It Takes All Kinds

Corn Rowed

Author's Note:  First of all, I want to apologize to any and all residents of Mitchell and Wall, South Dakota for Brian's attitude. I personally love the Corn Palace and Wall Drugs-I've probably been four times while on vacation.

I also warped time a bit for this part. The drive from Chicago to Mitchell actually takes about nine hours. Sorry.

Mitchell, South Dakota's Corn Palace: great photos of different years' designs-http://roadsidephotos.com/sd/sd3.htm

Wall, South Dakota's Wall Drug: http://www.walldrug.com

Giordano's Pizza: www.giordanos.com

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"Okay guys, what do you want for dinner? Should we go out or eat at the hotel?" Brian asked as he negotiated the streets toward the Four Seasons.

"Pizza! We haven't had that in days!"

Gus smiled as his dad rolled his eyes at his enthusiastic response while Pops laughed. They both knew Brian wasn't fond of Italian, but Gus knew whenever the two of them ganged up on Dad, he normally gave in.

"I don't even need to ask you, Sunshine. I know you'll eat pizza, so I guess that's what's on the menu for tonight. Let's stop at the hotel so I can change, then we'll go out."

They pulled into the hotel parking lot and went up to their suite. Justin called the lobby to find out a good place to eat while his dad changed into jeans and a tee shirt. He walked back into the living area as Pops was hanging up.

"They said that Giordano's has the best pizza around plus they're within walking distance, so we can leave the SUV here."

"Cool. Can we go swimming after we eat?" Gus was bouncing in his seat-he hadn't done anything active today and he felt as if he was going to explode. He smiled when his dad groaned.

"God, you're gonna kill this old man, brat. Just remember that we're leaving early in the morning. Sunshine here wants to stop at some tourist trap in Mitchell, and that's about five hours from here. Plus, I think he mentioned some tacky drug store and a place called the Badlands, as well."

It was Gus' turn to groan.

"Come on, old man, you're holding us up." Justin grabbed his and Gus' coats and headed for the door. "And that so-called 'tourist trap' should be interesting. How many buildings have you ever seen decorated with corn?"

"None, and I could probably die happy never having done so either." Brian smirked at Justin as he slipped past him into the hallway. He locked the door and the trio walked down to the elevators. Brian gave Gus a stern look and said, "Ground floor only, brat, otherwise there will be no swimming tonight, alright?"

"Okay Dad." Gus looked at his Pops and asked, "Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Hmm, we're making several stops tomorrow. The first place is called the Corn Palace, which is a building that is decorated with various colored corns and different grains. The second stop is Wall Drugs, then we're going to find a hotel and hit a couple of national parks the next day-The Badlands and Mount Rushmore. We should be able to see some buffalo there."

Gus frowned and glanced doubtfully at his Pops, "Umm, I guess that'll be okay. Seeing buffalo should be cool, at least."

The trio entered the elevator when it arrived on their floor, standing quietly as it descended. Once the doors opened up to the lobby, they exited and began walking toward the front door. Brian stopped as they passed near the main desk and stated, "Wait a minute, guys. I better ask if there are any messages, since I had my cell phone off for most of the day." He approached the desk and told the clerk his name and room number, asking if there were any messages.

"Wait one second, Mr. Kinney," the young woman said. She shifted through a stack of papers and pulled out two slips. "Yes, here you are. Cynthia called about 5:30 and said it wasn't important, but please call the office in the morning and someone from Brown Athletics left a message asking that you call-something about a problem with your layout."

Gus watched as his dad tapped his fingertips against the countertop, as if irritated, then he stepped away from the desk and pulled out his cell phone.

Looking at his Pops, he asked, "What's going on, Pops? Is something wrong?"

Justin shook his head as he looked at his partner, "I don't think so, Gus. Don't worry. Your dad can handle whatever comes up." He smiled reassuringly at his son as he casually moved a fraction closer to the distracted man.

