


Light of the Moon

by KinnetikArt23



Category: Queer as Folk
Genre: Romance, Sci-Fi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2012-03-09
Packaged: 2015-04-15 16:47:09
Rating: M
Chapters: 14
Words: 60,767
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7645242/1/
Author URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2995450/KinnetikArt23
Summary: Brian Kinney has come to terms with what he is but when he meets a young artist named Justin Taylor, will he be able to tear down his walls of fear and protection? Or will he walk alone with his curse in the light of the moon?





	1. Chapter 1: Hair of the Dog

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter One:**

**Hair of the Dog**

-August 2003, Colorado Springs-

_Brian's P.O.V_

I would never admit this to anyone, but I actually loved traveling for my business. I always complained whenever some high end account would need to meet at their corporate offices to discuss a new ad campaign. But in all honesty, I loved visiting new places. However, when I received a call from Yukon Automotive Co. asking if the top ad executive of Kinnetik Inc. would draw up a brand new advertisement, I couldn't pass it by. Of course, I accepted before I realized that the cooperation was in the middle of fucking nowhere.

Mr. Clay Renfro, the owner, had neglected to mention this little fact. But I made sure that I got a good deal in the end. I had Mr. Renfro put me up in one of Colorado Spring's most beautiful and scenic hotels.

I arrived at the Colorado Springs airport on time. A black Lincoln Town Car was waiting outside as I gathered my bags. I was taken to the breath-taking Broadmoor Hotel on Lake Avenue. I watched as a bell boy rushed to the car and began unloading my bags. I happened to catch a glimpse of his name tag before he turned away from me. Luke. Luke led me into the rustic lobby that was adorned with a chandelier and a gorgeous oak staircase positioned next to the check-in desk. The little man behind the counter saw me approach and greeted me.

"Ahh, you must be Mr. Kinney." I nodded my head briefly and gave a smug smile. "Your room number is 621, on the sixth floor of course. Everything is ready for you and your bags will be taken up by the bell boy."

I took the room key and headed for the elevators at the end of the room. The staircase may have been beautiful, but I was exhausted from the flight. The number 6 in the elevator was aglow as I rode in silence. The doors opened and I was greeted with a young couple, obviously on their honeymoon, staggering into the elevator as I made my escape.

Fucking breeders. I've never understood why people did that to themselves.

I found my room and slid the card key in the slot above the handle. With the little green light signaling my entrance, I turned the handle and walked into one of the most ornately decorated rooms I'd ever seen. The rustic look had been carried over into this room, along with touches of modern elegance. Golds and dark blues were obviously the color pallet for this particular abode, but I didn't mind. I wasn't paying for it. At that, I gave myself a smile and a 'good one Kinney.'

Renfro had told me that whatever I wanted would be on his bill so I picked up the menu for room service and ordered a bottle of Dom Perignon. As I waited for my wine to be delivered to the room, I walked over to the windows and looked out over the amazing scene. Mountains gave the illusion that they were touching the sky as the sun began to set. I gazed over the sky and the faint image of the full moon, waiting to take over for the sun.

I heard a knock on the door. I answered it to find the little bell boy Luke holding my bottle of wine. I looked him up and down, remembering the hot little ass I had followed into the hotel. I reached out and pulled him inside by the front of his shirt, slamming the door behind him.

This was going to be a very good night.

I opened my eyes looked at the clock beside the bed. 1:30am. I leaned up in my bed and realized that Luke had obviously let himself out because of the lack of him being beside me. I breathed in deeply and threw my legs over the side of the bed. The instant my feet hit the floor, I felt an unmistakable pounding in my head. I shut my eyes tight and pulled my hands to massage my temples. When I had had enough of that, I tried once more to stand. This time, my head pounded a little less so I steadied myself and grabbed some clothes. I threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of shoes. A walk seemed like the perfect cure for the beginnings of a hangover.

The night sky was clear as I made my way across the garden of the hotel. I lowered my head and watched my feet carry me across the smooth grass. I didn't even bother to look up considering that the resort backed up to a clear field and the mountain range. Every now and again, I would glance up toward the sky and see the full moon. It's powerful radiance shown down on me like a powerful streetlight. There was basically no need to have my own source of light. I had always loved when the moon was full. But if I had ever told anyone that, I'd be mercilessly teased by my friends and "family." There was a lot that I couldn't tell people. They just judge face value. But I guess, in a way, so did I.

Jesus...what the fuck was in that wine?

I finally looked up and saw that I was nowhere near the hotel. In fact, the terrain under my feet had become a bit rocky a while back. I glanced around me and couldn't really tell where I was. I looked behind me but I couldn't see any sign of a hotel. Or anything else for that matter. I took a deep breath and turned around, assuming that if I just back-tracked I'd return to the hotel.

As I wandered through what looked like mountain side, I felt the wind pick up speed. It whipped through my hair and blew bits of gravel and rock everywhere. I stopped for a moment and attempted to wait out the wind when I heard what sounded like rocks being knocked from above. In fact, they were because a few of the smaller ones landed on me. I felt my heart rate quicken as I heard rustling above me. Fuck the wind. I decided that I had to get back to the hotel faster than fucking fast.

I tried to move quickly but apparently, my feet had other plans. The shuffling sound above me was also beginning to speed up. My brain was telling my feet to hurry the fuck up but they just weren't getting the memo. My breathing was becoming more erratic by the second and the pounding in my head came back with a vengeance.

That's when I heard the loudest screeching howl...and to make matters worse, it was directly over me. Jesus fucking Christ! I had never been in track but at that moment, I could've out ran the best. My arms were drawing intense friction on my sides as I ran blindly through the night. Hell, I was probably running in circles but I just had the creeping feeling in my gut to keep moving.

I ran past cliffs and towering mountain sides before my lungs started screaming at me to stop. Shit. I really needed to stop smoking. I came to a halt where a mountain ledge and a large boulder came together. Sitting down on the boulder to catch my much needed breath, I began to frantically look around me. Whatever had been chasing me had obviously given up a while back because all I heard in the night was the chirping of crickets and the light wind. When I determined that it was safe, I blew out a gust of breath that I had was unknowingly holding. I began to try and calm myself, breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. I leaned back on the boulder and closed my eyes.

That must've been a wolf. Hell, I'm in Colorado. Those things are everywhere out here I guess.

I just sat on the rock and listened to the gentle rhythm of the crickets chirping combined with the gentle whistle of the breeze through a few nearby trees. I continued breathing and thought about which direction the hotel could be when I noticed that the crickets had stopped chirping. I furrowed my brow. That's odd. Every fucking cricket sto...My thought was ceased my a low throaty sound right behind me. My breath hitched when I heard the sound of nails being dragged across the surface of the boulder. I felt my body begin to tremble and my hands begin to shake.

This was it. The legendary fight or flight moment. I may be a force to be reckoned with in the conference room and at Babylon...but this was neither. This was the fucking *wild*.

I decided.

I slowly placed both of my hands on the boulder, trying with all my might not to move more than necessary. I carefully pulled both of my feet into place and began to lift my body. The growling was growing increasingly louder and obviously more agitated by my actions. I heard more nails scraping the boulder and froze. My curiosity wanted to know just what was behind me but my rationality...did-fucking-not. When the growling reached the low throaty rumble again, I tried to move once more. I successfully planted my feet onto the ground where I needed them. My arms supported my body weight as I slowly reached the upright and standing position. My hands were by my side now balled into fists, palms sweaty, and knuckles white. I rolled my lips into my mouth and made up my mind.

I had to know what the fuck this was.

Slowly turning around, I kept my eyes low to the ground. I guess some things learned in school can *really* be applied to real life...when dealing with a fucking wild animal unexpectedly. When I could see the bottom half of the boulder, I stopped. The growling had grown and I could hear the malicious snarls in between each gasped breath. I decided that looking at this thing was going to be like finding out what prize Bob had on the Price is Right...you don't fucking see it until you see it. With a slow but fluid motion, I lifted my head. What I saw...I had no fucking words for. Fur, claws, big ass teeth, yellowish brown eyes...a wolf. But not a wolf. This...thing stood on two legs...and was staring me down. These things have a damn name. What is it. A...a...

Holy shit. My eyes grew wide as I realized just what the hell this thing was. But these things don't exist...they shouldn't. These things are make-believe. Not roaming the Colorado desert.

I finally knew what I was looking at. A fucking werewolf.

"Fuck this!" I gasped out as I turned to run.

But before my foot could even find the ground again, I was tasting blood and gravel. Everything went dark as the massive form blindsided me and took me to the ground.

I couldn't hear anything...not even a fucking cricket.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I breathed deep and smelled an almost iron-y scent mixed with a lemony fresh smell. I must be dead. I willed my eyes to open and was bombarded with the brightest light on Earth. Yep. I'm dead. I shut my eyes and gave in to my fate when I heard what sounded like a door open and close. I heard someone tinkering with something next to me and tried to open my eyes again. No luck. That's when the someone spoke to me.

"Mr. Kinney?" The voice was soft and sounded feminine. "Mr. Kinney? Are you awake?"

I managed to open one eye and look for the source of the sound. A woman, probably in her early thirties, with brownish hair and green eyes was standing next to me. I opened my mouth but no sound followed.

"Here Mr. Kinney." I heard from the woman as I felt a straw being pushed between my lips. I sucked slowly and was treated with a flow of cool, crisp water. I drank every drop from the cup before she removed the straw from my mouth. I began to blink my eyes, focusing was presenting a problem in the blazing light.

"Can you...turn that fucking light off?" I rasped out. Pitter-pattering footsteps and a moment later, the room was a bit darker. "Thank you." I opened my eyes fully, focusing on my surroundings and the woman standing at the foot of the bed that I was in. I looked to my left and saw a tower with an bag attached to it, leading an IV into my arm. This was accompanied by a few other medical machines.

I was obviously in a hospital.

"How are you feeling Mr. Kinney?" The woman piped up as she picked up a chart and looked it over. I put my tongue in my cheek.

"I feel amazing. That's why I'm in the fucking hospital. When am I getting out of here?" I asked, rather annoyed. Why did they always ask you how you were feeling. It's not like I was going to jump up and dance on the bed. In fact, if I did, I think I'd die. "My ribs are killing me and my shoulder stings like a son of a bitch."

The woman walked around the bed and approached the shoulder I'd mentioned. I watched as she pulled gauze away from three huge gashes next to my clavical bone. The deep wounds stretched from my left pectoral over my shoulder and what felt like my left shoulder blade. She redressed the wound and pulled the blanket from my chest, revealing large splotched bruises on my entire abdomen.

"What happened?" I asked as she gently inspected the markings.

"Well, one of the staff at the Broadmoor Hotel found you in the Colorado desert about a half mile from the hotel. He said that you hadn't checked back at the front desk for almost eight hours so they sent out a search party. He found you like this. You'd lost a lot of blood so they brought you straight here." She said as she brought a rolling table next to the bed and began to take a blood sample. "Do you know what attacked you?"

Now that was the million dollar question wasn't it. I could either lie to her or I could tell her the truth and sound crazy. Either way, I had to get the hell out of here. I fucking hate hospitals.

"I think it was a wolf. It was dark and I was lost, so there's that. I don't really remember." I lied. What the hell, it wasn't like there'd be an official investigation or anything. The woman nodded and put the blood sample onto the rolling tray.

I woke up the next morning to the feeling of someone touching me. My first instinct was to jerk away. It had been like that since I was a kid and Jack would drink. I opened my eyes and looked toward the perpetrator. A man in a white doctors jacket was standing to my left with two nurses flanking him. I furrowed my brow at the looks on their faces.

"What? Am I growing another arm or something?" I said with just the right amount of sarcasm. The doctor looked up at me, not bothering to change his shock and awe expression.

"Mr. Kinney...this is just. I don't have words for this." He said with a blatant incredulous tone. I looked down at the object of his surprise and was shocked myself. The wound that was so deep and bloody yesterday had almost completely healed. One of the nurses practically jogged around the bed and lifted the blanket from my chest. I heard her short-lived gasp as she touched my skin.

"Doctor. It's the same for the bruises." She said, looking up at the doctor and then to me.

Were hospital employees always surprised when patients made a recovery. Damn, I guess that deal with the morgue wasn't going through today. I pulled the blanket from the nurses hand and shrugged the doctor from my once bloody shoulder.

"So can I go now?" I said flatly. The doctor just shook his head slightly, still wearing a now dumb looking stunned expression. "Hello? Anyone in there?"

"Mr. Kinney, this is a most remarkable recovery." The older man said as he peeked above the rims of his glasses. "I'd really like it if you'd stay here for a few days while we ran some tests." I laughed out loud at that statement.

"Sorry doc. No fucking way. One day is enough. Two days is maddening. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's somewhere I have to be. Discharge me." I stated bluntly. If I had to spend one more day in this place, I'd go out of my fucking mind. I continued to stare at the doctor until he took the hint and went to discharge me.

I left the Colorado Springs General Hospital at around 4 in the afternoon. I flipped my cell phone open and dialed Mr. Renfro's number. The phone rang twice before I heard the familiar raspy voice.

"Mr. Renfro? This is Brian Kinney. I'm calling to see if there was any possibility that we could meet this afternoon around 6."

"Brian, I heard what happened to you. I'm deeply sorry that you experienced that here and I would be delighted to meet this afternoon. One question though, how are you out of the hospital so soon?" I shrugged my shoulders even though he couldn't see me over the phone.

"I guess it's a modern day miracle." The sarcasm was apparent in my voice but Mr. Renfro completely missed it and chuckled softly.

"I guess so."

The meeting with Renfro went as good as it possibly could have. I nabbed the account and called my accountant Ted Schmidt to notify him. I decided to leave out the tidbit of information about the attack. No one needed to know about it if there weren't any marks. Except for the hideous scar that now adorned my left shoulder. But that wasn't anything that good old fashioned plastic surgery couldn't take care of. Shit...more hospital time.

I've got it. Scar cream. Well...that's solved.

I boarded the plane headed back for Pittsburgh when my head began to pound. I brought my hand up and massaged my temples when my ears were suddenly assaulted by a barrage of noises around me. I could hear the footsteps from a man at the coffee shop, a woman whispering on a cell phone at the other end of the terminal, and the sound of toilets being flushed simultaneously. I felt like my head was going to explode when I was brought out of my thoughts by the flight attendant's voice.

"Mr. Kinney? Mr. Kinney?" I looked at her questioningly. "Your ticket?" I handed her the ticket and let her examine it.

I boarded the plane and found my seat quickly enough. I popped a few Excedrin and leaned back in the seat. I drifted off to sleep and remained that way until I landed in Pittsburgh.

-September 2003-

For the past week, I had been suffering from near crippling migraines. I would wake up in the morning and be completely fine. But toward the end of the day, these overwhelming sounds would harass my ears and cause a migraine to follow. I went to a doctor but all the diagnoses were the same...stress. Well, owning an advertising company is kind of difficult without stress. In fact, it's damn near impossible.

I was sitting in my office at Kinnetik on Saturday night around sunset, running through some new client contracts. I had another migraine and I had read the same contract three times when I tossed the papers onto the desk. I covered my face with my hands and spun my chair around, facing the large windows behind my desk. As I ran my hands over my face and into my hair, I noticed the faint full moon as the sun set.

Fuck this. I'm not going to be stuck behind a desk on a Saturday night. I got up from my desk and made my way to retrieve my coat and briefcase. I reached down to pick up my briefcase when I felt a sharp pain shooting through my ribs. The intensity of the pain was so great that I doubled over and let out a short, breathy sound. I waited a moment until the pain subsided and stood up straight again. I took a deep breath and reached down once more.

This time the pain spread. I felt my muscles twisting and burning. I didn't even hold my screams back as I fell to my knees. I heard the distinct sound of bones breaking, the volume of my screams rose significantly. I brought my hand to my chest when my heart began to beat with a harsher thudding. My breathing was erratic and I felt like my lungs were going to explode within a moments notice. I doubled over again, planting one hand on the floor. When my eyes opened slightly, I was stunned to see my hand covered in a thick fuzzy mass and blood. The source of the blood had been when newly sharper and more grotesque nails had ripped through my fingertips. I closed my eyes tight, not wanting to believe anything that was occurring.

My chest felt so constricted under my shirt and suit jacket that I violently ripped them off. At this point, my fucking clothes were not important. The rest of my clothes accompanied the shirt and jacket on the floor. With every movement I took, violent and searing shots of pain were coursing through my body. I opened my mouth, thinking that a scream would flow out, but nothing followed. I felt my lungs constrict and a wave of nausea flooded my entire body.

Flesh ripped and torn, fur covered limbs and body, and newly heightened senses.

Then, everything was lost.

-The Next Morning-

I woke up and felt a huge relief overtake me. I felt as if I had just gone through a deep body massage. I blinked my eyes, letting them adjust to the blinding light. My surroundings were a bit blurry as I stood up from the hard surface I had been sleeping on. I stretched my arms above my head when my eyes had finally focused.

Kinnetik. My office. My fucking *trashed* office. I dropped my jaw and looked around me, at the shreds of office that was left. Papers strewn all over the floor, furniture not only knocked over but shredded, lamps busted, a completely fried and useless computer. And to top it all off, my glass desk had been shattered into a million pieces. Even the metal frame was twisted and mangled beyond recognition. What the fuck had happened here last night? I wracked my brain, trying to remember what had happened.

It was unusually cold in my office so I was running my hands over my body, trying to create some much needed warmth, when I brushed them over the scars on my shoulder. My eyes widened and I spun around in place, looking at everything again.

Did I? Was I?

That's when bits and pieces of last night were stitched together and I remembered. I dropped my hands to my sides and balled them into fists.

"This is fucking perfect! I'm a goddamned werewolf!" I shouted, not even worrying whether or not someone could possibly hear me.

I grabbed what was left of my clothes and put them on, probably looking like a homeless person. I glanced around the room, wondering if I should clean it or not. Fuck it. I decided that I would call in the repairmen and not even file it as damages. I could afford it. Not even looking back, I practically ran out the door to my Stingray.

I sped toward the loft, not even obeying the speed limit. The only thing on my mind was that I was fucking starving.


	2. Chapter 2: Sydney Blooming Artist Gall

** The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2:**

**The Sydney Blooming Artist Gallery**

-August 2011-

_Brian's P.O.V_

It has been eight years to the day since that fateful visit to Colorado. Since then, I have learned to manage my...condition. I have purchased my apartment building on the corner of Fuller and Tremont, and refurbished the bottom floor to suit my needs for that one night out of the month. My friends and family still don't know what I am and I like it that way. Less questions and freak outs. The only problem that I have now is when my best friend Michael complains that I can't go out clubbing every night with him. Sometimes I wish our conversations would go something lie this...

"Brian! Let's go to Babylon!" "I can't Mikey, it's not a good night for me." "Why not? Come on! It'll be fun." "Okay Michael...I hope you like the way I look in the moonlight!" Then I'd change and he'd scream, run away, and I'd never see him again.

That was what I wished would happen. In a way, I think it would be freeing on my part. Not having to live a lie, just being able to be what I am and nothing else. But sometimes things don't work out nicely. Sometimes we have to hide. After all, it's not lying if they make you lie.

But I had to push those thoughts from my mind tonight. I had to impress a client, some artsy woman with a taste for abstract art. I stood in front of the mirror in my loft and tried to find the right shirt to wear. I finally decided on a black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of expensive, dark wash jeans. I threw on a black leather jacket and a pair of Gucci loafers. My face wore the scruffy look of an unshaven stubble. I looked at myself in the mirror, my still toned 37 year old body looked immaculately artsy in my outfit. I even had the tousled hair and unshaven look to pair with it.

I had noticed over the years that I wasn't aging like I should be. Hell...I drink like a fish, smoke all the time, and use quite a few drugs...well, more than a few but who's really keeping count.

I grabbed my keys and headed for the Sydney Bloom Gallery for the show. I was supposed to meet this woman, Janet Edelstein, out front and give her a wonderful night. That and get her to sign a ten million dollar contract with Kinnetik for her cosmetics company. The phone conversation I had with her was fairly informative, she stated repeatedly about how excited she was to meet the artist in question tonight. He was some 25 year old abstract artist from New York displaying his work in his hometown. Hell, from what I had researched about the kid, he was the next Picasso or Andy Warhol or some shit like that. I tried to find a picture but there weren't any that weren't grainy as hell. So, tonight, I was shooting in the dark...hoping to find the right guy and impress the fuck out of Ms. Edelstein. Let the game begin.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I always loved coming back home. I mean, it's the Pitts but it's home. I had landed at the airport and visited with my mom a bit before my manager and closest friend Daphne told me that we had to begin setting up for the show. I was supposed to meet with some woman named Lindsay Petersen and clear all of my work with her before we could get everything green-lit. This show was small compared to the ones that I displayed in New York, but that really didn't matter to me. I never wanted to become some huge phenomenon artist of the century, I just wanted to paint. But needless to say, here I was...the most raved about artist in the United States.

I walked around the room looking at all of my pieces, making sure that they were perfectly placed and in order. That was probably one of the only problems that I had with showing my art in a new place, the owner of the gallery never knew how to place my work. Half the time, they never knew what they meant so how the hell could they get it right. My work always...always meant something, either literally or figuratively. Shit, I had to tell Daphne what they meant. She always complained when some of my work was too dark, saying that no one would buy the ones that weren't happy. Fuck that. To be completely honest, I'm not happy. Of course, I smile at everyone in the room and make nice with the potential customers...but on the inside, I wish I had something more. Something was...missing.

"Damn, Justin...think any harder and your head will explode." I smiled softly as Daphne put her hand on my forearm and looked at me in a knowing way. "I just came over to tell you that the show will start in about 10 minutes so is everything where it needs to be?"

I gave the gallery one last look and nodded my head. I began to chew on my thumb nail as Daphne smiled and walked away. I always got nervous about new openings but tonight seemed different. It felt like I had a brigade of butterflies in my stomach fighting to see which one could fly hardest. I took a deep breath and steadied myself for the barrage of people to come.

_Brian's P.O.V_

Right on time. Ms. Edelstein is waiting at the door for me as I pull up to the curb. There is a swarm of people heading in and out of the gallery. Wonderful, a crowded little building. I parked my Stingray and plastered on my best fake smile as I got out and headed toward her.

"Mr. Kinney. Right on time, perfect! And looking good but I guess that's not hard for you, huh." She spoke with an almost flirtatious wisp in her voice. If she only knew that she was barking up the wrong tree, she'd tuck her tail between her legs and scamper off. But, she was a potential client and I needed to behave...tonight. I choked back a sarcastic remark and just smiled smugly. We made our way inside the bustling little gallery. The air in the place wasn't as stagnant as I thought it would be, instead it was quite pleasant. Well, as pleasant as it could be considering there were a few questionable looking patrons walking about. I glanced down at Ms. Edelstein and could tell that she was pleased by the artistry surrounding her. The ear to ear smile might have given it away. Maybe. Honestly, if I didn't have my mask of indifference over my expressions I would've probably looked like that. The artist, whoever he was, was obviously quite talented. My eyes raked over the vibrant paintings of almost every color, the emotion radiating off of them was powerful enough to knock you down.

They were fucking amazing. Ms. Edelstein and I separated for a moment to explore the venue and the artistry. I grazed over a few cheery looking paintings until I found one that was more fitting for me. The colors were spectacularly dark and brooding, whipping around in an almost twisted manner. I just stood there a moment staring...searching for the hidden meaning behind the terrific darkness. Before long, I found that I had gotten lost in the painting...there was something hidden but yet in plain sight that almost seemed to haunt me. I had been staring at the painting for so long that I hadn't realized that someone was standing next to me. Well, I wouldn't have realized if it weren't for his intense smell. He smelled of eucalyptus, vanilla, and...something else. Whatever it was was fucking intoxicating.

I glanced over to the sight of a smallish pale man standing almost flank next to me. He looked up at me when I stared at him for a moment.

"I take it that you like it or you hate it." The attractive man said as he made eye contact with me, his almost translucent blue eyes penetrating me. I was overcome with his scent and those eyes. But then it happened. When I hadn't said anything for a minute, I saw his mouth stretch into a blazing smile that could've rivaled the sun. Almost unconsciously, I smiled back at him and nodded.

"So, do you like it or do you hate it?" He repeated with an adorable bite of his lip.

"It doesn't really matter what I think does it. It'll sell because it's good." I said, my advertising tongue seemed to make his smile dim a bit.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had seen him as soon as he entered the Sydney Bloom Gallery. His tall, dark frame along with his impeccable style of something between careless and couture seemed to distract me from the current conversation between an interested client and Daphne. I had been discussing a price on one of my larger paintings when he had walked in. Stopping dead in my conversation and looking at him had aroused Daphne's curiosity until she saw what I was seeing. I hated the fucking smug smile that she always got when she knew that I was being a horny 25 year old looking for a hot stud to get wrapped up with. I heard something to the tune of Daphne sealing the deal with the client and then coming to stand behind me, her mouth to my ear.

"He's straight Jus. Look, he's with a woman and he looks like a scruffy, sexy straight guy." She whispered as I began to slowly shake my head.

"I don't know Daph, there's something about him." I said as I saw the mystery man separate from the woman to stand at Night, my most personal and darkest work. I almost unconsciously smiled when he stood there examining it for quite a long time. I asked myself if I should go over and talk to him or just watch him from a distance. After a few moments consideration and the fact that if I just stood here staring at him it would seem a bit stalkerish, I made the decision.

Before I could talk myself out of it, my feet were on a beaten path toward him. I came to a stop almost flank with him and looked at the painting next to him. I glanced up at him the first time and what I saw made me want to ask him a million questions, but where to start. His brows were furrowed and his eyes had a hint of fear, realization, and a kindled interest in the depths that I had painted into that piece. I watched as he breathed deeply and an almost contented smile stretched across his lips for a brief moment before he looked down at me.

I asked him if he liked it or hated it. Nothing. But there was more than nothing in the look that he gave me. My eyes connected with his gorgeous hazel orbs. His eyes seemed to be looking deeper than the surface, almost soul deep. I asked him again and his reaction confused me for a moment. I watched as all of the emotions that I had just seen on his face be washed away by a mask of cool and collected facial expressions.

It intrigued me.

"Well, it actually matters because there is a lot going on in this painting. I mean, the colors, the lines, the emotion. They all mean something and it matters because this is a strong painting..."

"A strong painting for strong emotions?" He finished for me. I smiled as he looked back toward the piece. His eyes erratically raked the painting over before his eyes were on me again.

"I'm Brian. Brian Kinney." He said as he inched closer to me, his actions becoming clearer to me. We were only a few inches apart now and I could smell his cologne radiating off of him in a rhythmic symphony of light yet strong waves. Not overpowering but just enough yearning. I locked eyes with him as I spoke.

"I'm Justin Taylor...the artist." I smiled as I watched his right eyebrow quirk upward and a soft smile grace his lips. "So...the question remains. Like it or hate it."

_Brian's P.O.V_

The artist. Tricky little fucker. I liked that.

I looked back toward the painting and studied it a bit more before making eye contact with Justin again.

"I like it." I said with a shrug. He laughed a bit throatily. The sexiest sound in the world.

"Do you really? Or are you just saying that because I told you that I was the artist." He said as he gave me an innocent smile. As I started to answer his question, I felt a light touch to my forearm. I looked away from Justin's piercing blue eyes to see Ms. Edelstein's muddy brown eyes piercing through Justin. Was that jealousy? She gave an almost smug smile as she spoke.

"Oh Brian, I found you. So is there any way that you could introduce me to the artist? That is if you can find him." She laughed at her own very not funny and slightly unfortunate joke. Her laugh sounded like something between a hyena and a parakeet. The worst sound in the world. I smiled the very same smile that I would give to my mother when she would rant about the Bible and I would humor her.

"Well, Ms. Edelstein," I made a point not to call her Janet. "you see, this is Justin Taylor. He is the artist." I saw the realization on her face as it turned a hearty shade of crimson. The sarcastic comment was biting at the back of my lips along with the throaty laugh.

"Oh...I'm..uhh...I'm Janet Edelstein..."

"My client." I interrupted her, seemingly to Justin's delight. He pursed his lips together and both eyebrows went skyward. To most everyone else, the gesture would've come across as annoyance but I knew that look. He didn't give a flying fuck what her name was...all he had heard was that we weren't together.

"Well it's very nice to meet you Ms. Edelstein. How are you liking the show?" This guy...Justin...was quite a talented ass-kisser. Janet was swooning as he continued to barrage her with very witty conversation and when the conversation was over, he had made a sale. He sold her some cheery looking painting and she was all smiles.

"Well, Mr. Taylor, you're quite the talented artist and you're a better conversationalist." I saw from Justin's subtle expressions and actions that he was beginning to get slightly annoyed with Janet's constant pandering. For a moment, I locked eyes with those oceanic orbs and I smiled a small, interested smile.

"Ms. Edelstein, I think it's time we head over to L'Montage and discuss our business. I'm sure Mr. Taylor has some more sales to make. Shall we?" Janet smiled graciously toward Justin and nodded her affirmation toward me.

_Justin's P.O.V_

This bitch was getting on my last nerve and the fact that she introduced herself like she was with Brian made me want to cringe. However, when Brian made it perfectly clear that they were not together, I couldn't help but show my happiness. What I didn't account for was that Brian would be able to read me like I was an open book. But what he didn't realize was...I could do the same for him.

Every time he rolled his lips into his mouth I knew that he was trying to be sweet without seeming to be. Every time he crooked his right eyebrow I knew that there were a few options, pissed, impressed, or in one case...I think...turned on. Watching his reactions to different things made me that much more intrigued by this man. It was like I was watching the entire kaleidoscope of human emotion run through the body of a highly trained soldier...and it was utterly fascinating. But when he announced that they would be leaving, I couldn't help but frown a little.

"Well...it was nice to meet you both." I said to both of them but my eyes were almost trained on Brian.

"You to Mr. Taylor." Brian said with his tongue in his cheek. Fucking hell, this man couldn't be more sexy if he were a walking orgy. I gave him one last longing look before I made to turn around and walk away. I had made it a few feet before hearing a godsend.

"Ms. Edelstein, I'll meet you at the restaurant. I just have to ask someone something." I heard Brian's distinct baritone voice say behind me. I shut my eyes tight and drew a deep breath. That's when I felt a warm, strong hand on my bicep.

"It's not that easy Mr. Taylor." He said and I laughed. I spun around to look into those hazel eyes once more. "What time does this circus shut down anyway?" I smiled.

"It's closed at 10, but there's always the packing up so we shut down around 11 or so." I said in an almost seductive tone as I watched his eyebrow quirk and his tongue plant firmly in his cheek.

"Well, how about ducking out early. Say around 9:30 or so." He said in the same tone. If I didn't have my hand planted on an hors'derves table I would've fallen. He was standing so close to me now that I could feel the heat radiating off of his broad chest. God this has to be a dream. A very sexy, very tall dream. Keep it together Taylor, don't be a fucking spaz right now.

