Brian with Justin at Babylon drew less attention than expected. A few whispers, some groans. But this wasn’t Woody’s. In this den of ever-changing partners, finding the perfect man always took higher priority than dwelling on someone else’s relationship. Many expected Brian to tour the back room regardless. Nothing new.

“Beam straight up?” Justin yelled over the music, saw Brian’s brow rise. “Your drink.”

Brian nodded and watched Justin take off down the bar to flag the bartender. Fuck, this kid was priceless.

Emmett bounded from the dance floor to Brian’s side. “Brian!”

“How’s it goin’?” Ted, sweaty and winded, caught up.

“Where’s Justin?” Emmett craned around. “I thought… ”

“That’s a first,” Brian grinned at Emmett’s wry face. “He’ll be back in a minute.”

“I’m so happy for you!” Emmett gushed.

“For what?”

Ted glimpsed Brian’s face, quickly pulled Emmett’s arm and leaned into his ear. “Em? This is Brian? Let’s not assume.” Then louder to Brian, “He means Turner Construction. We saw the ad in today’s paper. Perfection,” Ted raised a thumb-to-forefinger salute.

Brian nodded acceptance. Couldn’t hot-ass THAT comment.

Emmett added a delayed smile, eyes widening when he saw Justin returning with three drinks. “Hi, Sweetie!” he swiveled around Brian to get to Justin.

“Hey, Em. Careful,” Justin set the drinks on the bar, spilling them slightly when Emmett’s arm circled his waist.

Emmett kissed his ear with a discreet, “I thought you told me-”

“Quiet, Em. Okay?” Justin’s eyes scanned Emmett’s, got a zip-mouth sweep of a hand before Emmett moved back to Ted.

“What are you two whispering?” Brian reached for a drink, saw three glasses, “And whom did we leave out?” he smiled at Ted, got a flat stare.

Justin handed one glass to Brian. “Some guy down there bought me another drink.”

“Oh? Who?”

Ted whispered to Em, “Obviously someone new and stupid.” Then loudly, “Let’s dance!” he took Emmett’s hand and pulled against Emmett’s craving to see Brian’s reaction. He himself would rather have had a drink.

Justin turned and pointed about ten people down. “White ascot, black shirt.”

Pleased by Justin’s attention, the older, grayed man shot a crooked-toothed smile. Brian stepped against Justin’s back, wound an arm around his chest and mouthed the guy a silent Thank You so pronounced, it should’ve been heard. Maybe it was. The man ducked over his drink like a cast-off lone wolf. Brian grinned wide. Alpha had its perks.

Justin pressed his hand over Brian’s. One more sign to the world that they were definitely with each other. One that Brian initiated. So far so good.

“Justin!” Nerdy from PIFA Copy Shop and a handsome Asian boy strolled up smiling.

“Hey!” Justin smiled his surprise, then to Brian, “This is Harry. My boss from the Copy Shop…and?” Justin gestured to the Asian boy.

“This is Tom. Computer Programmer,” Harry answered.

“This is Brian, my…,” Justin tensed, sight-checked Brian.

“Boyfriend,” Brian finished with an amused smile. Not much of a test. Two PIFA’sweren’t exactly a challenge to his image concerns. Although that Asian looked…shit. Stop.

Justin relaxed, offered, “Want a Teachers and ginger ale? I’ve got one extra.”

Tom shook a no. “Scotch makes your cum taste bitter.”

Justin shot Brian a“Really?”

“Just what I want to talk about,” Brian shut his eyes, touched the bridge of his nose.

Ted and Emmett returned parched and sweaty with Ted mumbling “Beer…beer…” like a desert victim.

Brian hailed the bartender. “Two beers for the dying.”

“Ted, Emmett,” Justin scanned their group, “This is Harry and his friend Tom.”

Emmett chirped, “Tom and Harry. Do you have a Dick?”

Brian rolled his eyes, Justin dropped his head onto folded hands on the bar and muffled a laugh, Ted corner-eyed his partner.

