The Second Time Around
Chapter One
Rating: Adults Only
Category: Fanfiction
Pairing: Brian Kinney, Justin Taylor
Genres: Angst, AU, Romance
Warnings: None
Summary: Brian is 35 and a famous artist who hides away in an old house in Justin's home town, at the end of his career. Justin is a stuggling artist at the beginning of his and finds himself drawn to the secretive Mr Kinney.
Disclaimer: All characters and situations from Queer as Folk are properties of Russell T. Davies, Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, Showtime, and others. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is rated by the author and not by any independent body.
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The water was still, looking like a large, shiny, blue piece of glass. With no wind to even make the slightest ripple, the water seemed solid. The trees overhung the lake making it postcard perfect and as Justin drove his father’s old beaten up delivery truck towards the house on the hill, he couldn’t help wondering what he would find.
Nobody was sure when the new tenant arrived. It must have been very late at night because this was a small town and everyone new everyone’s business. Craig Taylor was surprised when he received the order by phone. The house had been empty for years. A month ago, some workmen had traveled through town, out to the old Burrow’s place but they must have left in the opposite direction. When Gerald Ferguson, the local constable, drove out to check a few days later, nobody was there. Craig loved to keep track of everyone’s business. There wasn’t much else to do here except be nosey. His wife Jennifer kept him up to date with a stream of information from her ladies auxiliary which of course Craig passed on to his customers and the circle of gossip grew larger.
The house didn’t look any different. When old Mrs. Burrows died, her family had flown her out west for the funeral. The locals thought the house would be sold but it had been empty since he was nine. Periodically, a crew would arrive to maintain the house and each time the locals wondered if this time, it was to be sold, but nothing ever came of it. Justin didn’t like the gossip. He had been plagued with it all his life. Before he could ever tell his parents anything, they already knew. It was frustrating to never know anything first.
His father had been very surprised that someone was living in the Burrow’s house. The order was large as if they had just arrived and needed everything. He glanced over his shoulder as the bottles clunked together in response to the bumpiness of the driveway. Whoever was staying here certainly ordered a lot of booze. Justin stopped the truck as close as possible to the front door and pulled up the handbrake. He knocked on the door and was amazed when it only opened a few inches. The person didn’t say anything.
“Um, I have a delivery,” Justin said not sure what to do. He’d hoped that someone would help him unload the truck.
“Back door, leave it in the kitchen, the check is on the counter,” a gruff voice said quickly and the door closed again.
Justin sighed. He moved the truck to the back door and found the door open as he expected. The kitchen was still old fashioned but a lot of modifications had been made to update it. He looked around but didn’t see anyone to ask for help. He sighed again and began to unload the truck. Justin neatly packed the boxes into the kitchen, separating the food from the booze on the countertop. He piled the other supplies on the floor and when he was finished looked around again to see if he could find someone.
The music wafting through into the kitchen was mesmerizing. Justin had never heard the piece played with so much passion. He lingered in the doorway, waiting if he could see someone. The house was still except for the music.
Justin wondered if he should call out. He looked at the check on the counter and sighed. The amount was right, he thought. He really had no reason to intrude. Justin picked up the check and closed the door as he left. His father would be disappointed because Justin knew absolutely nothing about who was living there, except that they were rude and liked classical music. Justin laughed; this would drive his father crazy.
Next week, a smaller order was placed, but Justin received the same instructions when he arrived. Even though the music was playing, there was still no sign of anyone as he packed the grocery bags onto the counter. The booze order was almost as large as the first one. Justin picked up the check and as he closed the door, he noticed the pile of empty bourbon bottles over near the barn. This guy obviously liked a drink, he laughed.
********
Justin smiled as he arrived back at the store. “Hey, Dad.”
“Justin, oh hi.” His father looked up. “Well, did you see him this time?”
“Same as last time,” Justin shook his head.
Craig Taylor frowned. Everyone was talking about the stranger that no one had seen. A few of the locals went out to welcome the new person to the area but there was no answer when they knocked. Mrs. Harris even baked muffins and left them in a basket by the door but the next day when she returned the basket was still at the door, untouched. “Maybe, he travels,” Craig suggested. “Perhaps, he only comes home on the day the groceries are delivered.”