"I'd say that sounds like a plan Mr. Kinney." I drawled as Brian licked his lips and rolled them into his mouth. He nodded and made to turn away.

"Later." He almost whispered and then walked away.

"Later." I repeated nearly to myself. I felt my face flush and my knees go weak as he left the gallery. I let out the breath of air that I had been holding and smiled one of the biggest smiles that I could. When I finally got my legs to stop shaking, I turned to see Daphne with an amazed look on her face. This was one of the rare moments that I had been right and I wanted to gloat a bit. So I strolled up to her with a sly smile on my face.

"I'll be ducking out at around 9:30 Daph...don't wait up." I whispered into her ear secretively. As I walked away I heard her laugh of disbelief. I didn't look back as I heard her speak.

"One fucking time!" She semi-shouted and then blushed as everyone's heads turned to look at her.

All I did was laugh.

-Later that Night-

_Brian's P.O.V_

Another account nailed but as I waved goodbye to Janet, my night was just beginning. Right now, I had somewhere to be. And that somewhere was a little place called Justin Taylor.

I parked directly in front of the Sydney Bloom Gallery and stepped out of my Stingray. I stood there a moment and looked at the time on my cell phone. 9:25. Minutes to spare? Damn, this wasn't a common occurrence in my life. Actually being on time for something was different but being early. That was fucking abnormal for me. I pulled out the pack of Natural American Spirits and touched the tip of the cigarette with my Zippo. I inhaled deeply, exhaling the delicious smoke.

I stubbed out the cigarette when I saw a blond head weaving through the crowd toward the door. His movements were erratic and I couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked when he emerged from the building. I figured that I would have a little fun.

"Where you headed?" I said with a smirk as I watched his razor sharp wit keep my pace.

"Nowhere special." He said with a smile, keeping his space as if I were a complete stranger.

"I can change that." I said as I put my tongue in my cheek and nodded my head toward my car. His smile widened and he walked over to the Stingray.

"So...Mr. Kinney, where are we headed?" He said as he inched closer to me, brushing his hand over my chest sensuously. I looked at his aquamarine orbs and smiled.

"My place." I whispered and that was all it took. Our faces were now only centimeters apart. I glanced into those eyes again before I craned my neck, sweeping up his lips with my own. Soft, plump, and sweet. I wrapped my lips around his beautiful mouth as his hand reached around to find a new home of my neck and hair. My tongue begged entrance at his lips until they parted and gave way to a valley of warm sweetness. Our tongues battled for a moment until I regretfully pulled away, breaking the kiss with a faint pop. His eyes were half hooded and I smiled.

"Let's go." He whispered breathlessly. I didn't protest.

We were headed to my loft without a hitch.


	3. Chapter 3: The Good, The Bad, and the

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3:**

**The Good, The Bad, and The Kinky**

_Justin's P.O.V_

When I entered Brian's apartment, that's exactly what I was expecting...a fucking apartment. Not an entire penthouse style loft. But that's what I got. And it was wonderfully beautiful. I didn't get a chance to check out the decor but I didn't mind the distraction. During the entire car ride I felt like a horny teenager again. Grasping at shirt collars and gasping breaths between searching mouths hungry for hot tongues exploring willingly. The elevator ride had been much of the same. But as soon as the door of his loft was opened, that's when the real fun began.

I felt his warm hands teasing the hem of my shirt higher as his tongue lapped at the roof of my mouth. The passion in his kiss was almost animalistic in its intensity. I loved it. We were both panting and I could feel my hot skin itching to be free of these constricting clothes. I ran my hand over the front of his jeans, lingering on the hard flesh below...the sizeable...hard flesh below. I smiled into his mouth as we broke our kiss only long enough to pull our shirts over our heads. My hands trailed down his expanse of a chest, down his softly haired trail of hair that gave way to the treat just below. I unbuttoned his pants and came to the happy realization that there was nothing underneath. I let my head fall back as I looked into his lust-hooded eyes, I smiled. He half-smiled back at me when I pulled the hard flesh free from its denim prison. My smile faded as in one fluid motion, I captured his entire length into my mouth and down my throat. The sound that I elicited from him was delicious. A throaty moan and gasp combination that made me take him further into my mouth just to hear it again.

I kept up a rhythm of flicking my tongue against the sensitive head of his cock and running the flat of my tongue on the underside. Every time my tongue passed over his leaking slit, I would hear the delicious moan. I knew he had to be close because I felt his fingers twist through my hair tighter and tighter. When I felt the white, hot prize shoot into my mouth as Brian let out one final guttural moan, I swallowed eagerly. His breathing was erratic and his body slumped a little from the release while I slowly and sensuously licked the remnants of his load from his beautiful cock.

Lifting myself from my knees, I quickly found his mouth to plant a soft yet firm kiss on the plumped, reddened lips. I ran my fingers through his already tousled auburn hair as I let him direct me to the bedroom. His hands quickly found the button and fly of my jeans, tearing them from me like a wild man.

Our clothes now forgotten, scattered in a trail from the door to the bed, Brian backed me up to the foot of the bed. The intensity in his eyes was more than I could stand in the moment but it enticed me nonetheless. He ravaged my mouth, tongues battling...fighting to duke it out in wet, hot caverns. I felt his hands tangle in my hair, almost painfully but arousing me with the slight pain. I unintentionally broke our kiss as I lost my balance and fell back onto the bed. I let out an almost drunken laugh as I looked up at him still towering over me like an Egyptian statue of a God. His chest was barely glistening in the soft glow of the room. I reached up from my place on the bed to trail my fingers down his broad chest. His breath hitched when I reached his spent member. I smiled. But before I could blink, he had enveloped my body with his own. He pinned my arms to the bed and was trailing his tongue down my chest. He stopped just short of my painfully hard cock. I let out a disappointed moan as he bypassed my pleading flesh. When he gently bit the inside of my thigh I jumped and let out a surprised gasp. I heard his soft laughter as he continued.

"What do you want?" His voice was low and sultry, the sexiest sound in the world. My brain was trying to find the words but my mouth was betraying me in the awe of the moment. His eyes were now fixed with mine and our mouths were so close I could feel his hot breath caressing my tender lips. I just stared into the two hazel eyes that was boring into my soul and could only manage a whisper.

"I...want you inside me." My voice nearly betrayed me but I managed. I saw a small smile play at his lips as he crept closer to my mouth, planting a small but passionate kiss there. He moved with a leopard's prowess as he inched us both closer to the headboard. His movements were so smooth and graceful yet masculine, it amazed and aroused me. I heard the condom wrapped tear and the bottle of lube opening. A slip of the hand and he was prepared. Next, his hand was inching closer to my opening...preparing me. When I was ready, I watched Brian position me with the same effortless grace. Legs slung over shoulders, mouths so close. Then I felt him push inside me.

My teeth assaulted my bottom lip as I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain and pleasure in one movement. He waited, eyes fixed with mine until I let out the breath and smiled. Our mouths were locked once more in a heated passion like none other. His thrusts were powerful and gentle, firm yet soft. I knew at that moment...the moment that I felt him enter me...that this man was it.

This man was the only person that I would ever fuck again. He was the one.

Climaxes, breathless moans, sweat-slicked skin. I could barely remember anything else as I fell asleep on Brian's chest. The rhythm of his chest rising and falling setting a perfect symphony to lull me into sleep's embrace.

_Brian's P.O.V_

As Justin was fast asleep on my chest, I laid there...thinking. My mind was coursing with a million thoughts but the most prominent one being how intense it had just been with Justin. How our bodies seemed to move in an unreal harmony. How we had cum within seconds of each other, arms tangled around one another. How I had kissed him, how he had kissed me. I felt a warm feeling in my gut and I knew what that feeling was. It may have been a long time since I've felt it but I still knew. That feeling was the love that I had forbidden myself to know. Ever since this fucking curse had been given to me, I had sworn off anything that resembled love. There was less of a chance that people would get hurt...myself included. I glanced down at the blond hair of a sleeping angel. His soft breath almost tickling my chest and his sated smile on those perfect lips. This was not good. Well, it was fucking amazing, but this...this feeling was the all-impending sign of doom for me. Why hadn't I just fucked him in the bathroom of the art gallery and have been done with it? I looked down once more, Justin's body curled closer to me and his little pale arm snaked around my waist. His smile grew a little wider as he snuggled into the crook of my arm.

That was why.

When I had first laid eyes on him, I knew that he was different. I knew that he wasn't some nameless, faceless trick. He was special. But that still brings the question of why had I done it. Of course, some shrink would say that 'my heart yearns for the love I never had' or 'your subconscious is telling you that it's time.' Fuck that. I knew better. I know that I would never be able to explain what I am without someone trying to commit me to a fucking nuthouse. No one would believe me. Besides, what is there to love? I mean, yeah, I have money, a business, and a nice loft...but why. Why would someone love a damaged, past-abused, fucking werewolf? I know...they can't. If it were me, I wouldn't.

Justin's sleeping form clung to me so sweetly and sensuously that I didn't want to move him. But I really needed to think some things over and that demanded a cigarette and a bottle of Jim Beam. So, I tried as quickly and quietly as possible to remove myself from the bed. When I had un-clung Justin from me, it was relatively easy to replace me with a pillow. His arms wrapped around my pillow and pulled it tight to his body. I couldn't help but smile at how innocent he looked. How peaceful, serene...careless.

He really didn't need my shit to worry about. Plus, he'd probably run screaming if he knew what I was. And honestly, I wouldn't blame him. I quietly made my way to the kitchen and retrieved my trusty bottle of bourbon, a glass, and a pack of cigarettes. The chaise next to the window seemed like a pretty good place to contemplate what the fuck I wanted...no, needed...to do. I took one last look at the serene sleeping form in my bed on my way to the chair. This needed to be quick and as painless as possible.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I opened my eyes and realized that I was alone in the massive bed of one Mr. Brian Kinney. But where the hell had he gone? I gathered the dark blue sheets up around myself and stood up from the California-King sized bed. I shivered as my warm feet were stunned by the cold floor. Stepping down the stairs that led from the bedroom to the rest of the loft, I was able to take in a bit of the decor. From my position at the stairs, I saw that the modern fixtures were tastefully accentuated by the eclectic essence of the plants and the rugs. I saw quite a bit of nature in his loft. There was a painting in the dining room area of a deeply set waterfall surrounded by an almost black and blue forest of trees and shrubs. I knew that must have been expensive, along with most of the other things in the place. I knew that some of the rugs that ran from the front door through the living room had to be hand woven because of their almost reminiscent Persian quality. They were beautiful with their touches of deep burgundy, sunset oranges, and sienna browns. If it weren't for the touches of color and nature, the entire place would've felt cold and lifeless. White furniture, steel and chrome...but the accents made the space what it was. It was a home.

After I had taken in the beautiful home, I continued on my journey to find Brian. I smiled when I stepped on a few articles of clothing. That had truly been an amazing session of...I'll call it what it was...love making. I turned around and faced a rather large painting on the wall farthest from the door. In all honesty, the painting that I saw took my breath away. Black, twisted reds, taunting oranges, and touches of golden death lunged forward at me in a jaded abstract intrusion. Something about this piece made my heart race and at the same time...frightened me. I saw the raw meaning of the painting...the meaning was utterly clear. This was painted to be an ode to self-hatred, violence, and a damaged soul. I would've stared at the piece all night had it not been for the subtle sound I heard coming from the window area. I turned my attention to the source and saw a not so peacefully sleeping Brian, half hunched over the side of a chair clutching an empty bottle of Jim Beam and holding a still-lit cigarette. I furrowed my brows and slowly walked toward him. I leaned down and took the cigarette from his hand, being careful not the drop the eternally long ash, putting it out in the glass ashtray on the floor. Next, I took the bourbon bottle from him, sitting it on the floor as well. With that done, I gently clutched his arm and pulled him from the seat. His eyes opened but just barely. I watched as his sleep and alcohol glazed eyes locked with mine while a lazy, sweet smile crossed his lips.

"Come on Brian...let's get you to bed." I whispered as he mumbled something that I couldn't understand. He complied and we made our way to the room. Our only obstacle were the stairs, to which Brian told them exactly where they could go. I think he said something like 'Stupid fuckers, tryna make me trip...Can jus go to fuckin' hell.' Yeah, I think that was it. I would've laughed if it wasn't itching me so bad to know what had driven him to get that drunk.

We managed the stairs and I got him to what I assumed was his side of the bed. He fell onto the soft mattress and I helped to pull his legs up. I leaned over him to retrieve the duvet when I heard the faintest of whispers come from the gorgeously drunk man below me.

"I love you..." He seemed to breath out in a low unconscious tone. But no matter how he said it, he still did. I couldn't help but smile as I pulled the duvet over his naked body. I decided that while this beautiful man was sleeping, I would have a better look around. No, it's not being nosy...well, it is but what the fuck ever. I opened his closet and pulled out a long dress shirt, it was a deep red color and the fabric was unbelievably soft. It was long enough, coming to rest about mid thigh. I walked into the living room and looked at his CD collection of all things. I recognized a few albums as being a necessity in any gay man's collection. Cher, some Madonna, and then...Godsmack. I pulled the case from the rack and turned it over, reading the song titles. I looked away and rolled over the thought that racked my brain. Is he really alone?

I placed the CD back on the rack and walked over to the refrigerator. After grabbing a bottle of water, I went back to the bedroom to once again join Brian. I approached the closet to hang up the red shirt that I was wearing when I saw the slightly opened drawer. I quickly hung the shirt up and my curiosity overtook me. I slowly leaned over and used my index finger to drag the drawer open slowly. What I found was a treasure trove of kink. Dildos, plugs, handcuffs in leather and metal, blindfolds, a ball gag, and several different sized vibrators were right at my fingertips. Brian Kinney...you kinky fucker, I thought as I bit my bottom lip and ran my hand over the handcuffs. The leather was soft and broken in, I quite liked the way it felt.

"You know, it's not polite to snoop Mr. Taylor."

"Holy shit!" I nearly screamed as I jumped and turned to look at Brian, now sitting up a bit with a smug smile on his face. "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Obviously." He said with a low throaty laugh. I smiled at him and quickly looked away. I furrowed my brows.

"I thought you were passed out drunk." I said with a confused tone and expression.

"Alcohol doesn't affect me like it used to." He said with a contemplative tone that made way for his soft smile. "Don't change the subject." I quickly looked away with an innocent smile. "So...find anything interesting?"

"Actually..." I started a slow stalk toward him, now my eyes were locked with his. "I found out your little drawer of kink." He laughed and squeezed his eyes shut. "And I wasn't snooping..."

"What do you call that then?" He said as he lazily pointed to the closet. I blushed and shrugged.

"I call it making-sure-you're-not-a-fucking-murderer...ing." I said a little less gracefully than I had planned. Obviously he wasn't mad that I had invaded his privacy by the way he pulled me down onto the bed and ravaged my mouth.

_Brian's P.O.V_

God he tasted so good and all I wanted to do was chase away the thoughts that barraged me earlier. I knew it was wrong but right now...it didn't matter. All I wanted was one fucking night where I didn't care about what was going to happen tomorrow. Maybe he would forget about me and everything would go back to normal. Normal was safe and safe was good. I knew safe. My tongue was lapping over his when I reached down and felt his rapidly hardening cock. I got an idea right then. I want to have some fun. I pulled away from the passionate kiss, raised my eyebrow, and put my tongue in my cheek.

"So Mr. Taylor, how about a punishment for your invading my privacy." I said in a low growl, teasing his lips with my tongue. He was breathless and panting.

"And what punishment would that me Mr. Kinney?" He answered in an innocent, almost mocking tone. I gave him a devilish smile as my eyebrow remained in position. He smiled and bit his bottom lip. Fucking hell...now that was a sight. I returned to my devious intentions.

"Welcome to my Kinkdom." I said as I rose from the bed and went to the closet as he chuckled. I grabbed a few of my favorite things and made my way to the bed again. His face was innocent but I just had the feeling that he was no angel. Looks can be deceiving. I smiled down at his angelic face as I captured both of his wrists in one fluid motion. His gasp confirmed his surprise as I pulled up the pair of leather cuffs he had been admiring only moments earlier. I put one of the cuffs in my mouth and grasped his wrists, pulling them together over his head. I secured his hands to one of the bars on my low headboard and leaned back into a kneeling position just below his now-leaking cock. My next mission was to blindfold him, sealing those beautiful eyes in the darkness of the black silk. I pulled up one of larger black vibrators, smiling at the fact that he could see my devilish plans for him. His breath hitched as he felt the intense vibrations as I ran it over the head of his cock.

"God...unghh..." His voice was low and throaty as he gasped from the sensation. I leaned down over his body and licked a trail from his collar bone down to his right nipple. I languidly licked around the pink bud before I nipped at it. His body jerked as his mouth fell open and the tip of his pink tongue darted over his bottom lip. I continued to switch between gentle licks and borderline painful bites on both of his nipples. His body was writhing but he was in for a treat...I guided the vibrator between his legs as I leaned back and pulled his knees apart further. He was moaning uncontrollably at the knowledge of what was coming next. What he didn't account for was that as soon as the vibrator found his opening, it would be pushed in with one fluid motion. He gasped and sucked in a sharp breath at the initial pain and eventual pleasure of the vibrating pulses.

"Brian...god, I'm gonna...I'm so close..." He was spitting words through moaning lips and nearly gritted teeth. I smiled at the sight of him, chained to my bed, blindfolded, and almost begging to cum. This was the most beautiful sight in the world...apart from those eyes. I had had enough of the blindfold, wanting to see those fucking beautiful eyes. I ripped the blindfold from his face, throwing it on the floor. He looked up at me in surprise but he quickly masked it with his amazingly blue, lust-hooded eyes. I had to kiss him, the urge was frightening and powerfully intense.

Our mouths crashed together in a power struggle in its passionate intensity and sensuous feeling. One tongue battling to feel the other as I twisted my fingers in his silky soft blond hair. He moaned into my mouth and his creamy cum linked us together. In the passion of the moment, I had forgotten to even remove the vibrator.

_Justin's P.O.V_

Motherfuckerrrr...the sensations were so overwhelming that I could help myself. The vibrations, the kiss, the feeling of his body over mine while I was cuffed to the bed...all of those factors would make it nearly impossible for anyone to hold out. When I came, it was so intense that I nearly blacked out. Instead, I tried to keep my mind focused on Brian. From someone who was obvious stud, he was romantic. Whether he wanted to admit it or not...and I betting for not...he was. Just moments after I had cum, I felt the vibrator being removed. I would've protested to the loss if it hadn't been for Brian refilling me with himself. I moaned at the feeling of him filling me to the brim, I never wanted this feeling to end...and if I had anything to do about it, it wouldn't. His thrusts were more gentle than before and he was moving at a nearly maddening pace. I heard a click and felt that my hands were free. I looked into Brian's eyes and saw the passion in them, but there was something else there as well. Something deeper, darker. But as soon as my hands were out of those cuffs, they were tangled in his hair and gently dragging over his firm back.

Our mouths met again but in a slower union. Our lips lingered together for a moment, barely touching as I darted my tongue out and swept it over his lips. His teeth found my bottom lip and barely bit before sucking the reddened, sensitive flesh. The kiss spoke more volumes than words ever could and I don't think Brian would consciously acknowledge its meaning. I just had the feeling that this man was a rock...at least on the outside. But this kiss...the passion, the sensuality, and the blatant...love, this kiss had obviously been laying dormant in him for a long time. And his hands, tracing down my chest and tangling gently in my hair...that was another sign of his deep rooted yearning to give the love that I just knew he was capable of. I felt his body tighten as his thrusts became deeper, each time hitting the sensitive bundle of nerves and sending my over the moon with sensations. I threw my head back, unintentionally breaking our kiss as he hit the spot again.

"God...Brian, that feels so...good..." I panted out as he smiled into my neck. I heard the hitch in his breath told me that he was on the edge. On his last thrust, I squeezed my muscles together and tightened my opening around him.

"Jesus...fucking...god, Justin..." His words were nearly screamed through gritted teeth as he filled the condom. He was moaning as he came to rest on me, head buried in my neck while my legs were wrapped around his waist. I let him stay like this for a while. You couldn't have paid me to move him...he was so beautiful in this state. Sated, panting, and sweat slicked...plastered to my chest. Fucking beautiful. For a long while, I just laid there and listened to him breathe. In...out, in...out, in...out. When the succession became less erratic, I knew he had fallen asleep. A contented smile crossed my lips and I closed my eyes.

Nothing short of an earthquake could've moved me from this spot.


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams Forced Into Fruition

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4:**

**Dreams Forced into Fruition**

_Justin's P.O.V_

Everything was dark, cloaked in an utter silence as I walked. I could barely see anything and the feeling that was ravaging my insides was ripping the breath from my lungs. That feeling was fear. My feet were bare, the floor underneath them felt metallic and cold. I blinked my eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness but not quite succeeding. I could barely make out anything other than the fact that I was in a room. My hands were shaking and my breath came out in short gasps and pants. I took a step forward and my foot hit something solid, furniture maybe...I didn't know. All I knew was that I didn't want to be here. The creeping feeling that something was watching me was crawling up my spine like a soft gust of wind, just enough to give me chills. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came. I felt the sudden urge to run, so I did. Only, there was nowhere to go. Nowhere.

I jolted from the bed, my hands shaking as I looked around me. A bed, warmth, and a sleeping man beside me. But the darkness was still there, not literally but metaphorically. If there was something that I could trust above all, it was my dreams. I could never explain it to someone without them thinking that I was crazy but I trusted them completely. Ever since I could remember, I've had these dreams...dreams that, more often than not, would come true. Either that or they had a specific meaning.

This dream was no different.

I knew that this dream meant something dark was headed my way. I didn't know the exact meaning right now but as I looked around the room, down at Brian sleeping peacefully beside me...I knew one thing for sure. I had to leave. Usually when I had these dreams, I would paint them or write them down so that I could use them as inspiration...or warning. I ran my fingers through my wet hair and got up from the bed. I went to where my pants were and pulled out my cell phone. Making my way back to the bed, I began pulling on my jeans. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it over my head when I reached the bed. I knelt down next to Brian's sleeping form and placed my hand gently on his shoulder.

"Brian..." I whispered as I gently shook him. He scrunched up his face and pulled the pillow that I had been sleeping on close to his body. I smiled. "Brian...I need your phone number." I whispered next to his ear. He grumbled a bit and then rattled off a stream of numbers in his sleeping state. I entered them into my phone and slipped it back into my pocket. Before I made to stand up, I took a moment and just looked at him...sleeping so serenely. I leaned forward and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. He pulled the pillow even closer to his chest and smiled softly.

And then I left. I don't know why I had to leave right then but the feeling in my gut was so strong that I couldn't ignore it. I flipped open my phone and saw that it was nearly 3am. I couldn't call Daphne so I decided that I would take a walk down memory lane. I knew that Liberty Avenue was only a few streets over and that the diner should still be open. Plus, I was fucking worn out and starving. Maybe Debbie still worked there. I always liked her. I breathed the cool night air as I turned onto the main road. The lights lit streets that were nearly abandoned at this hour of the night. It was a relief. I needed some quiet to think. The diner wasn't really the 'quiet' atmosphere but seeing a welcoming face would be just what I needed. Then I saw the bright lights of Liberty Avenue's numerous venues, most of which were thriving night clubs pandering to the sex crazed and energetic. Now it was just a matter of time before I was walking into the diner, being greeted by the sound of plate clattering and the after hours bustle of customers.

I looked around and made my way to one of the back booths. Everything was just how I remembered it when I would seek shelter from the bullying assholes of St. James Academy years before. I picked up the menu just before I heard the familiar screech of one Debbie Novotny.

"Sunshine! You're back!" She wailed as she made her way to the table. I took one look at her over the top jewelry and her red wig and smiled. I really was home. "How is everything baby?"

That was the million dollar question wasn't it. I really didn't know how everything was. I mean, from what I could tell the show had been a success, and on top of all that, I had met the man of my dreams. But that's what was puzzling me. My dream. But I knew that Debbie wouldn't understand so I just shook my head and smiled.

"Everything's great Deb. How have you been? How's everyone?" She stuffed her pen and pad into her apron and took a seat across from me. Her face went from a cheery welcome to a more solemn expression. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it.

"Well, baby, you remember Vic right?" I nodded my head and something inside me made my hand lurch forward to hers. "He passed away about a year ago. It was...um..." She started tearing up and I knew exactly what had happened.

"It was complications with his HIV wasn't it. Michael found him didn't he." Her eyes locked with mine and her brows furrowed as she nodded slowly.

"How did you know?" She said, followed by a sniff and a firm wipe at her eyes. Now that I really couldn't tell her. It was something that I had always been able to do. Kind of like an intuition...or a psychic feeling. I don't know.

"Just a lucky guess." I said with a shrug as I consoled her. "But how have you been?" She shook her head and smiled a bit.

"I've been fine Sunshine. Michael's found himself a boyfriend. His name's Ben and he's really good for him. But I've been fine..."

"You said that." I interrupted her with a smile. She popped her gum and gave my cheek a little pinch.

"I'm so proud of you Justin. You've really made something of yourself, what with being a hotshot artist and all. Everyone is so proud of you baby. What about the love life eh?" She said with a wink. I had to laugh at that. Leave it to Debbie to throw in something about sex.

"Well...I have met someone and I think...I think he's the one." I said a little hesitantly but with a huge smile on my face. Her face lit up and she cackled.

"That's great baby! What's his name? Where'd you meet him? What's he like..." She would've kept going had I not stopped her with my laughing.

"Hold on Deb. I met him at my art show tonight, he's fucking beautiful, and he's amazing in bed." I finished with a little blush. She only smiled brighter.

"That's the best. So what's his name then?" She was giddy and smiling.

"His name's Brian Kinney." Her face stilled and she popped her gum again. "What?"

"Brian Kinney...as in my son's best friend?" I stopped a moment and thought. I knew I had heard the name somewhere but it didn't dawn on me that it was the same Brian Kinney that Michael was always going on about.

"Shit...I think so." I said with a smile. "But Michael doesn't still love him does he?"

"Honey, Michael will never stop loving Brian. Hell, they've been best friends since they were fourteen. So...probably not."

Shit. I knew how Michael got when it came to Brian. I just hadn't really thought about it. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it I guess.

"Just be careful Sunshine." She started off hesitantly. "Brian's a wonderful guy it's just that...well, he's never been good with letting people in. Hell, he hasn't had that great of a life. Just...don't get yourself hurt alright." I nodded at her warnings and gave her my best Sunshine smile. "So...what'll you have?"

_Brian's P.O.V_

I woke up hugging a pillow firmly to my chest, the sunlight was blinding me. My eyes squinted in the brightness beaming in through my industrial windows. I blinked rapidly as I realized that I was alone. At first, I was saddened at the feeling but then it dawned on me that this was what I wanted. I didn't want to hurt Justin and waking up alone had somehow vindicated the fact that no one would want to stay with me. That saddened me even more. But as always, I would press on. I would put on my mask of indifference and go about my normal routine. After all...this is what I wanted.

Wasn't it? The safety of being alone. Not allowing anyone in so that there was no chance of anyone getting hurt. I ran my hands through my tousled hair and made to get up. I scooted to the edge of the bed, sitting there a moment and letting the sleep shake from my body. As I stood, I caught a glimpse of the silky blindfold from the night before...the blindfold that I had used on Justin. God, this is how it begins. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before trekking on to the bathroom. What I really needed was a scalding hot shower. I knew for sure that that would clear my head. I turned the knobs and tuned the temperature of the water to just below searing and stepped in. My body objected to the temperature of the water and that caused me to suck in a sharp breath through gritted teeth. I dropped my head and watched as the water slowly turned my skin a bright crimson color. I invited the burn. I wanted to feel something that would take away the thoughts of the brilliant blond from the night before. But it seemed that even the burn of the water couldn't erase him completely. At this point, I was wondering where he had gone, when had he gone, and...why.

In the back of mind, I couldn't shake the feeling that he had somehow realized how damaged I was. How fucked up I really was and...left. I slammed my palm against the shower door and, not realizing my own strength, shattered it.

"Fuck!" I pulled my hand against myself, realizing what a terribly shitty idea that had been. I watched as the blood trickled down my wrist. The gash in my palm was starting to sting like a son of a bitch. I reached for a towel and tried to sweep as much of the glass from the floor as possible before stepping out. I made my way to the sink and began to remove the tiny shards of glass from my hand. With every shard, I cursed myself for doing that. What the fuck was I thinking? I know what I was thinking. I wasn't. With too much shit on my mind, I had just been fucking stupid. When I cleaned the wound with some alcohol, I began getting dressed. Even though it was a Sunday, I felt like I needed to get out of my house. I just needed to...go.

I had finished getting dressed, nothing special...just jeans and a t-shirt, when I heard my phone vibrating. With my phone going crazy, I read the ID and it was a number that I didn't recognize. I went to put it in my pocket and just ignore it but something inside me beckoned me to answer it. I sighed and flipped it open.

"Kinney." I drawled into the phone with a borderline annoyed tone.

"Good morning to you too." The voice on the other end of the phone made me smile unconsciously. Justin. But as soon as the smile crossed my lips, my head was screaming at me not to be nice. It was warning me that this wasn't what I wanted. So...I took the warning.

"How did you get my number?" I sniped into the receiver.

"Well...you gave it to me Brian." His voice was soft and caring as I shut my eyes tight and pinched the bridge of my nose. This was definitely not what I wanted. At all. I had to end this right now...

"Look...what happened between us last night...it didn't mean anything." My tone was annoyed but it was killing me inside. The feeling in my gut was almost unbearable and the words that followed made the feeling even worse. "I don't care about you...you're not anything to me and I'm not your boyfriend so just forget about me alright?" I could almost see his reaction over the phone. I really couldn't explain it but I knew that he wasn't feeling sad or angry. He was feeling...disappointed. If I had been standing in front of him, I would've been able to feel his oceanic blue eyes piercing me with disappointment. I heard him sigh but before he could speak, I flipped the phone shut. At this point, I couldn't trust my mouth not to speak what my heart wanted. With my brain congratulating me and my heart screaming at me, I really had to go.

I just had to figure out where. Then my phone vibrated again and I almost didn't look at the ID for fear that it might be Justin again, but I did. Michael. I flipped the phone open and only spoke one sentence before shutting it again.

"Meet me at Woody's in 10 minutes."

_Justin's P.O.V_

I pressed end on my cell phone when I heard Brian's phone flip shut. Shit, Debbie had been right...he really didn't let anyone in. But there was something in his voice when he spoke. It was a hesitation that I picked up on like second nature and it was speaking volumes louder than his irritated voice. I knew that deep down, he didn't mean a single word that he was spouting. But I couldn't worry about that right now. When I had gotten back to the hotel room around 4am, Daphne was already up and setting about writing down orders and prices for my paintings. She had been recording addresses to ship them and keeping check of the money we received. When I saw her, she gave me a knowing smile.

"So...how was *your* night?" She had asked as she put the papers down and greeted me. I just smiled at her and sat down on the bed.

