Diffrent Path

Chapter 4 ….

Justin took his time showering and changing into clothes he had left there at some point. The shower had taken longer than planned, since his mind had drifted back to some of the many times that he and Brian had spent in the shower together.

But after dressing in a pair of semi-tight jeans and a blue cashmere shirt that Brian liked very much he was ready to go. Because of Justin’s small delay in the shower Brian was, for once the one waiting.

The older man sat in the booth at the back of the diner.

Justin headed over, a smile on his lips. Leaning in he gave Brian, what he had intended as a light kiss in greeting but the brunette had other plans. He deepened the kiss, keeping Justin’s lips to his by a hand on the boy’s neck. Pulling the boy down beside him in the booth he kept the kiss going for a heartbeat more.

“Good of you to show up, sunshine.” he said, his tone sounding a bit miffed to be kept waiting but his hazel eyes were warm and sparkling with mirth.

Justin looked up at the man whom was seated beside him, an arm casually slung over the back of the seat.

“Well Brian, it’s your fault that I’m late,” He leered at the man beside him, “I took a shower before coming here and I got… distracted.”

Brian chuckled and kissed Justin lightly on the lips.

“Yes Jus, I am quite familiar with that particular problem. Accidentally that distraction started when we got into the habit of sharing a shower…” He finished his sentence whispering hotly in Justin’s ear.

A red blush blossomed over Justin’s cheeks. Their frequent marathon ‘showers’ were a favorite of his. Thank gawd, for Brian’s extra large water heater.

“Hello boys!” Debbie’s loud and cheerful voice sounded from behind them as she stopped by their table. “What will it be for the Liberty stud and his twink? By the way, Sunshine how was the prom? I am guessing that you went to Brian’s after?”

She smiled brightly at the blond and Justin glanced up at Brian’s face. The older man’s face was carefully blank.

//Great. That means I have to figure this one out on my own… // Justin thought. Since Brian was a very private man he decided to err on the side of caution.

“It was great Deb, I had a wonderful time. Yeah I went over to Brian’s place after and I fell asleep. Um… I’ll have a double cheeseburger with fries, a medium coke and a large, chocolate shake. Brian will have the grilled chicken salad, dressing on the side, a large mineral water and a slice of whole-grain bread. You need the carbs, so no argument!” He glanced at Brian when he said the last part.

Debbie looked at Brian with a frown, he never allowed anyone to order for him. He usually bit anyones head off if they tried. But he had allowed Sunshine to do it today and even seemed pleased with the boy’s addition of bread. That was new!

Brian turned his intense, hazel stare at her and raised an eyebrow at her before leaning in and kissing Justin on the forehead. As she walked away to place their order Brian called out to her.

“Coffee Deb!”

She turned around to meet his smirk, with one of her own as she curtsied and said. “Yes, your highness...”

Brian laughed and for once his laughter sounded free. It was a sound Liberty Avenue was not used to.

Justin snuggled deeper into Brian’s embrace tugging the older man’s arm that had rested on the back of the booth, down around his shoulders.

The gesture and position felt so natural to both of them. The people around the diner glanced with curious looks towards the booth that Justin and Brian were occupying in the back. Some of them were astonished. Some were bitter, some were jealous, having fallen for Brian long ago but had been shot down.

Brian Kinney was the king of Liberty Avenue. To see him acting like a lovesick fool, especially with a young twink was a shocking sight.

The boy was so different from the usual guys Kinney liked. Those men were most often tall, dark and extremely hot. They were also slightly bitter and jaded from the club scene; they knew the deal and there was no hassle.

People started to think and to ask each other. Had Brian Kinney been at Babylon since Wednesday? Was it the “Blond twink” who was keeping their revered king, their idol from the clubs?

Justin had been different from day one. He was hot, sure; he had sex appeal and charm. When the boy started dancing he turned up the heat on the dance floor. The boy was not jaded or bitter; he was open and loving, enjoying his life to the fullest all the time.

The diner’s patrons watched Brian lean in and give the younger man beside him a gentle kiss, in response to Justin’s laughter at something Brian had said. It was obvious; Brian Kinney had fallen in love and his little twink was just as smitten. The word spread quickly over Liberty Avenue, gossipy queens the lot of them. The king had fallen; his heart was off the market. Now the question was, was his body too?

Debbie kept an eye on her two boys. Something had changed since she saw them the last time. Brian seemed a lot more grounded and calm. A little under a week ago Brian had seemed shielded from Justin, he now was ‘open’ to the boy.

They had a tangible energy surrounding them.

The feeling around the couple had changed. They always had chemistry but now something had changed. She brought their lunch out as they sat there talking quietly with each other.

Stolen kisses and gentle caresses made quite a picture and Debbie had to admit that she was glad that Michael had gone with David. He was not here to see this or sabotage it. It would break her son’s heart to see his best friend in love.

In Michael’s eyes, Brian-fucking-Kinney would always be the same. Now Brian could stay the same in Michael’s eyes and he could get on with his life.


