Chapter
21 ? Wonderful Things
Justin
knew it was a Sunday morning as he woke up and he lay in the wonderful prince
bed and was naked and felt so comfortably warm and nice-smelling.
He
blinked with his long eyelashes under a curtain of tousled hair strands and
then buried his face deep into the pillow. He liked to sleep with Prian.
"Hmm."
Brian hadn?t the intention to open his eyes, as he felt undefined movements on
the other side of the bed. He stretched out an arm, sighed tiredly, turned on
his back and then on the side. It was definitely too early to be awake.
Justin
found it funny to lie in bed, all still and quiet, although no one was asleep
anymore. And after two minutes, he began to snicker quietly.
As
his giggles grew a little louder, Brian half-opened his eyes in irritation. The
boy was covered with the heavy blanket up to his chin, with rosy cheeks and
dishevelled blond hair. And he smiled and had a disturbingly happy expression
in his eyes for such an early hour.
"Hhm."
He grumbled and closed his eyes again. ?What?s so funny??
Justin
only giggled and said nothing.
And
Brian growled as his body protested strongly against any slight movements in
its deep sleep modus, but in the end managed to slide a sluggish hand on
Justin?s pillow. ?Sleep, twat.?
"Yes."
Justin immediately squeezed his eyes shut and had to laugh as they opened again
a second later. The prince was so funny.
The
right corner of Brian?s mouth lifted, although it was safe to say that he found
nothing funny in this situation. He felt a couple of soft fingers at his face
and opened his eyes only to see that his own hand had wandered towards Justin's
chin. ?Don?t you know that you have to sleep till noon on Sundays? That?s why
this day was invented.?
Justin
pressed his forefinger into Prian?s cheek and touched then fascinated the dark
stubble.
Brian
noticed the change from happy sparkling, to highest concentration in the blue
eyes and smiled while he was stroking over the smooth skin on Justin's chin.
?Have you ever shaved??
"Yes."
Justin said it without creating visual contact and put his full palm on the
rough cheek.
"H-hm."
Brian did the same on Justin?s face and grinned. ?Will you go back to sleep
now?" His hand remained where it was as he closed his eyes again. ?Wake up
again at noon.?
Loud
giggling was the answer and Justin touched the closed eyelids. The prince made
fun with him. Of course now they had to ...
"?eat
breakfast!?
Weakly,
Brian raised a pointing finger. ?There is some more lube in the drawer.?
"Yes.
Certainly waffles and fruit salad. Always on Sunday.?
"Maybe
later.?
"Yes.
Certainly eight a.m.?
"Hff."
One eye opened slightly to look at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was
seven minutes till 8 a.m. On a Sunday morning. ?Shit" Someone really
should inform the boy about a couple of generally known basic principles to the
sleeping behaviour of working people.
?????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????------------------
After
joint tooth brushing, a short discussion about today?s clothing and half a
gallon of consumed caffeine, Mister Kinney sat with his fourth cup of coffee,
tired eyes and completely powerless at the kitchen bar in front of a? blond haired young man. ?Eat your toast. You
said you wanted breakfast.?
"Yes."
Justin looked up uninterestedly to the ceiling. ?Certainly waffles and fruit
salad.?
Brian
pushed the plate forwards. ?Buttered toast.?
"Yes.
Always?of course always on Tuesday. Toast and raspberry jelly.?
Unaffected,
Brian took another sip of his coffee. ?You can eat toast on Sunday, too.?
Twenty
minutes later, he buckled a boy with neatly combed hair and a content face into
the passenger seat of his jeep, and couldn't believe that he was about to drive
to the fucking Diner on a damned Sunday morning, just to buy damn fruit salad
for a little twat who thought he should be treated like a fucking princess.
???????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????------------------
Colored
pictures stuck to the door and it rang a little as it was opened. Justin
laughed. He liked ice cream and fruit salad cookies!
Brian
held the boys arm on the way to an available table in the back area and
directed him to one of the seats, before he sat down on the opposite side.
"Here.
Read what you want to drink." He shoved the shrink-wrapped menu across the
table.
"Yes."
Justin looked up at the ceiling. It was of course very loud and everyone
chattered and chattered and he was sure that his wonderful book lay still in
the castle under this ...
?
"?pillow."
He rocked back and forth softly and wrapped a finger into his hair.
Brian
put his own menu aside. ?What??
