�I can�t believe it,� said Brian. �The fucker didn�t show up.� He unlocked the car door for Justin, then walked around to the driver�s side. Justin shrugged. �We can come back tomorrow and try again. It�s no big deal.� Brian looked up at him for a moment, and shook his head. �It is,� he said. �Call me crazy, but I hardly think you really want to go in that place again.� Justin got in the corvette, and waited until Brian had settled in next to him and put his keys in the ignition before answering. �You�re right,� said Justin. �I don�t.� He paused. �But maybe the reason that he � no, nevermind.� Brian paused and turned to him. �What?� �I could be wrong. But I think... I think that maybe Hunter would do anything for you.� It took a moment to register. Brian closed his eyes. �Fuck.� Justin looked out the window. �He might�ve gotten to the cop before us. You know... It�s not just him wanting to fuck you. He wants your approval. I think... I think you inspire him.� �Fuck that,� said Brian, �He doesn�t need my fucking approval or my fucking dick in his mouth. He�s just a kid.� �Yeah,� said Justin. �But that doesn�t have anything to do with it.� Brian pressed his lips together and started the engine, slowly pulling out from the curb. �If anything happens to him, Mikey�ll kill me,� he said. He glanced over at Justin. They�d stayed in the bar a couple of hours before finally giving up, assuming that the shithead cop wasn�t coming. If Brian were by himself, he would have stayed longer, but he had Justin to consider. Although, Justin seemed better after his earlier moment in the corvette. Their only actual conversation in the bar had been some sarcastic observations of the bar�s patrons and a couple of playful nudges, so Brian wasn�t sure how Justin was feeling about everything... but, he seemed okay. While in the bar they had acted like hustler and potential trick, trying not to look out of place. As a result, Justin had to sit way too close for Brian�s taste. He had nuzzled into Brian�s neck a couple of times, stuck his mouth right by Brian�s ear, and kept whispering that acerbic commentary that Brian couldn�t help but find strangely hot. He had a headache by the time they left, from the juxtaposition of the filthy bar and the pretty boy beside him. One brought him down, and the other brought him up again � yeah, in more ways than one. Brian had watched him for a while by the yellowing bar light, as they waited. He�d tried to remember the first time he�d seen Justin, two years ago, out front of Babylon. It was after Brian had gotten a really bad blowjob in the back room. He had been bored out of his fucking mind, he�d been about to get in his car and go home, and then... he looked over and saw this kid... And he�d done his thing. Picked up Justin and took him home. He�d gotten high, gotten naked, gotten wet and hard and taken the kid�s virginity six ways from Sunday. The usual. Nothing incredible. But Brian still remembered vague stupid things from that night, like the paleness of Justin�s eyebrows, and his fucking blathering about cereal, and Justin naming Gus at the hospital. And Brian remembered the sex, too. Not a lot of specifics, just that there�d been a lot of it, and it�d been hot. He remembered telling Michael that the kid had nearly worn him out. That didn�t happen often. �I�m kind of hungry,� said Justin, breaking the awkward pause, and Brian shook himself from his thoughts. �There�s nothing at the loft,� goddamned peanut-butter allergic hustlers, �but the diner is still open,� Brian said. Justin nodded slightly, said, �The Liberty Diner? I�ve been there. They know me.� He said it with a weird emphasis on the word �know� that Brian immediately picked up on, thought about, and discarded. Brian shrugged. �Okay.� �That doesn�t bother you?� �You�re assuming,� Brian smiled, �That I actually give a damn about anyone�s reputation anymore � especially my own. Sure. Yeah. The waitresses will gossip about Brian Kinney buying a young, hot hustler his late night snack, but so the fuck what.� Justin grinned. �Thanks.� He paused, then said in a sing-song-y undertone, �Brian Kinney thinks I�m hot...� Brian cast him a glance. He raised one eyebrow. �I was, of course, referring to Hunter.