"Wouldn't you like to know." I had said as I leafed through the paper work. I furrowed my brows and thought about how many respective clients that I had here compared to New York. That's when the craziest idea came over me and I had to smile at how ridiculously mad it was. Daphne looked at me like I had two heads.

"What?" She had asked with a confused expression on her face. I just looked up at her and shook my head before I spoke.

"I know this sounds fucking crazy but...is there any way that we could lease my apartment in New York and buy something here?" Her face scrunched and she began laughing.

"Are you fucking serious?" She had asked as she gathered the papers up and put them into a folder. "Justin, why would you want to move back to the Pitts. I remember us both talking about never wanting to be here ever again. What the hell changed?" I had just shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. Honestly, if I told her that I thought that Brian was the one and I had the feeling that if I left, that would be it...she would've laughed in my face and sent me to a shrink.

So...I made shit up.

"Well, I noticed that the revenue of my work is taking off here and that clients are ringing our phones all the time wanting paintings. Plus, here I wouldn't be living in a fucking cracker box in a shitty apartment building with a drugged up neighbor trying to steal my shit. I mean, it makes sense that I we actually use the money to live in a nice house and actually have money to spare. Plus, I've got enough in savings to help me through a few dry seasons if my paintings don't sell fast enough. Come on Daph...it may be the Pitts but I'm so tired of New York." I had watched her face soften and an understanding take hold of her. She had to agree with most all that I was saying. Then, a miracle had happened.

"Alright. Let's do it." She had said with her palms raised skyward. "But don't complain when you can't get a pizza at 4am." I had laughed at her and it was done.

Now as I sit in the living room of the hotel room, holding my cell phone, I'm debating whether or not buying a place here was a wise decision. My head is telling me that I'm a fucking idiot...but my heart is telling me that all I have to do is try. Try to make him realize that there's something different about me. That there was definitely something stronger between us, even stronger than the vibrator that he was using on me. I swear to god I can still feel that fucking thing. But the feeling in my gut is telling me that this road will not be easily traveled and that doing so will be treacherous.

That brought me back to my dream. The fear that I felt was so strong. It was so vivid and real that it scared me more than anything. As I'm thinking about it now, my palms are starting to sweat and my stomach is twisting into knots. In all honesty, I didn't know what scared me more...the darkness that seemed to seep into every pore of my body or the fear. My mind was turning it over so much that I was beginning to feel the migraine setting in. I couldn't think about this anymore, it was making me physically sick. I decided to take a pain killer and lie down. I would stop thinking about all the shit for an hour and then I would try to contact Brian again.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I had met with Mikey at Woody's about ten minutes after he called. I knew that he would want to know what was so urgent about meeting him but I couldn't tell him. I mean, this was Michael. He would interrogate me until I told him but not this time. This time it was something that I couldn't explain to him for the fear that he would find out what I am and I would lose him too. Hell, I've kept this secret for eight years...what was one more day.

The bar was nearly empty on a Sunday morning at 10am and I was sort of glad for it. I didn't need anyone hitting on me in my mentally fragile state...such as it was. I met Mikey at one of the tables toward the back, he had already ordered two beers and had them waiting. This was why I was friends with him, his knowledge of me. Even though he didn't know as much about me as he thought, he was still a sympathetic friend. I slid into the barstool and grabbed one of the beers, I hadn't said a word and yet, somehow I was talking with my eyes, my actions...even my breathing. I locked eyes with Michael, trying to convey how I was feeling but at the same time not wanting him to know anything. We regarded each other for a moment before I realized that he saw nothing. He just saw me, his best friend and love of his life. Yeah, I knew that he had been in love with me since we had met but I would never act on those feelings. I just didn't share the kind of love that he wanted and I knew that even if I did, I'd end up hurting him. So, I smiled at him and took a swig of the beer.

As soon as he saw the smile, he reciprocated and drank his beer. That was the thing about Michael, he was so easily fooled into thinking that everything was peachy keen and alright. I had been kidding myself into thinking that Michael could read me like that. Hell, the only people that could read me like that was Mother Debbie, Lindsay, and...Justin. But I couldn't categorize them all together. Debbie saw me as the abused fourteen year old from my past, Lindsay saw me as her best friend plus she was just great at reading people, but Justin... There was something totally different about the blond that I had met the night before. He had a certain air about him that made him so different than anyone else I'd ever met, fucked, or blew off. He was able to read me with just one glance. Just one fucking glance from those blue eyes and he could see right through my walls and into my soul.

And that's what scared the hell out of me.

I was barely listening to Michael prattle on about some shit that had happened between Ben and himself or the fact that his comic book store wasn't doing that well this month. It was all bullshit that I just nodded at. He wasn't even aware that I hadn't said so much as a word and I was kind of glad for it. It wasn't that he didn't care...because he did. He was just so air-headed most of the time. He had been talking for well over twenty minutes about his life, his mom, his store, and his bullshit problems when I signaled the bartender to grab me another beer.

"Brian...are you even listening to me?" His whiny voice cut into my thoughts and I turned my attention to him and spoke for the first time.

"Yes, Michael...I'm listening. Your store is doing shitty right now, Ben and you are arguing about buying a house, your mom is working too hard...is all that right?" I snapped at him unintentionally. He reclused a bit and furrowed his brows.

"What's with you? Some trick want to stay over last night?" He snorted at his little snipe and took another swig from the bottle. That statement hit the sore spot in my chest that was still smarting. I rolled my lips into my mouth and picked up the fresh beer bottle, taking a long swallow. If Mikey had really been paying attention to my actions he would've realized that he had struck a chord in me. But alas, he was talking again.

Sometimes I wish he would just shut the fuck up. But I had asked him to meet me at Woody's, so I would sit here and endure the relentless word vomit that he was spouting...nodding ever now and then. He talked for another fifteen minutes solid when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out without Michael noticing and flipped it open.

'I'm sorry about upsetting you earlier.

Can we talk? Call me please.

-J'

Somehow, reading these words made me want to jump for joy but at the same time, I was scared shitless. My mind was swirling with thoughts of what I should do. Should I call him? Should I forget about him? Should I make up an excuse and say that I can't call him? What do I want? What should I do?

All of these thoughts were twisting my brain and knotting my stomach. And on top of everything, Michael was still fucking talking. This had to stop...right now. I flipped my phone shut and looked up at Michael. My eyes bore into him long enough that he stopped talking and stared back at me. I let out a deep breath through my nostrils.

"Look, Michael, thanks for meeting me here but I've gotta go." I tried to make it as short and sweet as possible. The less questions, the better. But of course, that was never the case with Michael.

"Where are you going? Do you want me to come with you? I could..."

"No, Mikey." I said too quickly, causing him to stare at me in a deeper form of confusion. I just shook my head and made to leave. Michael was calling after me but I couldn't look at him anymore. Besides, my headache was quickly becoming a migraine and I needed to go somewhere quiet. I rolled over the options, Lindsay's was a no go because of Melanie...Debbie's was knocked off immediately, Kinnetik was an option but I didn't want to face work. That only left my loft. Shit. I knew that as soon as I walked into my home, I would be assaulted with memories of the previous night. Then it dawned on me. The only place that no one else had been, my place for the one night out of the month that I hated.

I got into my car and drove home. The silence in the car was deafening and I couldn't take it. I pushed the stereo on and listened to the smooth sounds that poured from the speakers. A few minutes later, I was unlocking the door to my building on the corner of Fuller and Tremont. Since the entire building was mine, I didn't worry about disturbing anyone when I slammed the door behind me and stalked toward the industrial metal door next to the elevator. I slid the key into the padlock and heard the rusty metal clang of the door as I pulled it open. I hated this room but it would have to do for now.

My shoes tapped the metal floor as I flipped the light on and shut the door behind me. I looked around the room, at the stone walls with deep gashes etched into the cinder-block, the metal floor with past traces of blood from my transformations, the factory lights that hung from the ceiling, and finally, the metal chair that was turned over in the corner of the room. I walked across the expansive room, rivaling the size of my loft, and turned the chair upright. I sat down on the cool metal seat and clapped my hands together. I twisted my fingers around each other as I closed my eyes and thought. The last thing I wanted to do was think but it looked as if my mind had other plans. I took my phone out and looked at the message that Justin had sent me. The fact that Justin thought that he was the object that upset me was tearing me apart inside. If only he knew that it wasn't him, that it was me, then maybe he would understand. Maybe he would understand that I'm not good for him. That I'm not good for anyone, then maybe he would just move on and find someone that was capable of the love that he so deserved.

I closed out the messages and saw the glaring notification of a date and time that I dreaded. Three days from now, the moon would blossom to it glorified fullness and I would change. I would become the object of my fears, the undeniable monstrosity that lurked below my masked surface. The notification seeped into my very being as another reason that I had to end whatever feelings that I had for Justin. In the short amount of time that I have known him, I felt like he could understand me better than the people that I've known most all of my life. And that's the thought that is killing me. The power struggle between my brain and my heart was driving me mad.

I had to end this train of thoughts that was barreling out of control. I had to drink them away, I had to fuck them away. Sitting in that chair in the room that, to me, closely resembled what my hell would be, I lost track of time. I just sat, staring at the room and thinking. Before I knew it, I had been sitting in that room for three and a half hours with nothing to do but think. When I checked the time on my phone, I decided that I had had enough of this torturous behavior.

I needed a drink. So, I ventured up to my loft and had one...well, I had a bottle and a half.

-Later That Night-

_Justin's P.O.V_

I sent the message to Brian almost twelve hours ago and yet, still nothing. As I sat in my hotel room, I couldn't take this shit anymore. I called Daphne and told her that I wanted to make a trip to New York and get my things. The faster that I could get this move on track, the faster I could begin to work on Brian. Any normal person would've forgotten about it and moved on, but there was a stirring feeling in my heart that was telling me to be patient. I took a deep breath and decided that I would make it an early night.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


	5. Chapter 5: A Question of LustPart 1

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5:**

**A Question of Lust...Part One**

-A Few Days Later-

_Justin's P.O.V_

It seemed like every text I sent to Brian was ignored, every call being unanswered. I had called him three times over the past few days and I had sent him the same amount of texts. But no matter what time I sent them, he wasn't responding. If I was an impatient person, I would've said fuck it and wouldn't have worried about it. But there was something driving me...three little words that had slipped through Brian's lips on our first night together. I love you. The words that were spoken from a place deeper than his consciousness, deeper than his mask. That's what was driving me at this point, that and the fact that even though he was obviously giving me the silent treatment despite our undeniable night together. Our obvious chemistry that was also undeniable.

I shook my head of the thoughts as I browsed over my choices of houses. I clicked on various houses in Pittsburgh before I broadened my search to the border of West Virginia. The houses were all either dilapidated or were overly priced when I came across one that stuck out to me. The description was immaculate and the price was right. I clicked on the photo and when I saw the house, I seemed to recognize it. I furrowed my brows and clicked through the pictures of the pool, the tennis courts, and the stables. The information had said that the owner had gone bankrupt and the house was selling at a lower price but that didn't matter. What mattered was that I recognized this house, a house that I had never been to. A house in a state that I had never visited. I sat staring at the computer screen when it dawned on me.

I had seen this house...this exact house in a dream. It was all coming back to me as I sat in the quiet hotel room. I remembered that I was standing in a kitchen, that looked exactly the same as one of the photos, when I had heard someone moving around upstairs. I remember venturing upstairs and opening the door to a home office, someone was standing at the desk gathering papers together and putting them into a briefcase. It was a man and when he made to turn around, I had woken up. It was utterly fascinating that the house from my dream was real and that I was now clicking on the contact information for the realtor. I sent the woman an e-mail with my contact information and shut my laptop.

I had just offered to buy the house of my dream, near the man that I knew was the one. Now, I just had to tell him so...the tricky part was when.

_Brian's P.O.V_

It was around 4pm when I set about trying to drink the entire contents of my liquor cabinet. It was now 5pm and as I'm staring at the curtains on my industrial windows, I'm thinking. I know...always a dangerous sign. Well, in this case that would be the truth. I had just polished off my first bottle of Jim Beam and was setting out to drain a bottle of Jack Daniels. But I wasn't kidding myself, I knew that even if I was to drink enough to cause alcohol poisoning in a normal person...I wouldn't be harmed. That was the tricky thing about this being a werewolf shit, nothing affected me the same. I remember eight years ago, the month after visiting Colorado, I had taken a tab of E and went completely fucking crazy. Ripping everything from my walls and howling was the result of that little venture. Ever since then, I was almost drug free. But alcohol was safe, it made me drunk for about fifteen minutes at the most and I never got a hangover.

It still didn't stop me from trying to get shit-faced...like I was doing now. After the barrage of calls and texts that I had received from Justin, I was trying to drown my thoughts with bourdon and whiskey. The very last call that I had gotten was almost the breaking point for me. If I had listened to my heart, I would've answered the phone and begged Justin to get here as fast as he could...but I couldn't do that. I couldn't let my guard down and risk hurting him...or myself.

I watched as the sun was beginning to set. My phone was sitting on the table in front of me when it starting going crazy, nearly vibrating off the table. I shut my eyes tight. I knew that it wasn't a call from Justin, a text from Justin...I knew that it wasn't any of my friends trying to contact me. It was notifying me that tonight was the night...the alarm was right on time. Tonight was a full moon and it was the night of the month that I dreaded. I sighed, opened my eyes, and started gathering things to prepare myself for the inevitable. I grabbed the CD that I used for these nights...Godsmack...and placed it into the stereo system. Every time that I changed, I would use this disc to drown out the howls, snarls, and growls that would be emitted from the room below me. I took the remote control with me as I left my loft and headed downstairs.

_Justin's P.O.V_

Since I still hadn't heard from Brian, I decided to stop trying for tonight. I picked up my phone and called one of closest friends other than Daphne...Emmett Honeycutt. I hadn't seen him since I had gotten back but from what I had heard from Debbie, he was missing me terribly. When I heard the receiver pick up, the screeching tone of his voice made me pull the cell phone away from my ear.

"Justin! Hey baby! What are you up to?" I loved Emmett and I had missed him so much.

"Hey Emmett, I'm sitting in my hotel room and I was wondering if you'd want to go out and have a few drinks." At that moment, I kicked myself...With everything going on with Brian, I had forgotten to tell Emmett that I was back. I thought Debbie would've told him but I was wrong when I heard his reaction.

"What? You're back! And why the fuck didn't you call me immediately! Of course I'd like to go out for a drink!" I had to smile at his mock anger and his forgiving me at the same time...all through the tone of his voice.

"Great. How about Woody's in a few?" He agreed instantly and then I punched end.

I arrived at Woody's to see Emmett sitting at one of the tables wearing the most gaudy pink shirt that I had ever seen. He began rapidly waving his hands, signaling me over. He had already ordered us drinks...Cosmos to be exact. I had to smile at that. Emmett had always been under the illusion that I actually liked them so I just let him be blissfully ignorant. I was never partial to the frilly, girly drinks like Emmett was...I was more of a hard liquor drinker. Beam or Daniels were my top choices and I liked it that way.

Thinking about my alcohol choices, I instantly thought of Brian. When he had gotten drunk, I remembered the empty bottle of Jim Beam in his hand and I smiled sadly. I sat down at the table and took a sip from the glass. Emmett smiled brightly and I reciprocated.

"So baby, how are you doing? How's New York? How's everything?" He was firing questions off left and right and I had to stop him.

"I'm fine Em, New York's fine, everything's fine." He rose his eyebrows.

"Well, everything's fine I guess..." He said as I smiled at him, not a full-watt smile by any means. "Spill it." Damn...well, he had me.

"It's just this guy." I said, trying to change the subject. He gave me a knowing smile and a pat on the hand as he spoke again in his watered down southern drawl.

"Honey, isn't it always?" I chuckled at my own expense. "What's his name?" I sighed, knowing that Emmett was friends with Michael and by default, friends with Brian. Well, fuck it.

"His name is Brian...Kinney." I said hesitantly as Emmett's eyes grew a bit. I knew it was coming, the Warning About Kinney speech.

"Oh baby...most everyone wants Brian. He's beautiful, trust me I know, but he's not what you need." He said as he sipped his Cosmo. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I know what people say about him but there's something different about him. Yeah, he's closed off but I know that deep inside him...there's a kind, loving, and honestly...a gentle person there." Emmett snickered when I said this but I just stared at him. "Come on Em...I bet that on more than one occasion, he's helped one or more of you without expecting to be repaid."

Emmett's expression changed and he looked away from me for a moment. "How do you know that?" I'd heard the same thing from Debbie so I just said the same generic thing.

"A lucky guess. But you have to admit Emmett, he's not all bad." He hesitantly nodded his head as I sipped my drink. "The only thing is, he won't return my phone calls or texts since we..." I trailed off.

"Fucked?" I nodded my head and shrugged. "Of course he won't. That's the deal with Brian, he acts like an uncaring asshole so that you won't want to see him or hear from him again. If I were you, I'd just forget about him and move on baby." Sometimes, Emmett just didn't get it so I dropped the subject. We spent a fair amount of time talking about everything from fashion in New York to my show here in Pittsburgh.

"My show went wonderfully, I sold enough paintings to put a down payment on a house." He gave me a shocked look.

"You're buying a house in New York?" He asked as he ordered two more Cosmos.

"No, I'm buying one on the outskirts of West Virginia, about thirty minutes away." He started his wild hand motions again.

"Oh my god! Justin that's amazing! You'll be so close, we can see each other all the time then!" All I could do was nod when Emmett got this way, his flamboyance was almost strong enough to kill someone but we were all immune. I waited out the torrential storm that was an excited Emmett. When the hand gestured died down and his gaped mouth was finally closed, I smiled at him.

"You're right, we'll stay in touch without me having to travel and it'll be just like old times...I just have to break the news to Brian." Emmett's eyebrows shot skyward and he huffed a laugh.

"Good luck with that one. You have to be careful how you tell him, I mean, if you want him as badly as I think you do...you'll have to proceed with caution when talking to the great God Kinney..." I held up my hand and cut Emmett off.

"Look, Emmett, you've obviously known Brian a while but like I said...he's not all bad. He deserves love just like everyone else." I gave Emmett a warning look and he waved his hand, took a sip of his drink, and changed the subject.

"Okay...so here's what I was thinking, you know Babylon right?" I nodded and gave him an incredulous look. "Right, well, Teddy was going tonight and I thought that it would be good for old times sake." I smiled at Emmett's subtleness at trying to say that he called Ted and squealed over the phone that I was back and that he wanted to celebrate.

"That sounds like a great idea Em." Was all I said as he began clapping his hands and squealing again. God help me that I loved him so much.

Babylon was packed as usual when we finally got in. Emmett made a direct trip to the bar with me in tow, spotting Ted. What I wasn't so happy about was the fact that Ted had brought Michael along. I cringed internally but gave him a smile in greeting.

"Justin, how've you been?" Ted was always nice and I respected him a lot. I had remembered Emmett calling me when Ted had become wrapped up in the Crystal scene. He had told me that Ted was scared that he was infected with HIV after a Crystal party gone wrong. Emmett had called me crying because at the time, they were testing the waters of a relationship and it wasn't at all what he thought it would be...what with Ted being a newfound druggie and all. But I told Emmett that everything would be okay and Ted would be fine within a few weeks, and sure enough, he was. Emmett had called me back about two weeks after our first conversation and told me that Ted had found Blake again and was doing much better.

What I didn't tell him was that I knew. I had had a dream about Ted finding Blake, about him finally kicking the habit. I also didn't tell him that I had also dreamt about Ted and Blake getting back together, or the dream about Emmett finding someone that he hadn't seen in years...I couldn't remember his name but it started with a C. I just couldn't tell Emmett about my dreams or he would unintentionally treat me like a psychic, calling me to tell him his horoscope or some shit. But I knew that Ted would be fine, and he looked like it.

"I'm doing great Ted. How about you? Is everything alright with you?" His lips pursed together into a bittersweet smile, I watched the memories wash over him in a split second but I caught it. I returned his smile.

"I'm doing better. It's a journey but it's going." Was all he said but I could see that he was being modest. I knew that he was bursting with pride for himself, I know that I would be too if I had kicked a Crystal habit. I gave him a knowing smile as I reached out an squeezed his forearm gently. A small gesture that made him beam with his inner pride.

"So you must really like New York better than the Pitts huh?" Michael's nasally voice cut through the meaningful moment and I just looked at him. Emmett gave me a side hug because he had always known that I never really cared for Michael. I knew that his little gesture was to keep me from being frank with him.

"Actually, Justin's moving about thirty minutes away from the good old Pitts." Emmett said in his chipper voice. Ted smiled and Michael attempted to smile. I knew that Ted's was genuine but I could easily see through Michael's facade, he was no more happy for me than if I were a stranger. So, I made a point to flash the brightest smile I could muster in Michael's direction.

"Yeah, it's a little out of the way but it's in a quiet town...a perfect place for me to paint." I said as Emmett clapped again.

"That's wonderful Justin. I'm so happy that you could get away from the hustle of the Big Apple and join us back in the Pitts...or near the Pitts." Ted said as he ordered us all a round of drinks. Everyone except for Emmett wanted a beer, of course. I watched the gyrating bodies flowing in front of me as we drank in silence for a moment. The raw emotion emanating from the dancing bodies and sweat-slicked faces only reminded me of one person...Brian. I turned to see Michael sulking with his beer in hand, Emmett turned and looked as well. I wasn't going to do anything about it but I knew that either Emmett or Ted would.

It was Emmett who asked.

"What's gotcha down baby?" He asked with as much sympathy as one could have for a distraught, annoying Michael. His face screwed up and he huffed as he spoke.

"I wish Brian was here." He said in his whiney tone. I wanted to roll my eyes at his childishness, but I refrained. "I don't know, he's acting kind of weird. He wanted to meet me at Woody's Sunday but when I met up with him, he didn't say much and then he got some text and ran off. I don't know what the fuck is wrong but he was really short with me."

I thought for a moment before realizing that the text that he was talking about was from me. He went on to explain how Brian had left in a hurry and how he hadn't heard from him since. I couldn't help but feel a bit of triumph over Michael's whiney ass but at the same time, I was thinking of Brian. It was obvious to me now that he was at a war with himself. I got the strong feeling that Brian was his own worst enemy. But if that reaction was genuine, then I must be weighing heavily on his mind.

And from that, I knew what I had to do. I had to wait it out, wait out Brian's war within his heart and his mind. I just hope that I'm as strong as I think I am, strong enough to take the inevitable abuse that he would through at me so that I would leave him alone. But that was too easy for him. Deep down, I knew that if I just stayed and kept trying...he would eventually realize that I'm not just some one night stand. So, I just stood by the bar with Ted, Emmett and regrettably, Michael...I just stood there and nodded when they spoke to me. What they didn't know was that I was forming a strategy...a plan to be as patient and persistent with Brian as I could.

_Brian's P.O.V_

Sitting in the room that I hated, I felt the beginning of the dreaded end. The feeling that overtook me once a month when the moon was full in the sky was the feeling that I dreaded the most. I didn't know if it was the anticipation or the fear that won the battle this time but it was a close one. The anticipation was the worst but the fear conquered it every time. The fear that this was the night I would be discovered. The fear that this room won't be able to contain the beast within me anymore. I wrung my hands together as I sat in the metal chair awaiting the change...the transformation into the wild beast that was lurking inside. I stood up and paced around the chair that I had been occupying. I had made my third round when I felt it.

I stopped dead in my tracks and doubled over. The pain shooting through my ribs and stomach caused me to scream out. My hands found the back of the chair and I gripped it hard. I felt the relief for a moment, standing straight again only to fold over in pain again. This was the beginning. When I felt my ribs begin to break, my arms twisted and flipped the chair to the ground. My body was twisting and burning as I fell to the floor, hands nearly digging into the metal ground. Cracking and hoarsed screams filled the room as the course fur began to spread across my hands and arms. The nails were next. Grotesquely hardened fingernails replaced my own as my ribs reset and I was able to scream...well, howl.

The CD that was playing was making a job of covering the snarls and howls that were emitting from me. The last thought that my human mind had was that of Justin...He could never understand...or find out.

Then all went black.

-The Next Morning-

I stretched across the cold, metal floor as I woke. My body felt relieved but my mind was over-flowing with thoughts and sensations. It was the same every time I changed but the next morning was always new. The sensations, smells, sights...it was like discovering them all over again. That was the only part about this curse that was enjoyable...the day after. I stood up, observing the damage that I had done. The stone walls had newly etched gashes and the metal floor was a minefield of little twisted metal bits. I side stepped most of them on my way to the door. Thank god I lived alone because walking out of the room naked and up to my loft would've been hard to explain to a neighbor.

When I got to my loft, I showered and got dressed for work...which I was now late for. I grabbed my keys and my phone on my way out. As I drove, my phone was vibrating across the passenger seat. I picked it up only to discover that it was Michael, one of two people that I did not want to talk to right now. I flipped the phone open and pressed end, I really couldn't deal with Michael's inane questions or whining right now.

I pulled into my parking spot at Kinnetik and shut the car off. Straightening my tie, I stepped out of the car and strolled in. I saw Cynthia at the front desk prattling away on the phone with what what I assumed was a new potential client. I gave her a nod and passed, heading directly for my office. Since that fateful day eight years ago, I had made some new design changes. I made sure to buy a wooden desk, a very masculine cherry wood, a new couch, and several amenities that were fitting to my current state. Placing my briefcase next to the desk, I sat down to a neatly stacked contract with Merle Raymond Electronics, my newest client. I blew out a heavy breath and set about reviewing the contract.

My phone rang through and I picked up only to hear Ted's voice break through the line.

"Hey boss, I have everything sorted out with the paychecks and I just need your signature to finalize it. I'll come by and drop them off in a few." I had to hand it to Ted, I wasn't sure that he would've been able to do what I needed of him...given his recent past. But he really impressed me and I had to admit, I was proud of him.

"Alright Theodore." I kept it short and sweet as I ended the call. I put my hands to my head, trying to will away the migraine when I smelled a very...very familiar scent. I dropped my hands and inhaled deeply, making sure that what I was smelling was real. The subtle scent of eucalyptus, vanilla, and sandalwood filled the air as I stood from my desk and slowly walked to my office door.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had had enough of Brian avoiding me. My trip was shorter than I thought as I parked next to the familiar Stingray in front of Kinnetik. I walked into the building and was greeted by a smallish blonde woman. She was talking on the phone as I came to a stop at the desk. I watched as she put the caller on hold and looked up at me. I made a point to give her a mega watt smile because something told me that she was Brian's assistant and probably wouldn't let me see him without an appointment. She reciprocated the smile.

"Hello, do you have an appointment?" I knew it.

"Uh, no, but I am a very close friend of Brian's." I said subtly, hoping that she knew about him being gay. She rolled her lips into her mouth and nodded slowly.

"I see, but I really can't let you back without an appointment Mr..."

"Taylor...Justin Taylor." Her eyes lit up a bit at the mentioning of my name but I could tell that she was holding her ground.

"Well, Mr. Taylor, it's wonderful to meet such a brilliant artist...yes, your work is wonderful...but I really can't do anything unless you have an appointment."

Fuck. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, a miracle was set before me. I glanced over the woman's head and saw Ted. This was my chance.

"Ted?" I said loud enough for him to search for me. When I locked eyes with him, he smiled and walked over.

"Hey, Justin. What are you doing here?" He had a genuinely confused look on his face. Well, I guess Emmett could keep a secret better than I thought. I tried to approach this next statement with caution.

"Uh, I'm here to see Brian." I gauged his reaction. For a moment, I saw trepidation but then I saw an almost devious expression. Wow, Ted was a spitfire when he got the chance to be.

"Hey, Cynthia...let him back." He said, his eyes leaving mine for a moment. I knew that he was risking a lot and as I looked to Cynthia again, I could tell that that went for her as well. She closed her eyes momentarily before making eye contact with me again and nodding her head. As soon as I had the right of way, I rounded the corner of her desk and made my way to Brian's office. I don't know what took over me but I knew exactly where Brian's office was. It was like some force of nature was drawing me closer to it unintentionally.

When I reached the metal and glass door, I knew by the way the shade was drawn that Brian was there. He was concealed behind the door to his kingdom, much as he was concealed by his many masks. I rose my hand to knock.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I knew it the moment that I smelled his sweet scent, he was here to see me. To ask questions, to want the answers to those questions. Answers that I wasn't prepared to provide. I heard his shuffling footsteps as if they were taking place in my head. Each step felt deliberate, purposeful. I just stood at the door waiting...waiting for the knob to turn so that I could see his angelic face and hear his softly masculine voice speak to me. The thoughts were racing through my mind but I couldn't let them show.

I was preparing myself for his entrance. I quietly yet hurriedly ran to my desk and sat down in the chair. Organizing the papers to make it seem as though I was working, I collected myself...making sure that I wore a facade of indifference. Make it look as if his presence was unknown and an annoyance. I had to make it as believable as possible, as believable as I wanted it to be.

Right?


	6. Chapter 6: A Question of LustPart 2

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6:**

**A Question of Lust...Part Two**

_Justin's P.O.V_

I opened the door and what I saw, I expected to see. Looking around his stylish yet foreboding office made me realize that he had been playing this game longer than anyone knew. He had been carefully building an image that he wanted people to see, what he wanted to see. I took in my surrounding, then I took in Brian. To anyone else, he would look like he was hard at work...not to be disturbed. But I saw differently. I saw a man who was hiding behind a mask, a cool outer image that was created for this sole purpose. He was sitting there, at his desk, with a furrowed brow...appearing to be reading paperwork. I saw the fear and trepidation in his mouth, the nervousness in his eyes. At first, I wasn't exactly sure if that was right but when he looked up at me from his "business" it was all confirmed.

This man's eyes were the cracks in his wall. I saw every emotion that I felt radiating off of him, every little doubt or hesitation. And when he spoke, the emotions were there too...just well covered.

"Mr. Taylor." He spoke with indifference in his tone but it wasn't going to work. I know that he used a formal tone on purpose as well, making my name sound as impersonal as one of his clients.

"It's Justin." I said calmly but indignantly. He only looked at me for a moment, his facade firmly in place. I didn't wait for his invitation before moving to sit in the chair facing him. His nostrils flared a bit at my blatant action, like I was invading his space. I didn't care about that. I saw through him, seeing that even my being close to him made him a nervous wreck. You'd never tell though. To someone else, it would've sent them heading for the door...but not me. This man was an enigma of raw emotions covered constantly.

"I know that." Was all he said as he laid the papers down and locked his fingers together, placing his hands over the stack. "Is there something I can do for you?" His tone was cold and stoic, much like his wall. I took in a deep breath and reminded myself to be patient and calm.

"Yes, actually...why haven't you returned any of my messages or calls?" I asked barely above a whisper. I watched his body stiffen and his hands avert to straighten his tie. His fidget gave away his nervousness. I just sat there, staring at him, not harshly but caring. He set his jaw and rose an eyebrow.

"I've been busy." He was really going to make this difficult for me. I pulled the chair closer to the desk slowly. Trying to be emotionally intimate with this man was like attempting not to startle a wild animal. I knew that if I did this, it would have to be as quickly and calmly as possible.