"Yes.
Certainly no book.?
"You
don't need the book now. Read the menu.?
"Yes."
Justin didn't find the menu very nice. It was full of stains and quite greasy.
But he began to read nevertheless. ?Farmers breakfast with...with potatoes,
bacon, green onions and eggs. Six dollars...six dollars fifty cent.?
"Justin.
Read the part with the drinks." Brian pointed to the right area of the
menu.
"Yes."
For a moment Justin's eyes moved unfocused over the printed words, before he
began to read again. ?Orange juice. Amount?amount of pure fruit five ?fifteen
per cent.?
Mister
Kinney?s facial expression turned incredulous at this information and looked up
this bold thesis on his own menu. Eww. So much for healthy breakfast.
"Well
look who?s here." Debbie stood with her memo pad at the table and put a
hand on her hip. ?What the fuck brings you here at such an early hour??
"Surely
not the juice," Brian stated and looked over the table. ?Justin, what do
you want to drink? Water??
"Yes."
Justin?s eyes remained on the menu. ?Coffee and milk." He liked milk.
Preferably with cookies. ?Ninety?ninety-five cents.?
Brian
wrinkled his forehead into sceptical folds. ?Coffee.?
"Yes."
The boy looked up at the ceiling. There were even more stains than on the menu.
?With milk.?
Brian
raised his right eyebrow before he ordered. ?Two coffees, one black with sugar,
one with milk and the waffles." He looked at Debbie. ?How much per cent
fruit is in the fruit salad??
Debbie
blinked blankly. ?What do you think??
"Two
coffee, waffles and fruit salad.?
"Hmm."
She scribbled the order down and then smiled at Justin. ?Anything else, sweet
buns??
"Yes."
Justin's gaze remained upwards. ?Certainly ice cream and sprinkles.?
"That?s
all." Brian explained clearly and half a tone louder, before Debbie had
the chance to write down the customer?s wish.
?Yes,
of course sixty-one sprinkles. One fell...fell down.?
"People
don't eat ice cream for breakfast. She?ll bring waffles for you.?
"Yes."
Justin smiled and curled a thin hair strand around his finger. He liked
waffles.
Brian
pointed to the menu. ?What does it say about the turkey sandwich??
"Yes."
The boy kept his look on the stained ceiling. ?Poultry...poultry form of meat.?
Brian
looked it up again on his own menu and then back to Justin. ?You know this
without looking??
"Yes.?
"Yes?
What else did you read??
"Yes.
The menu.?
"The
whole menu??
"Yes.
Read...read the menu, Prian says.?
?Hmm.
What about the three cheese omelette??
?Yes.
With preservatives.?
?Fresh
spinach and mushroom burrito??
?Yeah,
certainly flavour ?flavour enhancers.?
Brian
lifted his right eyebrow challengingly over the top of the menu. ?What?s with
the water??
?Yeah.?
And even though Justin held his gaze still to the side, his lips formed into a little
smile. ?Of course. From the puddle.?
Brian
grinned for a moment in silence and then lightly kicked Justin?s seven league
boot under the table. ?Who has the best water in the world??
Justin?s
smile grew bigger, ?Yeah?my Prian.? and kicked back against a beautiful Prada
shoe. He liked Evian.
Debbie
brought the coffee and a plate full of waffles and fruit salad a few minutes
later.
?Can
I get you boys anything else?? She grinned happily from one to the other.
?Yes.
A food inspector.? Brian looked up at her with a false smile. ?Justin just
discovered that most of your food is unpalatable.?
She
stuck her evil finger in his face. ?Don?t use that tone on me, buddy!?
?Yes.?
Justin looked at his plate. Of course there were only three waffles and no?
??powdered
sugar.?
?What
was that, honey?? Debbie immediately changed back into her sweetest voice as
she addressed her blond guest on the other side of the table. ?You need the
syrup??
?Yeah.
Of course no?no powdered sugar.?
?Aww.?
She pinched his cheek. ?That?s no problem at all. I?ll be right back.?
She
disappeared quickly and Brian grumbled into his coffee cup. ?Christ, how old
does she think you are? Twelve?!?
?Yeah.?
Justin forked a slice of banana into his mouth and chewed carefully. ?Certainly
eighteen.?
?Damn
right.? Mister Kinney confirmed and used his coffee spoon to nick a piece of
orange from Justin?s plate.
