Day 4 - Fixed

The alarm startled them awake at seven sharp. Brian waited for Justin to poke his head out from under the covers. He didn't seem to be too quick about doing it, either. A hand appeared and pushed the cover down to the middle of his chest then both arms reached above this head to stretch. "That wasn't really the alarm, was it? Please say it wasn't."

"I have bad news. It was the alarm." Brian smiled at the half asleep man. "Come on, sleepyhead, I have to shower and I'm pretty sure you do, too. Care to join me?" Brian asked as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. Justin tried to pull him back.

"Can't we just stay here for a while longer?"

"Car part being delivered this morning, remember? Come on, Sunshine, get your naked butt in the shower with me. I promise to make it worth your while."

"Well, who am I to turn down an offer like that?"

The shower lasted a little longer than planned, so they ended up having to hurry to get to the garage for the early morning delivery. Despite being late, Brian stopped at the city clerk's office. "Ticket," was all he said. He was in and out in a matter of minutes, then drove the two blocks to the garage.

As they got out of the Jeep, a brown truck pulled up and an attractive man got out, waving to Brian. "Got a delivery for you, Brian. Looks like you just made it in time." He noticed the Packard out front. "Wow, nice car. You working on that one?"

"Of course. It belongs to Justin, here."

"You're kidding? I would have figured and eighty year old man drove a car like that." He eyed Justin a little closer, letting his gaze linger below the belt. "Not a hottie like this."

"Stand back, Doug. He's not interested in you."

"Yeah, but he could be."

"Hey, I'm standing right here." Justin tried to sound annoyed, but it didn't work. "The car belonged to my grandfather and now it's mine. It's as simple as that."

"Thought so," Doug said to Justin, noticing how close Brian was standing to the blond, not to mention the possessive arm around his shoulders. Justin wasn't sure whether the 'thought so' referred to the car or to him and Brian, and he didn't ask. He just watched Doug climb back into the truck and drive off.

"Nice guy," he said. "You and he…?"

"First Ted and now Doug. Are you going to ask about every guy around here?"

"Just the gay ones," Justin said, laughing.

"Well, to answer your question, once. He was okay."

"Just okay?"

"Yep, just okay."

Justin smiled and nodded.

"Well, I guess I'd better get started on this. Let me go inside and do some work on this real quick, then I'll get it installed."

"Mind if I walk over to the diner and get some food? I mean, you won't need me here, will you?"

"Go ahead. Charlie will be here in a little while." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Here," he said, handing Justin a few bills. "Get me a coffee, too. Take the Jeep. Keys are in it."

"I have money. You want anything to eat?"

"No, just the coffee. Take the money. Lindsay's working, so give her whatever's left."

Justin nodded, took the money and climbed into the Jeep. Brian watched as Justin drove off in the direction of the diner. "You are in so much trouble, Kinney, so much trouble."

Justin walked into the diner and waved to Lindsay as he sat down at the counter. The breakfast rush was almost over, so there were plenty of empty seats.

"Hey, Justin. You look like you need some coffee. Is Brian with you?"

"Coffee would be great. Brian's at the shop. The part for my car came in this morning, so he's working on that." He gave Lindsay his food order and she left to get his coffee. The bell over the door rang as Lindsay set Justin's breakfast before him. "This looks good. Thanks." He put jelly on his toast and took a bite. "Oh, I brought some of my sketches with me if you'd still like to see them. Later, of course, if you have time."

"I'd love to see them. Can you wait about an hour until my break? Angie will be in and I'll have time then."

"Sounds good. That'll give me time to take some coffee to Brian and come back. Oh, yeah, I'll need some coffee for Brian when I get done."

"You got it. I'll put some food in a bag, too. He probably said he didn't want anything to eat, but he really does."

Justin finished his breakfast and headed back to the garage. A large coffee sat in the cup holder and a bag of food occupied the passenger seat. He noticed two strange cars in front of the garage. A vintage Mustang was parked to the far right where Brian had parked this morning. He figured that was Charlie's car. An older Chevy pick-up sat in the previously empty bay inside the garage, the hood wide open. Brian and the two other men were peering into the engine compartment. Justin didn't want to bother them, so he sat the coffee and food on the desk then sat down in one of the chairs by the office door.