"Brian...I know that you have been busy. I'm just asking you because I care about you." With my saying that, he stood quickly and walked around his desk, toward his well placed tray of alcohol. He poured himself a drink and drained it in one swallow. Shit. At least he didn't tear my head off.

"You don't even know me." He spoke, his voice barely a hoarse whisper.

Here it was. My chance. I could almost see the cracks spreading and if I was going to make any head-way with him, it was now or never.

_Brian's P.O.V_

He cared about me. That's what he said. He wasn't questioning me about it, he wasn't chewing me a new one over it. He just...said it...like it wasn't a big deal. But it was. I had never heard someone specifically say that they cared about me. Sure, Michael says that he loves me and Deb cares about me. But that was family. This was different, this was new. When it came to lovers or...god forbid...relationships, I had never heard them say that they cared about me. Of course, I could just blow Justin off as if he was saying it like a friend...but I knew he wasn't. I stood at the bar, holding the empty glass, when I looked up at him and told him that he didn't even know me. My voice was hoarse and I knew that it was because I was raw, I was nervous and scared.

But that's when I saw what was reality. Those blue eyes prying and peeking through my mask confirmed that...maybe he did know me. Well, not everything but something. And when he smiled at me, the gentle turning of his lips and the small flash of his beautiful teeth...it made me want to tell him everything. Tell him all that I had been hiding in hopes that he would just take me as I am. But I couldn't do that...

I watched Justin stand from the chair and slowly approach me. It was the same technique that would be used with a wild animal, but I was grateful for it. At this moment, I felt like a beast in nature...too afraid to move but if cornered, I'd bolt. When he was a foot away from me, I felt my body tense. He saw it. I didn't mean to but by brain was trying to take over for my heart, it didn't want this...but I, my heart, did. His eyes met mine and he moved closer. He reached out and gently placed his hand on my forearm. The slightest touch from him was sending my senses into overdrive.

"Brian...just let me care about you." His voice was soft and barely above a whisper as we stood there, eyes locked together. I swallowed hard and shut my eyes, this moment was so raw...so tender. His voice washed over me with a warm feeling, like the sincerity in his voice was filling me with reassurance. And when he lifted himself up and kissed me, I reveled in it. His lips were soft on mine. My stiff muscles gave as I opened my mouth parted his lips with my tongue. His hand traveled from my arm to the back of my neck as I deepened the kiss. My glass was left forgotten on the tray, our bodies migrating toward the couch in a passionate sway.

Lips moving in a rhythmic dance, hands finding the hems of shirts...this was what I yearned for. My mind was screaming at me to stop this, but when I broke the kiss and looked into his oceanic orbs...I didn't listen. In the heated moment that followed, every instinct that I possessed took over. In this moment, it wasn't about my mind or my heart...it was about his. That's what scared me...my willingness to put him above myself, something that I rarely did with anyone. I tore at his shirt and pulled it free from his body, throwing it to the floor. His hands traveled my chest and removed mine.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I knew that this was Brian's way of trying to deal with an emotional situation but right now, it wasn't about trying to win his internal war. It was about lust, the animalistic look on his face gave him away, and I was willing to play along. I was more than willing if it would allow Brian to let me in, let me see the real him. His hands twisted through my hair almost painfully, but I loved it. Our mouths were connected again in a surreal power-play, tongues swirling and lips plumped and red. His hands found the buttons on my jeans as mine found his. The pants were thrown as haphazardly as the shirts had been, now forgotten in the heated power of the moment.

His tower of hard flesh fell forward onto my own, our pre-cum leaking in matching trails. His mouth left mine quickly, breaking the kiss with a soft pop, and heading for my leaking cock. The heat of his mouth radiating onto my overheated member as I began to writhe under him. Our moans matched as his mouth engulfed my entire length. My head fell back, crashing against the arm of the couch...my mouth agape as soft moans and gaps poured freely. His ministrations were that of an expert and his hands were perfectly in place, cupping the tightening sack behind his object of attention. My body was tingling, sending the signal of the impending orgasm through me.

I came in a white hot heat as my cock came in contact with the back of Brian's throat.

_Brian's P.O.V_

The warm liquid was still swirling on my tongue as I lifted myself up and placing a passionate kiss on Justin's lips. I twisted my tongue around his, making himself aware of just how sweet he tasted. My cock was aching to be inside of him as I gazed upon his angelic face, eyes half-hooded...his teeth peeking out and biting his bottom lip. I reached under the couch cushion and pulled out a condom and a packet of lube, preparing myself.

I began stretching him, fingers gliding in and out of him smoothly. When he was riding my fingers, I plunged into him in a swift motion. His face bore a mixture of pain and pleasure as I waited for him to adjust, his breath was sharp and his teeth were gritted. When he let out the deep breath, I pulled out completely before plunging in deeper. He let out a guttural moan as I kept this rhythm. The deeper I drove, the louder his moans became. Our bodies moved together in complete and utter sync, every thrust was met with his pushing into me perfectly.

I had to be a fool to ignore this...this angel. His mouth found my pulse-point and began sucking and licking, driving me wild. His arms clung to my back and neck as I sank into him again. A wet pattern of kisses traced my jawline before finding my earlobe, his mouth wrapped around the flesh and bit down firmly yet gently. I moaned as he bit down harder, sending the delicious pain straight to my erection. I felt the familiar tingle in my loins, the orgasm that I was trying to stifle was nearly ripping me apart. When I could no longer hold it off, I let out a near Earth-quaking moan and filled the condom. Not even seconds passed before Justin's white hot liquid was decorating my chest, the liquid feeling cool against my near feverish skin. Another benefit of the curse, the hotter the skin...the hotter the passion burns beneath it. Or whatever.

I just laid on top of him, reveling in my orgasm and coated in his. Our chests were forming a united rhythm. Justin's arms were still wrapped around me, tracing soft patterns into my back. My eyes were closed, shielded from his. I knew that if he saw them right now, there would be no doubt about what I felt for him. It was a word that I didn't believe in yet it applied to this moment...and this man. My brain was screaming at me to kick him to the curb...now was the time...but I cut off the thoughts when I heard his voice.

"Brian?" His tone was so gentle, almost innocent. I could only groan my acknowledgment for fear that my mouth would betray me in this moment, spilling secrets and feelings that were better left as they were...secrets. "Why don't we meet at your place later this week...have a few drinks, just...talk."

_Justin's P.O.V_

It was the biggest risk of the day, my saying this to him, but I had to try. I was expecting his body to tense or an automatic rejection, but what I received was nearly unbelievable...well, nearly.

"Alright." His voice was barely audible and I knew that this was a breakthrough and I couldn't ruin it with any over reactions. So, I settled for a simple one.

"Alright." I said, trying to mask my happiness at his agreement. I simply kept up the movement of my hands on his back and my soft breathing, matching his. This wasn't just a breakthrough for myself but for Brian as well, letting me see through his towering wall. And what I saw was beautiful, it was the picture of a man who wasn't perfect by any means...other than his appearance and body of course. But on the inside, he was gentle...caring. I knew because I felt the caring nature when we made love. His actions with me, his kisses...they all spoke louder than any words could ever dream. And every actions told me that no matter how hard he pushed me away, there was an equally strong part of him that was dying to pull me closer. He just hadn't realized just how strong that part of him was.

The knock on the door roused us from our serene state and back into the reality of the moment. Brian's head rose and he shouted out.

"Yes?" I heard the handle turning and lunged for my clothes. I managed to grab my shirt and throw it over myself as Ted walked into the room.

"Hey boss, I have those papers for you to..." He trailed off as he looked up at us and his face turned crimson. He stammered as Brian just sat on the couch, stark naked, staring at him.

"Thank you Theodore." He said in a snide tone, making Ted blush harder. My hands found my face as Ted gave me a confused yet meaningful glance. It didn't look as if he was going to be fired after all. All I could do was laugh silently as I stood from the couch. I pulled my jeans on when I realized that Brian was still sitting there, making no intention of getting up. I furrowed my brows at him, his face was clouded with something that felt like contemplation. I sighed and sat down next to him.

"Brian?" He glanced at me as if he were interrupted from a deep thought and smiled. It wasn't a deviously handsome one, it was a sort of little boy's smile...innocent. I looked into his eyes and saw that deep inside, he was just a boy who was in need of a loving and nurturing person to care for him. That and someone that he could fuck to no end. "How about Saturday around 7." He seemed to smile a bit brighter as I stood again, this time heading for the door.

I was sure that he would remain silent as I left, but I was stopped at the door...Brian's hand on my forearm. His nude body was standing close to me as he leaned in and kissed me chastely on the lips. The kiss lingered longer than that of a friend and I was thoroughly enjoying it. He broke the kiss abruptly and smiled at me. I returned his smile.

"Later." He said in a hushed tone, sly and sexy injected with just a hint of the inner war that he was battling. He turned away from me and made to get his clothes. I watched him go, thinking of what I was going to say the next time we met. I opened the door but spoke before I crossed the threshold.

"Later." His eyes met mine for the last time before I left. I saw the hope that lived there. The hope that he wanted so badly and the hope that I possessed. I saw the intensity there, in those hazel eyes, that made me shiver. But I had to leave, I couldn't become clingy with this wild animal...this broken man.

So, I left.

_Brian's P.O.V_

As soon as Justin left, my mind started racing. His visit had been what my heart had been asking for but my brain was fighting me now. I stood in the middle of my office, like a lost child. My breath began to quicken as I realized that I had just agreed to meet Justin again...to talk. What the hell was I thinking...that's right, I wasn't. I ran my hands through my hair painfully as I stalked to the tray of alcohol, not even bothering to use a glass...I drank. At this point, I was beginning to externalize my thoughts...my mind splitting with the accumulation.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" I whispered before I took another large swallow from the bottle of Jack Daniels. "Goddammit. You knew better than to do that. You knew. Maybe it's some voodoo mind shit that he can do. Yeah, that's what it is. He's fucking with my head. That's the only explanation." I turned the bottle up once again and swallowed. I stood there a moment before I realized that every word that was spilling from my mouth was utter bullshit. "Justin? Pulling 'voodoo mind shit?' Are you fucking kidding me? No." I began to pace in front of my desk now, tracing and retracing the steps, bottle in hand.

Of course Justin wasn't the fucking problem. The problem was me. I was always the problem. It was me who deserved what Jack did to me when I was younger, instigating his drinking. It was me who couldn't give Michael what he wanted, namely myself. Everything that had or has gone wrong was my fault. And now, I was doing the same to Justin. If it wasn't for my mind and heart being at complete odds, I would be able to decide what I wanted to do. I drank the last swallow of whiskey and, in a fit of anger and frustration, threw the bottle as hard as I could against the wall. The glass spraying all over the floor in tiny shards, mimicking my mental state.

"Fuck!" I shouted as I fell into the chair in front of my desk and slumped over. I knew it would only be a matter of time before Cynthia barged in, worried or angry. I was right. The door opened and Cynthia peeked over at me, probably afraid to enter. I gave her a glance, probably looking undeniably pitiful in my current haphazard state. But she knew how I felt about sentiment...or at least, how I told her I felt about it. In all honesty, the whole 'sentiment's bullshit' speech that I spewed was exactly that...bullshit. Creating this facade meant that absolutely no weakness was shown, unless accidental. Even before this curse, I had nearly perfected my wall...building it brick by fucking brick so that I would be virtually invincible. But every now and again, I wouldn't be able to hold it up and it would come crashing down...much like right now.

Of course, I would have a near breakdown when Justin had left. I just couldn't bring myself to show him that I wasn't the writhing sex god or the asshole that everyone seemed to think I was. But who could blame them? That's what I had created. I used sex as a means to escape the shit in my head but for a moment. And being an asshole...that was to keep everyone at arms length so that I could escape without them wanting to delve into my private hell. This is what I was protecting Justin from, my fucked up emotions and reasoning.

Cynthia sat down on the couch and just watched me for a moment. I knew that she was gauging how to react to me like this, I had never shown her this side of myself. I closed my eyes tight and wrung my hands together. When I was looking at her again, she had a confused expression on her face. I furrowed my brows at her and she averted her eyes for a moment. I sighed and stood up, ending this awkward moment between us, and headed for my desk. As I bent down to pick up my briefcase, she spoke.

"Don't do this to yourself Brian. It doesn't help anyone." She said, barely above a whisper. I set my jaw, trying to understand that she was only trying to help. I knew that the only knowledge she had was what I had given her since we met. She was blinded by my facade just as everyone else was...everyone except Justin. But that brought about more thoughts that troubled me.

I looked at Cynthia, at the sincere expression of concern on her face, and smiled. I nodded my head and kept up the image that everything was fine as I picked up my briefcase. I told her some excuse about having a migraine so that I could leave with a minimal amount of questions. I left Kinnetik and set out for my loft, what I needed right now was a quiet place to figure things out. To try and settle this internal dispute that seemed to never end. Try to end the war once and for all.

Whatever it took.

I had been sitting in my loft for almost six hours. Sitting, thinking, and drinking. These things seemed to go hand in hand now. I had been pondering the idea of calling Justin and asking him to come over now, when I was at my breaking point mentally. But then I would toss the idea aside, knowing that if I did that...it would end badly for me. I stood up from my place in front of the window and lit a cigarette. I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, letting the smoke burn in my lungs. When I exhaled the billowing breath, I put the cigarette out and decided to take a shower.

The new glass of the shower walls and doors were now unbreakable, a new fixture that had to be remedied because of my temper. Yet another drawback of this curse, it seemed that my temper was never in check the week before or after I changed. As I stood under the steaming spray of the water, I pondered a thought. When Justin had approached me, I hadn't snapped or shouted. I furrowed my brows and wondered why. Usually anything that didn't go right would throw me into a downward spiral of anger and rage. But not today...and not with Justin. I increased the heat of the water, near scorching and reveled in the slight pain.

I used the pain of the heated water to mask the undercurrent of emotion anguish that I was feeling. I had until Saturday to figure out what to do. And these next few days would be the longest of my life.


	7. Chapter 7: Welcome to Hell

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7:**

**Welcome To Hell**

-A Few Days Later-

_Justin's P.O.V_

The darkness of the room was sweeping over me, drenching me in a fear that was familiar. The metallic floor was cold under my feet as I walked forward, my arms outstretched. My palms were sweating and my limbs were shaking, the feeling of fear was engulfing me with each step I took. I stopped in my tracks as I heard breathing behind me, the breaths were short and gasping. A faint snarl was decorating each breaths end as I stood and listened. I held my breath for a moment and closed my eyes, trying to think of what animal was behind me. That's when the feeling radiated over me, but it was also when I finally realized that the fear wasn't my own.

It was flowing from whatever was behind me.

I listened to the breathing intently, trying to calm myself enough to hear. The breathing was gasping and snarling but more than anything...it was shaky. Every breath was filled with the fear that I felt. And in that moment, I relaxed. I felt my muscles loosen and my breathing even out as I made a split second decision. I was going to face this...this animal. I braced myself and began turning, every movement specifically slow as to not startle whatever it was. I turned around completely, keeping my eyes down before I worked up the courage to look at it head on. I closed my eyes before I lifted my head.

Now was the time.

I opened my eyes and realized that the dream had occurred again. I looked around my room and took in where I was, I was in my house. I blinked my eyes and realized that it was still dark outside, the soft crescent moonlight barely illuminating anything. Throwing back the blanket, I climbed out of bed and set out to take a shower. As I turned the water on, I realized that my hands were still shaking. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on something else, anything other than my dream and its possible meanings. Stepping into the large shower, I decided to focus on the design of the tiles. The rich cream tones and the red flourished pattern swirling within them, I smiled at the beauty of it...at the entire house really.

When I moved into the place, I had expected a rustic charm...a more countryside charm. But what I got was a grandeur that couldn't have been more perfect for me. The rich woods and the natural tones in which the walls were painted, I felt like this house was made for me. But what was stranger than the decor fitting so well was that when I explored the house thoroughly, I knew where every room was. I knew what I wanted to go where and how I wanted furniture placed.

It was almost like I'd lived here before. That's when I remembered my dream, about the man in the study and everything. It had been so vivid and when I explored the house, I found that exact room. The walls were painted the same deep caramel color and the feeling that I had was brought back immediately. I felt like I was home. Like I was meant for this place and now, there was only one thing missing. The man. But I was working on that. I was supposed to meet Brian at his loft tonight for drinks.

I hadn't heard very much from him over the last few days, but it wasn't as bad as before. I had called the other day, expecting to get his voice-mail. But when he picked up, I was proud. I was proud of the fact that he wasn't ignoring me, he was trying. I remember the exact phone conversation.

"Hello." He had said, I expected his tone to be snide or annoyed but it wasn't. It was soft and...almost sweet.

"Hey, how've you been?" I said, treading thin ice at trying to maintain his current mood. I heard him sigh over the phone.

"I've been...the same." The slight hesitation in his voice gave way to his battle. I knew that it would be hard for him to let someone care about him but at least he was meeting me half way.

"That's great. Well, I just thought I'd call and say hi...see how you were." I said in a soft tone. I called around noon, thinking that he was taking lunch. But when I heard people talking, I knew I had interrupted something. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything."

"It's alright. But I do have a meeting in about ten minutes, I really should go." His tone was level, he was struggling with this and I had to commend him. "Later."

"Later." I said just before the phone clicked, signaling the end of our conversation.

It hadn't been an emotional call by any means but it was ground-breaking. He had actually picked up, that was something. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a plush burgundy towel around my waist, deciding to head to the kitchen for a quick drink. I passed through my room and read the clock, 5:00am. Well, at least I didn't have to worry about sleeping too late.

_Brian's P.O.V_

5:00am. I had been staring at the clock since 11pm and hadn't even slept. I had tossed and turned throughout the night, trying to induce sleep. I had even taken a pill but nothing seemed to help. To be honest, I knew why I couldn't sleep...and it had nothing to do with being tired. I was fucking exhausted. It was my mind. Every time I would shut my eyes, I would play out a scenario in which I laid out every secret that I possessed to Justin. Each time I ran the scene, it ended the same. Justin would realize just how fucked up I was and then leave, I would be near begging but he just walked out. Every time. I huffed a breath and decided to just get out of bed.

I walked to the kitchen and made coffee, my mind still racing about what might happen today. Every ounce of my being hoped and yes...prayed...that things would go well. Hoping against hope that I would be able to muster up the courage to be open with Justin. To just let my real self shine through my impenetrable wall, that was my biggest worry...and my greatest challenge. The coffee finished brewing and I poured myself a cup. I stood by the counter and took a sip as I looked down and saw the bottle of Jim Beam, its beckoning call was nearly irresistible. It tempted me, calling me to pour a shot into the black coffee in my hand. No...not today. Alcohol was my crutch, my leaning point. But not today. It was going to be different. I knew that I wouldn't get drunk but I just didn't want to start off by trying.

I glanced at the clock and realized that I didn't have anywhere to be this early. Without having to think about it anymore, I decided to go to the diner. I might as well eat something, after all...today was a step forward. A step toward being myself, being open with people. Well, I could try couldn't I?

The diner wasn't as full as I thought it would be. It was only 5:45 after all. I took a seat at the counter instead of the back booth. Debbie was standing at the kitchen window talking to the cook when she caught sight of me. The look on her face was a sight of confusion. Normally, I wouldn't be in the diner this early...and on a Saturday morning. I took a deep breath as Debbie made her way toward me, grabbing the pot of coffee on the way.

"What brings you to our humble establishment this early on a Saturday?" She quipped in a sharp tone. I knew that voice all too well, I heard it every time something wasn't going right. As always, I was the problem...somehow. My throat itched to snap off a sarcastic comment as I would usually, but something inside me killed it. Instead, I just looked at her and smiled softly.

"Just hungry I guess." My tone was low, almost innocent. I watched her expression change a bit before she popped her gum and set her pose.

"What have you done to Michael?" She sniped as she poured my cup of coffee before setting the pot on the counter harder than necessary. I closed my eyes and let out the breath that I was holding. When I opened my eyes, hers were locked with them. She raised her eyebrows, expecting me to say it was nothing and then follow it with some asshole remark. I was so tempted to fulfill that expectation before the feeling killed that thought yet again.

"Well, we had a few drinks at Woody's a while back but I just haven't talked to him much lately." It was honest, it was open...it felt good. The same expression that peeked through before had returned only to be stifled again. She popped her gum and nodded.

"So, that's how it is then? You just don't talk to my son...your best friend...and think that's how things are supposed to be?" Her tone had the same snide, accusing ring and it was starting to press my last nerve. What had I ever done to Michael? Yeah, I may have been a complete shit to him sometimes, but we always made up and moved on as normal. But every time something went wrong in Michael's world, it was my fault. Like I was the reason that Michael wasn't shooting rainbows out of his ass all the time. I never understood it. It seemed like Debbie blamed me for everything that Michael did to himself. I couldn't help the fact that he was in love with me, I mean, what was I supposed to do...tell him that I hated him and that he should fuck off? No...because I would be lying. I did love Michael...just...not in that way. But it seemed that no matter how hard I tried to do nice things for him, when it didn't turn out...it was my fault that he was sad or lonely. What...the hell.

I looked Debbie in the face plainly as I spoke.

"No, that's not how it's supposed to be but Deb...I can't control the things that happen in my life. And I can't control the things that happen in Michael's life. I wish you would believe me when I say that I really want the best for him." That was as honest as I could be. I meant every word that passed between my lips, the problem was...Debbie didn't buy it.

"So what...you want the best for him but you can't seem to be anything other than an asshole to him? He's always been there for you Brian..."

That was it.

"And where the fuck have I been? Let me guess...getting my dick sucked! Fuckin' A! What have I done to Michael? Honestly. Tell me Debbie. When the fuck have I not been there for Michael when he's needed it the most? Huh? What the fuck am I supposed to do!" I exploded at her and the empty diner as I stood up and threw my arms out. Her mouth was a bit gaped and her gum was hanging in between her lips. I watched her brows furrow and her finger start to point at me when I had had enough.

I threw down a ten and left. As I walked to my car, I kicked the tire as hard as I could. I had tried to be nice...I had tried to be honest. I had even kept my remarks at bay, and for what? For Debbie giving me the same old shit? If only she knew that you could only beat a dead horse for so long before there's nothing left to beat. I was beginning to wonder just how much of this so called friendship I cherished. Every time something happened between Michael and me, it was always my fault. As if Michael was a fucking perfectly saintly creature. Fuck that shit.

I arrived at my loft, noting that I had only been gone fifteen minutes, I decided that there wasn't anything left to do but...drink.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had showered and picked out a delectable outfit, a form fitting grey long sleeve shirt with a comfortable yet sexy pair of Levi's. I looked at the clock and decided that I should probably head out if I wanted to be at Brian's at 7. Setting the alarm on the way out, I looked back at my home. I smiled at the thought of meeting Brian tonight, at being one step closer to seeing the real him. I hit the button on my key-chain, unlocking my new 1990 model Volvo...I loved this car. Old but classic.

The drive was scenic and rural until I entered Pittsburgh, urban central. I found a relatively close parking spot outside Brian's building and strolled up to the door. I had been anticipating this night for the last few days and I could barely contain my excitement. I was about to ring the buzzer when I saw that the door was ajar. For some reason unknown, I furrowed my brows and let myself in. As I walked up the stairs, I couldn't help but have the solum feeling that Brian wasn't the type to leave his door open...or unlocked for that matter. He was the type that liked his belongings to be locked up, much like his emotions. As I reached the top of the stairs, I saw that his door was wide open.

I peeked inside to see Brian sitting in the floor of a trashed loft. Couch cushions were strewn about and there were empty bottles of liquor littering the beautiful rugs and floor. He was positioned so that he could look out the windows, staring off into the distance as if he were in a trance. I stepped over the threshold just as he turned his head, our eyes meeting for the briefest of moments before he spoke.

"Welcome to hell..." His voice was grim and his eyes were full of pain, regret, and most of all...fear. I could almost see through his eyes and straight into his soul, dark and sorrowful. He held a nearly empty bottle of bourbon in his hands, clutching it as if his life depended on it. "Why don't you join me."

I slowly walked over to where he sat, kneeling in front of him. I gently caressed his cheek and sighed. This was not at all how I wanted to spend this night with Brian, watching him drink himself into oblivion. The pain in his voice when he spoke stood out and was a louder volume than his voice itself. He was radiating suffering and it was coming in thick waves, nearly choking the life from me. This wasn't good.

"Brian...you can't do this to yourself. It doesn't help you." I spoke softly, keeping my hand firmly on his cheek, his eyes cast down. When the last word left my lips, his eyes met mine. I knew that he saw the hope in my eyes where I saw fear and disdain in his. "I care about you and..."

"You don't care about me! You think you do but you don't!" He moved to his feet so fast that I was nearly knocked over by sheer force. Towering over me, I looked up at him...his face a portrait of his feelings. I looked away and then rose to my feet, standing only a few inches from him.

"Yes I do, Brian. More than you know." I was trying to keep my voice soft and caring, but seeing him like this was tearing me apart from the inside. He huffed his response and took a long swallow from the bottle, draining it dry. When I moved to take the bottle from him, he pulled away. Before I could do anything, the bottle was shattered into a million pieces against the kitchen wall. I jumped at Brian's outburst. He turned to me, eyes fixed somewhere other than my eyes...shifting. He was only centimeters away from me now.

"No...I don't know because I don't care!" His voice was shaking as he nearly screamed, so close that I could smell the alcohol on his breath. I backed up from him and furrowed my brows.

_Brian's P.O.V_

My mind was whirling. After what had happened at the diner with Debbie, it had been the breaking point for me. I had drank enough to kill someone but it got me drunk. It helped with the thoughts at first but now, seeing Justin, they were rushing back with a vengeance. His angelic face was the last thing I wanted to see right now...Not because he wasn't perfect, but because I was broken. I would hurt him before I knew what was going on.

And that's exactly what was happening right now.

Justin's face was screwed into a confused and utterly helpless expression. I had shattered the bottle before I thought about what I was doing, startling him. And now, I was screaming at him. Screaming because, honestly, I didn't know what else to do. His breath was short as he spoke.

"That's not true. I know that you care...you just can't admit it yet. But it's there." His voice was beginning to lose the calm that it possessed only moments before. I laughed at his heartfelt words, a cruel bitter laugh. As I opened my mouth to speak, my heart was literally dying as the words flowed.

"You stupid little twat...you don't know me. You don't know anything about me! What...do you think that I'm capable of love? Capable of loving you?" My bitter laughter strangled my heart's pleading. "I don't want you!"

I watched his face try to remain straight as his eyes began to form tears, tears over my words. I felt my heart constrict, turning its back on me as my brain was forming a celebration. It was almost as if I had no control over what I was saying because I was torn between the two worlds of my heart's desire and my brain's logic. He stepped toward me, the tiniest glimmer of hope struggling to shine through his moistened eyes.

"No...I can see it in you. You are capable of love. I can feel it. I know it because I know what's in your heart. This isn't you speaking...this is the mask that you hide behind speaking." His voice was choked with the tears that he was trying to hold back.

He was right on so many levels that I wanted to fall at his feet and beg his forgiveness. But no. My mind was keeping me upright, filling my mouth with wickedly cruel ways of tormenting his hope. I felt my throat constrict as I watched a few tears fall from his eyes. I loosened my stance and he saw it as an invitation to come closer. He shuffled to me, only a foot away now.

"Please Brian...please. Don't do this." His hands cupped my cheeks, his eyes boring into mine. For a moment, I felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness. I felt my knees begin to shake and my heart start to beat harder, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes...I saw his last shred of optimism. It was hanging in the air between us, touching my heart...making me feel horrible, awful. His faith in me was stronger than my faith in anything, I saw that in his eyes. He believed that I was capable of so much love and yet, I was ruining everything by ripping out his heart and stomping on it. The feeling in my gut told me what I needed to do. I needed to fix this, make it right. I yearned to take him into my arms, kiss away his broken spirit and mend his currently breaking heart.

But that yearning was shot...in the very next moment, I felt my body harden and my jaw set. I latched my hands around his arms and shoved him away from me. His face was now wearing his exact emotions...heart-wrenching hopelessness.

"I'm not hiding anything. There are no masks. This is who I am...a heartless bastard who doesn't need your stupid sentiment or love. I don't need you, I don't need anyone." My voice was deadly calm, upsetting myself as well as Justin.

And that was it. I watched as the hopeful optimism in his eyes faded completely. His faith in me was scorned and beaten, and I was the cause of it all.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I could literally feel my heart being torn apart, ripped from my chest savagely and drained of any light...any feeling. His eyes were full of regret and sorrow as I looked into them through tear-blurred eyes. His jaw was set and his stance was firm as I stepped further back from him. His words had cut into my very being and I was gushing from the wounds. I wiped the tears from my cheeks as I turned away from him.

I walked across the wide spread glass shards on my way to the door. I felt the pain flowing off of him in catastrophic waves crashing against my back. I reached the door and stopped, my heart was whispering to me. It was reminding me of the very first night that I had met Brian, the words that had been said. I bit my bottom lip to stifle the tears and hold back my sobs as I turned to face him again.

His stance was less firm and his lips were rolled into his mouth, that look made my heart yearn to comfort him...even in the circumstances, but I wouldn't. No. Instead, I decided to even the playing field a bit. I knew where to hit him where it hurt.

"You know...the very first night that we met, you said something to me that made me believe that you were worth fighting for. They were the only words to come out of your mouth that were honest and pure. Do you know what they were?" My voice was calm yet shaky, a desperate attempt at making him see.

He raised his eyebrows, trying to seem entirely uninterested.

"You said that you loved me, you fucking bastard." My voice was eerily calm before I turned and left...slamming the door hard enough to chip the bricks around the frame.

I don't know what's worse...loving him when he broke my heart, or loving him for not meaning a single fucking word.


	8. Chapter 8: A Series of Revelations Pt1

**The characters within are strictly the property of Showtime and CowLip. **

**I do not own ANY of them. No copyright infringement intended in any way.**

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8:**

**A Series of Revelations...Part 1**

**A/N...This chapter introduces the P. for other characters. Not only B/J but some others such as Debbie and Emmett :)**

-**A Few Weeks Later-**

_Justin's P.O.V_

It had been almost a month since the painful night at Brian's loft, the night that made me realize just how deep his problems were rooted. When I had left his place, I was convinced that moving here had been a serious mistake. The faith that I had in Brian was the driving force behind my moving here in the first place, the feeling that I got when I was around him confirmed my faith. He had been so gentle our first night together, and then again in his office...but his walls were so reinforced that they seemed impenetrable. That fact was made painfully clear...

But as I stand in the studio of my home, painting, I'm glad that I decided to stay. This time, it wasn't for Brian...it was for me. It was because this house felt like more of a home than any place I'd ever lived. Every time I entered a room, I felt warm and safe...not like New York or my mother's house. I felt like I belonged here.