?Yeah.
Of course my? my fruit salad.?
?Sue
me.?
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
----------------------
At
9.35 a.m., Brian had finished the longest breakfast experience of his whole
life and led a stuffed blond brat back to the car.
?I
really don?t get it, what do you need this big pile of fucking powdered sugar
for, when you blew it all off your damned waffles before you took it in your
mouth, anyway.? He unlocked the car door and helped Justin with the safety
belt. ?Twat.?
?Yes.?
Justin really didn?t like dust sugar on his waffles. It tickled his nose.
Brian
went to the other side, climbed behind the wheel and started the car. ?You?re
really weird sometimes, you know?? He changed gears and looked over to the
passenger seat. ?So. And did you like your coffee??
Did he? Yes, Justin liked how the coffee had smelled. But the taste wasn?t very
good. It was all bitter on his tongue. He shuddered visibly at this thought.
Brian
smiled slightly as the younger one shuddered in his seat and made a face as if
he?d tasted something really foul. ?Yeah, well?don?t judge the wonders of
coffee on this poor example.?
They
drove a few minutes in silence, before Brian looked at Justin again. ?You want
to take a walk before I take you back home?? He wasn?t sure why he?d asked it
and he felt a little weird afterwards. But he only looked back on the street
and shifted a little in his seat, and didn?t withdraw his question.?
?Yeah.?
Justin wrapped a long hair strand around his right middle finger and blankly
looked out of the side window. He liked going for a walk?
??with
Prian.?
?Yeah.?
Brian drew his lips inwards, took his hand from the gear stick and blindly
moved it over to the five pale fingers, resting on Justin?s thigh.
?Yeah.?
Justin touched the prince?s thumb with one fingertip. He liked the warm feeling
in his belly, too.
???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????--------------------?
They
left the black car-vehicle right beside a dark green trash can on Riverview
Avenue and the air was dry and cold and a little windy when they passed the big
wooden sign, marking the Riverview Park entry. There were many large trees and
small bushes and little way stones everywhere. A big fountain stood in the
distance and Justin loved how the water sounded, and wanted to smell it and to
look for the frog, but the prince held his hand firmly and led him along the
bordered way.
Justin
saw three men with long coats, thick scarves and colourful caps and then there
was a bench on the way side and another man sat on it, and everywhere around
him were large grey birds. They flapped their wings and ate little dirty crumbs
that the man threw on the ground for them.
?Hh!?
A little startled Justin fluttered his eyelashes and wrapped his fingers
tightly around Prian?s hand. He didn?t like the birds and found the man, with
the white hair on the bench, looked rather scary.
?Christ!?
Brian cursed in deep disapproval as he passed the doves in safe distance, with
a stumbling blond in tow. ?Here I am, paying thousands of dollars on taxes
every year. One would think the town could afford proper pest control. Fucking
incompetent people everywhere??
?Yeah.?
After a few steps, Justin looked back over his shoulder to see the horrible
large birds for a last time, before he snuggled closer to Prian?s side. Lucky
for him, the prince was very brave and dauntless.
?Yeah.
And it?s also fucking cold,? said Brian more to himself and buried both of his
hands deep into his jacket pockets, without letting go of Justin?s fingers.
Justin
watched fascinated as his and Prian?s entwined hands disappeared in the jacket
and wriggled his thumb inside the warm pocket. It was funny and he looked up at
the prince and laughed.
Brian
looked down at a happy face and couldn?t help but show a little smirk, too.
?What?! It?s not my fault your fucking ice fingers are frozen to my hand. Don?t
you have a pair of decent gloves or something??
?Yeah.?
Justin had beautiful gloves. Blue ones and they smelled like snow. But of
course he couldn?t wear them anymore because his hands had?
??grown
too big.?
?You?re
hands are too large for your gloves??
?Yes.
Certainly too long fingers.?
Inside
the pocket Brian stroked over the boys thin knuckles. ?Your fingers are fine.
You just need bigger gloves.?
?Yeah.
Of course at Wal Mart. Shopping?shopping with Prian.?
?Hmm.
I?ll bring you new gloves tomorrow after work.?
?Yeah.?
They walked down a strange looking path with water underneath. ?Oooh.? Justin
stopped and stretched his neck to look down into the grey water.