"Brian Kinney here. I just got your message about there being a problem with the proposed ad. What's going on?" Gus could hear a touch of impatience in his dad's voice as he spoke. "Now? We were just on our way out to dinner." - "What? Oh, really?" - "Fine, what's the address? Alright, give me thirty minutes." Snapping his phone shut with an angry gesture, he turned to his son and partner and began, "Listen guys…"

"Was that Leo?" Justin asked, a tight edge to his voice.

Brian sighed as he shook his head, "No, it was Tad. They apparently showed the boards to the art department, and there are a few things they want changed. Tad felt that since I was still in town, it would be best if I saw them in person."

Gus shifted uneasily from one foot to the other as the two men locked eyes. He was surprised when his dad was the first to look away. Justin then spun on his heel and headed toward the door, calling out over his shoulder, "Come on, Gus. I'm hungry."

Gus stared at his Pop's retreating back, then glanced up at his dad, "Are you coming too, Dad?"

"No Gus, I have to go out for a little while," Brian said, smiling faintly at him. "You run and catch up with Pops and I'll meet you as soon as I can, okay? Don't eat all the pizza before I get there."

Gus hesitated for a second before he asked, "Umm, is Pops mad?" He looked over at the entrance, where his father stood waiting for him.

"Not with you-now go, before that changes." His dad gave him a gentle shove toward the door. "Tell Pops that I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Gus sighed as he slowly walked over to his Pops. His dads had two ways of fighting-the very loud but quickly over version and the quiet, long-lasting kind. This looked as if it was going to be the second type and he just hated those. The silent battles had been known to last for up to a week, with the two men not speaking to each other. Gus always felt caught in the middle.

Justin noticed the worried expression on his son's face and slipped a comforting arm around his shoulders when he reached him. "It's alright, Gus. Sorry I got upset there and walked away from you. Now, let's go get that pizza."

They exited the hotel and began walking down the block toward Giordano's. Neither of them spoke until they reached the pizza place, when Gus finally remarked, "You know, I don't like him."

Justin held the door open for Gus to enter the restaurant. They walked up to the hostess' station and were quickly seated. They placed their order with the waiter, then Justin laid the menu to one side and asked, "Who don't you like, Gus?"

"That Tad guy from this afternoon. That's who Dad went to see tonight, isn't it?" When his Pops nodded, Gus continued, "I didn't like the way he acted with Dad-or you."

Chuckling softly, Justin remarked, "Yeah, we all noticed that. You certainly didn't keep your opinion to yourself today."

Gus fidgeted in his seat for a minute then blurted, "Is Dad tricking with him?" Oops, he probably should have waited to ask that until Pops wasn't drinking his soda. He grabbed some napkins from the dispenser and wiped the sprays of coke off the tabletop.

"Where the hell did you hear about tricking, Gus?" Justin finally managed to get out, after he recovered from his coughing spell.

"I heard Uncle Michael, Auntie Em and Uncle Ted talking about it one day at the diner. They didn't notice me sitting in the booth nearby." Gus grinned at his Pops, "They were saying something about Dad's tricks. When I asked them what a trick was, Uncle Michael muttered something about juggling, but I didn't believe him, 'cause he wouldn't have turn bright red if that was it. So, I asked Grandma Deb."

"Oh God," Justin groaned as he rubbed his face with his left hand. "What did she say?" He cringed slightly as he waited for his son's answer.

"Umm, something about when one guy wanted to get to know another guy, they would spend time together. Is that right?" Gus had a curious look on his face.

Justin closed his eyes for a second, wishing that Michael, Ted and Em were there right now so he could choke them for putting him in this position, even if it had been an accident. He finally opened his eyes, met his son's gaze and promptly took the coward's way out, "You're too young for this conversation. Hell, I'm too young for it."

Gus threw himself back in his seat with a huff, "Please, Pops. I'm not stupid, you know. I know it has something to do with sex, but nobody will explain it to me."

