Golem

When Brian finally showe at at the Liberty Diner, it was almost two in the afternoon. Julian never noticed his tardiness, though. He was hunched over his laptop, fingers flying over the keys, lost in a world of his own devising. He jumped slightly at the unexpectensaensation of Brian's fingers trailing down his arm, but managed to smile up at the other man as he took a seat across the booth from him.

"How was work?" Julian asked as he quickly fumbled off his reading glasses and began the process of shutting down the laptop.

"Productive," Brian replied. "That's the upside to going into the office on Saturdays - no one around to interrupt me, so I can actually get something accomplished."

Julian nodded and slipped the laptop into its case. "I know what you mean. That's why I write here. I don't have to drag myself away from my work to answer the phone, or deal with my sister."

"But I interrupted you," Brian said, sounding not at all contrite.

"That's different," Julian replied with a wide smile. "Besides, I was running out of steam anyway. Not sure exactly where the story's going next."

Brian opened his mouth to respond, but he never got a chance to speak. Debbie suddenly appeared beside their table, hands on her hips, her eyes flashing angrily.

"You got a lot of nerve comin' here after what you did to Michael," she hissed. "He trusted you," she continued, her voice low and angry. "He trusted you enough to let you fuck him without protection, and you couldn't even be man enough to tell him you were fucking around. How could you do that to him?"

Brian lowered his head and pressed his fingers to his closed eyelids. He didn't know what to say to Debbie. He knew she didn't want to hear the truth.

"And you," Debbie added, turning her attention to Julian, "if you have any fucking sense at all, you'll get away from him before he hurts you, too."

Julian saw red, and then he snapped. "Not that it's any of your goddamn fucking business, Debbie, but Michael jumped to his own conclusions around Brian and me. For the record, we didn't fuck while Brian and Michael were together. Hell, we still haven't fucked. So..."

"Julian, stay out of it," Brian demanded. "I don't need you or anyone else fighting my battles for me."

"Maybe, just maybe, if you'd stand up for yourself once in awhile, I wouldn't feel like I needed to fight your battles for you, Brian," Julian snapped. "But as it is, you would rather run away or sit back and let your so-called friends think the worst about you than tell them the fucking truth. Stop being such a fucking coward!" Without waiting for Brian's reply, Julian snatched up his jacket and his laptop case and stormed out of the diner.

"Fuck," Brian muttered to himself. He dug a twenty out of his pocket and threw it on the table as he raced after Julian, leaving Debbie to stare after them, momentarily stunned speechless.

"Debbie, honey," Emmett called softly from the next booth over.

She moved automatically to drop down onto the bench opposite him.

"I think you and I need to have a little talk."

Debbie went on break and listened as Emmett began to talk.

"You remember a few months back when Ted thought he was in love with me, and everyone was giving us advice about whether we should try to date? Well, I never told anyone this, but the reason I decided not to risk it was because of something Brian said to me.

"We were all out at Babylon one night, and somehow Brian and I ended up alone at the bar. He was a few ticks past shitfaced, to say the least. Anyway, he said 'Don't commit yourself to him just because you want to make him happy. If you don't feel the same way about him that he feels about you, you might make him happy for awhile, but you'll only make yourself miserable. You'll wake up one day and realize that you either have to hurt him or spend the rest of your life frustrated and depressed and regretting that you ever got yourself into a fucking relationship with your best friend.' I didn't really realize at the time that he was talking about him and Michael, but when I did figure it out, I knew that he was right. Granted, I've wondered at times if Ted would have gone through hell the way he has if I had been there to help him, but in the end, I think things worked out the way they were supposed to. Ted's with the man of his dreams - such as he is. And I didn't have to hurt him, or have him hurt me."

Debbie started to speak, but Emmett cut her off.

"I'm not excusing what Brian did to hurt Michael - especially if he really did fuck around on him. I'm just saying that...well, I'm saying that sometimes things happen in relationships, Debbie. People hurt each other, whether they mean to or not. And from what Lindsay told me the other day, I think maybe Brian's got a good excuse for his...shall we say 'lapse in judgement'?"

"And what exactly could excuse his, shall we say 'lapse in judgement'?" Debbie asked snidely. She clearly didn't believe that anything could explain or excuse Brian hurting her son.

Emmett reached across the table and took Debbie's hand in his.

"From what Linds told me, Brian is still in mourning."

"What the fuck do you mean Brian is still in mourning?" Debbie snapped.