My brush hit the canvas harder than I intended, leaving a harsher stroke of deep red than I wanted. "Shit." I breathed as I stepped back and observed my mistake. But as soon as my eyes hit the mark, the whole canvas felt alive. The black and dark grey leapt out with the red breaking it apart into two separate beings. As I stood there, staring at it, I felt like there was something about this painting that meant something that was more important than anything. The deep crimson divided the colors, causing both sides of the canvas to take on entirely different feelings.

One side felt warm and beautiful while the other felt dark and frightening. My mind was swirling about what it meant. I yawned, deep and drawn out. I blinked my eyes rapidly, trying to stay awake when I remembered how little sleep I had been getting since my visit with Brian. Each night I would become tired and fall asleep rather quickly...but as soon as my eyes closed, I was haunted by desperately frightening dreams. I didn't feel that they were terribly important, just a product of my imagination.

However, the dream that I had had last night was meaningful...it was the dream about the room with the metal floor. But it seemed like every time I made to raise my eyes to the object of fear, I would wake up. When my eyes would open, I couldn't go back to sleep...not even a wink. And it wasn't because I was tired, it was because I wanted to know what it meant. I wanted to know anything and everything about this...thing, this animal.

I hadn't realized that my eyes were shut and I was sleeping until I lost my balance and fell backward. I landed on the hardwood floor, my hands out behind me to brace my fall. The jolt made me aware of just how tired I was. I knew then that I had to sleep, I couldn't take a chance on falling down the damn stairs and dying because I was too groggy to walk straight.

So, I walked to my room and took a nap. It was only noon.

_Brian's P.O.V_

Over the last few weeks, it had been hell for me. The first few nights, I tried to go out with the guys...I really did. I had called Michael...who wasn't very happy about not hearing from me...but when I asked if he wanted to go to Babylon, he blissfully agreed. The only factor in that equation that I didn't count on was that Ted and Emmett would be coming along. We had stood by the bar, Michael talking away while Ted and Emmett giving me looks and expressions of pure hatred. I knew this game, it was played on me very often. I would do something wrong...or in this case horribly terrible...and then I would catch hell for it eternally.

And to top everything off, I hadn't spoken to Justin once. I knew that I wouldn't, but this was my hell. I had ripped the hope from his eyes and watched his heart break right before my very eyes...at my own doing. After he left, I destroyed everything in my loft. I ripped the paintings from the walls, I smashed every single glass item, thrown furniture, and finally...I sat in the middle on the room and observed my meltdown. I didn't care about anything in the place because everywhere I looked, I saw him. For the first two weeks, I couldn't even sleep in my own bed. Every time I laid down, I remembered him laying under me...stroking my back while I fucked him. Eventually, I had just decided to sleep on the couch.

I had even stopped coming into the office. Cynthia had been faxing everything to the loft and Ted had been sending me e-mails about the accounts. I had been drinking like a fish, spending most all of my extra cash on booze...my medication to try and kill the pain that my heart was experiencing. I hadn't left the loft after the incident at Babylon, the last night that I tried to keep my cool and make out like everything was fine.

I had gotten to Babylon and was waiting for Michael when Emmett showed up. Sipping my Beam as he walked up to me with a purpose, the hate radiating from him in drowning waves. He came within a foot of me and stared directly into my eyes. I just rose an eyebrow, keeping my nonchalant persona as he spoke.

"You know...what you did to Justin was a fucking shitty thing to do Brian." His voice had that edge to it that told me that he was holding back, the tremble that signaled his hate. I just shrugged my shoulders at him while my heart sank even further into my own private hell. "Yeah, I'd expect that reaction from you. Hell, I even told him what a fucking stupid thing he was doing, taking a chance on you. I told him that you were a heartless asshole but no, he wouldn't listen. He wouldn't hear any of it because he was convinced that you were different. That's why he moved here."

I stopped drinking my bourbon mid-drink when he said those last words, that Justin had moved here for me.

"Oh...you didn't know did you?" His voice was mocking incredulity as he clutched his invisible pearls before dropping his hand to his hip. "That's probably because he was going to surprise you with it Saturday but you had to go and break his fucking heart...just like I told him you'd do. So, I guess he learned his lesson, huh. He finally figured out that you're not capable of feelings. You're not capable of anything good. You just fuck things up for everyone...don't you." His voice was harsh and low in the loud room, but I heard every word. "And do you know what hurt him the most?"

I clutched my drink, trying to hold back the sudden urge to cry. His words were cutting through me like a fiery knife, leaving wounds that would never heal. I gave him a look that would've said 'Well?' but I didn't trust my voice. My throat was too constricted even to drink my bourbon. He gave an incredulous smile and a huff.

"What hurt the most was that he loved you." He left those words hanging in the air before turning from me and leaving.

And that was the last time I went out. I hadn't even waited for Michael, I just wanted to get the hell out of there and drink. I had gone back to my loft and sat in the ever fitting darkness, drank...and thought. I thought about the last words Emmett had said to me, and most of all, the last words that Justin had spoken to me. He had told me that I had admitted my love for him, something I don't remember doing. I had probably been drunk when I said it but it didn't matter. What mattered was that my heart had spoken out in my state, it allowed me to say what I felt now.

The trouble was...I couldn't bring myself to tell Justin now. After all, I had broken his heart and trashed his hope in me.

And now, as I'm sitting in the darkness of my loft on a Friday night, I'm realizing just how much Justin knew about me. I mean, he didn't know my deepest darkest secrets but he knew that I was a faker. He could see through the intricately placed persona that I had held for so long, and that was what scared me. But it had been weeks since our fight, or rather my screaming at him that I didn't need him or anyone. It had been in those weeks that I realized just how right he had been. I was hiding. I was hiding from myself because, honestly, I was scared of who that might be. Since my childhood, I had aspired not to be the asshole that Jack Kinney was. But I had failed, I had wanted to be the opposite in every aspect of Jack and now...I had become him.

Leaning on alcohol when the shit hit the fan and even taking my anger out on everyone around me, namely Justin. I took another long drink from the bottle of Jack Daniels that I was holding, letting the whiskey burn my throat as I thought about all of this. I stood from my place on the floor in front of the windows to retrieve my cigarettes. Ever since the conversation with Emmett, and with Justin, I had been drinking and smoking twice as much as I normally would have. I had gone through a carton of cigarettes in four days, smoking until my lungs hurt. And drinking until I puked. But no matter how many cigarettes I inhaled or how much alcohol I drank, the pain was still there.

I stood in front of the counter and smoked, watching the ashes grow and fall, when my phone started vibrating. I sighed and picked it up, not bothering to check the ID. Michael's voice rang through the receiver, at a quite pissed voice at that.

"Where the hell have you been?" His nasally voice pierced my ears. I really didn't want to talk to Michael right now. Truthfully, I really didn't see why we were even friends anymore.

"I've been busy." I gave him the same old excuse as always. I heard his huffed sigh over the phone.

"You always say that. What the fuck are you doing that's making you so busy?" His voice was really starting to ride on my last nerve at this point.

"Like I said Michael, I'm busy...Now would you please stay out of my business." I was started to get tired of this conversation already.

"Fuck, Brian. You never come out anymore, I never see you. I don't even think you care about me anymore. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised...you don't care about an..."

"Fuck you Michael! I don't have to explain anything to you! You think I'm supposed to go everywhere with you and do everything for you? What the fuck do I owe you? My kidneys? My heart? Just delete my number from your phone and forget about me...I'm tired of this shit." I screamed into the phone before I slammed it shut and threw it hard against the dining room wall. I immediately regretted my decision as soon as the bits of plastic fell to the floor and scattered.

"Goddammit!" I really didn't need this right now, especially tonight of all nights. The dreaded night of the month.

_Debbie's P.O.V_

God, it was a busy afternoon at the diner, and it was only 3:30. Queens all around me shouting about their food no being right or not wanting 'that greasy shit' on their plate. Jesus Christ.

"You're too skinny anyway, just fucking eat it!" I nearly yelled at the little bleach-blond bottom as I rounded the corner of the counter. My head was spinning from my shift, fourteen hours would do that to you. But the only reason that I was here after running the graveyard shift was bills. Since Vic had died, I was still paying the leftovers from the funeral...and if I didn't watch it, I'd end up being next. Terry, the cook, was ringing the bell repeatedly as I hustled to refill coffee and take orders from the new customers. My feet were killing me and I was exhausted when I had had it with him.

"If you ring that fucking bell one more time, it's going up your ass Terry!" I shouted as I nearly ran to the window to pick up the order. I jogged around the counter and served up table three when I passed Emmett, Ted, and Michael coming in.

"Jesus..." Emmett whistled with a little laugh at my speedy actions.

"No...just me. Have a seat guys, I'll be right with you...if I don't have a fucking stroke by then." I breathed out, passing them to grab another order. I delivered it and all fell back into order. When I saw Kiki again, I was going to kill her tranny ass for not showing up for the third time this week.

The boys were chatting with each other when I got to their table, Emmett and Ted prattling on while Michael just sat there...his face was stern and I knew that look. I sighed as I squeezed into the booth next to Emmett, Ted and Michael were facing us. Emmett greeted me with his usual flamboyancy and Ted just smiled and asked how I was. But Michael just sat there, looking at his menu. I furrowed my brows and popped my gum before I dove headfirst into this one.

"What's wrong baby?" I asked, his eyes meeting mine. What I saw there, I knew all too well...but there was something else. When I asked this, Ted stiffened visibly and Emmett cleared his throat a little and stopped talking.

This was bad.

"Uh, so apparently Brian doesn't want to be friends anymore." His voice was shaky and I knew that if he wasn't here, he'd be crying. I closed my eyes tight and sighed, I knew it. I reached my hand out and squeezed his reassuringly.

"Oh honey, you guys will make up. You always do." It was killing me to reassure him, I knew how much he cared for that asshole. Michael shook his head furiously and I saw the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes.

"No...we won't. He told me to delete his number and forget about him. He wanted to know what I owed him. Fucker." He wasn't even holding his tears at bay anymore, they were falling in little streams down his cheeks. I was biting my tongue as my face hardened. That motherfucker. That son of a bitch. All I could bring myself to do was smile at him lovingly and plan how I was going to take care of this.

I took the boys' orders and when they had left, Michael still sullen, I decided what I was going to do. At 5:45, right before the next shift, I was going to have a little chat with Brian. And this time, he had some explaining to do.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I saw staring at the source of the fear that I was feeling, at the faint outline of its feet. My heart was racing as I dared to lift my eyes even an inch. I felt like this was it, the moment that I would find out what was haunting my thoughts...my dreams. The moment that I finally get to see the object of my interest and curiosity. My eyes were continuing to adjust to the darkness when they fell upon the body of the...beast. Heart racing, palms sweaty...I quickly looked up.

A flash of teeth and a guttural howl.

I flew straight up in my bed, hands clutching the sheets as I let out a scream. My eyes were shifting around the bedroom, quickly affirming that I was not in that room...I was safe. I ran my hands through my hair as I let out a deep breath. My heart was racing and my body was shaking as I threw the blanket from my body, the covering suddenly too hot. I just sat there for a moment, replaying the images from my dream over and over again. But the most prominent image was that of flashing teeth and the sound of the terrifying howl, it assaulted my ears even though it wasn't real. I threw my legs over the bed, letting them dangle there a moment while I tried to figure out exactly what to do.

I sat there for ten minutes solid before the thought came to me...I had to paint what I had seen. Not literally paint the beast that I saw, but transfer the fear onto canvas...along with some of the images. I had to. At least if I painted the images, then maybe they wouldn't haunt me so much. I stood from the bed and set out for my studio when thoughts of Brian consumed my mind. The looks that he gave me, the words that he assaulted me with were echoing in my memory. At the time, it had felt like he was tearing my heart out of my chest and stomping on it...but now, now that I look back, I realize that it wasn't only my heart that was being broken.

I remember the look in his eyes, the look of pure desolation and sorrow, that told me his words weren't sincere. That speaking those words were hurting him as much as they were me. But at the time, I was clouded by astounding loss of faith in him. The loss of faith that he would be able to tear his walls down and let me in. I stood on the threshold of my bedroom and my hallway when I had the sudden urge to call him. I had had time to think about what had happened that night and honestly...it wasn't true. He knew how I felt about him, maybe not that I had fallen for him, but he knew that I cared deeply for him. I knew that much because I saw it in his beautiful hazel eyes.

As I made to pick up my phone, I stopped before I reached it. No. I'm not doing anything more to try and contact him. From here on out, if he wants to see me or talk to me...it'll be on his time. I'm not going to push myself on him like some pathetic stalker. No, Mr. Kinney, I know how you feel about me...that much is true, but this time...it'll have to be you making the decision. I backed away from my phone and left the room. I had made my decision, that was all.

My studio was dark when I entered, the product of the sun preparing to set. I flipped the light on and walked toward the blank canvas on the easel. This painting would be the darkest and most haunting piece that I would paint but it had to be done.

I just had the feeling that it wouldn't be the last.

_Brian's P.O.V_

5:30pm. I sat my empty glass on the counter as my phone began vibrating wildly on the metallic surface. I sighed as I picked it up and turned off the notification that it was once again a full moon. Tossing the wretched thing back onto the counter, I heard the familiar buzz of the elevator. My eyes widened as I heard the wooden shuffle of the door as someone was approaching the loft door. I just stood there, like a dumbass, as the door to my loft slid open and Debbie was standing on the threshold. Fear welled inside me at the sight of her, standing there with very pissed expression on her face. But I wasn't afraid of her facial contortion, my fear was more relevant...and very real. It was fear that was set in place by the fact that in exactly ten minutes, the change would begin.

"Debbie...you can't be here." I said with a shaky tone as I rushed to her and tried to issue her from my loft. As soon as my hand fell on her shoulder, she flinched away and walked around me hurriedly.

"You son of a bitch." Her voice was laced with the warning tone of a very angry Novotny. My heart began to beat faster and my palms began to sweat as I followed behind her with a purpose. She stopped when she reached the living room area, turning and looking at me with hate in her eyes. "You actually told Michael to forget about you? To delete your number and fucking forget about you?" Her voice became shrill.

"Debbie, I really can't do this right now. I need you to leave." I implored her, my shaky voice nearly begging her.

"No! You're going to stand there and tell me why the hell you would do that to your goddamned best friend!" She was nearly trembling with anger. "I swear to god Brian...after everything you two have been through, that's how you end a friendship...a brotherhood?"

I was pacing back and forth as I tried to figure out how to handle the situation quickly and effectively.

"I'm sorry that I did that. I really am, I'm just not in a good place right now. I'll call him tomorrow and explain." It was a ditch effort to get rid of her. But all I got for it was a very confused expression on her face.

"You're...sorry. You're going to explain?" She closed some of the distance between us, her voice picking at a hint of disbelief. "Since when do you say 'I'm sorry' and 'I'll explain'?" I wrung my hands together as I felt the familiar sensations, my hands itching and my skin beginning to burn. "Are you okay?" Her voice was genuinely concerned.

"I just need you to leave Deb. I need you to leave right now!" My voice broke on the last word as I felt the first shooting pain ripple through my chest. She gasped a bit as the second searing shot tore through me.

"Jesus Christ, Brian...what's wrong!" She tried to come toward me as I fell to the floor in pain. As she reached her hand down to touch me, I smacked her hand away. The pain subsided for a moment and I climbed back to my feet.

"Debbie, just go! You need to leave before I do something that I won't ever forgive myself for!" My voice was louder than I intended due to my lungs being twisted and torn. I turned away from her as the hair on my hands and arms grew, leading the way for my nails to rip through.

"Brian! What the fuck is happening?" She shouted from behind me. My mind was spinning, I had to get her the fuck out of here.

I turned around quickly, showing her exactly what was wrong.

_Debbie's P.O.V._

What the fuck! I looked at Brian but I wasn't looking at...Brian. What I was looking at was something monstrous. Teeth were protruding and his hands and arms were covered in thick hair, not to mention the nasty nails. I nearly screamed as I stood there, frozen.

"Go!" His voice was a bit deeper than usual as he grabbed my arms and shoved me toward the door. He didn't need to tell me twice. I stumbled on my way out as I slammed the door shut and locked it with Michael's key. I stood with my back to the door. The metal banged behind me and I jumped, backing away from the door. I was pressed against the elevator door when I heard the hellish howl emit from his loft.

I just stood there, gasping for breath and trying to process what I had just seen. What on god's bloody Earth was that! The only other time that I have ever seen anything resembling that was when Vic and I watched science fiction movies and some guy turned into a... My eyes widened as I slid down the elevator door, landing on the floor.

No. No, that's bullshit. Those things don't exist and that shit's not real. But what the hell else was happening to Brian? I just sat there, trying to convince myself that it wasn't true. That Brian was something other than a...a fucking werewolf. Even saying it my head sounded ridiculously...ridiculous.

I was jarred from my thoughts by the sound of crashing and banging coming from inside the loft. As I thought about who was inside, my heart broke for the boy...my boy. I began to think about everything that had happened recently when it occurred to me that it all fit. His moods, his anger, his fighting with Michael. He was trying to keep everyone at a distance, he was trying to keep them safe.

Sitting in front of the elevator, I decided that I would come back first thing in the morning. I had been right when I came over here...Brian did have some explaining to do.

Just not in the way that I thought.


	9. Chapter 9: A Series of Revelations Pt2

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9:**

**A Series of Revelations...Part 2**

**A/N...This chapter introduces the P. for other characters. Not only B/J but some others such as Debbie and Emmett :)**

-The Next Morning-

_Brian's P.O.V_

The blinding sunlight assaulted my eyes when I woke, the rays piercing my eyes like sharp blades. I blinked rapidly, letting my eyes adjust to the light as I tried to stand. My hand fell to the floor and a shooting pain went through my palm. I looked down to discover that my hand was resting on broken glass. It was the remnants of a bottle of Beam that had the label still partially attached. I stood, reminding myself of the broken glass, and looked around my loft with fully adjusted eyes. Not only had I broken glass, but everything was in ruins. Paintings were in pieces all over the place, couch and chair cushions were ripped open and scattered about, the rugs were shredded. Basically everything that wasn't nailed down was destroyed, even the refrigerator was knocked over...the contents were plastering the dining room wall.

I ran my hands through my hair and tried to remember exactly what had happened. After a few moments of no recollection, I set out to clean up the remains of my loft. I walked up the stairs to my bedroom only to find the same product of the night before. My bed was ripped open, springs sticking out everywhere and padding covering the floor like confetti, pictures were smashed leaving a minefield of broken glass everywhere. It was a disaster area at this point. I sighed and closed my eyes, centering the impending outburst at my own doings. I pinched the bridge of my nose before setting out to find my shoes, at least I wouldn't have shredded feet then.

I was just trying to remember why I hadn't changed in my room downstairs, but for the life of me...I couldn't remember.

_Debbie's P.O.V_

I didn't even bother buzzing into Brian's loft, with Michael's key I just let myself in. A bit of fear filled me as I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator. What I had seen the night before was unreal and if I had told anyone about it, they would've sent me to the fucking crazy farm. But I hadn't told anyone, not even when Vic had asked me why I looked like I had seen a ghost last night. I just had the seering feeling that no one knew about Brian...hell, he's so damned secretive that it wouldn't be hard. I tried to think of what I would say and how I would say it as I climbed the stairs.

The last thing that I had seen last night was the fear in Brian's eyes, that was plain enough for anyone to see. He looked so scared that he might hurt me that it made me forget about chewing him a new one. It was like he was pleading with me to understand but I didn't...honestly, I couldn't. I didn't know what the fuck had been going on. And that was precisely the reason that I was here at nearly 8am in the morning, the morning after I had seen the monstrous product of Brian Kinney's great secret. I just needed a bit more information that pertained to said secret...if he would cooperate. Little asshole.

I rounded the corner of the staircase and was now faced with the metal door of his loft. I took a deep breath and slid the key into the lock.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I slid the broom across the floor, sweeping up the little bits of glass and cushion stuffing when I heard the familiar metal clang of the lock. My body stiffened as the door was unlocked and slid open. I didn't know what to do, standing in the middle of a disaster area...waiting to see Michael or worse...Justin standing there. I sighed when I remembered that Justin didn't have a key, but I also realized that Michael would be equally as bad. My mind was swirling with scenarios that would end badly when I saw Debbie peek around the door and into my loft. Her red wig and her gaudy jewelry accenting her smaller frame entered the mess of a space, eyes flickering over the remnants of everything. I closed my eyes tight, not knowing what the fuck to tell her.

I definitely couldn't tell her the truth, of that I was certain. I opened my eyes and shook my head slightly as she turned and looked at me.

"Rough night I guess...trashed my whole damn place." I said with a huffed laugh as I resumed sweeping, hoping that she would just rip me a new one and leave.

"Brian..." She said softly, her voice nearing a soothing tone. I continued sweeping, avoiding eye contact with her. Besides Justin, Debbie could see what I was feeling through my eyes...some kind of mothering superpower. "We need to talk."

_Debbie's P.O.V_

I knew by the look on his face that he was dodgy, nervous of my very presence. But as soon as the words left my lips, he began searching for his cigarettes...one of his tells. He touched the flame of his lighter to the tip of the cigarette and inhaled deeply. I watched as he began to gesture to the room around him as he spoke.

"Look, Debbie, I really don't have time to talk right now. My place is a fucking mess and I've got to do something about the accounts that Ted e-mailed me...after I buy a new computer. Fuck, and..."

I was biting at the bit right now and he wasn't making it easy to be gentle with this, so...I bit the damn bullet.

"I know about what you are." I said louder than I intended, interrupting him and stopping him dead in his pacing tracks. He looked me in the eyes as he took another drag from his cigarette. Well, the stun approach was seemingly working.

_Brian's P.O.V_

When she uttered those words, my heart sank to the floor. What exactly did she know? Or what does she think she knows? I had stopped pacing and my cigarette was dangling from my fingers. I honestly didn't know what she meant but I wasn't about to divulge any crucial information to her that wasn't necessary.

"What do you mean?" I walked over to the supporting beam and leaned against it nonchalantly. I was trying to be as carefree as possible, not giving way to any suspicious actions. She huffed a laugh and rearranged her beaded bracelet before making eye contact with me again.

"You know exactly what I mean Brian. I couldn't believe my eyes at first but..."

"Couldn't believe your eyes?" I interrupted her a bit louder than I intended. If she was talking about what I think she was...there were bigger problems ahead. I began fidgeting with my cigarette lighter before I pushed off of the beam and shifted from foot to foot, not noticeably but still nervously.

"I was here last night when...that thing...happened to you. But you pushed me out the door before I could really see what you were." Her voice was soft, almost the way that one would talk to a frightened child...I didn't really like it.

"Nothing happened to me last night. I just got a little drunk and..."

"Getting a little drunk doesn't mean sprouting hair, fingernails, and fucking teeth the size of a bear's, Brian." Her voice was growing louder and more irritated as I began to pace more noticeably now. This wasn't happening. No, she didn't know what she saw. I have to deny this...all of it.

"I didn't sprout anything...you're crazy. Nothing happened." I tried vehemently to believe my own words as I was trying to convince her of their truth.

"The fuck I am! Now you listen to me you little shit...I know what I saw and I know what you are, now you can either sit down and explain this shit to me or we can do this the hard way." She had risen from her place on the couch and was now standing only inches from me, pointing her red nail at my chest. I set my jaw and rolled my lips into my mouth.

"Look, Debbie..."

"Unless the next words that come out of your mouth are 'let me explain' or 'let's talk about this', I don't want to hear them." Her voice was low and dangerous as she stared up into my eyes. In those fiery blue eyes, I saw just how serious she was. I closed my eyes tight and let out a sigh. She huffed and turned away from me, she made a straight path for the couch and picked up her bag angrily. She rounded the couch and was shuffling toward the door when I spoke.

"You can't tell anyone." The quietly scared tone in my voice surprised not only me but her as well. She stopped in her tracks and turned to me, her face was angry until she saw my stature.

_Debbie's P.O.V_

When I turned and saw him, it reminded me of the way he looked when he was fourteen...when he would escape the Kinney house and seek refuge in mine. His shoulders were a bit drooped and he was looking up at me through thick lashes where his head was tilted down. My heart went out to the kid, he looked so broken...so vulnerable. I sat my bag next to the door and slowly walked toward him. Stopping a foot in front of him, I reached my hand out and cupped his cheek softly. He rose his head and looked into my eyes, his fear and fright was boring into me. This was his deepest secret and I had a feeling that no one even knew how much it was killing him to keep it.

"Just tell me..." I said softly, he looked away from me as if he were contemplating what he was about to do. "You know that I won't say anything to anyone Brian...my son." His eyes shot to mine with my words, a tender smile graced my lips as I stroked his cheek lovingly. He wet his lips and rolled them into his mouth as I guided him to the couch to sit.

As we walked to the shredded seat, he hesitated before finally sitting. I watched as he wrung his hands nervously, quite uncharacteristic but understood given the circumstances. I guess I would be nervous as hell too, if someone finally found out about my deepest...darkest secret.

"Okay...so...what exactly are you." I asked, making an effort not to think that I was batshit insane for asking. I was answered by the look on Brian's face, the sort of 'really?' expression. "Right, a...werewolf?" He shrugged his shoulders and huffed a laugh at the incredulity of my actually saying it aloud. "So, how...when..." I was stumped on just what to ask him, I mean...there was so much that I wanted and needed to know that I just couldn't think of exactly what to ask.

"Well...it was eight years ago and..."

"Eight years!" I cut him off with my shocked tone, he closed his eyes and let out a breath through his flared nostrils. "I'm sorry...continue."

"Eight years ago in Colorado Springs. That's it really...nothing more to tell." He stood up and walked toward the overturned refrigerator, leaving me on the sofa as if talking about this was as normal and nonchalant as talking about the weather. No...he wasn't getting of that easy.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I just blurted it out as quickly and painlessly as possible. Taking a bottle of water out of the broken refrigerator would have been mere task if it weren't for my hands shaking. My heart was pounding in my ears and my brain was screaming at me for letting this bit of information go freely. I closed my eyes tight as I turned away from her prying eyes and drained the bottle dry. It may have looked like this wasn't a big deal, my telling her, but it was tearing me apart inside. Ever since I had been cursed with this shit, it had taken everything in my being to stay quiet about it. It had cost me dearly, I had even told my best friend to forget I existed. And now, I was telling his mother the very thing that I had hidden from him. But he wasn't the one weighing so heavily on my mind.

The image of Justin tearing up and nearly crying was burned into my mind...into my being. I had hurt him deeper than it may have seemed and I knew that. Now all that was left was the guilt...the fucking guilt of what I had done. I took a deep breath and turned around to face Debbie once more. She was looking me in that knowing way that says that I had more explaining to do.

"Is this why you've been a complete ass to everyone? This secret werewolf thing?" Her voice was condescending as she rose to meet me by the refrigerator. I knew that she already knew the answer to her own question but I also knew that she wanted me to admit it. I nodded my head slowly as I set my jaw and raised an eyebrow. She smirked and let out a short breath from her nostrils. "Is it?" Dammit.

"Yes...it's because of this fucking werewolf thing." My words were strained and short. I hate feeling like an insolent child but when it came to Debbie, it didn't sting near as much.

"Alright then." She stated matter-of-fact as she took the bottle from my hand and sat it on the counter. "Now...you need to fix the shit that you've fucked up." I huffed a laugh at her very serious demeanor, leave it to Deb to make things so judicial sounding yet completely laughable at the same time. But with her eyes boring into me, I knew that she meant what she said.

"I know...I just...I don't really know how to." I didn't know what else to say but it was the truth. I hadn't the slightest clue how the hell to do it or where to start.

"Well, first...you can call my son and fucking apologize. He's a mess without you Brian, hell...he's like your goddamned brother, you know that." I smiled softly at her brazen way of putting that. But he wasn't the one that troubled me that much, plus...I had known for a while that Mikey and myself were growing apart. Shit, there's only so much comic book talk and bullshit that I can put up with...but for the sake of myself and hearing about it until one of us dies, I'd call him. I let my head fall a bit and I set my jaw when I thought about the one person that I needed to fix things with...Justin.

"And secondly...I know you and Sunshine had a falling out." My head rose and I met her eyes as she spoke. "You really need to fix that Brian...and quickly, mind you." I smirked as she gave me a tender smile. "Now, I've gotta get to my shift at the diner before my ass gets fired."

I walked Debbie to the door where she retrieved her gaudy bag. Before she opened the door, she turned to me and put her red nail at my chest.

"I'm having Sunday dinner at my house and you'd better be there. No excuses, got it?" Her face was extremely serious as I nodded my head and smiled. "Okay...bye kid." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and turned to leave, but I had to ask her before he was gone.

"Hey Deb, none of this freaked you out? The whole werewolf bit?" She turned to me and gave me a short laugh.

"You'd think it would've, but honestly...with your temper it kind of fits." She gave herself a laugh and began her descent down the stairs. All I could do was shake my head as I returned to cleaning the loft.

_Justin's P.O.V_

The darkness that swallowed me had lightened a bit, the blanket of black was lifted a bit as I walked around the room with the metallic floor. My feet glided across the slick surface as my eyes tried to adjust to the twilit room. I stopped when I reached the all too familiar metal chair, I sat down and clapped my hands together. I had never spoke in this room but my throat was loose enough to form words.

"Hello? Are you here?" My words were soft and caring, surprising myself considering what I had encountered the last time. As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt the familiar sense of fear that was surrounding me. This fear was different somehow, it was...lighter but fear nonetheless. I hear the breathing behind me but it wasn't snarling, it was still shaky but it wasn't grotesque as before. It sounded almost...human. I stood from the chair and turned around to face the human presence but there was no one in plain sight. I squinted my eyes and barely made out a form standing in the shadows at the back of the room. I took a step forward but the person took a step further into the shadows.

I heard a faint hoarse whisper from the person, the last thing that I heard.

"Justin..."

My eyes opened to the lighted bedroom that I occupied. I blinked my eyes from the sunlight as I rolled over and looked at the clock. It was already 10am and I had places to be. I threw the blankets off and made my way to the shower. I turned the water to a near scalding temperature and stepped in, letting the liquid fire jolt me awake with thoughts of my dream. The voice that had called my name was ever puzzling but there was no mistaking that voice...the voice that had swooned me and made me feel like no one else had made me feel before. Brian.

The hoarse whisper in the dark was none other than the voice of a dark angel that had been filling my thoughts since we last spoke. The water rained down my chest and over my morning erection as I thought about him. His smooth expansive chest, his strong but gentle hands, and most of all...his deep hazel eyes. My hand trailed down my stomach toward the hardened flesh below, grasping it firmly as I glided over it. My mind ventured, I wanted that hand to be Brian's. I wanted his body to cover mine while he plundered me, eyes boring into mine as he entered me with deep, lustful force.

My eyes slid shut with my thoughts and my hand wildly jerking under the watery spray. I bit my lower lip as I imagined Brian's cock gliding in and out of me while his hands tangled in my hair. His breath on my neck while he sucked at my pulse point was the driving force behind my impending orgasm. I grasped harder and slid faster as white hot fury poured from me, my shuddering muscles were recovering slowly under the heated spray of the water...keeping me warm and relaxed. My head fell forward onto the shower wall, my hands bracing the wall as well...holding my body upright.