“Maybe,” Justin responded but he had the feeling the guy just didn’t want to see anyone. “Do you need me anymore today, Dad?”
“No, you’re finished; I’ll see you at dinner.”
Justin ran up the stairs to his studio. He pulled on his apron, picked up his palette and settled in to finish his painting before he lost the light. He dreamed about getting out of this town and going to art school. The only time he was ever happy was when he was working on a piece. When he finished high school, he’d wanted to go straight to art school in the city, but his father needed the help at the store. Craig would never understand his passion for art and the deep satisfaction it gave Justin as his ideas took shape on the canvas.
After dinner, Justin met Daphne at the local hangout. “Did you finish it,” she smiled. It was obvious to her when Justin was pleased with something he had completed, his face was positively glowing.
Justin grinned at her. “Yeah and if I do say so myself, it’s great,” he laughed.
“So, now your mind is free for a while, what you feel like doing tonight?” she smiled.
Mark Bridges slipped into the booth next to her and slid beside her. He kissed her on the cheek twice and for the third, she turned her head so their lips touched for a second. He smiled. “Hey, baby.”
Daphne smiled. “Justin and I were deciding what to do.”
“Well Justin, what do you think?” Mark grinned. He and Daphne had been going out since high school and accepted that Justin was her friend. Mark had been jealous of Justin in the beginning but as he got to know him, he knew that Justin was no threat to him. Even though Justin didn’t know, Mark knew that he was gay. Justin always seemed to be more interested in looking at him than Daphne and although Justin hid it well, he had a feeling that Justin knew on some level too.
“I’m not sure,” Justin hesitated.
“Sally Anderson likes you,” Daphne smiled.
Justin rolled his eyes. “Oh Daph, you know all I want to think about is my art.”
“Justin, you are twenty four years old and you still haven’t,” She hesitated and looked at Mark.
“Fucked,” he laughed.
Justin rolled his eyes again. “Can we not talk about this again? I really don’t want to talk about my sex life with you guys,” Justin sighed.
“Or lack there of,” Mark laughed.
“Justin, you are not a troll. Every girl in this town would go out with you if you asked them,” Daphne persisted.
Justin looked to Mark for help.
“Daph, leave him alone. He’ll do it when he’s ready,” Mark kissed her to take her mind off Justin. He felt sorry for Justin. Apart from the fact there was no way he would ever discover the truth, there was no one in this town to experiment with anyway. As the words passed through his mind, he realized how ridiculous his assumption was. There must be other gay people here, he thought. Being gay wasn’t a crime; it just needed to be hidden from the gossip crowd which explained why everyone must be in the closet. “Hey, I got a new DVD from my club yesterday,” Mark smiled.
“Which one?” Justin asked innocently.
“One in a brown paper wrapper,” Mark grinned. “Interested? I thought we could smoke some weed and see what happens in the rest of the world,” he laughed.
“Mark,” Daphne said horrified.
“What, he’ll never do it if he doesn’t know what to do,” Mark defended his logic.
“I say yes to the weed and forget it to the porno,” Justin laughed.
“Just trying to help,” Mark smiled. “Let’s go to my place.”
Mark lived in an apartment over the newspaper office. His father had been the editor for nearly thirty years so he was happy to give Mark the space when his son moved out of home. Since leaving school, Mark sold advertising for the paper. His charismatic air meant that he was very successful at it. Mark could sell ice to Eskimos.
He and Justin sat on the sofa and Mark took out his bong from a small cupboard under the coffee table. Daphne poured them all some juice. Justin chopped up the weed. “Who wants to go first?” Justin asked.
Mark smiled. They punched some cones and all sat feeling very mellow.
“Have you seen the guy from the Burrow’s place yet?” Daphne asked.
Justin smiled. “I’ve been there twice and he’s growled at me both times. Still haven’t seen him, though.”
“What do you mean growled,” Mark tilted his head back against the sofa.
