A/N: I decided to do this first. The Friendship or Foreplay Finale is next (in a few hours, I think)

Tempted as Brian was to cancel lunch at the diner, he was painfully aware that that would be perceived as a reaction to shame, and neither Brian nor Brian-Fucking-Kinney 'did' shame. He'd rather roll in a vat of salt after bursting through a plate glass window than cop to that. But of course, he WAS ashamed. A little. He was tumbling headlong into Stepford fagdom. He was becoming a walking punchline. He needed to grab onto something, to halt his precipitate plunge.

Justin would have a similar thought (that he might need to rethink his 'relationship' or whatever with Brian) but not until later that day – after his and Brian's tunnel fuck. And what was happening now would have a lot to do with that. Brian and Justin were walking down Liberty Avenue, toward the diner. Brian wasn't sure why, but he'd purposely parked on the other end of Liberty so they would end up passing 'the alley' – the alley where Brian had popped Justin's cherry, though Justin didn't yet know that his 'mystery man' had been Brian.

Maybe Brian was feeling a little low on hero worship after the horrified and even disgusted looks Mikey had shot Brian following Justin's revelation the night before. Would Justin remember which alley it was? Would he describe the encounter or his subsequent dreams in greater detail? Would he do so with awe in his voice?

Maybe Brian just needed to feel more connected to Justin. Like they were somehow fated. Like Justin was special enough for Brian to continue following the path Justin had sent him down, special enough to introduce his surrogate family to 'New York' Brian – effectively killing 'Pittsburgh Brian' for once and for all. What were the odds that Brian would meet and deflower Justin his first night on Liberty and right before heading to New York? And on the night Gus was born? What were the odds that in a city of 8 million, Justin would glimpse Brian on a train and then seek him out through Missed Connections? Or that Cynthia would happen to see the ad and recognize the description as Brian's? Or that she would play fucking Cupid and respond? Or that Brian would actually remember Justin? That, in itself, was a sign of the apocalypse.

Brian tensed up as they approached the alley. And he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when Justin suddenly froze and then glanced around frantic and excited. When he realized where they were, when he'd confirmed the landmarks, he actually bounced and flashed Brian one of his blinding, heart-stopping smiles. "OH. MY. GOD. Brian! This is it! This is the place!"

Brian emptied his face of all expression and asked nonchalantly, "What place?"

Justin flushed, probably getting visuals, as Brian was (though he'd never acknowledge even remembering a trick let alone recalling in vivid detail the fuck(s) themselves – course the plural already rendered Justin special. Brian rarely fucked tricks more than once even during the course of a single night).

Brian remembered the crunch of the gravel under his feet and then his knees (even through the denim of his pants) as he kneeled, spread Justin's ass cheeks, and swirled his tongue around Justin's entrance, as prelude to the actual cherry popping. Just visualizing this, he could feel the jagged edges biting into his skin. That sense impression evoked others – the way Justin had tasted (sweet and musky), the way he had mewled.

Brian remembered tracing his tongue along the curve of Justin's neck and ear before sucking on the back of his neck and at his pulse point, all the while stretching Justin and nudging his prostate. That evoked another sense impression – the smell of Old Spice Justin had probably 'borrowed' from his father in an attempt to make himself more appealing.

Brian remembered just how tight Justin was and how that vice-like tightness threatened to send Brian, already a hair's-breadth from orgasm from all the licking, sucking, biting, rubbing, and fondling – and the gallery of noises Justin had been making – over the edge, which would have made that fuck the quickest in Brian Kinney history (even including adolescence). He could not abide that, so he had ground his fists against the wall he'd thrust Justin up against, grinding them into the granite jutting out (the building they'd fucked against was a pre-Revolutionary war era building now housing baths) until he drew blood, desperate as he was to push back his orgasm.

Brian, assailed with these sense impressions, had missed quite a bit of Justin's reaction. When Brian finally tuned back in, Justin was speaking in a breathy whisper. The word that had ripped Brian out of his head was 'bashing.'

Justin finished his train of thought: "If not for him, I would never have had the motivation, the courage, to keep drawing and painting, to go to New York, to apply to the Art Institute." Justin smiled softly, almost shyly at Brian, looking up at him from under his eyelashes, his cheeks a just discernible pink, and whispered, "If not for him, I would never have met you." Then Justin kissed Brian sweetly, a tender press of his lips against Brian's.

Brian thought bitterly, "If not for 'him,' you would never have needed that kind of courage …" He knew Justin's 'Mystery Man' was the impetus behind Justin's surge of bravery his senior year. Justin had not admitted this, but Brian knew HE was to blame for Justin's jerking off that Hobbs kid, attending the prom, and suffering a bat to the head.

At that thought, Brian found himself doing something unconsciously, something he'd NEVER done in Pittsburgh (except with Gus) and something he'd done just twice in New York. He slipped his hand into Justin's and threaded his fingers through Justin's.

Justin was too astonished to speak. He simply floated and tried to breathe. He was even more astonished when they approached the diner to find three very shocked friends gaping, open mouths and wide eyes focused on a single point (the 'object' at the end of Brian's left arm – Justin's hand). Brian didn't pull away. He laughed and then lilted, tongue firmly planted in cheek, "You'd better close those in these parts. Some sweaty bear might come along, push you to your knees, and shove a cock in there."

