Oops, There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant

November 12, 1999

Brian tossed the newspaper onto the counter as he sat down on a stool in the diner. He quirked an eyebrow at Debbie's grinning countenance, but decided not to bait her – it was too early in the morning. "Coffee, Debbie, and some toast."

Her gum smacking loudly, Debbie jotted down his order and smirked. "Looks like someone had a late night last night. Do anyone interesting?" She stood waiting for his answer, her pencil tapping out a cadence on the order pad in her hand.

"No, just a late night at the office, unfortunately. The EyeConic people aren't crazy about the new campaign, and I spent most of the evening working on different boards."

Debbie grinned broadly as she turned around and started the toast. "Well, knowing you, kiddo, you'll come up with something brilliant." Soon, a cup full of steaming coffee and a plate of buttered toast was placed in front of Brian, and Debbie continued, "Just don't kill yourself over it, okay?" She winked as she rounded the counter to see to her other customers.

Brian picked up the newspaper and began reading the business section as he sipped his coffee, not paying attention to the hustle and bustle of the people surrounding him. Immersed in an article about a new company that was moving into the Pittsburgh area, and mentally plotting a possible strategy for getting their business, he didn't notice someone speaking to him until a pale hand caught the top edge of the paper and shook it.

"What the…" Brian looked up with an angry glare, which softened slightly when he met Justin's twinkling gaze. "Hey, brat, stop molesting my newspaper!"

Justin just grinned as he said cheekily, "Would you rather I molest you?"

Shaking his head ruefully, Brian quipped, "What am I going to do with you, Justin?"

Blushing, Justin glanced around at the people sitting near them, then whispered, "I have a few ideas, but…"

After laying the newspaper aside, Brian propped his elbows on the counter and asked, "But what, Justin? Surely, you're not getting shy on me now, are you?"

Justin ran a finger along the edge of the counter nervously, peeking at Brian through his eyelashes. "What are you doing tomorrow night, Brian?"

Brian shrugged. "Not much – probably hitting Babylon after hanging out at Woody's with the gang. What's up?" He watched, fascinated, as Justin's cheeks turned an incandescent red. "What are you plotting, Justin?"

Justin briefly worried his lower lip with his teeth, then blurted out in one breath, "Ithoughtwecouldgooutonadate."

Sitting back in his seat with a confused huff, Brian thought over Justin's words, trying to decipher them. "You want to go out on a date with me?" he verified softly. When Justin gave a small nod, Brian started shaking his head. "I don't know…"

"Sunshine, get your butt over here right now!" Debbie called from the kitchen window, frantically waving Justin over. With an apologetic look at Brian, Justin rushed to collect the waiting orders and delivered them to the appropriate tables. Debbie watched briefly, then moved to stand in front of Brian. "You know, he worked himself into a frenzy this morning, trying to get the courage to ask you out." Debbie's voice was quiet as she spoke. "You really should consider it."

"Surely you don't approve, Debbie?" Brian felt confused – he never expected support from their friends about a relationship between Justin and him.

Debbie reached over the counter and gripped Brian on the shoulder. "Honey, I have eyes. Whether or not you want to admit it, the truth is that the two of you are crazy about each other. He's the only guy I've ever seen you give more than a second thought to, and he idolizes the ground you walk on." Her hand slid down his arm a fraction, then she gave him a comforting squeeze before letting go. "Give it some thought." A quick wink, and she hurried away.

Brian toyed with his coffee cup as he considered Debbie's advice. While Debbie seemed to be all right with the idea, he wasn't sure how the others would feel, especially Jeremy and Robert. His eyes found Justin, following him as he went from one table to another.

Justin had a bright smile and a friendly word for everyone, proving Debbie's nickname for him was well earned. He looked up then, and gave Brian a tender smile as their eyes met.

Standing up and tossing some money onto the counter, Brian then sauntered over to stand beside Justin. He raised his hand and gently traced Justin's jaw line with his thumb. "I'll pick you up at seven." Dropping a light kiss on Justin's cheek, Brian chuckled at his dumbfounded expression, then turned and exited the diner.

To hell with what anyone else thought – this is what he wanted. What they both wanted.

November 13, 1999

Justin backed out of his closet, his arms loaded with clothes. They were unceremoniously dumped on top of the pile already lying on his bed. Justin looked at the mess in front of him then glanced helplessly at Daphne. "What should I wear, Daph?"

Daphne giggled as she tossed a piece of popcorn at him. "For heaven's sake, Justin, lighten up. Brian's going to like whatever you put on, you goof."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Justin stared down at his fingers, entwined together on his lap. "I just don't want to screw this up. I love him, Daph." He gnawed on a fingertip as he examined the clothing beside him. "He's… fuck, he's perfect. Why on earth would he want to be with me?"