“He opens the door and says… back door, check on the counter and then closes the door and when I pack the stuff in the kitchen, he isn’t around,” Justin shrugged.
“Amy said Dan took mail out there the other day,” Daphne smiled. “The guys name is Brian Kinney and he got a ton of it.”
Justin sat up immediately. “Brian Kinney? Are you sure?”
“Do you know the name?”
“Well it may be a coincidence, but there is an artist called Brian Kinney. His stuff is amazing. It couldn’t be,” Justin shook his head.
Daphne giggled as she punched another cone. “Wouldn’t that be something? Imagine, a famous person in this godforsaken hole? She handed the bong to Justin who packed it again. He lit it and breathed in deeply, allowing the smoke to linger in his mouth before he exhaled.
“Nobody famous would ever want to come here,” he laughed.
Mark went into the bedroom and returned with a DVD. He pushed it into the player.
Daphne immediately objected. “Mark,” she growled.
“What have I done now,” he complained. “I like X men.”
She laughed, relieved that Mark had come to his senses. She cuddled up to both of them to watch the movie.
Justin looked at Mark strangely. He knew Mark was trying to help him but now wasn’t the time. He liked Mark even when they were in school. He was a real jock and Justin had found himself admiring Mark’s muscles on a regular basis in gym class. Justin hoped Mark hadn’t noticed. He never wanted anything to affect their friendship. It was no surprise when Mark and Daphne had hooked up. They had all been friends since grade school.
********
The next day, Justin made his deliveries just like every other day, but this time, he found his mind wondering if it was indeed the Brian Kinney, staying at the Burrow’s house. It couldn’t be, he kept correcting himself. Why would someone so successful be hiding out in an old house here? Justin had read numerous magazine articles about Brian Kinney. It couldn’t be the same one, he told himself again. At one o’clock, his phone rang. He looked at the number and smiled. “Mark, what’s happening?”
“Jus, I was over in Glenmore today and I heard about a place that I want us to go to,” Mark said.
“Sure, when?”
“How ‘bout tonight? Listen, I’m not telling Daph, so if you talk to her, don’t say anything.”
Justin was instantly uncomfortable. “Mark, I don’t want to get involved in you doing anything that Daph wouldn’t approve of,” Justin countered.
“It’s not like that. I just haven’t been there before and I don’t want to take her till we check it out first,” Mark laughed.
Justin relaxed. “Okay, what time?”
“I’ll pick you up at eight.”
Justin closed his cell. He was worried for a moment that Mark was going to use their friendship to cheat on Daph. Thank God, he sighed with relief.
As promised, Mark sounded the horn of his pick up at eight. He jumped in and belted up. “Why are we going to Glenmore, it’s a bit far?”
“This place is supposed to be different and I want to check it out,” Mark smiled. They drove for an hour and then turned off the main drag onto a dirt road.
“Where is this place?” Justin asked, wondering what they were doing here.
“A little further,” Mark laughed. “Here it is.” He stopped the car and jumped out. “Come on,” he called back to Justin who was still sitting in his seat.
Justin followed Mark in the door and his mouth dropped at what he saw.
Mark was already at the bar ordering them some drinks. Justin walked towards him still in shock.
“Mark,” Justin whispered. “What are we doing here?”
“Getting you laid, it’s time,” Mark smiled. He handed Justin a drink.
“But Mark, there are only guys here,” Justin whispered.
“I know.”
Justin sat down, not sure what to do. This obviously meant that Mark knew that he was watching him all this time.
Mark ordered another round and smiled.
Justin was very uncomfortable. “Mark, I don’t understand,” he said softly.
Mark sighed. “Jus, how long have we known each other?”
“Since we were eight,” Justin said quietly.
“I know you don’t like girls that way,” Mark started.
Justin swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure what to say to his friend.
“I’ve seen the way you used to look at the guys in the locker room at school,” Mark reached out and took Justin’s hand. “It’s never wrong to be who you are,” he smiled. “You are my friend and I love you. I want you to be happy.”
“I don’t know Mark. I’ve always wondered but actually doing it. I don’t know,” Justin shook his head. “How did you here about this place?”