Justin ate his lunch, enjoying spending time with Brian. This lunch had a very date-ish feeling to it. But he was not going to ruin it by mentioning that, no way. Their conversation was entertaining and very light, ranging from music, to movies and Justin’s plans for the future. They shared laughter, kisses and the occasional grope. Hey, it was still Brian Kinney he was with.


They finished lunch and sat there just enjoying each other. They had no place to be, so why not stay around the diner for a while.


Emmett walked in the door. It being his lunch break he had decided to go to his favorite place on Liberty, well besides Babylon and the baths.

He spotted Brian and Justin and was just about to head over when he saw something that made him stop. He took a seat at the counter instead and settled down to watch. His smile widened as he figured out what was different. Their body language had changed.

Many thought Emmett to be a clueless queen but he was quite good at reading people. And what he saw between his friends made his heart soar. He was fond of Brian, not that he would ever tell the insufferable man that. Sort of like the annoying older brother that you just love to annoy further.

No one could really miss how much he simply adored Justin.

He remained by the counter keeping an eye on them, of course he was not spying, merely observing. He just knew that they would not welcome him to their table.


The whispers and the innuendos became more heated. Brian’s hands had wandered down to rest around Justin’s waist. They had come to rest inside the young mans sweater and was caressing the soft skin of Justin’s abdomen. Brian kissed the top of the head that was resting on his shoulder.

“You want to head out and do something? “ Brian could feel Justin tense up slightly. He waited for the young man in his arms to speak. He felt Justin relax and then turn in his arms. Justin looked into Brian’s eyes.

“Sure Bri, like what?”

“It’s too nice a day to spend in bed,” Brian leered at Justin, “So why don’t we head to the girls and visit Gus? Maybe take him to the park.”

The older man smiled widely at Justin. That prompted the sunshine smile to emerge from the blond’s lips.

“Sure, that sounds like fun. You think the girls will mind us just dropping in?” Justin asked.

“Who gives a fuck?” Brian drawled with a raised eyebrow.

“I do, you jerk!” Justin laughed and slapped Brian on the shoulder. “But Gussy will be thrilled. “

They stood and after tossing the money for their food on the table, they headed out the door hand in hand.

Emmett watched them leave before scurrying deeper into the diner, to see if he could find Deb. He sat down at the counter in front of her with a wide grin and even wider eyes. Laughter was in his voice as he asked.

“What the fuck happened yesterday? As far as I know they were not talking when we sent Justin and Daphne off…” Debbie grinned at the flamboyant man in front of her.

“Who knows Hun, who knows…?” They grinned at each other and Debbie took her break so that they could compare notes.

Brian and Justin were very aware of the looks, the whispers but they could not bring themselves to care. They could feel the line that had been crossed. They had passed it a long time ago. They just enjoyed being together. They had known each other for over six months now but they felt like that had just met. It still felt like the crush phase.


Justin’s POV:

I have loved him for so long but I have not known him. Now I feel like he is letting me in for the first time. I feel like I am falling in love all over again. Not with Brian-fucking-Kinney who I already love but just Brian.

He is an amazing person sensitive, quite romantic and very much my soul mate. When I asked him to the prom I was hurt when he turned me down but also that he made a fucking joke of something that I took very seriously. That hurt very much but in the back of my mind I also knew that it was a defense for him.

Last night when he thought that I was asleep, he confessed to me what he had almost done. I never thought that I would owe Mikey a debt of gratitude. Without that whiney man, I would not have had the best twenty-four hours of my life. I would not have Brian…


Brian’s POV:

I have to send Mikey a thank you note for shaking some sense into me. Hitting thirty was very traumatic to me, or at least it was then.

I can’t explain it. During the day,the scarfing thing had been a vague idea. But by the time I actually tried it the drugs and booze combined with the thirties blues had sold it to me. I really did step up on that stool with every intention of not surviving, of going out with a bang.

But as I stood there stroking my boner, trying to balance just enough so I would not lose consciousness too soon, but still restrict my breathing, I started thinking. Other than ‘fuck that feels good’ my only thoughts were of Justin.

Strange that my thoughts would go to the boy that I had fought so hard to make go away. My thoughts strayed to some of our really hot nights together. But the night I seemed to linger on was our first. That first night was very hot.

It actually rates among the top fifteen fucks ever for me. The thought struck me, just minutes before Michael burst inside. That Justin had never been just a fuck to me. I just had been too blind to see it. As Michael pulled me down, a single thought went thru my head.

“I LOVE HIM”

I think that thought is the sole reason why I was so fucking defensive with Michael, the fact that it scared me half to death. My world had turned upside down. I was afloat on a sea of confusion but my mask was intact as I went off on Michael.

Then my best friend did something unexpected. He went off on me and what he told me actually made some fucking, twisted sense to me. Not the words but the meaning behind the words.

My self-image had somehow become my mask. I relied on it more than the people around me did. That had to change.

As Michael left I came to a realization. The person to help me change was the one person who always seemed to be able to take all my crap and throw it back at me.

That blond twat had somehow during the last few months become my rock. Even though it killed me to admit it then, it had to be done. And it is even clearer now. I need Justin Taylor in my life.