Brian
went with him closer to the bridge balustrade. ?God, what a shit brew. I bet
they?re dumping their dead pets and wives in there.??
?Yeah.?
Justin didn?t really look into the water, but he liked the sound of it.
?Certainly puddle?puddle water.??
?Hh.?
Brian sniffed. ?Certainly sewage.?
?Yes.?
Justin found a fantastic blue chewing gum on the rail, picked at it with his
fingers and then put it into his mouth. It was very cold and a little hard.
?What
was that?? Brian looked at the boy, scrutinizing him.
Justin
held his lips firmly closed and blinked silently at the prince.
Brian
took his free hand out of the jacket and reached for Justin?s mouth. ?What did
you just eat?? He forced one finger inside. ?Open up.?
The
boy looked up to the dark-white sky and stuck his tongue out.
?What
is-? Brian frowned as he discovered the old chewing gum and threw it away
nauseated. ?Shit, Justin! You can?t just eat everything! That?s fucking dirt
that some junkie had in his mouth already!?
?Yeah.?
Justin looked aside and rocked slightly back and forth. Of course Prian was?
??very
angry.?
?Damn
fucking right I?m angry, you little shit?? The older one said without real
anger in his voice. And he turned up his jacket collar against the cold and
squinted up at the sky, as he felt barely noticeably wetness on his nose and
cheeks. ?Great.? He drew his fingers around Justin?s hand tighter in his pocket
and marched with firm steps off the bridge. ?Now it starts to fucking snow.?
Justin
plodded a little reluctantly along behind Prian. It snowed? He looked around
and up at the sky and extended his free hand and, ?Ha!? laughed then and felt
his heart jump and he bounced on his feet for two steps because he felt so very
happy! It snowed! Little white Christmas snowflakes fell from the clouds and
down to the floor. And they landed on Prian?s black jacket, and on a slightly
red prince nose and got caught up in beautiful brown hair.
It
was the most wonderful thing Justin could imagine. And he smiled brightly and
felt his cheeks get warm and his belly underneath the silver jacket, too.????
Brian
noticed the quiet laughing coming from the blond, and after one more minute
squeezed the smaller hand inside his pocket. ?You seem remarkably happy for
someone who just almost died from food poisoning.?
Justin
giggled and looked at the prince with soft blue eyes.
And
Brian released Justin?s hand in the pocket and pulled his own out, to place it
in the boy?s warm neck. ?Brat.? He bent down to kiss blond hair and couldn?t
smile when Justin laid his head against his cold leather jacket. His chest felt
somewhat warm, though.
???????? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????------------------
It
was almost noon when Brian walked seven steps across a black street. A blue
pyjama and an old fairy tale book under his arm, and a yawning young man
tugging on his right hand.
?Are
you tired?? He entered the big iron gate and pushed the heavy entry door open.
?Yes.?
Justin was very tired and he really would?ve preferred to go over to the castle
and sleep for a while in Prian?s big, soft bed.
Brian
brushed Justin?s knuckles with his thumb on their way upstairs. ?Well then you
eat your lunch and then take a nap.?
?Yes.?
Justin giggled. He liked to take a?
??nap
with Prian.?
?No,
I have to do something else. You sleep alone.?
?Yes.?
Justin looked sideways and didn?t like the color of the dirty tower walls.
Brian
opened the greasy glass door of ward four and led Justin along the corridor.
Male nurse Schmidt waved from behind the pane of the nurse?s room.
?Hello
Justin. Did you have fun with Mister Kinney??
Justin
padded with small steps holding onto Prian?s hand and completely ignored the
man.
Brian
presented his fake grin. ?We had a blast.?
?That?s
really good to hear, Mister Kinney!? Nurse Schmidt waved after his favourite
visitor and grinned merrily. ?I hope you enjoy your Sunday afternoon, too,
Mister Kinney!?
It
smelled of cheap, cold food and stale air behind door 4.11 and Brian put the
book and pyjamas on the nightstand, before he opened up the window to air the
room.
On
the little table stood a tray with a piece of what looked like chicken,
together with sticky rice and a pile of indefinable green vegetables. Next to
the food tray, in a watery reddish puddle, someone had put a big plastic pot
with tea. But it was cold and one of the tea bags was broken and some of its content
swam around in the red fluid as little black and brown crumbs.
