Work Text:
March 2020
12：20pm
[phone rings urgently]
"Hey, Justin! What are you doing there, in that bar?" Brian's voice was mixed with anger and questioning, sounding next to Justin's ear.
"Brian? Me? What am I supposed to do in a bar? I'm just finishing a drink with some friends. " Justin was about to laugh because Brian's anger usually implies his power of control. "Wait...Are you secretly stalking my Instagram? I remember someone said he would never become an SNS person."Now Justin is really laughing. He just posted a 5-second video of the colorful drinks on his Instagram Storyline and received hundreds of comments already. But Justin doesn't want to click them and read.
"Well, yes...and no." Brian admitted but added."I'm not stalking. I'm FOLLOWING...following my 'Chelsea's New Star'. Just like hundreds and thousands your little cute fans who 'want to bring you home more than bring your art pieces'."
"Stop Brian. Oh Jesus, Brian, you have even read my latest interview." Justin said, shaking his head."It was an awful one...But, what's up? Why do you call me at this time? Being mad about me hanging out with friends?" Justin waved goodbye to his friends and started to walk along the street to his apartment. Living in Chelsea has tons of benefits - being close to all kinds of bars and having nice restaurants around the corner must be on the top of the others.
"Yes. I am mad at you hanging out with various friends, at this time." Brian said seriously.
"At this time? It's just half past 12. I think it's not even late for people over 30." Justin started to argue back.
"People who are over 30 now are going to explain to you. Here, Justin, have you watched the news recently, about the Coronavirus burst out worldwide?" Brian asked.
"Yes? I came across some lines on TV some days ago. And then?" Justin did remember some news but it was all about how life is like in Asian countries and Justin doesn't really believe in those fake news. At least, most of them are sort of fake.
"I think the virus has already arrived in the U.S and began to spread out. New York, your empire state, has already become a base of the virus troops. You could get affected during your fancy parties at this time." Brian spoke out these conclusions firmly.
"Haha. So how do you know that, my Sibyl?" Justin found this topic is kind of interesting for a late phone call with Brian.
"My recent account is a cleaning and disinfecting products company. They are following the news and science findings worldwide. I have to do my research to get my job done and do it well."
"I'm sure you do, Brian. But I haven't heard anything from the State government, or anyone from the CDC, or even a slight alert about this virus. It might just become another round of flu. You know me, Brian, I am the one instead of you who gets the flu shot every season..."
"No, Justin. You won't hear anything about it now from those so-called officials. They are afraid of telling people what WILL happen. They can barely tell you what IS happening. Let along that they try to not remember what happened." Brian spoke in a very clear voice. "Believe me, I'm dealing with these people all the time. I'm dealing with the dynamic market all the time. I can succeed in all my commercial campaigns because I am always on top." Brian patiently said to Justin, trying to convince him.
"Not always, I think...Well, so, what's your plan?" Justin felt that Brian was telling him something serious but he really had no idea what Brian was trying to do.
Brian started to speak gently "I want you to come back home, even just for a while, like a couple of months, before the virus affects all the citizens, including you." "Besides, I miss you," Brian added.
Justin smiled. He believes this is the real purpose of all his words in the past several minutes. Justin thinks Brian really doesn't need to use the end-of-world horror story as an excuse to ask him to come back home. Just saying that he misses him would be fine. But of course, Justin may not agree to him that easily, if Brian doesn't try hard enough. Justin has to admit that sometimes he is too busy with his life in New York: working in a studio, attending art shows as the guest or try to sell himself in a social event, or meet old and new friends in this fancy city. New York City's glamour is that you can always find guys, young, passionate, cute, weird, charming, restless, and reckless. Even if he has some spare time, he'd like to just stay in his apartment quietly and talk about some easy topics with Brian, or post some pictures on Instagram. And maybe Brian has already found out about this. The feeling of missing Justin makes him sign up an Instagram account.
Justin nodded to the guy at the front desk and walked into the hallway of his apartment building. It's about 1:00 at night. He talked quietly to the phone "Nice try, Brian. I would come back shortly. It's just that I have a project ongoing. I'll have a follow-up meeting tomorrow, hopefully, Andy and I will agree to a design plan for our next show. It's collaborated with Andy so I need to arrange things between both of our schedules. You might still remember this guy Andy..."
"I want you, now! Justin! Right now! I need you to pack your stuff and I'll pick you." Brian stopped Justin's sentences. Brian started to lose his patience: what more should I say, after a life threat - it's a truth, not a piece of make-up news - and the sweet talk?
Justin suddenly moves his ear from the phone. Brian sounds ridiculous. Especially at 1:00 am. After moving to New York for almost a year, Justin feels that maintaining this relationship through text messages and phone calls is kind of hard. When both of them start to get busy, none of them can hold the cell phone for too long. Though Justin doesn't mind sending Brian a smiling face every night before he falls asleep, Brian isn't always carrying a GPS that shows where he is and who he is fucking.