"Hmm, let's see. You're somewhat cute, fairly artistic, kind of intelligent and you have a nice ass and a decent size package," Daphne leered at Justin's crotch, ticking off her points on her fingers. "Plus, you're a horny teenage, which is always an advantage."

"Bitch." Justin gave Daphne a one-fingered salute, then started rummaging through the clothes, finally pulling out a dark blue textured turtleneck sweater and a pair of black jeans. He held them up, raising an eyebrow in enquiry. "What do you think?"

Daphne bounced up from her chair, kissed Justin lightly on the cheek and said, "You'll look hot. Now, I'm gonna let you get dressed, since lover boy will be here in an hour."

"An hour? Shit, I'm nowhere near ready!" Justin grabbed up the clothes he'd selected then darted toward the bathroom, ignoring Daphne as she left his room, laughing at his panicked reaction.

Brian parked his jeep along the road in front of Justin's house and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. He was surprised to see that he was about twenty minutes early – not his normal modus operandi, at all. Not wanting to appear too anxious, he decided to kill the time by visiting his mom and dad.

The Kinney house was mostly dark, with a blue, flickering light coming from the living room window. That meant that Jack and Joan were well into the second stage of their evening – watching TV, drinking and arguing. Brian began to doubt the wisdom of his visit even as he opened the front door and called out, "Mom? Dad?"

Joan appeared in the doorway to the living room, a glass of amber liquid clutched firmly in one hand. "Ah, it must be time for your yearly visit. So nice to see you, Brian." Her words were slightly slurred, and she waved the glass wildly about, sloshing the alcohol onto her hand and the hardwood floor. "Come on in." She retreated to her armchair, glaring at her husband over the rim of her glass. "Your father thinks it's necessary for a visit down at the pub, wasting money on his drinking buddies."

Brian leaned against the doorjamb and said quietly, "I can't stay. I'm supposed to be next door in a few minutes."

Jack looked up from tying his shoe, a hopeful expression on his face. "Sonny Boy, you have any extra money for your pops? I owe a few rounds, and I'm a little light this week." He finished his shoe, then stood up, grabbed his jacket and held out his hand expectantly.

Sighing, Brian retrieved his wallet and handed his dad several large bills. "Here you go, Pops. Sorry, it's all I have on me right now." He slid his wallet into his back pocket as Jack crumpled up the money and shoved it into his jacket pocket, then brushed past him without a glance.

"Better watch it, Sonny Boy, the Warden's on the warpath." With that quiet warning, Jack hurried from the house, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind him.

Joan refilled her glass from the bottle sitting next to her on the floor and muttered, "I would thank you not to encourage his drunkenness, Brian."

There was no point in discussing her hypocrisy, so Brian said nothing, just waited for her next volley. It came quicker than he expected.

"Why are you going next door? I think you should avoid that house at all costs." Joan took a sip of her drink then continued, "It's such a pity that boy turned out so bad, but what can you expect. I only hope the state will step in and remove the girl before it's too late."

Brian could feel the anger inside him building at his mother's words, but he tamped it down for the moment. "Are you talking about Justin, Mom? He's a good kid, smart and talented."

Joan nodded sagely. "He had potential, but that's all gone now. I read about the attack in front of the homosexual place. He got what was coming to him, in my opinion."

Narrowing his eyes at his mother, Brian hissed, "What, you think a seventeen-year-old senior deserved to be attacked because he's gay? That's such a crock of shit, Mom." He took a deep breath to calm himself and straightened up, preparing to leave.

"Language, Brian. The boy probably couldn't help himself, considering two sinners raised him. It's all in the parenting, just remember that," Joan sanctimoniously declared. "If he'd been raised by two God-fearing, normal parents, this wouldn't have happened."

Brian clenched his hands into fists at his side and softly asked, "Is that right, Mom? You don't think two straight parents can possibly have a queer child, hmm." He gave a bitter laugh before announcing, "I wonder what that says about you and Dad, since I'm a queer, a faggot, whatever you want to call it. I like – no, I love – to fuck guys, Mom." Snorting at his mother's outraged appearance, he spun on his heel and fled before she could say anything else.

Jeremy knocked on Justin's door and pushed it open before receiving a response. He chuckled quietly at the disaster area that confronted him – his nephew was normally fairly neat. Now, however, clothes were strewn everywhere, and there were shoes currently flying through the air from the closet. He moved across the room, ducking a sneaker as it whizzed past his head, then announced, "Brian's here, Justin."

"SHIT!" Justin looked wild-eyed at his uncle. "I'm not ready – shit!" He darted out of the closet, a brown dress shoe grasped in his fist, a black side-zip boot on one foot and the other foot bare except for a black sock. Grabbing his leather jacket, he quickly headed toward the door.