"I mean, he's never gotten over Justin's death."

Debbie stared, shocked. "But he seemed fine. After a while, anyway."

"Oh, yes. It was business as usual for our Mister Kinney. Lindsay says that Brian's new friend - Julian, I think his name is? Anyway, Lindsay said that he said that Brian never talked to any of us about Justin because it was just too painful for him. He was afraid the slightest bit of sympathy from us would shatter him completely. But he's talking about him again, apparently, and Lindsay says it's obvious he still loves Justin."

"That makes what he did to Michael that much worse. He's lied to him this whole time," Debbie argued.

"I think there's more to it than that. He as much as said that he got together with Michael to make him happy. And Michael was happy, for a long time. Brian gave him everything - at least he gave him everything he could." Emmett paused a moment. "Look, Debbie, I'm not going to tell you what to think or how to feel about all of this. I know that when Michael hurts, it hurt you, too. But you've always said that Brian and Ted and I are your sons, too. And Brian has always looked at you like the mother he never really had. Just think about that, all right?" he pleaded.

"I can't promise anything," Debbie replied. She was no longer snapping and angry, but confused and more upset than ever.

"Just try to remember that Brian's hurting, too," Emmett said softly. "And don't be angry with me for being his friend as well as Michael's."

Debbie nodded. "I gotta get back to work," was all she said.

*

Outside the diner, Brian called Julian's name as he dashed down the sidewalk trying to catch up with him. Julian stopped and waited for him.

He spoke before Brian could. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's not you I'm angry with. Not really."

Brian just pulled the other man close, resting his forehead against Julian's. "It doesn't matter," he said dismissively.

"It does matter. I shouldn't have yelled at you, and I shouldn't have walked away," Julian apologized.

"I'll let you make it up to me if you want to," Brian teased, his voice low and seductive.

Julian laughed and kissed the upturned corner of Brian's mouth. "I just might do that," he said. "Could we possibly go somewhere for food first, though? You see, I was supposed to meet this guy for lunch, but he kept me waiting."

"I have a better idea."

*

Brian called his favorite Thai place as he and Julian walked to the Jeep. The food arrived at the loft shortly after they did. They talked about Julian's upcoming book signings while they ate, steering clear of any more volatile subjects for the moment.

After lunch, Julian retrieved his laptop case from where it rested on the bar in the kitchen. "I think I promised you a surprise," he teased.

Brian gave him a lopsided grin. "And I told you I don't like surprises."

"Not even ones that involve the both of us being naked and sweaty?" Julian murmured, unbuttoning his shirt with one hand.

Brian's eyes followed the movements of Julian's fingers, and he unconsciously licked his lips. Smiling, Julian stepped forward and dropped the laptop case on the sofa beside Brian. Opening one of the outside zipper pockets, he whispered "close your eyes."

Still skeptical, Brian did as he was told. There was a sound of rustling fabric, and Brian was sure than Julian was stripping off his clothes. Just the thought of it was enough to make him hard.

"Keep them closed," Julian whispered in Brian's ear. Then his hands were tugging Brian's shirt over his head and making quick work of the buttons on the fly of his jeans. "Lift up," Julian murmured, and Brian obeyed, letting Julian strip away the last of his clothing.

Brian felt Julian's hair brush against his thighs a moment before Julian's mouth wrapped around his swollen cock. He gasped and fisted his hands in the other man's hair, urging him on. All too soon, he pulled away, leaving Brian wanting.

Brian could hear more rustling sounds and wondered what Julian was up to, but obediently kept his eyes shut tightly. There was a familiar crinkling sound that he hadn't heard in longer than he could remember, followed by the distinctive sound of a condom packet being torn open. Brian swallowed hard and pressed himself more firmly into the sofa, bracing himself for what was next. He hissed in pleasure as Julian rolled the condom onto him.

Eyes still closed, Brian reached out blindly to steady Julian as he climbed onto the sofa to straddle Brian. He grasped Julian's hips, supporting the other man as he guided Brian's erection to his own entrance and slowly sat down, taking him inside.

Brian's mouth dropped open and a strangled moan burst from his throat at the unbelievably perfect sensation of sliding into Julian for the first time. Julian leaned his head down and kissed Brian tenderly, slowly, before he began to move. Lifting up, then sliding down; slowly at first, then faster. Clutching at one another, desperate with a need for much more than just release, moaning and sighing. Coming together, then kissing again, both feeling more in that moment than either was ready to admit.