Brian hadn't heard the Jeep pull up and was surprised to see Justin sitting there. "Hey, didn't hear you come in."

"No problem. Coffee's here. It should still be hot. And Lindsay sent some muffins. She said you need to eat."

"I figured she would. Look, Hector over there brought his truck in. It'll be a quick repair, but I need to do it before I can get to your car. He needs his truck for his deliveries and Charlie's going to be busy with the tow truck."

"That's okay. I promised Lindsay I'd show her my sketches. I just wanted to tell you breakfast was here."

"Thanks." Brian leaned down to give Justin a quick kiss. Justin was a little hesitant and moved his head so the kiss landed on his cheek. "What's wrong?" Justin indicated the two other men in the garage. "Don't worry about them. They know I'm gay and they probably know your story by now. This is a small town. Now, how 'bout we try that kiss, again?" When Justin smiled, Brian leaned down again and briefly touched his lips to Justin's. "See," he said, "they didn't even blink, did they?"

Justin swatted Brian's arm playfully and walked away. "Later, Brian."

"Later, Sunshine." Justin turned to give Brian one of his sunshine smiles. Brian gave a little wave as Justin got into the Jeep.

"Friend of yours, Brian?"

"You know who he is, Charlie and hadn't you better get on the road? The State Troopers want those abandoned cars off the road as soon as possible and I'd like to keep my contract with the state."

"Ten-four, Boss. Oh, thanks for the weekend off. Pam says she loves you."

"Oh, it was my pleasure." He walked back to Hector's truck and began working.

Back at the diner, Justin and Lindsay sat in one of the booths and looked over the sketches.

"Justin, these are wonderful. You really are talented. Where did you go to school?"

"Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts."

"I've heard of it. Impressive." She finished with the first book and set it aside.

Justin caught the wistful look in her eyes as she ran her fingers over the cover. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure you can. But I'll bet I know what you're going to ask. You want to know how I ended up here and working in a diner."

"Yeah, I did kind of wonder about that."

"How 'bout I get you another coke?" Lindsay asked, picking up his empty glass.

"Sure. Thanks." Justin watched her walk over to the soda dispenser and refill his glass. He knew she was sorting out thoughts in her head. He took a swallow of the fizzy soda when she handed the now full glass back to him.

Lindsay took the seat across from Justin. "I met Brian in high school. I guess you could say I had a crush on him, but at the same time I was conflicted about my own sexuality. We were paired up on a project in science class. Don't tell him I told you, but he was a real nerd in high school."

Justin couldn't help but laugh. He had a hard time picturing the Brian Kinney he knew with glasses and a pocket protector.

"Anyway, we had a good time working together, got an A on the project and we became good friends. Everyone thought we were a "couple", but he was already sure he was gay. He didn't proclaim his gayness to the world, but he didn't deny it. And he handled any problems, and this being Texas, there were more than a few, pretty well. Like I said, it took me a while longer to accept my being a lesbian. I told my parents my sophomore year of college. Without going into too much detail, let's just say they didn't take it too well. Brian was there for me. I met Melanie a year later. I knew I loved her from the start. We lived in Dallas. That's when I worked at the gallery Brian mentioned. I wanted a baby and I wanted Brian to be the father. It took a while for me to talk him into it, but he finally agreed. Within a year, I had Gus."

"What happened to Melanie?"

"Drunk driver," was all she said for a while. "Do you know who Sam Auerbach is?"

"Sure, who in the art world doesn't know? He did a mural at Penn Plaza a few years ago."

Lindsay smiled and nodded. "I remember when he did that. I've only seen pictures, but it must be magnificent." She was quiet for a moment. "He had a big show in Dallas at the gallery where I worked a few years before the Penn Plaza mural. I helped set it up. Mel didn't really like his type of work and didn't want to come to the opening, but I insisted. She finally gave in. She was running late. A drunk driver ran a red light that she shouldn't even have been at, except she was taking a short cut because I begged her to be at the gallery." Lindsay pulled a napkin from the holder and dabbed her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just so hard to talk about this."