My eyes flashed open when I hear the familiar ringing of my cell phone from the night table. I groaned, knowing the it would be Daphne wanting to go over the plans for the next show. I was holding a rather informal show at fairly unknown gallery in downtown Pittsburgh on Friday, quite last minute but it would bring good revenue. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body, I was feeling spent from the orgasm but it was a good feeling. I grabbed the phone and answered without looking at the ID.

"Hey Sunshine!" Debbie's shrill voice rang over the receiver. I smiled to myself at her cheery voice, always the blessing.

"Hey Deb, how are you?" I walked over to the closet as I pinched the phone between my cheek and shoulder. I opened the door and scanned the clothes.

"Good, baby, I'm good. You?"

"I'm alright. What's up?"

"Well, see...I have a Sunday dinner at my house this weekend and I would love it if you would come." Her voice was full of excitement and I knew that she really meant her words.

"Actually, Deb..."

"No excuses Sunshine...I know you're a busy little thing but you can't skip out on me. Alright?" I sighed into the phone. I had been in this position before and there really wasn't any point to arguing with a very expectant Debbie.

"Fine. Sounds like a plan then." I tried to sound as cheery as she was but that would never happen. So, I put up my best impression and then ended the call. As soon as I pressed the button to end the call, my phone rang again. I looked at the ID beforehand and saw Daphne's name. I sighed and answered.

"Hey Daph. What's up?"

"Hey Justin...yeah, everything's up actually. Your work is here and they're going with the sketches you made, trying to figure out where everything needs to be and all. So, the show is scheduled for Friday night at 8, is that alright?" Her voice was short, signaling that she was running all over the place trying to make sure people were doing their job.

"That sounds great. I think I'll pop by later and check things out, see you later."

"Okay...bye."

_Brian's P.O.V_

As I got ready for work, I couldn't escape the lighter feeling that overtook me since Debbie's finding out. My worst fear had been someone finding out but as it turned out, there had been no freaking out or running away in fright. Instead, it had been almost...normal. That was the part that was doing my head in, the normality of her reaction. I knew that there would be questions but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had previously thought, I mean, don't get me wrong...one person knowing was quite enough for now. But a thought didn't escape me, the thought that maybe othe people's reactions would be similar. Maybe this curse wasn't as shocking to people as I had thought.

But then again, this was Debbie...and other people may not be so apt to accept me this way. For instance, Michael would have a shit fit...and Justin. I didn't know what Justin would say and I would probably never know.

I picked out an Armani suit and a pair of Gucci loafers as I started the shower. The spray was hot and the room quickly filled with steam as I stepped under the stream. My body temperature ran about three degrees warmer than regular people so the water would be scalding to anyone else, but I relished in the heat. My mind was spinning until it landed on one massive thought, Justin. I thought about his blond silky hair, his angelic face, and his oceanic blue eyes. My cock twitched when I thought about his beautiful face scrunched and contorted, biting his bottom lips as I fucked him. His fingers scraping down my back as I thrust deeper and deeper into him, the little noises that flowed freely from his mouth.

I was now painfully hard and could only resort to finishing myself off under the lava-like watery spray. My hand wrapped around the base and swirled upward in one languid stroke. I remembered his sweet nectary smell as I would bury my face into his neck and suck. Even though we had only fucked a few times, it felt like I had been doing it my entire life. His petite body under mine with his pale legs wrapped around my waist sent me over the edge. I exploded, coating my hand and the shower door with my orgasm...it felt marvelous as I reveled in the post-orgasmic thoughts.

After I rinsed off, I looked in the mirror and realized that I hadn't shaved in nearly three weeks. My stubble had grown into a bearded mess. But I also realized that I hadn't left the loft to go to work in nearly a month, since...yeah. I picked up clippers and buzzed through the bushy madness, not a close shave but a subtle stubble that was quite rugged.

I threw on the suit and the loafers and left the loft. I had returned it to some decent looking shack but made a mental note to order new furniture that very night. I locked the door on my way out and boarded the elevator. I got into my Stingray and made my heading for Kinnetik. I knew that everyone there would make a big deal about my return but I wasn't worried about that in the slightest.

As I drove, I ran through scenarios of what I should do. My heart was fighting for me to tell Justin what I was...but my brain was telling me to forget about it.

My mind was whirling and my head was beginning to ache from the smells off the street. But that didn't matter right now...I had come to my final decision.

I had to tell Justin about myself...I just needed a time and a place.


	10. Ch 10: A Simple Set Up Can Do Wonders

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10:**

**A Simple Set Up Can Do Wonders**

_Brian's P.O.V_

As I strolled into Kinnetik, I was very aware of the surprised expressions on everyone's faces. Nearly a month had passed since I had even stepped foot into the building and I was certain that rumours had already started to spread. I passed Rachel, one of the members of the art department, and she was wide eyed at my appearance. I gave her a small smile and a nod as she passed me. The receptionists desk was empty, telling me that Cynthia was running about trying to take control of everything. Making my way back to my office, I ran into Theodore coming around a corner with a rather large stack of papers balanced in his arms. I side-stepped him so that there wouldn't be a monumental collision that involved a shower of papers.

"Morning boss..." He said, his breath short and ragged.

"Morning Theodore. What forest did you cut down to make those?" My snide comment didn't go unnoticed by my accountant. As I opened the door to my office, he followed me inside. I sat my briefcase down next to my desk before Theodore dropped the tower of papers onto my desk.

"We've got a bit of a problem." He spoke quickly and nervously as he hovered in front of my desk like a child in a principal's office. I watched him wring his hands as he shifted from foot to foot.

"Theodore, sit before you fall." I said with a raised eyebrow as he sat down in one of the provided chairs. "Now...what's the problem?"

"Well, you see, we're missing the contract of Jensen/Bradford Electronics...a fairly large account...nearly fifteen million if I do say so. But everyone's been searching all over the place for the contract and its nowhere to be found. I mean, we tried finding it on the computers files but it isn't there...we tried finding the copy but its nowhere to be found...we..."

"Theodore...breathe." My voice was calm whereas his was slowly rising in pitch. "You mean the contract that you faxed to me...the one that I have right here?" I held up the four page atrocity as I watched the relief wipe across his pale and sweating face.

"Thank...god. I've been worried to death about that. I mean, with everything going on here and with Emmett running around all over the place getting ready for Justin's art show next Friday, it's been quite hectic so..." His prattling stopped when a sudden realization dawned on him.

"What about an art show?" I was all too intrigued now, with his slip of the tongue.

"Oh...it's nothing. Nothing at all." His fidgeting let me know that he wasn't supposed to say anything to me.

"What time is it?" I inquired, wearing my face of indifference that always fooled him. He stood up and tried to gather the papers from my desk before I stopped him.

"It's really nothing...nothing important." He blathered on.

"What...time...is...it?" I spoke slowly as if I were talking to a slow child. He closed his eyes tight and stood back from the desk.

"It's at 8pm. Next Friday." His defeat made me smirk. Leave it to Theodore or Emmett to slip up, they're good for it.

"Thank you Theodore...now, take this contract that I've already signed and push it through accounting. Got it?" His slow nodding confirmed my directions as he left my office. "Good to have you back boss." I gave him a slight nod before he left the office.

Now I had the time and place that I would tell Justin...perfect.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had decided to take a cab to the Utrecht Gallery instead of driving. Traffic in Pittsburgh on a Friday was a fucking nightmare, and I wasn't about to get caught in that hectic mess. When Daphne had called me, I knew that tone. It was the tone that she used when someone had either screwed up or pissed her off, I was betting on both. I watched out the window at the buildings whizzing by as I thought about my dream. The whisper in the darkness was burned into my memory, the fear filled, hoarse mentioning of my name stuck out more than anything else. And to make it more confusing was that it was Brian's voice. Just the thought of Brian sent a delicious shiver up my spine and straight to my cock.

But I couldn't do anything about that now because the cab had pulled up to the gallery. I gave the driver his money before turning to the building and entering. My paintings were placed haphazardly about, still wrapped in their brown paper coverings as I made my way to find Daphne. There were people buzzing around the gallery in a ruckus when I finally found her, speeding around a corner talking a million miles a minute with the director of the gallery.

"Listen...this show opens in a week. Now, I've got a decorator coming in an hour to help set up the look we want but other than that, your ass will be on the line if we don't have the artwork set up by then." Her voice was nearly shrill but as soon as she saw me, I was the new object of her dismay. She dismissed the director and made her way to me.

"You alright?" I asked with raised eyebrows at her surly demeanor and her frantic actions.

"No...I'm not alright. These guys are completely incompetent dickheads who haven't done shit. Plus, and get this, some of your paintings were never shipped...and they weren't even delivered to the shipping company. Jesus Justin...this really isn't happening is it?" Her voice was shrill again. I had to do something about this...and fast. That's when I remembered the paintings that were at my house, the ones that I had done after the dream that I had had.

"Look, Daph...first off, calm down and breathe. Second, I have some paintings at my house that we can put in the show. They'll go perfectly with the decor that I have planned, plus...they're just thirty minutes from here. I'll bring them over later so that we can find a place to put them. Alright?" I watched her visibly relax a bit...a wee bit.

"Alright...great. Emmett's going to be here in about an hour to start decorating, do you mind staying close so that you can tell him how you want things done." I could tell that she just wanted me to stay around because when she finally snapped, someone could be her backup in the situation.

"Sure Daph. I'm kind of hungry so I think I'll go grab some food. I'll be back in about forty minutes." She nodded before walking away to talk with the director once more. I was glad that I didn't have to stay in this hell storm right now anyways. Leaving the gallery, it began to drizzle rain. I cussed under my breath as I tried to hail a cab while the icy rain drops hit my skin. November rain was never the weather to be caught in. I finally managed to grab a taxi before the rain fell harder. I told the driver my destination and we were off to the Liberty Diner.

It wasn't as packed as I thought it would be as I found an empty booth and slid in. As soon as I took my seat, Emmett waltzed through the door with a large overflowing folder. I smiled when I saw him and waved him over. He looked frazzled as he made his way over to me and slid into the seat opposite of me.

"Hey baby!" He said with a cheery demeanor. Emmett was always happy, at least every time I saw him.

"Hey Em. Is that what I think it is?" I pointed to the near bursting folder full of potential decorations.

"Yeah...I've got a million different ideas for the decor but I needed you to finalize. Lucky for me, you were here." He gave a cheery little laugh before flinging the folder open and started showing me everything. "You know, the idea that you gave me was a bit dark and spooky, so I decided to go with dark greys and blacks. Not really Halloween feeling but dark nonetheless." He prattled on while I just smiled.

Debbie wasn't in so I motioned Kiki over to take my order. While Emmett occupied himself with the decor, I ordered a coffee and a pink plate special. She poured my coffee, which I added mass amounts of creme and sugar to, and then went on to place my order at the kitchen window.

"So, how's this baby?" He pointed to some ribbon that was embellished with black lines and silver lining. "I thought it could have a little glamour to it." He gave me a huge smile, showing off the little gap between his teeth. He was so cute when he got excited about his decorating business. If I liked big queens, he would be at the top of my list to date...but I didn't. As I thought that, I was reminded of Brian. I drifted off from Emmett's talking and wondered if I should ask Brian to come to the show. Hell, all of the paintings that I had done since I moved were about him...in one way or another. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Kiki placing my order in front of me and by Emmett looking at me with a confused expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he stole a fry from my plate. I sighed heavily before speaking.

"Should I ask Brian to come to the show?" I blurted out as I took a sip from my coffee cup. Emmett let out a huffed laugh before shutting the folder and moving it aside.

"Honey...why would you want to do that? I mean, really? He practically told you that you were some blond piece of ass that meant nothing to him. So why would you want that asshole there?" His voice bore a hint of incredulity as he stole another fry.

"I don't know...I mean, he was an ass but I really don't think he meant it." My words were cut short by another snorted laugh from Emmett.

"Brian's very blunt. Brian's an asshole. There are a thousand reasons that you shouldn't push this but I think he meant it all too well. He tricks, he fucks once and then that's it. I'd count it as a blessing that he's out of your life baby." He said as he stole yet another fry before signaling Kiki to bring him his own plate. I sighed as I thought about what Emmett had said. Maybe he was right. Maybe Brian had meant what he said, that he didn't want anything else to do with me. I decided to drop the subject because I had found out Emmett's answer to my thoughts.

I finished my lunch in near silence before heading back over to the gallery with Emmett.

-Sunday Night-

_Brian's P.O.V_

As I riffled through my closet for something to wear to Deb's tonight for dinner, I couldn't help but think about the prospect of seeing Justin at his art show. I had discovered that it was being held at the Utrecht a few streets off of Liberty Ave. and since I had found that out, I had been thinking of what to say. I knew that the last time we spoke, I was a complete asshole. I wasn't denying that for a second. For a moment, I thought of the strict 'sorry's bullshit' rule that I had...but this was different. I had to apologize to Justin, had to let him know that everything I said was complete and utter bullshit. He had to know that I was weak and that I had let other factors weigh on the matter a bit too much. I also knew that keeping this secret from Justin was causing more harm than good. Therefore, he had to know that one too.

As I thought of all this, I realized that I had made it eight years without telling a soul. Eight years in which no one had discovered what I really was, that is, until I met Justin. Ever since that night, my heart and my brain had been battling so much that I had slipped up and Debbie found out. I had forgotten that Michael had a key and that led to my demise. But Debbie hadn't reacted with terror and screams, she had accepted what I was and that was it. So, maybe Justin would too.

I finally decided on what to wear in the chilly November weather. I went for a black button-down Prada shirt with jeans and Gucci loafers. On my way out, I grabbed my leather jacket, keys and phone...I set the alarm before ultimately leaving. As I left the building, I felt the beginnings of rain before getting into my Stingray and heading to Debbie's house.

By the time I arrived at Deb's, the rain was beating my windshield with heavy droplets. I parked the car on the curb and decided to make a mad dash to the front porch. It really didn't matter either way because I was still soaked when I got there, my hair was a mess and my shoes were nearly ruined as I opened the door and entered. But what I saw when I entered was a surprise.

Not only was there no family dinner, but the only guest that was here was Justin. I had to give Deb some credit, she definitely knew how to set someone up...well, two people.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had arrived at Debbie's a bit earlier than 8pm, much to the surprise of Debbie. I had gotten there when she was still preparing dinner, some pasta dish that required too much cheese. She had been all too keen on letting me help her with the meal.

"Deb, where is everyone? Doesn't a family dinner require family to be here?" I asked her while I grated the Parmesan cheese over the noodles. She was standing about a foot away from me preparing garlic bread as I watched her think about her answer.

"Well, everyone else called and said they were either working or helping someone move." Her answer was a bit forced, which made me ever more suspicious of this dinner. "Besides, you don't need a room full of people to have a nice, peaceful dinner...do you?"

"I guess you're right Deb. It'll be nice to have a sit down dinner with someone other than the tele." I gave her a smile as she walked toward me to put the bread in the oven. When she shut the oven door, she leaned up to me and gave my chin a gentle squeeze.

"Right you are Sunshine." She smiled at me right as I heard the door open and someone enter. I furrowed my brows before turning to see who it was.

The now soaked form of Brian Kinney was standing in the doorway looking at me in much the same way that I was him. Confused. That's when it hit me, I realized that Debbie had set this whole thing up. But when I turned back to look at her, she was making herself busy at the stove. I then turned and looked back toward Brian, who was taking his coat off but not breaking eye contact with me. I gave him a weak smile as he walked toward the kitchen.

_Brian's P.O.V_

The moment that I realized Justin was the only one here, I knew that Deb had set us up. I had to hand it to her, it was a surprise to me and obviously to Justin as well. Our eyes met as I was taking my jacket off and hanging it on the rack by the door. I couldn't break from his bright blue gaze, the intensity behind those eyes was staggering. Walking into the kitchen, still looking at Justin, I took a seat at the dinner table as Debbie announced that the meal was ready. Being in the same room with Justin was making me evermore nervous, I hadn't expected to see him so soon and my mind was a blur with the knowledge that I was going to tell him my secret.

Debbie brought the plates over to the table with the help of Justin. I watched his every movement from my seat at the table, my hands wrung together under the surface. His eyes met mine as Debbie sat in the seat next to me, leaving one of two options for Justin. He could either sit next to me...or next to Deb. I watched as he pondered for a moment before coming to sit by my side. As soon as he was next to me, I relaxed. Maybe he didn't hate me as much as I thought he did.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I made the split second decision to sit next to Brian. I didn't know if it was the right one but when I saw him visibly relax, my decision paid off. His indifference faltered for a moment and I saw it. Maybe what Emmett had said was wrong and he didn't hate me entirely. We all sat at the table and ate in relative silence while Vic sat in the living room, reading. I knew that there would be nothing said between Brian and I with Debbie watching us like a hawk. Brian was picking at his food, not really eating at all...much like myself. I had too much on my mind right now to have an appetite, and I had the distinct feeling that that went for Brian as well.

About fifteen minutes into our meal, Debbie glanced at me before standing with her plate and taking it to the sink.

"Dammit!" She cussed as she turned to face us both.

"What's wrong Sis?" Vic asked from his place in the living room.

"I forgot the damn filling for the pie I was going to make!" She announced to the room as she walked from the kitchen to the living area.

"Well then don't make it." Vic fussed as he put his book on the table.

"No...we're going to the supermarket and getting it. Come on Vic." She said hurriedly before grabbing her coat and collecting Vic. They were out the door before Vic could say another word.

_Brian's P.O.V_

That was convenient, huh. I knew one of Deb's tricks when I saw one...but I wasn't complaining. With the two of them gone, the house was completely silent. Justin sat beside me in silence, still picking at his meal. I knew that one of us had to speak first so it might as well be me. I didn't know quite what to say so my mind made the decision for me.

"I'm sorry." I blurted out as Justin took a sip from his wine glass. He swallowed his drink before turning his head and looking me directly in the eye. Setting the glass on the table, he turned his chair so that he was facing me now.

"Sorry for what?" He inquired as I followed suit and turned my chair to face him.

"For that night in the loft. When I said all that shit. I'm...I didn't mean it." My voice grew soft toward the end, surprising myself in the sincerity of it. Justin's eyes softened as he looked upon mine.

"Really?" His voice was soft and sweet, and that sound coming from that mouth was almost irresistible. I rolled my lips into my mouth before nodded my answer. "I thought that you really hated me." I furrowed my brows at his statement.

"I...could never hate you Justin. Never." My words flowed freely with my emotions, something I wasn't used to. It felt...right. His eyes widened at my admittance, at my sincerity and soft voice.

"So...all of that the night in the loft...what was that about?" He inched closer to me when he spoke, our knees almost touching from our seats. I cleared my throat, a lump now forming there. I took a deep breath before I spoke because I was trying to find the right words.

"I...I said all that shit because...because I had too many conflictions. I was trying to keep you at arms length...away from who I really am, what I am." My voice broke toward the end and he caught it.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I knew that everything he was saying was the truth. I watched the emotions course through him as he spoke, every action that he made meant something. His lips rolling inward before he spoke meant that he couldn't trust his words or that he was speaking sincerely. I knew that now.

"I hope you don't hate me for that night...it was just...intense...that night." His words were soft and clear as he sighed and closed his eyes. At that moment, he looked nearly broken...like he was battling something deep inside himself to just say the words. But the fact that he thought I hated him was heart-breaking. I leaned forward in my chair and placed my hand on his thigh, above his knee.

"I don't hate you...not in the slightest." I nearly whispered in the silence of the room. His eyes were locked with mine as he gave me a slight smile. I felt his hand cover mine while the electricity flowed between our connection. A look of lust overtook his eyes as my eyes were hooded. He leaned forward, snaking his right hand behind my neck and gently pulling me closer to him. Our lips met in a passion-filled blaze that left tongues begging for entrance while hands threaded through hair. His tongue lapped over mine while his fingers were twisting through my hair tightly.

"I missed this." I breathed against his lips in between smoldering kisses. His moaned response told me what I needed to hear. The next thing I knew, I was straddling his lap. My legs were hanging on either side of him while his hands braced my back and our lips danced. It felt so wonderful to be like this with Brian again. Passions flaring and fences mended in the heat of the moment.

That's when we heard the door open and a slight cackle from the living room.

_Brian's P.O.V_

Debbie's timing was impeccable as always. Justin and I broke our kiss and looked their way, spotting a very happy Debbie and a tired looking Vic. Climbing off of my lap, Justin took his own seat once more...much to my demise. I was left sitting at Deb's table with a massive erection and seemingly no means for release. I huffed a laugh as I pulled myself and my chair up to the table, trying to mask the hardness growing underneath the fabric of my jeans. Justin was in similar shape by the looks of it, he had pulled himself up to the table as well.

Debbie prattled around in the kitchen, trying to get her dessert ready as Justin and I sat there...painfully hard. With Debbie facing the opposite direction and Vic upstairs, I snaked my hand under the table top and stroked Justin's erection. I was rewarded with a soft whimper from him, along with his own hand reciprocating my actions. Justin was the one that opted to tell Debbie that we wouldn't be staying for dessert...at least, not pie.

"Hey Deb, I think we're going to head out yeah? It was a wonderful dinner but I'm feeling kind of tired. I'll see you tomorrow." Justin's words were rushed as we stood from the table and made our way to the door.

"Okay guys...have fun." Debbie's reply was cut short due to our already being halfway outside.

As soon as the door shut, I pulled Justin to me and devoured his cherry red lips. His soft lips parted once more for my intrigued tongue. Not breaking our kiss, we managed to tackle the stairs and sidewalk toward our cars. When we reached his Volvo, I broke the kiss and he opened the back door. We both knew that we wouldn't be going anywhere and the street was basically deserted this time of night. I gave Justin a knowing glance before he climbed into the car, followed by me.

He was kneeling on the back seat when I reached around and unbuttoned his jeans before undoing my own. Justin was panting as I freed his now leaking cock and stroked it before jerking his pants down, revealing his beautiful ass. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a packet of lube and a condom as I slipped two fingers into his hole, preparing him. He was moaning as my fingers entered him and scissored. I wrapped my free hand around his torso as I rolled the condom on and lubed myself. Without any more warning or preparation, I thrust deep into him. I let out a guttural moan as I pulled all the way out before pushing deeper into him.

The rain was pouring again, beating the car with a symphony of pitter-pattering that made our aggressive fuck more romantic. Our breathing had fogged all of the windows as we writhed together under the cover of darkness. All that could be heard were the moans of passion and the droplets of rain.


	11. Chapter 11: The Art Show

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 11:**

**The Art Show **

-A Few Days Later-

_Justin's P.O.V_

The darkness had faded since the last time that I'd been here. I could make out the cinder-block walls and the metal floor of the room clearer than ever before. The walls were etched with long gashes, as was the floor. I turned around and saw the heavy metal door behind me. The metal chair was still in the middle of the room as I ventured toward it. I ran my hand along the cool back of the seat when a movement from the shadows caught my attention. My eyes jerked toward the shadowy figure in the dark. I knew the figure...all too well.

"Brian?" I called out in a hushed whisper as I walked toward the figure.

"Stay where you are." Brian's familiar voice rang out into the nearly empty room. His body moved deeper into the shadow as I stopped walking toward him.

"What's wrong? Are you trapped here with that...that thing?" I asked desperately as I felt the fear overcome me. My hands began to shake and a cold chill ran up my spine.

"No...there's nothing else here except for us." His voice was shaky when I realized that the fear was from him. I watched him step forward a bit, out of the shadow enough that I could see his chest and arms. He was balling his hands in and out of fists, he was shaking.

"What if it comes back?" My voice was whispered and shaky, the fear that I felt was so strong. I took a slow step forward, as not to startle him.

"It won't be back for nearly ten days now...I know that for a fact." His voice was strangely calm as his hands were still shaking. I shook my head as I stood there, watching his movements.

"How can you be so sure Brian? It's a monster." I said a bit above a whisper as I took another step closer to him. As soon as my foot landed on the ground, he retreated into the shadow once more.

"He can't help it...it's a part of him. It wasn't a choice." His voice was a deadly calm as I took another step closer to him.

"Brian...why won't you step out of the shadows? Please...I want to see you." I coaxed him as I felt the fear radiating from him now, hitting me in harsh waves.

"You won't like what you see." His voice was yet again shaking as he stepped forward a bit. I could make out his body a bit more now, but his words weren't making sense. I could see him perfectly, except for his face. Wait...he said something about the monster. Said that 'he' couldn't help what he was. I furrowed my brows as I stepped forward again.

"Who can't help it? Who is he?" I asked, my voice was intrigued but not frightened. I was worried about Brian because of this odd behaviour. I heard him take in a deep breath as his hands wrung together nervously.

"I can't Justin...you won't understand." His voice was shaky and innocent, like a child in trouble. My heart was sinking as his words left his lips. "You won't understand that it isn't a part of who he is...it just happened. An accident that can never be fixed." He turned his back to me as the room felt lighter, the shadows were clearing a bit and I could see him clearer.

"Brian...whatever it is, you can tell me. I'll try to understand, but just...tell me. Please..." My voice was pleading with him as I stepped closer to him. I watched his shoulders drop and his hands run through his hair before falling to his side again.

"Justin..." His voice was shaking and I knew that if I didn't keep him talking, I would never know.

"Yes?" I was desperate and I didn't know why.

"Do you know what you saw the last time you were here?" His voice was barely above a whisper, almost inaudible.

"No...it may have been a wolf. I'm not sure." I tried to remember what I had seen. All that came was a distinct sight of teeth and fur, but it stood on two feet...like a man. It towered over me so it couldn't be a wolf. But what stands on two feet and looks like a... My eyes widened as I realized what he was trying to say.

"You know don't you." His voice was still a hushed whisper as I just stood there, staring at his back. I nodded my head but then realized that he couldn't see me.

"Yes." I said, barely audible. My eyes were fixed on him as he turned around and faced me. Nothing was different about him physically but as soon as our eyes met, I knew everything.

I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight pouring in through the windows of my room. I blinked my eyes and let them adjust to the morning rays as I checked the clock by the bed. It was already nearly 10:30am so I pulled myself from the warmth of my blankets and headed for the bathroom. Stepping into the hot spray of the shower, I writhed under the scorching flow as I ran my hands through my hair. I thought about my dream...the utter madness of the entire thing. Honestly, I didn't know whether to take it seriously or not. I mean, almost every dream that I have has a definite meaning...and this one was no different.

But the dream pointed in every way toward the fact that Brian was something that I thought didn't exist...a werewolf. As I thought about it, I huffed a laugh at myself. Even as I thought about it, it seemed utterly unbelievable. I decided not to think about it now because I was set to meet Brian for lunch today at the diner, our first official day out as...something. I knew that it was difficult for him to call it a relationship or our lunch a 'date' but that's what it was. I had spent the day before yesterday with him, the entire day dedicated to fucking and sucking...it was wonderful.

I turned the water off before stepping out to get ready for the...not-date.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I stepped out of the shower and riffled through my closet before finding a casual Gucci t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Once I was dressed, I decided to kill some time. There were a few files I needed to review for Kinnetik so that's what I set out to do. I sat down in the computer chair and opened the necessary file before my mind drifted. I thought about seeing Justin today, seeing him after spending an entire day in bed a couple of days ago. It had been serene and oh-so-good, I had figured out where every sweet spot on his body was located...using my tongue. He had reciprocated, much to my delight. I hate to call it romantic but...that's what it was. Romantic and passionate.

But I still hadn't told him my secret. Every time I went about telling him, I would get caught up in his body or his brilliantly blue eyes...starting the vicious cycle again. One look led to another intense round of sex, not that I minded but still...it didn't help my situation at all. My secret was burning me, physically and mentally...and the longer I kept it from him, the deeper it burned.

I glanced to the clock and realized that I had been sitting at my desk, thinking, for more than an hour. I was meeting Justin in fifteen minutes for our...god, I really hate to call it a...date. I had never really told Justin that I didn't do boyfriends, but he was different. I didn't do boyfriends because the thought of it was juvenile, like a high school romance. And I didn't call a date what it was because it was like I said...juvenile. I wanted something more than just a boyfriend, of course...everyone that thought they knew me would say otherwise. Most of my so-called friends had not a clue who I really was, they didn't know...me.

It was seeming now that the only person who really knew me was...Justin. He knew when I was upset, angry, and even masking excitement. The only thing that he didn't know was my deepest and darkest secret. I locked up the loft and set out toward the diner. The November air was nipping at the nape of my neck, above my jackets collar, as I climbed into my car. I decided that I wouldn't tell Justin until his art show. I could wait an entire day to tell him...couldn't I?

The diner was nearly empty on a Thursday at noon, as usual, when I slid into the back booth. I saw Debbie running around between the kitchen window and the counter as I sat, waiting for Justin to arrive. My hands were wrung together in anticipation when I heard the bell over the diner door chime. I looked up and saw Michael walking toward my booth, his eyes fixated on me as he neared. I forced myself to give him a small smile as he slid into the seat opposite me. After the incident in which I told him off and told him to forget about me, I had called him and reluctantly apologized. It had mended things between us and especially between Debbie and myself. She was the reason that I had called him in the first place, I wanted things to be alright between us. Honestly, I didn't want to repair my relationship with Michael...I had outgrown him. I had long ago outgrew his lingering obsession with comic books and such, but he never understood why. Michael had always been a child, not a man. He could never take responsibility for anything, hence Debbie always berating me about Michael's life and his problems.

But this was for the greater good I suppose.

As Michael sat in front of me, reading over the menu and talking about comics, I realized just how much we had in fact grown apart. I realized that I didn't care about any of the things that he said, would say, or wouldn't say. I understood why... I had finally figured out why we were friends in the first place. Our friendship was of convenience, I had found a family that loved me unconditionally. Debbie was like a mother to me, Vic had been like a father, and Michael had been the nerdy little brother. But now that Vic was gone and Michael was grown, Debbie was really the only one that mattered to me. The only family that I really needed. And I wanted to extend my family to Justin. I wanted him to be a part of things with me, good or...bad.

"So I bought all-access passes to the ComiCon Convention tomorrow. Wanna go?" I was snapped out of my thoughts by Michael's overzealous, nasally voice. I focused on him before shaking my head.

"I can't...I've got plans, somewhere to be." I explained to him as I heard the bell over the door chime again. My head shot to the figure coming in, Justin. His bright blue eyes held mine as a true Sunshine smile crept across his lips, flashing beautiful teeth. I unconsciously smiled back, causing Michael to turn and look. I heard Michael's whiney huff before Justin reached the table.

"Hey you." He said, soft and sweet as he slid into the seat next to me. "Hey Mikey." His voice was irritated but not enough for anyone to notice...except me.

"Justin." Michael's response was that of a childish jealousy as he looked at me with pleading eyes. I rose my eyebrows at his response as I signaled Debbie over to take our orders and hopefully get rid of Michael. I made eye contact with her and she hurried over.