“A customer told me about it. Look around, some of the guys are pretty good looking and you aren’t a troll you know,” Mark laughed. “If I was gay, I would probably be interested myself,” he smiled.
Justin gulped down his drink and motioned for the bartender to bring another round. Two guys came up to them, smiling.
“I wanted to buy you a drink but I see you are already taken care of. I’m James and this is Alec,” the smaller of the two men smiled.
“Um, I’m Justin and this is Mark,” Justin stammered.
Alec slipped his arm around Mark’s shoulders. “You are hott,” he smiled.
“Thanks,” Mark smiled back at him, not moving away from Alec’s touch.
Justin was surprised at how comfortable Mark seemed. He felt James slip his arm around his waist. “Wanna dance?” James asked.
“Ah um I,” Justin stammered again.
“Sure he does,” Mark smiled.
James didn’t wait for Justin’s answer. He grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.
Justin glanced at Mark for help but Mark nodded that he should go. Justin looked at the man that was pulling him along. He was very handsome and Justin was surprised to feel his cock twitch with excitement. The song changed to something slow and James pulled Justin into his arms, so their bodies were close. Justin was starting to feel the effects of the four drinks that he had downed in the last half hour. He still couldn’t believe that Mark had brought him here and now some guy was holding him close while they swayed to the music. He tried to relax and not come off like a hysterical virgin. Mark was right, it was time he faced a few home truths. Justin knew he was gay since high school but he was afraid to admit it. What would his parents think about having a gay son? His father would throw a fit. The homosexual subject had only been raised once in his home to his recollection and at the time his father had no trouble showing his disgust. Being raised by two God-fearing Christians as parents would definitely have its disadvantages under the circumstances, Justin thought. He felt his body responding to James being close to him as his dance partner’s hands slipped down onto his ass. Justin stiffened and looked around the room nervously. The dance floor was crowded with pairs of men in each other’s arms. Lightning wasn’t striking him and the roof hadn’t caved in to his surprise. He felt James getting hard as they danced.
Alec and Mark sat talking but Mark was watching Justin out of the corner of his eye.
“Are you two together?” Alec asked.
“Just friends,” Mark smiled. “Actually, I don’t want to lead you on, I’m straight.”
“Damn,” Alec smiled. “How come you’re here?”
“My friend is gay and I came with him for a drink.”
Alec nodded. “James and I have been together for two years but sometimes we like a bit of variety,” he laughed.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Mark smiled. “What do you do for a living?”
“James and I have a store in Glenmore,” he replied.
“Do you advertise?” Mark asked. He smiled to himself as his spiel came tumbling out of his mouth. No sense wasting the entire evening, Mark thought.
Justin could feel that he was getting hard too. James was grinding their cocks together now while Justin was pressed against him. He could feel James’ hard muscles and felt his breathing increase. Dancing was one thing but he could feel that James wanted more. He wasn’t sure if he could go through with it.
James felt Justin stiffen in his arms. He looked down at him and smiled. “Have you ever done this before?”
Justin was too shaken by the events of the evening to deny his virgin status. He shook his head and choked out a muffled “No.”
James smiled and remembered how scared he was the first time. “Let’s get a drink, are you hot?”
Justin nodded and James led him back to the bar. He nodded to Alec and smiled. “Listen, order me a beer and we’ll be back in five,” he said to Mark who realized what was going on.
Mark ordered the drink and smiled at Justin. “What did you think?”
“He’s nice,” Justin smiled. “The dancing was nice too. Where did they go?”
“I’m guessing to the bathroom judging by the size of the hard on that you gave him,” Mark laughed.
Justin looked down and noticed he was in the same position. He shifted uncomfortably, surprised that he hadn’t noticed before.
“So, why don’t you ask him to suck you off?” Mark asked.
Justin’s eyes became wide. “I can’t do that,” he exclaimed.
“Why, don’t you want to get off?”
“Yes but I don’t even know him,” Justin said weakly.
“You two looked pretty close a minute ago,” Mark reminded him.
James and Alec came back and James took a large gulp of his beer. He took Justin’s hand and led him towards the bathroom. Justin followed in a daze.
