I'm going to be sooo bored." Her whining ceased when she noticed Jeremy and Robert's frowns, and she sullenly went to put on her sweater.
"Remember, little missy, your birthday's coming up in a month. If you want presents from those oh-so-boring adults, then you need to behave." Jeremy tweaked one of her pigtails playfully. "Now, let's go."
Joan Kinney was standing next to her mailbox when her next-door neighbors came out of their house. She inclined her head in greeting, her austere expression softening a fraction at the sight of Justin and Molly. They were quiet, well-mannered children, despite the household in which they were being raised.
"Time to bait the old bat," Robert said sotto voce to Jeremy. Ignoring his partner's slight headshake, he plastered a friendly smile on his face. "Good evening, Mrs. Kinney. Fine weather we're having right now, don't you think?"
Looking up at the stormy sky in confusion, Joan shrugged. "If you say so, Mr. Swenson." She glanced at Justin and Molly. "You two look nice. Going to a birthday party?"
Justin grinned broadly. "Naw, Miss Debbie's having a party for Brian, 'cause he's finished with college," he answered politely.
Stiffening with outrage, Joan icily asked, "Really?" She hadn't been invited to the party – in fact, Brian hadn't even informed her of his impending graduation. Of course, it was all that Novotny woman's fault. Ever since Brian had become friends with her son, he'd been rebellious, to say the least. It was all she and Jack could do to demand a modicum of respect from the boy.
Jeremy recognized the signs of an impending outburst and he swiftly urged the kids to get into the car. Turning back to the angry woman, he attempted to placate her. "You must be very proud of your son, Mrs. Kinney. Top of his class – that's quite an achievement."
Joan wasn't about to let these two… perverts… know that she didn't know anything about Brian's academic career. "Yes, he's always been a bright boy."
"And his new job – account manager at Ryder Advertising. That's quite a coup for a man straight out of college. He's well on his way to being a successful businessman." Jeremy grinned proudly at his friend's achievement.
Completely disgusted with her neighbor's superior knowledge of her own son, Joan spun on her heel and briskly walked up the pathway to the house. "Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Phillips."
Climbing into the passenger seat, Jeremy mock-shuddered. "Man, you could freeze over Hell with that woman's personality." He ran his fingers through his hair in agitation. "No wonder Brian moved out as soon as he could afford an apartment of his own."
Robert smiled sympathetically at his partner. "I feel sorry for Brian, growing up with those two as his parents. It explains so much about him."
"Explains what about Brian?" Justin piped up from the back.
Not wanting to get into Brian's sexual habits with an eleven-year-old, Robert mildly replied, "Nothing you need to worry about, Justin." He backed out of the driveway and drove toward the Novotny house.
'Hrmph,' thought Justin. 'I'll just ask Brian – he'll tell me.' Ever since he and Molly had lived with the Novotnys, he and Brian had maintained their friendship. Sometimes, when Brian was home from college for the weekend, he would take Justin to the movies, or to get ice cream. Once, he'd even taken him roller-skating, but Justin was never able to persuade him to go again. Occasionally, Michael would come as well, but most of the time, it was just the two of them.
Brian always answered his questions, no matter what they were. He'd been the one to explain sex and girls to Justin – an edited version, but one Justin could handle at the time. The dangers of illegal drugs were thoroughly discussed, right along with the adventures of Superman and the latest video games.
The only time Brian had refused to answer was when Justin asked about the backroom at Babylon. He'd overheard Michael talking to Brian one day about 'tricking' in there. When he'd brought it up, Brian merely shrugged and said he would personally show him the backroom when he was old enough to understand.
When they arrived at Debbie's, Justin was the first one out of the car. Hugging his gift to his chest, he hurried up the sidewalk and knocked on the door.
"Sunshine!" Debbie exclaimed as she squeezed him tightly. "Go on in, dinner's almost ready."
"Is Brian here yet, Miss Debbie? I want to give him his present."
Debbie shook her head. "Not yet, Justin, but Michael and his new boyfriend Paul are here. I think Michael has a comic book for you, too."