"Hiya boys. What'll it be?" Debbie's voice was chipper as she popped her gum and gave us a grin. Justin just gave her a brilliant smile as he looked over his menu, but Michael just sat there scowling. His frown was as apparent as Deb's hair and it was beginning to bug me. I caught his attention and let my annoyance show on my face, showing him that his childish bullshit was wearing thin. He huffed and gathered his coat.

"Nothing for me Ma. I've got to meet someone anyway." Michael's whiney voice rang out as he pushed past Deb on his way out. As soon as Michael slid out of the booth, I snaked my hand under the table and onto Justin's thigh. I felt his muscles tense and then relax under the warmth of my hand.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had the sneaking suspicion that Brian knew how I disliked Michael, I could tell by his actions. However, I was nowhere near complaining when Michael decided to leave...I was rather glad of it in fact. Besides, I was on a mission this morning. The last time Brian and I were together, I wanted to ask him to come to my show but it had slipped my mind...obviously. But with the show being tomorrow, I wanted Brian to come. With Michael gone and Debbie placing our orders in the kitchen, I decided to jump at the chance. I glanced over to Brian, who was taking a sip from his coffee cup, and smiled. He smiled back as I thoughtlessly pulled my thumbnail up to my lips and chewed a bit. It had always been a nervous habit and one of my many tells. I saw Brian's eyebrow raise and a tongue in cheek expression grace his face.

"What?" His deep voice caressed me as I dropped my hand from my face. I didn't think I would be this nervous about asking, but I was.

"Um...I've got this thing tomorrow night...and..."

"You mean your show?" His voice was soft as he chuckled lowly in his throat at my nervousness. I furrowed my brows at him before huffing a laugh.

"How did you know about it?" I frowned as Debbie whizzed over with our orders. She sat the plates on the table but I didn't take my eyes off of Brian. I watched as he cut his sandwich in half and rustled some of his food around, obviously deflecting the question. "Brian..."

"You do know that Theodore can't keep anything to himself right?" He chuckled as he put a fry into his mouth and chewed. I rolled my eyes, I should've known.

"Well dammit. I really wanted to tell you about it myself...and now I can't." I huffed as I picked at the food on my plate. When Brian's hand snaked around the back of my neck, I turned to look into his gorgeous hazel eyes.

"It doesn't matter how I found out...you still asked me to go. Right?" His words rained over me with a lovely drawl, making me shiver at the sensuality in his voice. I gave him a Sunshine smile and blushed under his intense gaze.

"Yeah...I guess so." I said shyly, his gaze making me feel like an innocent child in that moment. But before I could turn away from him, I felt his warm lips press against mine. His hand was firmly on the nape of my neck and my hand was draped over his thigh. The heated kiss was broken when I heard the familiar drawl of one Emmett Honeycutt.

"Ehem...looks like you two made up." He said with a hint of mockery as he slid into the booth. He looked rather cheery while he read over the menu.

"Yeah...you could call it that." Brian spoke from his place beside me, his hand firmly on my thigh. I couldn't help but smile at the little actions that he would make toward me. Emmett just sat there, smiling broadly...a little too cheery, even for Emmett. I furrowed my brows at him before I spoke.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I picked up a fry and ate it. He huffed out a laugh and tried to wave my question off as he signaled Debbie. I've known Emmett for a while now and his aversion techniques could use some work. He was never very good at brushing off a question, sooner or later I would have my answer. So I just sat there, staring at him until he finally caved.

"Okay...itsy bitsy problem with the decorations for your show. Yeah, some of the stuff that came in wasn't the right color. We've got red and black instead of grey and black. But...I guess I can make it work. It just won't look how I had originally pictured it." He breathed out the answer hurriedly before placing his order with Debbie.

"I like red, it's much better than grey. Plus, it's the color of passion." I said as I felt Brian's hand snake further up my thigh, stopping just short of my hardening member. As I turned to look at him, he gave me a devious smirk that made me blush yet again. Shit, I was reverting into a bashful virgin with this. I smiled as he leaned in and brushed his lips with mine, eliciting an awe from Emmett and a throat-clearing from Debbie. All I could do was smile, after all...I was the not-boyfriend of one Brian Kinney.

-Friday Night-

_Brian's P.O.V_

As I leaned down to grab my briefcase that sat next to my desk, I received a text from Justin. I was just about to head out from Kinnetik when I read the message.

'How about a little good luck for the show?

Yours in 20?

-J'

I couldn't help but smile as I replied with a steady 'Sure.' I knew that it only took 10 minutes for me to get home, so I figured that I'd go ahead and grab a shower before he got there. Leaving Kinnetik, I glanced up toward the sky. The moon would be full within the next week, so it was a now or never situation to finally tell Justin about myself. Hell, he would understand...I could feel it in my gut. I climbed into my car and sped home, not wanting to waste any time.

I slipped into the loft and didn't worry about locking the door behind me as I dropped my briefcase onto the counter. On my way to the bathroom, I started shedding clothes. When I reached my bedroom, I was stark naked and headed for the glass shower. I reached in and turned the water to near scalding and climbed in. The water rained down on me in fiery little droplets that burned and seared my flesh...it was wonderful. That's what I loved about cold weather, the steaming hot showers. I let the water run over my body like a river as my eyes drifted shut. I breathed in the steam as I placed my hands on the shower wall, letting the heat of the water relax my tense muscles.

I had only been in the shower a little while when I felt two cooler hands snake up my back. My first reaction was that someone had broken in, but when I caught the scent of the intruder...I knew that there was no harm. Turning around, I was greeted with a now wet blond head and searing blue eyes. I smirked at him.

"How'd you get in here?" I asked as I ran my hands through his silky hair and tilted his head back, looking straight into his eyes. He smiled at me before he spoke.

"Well someone doesn't do a very good job of locking their doors." He chided as his hands ran down my back and over my ass. I rose my eyebrow as his hand found my erection and wrapped around it.

"Is that so?" I retorted as I smothered his lips with my own, drowning his response with my tongue. My hands found his jawline as I supported his head while plundering his plump lips. The hardened flesh between his legs drew my attention as I broke the kiss. I leaned back to set sight on his lust-hooded eyes and swollen lips...fucking beautiful. He didn't answer my question, but I immediately forgave him when I saw his devious smile as he slid onto his knees in front of me. His tongue swirled delicately over the head of my leaking cock as I braced myself on the shower wall. The talent in that tongue was staggering. He then ran the flat of his tongue over the underside of my alert member, causing a deep moan to flow from my parted lips. I was caught of guard when he took my entire length in one fluid motion, ushering me deep into his throat. His head bobbed up and down under the spray of the shower, a true master at the craft of deepthroating. I felt the familiar tingling in my body as he drew me deep into his throat once more before coming up for air. I was so close to the edge that I was teetering between utter bliss and madness. The tightening in my balls gave way to a mind-blowing orgasm that shot down his eager throat.

My nearly limp body clung to the shower wall as Justin stood in front of me, his mouth full of my essence. Our lips met again and I could taste myself lingering on his tongue as our mouths fought. I cupped the back of his head in my hand as I deepened the kiss, bringing his body flush with mine under the now cooling water. I could've kissed those lips until I died, but I felt Justin pull away until our kiss broke with a small pop.

"We've got to go or we'll miss my show. And...with me being the artist, that would be quite rude...don't you think." His voice rang out in the shower stall before I shut off the water.

"Right you are, Mister Artiste." I replied with a mockingly snide tone while giving him a smirk.

_Justin's P.O.V_

Brian and I dried off in relative silence before getting dressed. But I couldn't help myself when I was brought back to thoughts of my dream. I had been trying to disprove everything about it all day, but whenever I looked into Brian's eyes...I couldn't help but feel that it was all true. Every time I saw those hazel orbs connect with mine I felt the same thing that I had in my dream. In a way, I felt like there was something unsaid that he was trying to communicate to me. Maybe it wasn't a...werewolf...thing. Maybe it was just some feeling that he had for me or something. That's the main problem that I'm facing...not knowing. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Brian calling out to me.

"You ready?" His voice echoed through the loft as I pulled on my jacket. I turned toward him and gave a half smile as I nodded. He gave me a small smile and grabbed his keys. We rode the elevator down to the bottom floor and got out near a door that I had never noticed before. I stepped out of the elevator and was greeted with another heavy metal door. As soon as my eyes hit the greyish colored door, the an eerie familiarity crept up my spine. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen this door before. But as I stood there, staring at the door, I was transfixed.

"It's just a door." His voice spoke softly from just behind my ear as I was brought back to reality. As soon as the words left his lips, I felt a chill run up my spine. His voice sounded so much like it had in my dream that it was almost haunting. I shook the eerie feeling and turned toward the door, Brian firmly in tow.

We arrived at the Utrecht Gallery around 7:59...quite punctual actually, for both of us. The building was already abuzz with people from every background, some were wealthy gallery owners that I knew and some were just townspeople from the Pitts. As I walked through the doors, I was stunned by Emmett's decorations. The dark burgundy and crimson was such a beautiful companion to the black. Brian's hand found my lower back as we entered the growing mass of people. There was music playing in the gallery but it was easily drown out by the chatter of perspective buyers and people complimenting the work...my work. I had still been taken back by the fact that people actually liked my paintings. It always humbled me.

I heard the distinct squeal of one Debbie Novotny, Brian and I found her immediately. Her red wig was in matching with the decor, as were her fake jewels and attire. Ted and Emmett followed closely behind her from their place near the buffet table. Emmett wore a smile that could rival Deb's and Ted...well, Ted was here and fairly happy.

"Hey baby! Your show's a hit and I'm so proud of you." Deb nearly shouted at me as she wrapped me in a hug. She was acting like this was my first show, but I loved her enthusiasm. Emmett gave me two kisses on my cheeks before he gave me a little hug. I smiled at all of them as Ted shook my hand, he was always the gentleman. With all the pleasantry going on, I glanced at an uncomfortable yet stoic Brian. I wrapped my arm around his waist and brought him back into the scene of the goings on. His eyes met mine and I knew that he wanted to be fairly far away from sentiment.

"I think I'll go look at the art. Considering that this is...an art show." His voice was mocking but I could see through his indifference of the situation. I knew that he would've stayed and gushed over me if it weren't for his masked image, so I took no offense to his snide temperament.

_Brian's P.O.V_

With everyone making a fuss over Justin, I decided to slip off and actually see the product of my talented Sunshine. I took my time and looked over a few of his abstract pieces, the colors intriguing me. I had a feeling that Justin used his emotions when he painted because they were so raw and pure in each stroke. I glanced back toward Justin, seeing that he was done talking with Debbie and had moved on to a perspective buyer. I smiled when I saw the man walk off having made a purchase on what I assumed was the one to the left of me, some other abstract piece.

As I walked around the room, I came across a painting that had red ribbons surrounding it...making a frame of sorts around it. I was intrigued by the difference in the decor, all the others had black ribbons around them. But when I approached it, I was struck with a very distinct feeling of fear. I couldn't move nor could I look away from the canvas in front of me. My eyes grew when I saw the very apparent teeth, fur, and eyes staring back at me. I felt my palms begin to sweat and my breath sharpen as a lump grew in my throat. I didn't know what to do, what to say...I just stood there and stared at the monster sprawled across the canvas in an array of blacks, reds, and golds. That's when I felt my stomach twist into knots and my mind swirl with thoughts that scared the hell out of me. Justin had painted a monster...and that monster was me.

Now one thing was for sure...he could never know that it was me.


	12. Chapter 12: I Know

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 12:**

**I Know...**

-The Art Show, Same Night-

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had been watching Brian since he left my side, watching to see which paintings interested him. He wandered around and looked at a few when a buyer approached me. I turned my attention away from Brian and talked to the man, a gallery owner in Chicago who was interested in one of my pieces for his personal collection. I talked with him and tried to keep it brief, I wanted to make the sale and get it over with quickly. The man made his purchase and walked away just as I saw Brian lay eyes on the painting of the thing I had seen in my dream. I made my way around the crowd so that I could see him without him knowing. I watched his reaction to the piece. In his face, I saw the fear that I had sensed before...the emotion that had been radiating from his very being. I could see his face clearly from my stance a few feet from him, cloaked by other gallery patrons. I had the aching feeling that he knew exactly what I had painted, he knew that I had painted a werewolf. When I had talked with him in my dream, he hadn't told me outright that he was the monster that I had seen...but when I saw his eyes, I knew it to be true. As he stood there studying my painting, his eyes told me everything. He was the werewolf in my dream and this time...I knew for sure.

After he had gazed upon the painting enough, he turned and walked directly out of the gallery. I watched him hurriedly leave and I knew exactly what was going through his mind. I had had the sneaking suspicion that Brian had been hiding this for a long while and he was still trying to keep it hidden from everyone. But I let him leave. I knew that he wouldn't leave me here but he needed some air. So, I turned back to the patrons of the gallery and made small talk. Daphne was buzzing around the room, making sure things were going smoothly. Ted and Emmett were talking to a few people by the buffet table when I saw Debbie staring at something across the room. Her face was nearly white and her brows were knitted tightly. I furrowed my brows and followed her line of sight only to see the painting that Brian was just studying. I rose my eyebrows as I realized that Debbie knew something for certain. I made my way over to her and surprised her as I took her by the arm and led her to a quieter area to talk.

"What's wrong Sunshine?" Her voice was soft in my interrupting her. I ignored her question until we were away from the large group of people. The storage area for the art would have to do in this moment. With the door closed behind us, I turned to look at a confused Debbie. I took in a deep breath before speaking to her.

"Debbie...do you know who was in the painting that you were just looking at?" I tested her with a question that I basically already knew the answer to. I watched as her stance became nervous and rigid, bouncing from foot to foot as she answered.

"What are you talking about Justin? The painting was of some kind of wolf...not a person." Her voice had a hint of the shrill tone that she used when she was trying to lie.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Deb. And I think you know who I'm talking about." I said with an all too calm voice was I stared into her glassy grey-blue eyes. In those eyes, I saw that she knew exactly what I meant...and definitely who I was talking about. Her nervous demeanor was still very apparent as I watched the defeat grace her features.

"I know who you painted..." Deb's voice was soft as she wrung her hands together. I pursed my lips together before rolling them into my mouth as I nodded my head slowly. "I promised I'd never tell." Her admittance caught me off guard as I furrowed my brows.

"Brian? You promised Brian that you'd never tell?" I asked as she nodded her head in confirmation.

"He's hidden this for eight years Sunshine...it's his deepest, darkest secret. He hasn't told a soul, I mean, I didn't even know until I saw it with my own eyes." My eyes grew large when she said the last bit...she'd actually seen Brian when he was a...a werewolf.

"You've seen him? Like actually seen the transformation?" I asked, intrigued. She nodded her head as her face took on a distant look and paled a bit. "What was it like?"

"Heh, it was the oddest thing I've ever seen, to be honest with you. I mean, I thought all that shit was made up...just stories. But no...it's real alright." I knew that she was entrusting her knowledge to me, and it meant a lot that she did. Now it was my turn to let her in on a secret of my own.

"You know, I already knew about Brian...I just needed to reenforce my knowledge." I stated simply, but I saw the confusion overtake her features.

"How did you know? Did he tell you himself?" She asked as she sat down on an empty stool, her eyes trained on me.

"No...he didn't tell me, well, not technically. He kind of told me in a dream." I blurted out, much to Debbie's growing confusion. I sighed and realized that I was going to have to explain further. "There's this...thing...that I've been able to do since I was a kid, kind of like a deep-seated intuition that I have. Sometimes, I'll dream things that will later come true or I'll have...some sort of..."

"Psychic vision?" She finished for me. I nodded as my hands fell to my side. She just sat there, taking everything in and nodding her head slowly. "So...when you knew about Vic, that was..."

"From a dream, yeah." I stated softly. "The same thing with my finding out about Brian. It's weird and sometimes I can't figure out what my dreams mean, but most of the time they're pretty clear. But this secret, Deb, I've never told anyone about this before..." Debbie just sat there and absorbed my information before standing and cupping my cheek gently.

"Don't worry Sunshine...your secret's safe with me." She said before smiling and leaving the store room.

_Brian's P.O.V_

As soon as I managed to get outside, I dug around in my pockets for my cigarettes and a lighter. By the time that I finally fished them out, my hands were shaking and I was near hyper-ventilating. When my eyes had fallen upon that painting, I had felt my stomach twist into knots and my heart start to beat rapidly. I didn't want to believe my eyes. The way Justin had painted...me...had been so dark and monstrous, it was so frightening that I knew he would never accept me. I knew that he could never love someone that was like me. I stood in the cold, letting the near bone-chilling wind cut through me as I thought. I ran my free hand through my hair as I took another deep drag from the cigarette. I had to calm down.

Justin would come looking for me soon, I knew that. So, I just stood leaned against my car and continued smoking. But the more I stood there, the more I thought. I thought about how Justin wouldn't accept me, my brain was feeding me that...but I also felt the feeling of hope. My heart had hope that he would love me and accept me for all that I was...and I was rooting for my heart. A few moments after I stubbed out the last bit of my cigarette, Justin emerged from the building and found me. I watched as he gave me a full watt smile while he ventured toward me. Every time he smiled at me, I unconsciously smiled back...it was just infectious. When I saw those ocean blue eyes, every doubt in my mind faded a bit. With just one look, he cleared my thoughts and replaced them with delightful love and the reassurance that I needed not to push him away again.

"Are you ready to leave? It's stuffy as hell in there, besides...Daphne's got everything under control." He said as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his warm body against my over-warm one. I threw my arm over his shoulder and brought him even closer into a hug that I suddenly needed. My chin found the top of his head and rested there, his sensuous smell pouring from his petite frame and into my nostrils with every breath I took. I leaned back and met his blue eyes once more before our lips met in a chaste kiss.

"Yeah...that sounds great." I pulled away from him and we climbed into my car. We headed back to my loft in a relative silence. I needed to be inside him right now, needed to feel close to him in my weakened emotional and mental state. As we rode in our quiet closeness, Justin's hand intertwined with mine as it laid on my thigh. I looked over to him and saw his blue orbs connecting with mine in a silent love. I smiled at him before turning my attention back to the road. In no time, we were riding the elevator up to my loft while plundering each others' lips. His cool hands were grazing the flesh below my jacket and shirt as I ran my hands through his silky soft hair. The elevator came to a stop on the top floor and we stepped off only to continue our romp, right there in the hall. I reached into my pocket to find my keys before giving up.

"Fuck it." I breathed out before ripping my jacket and shirt off and throwing them on the floor. Justin pulled his jacket and shirt in unison with me, tossing them in with mine. His short breaths along with his lust-hooded eyes drove me wild with passion as I smothered his lips once again. His hands roamed over my body, cool hands gracing my over-heated flesh. I reached out and grasped the zipper and button on his jeans, tearing them open and stripping his pale flesh of the fabric. His leaking erection was outlined in the tight constriction of his briefs as I pulled my own pants off and threw them aside. Our lips crashed together in a symphonic reunion of moist tongues and short panting breaths. The growing hardness between my legs was aching to be inside of him as I felt his hand wriggle into my underwear. He freed my painfully hard, leaking cock as he was preparing to sink to his knees. I wasn't having that. As much as I enjoyed having my dick sucked, I didn't want that now...I wanted to fuck him.

I pulled him up from his soon-to-be position and yanked his briefs down, freeing them from his body and throwing them aside as well as my own. His breathing was erratic and it matched my own in my wild movements. I reached down into my discarded jeans and pulled out a condom along with a packet of lube. Preparing myself quickly, I tossed the remnants away and grabbed Justin...pulling him toward me firmly. The floor would be too cold to fuck on, so I improvised. In one fell swoop, I pulled Justin up and braced him against the wall...his legs wrapped tightly around my waist. I pushed my leaking member deep inside him as his hands scraped against my back. He was pinned between myself and the wall while I thrust in and out of his warmth.

"Oh god...fuck me...harder." He breathed out between gasping moans and gritting teeth. With my face buried in his neck, I rammed deeper and harder than I ever had...letting the animalistic side take over. Justin's cries of passion and the slapping of our bodies were all that could be heard in the night. In the heated passion, I bit down on his shoulder...leaving my mark on him as he let out a slight scream that was followed by a deep moan. I knew that neither of us would last long so I quickened my pace and thrusted deeper. I heard Justin's strangled moans while his hands were painfully entwined in my hair.

The next thing I knew, I was filling the condom with a white-hot fury while buried deep inside the warmth of his tight ass. Justin's orgasm was plastered between us, bonding us together as we leaned against the wall.

"That...was fucking...amazing." He panted out while I stared into the perfect blue eyes before me. My breathing was slowly steadying as I saw the love that shown through those orbs. I saw that every fiber that was Justin loved me. A smile crept across my face that mirrored itself on Justin's beautiful face. It was fucking amazing...to know that someone like this heavenly creature could love something...someone...like me.

-A Few Days Later-

_Justin's P.O.V_

My last meeting with Brian had been completely mind-blowing, but now I had work to do. For the past few days, I had dedicated my days to researching the mythology of werewolves and my nights to Brian. There were websites that I found completely surrounded the werewolf legends, but I had found out the key piece of information that I needed...they changed on the full moon. I found out that the next full moon was tomorrow night, so I had to plan...and plan fast. My curiosity about what would happen to Brian was peaked and I was itching to catch a glimpse of the transformation.

I hadn't seen Brian in two days because of his hectic work schedule but it was alright, it left me more time to form my plan to see him in his animalistic state. When I had stepped off of the elevator in his building that night and saw that metal door, I knew that that's where he changed. I just knew it was. The last time I left his loft, two days ago, it was late and I let myself out. I took the elevator down and came face to face with the door. The building was silent and I knew that Brian was going to bed, but my curiosity was getting the better of me. There was a keyed padlock hanging on the handle, which led me to believe that he would lock himself in. I walked over to the door, being mindful not to make any noise, and slid it open as gently as possible. I was greeted with a low screech that made me stop and wait. My breath was quick and my heartbeat was loud in my ears as I stepped into the room. The darkness in the room sent a cold chill up my spine, it was so reminiscent of my dream. My hand shot out on the wall in search of a switch. The room lit up with the hum of a fluorescent hanging light as my eyes grew large at the sight in front of me.

A single metal chair sat in the middle cinder-block walled room with metallic floors. I knew it for sure then, this was were everything happened. My eyes raked over the gashes in the walls and the shredded streaks on the floor, my mouth was agape at the sight. That's when I felt a devious smile stretch across my face, I couldn't tell you why...but the thought of Brian being a werewolf excited me. I felt my skin grow hotter thinking of him in a purely animalistic form...I wasn't turned on by the fact that he turned into a fucking animal... just pure thought, reasoning, and emotion...that's what intrigued me most. I stood in that room for a good ten minutes before I switched off the light and left.

As I'm sitting in my bedroom, turning over the padlock in my hand, I'm beginning to wonder if the plan that I've devised will work. I'm not completely sure, but tomorrow I'll find out.

-The Next Day-

_Brian's P.O.V_

Tonight was the night...It never ceased to amaze me that after eight years, I still dreaded the full moon. Not only the full moon, but the product of it. Every time I changed, it was like the first time...painful. I still haven't become accustomed to what happens to me, even after this long. No matter how many times I've transformed, it's never the same...there's always a different reaction to it. I remember about seven years ago, when I was still new to the process, I decided to smoke a joint, drink until I was smashed, and then drop acid before I changed. I honestly don't know what I was thinking at the time, but whatever it was...it was severely stupid. There are only bits and pieces of that night but the things that I remembered were crystal clear. I had completely totaled my previous car, my Jeep, and I don't even remember driving. When I woke up the next day, I was in the middle of nowhere...near the outskirts of Pennsylvania and my Jeep was wrapped around a tree. I was lying in the middle of the woods, naked. If I hadn't found my wallet in the pocket of my jeans, I would've never had the money to get home.

My memories were making it extremely hard to concentrate on the contract in front of me as I sat in my office at Kinnetik. I glanced at the clock and realized that I only had to be there for another hour, so I wrapped up my work and decided to leave early. Placing the contract on my desk, I grabbed my briefcase and made my way to the door. Cynthia was wrapping up some loose ends at the reception desk when I nodded to her and left the building. I decided to head home instead of stopping off at Woody's for a drink. I couldn't take the chance of not being home when I changed, I couldn't risk it. I climbed into my car and made my way home in silence.

My loft was dark and quiet as I waited for the alarm to signal that it was time for the sun to set. I tried not to think of Justin while I sat there. The bottle of Beam was dangling from one hand and a cigarette from the other, I was staring at nothing when my thoughts started to drift. I began to think about Justin and the fact that even though I had wanted to tell him my secret, it never came to fruition. My heart had yearned to just spill everything to him and get it over with, but my head was on the opposing side. It never failed...everything seemed to work out that way. I was jolted from my thoughts by the alarm piercing my ears. It was time once again.

_Justin's P.O.V_

My plan was falling into place as I left my house and drove straight to the corner of Fuller and Tremont. The rain was beginning to fall against my windshield as I diligently made my way off the Pittsburgh turnpike and into the heart of the Pitts. My hands were nearly shaking with anticipation and holding onto the steering wheel was becoming a challenge. I thought about what would happen when I arrived at Brian's door on the night of a full moon. What would be said...what would go unsaid? My mind was racing and I couldn't stop the smile from curling my lips upward. Fingers tapping the steering wheel and Mumford & Sons playing in the background as I drove down Liberty Avenue. I glanced out the window, seeing Emmett, Michael, and Ted meandering about...leaving Woody's as I drove past. I wondered if they knew. Michael was Brian's best friend (regrettably), but I didn't know if he had ever told Michael about what he was. Emmett could barely keep a secret and Ted had enough to deal with, so maybe none of them knew. I licked my lips with nervous anticipation as I rounded the corner of Fuller and Tremont, parking my car across the street and stepping out.

The building was dark and quiet. The sun would be setting in ten minutes so I had to figure out what I would say when his door slid open and I saw him. I walked up to the door and pulled my hand up to ring the buzzer when I noticed the door was ajar. Reaching out and taking the handle, I realized that the handle was stuck and it wouldn't allow it to close. Something inside told me that this was meant to happen, not intentionally by Brian, but it was fated to happen. I smiled brightly as I threw the door open and walked inside.

I looked toward the metal door on the bottom floor, it was open. A perfect opportunity, I smiled a deliciously devious smile as I stepped inside the dark room and closed the door behind myself. I knew that doing this was a wildcard and completely crazy, but it might be the only way that I would ever find out. So, I was sitting in a dark room...waiting for Brian to enter. If anyone saw me doing this, it would come across as complete and utter insanity...but it needed to happen.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I tossed my phone aside as I readied myself, preparing to go downstairs and change. My heart was racing, like it always did on a full moon, and my mind was swirling with thoughts of everything and anything. I ran my hands through my hair before I left my loft and headed downstairs. I would've taken the elevator, but I needed the walk. With each step I took, I thought of how much longer I could keep this from Justin. I wanted to tell him with every fiber of my being but I could never muster the words nonetheless form them. Sometimes it just seemed surreal, being a creature that isn't supposed to exist, but it was all too real to me. As it turned out, two flights of stairs did nothing to ease my thoughts as I stepped off the last stair. I wrung my hands together as I set eyes on the door that led the way to the room where everything happened. I sucked in a deep breath before walking over and opening the heavy metal threshold of a door.

I stepped inside and slid the door shut behind me. My head fell against the cool metal as my hands trailed across the wall and found the light switch. With a single flip, the room lit up. I took a deep breath through my nostrils and my eyes sprung open. That...scent. I leaned back from the door when the shot of panic jolted through my body like electric shocks. I turned my head to the right and saw piercing blue eyes staring back at me. My body tensed as a lump formed in my throat.

"Justin?" The only word that I could even muster was blurted from my lips as I saw his hand lunge forward.

I didn't know what happened...at least, not until I saw the padlock on the door handle. My eyes widened as I realized that he had locked us both in. My heart was beating so fast and so hard in my ears that I could only make out two words coming from his beautiful lips.

"I know..."


	13. Chapter 13: Den of the Wolf

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 13:**

**Den of the Wolf**

_Brian's P.O.V_

Hearing that lock snap shut was the worst sound in the world. No...the worst sound in the world was hearing Justin's voice as he snapped the lock shut. 'I know...' My heart was beating so loud in my ears that I honestly didn't know what the hell was going on. Was I dreaming? Was I in a nightmare...or my own personal hell? His eyes were fixed on me, but not in a prying sort of way...it was more like a caring and knowing way. Bad choice of wording. I closed my eyes and hoped that what I had heard and what I had seen had all been in some twisted hallucination. My body was tense and my mind was spinning as I opened my eyes. The moment that my eyes fell upon his deep blue orbs, my heart sank. It wasn't a dream.

"Justin...what...what are you doing here?" My voice rang out in a low and painful drawl as I felt his hand touch my forearm. My eyes were trained on his while I tried to process his being here, in this room...in this hell.

"Brian...I know what you are and I just want you to know that..." I cut him off when I pulled away from his tender strokes. My being near him was making me more nervous by the minute. I knew that time had to be flying by and I only had a short time to get him the fuck out of here.

"No, Justin...you don't understand! You can't be in here...not now, not ever!" I found my voice as I yelled at him from my new place in the center of the room. His face was contorted and his brows were furrowed at the angered sound of my voice.

"You're not understanding me Brian...I want you to know that I love you either way. Fucking werewolf or not." His voice was soft and powerful as he stepped closer to me. With his movement, I instinctively stepped back and away from him as I felt the beginnings of the change course through my body. His words sunk in as the surge of pain spread through my ribs and into my stomach. I felt the tears well in my eyes and I honestly couldn't say if they were from the pain or his words.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I had seen the tears form in Brian's eyes as I stepped toward him once again. Looking at him, I felt like I was transported into one of my dreams. For a brief moment, I saw the glint of tears in his eyes before he looked away from me. Deep inside, I knew it was hard for him to believe that I loved him...but it was true. I did. I loved him however I could have him. His eyes met mine before his face contorted and his hand shot to his ribs. I watched the pain illuminate his face and his muscles tighten as I stepped closer to him. His lips were rolled inward as our eyes met again. I was close enough to run my hand over his forearm and up to his shoulder, my hand came to rest there. The fluorescent light above us cast harsh shadows on his chiseled features as he spoke.

"I...don't know how you could ever love someone...something...like me." His words were laced with the physical and emotion pain that I knew he was feeling. I huffed a laugh as my face screwed up with his radiating emotions. I was near tears as I watched him lurch in pain once more before doubling over.

"I'm in love with you...unconditionally Brian." My voice was shaky as I was knocked away from him by sheer force. He fell to the floor and let out a guttural shriek that sent a chill up my spine. Our eyes met once more before his face was hidden again, I could nearly see the pain and transformation rattling his body. My eyes widened when I saw his hands begin to sprout hideous nails and fur. A shot of panic coursed through my body as his face lifted and I saw a pair of golden eyes flash my way. I couldn't focus on those golden orbs due to the sight of the sharp teeth protruding from his once beautiful mouth. I felt my hands begin to shake and my palms become sweaty when I saw his spinal bones cracking out of place, only to be repositioned into a misshapen form. Just the sound of the bones popping and snapping was enough to cause a severe shiver to course through my body. The sight before me was truly terrifying as I stood there, frozen. I had the horrifying realization that it may not have been a good idea to lock myself in this room with...a werewolf.