Chewing his lower lip as he considered what his son had just said, Justin finally nodded, "Okay Gus, I'll explain. Sometimes when a man is interested in another guy, the only thing he wants is physical contact. He's doesn't really want to know a lot about the person, sometimes not even as much as finding out their name. He'll go with the other person and have sex with him. That's what a trick is, casual sex."

Gus tilted his head to one side as he thought about what his Pops had said. "So, does Dad trick?"

Shit! Justin wasn't interested in strangling the guys anymore; instead, he wanted to kill Brian for taking off and leaving him to deal with this alone. Oh yes. A slow death. And painful. Very, very painful. "Sometimes, yes."

Just as Gus opened his mouth to comment, the waiter walked over to the table with their pizza. Justin silently breathed a sigh of relief-maybe eating would distract Gus from his questions. He quickly placed a couple of slices onto a plate and handed it to his son, then served himself.

Justin could tell that Gus was deep in thought-he was picking his pizza, only taking a bite every now and then. He mentally prepared himself for what he knew was coming.

"You know my friend Rachel? Her mom left her dad because he had sex with someone else. Rach said her mom cried for weeks afterward and she told her that what he did was wrong." Gus' voice was quiet as he continued, "So, why was it wrong for him but okay for Dad?"

Raking his fingers through his hair, Justin tried to figure out a simple way to explain to a nine-year old the intricacies of his and Brian's relationship. "When Rachel's mom married her dad, she expected that there would never be another person-for either of them. Your dad and I… well, we're not married and we have an open relationship. That means that even though we love each other, we can be with someone else if we want to."

"So, you do it too?" Gus was confused when his Pops shook his head silently, and asked, "Why not?

"Look Gus, it's really hard to explain, okay? Sex means different things to everyone. To your dad, it's just a way to relax-to burn off the stress of day-to-day life. He doesn't do it often, maybe once every couple of months. I don't need to do it because I have other ways of unwinding-such as working on my art."

"Doesn't it bother you, like it bothered Mrs. Sylvester?"

"No Gus, it doesn't." Not anymore, at least-but Justin couldn't exactly say that to Gus. "Your dad loves me, and as long as he comes home to me at the end of the day, that's all that matters. The other guys just don't mean anything to him-I do."

Gus sighed as he admitted, "Maybe I am too young for this conversation, 'cause I just don't get it. If dad loves you, why would he want to see anyone else? I mean, you're the greatest, Pops."

"Thanks, buddy." Justin smiled gently at his son as he leaned over to ruffle his hair, "Don't worry about it, Gus. I was a lot older than you are now before I figured it all out. It's all part of growing up, and you'll get there. I promise. Now, how about finishing up our dinner so we can go back to the hotel and swim for a while before bed?"

Father and son finished their dinner then headed back to the hotel. They changed into their swimsuits and spent a pleasant hour goofing around in the pool. It was after ten when they made their way back up to their suite.

"Okay, buddy-you can skip a shower tonight since we rinsed off downstairs, so go get your pajamas on and brush your teeth, then it's time for bed." Justin paused in the doorway to his room as he gave his son a hug. "See you in the morning, Gus."

"I love you, Pops. Good night." Gus quickly got ready for bed then pulled out his diary so he could write about his day.

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Vacation Diary of Gus the Great

Monday, November 16, 2009-Day 3

Today was weird.

It was yucky outside this morning, so Pops and I played checkers and Monopoly™. Pops lost a bunch of games. I had fun.

Dad wanted us to see a place where he worked, so after we ate lunch, we went to this office to see him. There was a nice man named Leo and another guy named Tad. I didn't like him. He likes Dad, I think, and it made Pops sad. I told him he was mean and he got mad at me. What a jerk.

Pops and Dad had a fight before we ate dinner and Dad went to see Tad. Pops and me had good pizza for dinner. I asked him what a trick was. He got red just like Uncle Michael did, but he did esplane it to me. Sort of. Maybe I should ask Dad.