"I didn't mean to make you sad. You could have told me it was none of my business."

"But it may be your business. Gus was only six months old. Of course, he doesn't remember her except for the pictures I have. He knows she was his other mother. Brian stayed with me for almost two months, until I could get myself together. In the end, I decided I wanted to move back here where my family and friends are. And here I am, or I should say, here we are. Having a grandchild made my mother rethink her opinion of my lifestyle and she's come to accept me as I am. She loves Gus and like you saw, she watches him for me while I work."

"I'm sorry about Melanie. I know Brian's glad to have his son around. He's so proud of him."

"He's turned out to be a wonderful daddy. Spoils Gus rotten, though."

"Don't you miss the gallery and your painting?"

"For a long time, I blamed myself for Mel's death. The usual stuff, you know, and it came down to art. I couldn't paint or sketch for a long time. I dabble a little now and then. I'll never let that go completely, but I'm looking into buying an old store and maybe opening a little gallery here. Not just painting, but different kinds of art work by local artists. There are some pretty talented artisans around. They just need an outlet for their work."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Yeah, I like the idea, but it sure takes a lot of thought and work to pull it together." She shrugged and added, "Maybe one day. Now let me see this other book." She lifted the cover to reveal the first page, which just happened to be one that Justin drew on Saturday of Brian working on the Packard.

Justin blushed. At least in this picture, Brian had clothes on. He had another book back at the house with the more revealing sketches. He learned through experience that it wasn't always good to mix the two types of sketches. You never knew who was going to see them, like your nine year old sister who was snooping in your room. His mother wasn't too happy about that episode.

"Hmm," she said, turning the pages. "I like your model. Does he know you drew all of these?"

"He's seen them. He does make a good model, doesn't he?" The longing in his voice was evident. He didn't see the look that Lindsay was giving him.

"Justin, I know you and Brian are getting along really well and I think it's great. But there is a reality here, you know. Your car is going to be fixed and you'll be on your way. Pittsburgh is a long ways away from here."

"Linds…"

"I'm just saying, someone's going to get hurt, and I don't want it to be Brian. And I don't want it to be you, either. It's written all over your face how you feel about him. And I saw the picture of his secret spot, and I know that he wouldn't have taken you there if he didn't have certain feelings for you. All I'm saying is, be careful, okay?"

Justin picked up his sketch books and placed them in his bag. "I know what you mean, but being careful isn't always easy." He drank the last of his soda and let Lindsay give him a big hug before he left.

Ever since he woke up that morning, the fact the he was leaving this afternoon played heavy on his mind. He had already developed real feelings for Brian and he was sure that Brian felt the same way. He climbed into the Jeep and drove back to the garage. Brian was just pulling in with Hector's pick-up.

"Hey, Sunshine, did you have a good time with Lindsay? Dazzle her with your artwork?"

"Of course," Justin responded, then reached up and kissed Brian. "The pick-up fixed?"

"Yep. I was just test driving it. One more small adjustment and I'll be done."

"Then we can get some lunch? It's noon already?"

Brian looked at his watch. "I guess it is. Let me finish this and call Hector, then we can eat. How's that?"

"I think I can wait that long. How 'bout I run to the store and come back to pick you up. I'll fix lunch."

"Sounds like a good idea." Brian reached into his pocket for his wallet.

"I can pay for the food," Justin said, stopping him. Brian looked at him and thought about insisting he take the money, but decided against it and put his wallet away. Justin smiled. "Thanks. I'll be back shortly."

A half hour later, Hector drove off in his truck and Brian was washing his hands. He closed the garage and climbed into the passenger seat next to Justin. "Think you can find your way home from here?"

"I think I can manage," he said. 'Home,' he thought. He wondered if Brian realized he used that term to include both of them.

"Well, let's go. I hope you didn't buy anything special for dessert 'cause I know what I want," he said, suggestively. 'Home', he thought. 'I said home.' He realized that sounded just right to him.