That defused some of the shock and discomfort. But not much. Just enough to get Ted, Emmett, and Mikey filing through the door and into the diner. Justin fully expected Brian to release his hand, now that they'd arrived. He did not. And after stopping at a booth (on the side facing the door) and waiting for Justin to slide in, he sat down and placed his left arm around Justin, laying his left hand on Justin's shoulder. Justin's smile was so bright Mikey was forced to look away. Justin scooched a little closer to Brian, nestling himself snuggly in the crook of Brian's arm.

Brian started absentmindedly scanning the menu, or pretending to, to avoid the weight and the disgust in Mikey's eyes, which were shifting right and left, right and left, as he stared at Justin and Brian and then Justin again.

Emmett, trying to forestall the acidic explosion quickly building up in Mikey, or at least to distract him for a little while, whispered conspiratorially, "So last night, at Babylon, I fucked someone RIGHT ON THE DANCEFLOOR!"

That got everyone's attention.

Brian raised an eyebrow.

Emmett blushed and added, with a nervous laugh, "Well, he fucked me … but anyway. I don't think anyone noticed. We were pretty sneaky. But, my word, I writhed and wiggled … THAT was the best dancing I've ever done."

Justin exclaimed, "Wow! You're brave!"

Emmett smiled sweetly. "Maybe a little. Mostly I just adored this man's dick. Normally, I don't fuck in public. But I just could NOT wait through a car ride home and chit chat and all that."

Justin shook his head in wonder. Other than the alley, Justin had never been much of an exhibitionist. But with Brian … he could imagine doing that and much 'naughtier' feats. At the thought, he flushed.

Emmett said, "So Baby, you seem pretty young. How old are you?"

Justin cleared his throat. "19."

Emmett's eyes widened.

Brian, hoping to head some of the nasty remarks off at the pass, bragged, "Justin is young but also very talented. He not only got into the most prestigious art school in the Northeast but also won a scholarship. And he's the only first-year student to ever be offered his own show there. That's where we met. His talent also earned him an internship in the Art Department of the finest advertising firm in New York."

Justin beamed. Both Emmett and Ted nodded in admiration. Mikey was less impressed. "So your fucking your way to the top?"

Justin frowned. "What?"

Mikey laughed. "You 'earned' an internship at Brian's firm? Yeah, right. Did you 'earn' it on your knees?"

Brian clenched his jaw and was about to disabuse Mikey of this inaccurate notion when Justin hissed, "YOU WISH you could earn anything on your knees. Especially where Brian's concerned. But Brian had not yet discovered my superlative cock-sucking skills at that point." Then he unwittingly discovered he still had a bullet left in the chamber (Both Brian and Justin had thought that Justin had revealed all of Brian's 'secrets' the evening before). He added, "Brian and I didn't fuck until AFTER we'd been on several dates. AND that was weeks after I'd been hired. PS: I helped them keep an important client with my brilliance – in my first week."

Mikey seethed. "You little asshole!" Then Mikey laughed. Loudly. He'd finally caught the little fucker. Clearly, he was just making shit up now. He scoffed, "As if … I know what you are! You're a trick Brian lets hang around for convenience. He's too important and busy to go clubbing all the time. But he would NEVER take anyone on DATES or wait to fuck them. That's ridiculous."

Mikey now turned to Brian for confirmation. He waited somewhat impatiently for Brian to put Justin in his place.

Brian did not.

Instead, he flagged down Kiki. And ordered.

Justin's smile was SO blinding at that point, Mikey thought it burned his retinas. But if that meant he'd never have to see this jerk's face ever again or watch Brian treat the aforementioned jerk 'like a boyfriend' (shudder), he would be happy.

After that, they were at least partially saved from conversation by eating. No one, except Justin, had EVER been so interested in food before. When everyone but Justin had finished, Emmett and Ted shared some funny 'date' stories. Like the guy who'd suddenly pulled out (while behind Ted fucking him), ripped the condom off, and cum all over his back. And then proceeded to lick it all up. That actually put Justin off his lunch – he'd been happily munching on a Reuben (corned beef, toasted rye, sauerkraut, Swiss, and Thousand Island dressing) until Ted got to the cum-lapping part. The dressing looked too similar. He just dropped his sandwich back down onto his plate and gone to wash his hands. Emmett shared an even more disturbing story. Thankfully, this occurred at the guy's house and not Emmett's apartment. He'd picked up a 'handsome young fellow' all waxed and muscly with a bubble butt and a HUGE dick and accompanied the guy home. They were kissing and rubbing when the guy asked Emmett to call him daddy. According to Emmett, this was "a little disturbing but not a deal breaker." Until the guy had brought out an adult-sized onesey with footies and a door in the back through which the guy apparently intended to fuck him. As Emmett recounted, he'd stared for a moment and then rubbed one hand on the other and vice versa real fast (a wash your hands gesture), stated firmly, "I'm out," and half-walked half-run out the door.

So the rest of lunch was fairly pleasant. But Mikey said absolutely nothing. Not after his attempted admonishment of Justin. And when Brian said good bye, he hugged Brian a bit stiffly.

Much, much later, after Brian and Justin were walking back to the loft, appearance tickets in hand, Justin asked softly, "Why are you with me, Brian? Are you really just too lazy to go out to pick up some trick? Is it just about convenience?"