Hiding his disappointment at Brian's non-presence, Justin grinned up at Debbie. "Cool." He shed his jacket and tossed it onto the couch, then walked over to where Michael was sitting. Brian would be here soon – he'd promised Justin, and Brian never broke a promise.
Brian tossed back his second Beam of the night as he leaned against the bar at Woody's, evaluating the prospective tricks. Smiling wickedly as he zeroed in on his choice for the moment, he pushed off the bar and made his move. Within seconds, he was leading the muscular redhead by a belt loop toward the bathroom.
Finding an empty stall, Brian tugged the trick in behind him and locked the door. He twisted the guy around, pressing him up against the wall with his body. His hands slid forward, quickly unbuckling the tight jeans. "Ready for a good, hard fuck?" he whispered huskily into the ear in front of him.
"Hell yeah!" The man hurriedly shoved down his jeans until they bunched around his knees.
After ripping open a condom and rolling it onto his erection, Brian slid into the warm body, grasping the trick's hips tightly with his hands. He set a rough pace, pumping his hips quickly as his pleasure mounted. Reaching forward, he took the man's cock into his hand, bringing him off with a few tugs. Thrusting forward one final time as the anal muscles surrounding his dick convulsed, Brian threw back his head with a gasp and rode out his orgasm. After catching his breath and pulling out carefully, he deposited the used condom into the toilet and buttoned up his jeans.
"So, want to go back to my place for another round?" The trick tucked himself back in as he asked. Once he was finished, he unlocked the stall door and stepped out.
"What time is it?"
The man glanced down at his watch and said with a shrug, "Almost seven thirty. Why?"
"Shit!" Brian pushed the bathroom door open, casually tossing over his shoulder, "I have something better to do." Debbie was going to have his balls for earrings – he was almost an hour late for his so-called 'surprise' graduation party.
Pausing for just a second to admire the gleam of his freshly waxed, brand new Jeep, Brian got in and revved up the engine. Punching the accelerator, he peeled away from the curb and left Liberty Avenue with an echo of screeching tires ringing through the crowds.
Twenty minutes later, he walked into Michael's home to hear Debbie's furious, "It's about fucking time, you asshole!"
Smirking, Brian leaned down to kiss her cheek. "So sorry, Debbie. I got… distracted." He lazily looked around the living room, smiling a greeting at everyone. Paul was seated in the armchair, with Michael on the floor, braced against his legs. Jeremy and Robert sat at the dining table, along with Vic and Debbie. There was no sign of the kids.
Michael rolled his eyes. "I'll just bet you got distracted." He patted the floor beside him. "Come sit down and tell us all about him."
Ignoring the gesture, Brian threw himself onto the couch, draping one leg over the arm. "Barely worthy of my time and efforts." He glanced over at Jeremy and asked, "So, where are the blond tornados?"
"We sent them outside when they started to get antsy." Debbie heaved herself to her feet and walked over to the stove. "Why don't you let them know that you've decided to grace us with your presence, while I put dinner on the table."
"Fine, Debbie." Brian headed toward the backyard, pushing open the screen door and stepping out onto the landing. He stood there, taking in the scene in front of him. Justin was seated on the ground, his back against a tree trunk. Molly was lying beside him, with her head in his lap, while he showed her pictures from his sketchbook.
Brian smiled when he realized what the kids were doing. Justin had a vibrant imagination, and he'd make up fairytales for his little sister, drawing out the scenes with amazing detail. Brian himself had been on the receiving end of Justin's stories, but his tended to be more action hero oriented.
Padding quietly down the steps, Brian approached the engrossed children without being noticed. "Hey, guys. Dinner's ready, so you need to get cleaned up."
"Brian!" both children screamed. Molly jumped to her feet and swiftly hugged Brian. He tickled her, earning him a merry giggle for his efforts, then stretched out his hand to help Justin get up.
Justin waited until Molly was inside before he looked up at his tall friend. "Umm, Brian? After you open your presents from the other guys, can we come back out here? I don't want anyone to see what I'm giving you until you can look at it alone."
Brian grinned as he teased, "It must be pretty awful if you're scared of anyone seeing it."
His pale skin turning a fiery red, Justin muttered, "It's not much – just something I made."
