Justin's POV

Ethan called me while I was at school. He said he needed to see me. That it was urgent. At first, I refused. I told him it was a bad idea, that we were over and that he needed to accept it. But then, he threatened to come to the loft. That was the last thing I needed. Brian and Justin—take two had been going so well. So I went. Ethan welcomed me with a big smile. I sighed and entered the apartment.

A little annoyed, I said, "Okay. I'm here. What is so urgent?"

"What's the rush? I made dinner. Sit down (he gestured to the table). Let's eat while we talk."

"I don't have much time. I'm supposed to meet someone in an hour."

"Brian?"

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not. Not anymore."

"So…what did you want to discuss?"

"I just…I just need closure."

I rubbed my forehead in frustration.

"Okay. I can understand that." I sat down.

Brian's POV

I adjusted my midnight blue cashmere sweater. It was 6:45 pm. I had decided to do something crazy, and I was nervous as hell. I'd asked Justin to meet me at the loft at 7 pm. He thought we were going to Deb's for dinner, but, little did he know, I'd made reservations at the newest, most fashionable restaurant in Pittsburgh, Lascaux, a bistro named after a place in France where some of the earliest cave paintings were found. Like its namesake, the restaurant contained a complex network of small rooms with low ceilings, and paintings of all types on every wall. Actually painted on the walls. The owner had commissioned murals from many up-and-coming American artists, not just from New York City, but from all over the country. The owner had even managed to poach a chef from one of the most famous restaurants in Paris. After dinner, I was planning to take Justin to the Esquire, the oldest adult theatre still operating in Pittsburgh. The classic dinner and a movie date, Brian Kinney style.

Justin's POV

I'd been at Ethan's for 30 minutes already, and I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I didn't want to be late. So when Ethan put his hand on mine, I lost it. I ripped my hand away and jumped up.

"What the fuck?"

"I miss you, Justin. I love you."

I sighed. I still felt guilty for having unwittingly used Ethan.

"Look, I'm sorry that I misled you. Even though I didn't do it on purpose, I still feel bad. But you know that I'm in love with Brian. That I always was…" I looked at him helplessly. "I have nothing to give you. I'm sorry."

I turned to leave, but Ethan grabbed me.

He held me tight and started licking and kissing my neck. "You used to love it when I did this."

I pushed him away roughly.

"Look, Ethan, I feel bad, so I'm trying to be patient, but this is getting out of hand. I need to go."

"To Brian? That fucking whore."

I started to feel dizzy. I guess the stress of dealing with Ethan was getting to me. I shook my head to clear it.

"Watch it, Ethan," I warned. "That's the man I love you're talking about."

"The man you love? The man you love doesn't love you, will NEVER love you. He likes to fuck you. He keeps you around because you're a good lay and give great head, and, best yet, you expect NOTHING from him. No I love yous, no dates, no fidelity, nothing! But I do love you. If you'd just come back to me, I'd give you everything you need and want."

"Don't you get it? I never loved you. I loved the idea of you. But it was always about Brian. Why would I come back to you when I never really wanted you in the first place?"

I felt like such an asshole saying it, but it was true.

"You never wanted me? Then why did you moan so loudly when I was kissing your neck, sucking your cock…when you were inside me…?"

"Because, in the heat of the moment, every time I close my eyes, I see Brian. It was never y…"

I blinked. Why did everything look so fuzzy?

Brian's POV

Christ, I was uncomfortable. Brian Kinney didn't do dates. Well, until now. I'm not exactly sure what possessed me to plan such an outing. Everything had been going so well with Justin and me. I guess I just wanted to keep that going. Last time, I had gotten comfortable with us. I hadn't been paying attention, so I'd completely missed Justin's growing unhappiness. His growing disappointment with me, with us. To prevent that, ensure a different outcome, I had to do something different. My skin still crawled at the thought of having a picnic on the floor or giving Justin a bouquet of flowers, but I could do dates. I mean, they didn't have to be lame like heterodates. So I picked something I knew Justin would love and something I knew I'd love. It was perfect. Before the 'romance' of the evening could swell to disgusting proportions, we'd shake it off with some sucking and fucking at a wonderfully seedy adult theatre. Then go home and fuck some more. The perfect compromise. I looked at my cell phone. 7 pm on the dot.

Justin's POV

The world had begun to fade, and I was falling. My last thought was "Had Ethan put something in the food?" Then there was only darkness.