We swam when we got back. Dad isn't back yet. I wunder if he likes Tad to?

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Gus slid his journal into his backpack and turned off the light. He hoped his dad would get back to the hotel soon and that he and Pops would make up soon. His eyes gradually shut as he drifted off to sleep.

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Brian quietly unlocked the door to their suite and slipped in without turning on any lights. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, then headed toward the bedroom. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed that the bed was empty. Damn it, that meant Justin was probably sulking somewhere.

Brian retraced his steps until he was in the living area and was surprised to find the couch unoccupied as well. He then walked down the hall and looked into Gus' room. Bingo. Justin had chosen to curl up and sleep with their son, rather than be in their bed waiting for him to return.

He went back to his room, tiredly peeling his clothes off and climbing into bed. Brian winced slightly when he saw the time; it was nearly three in the morning, and they were supposed to be on the road by six. He sighed as he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep-he was getting too old for this late night/early morning crap.

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"Dad, dad, come on-it's time to wake up." Gus' soft voice called from somewhere near his right ear. Brian opened one bleary eye and instantly squinted against the bright light streaming in through the windows. He abruptly sat up in bed and looked over at his son, calmly sitting cross-legged next to him, eating a bagel.

"Shit! What time is it?"

"About ten thirty. Pops should be here soon-he went out about eight. He told me he would be back about eleven." Gus offered half of his bagel to his dad, who took it without comment.

Brian absently bit into the bagel before asking, "Where did he go? I thought we were supposed to be leaving early this morning."

"He didn't say where he was going; he just made sure everything except your stuff was packed and that he would return before we had to check out." Gus grinned at his dad as he added, "Pops didn't seem too mad though, about you getting in so late, so you're off the hook."

Brian had a different opinion about his lover's probable mood, but he didn't voice his thoughts to his son. He got up from the bed, stretched and headed toward the bathroom. "I'm going to jump into the shower, so we can be ready to leave when he gets here."

Fifteen minutes later, Brian felt more awake as he dressed and threw his clothes into his suitcase. He snapped it shut and carried out into the living area just as the door opened and Justin walked in. He glanced over at his lover and said mildly, "We should have been on the road hours ago. Why did you let me sleep?"

Justin didn't respond immediately; instead, he walked over to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice, drinking it down without a pause. He then turned and met Brian's eyes, "I thought you could use the sleep after your late night. I'm sure you wore yourself out, with all the work you probably had to do. Are we ready to leave?" Justin crossed the room and picked up several pieces of luggage without waiting for an answer.

"Don't pull this crap with me, Justin. Turn around and talk to me." Brian kept his voice level, refusing to play games with his angry partner. It would make for a miserable day if they didn't work this out now.

Justin slowly swiveled on the ball of his foot until he was looking at Brian. There was an expression of cold contempt on his face as he softly asked, "And what would you like to talk about, Brian? Will you tell me how much fun you had last night, sucking and fucking your new friend while I got to explain to our son about the concept of tricking and why the hell you do it? Does that sound like an enjoyable conversation to have?"

"What the fuck-why the hell would you talk to Gus about tricking? Are you that pissed off at me?" Brian growled.

Justin shook his head, "Oh no, Brian. Don't you try to lay this one on me. Gus is a smart kid; he noticed just how attentive Tad was to you yesterday afternoon. Considering the way you took off when you got a phone call from him, it was a natural question for Gus to ask."

"Nothing fucking happened-we really were working, okay?"

"Until three in the morning? Those boards weren't that screwed up-the only way it would have taken that long is if you completely redesigned them."

Brian rubbed his face in frustration. He was screwed no matter how he tried to explain the events of last night to Justin. "Listen. Tad was being an asshole-he went on and on about how the design wasn't what they needed, so yes, we did work up a new look for the ad."