1:00 am is not a good time for argument even though Justin wants Brian to show some care about his schedule and career: the show will be 'one of the most stunning collaborations of the New York New Stars' - that's what the magazine says. "OK, OK. Give me two more days, alright? I'll pack my things tomorrow after meeting with Andy. " Justin tried to talk some reasons into Brian and ease his anger though he thinks he is actually the one who needs some ease. "You see, Brian, if you don't want to work one day, you can move to New York and stay with me here. You know I can cook for you in my apartment." Justin opens his door and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. Justin scans in the fridge and thinks that he should throw away the half-rotten apple before he leaves here and finishes up the rest of the orange juice. "And fill the plates with the new canned food for the cats." Justin reminds himself not to forget about the wandering cats downstairs.
"Be prepared to adopt an over-30-year-old man with little luggage someday one day. Justin, you'll never know that." Brian says.
"I will treat you with my kindness and show some mercy. It's late. Don't work too hard, Brian. Get some sleep." Justin is going to sit down in front of his desk and write down some new ideas that he came up with tonight in the bar. He has to hang up first and concentrate and capture the ideas before he loses them in dreams.
"I hope you will think of me hard tonight in your dream. Night." Brian knows he has successfully convinced Justin to move back to Britin. He can't wait. He knows that he needs to rescue Justin and move back to Pittsburg during the upcoming virus. He is actually not sure how serious it could be and how long it will last, but he has stocked up enough home essentials in Britin: to be well-prepared for his prince coming back to the castle.
Justin started to scratch on the notebook. He prefers the tough sense of paper when he writes, instead of using an iPad or smartphone. Justin still tries to get rid of the impact of the impairment of the control of his right hand. Brian used to say that he should use his right hand to jerk off for exercise - when Brian was trying to cover his sadness by saying these crap jokes. Justin finds it is a nice 'exercise' to jerk off Brian with his right hand: rub Brian's cock gently and let it become harder and harder in his hand. Justin doesn't need to use his mouth or sit on it. Just a handjob to let Brian lose his words and mind, leaving only strong and sexy breaths and a face full of desire - that's how Justin feels his power of control over Brian, completely, and the satisfaction of conquering.
Justin will meet Andy in the afternoon. Maybe a couple of tea before dinner and late-night drink would be better and who knows what will bring up the ideas to them, tea or alcohol. Justin knows that he doesn't need to get up too early. He clicks on the Instagram and looks through the reviewer list of his late-night story post - so which one is Brian? It's still a mystery. Justin didn't think Brian needs any social media before: the real people Brian meets have already taken up all his time. He doesn't need to put extra time on those virtual people. What Justin doesn't realize is that maybe Justin has gradually become one of those 'virtual people' in Brian's life.
Justin's phone rings suddenly. It is Brian's name shining on the screen under the time: 12:05 am. "Oh for Christ's sake!" Justin shouted to himself."Brian!" Justin sighed into the phone strengthless.
"Justin. Get down to the car. I don't think I need to come up to help you pack, do I?" Brian stands next to the front desk, talking into the phone. His new SUV is pulling just right at the door, flashing in the darkness. Some nice-looking drank guy entered the apartment building, looking through Brian with interest. Brian looks back but does not really pay much attention. Every hot guy is like a book with a beautiful cover. You can simply admire the front page or choose to read through it. But Brian has no time for them. He has a more important thing to do: pick up Justin and leave. It's already the second day. Justin said he would pack up after today's meeting with that Andrew or Adrian or Andy, whatever. Brian said they would come here, and now he is doing so.
"Alright, alright. Haha. I would know it. I'm coming!" Of course, Justin is ready to leave. He is excited. In fact, he doesn't really need to pack too many things. Britin has everything he needs. Britin is THE home. Justin carries his backpack - laptop, sketchbook, and notebook - and his plant - Justin is not sure about when he will come back but he has a feeling that it won't be a short stay, and a small suitcase full of his sketches, coming down through the elevator.
And there, the knight Brian in black is waiting for him.
"Nice to meet you again, my Matilda." Brian stares at the green plant and raises his eyebrows. Justin laughs. He gives Brian a deep kiss and a slight bite on Brian's lips to show his excitement. Brian is charming as usual.
"But in my luggage, there is no gun or silencer. Just some papers." Justin said when Brian takes over the luggage. Brian puts his hand in the middle of Justin's legs and says:" Well, but you do bring a gun..." Justin knocks off Brian and says goodbye to the guy on duty at the front desk, who is watching them throughout.
"Can't believe you want to drive in the deep night. Can't you just wait till morning?" Justin sits in the passenger seat and complains with a big smile. Deep inside Justin's heart, he knows this is Brian's style of romance. And he loves it.
With the loud music and the new car's strong horsepower, Brian takes his Justin back to Britin.
"Welcome back, Justin."