Mark looked nervously at Alec.
Alec smiled. “Don’t worry, James won’t hurt him. He’s a real teddy bear. When he was sixteen he wandered down to Liberty Ave looking for his first experience. He was young and didn’t know anything. Some guy dragged him to the backroom and fucked him. It was a bad experience and it took five years for him to get over it enough to try again. He was pretty badly torn up both mentally and physically from it. He would never hurt anyone that way. Justin is in good hands. Now tell me about the prices of those ads,” Alec smiled.
As they went through the door, James led Justin through another unmarked door. There were about a dozen couples in varying positions.
Justin’s mouth was open in amazement at what he was hearing and seeing.
James pulled Justin into his arms and kissed him softly and was pleased when Justin’s lips parted allowing his tongue into Justin’s mouth.
Justin was surprised that he was reacting to James’ kisses. He could feel his cock getting hard again.
James dropped to his knees and unbuckled Justin’s belt. He looked up at Justin and smiled. “Is this okay?” he asked.
Justin nodded and felt James pull down his zipper and wriggle his pants down. His cock was hard and pre-cum was bubbling from his slit.
James licked the tip of Justin’s cock making him shudder and smiled as Justin closed his eyes. He knew this was Justin’s first time and he knew that Justin was terrified. James wanted nothing more than to spin Justin around and sink into his tight virgin ass but he knew that wasn’t the way to go. He coated Justin’s cock with saliva, lapping off the excess as Justin shuddered under his touch. He gently rolled Justin’s balls with his fingers and swallowed him whole.
Justin’s body surged forward as he felt James’ mouth sliding up and down his cock. It was all over in a matter of minutes as Justin cried out as he came.
James licked him clean and pulled up his pants then gathered the quivering man into his arms and kissed him gently, allowing him to taste himself. “What did you think?” he asked.
Justin opened his eyes and smiled. “Hmmm,” he nodded.
“Come on, I want to finish my beer,” James smiled.
********
Justin lay in bed thinking about the way James mouth felt as it encased his cock and couldn’t help smiling.
Mark told him on the way home about James’ first experience so Justin would appreciate just how lucky he was to have been found by James that night. Mark asked him what it was like and all Justin could do was grin.
He was grateful that Mark had taken him there, knowing that he would never have gone by himself. He heard his mother call out for breakfast and jumped up and into the shower. All day he found himself smiling, unable to wipe the grin from his face.
Justin pulled the truck up at the back door of the Burrow’s house and found the door open and the check on the counter as usual. It was the normal food and drink order that he had delivered the previous two weeks. This time Justin went straight to the back door, not bothering to knock at the front so he could be then sent around the back. He separated the piles as he usually did and picked up the check. Just as he was about to leave, he heard an enormous crash from further in the house. Justin called out but there was no answer. He wasn’t sure what to do. Something had obviously fallen over. “Hello,” he called out as he cautiously moved deeper into the house. Justin had never been inside the Burrow’s house before. The inside was new and modern. He heard a soft moan coming from the next room.
Justin ran towards the sound. On the floor surrounded by broken glass was a man lying face down. Justin could see that he was hurt and ran to him, to help him up. The glass crunched under his shoes. Shit, there was so much of it. The man had his head to one side and Justin could see that there was a nasty gash on his forehead. “Are you okay?” Justin asked.
The man moaned again, this time a little louder.
Justin’s first instinct was to ring for an ambulance but something stopped him. He pulled out his cell and called Daphne. “Daph, can you get away?”
“Sure what is it?”
“I’m out at the Burrow’s house and there’s been an accident. I don’t think he’s hurt bad but I’m not sure,” Justin said quickly.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” she said.
Justin looked at the man again. Should he lift him up or leave him there? He wasn’t sure. He sat down on the sofa and waited for Daph.
She arrived twenty minutes later. Justin opened the door and he was sheet white. “Where is he?”
Justin led her to the guy and she quickly examined him. She looked at Justin. “Are you okay?” she asked.
”I’m fine, what about him?”
“He’s drunk and I think he cut himself when he fell. Help me get him up?”