"Justin! Calm down!" Jeremy caught Justin's arm as he passed him, stopping him in his tracks. "Brian's not going anywhere without you, so take a deep breath and slow down."

Justin nodded mechanically, his eyes darting from his uncle's face to the door. "Right. Calm down." He ran his fingers nervously through his hair, causing it to stand on end, then hesitantly asked, "How do I look, Uncle Jeremy?"

Jeremy guided his nephew to the bed, forcing him to sit down. After gently prying the shoe from Justin's hand, he looked around to find the other black boot. Grabbing it off the floor, he picked up Justin's foot and slid the boot onto it, then fixed the skewered collar on his turtleneck. Jeremy stood back up and lightly smoothed Justin's hair. "There, perfect."

A sheepish look on his face, Justin said, "I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

Jeremy smiled tenderly at Justin as he helped him stand up. "No, you're just excited about getting what you want." He placed his hands on Justin's shoulders and calmly met his nephew's gaze. "Now, do you have enough money?"

Justin felt his back pocket for his wallet and blushed when he realized he'd forgotten to pick it up. After walking over to his dresser and retrieving it, he checked inside then nodded at his uncle. "Yeah, I think so, unless Brian wants to order Dom Perignon or something like that."

"All right – what about condoms?"

"Geeze, Uncle Jeremy." Justin flushed a bright pink as he nodded.

Jeremy released Justin's shoulders and slid an arm around his waist. "You need to be careful, Justin, even if it's with Brian. None of us wants you to get sick."

Justin moved forward then halted. "I'm scared, Uncle Jeremy. What if this doesn't work out?"

Tightening his embrace, Jeremy reassured Justin. "It will be okay, Justin. Just remember that you and Brian are friends first, and everything will be fine."

"You're right. Okay, here goes nothing." Justin flashed a smile at Jeremy and headed downstairs.

Justin kept glancing over at Brian, wondering why he was so quiet. Every time Justin tried to start a conversation, Brian would give a short answer, then fall silent again. Finally gathering his courage, he asked, "Brian, are you regretting us going out on a date?"

"Hmm, sorry." Brian briefly took his eyes off the road and looked at Justin. "What did you say?"

"I asked if you were regretting tonight?"

Brian shook his head emphatically. "No, Justin. It's just…" He reached his hand out and grabbed Justin's, threading their fingers together. "Don't mind me. I stopped in to see my parents before I came over, that's all."

"Oh." Justin tightened his grip on Brian's hand. Having lived next door to the Kinneys for nearly ten years, he completely understood Brian's mood. Jack and Joan Kinney were mean-spirited, sour people who constantly gave his Uncle Jeremy and Robert a difficult time. Time for a change in topic. "So, where are we going, anyway?"

Brian gave him a grateful smile. "There's this small Greek restaurant one of my clients recommended to me. I thought we'd give it a try. Sound good?"

"Yeah." Justin relaxed against the headrest, watching as the streetlights cast various colors onto Brian's face. He couldn't get over the fact that he was actually here, going on a date with Brian.

They soon reached the restaurant, and were quickly seated. Justin allowed Brian to order for them, since he had never had Greek food before. They talked about Brian's work and Justin's school while they waited for the food to arrive and once it did, Justin began questioning Brian about what they were eating.

"Okay, so what's this?"

Brian pointed to each item as he identified it. "Those are dolmades, basically rice in vine leaves. These are spanakopites, which are spinach and feta cheese puffs. Your main dish is pastitsio, similar to lasagna, and mine is moussaka, which is made from eggplant and beef." He held out a forkful of his moussaka and asked, "Want to try some?"

Justin gingerly ate the offered tidbit, chewing slowly as he decided whether he liked it or not. He normally wasn't very adventurous when it came to new foods. After finishing the bite, he smiled at Brian and joked, "Okay, so if you don't want all of yours, can I have it when I'm finished with mine?"

Rolling his eyes, Brian snorted, "Heaven forbid that you don't finish everything on the table. Where the hell do you put it, anyway?"

Shrugging, Justin dug into his entrée. "Hey, I'm a growing boy."

After they'd finished their meal, Brian ordered a bottle of mavrodaphne, and two cups of coffee. He grinned as he told Justin, "Now, we get to watch the floor show."

Within minutes, the lights dimmed in the room, and some exotic sounding music started playing. A young woman, dressed in a sequined purple and gold belly-dancing outfit, began dancing. Her veils flashed as she gyrated to the beat and her zills kept time with the music. After several dances, she glanced around the restaurant until her eyes landed on Justin. She came over to their table, and with a flirtatious smile, pulled him up and onto the floor.