“I…don’t know how to answer that,” Harry shook his head.

“That was a joke,” Emmett was lost, looked at Justin who had finally recovered enough to rejoin the group. “See? HE thinks it’s funny.”

“Do you know why?” Brian dead panned.

Ted grabbed a beer in each hand, tapped one against Em’s arm. “Have a drink. It’ll come to you.”

Tom smiled at the group. “Well, nice meeting you all,” and to Harry, “Let’s go check out the sound system.”

“Party on, dudes,” Harry and Tom moved on.

“Is that some new line?” Emmett’s brows rose. “Who comes to Babylon to check out the sound system?”

Justin held his scotch up to Brian’s view. “Should I drink this?”

Brian stared a silent get-over-it.

“Oh…my…god,” Emmett covered his mouth with a hand and took a laughing fit.

Ted checked his watch. “Congratulations. You beat your last record.”

“That’s not funny,” Emmett instant-calmed, steel-eyed Ted.

“All I said was-”

“It was how you said it,” Emmett perched a hand on his hip. “And since when do we go insulting me in front of our friends?”

“When WE can’t take a joke…or even get one.”

Justin set his drink down. “Ted, I don’t think-”

Brian quickly grabbed the front of Justin’s shirt, “Let’s dance,” and led him away.

On the dance floor, Brian saw Harry watching from halfway up the stairs before speaking to Tom. Then they both bounded down to the main floor and edged along a back wall to a door Brian remembered was marked “Authorized Personnel Only” . He’d used it himself once. For checking out a light-and-sound-system operator.

Justin watched Ted and Emmett banter with pointing fingers, broad arm movements and near nose-to-nose contact before they shouted and stormed off in opposite directions. As he stepped closer to tell Brian, he saw a tall Beefcake brush Brian’s shoulder, whisper whatever while rolling eyes toward the back room. And Brian smiled at him. Fuck.

Justin spun around, backed into Brian’s embrace and started a little hip-roll bump and grind designed to raise interest in five…four…three…two…

“Let’s go back to the loft,” Brian whispered in Justin’s ear. When Justin gave a smug nod, Brian added, “And don’t think you had me fooled for a second.”

“I have to make a quick pit stop. Be here when I get back?” Justin stole a look at Beefcake hanging close and grinning like a hyena smelling blood.

“No,” Brian watched Justin’s face droop, grabbed his shoulders and gave him a light kiss. “I’ll be at the bar.”

After Justin brightened and dashed off, Brian nodded to Beefcake who shadowed him to a quieter spot behind a pillar. A good place to grip a guy by the collar and practically spit in his face.

“I’m already with a real man. And if I wasn’t, you’d be the last on my list. Now stay the fuck away from me.”

Brian released his grip and left the man gasping in shock. Justin had never asked him to change his ways. Brian didn’t intend to. But he modified his right to act on his desires by being more discriminating. Not an obligation. A matter of respect. For a man who chose to love just one, when it would have been so much easier to fuck a hundred.

Babylon’s bathroom fought for honors with the backroom. Despite careless bumps from drugged bodies, Justin relieved himself, read the janitor’s latest wall note; It’s Not As Long As You Think – Stand Closer.

“Justin.”

Harry. Pissing beside him and not looking shy at all.

“I didn’t know you were gay,” Justin withdrew and zipped up.

“I’m not,” Harry shrugged, also repacked.

An incensed young Space Queen poked Harry’s shoulder. “So what’re you doin’ here? Checkin’ out how the queeeeer boys do it? BREEDER ALERT!” Queen commanded an audience. “We got a straight guy-”

“Hey. Fuck off,” Justin shoved Queen aside. “He’s with me.” Then low to Harry, “C’mon.”

They washed up quickly and left Queen playing is-he-or-isn’t-he while the others went back to business as usual.

Harry hiked down stairs behind Justin and shouted over thumping music. “Sorry about that. The gay dudes I know are pretty accepting.”