Brian's POV

I'd been calling Justin all night. He hadn't come to the loft as planned, and he wasn't answering his phone. At first, I was pissed, but, when 3 am came and went with no sign of him, I really started worrying. Flaking out like that was more my style than his. I had been pacing the loft since 3 am, calling him every 15 minutes. I no longer cared how pathetic I appeared. At 5 am, I was ready to start calling hospitals and everyone Justin knew. But then, my phone rang.

"Brian?"

Justin's voice was small and raspy.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to push down my fear, and, then, I asked as calmly as I could, "Where are you?"

Pause. "I don't know."

Three words that scared me more than I love you.

"It's dark. I can't move. Everything hurts."

Okay. Deep breath. Have to stay calm. Carl. Carl could find him. Cell phone triangulation or some shit.

I grabbed my shoes and car keys and headed out the door. "Justin? No need to worry. Carl will be able to find out where you are. I'm on my way to Deb's right now."

Justin didn't respond. A little frantic now. "Justin?" Long pause. "Justin?"

"I…I'm here. Please, please don't bring anyone with you. Okay? Just you. Promise me."

He was crying. I could hear the tears in his voice. FUCK! Why the hell was I hitting every red light? Fuck that. I started blowing all of them.

Heavy sigh. "Okay. I promise."

Justin's POV

My entire body ached. I looked around, again. All I saw was black. No shapes. No light. I shook my head roughly. I was starting to fall asleep again. I had to stay awake. Brian was so freaked out. I had to stay with him. Brian hadn't spoken to me for a few minutes. He and Carl had been talking, but not loudly enough for me to make out words.

Then silence. Suddenly Brian said, "I have the address. I'm just walking to the Jeep."

Brian's POV

Carl wasn't thrilled with me. I had made him swear not to tell Deb or anyone else that Justin was in trouble. Not to send a police escort with me. Not to make any kind of report. Carl had given me the address, and I was on my way. It was a 20-minute drive at 70 mph. Tapping a finger on the steering wheel. Trying not to imagine why Justin couldn't move, why he was so desperate to avoid being seen by anyone but me. Thanking a God I didn't believe in that I had remembered to charge both our phones yesterday.

Justin's POV

I needed help staying awake. Shaking my head and opening my eyes wide was no longer helping.

"Brian, tell me a story."

Brian's POV

"A story? What kind?"

"I don't care. I just want to hear your voice. You have such a beautiful voice."

"A story…uh…okay. Once upon a time…"

"Oh goody, a fairy tale." I could tell that Justin was trying to sound bright, but, apparently, he didn't have the energy.

I blinked several times, but not because I was crying. Brian Kinney doesn't cry.

I cleared my throat, so my voice sounded normal.

"Once upon a time, there was an intrepid twink. He had golden hair and the bluest eyes. He was challenged fashion-wise, despite his great artistic sensibility."

Justin laughed but, then, started coughing.

I punched the steering wheel and sped up.

"So this twink had been having strange urges. He dreamed of sucking cock and taking it up the ass, and, when he was bored in class, he found himself drawing penises. Big ones."

Another laugh-cough.

"One fateful night, when his desire for cock grew too strong, even overwhelming, he dared to go to the queer part of town. He had been there barely five minutes when he met his destiny."

"His destiny?"

"Yes. A tall brunet sex god."

Justin didn't laugh.

"Where'd they meet?"

"Of all places, under a streetlamp. Actually, that was the perfect place. Under the light, the twink's porcelain skin and golden hair seemed to glow. The sex god was drawn to the twink's light…"

Pause.

"…because, despite his gorgeous body, his fantastic fashion sense, and his perfectly styled hair, he was missing something."

"Missing something?"

"Something he didn't even realize he needed."

"What was that?"

Long pause.

"It's difficult to name. Hope…innocent joy…"

Justin sniffled but, then, cleared his throat and asked, "So did the twink get what he was looking for?"

"Oh hell, yeah. He met the one person who could sate his appetite. He got stroked, sucked, rimmed, and rammed. And not just once."

"Was the sex god disappointed with the twink's lack of experience?"

"Are you kidding? The sex god loved to teach, and his pupil was a fucking natural at fucking. And sucking cock. And rimming. And at everything in between."

Yet another laugh-cough.

"I'm here, Justin. I should be looking at your sunny face in a minute or two."

I think I heard him sigh in relief.

Or was that me? I was finally here. It was a white house in a bad part of town. No cars in the driveway. No toys in the yard. The grass was overgrown, and all the windows were covered with wooden slats. I jumped out of the jeep and burst into the house. The dust was so thick, I started coughing. The sunlight illuminated the room, falling on broken furniture, unwashed dishes, filthy rags, and…

Oh God.

A/N: I promise I'll post the next part soon.