I shuffled through my pockets in search of the key as I looked upon a newly transformed Brian. The massive body was covered in deep chocolate coloured fur and he stood taller than before. My hands were deep in my pockets searching for the key in my panicked state. I was breathing rapidly as the wolf let out a terrible howl that caught my attention and brought my eyes back to it. I watched as the snarling form picked up the metal chair and flung it across the room with little effort. I was on the verge of tears at my stupidity when I felt the heated stare of the wolf. Blue fell upon gold and my breathing slowed a bit. I looked deep into those golden eyes and saw what I hoped would be there. Behind the snarling, the howling, and the masses of hair...I saw Brian staring back at me. Not only could I see Brian in those eyes, but I could feel the fear inside him.

The beast that had tossed a chair across the room was now standing still, looking at me. His face was contorting and his head was weaving from side to side as I stood as still as possible. I wasn't stupid, this was as close to a wild animal as I could imagine. Pure intuition, thought, and instinct...and I wasn't going to frighten or spook the fucking thing. My hands were at my sides, balled into fists as our eyes were locked. But it was seeming that the longer I held eye contact with him, he wasn't going to move. I closed my eyes and debated whether taking my eyes off of him would be a good idea.

Fuck it. I let my head fall and cast my eyes down. Looking at the floor, I heard huffed breathing and nails scratch the floor. I knew that he was approaching me because every movement that I made, however small, he would stop and huff a breath. I straightened my body when I saw the fur of his feet come into my vision, the pads of his feet making a gentle scraping sound on the metal floor. I clenched my fists as I heard the nails drag across the metal, creating a sharp screech of a sound. My eyes were fixed on the hairy feet in front of me as I heard the sound of deep breaths and sniffs. I dared to raise my head and steal a glance at the creature before me, desperately wanting to know what the beast was doing. My hands were sweaty and my breathing was semi-erratic as my eyes fell upon golden once more.

I watched silently as he breathed in my scent, smelling my face, hair, and body. For a moment, I felt scared of what might happen...of what this creature could do to me. As soon as the wolf had smelled my scent, I heard the faintest of growls and my hands began to shake. I could feel the heat of his breath on my face and neck, his teeth shown in the light for a brief second before disappearing. I hadn't realized that I had backed myself against the wall until I was pressed up to it. Golden eyes were fixed on mine as I looked upon the beastly figure now only inches from my face. Hair sprouted everywhere, grotesque nails, and shining sharp teeth were the only things that I could see as I slid down the wall and onto the floor. The past few weeks of not sleeping well were kicking in, and at the most inopportune moment as well. My eyes were hazy and I was trying with all of my will not to close my eyes.

My heart was beating loudly in my ears as I was fighting to stay awake. I heard shuffling sounds as I looked upon the wolf again. Dark fur was kneeling toward me as I felt two burly arms wrap around me, circling me in a warm embrace. Two large paws wrapped my head in their heated grasp and pulled me close, resting my head against the chest of a fully transformed werewolf. I could feel the heat radiating from his body and I could hear the soft heartbeat as I began drifting in and out of consciousness. I wasn't afraid anymore. If there was even an inkling of fear inside me right now, it was for Brian. I knew that my finding out would have to be explained, but that could wait until tomorrow...Right now, I was safe and secure...wrapped in the arms of the man and the beast that I loved.

-Next Morning-

_Brian's P.O.V_

'I love you, Brian...' My eyes opened to the memory of those words. I took a deep breath and looked around the room. I furrowed my brows when I realized that there weren't any fresh gashes in the walls or shards of metal on the floor. That's when bits and pieces of last night came rushing back to me. I looked up at the door and saw that the lock was still firmly on the handle. My eyes widened when I remembered that Justin had locked himself inside with me. I began to panic as visions of the wolf ripping him to shreds plagued my mind. My mind was swirling with gruesome thoughts before I realized that I was holding someone. My eyes shot downwards, expecting to see the dead body of the man that I loved...Wait...I felt a small smile cross my lips at the final realization that I honestly loved Justin. But at the same time, the chill of panic coursed through my body. What if I was holding Justin's corpse? If I've killed him then I'll never forgive myself.

I took in a deep, shuddery breath before looking down upon the perfectly intact angel. I felt my heart leap and my eyes water at the revelation. His body was curled into mine and his arms were close to my chest, right above my heart. The beautiful face and silky blond hair were tilted back a bit, leaning so that his face was perfectly visible. I just sat there a moment and reveled in the beautiful sight of the man that I loved, his chest rising and falling with every soft breath as he laid against my body. I was completely blown away at the fact that in my animalistic state I hadn't hurt him, not even a scratch that I could see. My heart was beating with a new belief that maybe I would never hurt the ones that I loved. It nearly brought tears to my eyes as I just sat there, holding him.

I leaned my head back against the wall and took a deep, cleansing breath. The smile that formed on my lips couldn't be helped in this moment of pure happiness and overjoy. I sat in the silence for a while, just listening to the quite breathing of Justin. My eyes were trained on his unconscious movements, his lips pouting every now and again...his brows furrowing and then relaxing. The entire sight that he was made my heart beat faster. I ran my fingers lightly over his pale shoulder and down onto his bicep and repeated the motion, just the connection between my fingers and his skin feeling new.

I was about to close my eyes once more, restful in the closeness, but I felt Justin stir in my arms. Blue eyes met mine in a sleepy haze that gave birth to a soft smile. His eyes seemed to light up when they met mine, I'm sure that mine did as well.

"Hi..." His voice was soft and sweet as he maneuvered his body to a sitting position, still in my arms. I smiled at him before I confessed my heart's only words. I was scared for a moment but when I saw his Sunshine smile, any fright was gone. I rolled my lips into my mouth before opening my mouth to speak.

"I...love you." I said quietly to his still sleepy form. His eyes locked with mine when I saw a bright smile caress his beautifully plump lips. I couldn't help but share his contagious smile as his hands traced a path over my chest, drawing small circles over my pectorals. My hand found his and interlaced our fingers together as my lips found his. The kiss was touched with all of the unsaid emotions and the newfound truth for him. I still didn't know how he found out about me, I would ask him later, but for now...I was actually glad that he knew. My tongue begged entrance to the warm cavern of his sweet mouth as I pulled him impossibly closer to my body.

Our lips fought the battle of love as I rolled Justin onto his back and covered his delicate body with my own. His hands laced through my hair as my fingers found the hem of his shirt and tugged it upward, exposing his beautifully alabaster stomach. I traced the rim of his jeans with my finger, tugging at it, while our tongues battled and our heads twisted and turned to deepen the kiss. His soft pants and gentle moans were the driving force behind my actions. Even though we had been here before, it felt different...new...because for the first time in my life, I could express how I really felt without feeling trapped behind a secret. It felt unbelievably good to know that Justin loved me unconditionally, but what felt better than that was the touch of his skin that led to his moans. My hands roamed under his shirt, over his chest, until I finally pulled the fabric free from his body. I gave him a deliciously devilish grin, he took his bottom lips between his teeth and smiled. My tongue darted out and traced over his right nipple, taking the pink bud between my teeth and gently tugging. My action elicited a deep moan from his delicious lips that sent a wonderful shiver through my body and straight to my hardening member.

I pulled at the button fly of his jeans, snapping every one open simultaneously. With his bare chest exposed to the cool chill of the room and his jeans open, I yanked the course fabric from his lower body and threw them aside. I was delighted to see that there were no other restricting apparels standing in the way of my finding his hard and leaking cock. My eyebrow quirked skyward as I locked eyes with him once more. His innocent look gave way to a devilish little grin, making it nearly impossible not to fuck him where we were. But I saw the reactions that his body was going through being bare backed on a cold metal floor and decided that we would move. My eyes left his in search of a new alternative. There was only one option and it was lying on its side across the room. I looked into his eyes before pulling us both up from the floor in one fluid motion. He huffed a laugh at my speedy actions before our lips crashed together again.

I broke the kiss with a quick pop before going to collect the chair. Walking back, I glanced over to my discarded clothes and decided to retrieve the condom in the pocket. I bent down and searched through the pockets only to find that I didn't have any lube. My eyes shot to Justin, who was now standing only a foot away from me. His eyes were lust-hooded and his mouth was slightly open, the complete look of sex.

"I don't have any..."

"Fuck it. I want you...now." His words were short and deep, sending yet another delicious chill through my body at his desperation and turned on disposition. I stood up from my jeans and set the chair upright. His lips curled up into a smirk as I set about rolling on the condom. My eyes flashed toward him.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I was completely turned on and needing him to be inside me, so much so that something deep inside me was scratching to burst through. The condom was firmly set on his beautiful cock as I closed the gap between us. His eyes met mine as I placed my hand firmly on his chest and pushed his backward and into the chair. He huffed a laugh at my devious little actions but I silenced the delightful noise with my lips. Our mouths fought for control as I straddled his lap, rubbing our erections together. A deep moan filled my mouth and was shared with his as I lifted my body above his cock. In one fluid motion, I sat down and completely engulfed his member deep inside of me. My mouth fell agape at the sudden feeling of fullness that his cock gave me, his moans filled my ears.

"God...Justin..." His lips found mine once more as my hands wound around the back of the chair for leverage. His arms were grasping my back and his hands traced their way across the expanse. My head was buried in his neck to stifle some of the guttural moans that were flowing out of me. I slid up and down his shaft, the friction burning with an intense pleasure as I rode. I felt his hand travel from my back to the nape of my neck, intertwining through my hair and pulling my head back to be face to face with him. Our foreheads touched and our eyes were locked as I pushed down into his thrusts. I closed my eyes and threw my head back as I felt his cock graze across the sweet spot inside me.

"Fuck...just...harder..." I managed to pant out as my eyes found his again, our lips met again in a smothering dance. I felt strong hands brace my back as he thrust into me harder and deeper. His moans were stifled with our deepened kiss, as were mine. The sensations coursing through my body were evidence of a newfound pleasure with Brian. I knew that lifting this secret from his mind had effected him as much as myself...and I liked it. Teeth met my shoulder causing me to cry out in spectacular pleasure that sent me teetering closer to my impending orgasm.

"I'm gonna...I'm so close..." My words came out in short breathing moans as I felt Brian quicken his pace and thrust deeper than ever before. My hand found his hair and wound tightly in the auburn strands as my body gave out to my fiery orgasm. Not even seconds passed before Brian let out a deep, guttural moan and filled the condom that was buried inside me. My white hot fury covered both of our chests while we sat in the chair, breathing erratically with our foreheads together.

"That was..."

"Freedom..." Brian interrupted me as his eyes closed and he gave a breathy little laugh. I couldn't help but smile at him before closing my eyes and burying my face in his neck.

_Brian's P.O.V_

The fiery water of the shower felt amazing against my skin as I held Justin to my body. I never knew that it would feel this way, to have someone know about what I was and to still love me. I smiled as Justin's hands snaked around my waist and his eyes met mine.

"Where are you right now?" His sweet voice echoed in the shower stall. I was hesitant to tell him but at the same time, I knew that there wasn't any point in hiding anymore.

"I'm right here...with the man that loves me...and the man that I love." I said quietly and calmly as his head brushed my chin before coming to rest on my chest.

"I do love you Brian..." He said softly against my collarbone.

"And I love you...always have..."

"Always will..." His voice interrupted mine only to finish my sentence. Blue eyes met mine as he leaned his head back and stared at me. I furrowed my brows for a moment before remembering to ask him.

"How did you know...about me?" I asked while the water ran streams over his shoulders and down his creamy white chest. His eyes left mine for a moment of what seemed like contemplation before he spoke.

"I...I have these dreams, well, visions of sorts that come to me as dreams. I saw the room, the marks on the walls and the floors, and I saw...you. You told me what you were and then I saw you as what you were. That's how I knew..." He said as our eyes met once more under the heated spray of the water. My eyebrows furrowed and I rolled my lips into my mouth before I realized that he was telling the truth.

"So...last night..."

"I was taking a chance...I wanted to see if it was true, if you really transformed. I guess I was right." He said with a huffed laugh as his head fell onto my chest again.

"But you didn't know what would've happened Justin...I could've killed you and I would've never..."

"But you didn't. I took a chance because I believed that you wouldn't hurt me. Yeah, I panicked when you threw a chair across the room and howled...but then you looked me in the eye and nothing happened. You loved me...and the animal inside you knew that." He said as he stepped away from me and looked into my eyes. I raised an eyebrow and gave him a crooked smirk.

"I guess you're right...even a monster can sense love huh?" I said with a huffed laugh.

"You're not a monster Brian...you're just a victim of circumstance...and if you're a monster then I'm in love with a fucking monster. But if that monster is you, then so be it." His words grew quieter as tears formed in my eyes. I reached out and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him to my face, locking our lips together so that what I was feeling couldn't be seen...but felt. I wanted Justin to know just how much he meant to me and just how much I really loved him...always have, always will.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I got out of the shower first and let Brian finish washing away last night. He was standing directly under the spray of the water when I left him and ventured to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, I saw that there was nearly nothing inside. I sighed and searched for bread as I readied the coffee pot to brew. Popping two slices of bread into the toaster, I flipped on the television and found the local news. I sat on the couch for a moment and caught the weather, storms, before the toaster signaled that the toast was finished and the coffee pot beeped. On my way back to the kitchen, Brian's wet form appeared at the top of the stairs that led to the bedroom. A towel firmly wrapped around his waist and a smirk on his lips sent chills through me.

"Breakfast?" I asked cheerfully as he walked toward the counter.

"Coffee? Well, you've thought of everything huh?" He said with a laugh as I smiled at him brightly.

"Mm...black with sugar?" I asked to his surprise.

"Yeah. That sounds good." He smiled at me before walking toward his bedroom to get dressed. As I made his coffee and he walked toward his bedroom, the sound of a news bulletin broke through the quiet loft.

"We have news this morning of a gruesome attack on a young man from the Pittsburgh area, he was found on the corner of Liberty Avenue and 12th Street. It seems that at some time during the night, an animal attack left Pittsburgh native Michael Novotny dead. Paramedics say that Mr. Novotny was found with torn flesh, ripped clothing, and horrible tear marks all over his body. Hospital doctors at Allegheny General pronounced him dead upon arrival. Police officials are still very puzzled as to what attacked him and are performing an official investigation led by Lieutenant Carl Horvath. More on the story at 6pm." The reporter's voice faded out as I looked toward Brian...His body was rigid and his eyes were focused straight ahead. There was only one possible explanation...

Somewhere in Pittsburgh, close...there was either a wild animal...or another werewolf.


	14. Chapter 14: Speculation & Realization

**This story contains graphic language, violence, and some adult situations ;)**

**You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 14:**

**Speculation & Realization**

_Brian's P.O.V_

I couldn't move. My feet wouldn't budge from their place on the floor and my hands were frozen by my side. The only things that I could do in that moment were to blink and breathe, and even those things were difficult. As soon as the newscaster stopped speaking, everything blurred. I could hear my heart beating in my ears as my stomach twisted into a wretched knot. To me, there was no knowledge of just how long I was standing there...facing my bedroom with my stone stiff stance, staring forward. Hell, I couldn't even see what was in front of me...my vision was blurred as well. I was pretty sure that I had tears in my eyes but I didn't want them to fall.

A few more moments went by before I heard the faintest voice from behind. The voice was soothing and soft in the silence of my current state. It was my name that was being called, faintly and yet clearly. The feeling that I was having wasn't entirely clear to me at this point...I don't know if it was rage, sorrow, or some mixture of the two. The seemingly unbreakable trance that I was in was broken when my hands balled into fists and everything came rushing back to me.

"Brian? Are you okay?" Justin's soothing voice flooded my ears. My mind was screaming at me to just revert back to the good old days of shutting everyone down and out, but I knew now that I couldn't do that. I knew that Justin and I had grown too much to shut him down, hell...I couldn't and wouldn't put him through that again. His voice surrounded me once more. "Brian?" I was staring into those ocean blue eyes that pierced my very soul and searched. I searched for everything...myself, him, and the meaning of everything. But no matter how hard I tried to think of anything other than what I had just heard, I couldn't. Everyone knew that Michael could be a total shit...but he didn't deserve to die. And no matter how hard I tried to tell myself that it wasn't my fault, I kept remembering the last thing I had said to him. Telling him that he should just forget I existed and to fuck off, that's what was replaying over and over in my mind. My eyes became blurry again and I knew it was from tears, but I refused to let them fall. I just hoped that Justin wouldn't see them.

_Justin's P.O.V_

I watched the entire thing unfold. From the moment that the woman on the television stopped speaking, Brian's entire body stiffened and it seemed like nothing in the world was there. I called out to him several times in hopes that he would turn around and tell me that he was fine...but nothing happened. Nothing was registering for him other than the thoughts in his mind, that was perfectly clear to me. I called his name but the only reaction that I received was his near silent breathing. I had flipped the television off and the entire loft had gone quiet. The overwhelming thought that he would shut me out enveloped my mind like a hungry parasite. I closed my eyes and called out to him again in hopes that he wouldn't turn to me and say that he was fine.

The loss of a best friend should never result in the answer that you're fine. But in this case, I had the strongest feeling that that was the exact answer that I would get.

"Brian? Are you okay?" I called out to him in a quiet voice, hoping that I wouldn't cause him to snap at me or shut me down. Watching him, standing there facing away from me, his hands balled into fists. I breathed a relieved sigh and took a few steps closer to him. I wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him but not being able to see his face...his eyes...I couldn't judge the reaction that he would have to it. So I settled for standing a foot or so behind him and waiting.

My eyes were fixed on the spot just below the point in which his hair stopped on the back of his neck. There was no sign of him turning around at that point and I was nearly ready to give up right now...that's when I saw his body move and begin to turn toward me. My eyes widened a bit as blue met hazel. There, I saw everything. I watched every smothered emotion pass through his tormented mind. Anger, sadness, and...contemplation. My breath caught in my throat when I realized that he was contemplating whether to shut me out again or not. Blue locked with hazel as I mentally pleaded with him. Whatever was to happen, I didn't want him to treat me like he had that night. I didn't want to hate that I love him and I definitely didn't want to go through the hell that I already had. So I pleaded with him as hard as I could while I dove into those beautifully tortured eyes.

"Brian?" I asked softly, nearly inaudible in tone. He stopped. The contemplation was gone as soon as the tears began to form in his eyes. I knew that he wouldn't want me to see them, but I did. In that moment, I couldn't hold back the urge to wrap my arms around him and hold on for dear life.

_Brian's P.O.V_

Justin's arms snaked around my waist tightly as his head came to rest on my chest. As soon as his arms were firmly wrapped around me, my arms found his back and clung there. I felt the sting of the tears in my eyes as they began to fall one by one. I shut my eyes tight and pulled him closer to my body. His hands were almost cool on my heated, freshly showered skin as we just stood there...holding each other. I ran my right hand up his back and found the nape of his neck, my fingers gently trailed through the golden silk there. Justin's fingers lightly massaged the lower parts of my shoulders, each movement making small circles of soothing rhythms. We stayed intertwined for a few moments in the silence of the space. My emotions were beginning to calm as my eyes dried of their salty tears.

"It wasn't your fault." The quiet words broke the silence as Justin spoke, his head still pressed against my chest. Before I could respond to his saying that, my eyes met blue. His beautiful oceans were boring into my hazel depths as I gave him a small knowing smile.

"I know that." Was all that I could muster in the moment. I hoped that Justin knew that any talk of feelings right now would be near impossible for me. One last glance into his understanding eyes told me just that. My hand came to rest on his jaw, cupping his face softly as I leaned down to capture his lips with my own. He tasted sweet and deep from the coffee that he had apparently been drinking earlier. My tongue lapped against his plump lips and begged for entrance to the cavern within. My other hand found his face, creating a cradle-like hold as I tilted his head and deepened the now passionate kiss. His smooth hands migrated to my overheated chest and slid over the expanse longingly. Electric sensations ran through my body and conflicted with the guilty feeling inside. I knew that Michael's death wasn't my fault but I still felt the ever-present guilt in my stomach, churning away like an angry storm. The gentle caress of Justin's fingers and the moist mouth tangled with mine battled with the monstrous guilt inside.

I closed my eyes tighter and tried to focus on Justin's hand snaking down my stomach, but it was becoming seemingly impossible. Normally, sex would be in the forefront of my thoughts to kill the feeling that seemed to consume me right now...but this time was different. When good old Jack died, I felt something but nothing like this. I shed a few tears and moved on, that's all I could muster. But Mikey...he was my best friend. And to top everything off, my last words to him were selfish and horrible. I was snapped out of my thoughts by a broken kiss and a cell phone ringing.

_Justin's P.O.V_

Our now passionless kiss was broken by the ringing of my cell phone, the familiar tone that signaled that the caller was someone Brian and I both knew. My hands fell free from Brian's newly stiffening body as I made to retrieve the phone. As soon as I answered, the screeching voice of Emmett Honeycutt rang through with piercing pitches.

"Justin?" His voice was a mess of sniffs and pants that told me he had been and was crying.

"Hi Emmett...I heard." I decided to tell him that I knew what he was calling about rather than have him recite it to me, crying and all.

"Michael...he's...gone." His voice was near hyper-ventilating and I had to try and calm him somewhat.

"I know Em...it's going to be okay." I said as I heard someone in the background nearly yelling. "Where are you?"

"D-d-debbie's...she's a fucking...mess. We...all are." At this point, I was kidding myself into thinking that calming him would work.

"Everyone's there?" I asked without thinking, I mean, of course they all were. But Emmett's hoarse 'yeah' confirmed it. Hearing him so emotional and damaged was heartbreaking.

"Will...will you come by? P-please?" The pleading in his voice told me that he really needed another friend there with him. I understood.

"Yeah Em, I'll be there. Just breathe alright?" I knew that he was nodding on the other end because he was too choked up to talk anymore. I gave him an unseen sympathetic smile and hung up the phone.

I turned and faced Brian as the loft fell silent again. I had felt his hazel eyes watching me during the phone conversation and now, as I walked toward him calmly, they were staring straight through me. His body was still stiff as my hand came to rest on his forearm and our eyes met. In those deep forests, I saw the inner turmoil that he was battling...every fleeting thought that passed through his mind, leaving their imprints behind. His guilt shown through like a dark force that wanted nothing more than to take him prisoner...but there was something else. A swirling light that fought hand in hand with the darkness, trying as hard as possible to beat it...I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. Love? Remembrance? I don't know. My hand traced a path from his forearm to his neck, creating a cradling cup near his pulse point. Tracing over his jawline with my thumb, I rose to meet his lips with a small but nonetheless love filled kiss.

"Emmett asked me to go to Debbie's..." I told him when our kiss was broken. There was a moment of fear that I saw in his eyes before the moment that I hoped would never happen did. The fear was washed away by a very skilled mask of indifference was pulled over his beautiful face, the emotions were gone.

_Brian's P.O.V_

I had been doing so well. Son of a bitch. There was nothing more that I wanted than to be open with Justin, but in that moment...I lost. As soon as he mentioned Debbie, the rushing feeling of guilt won over...causing my tactful and convincing mask to reappear. And I saw it...I watched nearly helplessly as Justin's heart sank. The fleeting moment that I saw in his eyes would've brought me to tears if it weren't for this fucking...force. I had pleadingly fought with this in hopes that I would be able to accomplish something anew. For as long as I could remember, I was lonely. I was so alone in the vastness of everything...But meeting Justin had given me so much hope that I could change, and for the better. All I wanted was something normal, believe it or not...I wanted what the Stepford fags had. And then with the curse...that was a fucking joke.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Justin's smooth hand drop from my warm skin. That's when my heart sank. The electric-like current between us was broken then and I yearned for it to return. His body turned away from me and I felt my heart wrench at the sight of it. I closed my eyes tight in the relief of his sorrowful eyes leaving mine and looking elsewhere. While his back was to me, I felt something deep inside me lurch out from behind my facade.

"I'll take you." I said in a soft tone. The feeling that urged me to say it faded as fast as it came but there was no turning back. His eyes were fixed on mine as soon as the words left my lips.

"Then let's go." His words were almost at a loss of feeling as he stepped past me and made his way to the sofa. My eyes shut tight once more before I ventured to the bedroom and got dressed.

The entire car ride was filled was a think, tense silence when we pulled up to the curb in front of Debbie's house. From the sight of the cars parked there, everyone had shown up. I glanced toward Justin and noted the solum look on his face as we stepped out of the car. I couldn't escape the knowledge that I had put that expression there and it was eating away at me, slowly but surely. Every step I took was slow and deliberate as we approached the front porch of the house. It seemed like every move that I made fed the guilty beast that lurked beneath my well trained facade. A new feeling overtook me as I moved closer to the house, I couldn't tell exactly what it was but it felt a lot like dread. And with every glance to Justin or step I took, the feeling became harsher and deeper.

Justin was ahead of me on the stairs as we climbed. I trailed behind him as we reached the brilliantly red door and knocked. The ruckus and movement inside was amplified when the door flung open and a teary eyed Emmett stood before us, his twisted face and tears gave me a clear indication that this was going to be an awkward and painful meeting between everyone. He lunged forward and caught Justin in a painful looking grasp, hugging and squeezing him tighter than necessary. I tried as hard as I could to disappear from the very place that I stood now, on the precipice of a very intense and emotional meeting of everyone at once.

But just as I tried to sink away and become unseen, I heard a very familiar and very angry shrieking voice in the not-so-distance. I didn't even have to wait for the brilliant red hair to come into view before the words she spouted pierced my soul.

"You did this! You son of a bitch! You did this to my baby...your own fucking best friend!" Debbie barreled toward the door and nearly flung Emmett out of the way to get to me. Her hands fished between Justin and myself, preparing to assault me. Her hands grasped and flew at any visible part of my body. Fists thudding against my chest and hands slapping my face in a violent thrashing. Justin's voice broke through the sound of skin hitting skin, fists pounding against fabric and creating deep, hollow echoes.

"Debbie! Stop it!" Justin's pleas were followed by a rush of hands pulling her away from my now sore body and back into the living room. Everyone migrated to the central point of the house, allowing Justin and myself to cross the threshold and enter. Once we were inside, the darkness of the room swallowed me whole. The reality that I was standing inside the childhood home of my late best friend sunk in...fast.

_Justin's P.O.V_

There were no lights on in the living room. The only source of light in the house was from the kitchen bulb glowing and creating an ominous feel throughout. I looked around the room at the faces of Michael's closest friends and family before I set my eyes on Debbie. Her face was a portrait of hatred and anger ready to explode again, and all of those emotions were flowing from her eyes. I followed her line of sight and laid eyes on Brian, he was standing by the door in what looked like a daze. My feet carried me to him in moments and my hand found his lower back as our bodies pressed against each other, side to side. As soon as I was making contact with him, his eyes found mine. The way his head slid through the air, reminiscent of someone who was running on auto-pilot, was haunting.

"I know it was you." Debbie's eerily soft voice cut through the air and broke the silence in the room. My eyes found her, as did everyone elses'.

"Debbie, what are you talking about?" Ted's confused voice responded to her. I made to open my mouth but Debbie spoke again.

"I'm talking about that son of a bitch standing right here!" Her voice shrieked as she stood and marched over to Brian, pointed her red painted nail directly at his face.

"Debbie! Are you accusing Brian of murdering Michael?" Lindsay's voice spoke up. Emmett's gasp and Ted's disbelieving huff followed Lindsay's words. Debbie's head violently turned and looked over the group before turning to face Brian once again.

_Brian's P.O.V_

Debbie's eyes locked with mine and in that moment, I knew what she was going to do. In that very moment, looking into her eyes, I saw just how convinced she was that it was me. And now she was going to do something that she promised she would never do. I felt my entire body wretch from the inside as my palms began to sweat. I silently pleaded with her while our eyes were locked...but it was too late.

"Yeah, I am...because he's a fucking werewolf. And you know what?" She turned to the crowd as I felt my heart hit the floor. "Last night was a full moon. I know what happens to him, I've seen it. And I know...I...know...that he killed Michael." I felt like I wasn't even inside my own body anymore. My limbs were numb, my knees were threatening to betray me, and my head was spinning as everyone's eyes were now on me. The entire room broke out into a ruckus of talking, whispering, and accusations.

"And I know that he didn't." Justin's voice broke through the circus-like group. The sound of everyone talking at once suddenly became a dull roar.

"And how's that?" Melanie asked. Ted, Emmett, Lindsay, Debbie, Carl...everyone was looking at him now.

"Because I was with him last night. All night. So no...he didn't kill Michael." He stated calmly as his eyes roamed across the entire group. I watched as he saved Debbie for last, holding eye contact with her as he spoke again. "And how dare you...Brian was Michael's best friend...his brother. How dare you accuse him of murder. The Debbie that I know would never have done that. Not in a million fucking years."

All eyes were on us as I felt Justin's hand intertwine with mine and he pulled us toward the door. I still couldn't believe what had just happened. The door opened and I was pulled outside just before the door slammed shut behind me. We ascended the stairs of the porch and followed the sidewalk to my car. It still felt so surreal, everything that had just conspired. I felt like I was running on auto-pilot...like everything that was going on was happening to someone else. That's when a soothing but commanding voice broke through my thoughts.

"Brian." Justin's tone was borderline authoritative as my eyes fell on his. We were standing beside my car as we faced each other, his hand firmly on my forearm. "Are you listening?" I smirked a bit as I saw a glimpse of myself in Sunshine.

"Yeah, I'm listening." Even my voice didn't sound like my own.

"Good, because I want you to listen carefully. None of this is your fault. Do you understand? None of this shit is your fault and I really need you to believe that..." His voice was echoing in my ears as I nodded my head soundly. I wanted so badly to believe him, I did...but at that moment, I didn't know if I could.

"I love you..." The words slipped from my lips as my eyes closed and my forehead pressed against his.

"I love you too, Brian...always and forever." His words were almost lost as his lips pressed against mine in a chaste kiss. The passion and sincerity behind his lips was staggering...and I could believe it. "Now, let's go home..." As those words left his lips, I felt a small hint of relief as my mind cleared and my body felt like it was my own again. Justin stepped around me and opened the passenger door, climbing in and shutting the door behind him.

But as I made my way around the car, I caught the scent of something in the wind that caused the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My eyes shot to my left as the scent seemed to be coming from that direction. I squinted as I saw a glimpse of a shadowed figure standing at the end of the street, between houses. But when I opened my mouth to say something, the figure stepped back and headed down the nearby alleyway. The eery feeling crept up my spine again as I wracked my brain and tried to remember the scent that I had smelled.

That's when it hit me. That scent was wolf and that figure was Michael's murderer. My head shot back to the left but by then, the figure was long gone. My eyes blinked for a bit before I heard Justin's voice from the car.

"Brian? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah..." I replied. "For now."


End file.