Lunch was indeed followed by dessert, Brian's very own special dessert. Justin was quiet as they lay together in Brian's bed afterwards. He could still feel Brian inside of him and never wanted that sensation to go away. And he didn't want to think about the fact that he would be leaving soon. Lindsay made him think about the reality of this weekend and what he wanted it to become.

Brian couldn't help but feel that Justin's attention was somewhere else. "You're awfully quiet, Jus. Is something wrong?"

"Just…no, not really…well…" Justin hesitated, not sure how to proceed. He didn't want to put Brian on the spot about his feelings or desires, although he was pretty sure of what they were. But in case he was wrong…no, he knew he wasn't

"Come on, out with it. What's wrong?"

Justin kept his head on Brian's chest as he spoke. "Will you be glad when I leave tonight?"

"What are you talking about? Why would I be glad?" Brian shifted so he could see Justin's face. "Lindsay's been talking to you, hasn't she? What did she say?"

"Nothing bad, honestly. I think she just wants to make sure you don't get hurt. She said she knows you like me in more than just a casual way. And she knows I'm leaving and she knows I really like you. I, uh, showed her my sketch pad with all the pictures of you."

Brian laughed and rolled his eyes. "All the pictures, Sunshine?" You didn't show her the one with the dick doodles, did you? I mean, she has seen in before." Justin started to say something. "Don't ask."

"No, no dick doodles. Those are for my eyes only."

"Good. You were saying we like each other, a fact which I won't deny. And for your information, I've been thinking about your leaving and I'm not too happy about it. I have a little confession to make."

"Confession? And what is that?"

"I could have replaced your master cylinder this morning without any problems. I just used having to fix Hector's truck as an excuse to delay your leaving." Justin tried to sit up, but Brian held his arms around him. "I figured if I take my time, it'll be too late for you to drive all the way to Phoenix tonight and you'll have to stay one more night. Daphne would understand, wouldn't she?"

"Daphne will be madder than hell and I'll tell her it was all your fault." He moved up so he could reach Brian's face and began planting kisses all over it, forehead, cheeks, nose. Not one inch of skin went without a caress from the soft lips.

"If you keep that up, we're going to be even later." Justin didn't care. Neither did Brian.

It was late afternoon when the two men got back to the garage. "It's about time you got back, Boss." Charlie looked knowingly at his boss then at Justin, but knew better than to say anything. "Here's the paperwork for the abandoned cars and the truck is all gassed up and ready for tonight. I already switched the phone to ring at my house. It's gettin' late. You still fixin' the Packard today?"

"That's why I'm here. Want to help? You may never get to work on a car like this again."

"Shit, yeah. Let's get goin'."

The two men worked well together, but it still took a few hours to finish the repair. When they were done, Brian sent Charlie home while he cleaned up the tools. He took the car for a ride around the block to ensure the brakes were working well.

While Brian was gone, Justin called Daphne, surprised that he hadn't already received several calls from her asking when he was arriving.

"Daph, it's me." He listened to her for several minutes as she chastised him for being late and asking how soon he'd be there. "Well, that's just it. I'm still in Texas. It'll be tomorrow before I can leave." He held the phone away from his ear as Daphne ranted. "Daph, listen. It couldn't be helped. It's an old car, remember? I promise I'll be there tomorrow afternoon. We'll still have two weeks. Daph, Daph! I promise, tomorrow, before supper. I promise. Have to go. Bye." He hung up as Brian slowly rounded the corner and brought the car to a stop in front of the garage.

"Brakes work fine, as good as new, in fact." Brian handed Justin his keys. "Let me finish up with a few things and we can go. It'll be dark soon. Oh, Linds called while I was checking your car. She invited us to dinner."

"How did she know I was still here?"

"Small town, remember. Any number of people could have seen your car still here and told her. Or she knows me better than anyone else and I'm betting she knows you a whole lot better than you realize."

"I guess we're eating dinner with Lindsay and Gus." Justin smiled one of his sexy smiles and reached up to kiss Brian. "Just how much time do we have before dinner?"