Leaning over until they were eye to eye, Brian solemnly promised, "No one will see it before I do, okay?"
Justin nodded happily. "Thanks, Brian." He suddenly bolted, taking the stairs two at a time. "Come on, slowpoke, I'm hungry." With a laugh, he headed into the house.
Dinner was finished and the dishes had been cleared away when Vic placed a pile of gifts in front of Brian on the dining table. "Here you go, Brian. Congratulations on graduating top of your class, as well as getting such a wonderful job, right here in Pittsburgh."
"Umm, thanks, guys," Brian said in an embarrassed tone. He really didn't care for all the attention he was receiving, but he realized it was just his friends' way of showing how they felt about him. Reaching out, he took the top present from the pile and began to open it.
A couple of minutes later, after unwrapping several standard gifts of CDs, videos and the like, he stared down at the object in his hands. It had obviously started life as a juice can, but was now decorated with dried pasta, glitter and gold metallic paint. He glanced over at Molly with a puzzled look in his eyes. "Wow… thanks, Molly. It's a… a…"
"It's a pencil holder, silly! I thought you could put it in your new office," Molly announced proudly.
Giving the girl a gentle kiss on her forehead and a swift hug, Brian said, "It'll hold the place of honor on my desk, Molly. Thanks."
Molly beamed at Brian's statement, then poked her tongue out at her brother. "I told you he would like it, Jester! So there, na!"
Justin blew her a raspberry. "Whoop de doo!"
Jeremy caught his niece around the waist when she lunged at her brother. "Alright, kids. That's enough." He raised an eyebrow questioningly at Debbie. "I believe you said something about tiramisu for dessert?"
The house suddenly erupted into controlled chaos, as everyone began bustling around, chattering loudly to one another. Brian stood to help Debbie bring out the dessert when he felt a light tug on his shirtsleeve. He gazed down to see hopeful blue eyes, then remembered his promise to Justin. Nodding toward the backdoor, he and Justin exited the busy room without anyone noticing.
Justin sat down on one of the steps, nervously turning the wrapped package over in his hands. Finally, he took a deep breath and thrust it toward Brian. "Here."
Accepting the present without comment, Brian slowly undid the messily taped end. He slid the object from the paper, then flipped it over so he could see the front. Biting his lip in amazement, he gazed down at the sketch Justin had done for him. It was of the two of them, showing Brian leaning over Justin protectively, his long arm slung around the small shoulders. Their heads were tilted toward each other, and it was obvious they were sharing some secret or other.
Brian grinned as he met Justin's anxious gaze. "Damn, Justin. It's wonderful."
Justin's shoulders slumped in relief. "I'm glad you like it, Brian. I wasn't sure if it was good enough."
Flicking the upturned nose with his finger, Brian said, "It'll be sitting on my desk – right next to Molly's pencil holder."
They sat there quietly for a while, enjoying the peaceful evening. Justin eventually peeked up at Brian, worrying his lower lip with his teeth. He'd decided not to ask his friend about his mom, but he had been wondering about something else, as well.
"Spill it, kiddo." Brian shot an amused look at Justin as he fidgeted on the step.
"Umm… Well, Michael has Paul now, Jeremy and Robert have been together forever, and Debbie's dating that guy from the bookstore. How come you don't have a boyfriend?"
Brian shrugged nonchalantly. He wasn't about to explain to the innocent boy next to him his opinion on love and fucking. "Who knows? I guess I haven't met the right guy yet." He nudged Justin's arm with his shoulder. "Then again, maybe I'm just waiting for you to grow up."
Justin wrinkled his nose at the thought. "But Brian, what if I'm not gay when I grow up?"
Laughing, Brian hauled them both to their feet. "Then I guess I will suffer from unrequited love, and die from a broken heart." Giving Justin a light shove toward the door, he said reassuringly, "Don't worry about it, kiddo. There's plenty of time, for both of us, to find the right person."
Stopping on the landing, Justin glanced over his shoulder. "I'm glad, 'cause I just want you to be happy." He went inside to find his family, not hearing Brian's parting words.
"You'll be the one who's happy in love, kiddo, since I have no intention of ever falling in love with anybody."