"When we left Brown's yesterday afternoon, Leo seemed happy with the boards the way they were. Why would he suddenly change his mind?" Justin frowned at his partner as he tried to work out what the client might have criticized with the design he'd done.

"Leo went out of town after our meeting-Tad pulled this little stunt afterward, saying if the boards weren't fixed, we could lose the account. I had no way of reaching Leo to discuss the matter, so I went along with him. I brought the new boards for you to look at." Brian stepped closer to Justin, trying to convince him of his sincerity. He said softly, "I know you put a lot of effort into the presentation, and I'm sorry. Kinnetik can't afford to lose this account though, so…"

"Let me guess-he hit on you again." When Brian nodded, Justin smirked and continued, "He didn't get anywhere, did he?" Justin studied the expression on Brian's face as the man shook his head, knowing that his partner had never lied to him before. He grinned reluctantly and quipped, "Okay, but I'd sure like to lose Tad. He's becoming a real pain in my ass."

"And such a nice ass it is, too." Brian closed the gap between them and rested his forehead against Justin's. "Now, no more work-I promise-let's get this vacation well and truly started." He pulled the other man closer and began to kiss him passionately.

Gus sighed and sat down on the nearest suitcase. He pulled out his GameBoy™ and started a new game, knowing that the make-up session between his dads could take a while. He had just shot down his eleventh invading spaceship and was about to capture his second alien world before he noticed the men were standing there, grinning at him.

"Well, finally. I thought we'd be here forever! Are we ready to go now?" Gus slipped his game into his pocket and stood up as his dads collected the luggage. He opened the door to the hotel suite and headed down the hall to the elevator, followed closely by his dads.

Several hours later, the SUV pulled into the parking lot in Mitchell, South Dakota. The passengers eagerly climbed out and stretched. Brian slipped on his wraparound sunglasses and glanced around, mouth contorted in a grimace. "Oh, this'll be fun!"

Justin rolled his eyes at the sarcasm in his partner's voice and smiled over at Gus. "Let's ignore the grouch over there and have a look around." He grabbed his sketchpad and camera from the back of the vehicle and motioned for Gus to tag along with him. They walked across the road to the large building, leaving Brian standing alone next to the SUV.

"Fucking great. I've been abandoned in the middle of tacky tourist hell. The things I do for him," Brian growled as he eyed a souvenir shop nearby. He crossed the street, lengthening his strides to catch up with his partner and son. He silently followed them as they walked around the building, discussing the various murals.

Grinning slyly, Gus took out his camera from his backpack and asked innocently, "Hey Dad, Pops? Can I get your picture over there next to that picture?" He pointed at a portion of the mural that depicted a scene straight out of a John Wayne western.

"It's a cow, Gus. You are not taking my picture with me standing next to a fucking cow," Brian stated flatly.

"Dad, I know better than that. It's not a cow, it's a buffalo-big difference. I want to remember our trip, so please?" Gus all but batted his eyes at his father, trying to sway him.

Brian narrowed his eyes at his son and ground out, "Fine, but no one back home had better ever see this photo. Got that, Gus?" Gus just smiled sweetly and nodded. Brian wasn't convinced, but he looped his arm around Justin's shoulders and tried to have a pleasant expression on his face as his son took several shots.

"All done," Gus grinned cheerfully at the two men as he replaced the lens cap onto the camera and slung the strap over his neck. "Come on, let's go inside."

They walked into the building, Gus leading the way. On the walls of the huge auditorium were several large pictures, all made from various colored corns and grains. Justin and Gus moved around the perimeter, taking photos and laughing at the faces Brian was making.

Brian sighed happily as they finally exited the Palace. He had stood around impatiently, shifting from foot to foot as his lover and son raided the candy section of the souvenir shop. He finally snapped at them, telling them to hurry up and make their selections. Justin had picked several pieces of maple sugar candy while Gus crowed triumphantly at his find-a four-inch wide jawbreaker.