Brian
inspected Justin?s ?lunch? with grim eyes, before he placed the tea pot on the
tray and went with it towards the door. ?Take off your boots and jacket, I?ll
be right back.?
?Yes.?
Justin curled a thin blond hair strand around his finger and rocked softly back
and forth, while gazing blankly out of his tower window. The snow looked so
pretty on the small round castle roof tops.
When
Brian came back fifteen minutes later, with a plate full of cream cheese toast
and a bottle of water, Justin was still at the window, with his jacket and his
boots on, almost as if he were only a temporary visitor in this place, waiting
for his call to go home.
Brian
closed the door quietly, put the plate down and then stood close behind Justin.
He wrapped his arms loosely around a slim waist and laid his chin on the boy?s
shoulder. ?What are you looking at?? He spoke in a calm voice and then sniffed
at a warm neck.
Justin
rubbed his temple against the prince?s soft hair.
?You
like the snow??
Did he? Yes, Justin liked the snow very much, but he couldn?t smell it here
inside of his tower room. He didn?t like the tower and he felt like he had to
cry a little.
Brian
closed his eyes for a moment and whispered in Justin?s ear. ?Come on, take your
jacket off. I brought you toast.? He reached for the little zipper at the front
of the boy?s jacket, opened it and guided the long arms out. ?Sit down on your
chair.?
?Yes.?
Justin went over to the little table and sat down. There were three slices of
cream cheese toast on the plate and Prian gave him his red cup and filled it up
with water. ?Yeah.? He looked up to the ceiling. ?No?no Evian.?
Brian
smiled, but not because it was funny. ?Drink it anyway. I?ll bring you Evian
tomorrow.?
?Yeah.?
Justin took the cup and drank. One little sip. Then he ate half a toast and
found it wasn?t very good. It tasted of evil vines and syringe water.
Brian
bumped his shoulder. ?What?s up, brat? Not hungry anymore??
?Yeah.?
Justin stood up and went over to his white bed. He was very tired.
Brian
furrowed his brows, as he watched the boy, pulling off his boots clumsily and
stripping out of his pants. Then he went over and held the blanket up for
Justin. ?Climb in.?
Justin
did and shoved his book silently under the pillow; his face blank.
Brian
didn?t like it. He combed his fingers through the soft blond hair strands and
stroked his thumb up and down in the middle of Justin?s forehead and down the
length of the boy?s nose. ?Sleep now.?
?
Justin
looked up at him, tired but attentively.
Brian
smiled slightly and Justin reached up with one hand to place it on the prince?s
cheek. He really would?ve preferred if Prian would come?
??
back tomorrow.? He said it in a quiet voice but absolutely clear.
And
Brian looked back down and took his time to observe every little inch of the
young face. ?You want me to??
?Yeah.?
Justin?s eyes began to flicker, ?Be with my?? before finally the contact broke
and he had to look aside. ?My prince.? He liked Prian so much.
Brian
smiled gently. ?I?m not your prince.? His finger tipped the kid?s chin up. ?And
now go to sleep.?
?Yes.
Dream of?dream of Prian.?
?Yes.?
Brian bent down to peck the dark pink lips, but as he wanted to move back, he felt
a second, slightly cool hand on the other side of his face. Ten thin, demanding
fingers, pulled him back down for another peck and then a real kiss. Brian
closed his eyes and breathed in deep as he smelled Justin?s smooth skin.
Justin
touched his tongue to Prian?s lips and snickered. ?Certainly?certainly ice
cream kisses.?
Brian
hesitated for a moment, then whispered against Justin?s lips. ?Yes, dream of
ice cream and tell me tomorrow what it tasted like.? He gave the boy another
quick kiss, and then went out of the door without looking back.
Justin
blinked, rolled over on his side and sighed before he closed his eyes. He knew
exactly what the ice cream would taste like?Christmas snow , almonds and sweet,
warm prince lips.
???????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????------------------
And
Brian Kinney went to the gym, like he did on every Sunday afternoon. To meet
the boys, check out some hot guys and have a little fun in the steam room.
But
then he couldn?t follow any conversation, found nothing funny about the way
Emmett described his latest trick and thought of snow, sunshine and rainwater
as he stood under the hot shower? way too soon and just because he didn?t feel
like fog and steam and strange body?s today. And he went home and sat for hours
at one of Pritin?s large windows, to see the snowflakes fall on an old tower
roof.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
----------------