"I don't think she'll mind if we're a few minutes late. I do have to shower, you know." Brian returned the kiss then gently pushed Justin away. "I really do have to finish this paperwork though. Give me fifteen minutes." Justin stuck his tongue out of his mouth and slowly licked his lips. Brian groaned. "Make that ten minutes, Sunshine, and watch what you do with that tongue. At least until I get you home."

Seven minutes later Brian was locking the garage. "I'll meet you at home. Don't dawdle." Brian got into his Jeep and Justin climbed into his Packard. It felt good to be behind the wheel of his own car again.

Brian kept glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure Justin was behind him, although he knew he would be. Suddenly he saw the lights of the local police vehicle. "It's not Friday, Sam," he said aloud. "I have some urgent things to do." He pulled over to the shoulder, noting that Justin did the same.

Sam got out of his car and walked up to Justin's window. "Hey, Justin. I thought you'd be gone by now." Justin was handing him his license, but Sam waved him off. "Not stopping you. Brian was doing two miles over the speed limit. He's the one I want."

"Umm, I was probably doing the same, Sam."

Sam laughed. "I know." Sam looked up at the Jeep. "Well, it was nice seeing you again. Have a safe trip to…Phoenix, was it?"

"Yeah, Phoenix. Thanks."

Sam tipped his hat at Justin and walked toward Brian. "Howdy there, Brian. License, registra…" Brian had all three waiting and handed them to his brother-in-law."

"I noticed you didn't give Justin a ticket. Thanks."

"Now that wouldn't have been too neighborly, would it? Giving a ticket to an out of town friend, why would I do that?"

"Why, indeed?" He handed Brian the ticket, tipped his hat and walked back to the police car, waving to Justin as he walked by. He wasn't sure, but it looked like Justin had been laughing.

When they got home, they couldn't wait to undress each other. Shoes were toed off and shirts, pants and socks were left in piles on the floor. Brian turned on the water to a comfortable temperature and pulled Justin under the spray with him. Brian washed Justin's hair with his herb scented shampoo, then washed his own as Justin soaped a washcloth and started washing Brian's chest. As the water washed away the soap, Justin kissed the wet skin. He worked his way down the lithe body, taking extra time to use his soapy hands on Brian's hard cock. His mouth replaced his hands and Brian soon exploded in his throat. When they were both satisfied, they finished washing and dried off with the warm fluffy bath towels hanging on the rack.

Twenty minutes later they were parking in front of Lindsay's house. Dinner was enjoyable and they had fun playing with Gus before it was time for him to go to bed. He agreed as long as "Jussin" could tuck him in, too. Brian carried his sleepy son piggy back into his bedroom and gently dumped him on the small bed. Gus loved when his daddy did that and giggled. He talked Brian into reading him a story. Two pages into the story, Justin tapped Brian on the leg and pointed to a sleeping Gus. They both kissed him on the forehead and quietly left the room.

Lindsay had coffee and dessert ready for them when they came back. They stayed and talked for a while longer and Lindsay showed Justin some of her artwork. He was surprised at her talent. She did more than just dabble, as she was so fond of saying. "Lindsay, you can tell me to mind my own business, but why aren't you still drawing and painting? Your work has such a sensitivity to it." He picked up one sketch that he particularly liked. "Look at that face. You captured his loneliness and desperation so well."

"That was always one of my favorites," Brian said, putting an arm around Lindsay's waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "She never believed me about how good it was."

Lindsay took the sheet of paper from Justin. "I'd see him in the park. He intrigued me. That was a long time ago." She put the papers back into the case and closed it. "I still sketch. I have a lot of pictures of Gus and some of Gus with Melanie." She put the pictures back on the shelf. "I didn't realize how much I missed it."

As soon as they could, Brian and Justin said their goodbyes. They were both anxious to get home.

Unlike earlier, the two men took their time undressing each other, like they were unwrapping a precious package. Each area of skin that was exposed was kissed and caressed until they were totally naked and laying on the bed in each other's arms. They shared deep passionate kisses. It was a long time before they had their fill of each other and gave in to sleep. They gravitated to their favorite position with Brian spooned up against Justin's back and has strong arms wrapped lovingly and protectively around Justin.

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