They took an arm each and pulled him up.
“Where should we put him?” she asked.
“The bedroom is through there,” Justin pointed. It was one of the places he had come across when he was searching for the crash. The guy was mumbling but his eyes were closed. He was covered in blood.
“Let me get his shirt off before we lay him down,” Daphne ordered. “Hold him up.” She pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor before pulling back the covers. She then pulled off his sweats and they laid him down. “Get me a bowl of warm water, I need to clean up some of this blood and get the glass out of his hands. He must have put his hands out to stop his fall. Fuck Justin, his hands are a mess,” she shook her head.
Justin ran to the kitchen to get the water and returned in record time. As she wiped away the blood, Justin gasped. Large pieces of glass were imbedded his hands and Justin watched as Daphne used the tweezers from her bag to skillfully remove them.
She pulled out a lamp and handed it to her friend. “Plug this in; I need to be sure I got it all.”
Justin looked for a power outlet and plugged in the magnifying lamp.
Daphne scrutinized the cuts to be sure they were clean. She dressed the wounds and bandaged the man’s hands.
“Daph, his feet,” Justin said as he watched the blood oozing from another area. He scooped up the man’s legs before the blood soaked the sheets.
Daphne repeated the procedure on the man’s feet removing a large number of fragments that were deeply embedded because they had walked him to his bed unfortuneately forcing them deeper. When she was convinced that the area was glass free, she applied the dressings and bandaged his feet. The blood on his face was dry now and she had to clean it as well. Thank God this guy was so drunk because if he drank as much as he smelt, she wouldn’t have been able to give him any anesthetic anyway. She cleaned his face up and was pleased to only find a fine slither in the open cut. She dressed it and then asked for more water.
Justin stood and watched as Daphne sponge bathed the alcohol smell away and covered the guy up. They walked back to the living room and started to clean up the glass.
“When he wakes up and sobers up, those cuts are gonna hurt like the dickens,” she shook her head. “I’ll write up a script for pain killers and get Jeremy to bring them back. Is there anyone else here?”
“No I haven’t seen anyone,” Justin said softly. “That is Brian Kinney, the artist. I’ve seen his picture.” He went to the kitchen and brought back a broom and pan. Daphne had gathered up some large pieces of what must have been a Bourbon bottle.
“I’d say he was drunk and lost his footing and fell onto the glass,” she shook her head.
“Thanks for coming out Daph, I didn’t know what else to do,” Justin tried to smile. “What will we do now? We can’t just leave him here alone. He can’t move by himself.”
“He won’t be getting out of bed for at least a week more likely two. He won’t be able to use crutches, his feet are so bad.” Daphne continued to clean up until everything was spotless.
Justin stood in the doorway looking at the famous Brian Kinney passed out dead drunk. He had read so many magazine articles about the man in front of him and wondered why he was in their little town, locked away from all the glitz and glamour, alone. Now that the initial shock of the accident was wearing off, Justin could see that he was beautiful. Hopefully the cut on his face wouldn’t leave a scar.
Daphne came up behind Justin and wrapped her arms around him. She knew he was shaken to see one of his idols this way. “What happened?”
“Beats me, I was delivering the groceries and I heard a crash. When I found him he was like that. I’ll stay with him until he wakes up and then I can ask him who to call. Can you go past the store and tell my Dad where I am? I’d ring but I know he would come out here. He’s been dying to get a look at this guy for weeks. I just don’t want anyone to see him this way. Something like this, if it gets around could end up in the papers. He’s a really good artist, Daph. This kind of stuff can hurt someone’s reputation,” he explained.
Daphne smiled. She kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll get the script myself and bring it back later.”
“Thanks Daph.” He handed her his cash belt. “Give this to Dad. He’ll want to make the bank before it closes.”
“Sure Jus, I’ll be back after my shift finishes at nine. He may be awake by then and enough alcohol out of his system for him to take his meds. I’ll let myself out. He’s awfully skinny. Try and get some food into him if he wakes up sooner,” she smiled. “Apart from being skinny, he’s gorgeous.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Justin smiled.