Justin glanced over at Brian, who was scowling as they neared the car and decided to warn Gus, "You'd better be careful with that, Gus. Try not to get it all over the seats, or your dad will kill us both." Gus took one look at his father's expression and quickly nodded. No sense in pissing him off even more.

They were soon back on the road, stopping only for gas and snacks. Brian checked his watch and asked, "What time does the next stop in hell close, Justin? It's almost five now.

"Hmm, I think they're open until seven, at least." Justin smirked at Brian's muttered 'damn' and opened the glove box, where he'd been keeping pamphlets about their stops. He found the one about Wall Drug and began reading. "Yeah, seven is right, so we should make it alright. After that, we'll hit the hotel and find something for dinner."

The hum of the tires on the highway soon lulled Gus to sleep. He had forgotten to wrap up his jawbreaker, and as his body relaxed, the damp candy rolled from his grasp and landed onto the cream colored upholstery.

Justin twisted around in the front seat to wake up Gus as they neared the drugstore and noticed the bright blue splotch on the seat. He grimaced quietly then tried to reach into the back for the blanket. Maybe if he could throw it over the stain, Brian wouldn't notice and Justin could come back out that evening and clean it.

Unfortunately, the car stopped as he was groping around the floorboard for the blanket and Brian turned to see what he was doing. "Goddamn it, you told him to be careful. That's it, it's going into the trash."

Justin smacked Brian's shoulder as he stated, "Lighten up, Brian. I'll clean it when we get to the hotel. You're just being pissy because you don't want to be here."

"No, I'm being pissy, as you say, because he's nine years old and you warned him about making a mess. He needs to learn some responsibility." Brian jumped out of the SUV and slammed the door, jolting Gus back to consciousness.

"Pops, whatzup?" Gus looked around, confused as to where he was. He saw his dad pacing furiously in front of the car, smoking a cigarette and muttering to himself.

Justin pointed silently to the mess on the seat next to his son. Gus glanced down and bit his lip, then looked through the window at his angry father.

"Guess I have to throw it away, huh?"

Justin's stern expression softened at the look of guilt that crossed his son's face. He shook his head slightly and smiled, "I'll talk to him. He's in a bad mood and this didn't help." After getting out of the car, he found some paper towels in the back and sent Gus into the store to find some water. When Gus returned, Justin wiped off his sticky hands and face, ignoring Gus' complaints that he was old enough to do it himself. He then climbed into the backseat and scrubbed at the color, getting most of it out.

Throwing the used paper towels into a trashcan, Justin walked over to where Brian was still pacing and waited. After a few minutes, Brian looked over and reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I am in a pissy mood about where we've stopped today. I promise I won't take it out on Gus."

Nodding his head, Justin turned and headed toward the front door of the drugstore. Wall Drug was more than a single store; there were many interconnected rooms, each containing a myriad of things. There were statues of jackalopes (a combination of jackrabbit and antelope-Gus thought they were adorable), Native American pottery and weavings and a large selection of western wear, as well as the standard issue of tacky souvenirs. Part of the place was actually still a drugstore, and the three of them wandered up and down the aisles, joking about some of the old-fashioned items they found.

Both Brian and Justin laughed when Gus tried on a black Stetson cowboy hat. He'd perched it on top of his head and it rapidly slid down, covering his eyes. They searched through the selection of hats until they found one that did fit him, and Brian agreed to buy it for him.

As they were walking out, Gus spotted a saddle that was set up for kids to sit on. He climbed up and started whooping like he'd seen cowboys do in the movies. Brian smirked as he opened the bag and took out Gus' new hat. He walked over and carefully placed it on his son's head, flicking the brim with the tip of one finger when he was done. "There you go, partner. Have a good round-up!"

The three of them laughed as Justin took yet another picture and Brian thought to himself, 'This isn't too bad-not quite heaven, but maybe it isn't tourist hell after all.'

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