“Yeah, well sometimes there’s a stand-out in the crowd.” Like Asshole Hobbs. “So what ARE you doing here?” Justin turned the corner and stopped.

“Tom’s gay…visiting from Frisco. Since he’s my guest and we had nothing better to do…we told the guard we were working on the sound system and he let us in.”

“So where’s Tom now?” Justin panned the masses.

“He really liked that one friend of yours.”

“Brian,” Justin exhaled. Who else.

“I thought you said his name was Ted.”

“Ted?” Justin’s face twisted. “You mean…that geeky-looking…” Geek. Bingo.

“I’m…not sure what you mean,” Harry shook his head.

Justin’s mind spun. Ted. An exotic admirer. Emmett. Brian alone…and if THAT wasn’t an oxymoron. Shit. “C’mon.” Justin plowed through dancers.

Harry veered off. “I hafta find Tom.”

At the bar, Brian was scoping the scene more from habit than desire when he heard a Loser Cruiser pipe up to his meek buddy, obviously for Brian’s sake.

“Brian Kinney. He’s not so hot. Had to go crawling after his twink to take him back.”

Cooling the heat, Brian casually turned to face him. “You think you’ve got something better to interest me?”

Charged by the prospect, Cruiser moved seductively close. “My Olympic-size pole.”

“I’m impressed. Why don’t you curve it down and go fuck yourself?”

Emmett’s unexpected, “That’ll work?” over Brian’s shoulder drowned out Cruiser’s“Asshole,” made Brian turn away from his departing heckler and roll eyes onto Emmett.

“I won’t even dignify that,” he lifted and swigged his drink.

“I thought Michael and Ben were supposed to be here.”

“They’re probably tied up. One or the other.”

“Where’s Justin?” Emmett swiveled a look around.

“He went to the little boys’ room and fell in. Where’s the Porn King?”

“Teddy-” Emmett defensively stressed, “-is…” his face went long and away. “Somewhere. We had a little tiff. It’s not working out the way I thought.”

“You know what I think about best friends fucking each other.” Brian smiled past Emmett’s shoulder at a Rustic Stud with a take-me grin, stroking the length of his fly.

Emmett side-glanced at the distraction. “I MUST be desperate to talk to YOU, of all people, about a relationship.” He huffed off, disgusted.

Smacked by the comment, Brian cut his eyes from Stud to his drink. He knew all about relationships. How they came and went. And got fucked up. And hurt. So why get into it? Why?

“Brian!” Justin bounded over and hugged him in time to halt Stud from moving in. “Thanks for waiting for me.”

Like it was a fucking gift. Brian stared at Justin, kissed him. Maybe this was why. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Shouldn’t we tell the others we’re leaving?”

“Now.” He was tired. Fought the back room beckons with the bitter aftertaste of driving Justin away. Relived how full and good and right it was to have him back. Only to fuck it up over a quickie? Not ever in his face again. Ever.

Justin felt Brian’s arm around him like a vice, a force marching him to the door. He wanted to ask why, but knew this mood. Someone said or did some shitty thing that would probably die with him. At least I know it wasn’t me.

Sitting in the Jeep and hearing Brian’s heavy exhale, Justin risked a word.

“Anything I can do?”

Brian took his hand off the wheel, took in Justin’s concern. Yeah. Something sweet, hot and pure that didn’t reek of phony and empty. He wrapped his arms around Justin and mashed their bodies together in a kiss to make any voyeurs cum just from the sight.

Framed unnoticed in Brian’s rearview mirror, Ted and Tom stood in the parking lot, oblivious to fleeting strobes on their own kiss.

The mirror also caught Emmett, standing and watching from the corner of the building. He slowly closed his eyes, lowered his head and disappeared back to Babylon.

Brian and Justin kiss; Ted and Tom kiss; Emmett leans his bleary-eyed head on the shoulder of a pick-up dancer in Babylon.

Song: “Amazing Kiss (Thunderpuss Japanese Club Mix)” by BoA

[1]-[2]-[3]-[4]-[5]-[6]-[7]-[8]-[9]-[10]