Memories {A compilation of Britin short stories}

Story 14: Pay Attention

"I will bite you until you pay attention to me."

"Don't be a shit. I am paying attention to you."

"No you weren't. What did I just say?"

"Uhm... That you were going to bite me if I didn't listen to you? Honestly, Sunshine, I think your short-term memory is malfunctioning."

Justin bit Brian's chin again. "See? You weren't listening to me. I said what should we get Michael as a gift for his birthday?"

"Ow! Would you knock it off with the biting shit already?" Brian shoved Justin's shoulder lightly, rubbing at his chin absently. "And how the hell am I supposed to know? Aren't you the gift-giving extraordinaire?"

"Not when it comes to Michael. You're his best friend. You know what he likes." He kissed Brian's chin where he had bitten it.

Rolling his eyes, Brian shrugged a shoulder. "Get him a Superman coffee mug. I'm sure he'll love it," he said, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"Be serious, Brian. Not everyone thinks birthdays are a total waste of time."

"I am being serious," he defended. "And I never said that birthdays are a waste of time, only that achievement is the only thing that's worth celebrating."

"Well, some people like celebrating birthdays too and Michael is one of them. So you're going to help me pick out a gift and then we're going to the party. If for nothing else than to eat Debbie's carrot cake."

"Okay, okay, fine," Brian relented. "As long as you help me work off that cake afterwards," he finished after a beat, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Justin smiled. "Deal."

"So, what ideas did you have for this oh-so-important gift?"

"Well, he likes comic books, and he likes Captain Astro. There's this one of a kind action figure on sale at the pawn shop. The manufacture printed the logo on backwards. At the pawn shop, it's only $60."

"The logo is on backwards?" Brian neatly scoffed, but he didn't want to hurt the younger man's feelings. "Why the fuck would you want to pay sixty bucks for something that's not even in good condition?"

"Because no one else owns it. It's not as much as you paid for that first edition comic book you bought him."

"Yeah," Brian scoffed. "That comic book cost me a fucking fortune. But that was different. The pages weren't printed out of sequence or anything. This thing you're talking about... I don't know, Justin."

"Why not? It's a one of a kind. The only kind in existence. It'll be worth much more if he decides to sell it one day."

With a roll of his eyes, Brian sighed. "Fine."

Justin kissed his cheek. "Yay."

"Okay, okay. So, when are you going to get the stupid thing?"

"Tomorrow."

"Do I have to be there when you buy it?" Brian questioned before he could stop himself.

"Not if you don't want to."

"Are you going to have one of your queen-outs if I don't go with you?"

Justin scowled. "No. If you don't want to go, I'll get it myself."

"Justin..."

"What?"

"You're doing that thing again," he said. "You know, when you pretend that everything's fine, but you're either really upset or really fucking pissed at me? So, which is it, huh?"

"Neither. I know you think it's stupid and you don't even like celebrating birthdays in the first place. I'll get it tomorrow on my way from the diner. It's fine."

"Okay, then. Now that's settled."

"I'm gonna shower." Justin started to undress heading to the bathroom.

"Okay," Brian replied. He watched Justin as the younger man headed for the bathroom, unable to keep his eyes off him as he undressed. "I'm gonna get some work done," he said, making his way over to the computer.

Justin got into the shower, leaving the door to the bathroom open as usual.

Sitting down in front of the computer, Brian kept his eyes on the bedroom, listening to the shower running. He knew he'd fucked up, if only a little bit. It was only a few minutes before he sighed, standing, and making his way to the bedroom, shedding his clothes as he went.

Justin stood under the shower head, his back turned to the bathroom door. He shouldn't be mad. He knew how Brian was. But that didn't mean how Brian wasn't didn't annoy him or anger him from time to time.

Walking into the bathroom, stark naked, Brian's eyes roamed over Justin's body. He entered the shower slowly, pressing his body up against the younger man as he pressed a kiss to the back of Justin's neck. "Are you going to tell me what I did to piss you off?"

"You didn't piss me off." Justin didn't make an effort to move closer to Brian or return his affections.

"So, why are you being so distant, then?" he asked, hands going to Justin's hips as he pressed more kisses to his neck.

Justin bit his bottom lip. "Because I'm thinking of how I can keep the money for Michael's gift," he lied.

"Bullshit," Brian said, calling him out. He angled his head just slightly so he could catch a glimpse of Justin's face. "Will you stop acting like an immature brat and just tell me what the fuck I did wrong?"

Justin turned around to Brian. "Can't you just support me in something I want to do without making me feel like an idiot for wanting to do it?"

"I support you all the time," Brian defended, a slight teasing in his voice. He couldn't help himself. "If I recall, I supported you quite a bit last night. And this morning."

"I don't mean in the bed, Brian. I mean in everything else."

Brian heaved a sigh, stepping away from the younger man, putting as much space between them as the shower stall would allow. "Alright, fine. Fuck it," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "Will you just fucking tell me what I said to make you feel like that?"

"You made fun of my gift idea for Michael and then you don't even want to go get it with me."

"I didn't make fun of your gift idea. I just don't understand it." Brian ran a hand over his face, wiping away the droplets of water. "As for going with you, I didn't say I wouldn't; I just asked if you wanted me to–if I have to for any reason."