Justin was laughing so hard he could barely follow her motions as she tried to teach him to dance. He finally figured out the hip movement, and after asking for one of her veils, he danced over to where Brian was sitting, snickering.

Loosely wrapping the veil around Brian, Justin continued to sway to the music, looking down into Brian's face. His heart began to pound as he noticed the desire and lust that was glowing there. When the music ended, he leaned down and kissed him, whispering, "I'll give you a private show later, okay?"

Brian hooked one arm around Justin's waist and pulled him closer. His other hand wrapped around Justin's head, tugging him down for another kiss. The kiss deepened, and Justin pressed closer, his fingers tangling in Brian's hair.

Several seconds passed before they noticed the loud applause. Justin broke away, laughing and blushing as he looked around the restaurant at the smiling faces of the other patrons. He pulled the veil away from Brian with a flourish, and bowed to the young dancer before returning it to her. He then returned to their table, flushed from the exertion as well as his desire for Brian.

"Well, Justin, since I doubt anything will top that, I think we should call it a night." Brian smiled as he paid the bill, then stood up.

They left the restaurant side by side, Brian's hand pressed against the small of Justin's back in a possessive gesture. When they reached the jeep, Brian suddenly swung Justin around and pushed him against the side of the vehicle. "I want to kiss you," he growled.

"What's stopping you?" Justin managed to get out before Brian swooped, capturing his mouth in a hard kiss. Justin opened his lips, allowing Brian's tongue to tangle with his own. He moaned softly as Brian's lips left his and placed wispy kisses down his face to his neck, soft puffs of breath warming his skin. "God, Brian… so good…"

Brian pulled away, pressing his forehead against Justin's. "You're so fucking hot, Justin." He kissed him again, running his hand down Justin's chest until he reached his belt. Then he stopped and stepped back, panting. "Time to go, Justin."

"Okay." Justin was confused by Brian's reaction, but didn't want to push for an answer. He quietly walked around the jeep and climbed into the passenger seat as Brian started the vehicle.

Silence reigned in the jeep until Justin couldn't take it any more. He turned on the radio, hitting the scan button until a song came on that he liked, then he stared out his window. Nothing was said as Brian maneuvered through the dark streets, finally arriving at Justin's house. When the jeep stopped at the curb, Justin gave a muttered apology as he fumbled with his seatbelt, then flung the door open, desperate to get away. Brian must have decided that the evening was a mistake, judging from his behavior, and Justin wanted to lick his wounds in private. Suddenly, a hand encircled his neck, halting him.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Brian asked quietly.

Justin refused to look over at him. "I don't know, what's wrong with you?"

Brian shook him gently as he said, "Nothing's wrong. I had a great time tonight."

Finally turning to face Brian, Justin narrowed his eyes at him. "Then why did you get all weird after you kissed me?"

Brian gave an apologetic smile. "Because, for the first time ever, I didn't want to take the guy I was kissing home to fuck."

Justin huffed at that answer. "Gee, thanks," he said bitterly, then tried to leave again.

Giving Justin's neck another shake, Brian snarked, "Would you let me finish, please." He slid his hand around Justin's head until he could grip his chin. "I don't want to screw this up, Justin. This is too important to me – we're too important. I want to take it slowly, okay?"

Justin's face lit up with happiness. "Really?" When Brian nodded, he leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss. "God, you scared me, you shit."

"What time can I pick you up tomorrow? I thought maybe we could spend the day together."

"Pick me up at ten." With another soft kiss, Justin got out of the jeep and turned around, leaning in through the open door. "I love you, Brian." He grinned at Brian's bemused expression. "See you tomorrow."

"Cynthia!" Brian called out as he entered the office. "Bring me the EyeConic files, and a large cup of coffee."

Cynthia looked up from her monitor and gasped at Brian's grin. "Okay, boss, spill."

Brian quirked an eyebrow as he said blandly, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Cynthia." He snagged a piece of gum from the bowl on her desk and popped it into his mouth. "You act like I've never been happy before."

"You haven't, at least, not like this." Cynthia stared at him for a moment then continued, "You don't look like you got lucky this weekend, but on the other hand, you do." She jumped up and followed him into his office. "You can also explain that."

There was a large bouquet of flowers sitting in the middle of his bare desk. Brian crossed his office, pulling out his chair and settling into it. He studied the bouquet then started laughing. There were several long sticks placed here and there in the midst of the multi-colored wildflowers. Each stick had a glow-in-the-dark condom attached at the tip. He removed the card and read it to himself, the corners of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

Brian,

Thanks for the wonderful weekend. You were a perfect gentleman. Maybe these will tempt you to change that next weekend.

Love, Justin