� �Of course,� said Justin, but he didn�t stop grinning. Fuck, no unkempt boy hustler should make Brian this horny. If he could get Justin to sleep at the loft again, probably not very hard to do, then maybe... But then he thought of Hunter, and his horniness was temporarily set aside. Fucking idiot child. Brian was sure that Justin�s assumption was right. Hunter had basically stolen the cop right from under their noses in order to get the DNA. Which would be, of course, why the cop had never shown up at the bar. The kid was probably off somewhere fucking him right now. And somehow, all of this was going to be Brian�s fault. Fuck. He didn�t know what would be worse... Mikey killing him quickly or Ben killing him slowly... or Mikey killing him and Ben carefully gathering up his still warm corpse to make some stir-fry tofu shit. The littlest hustler had better not get himself murdered. * Brian would have entered the diner first, but it seemed too obvious to jockey for position, so Justin pushed open the door and went in, and Brian followed him closely. Hopefully Debbie wouldn�t be here. She might not have recognized Justin on his previous visits, especially considering the blurriness of the flyer�s picture and Justin�s new close-cropped and gritty look, but seeing him with Brian would be a dead tip-off. The after-Babylon crowd was just starting to thin out. The cheerful, bright colors of the diner coupled with the straggling, just-got-laid, covered-in-glitter clientele made Brian�s headache worse. �Here,� he said, and pushed Justin toward an empty booth. Justin sat down and looked back at him, and as his eyes widened almost imperceptibly, Brian knew who was standing behind him. �Debbie,� said Brian cordially, not turning around. �I didn�t know this was your shift tonight.� �You fucking asshole,� said Debbie, and smacked him in the head with her order pad. �What the fuck do you think you�re doing with this kid?� Brian winced. �I�m not doing anything,� he said, added silently, yet - and he sat down in the booth across from Justin. Luckily, Justin wasn�t saying a word, letting Brian handle the situation. �Did you think I wouldn�t recognize him?� Debbie said angrily. �You�ve got a lot of nerve.� Justin looked up, brow furrowed questioningly, and opened his mouth to speak. Debbie turned to him. �Sweetie, is your name Justin?� Justin blinked at her. Debbie gave Brian a meaningful look, and said �I think that�s all I need to say.� She turned and went to another table without taking their order, but Brian saw she kept glancing back at the two of them. �Brian?� said Justin. �What was that all about?� Brian cleared his throat. Already time to have this conversation. He�d hoped to get the kid a full night�s sleep first, so Justin could think logically about it. �Debbie is upset,� he said, �Because I told her you helped me the other day, and she recognized your name.� He pulled a folded piece of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket, and held it out for Justin to take. �I thought I should pass this on to you,� Brian said. Justin read the flyer without saying a word, but his mouth tightened. �I didn�t call her,� said Brian. �That�s your choice. If you want, I can make sure Debbie doesn�t call her either.� Justin looked up, face utterly blank. �I don�t know,� he said. He swallowed, closed his eyes, and slid the flyer back across the table to Brian. Have you seen my son? �It�s an opportunity. You could go back home, get out of hustling,� Brian said, wanting to make sure Justin understood. Then he cursed himself for sounding like some sort of demented after school special. Justin fidgeted with the napkin holder. �Or maybe not,� he said, and looked up. �Thank you for letting me make my own decision.� Brian acknowledged him with a nod. �And this is your decision?� he asked. Justin stared at Brian�s face for a few seconds. �I don�t know,� he said again. Debbie walked up and slammed the order pad down on the table. �Deb,� Brian started before Debbie could speak, �I�ve just talked to Justin about his mother, and he�s considering getting in touch. So let the boy handle it himself. He�s a grown-up.� Debbie fell silent, and gave Justin an appraising glance. �Hmm,� she said, �I�ve got my eye on you, but that�s good enough for now.� She paused, added more gently, �I know it can�t be easy. But however bad it seemed at home... Your folks want you back.� Justin looked away uneasily. Brian decided the subject should be changed immediately. �By the way, Justin,� said Brian, �This is Debbie. You may have seen her around. She�s the self-appointed matriarch of our fine Liberty Avenue society.� Debbie laughed loudly. �Fine, asshole, I forgive you,� she told Brian. Justin laughed softly at that, and Debbie turned to him. She looked him over from head to toe, and nodded absently. �Well, you definitely need some food in you. Shall I serve you tonight�s special? Tuna casserole melt with fries and a shake...� Justin nodded. �Yes, please,� he said, and Brian half-expected him to pitch on a �ma�am� at the end for good measure. Justin was probably terrified, just hiding it well. Debbie had that effect on people. Debbie�s eyes crinkled, and she pinched his cheek roughly. �You�ve got a fucking gorgeous smile, kid.� Justin smiled a little bit wider at that. �It�s nice to meet you, Debbie,� he said. Debbie grinned and left to take their order, tossing a smug �ha!� over her shoulder at Brian. * Hunter tried to maneuver through the darkened kitche...
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