Away From the Sun – Prologue
It was already dark when he left his office and walked slowly down the long staircase leading to the exit. When he got outside, Justin was greeted by the fresh breeze of the September evening.
It was still warm, the summer hanging around a little longer this year, much to the delight of the residents on campus. And while it was at times quite a chore to get his students to pay attention to the lessons instead of wishing they were outside enjoying the last days of summer, Justin himself couldn’t wait until he could go outside as well.
Today, though, he forced himself to stay inside long enough to grade the first project of the year. It had already gotten dark outside by the time he was done.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Justin began making his way toward the parking lot, finally letting his mind wander back to the subject that he had tried to forget about, same one that he always thought about these days.
Brian.
If anybody had asked him to describe what it was that he and Brian were involved in, Justin could honestly say that he had no fucking idea. He could find no word in English language that could describe it and he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to. While it wasn’t an optimal arrangement, it still gave him more than he could have ever hoped for. He had Brian. Well, for the most part.
The parts where he didn’t have Brian were the times when Brian would go away on assignments. Assignments which Justin knew nothing about. He couldn’t ask any questions or even know where Brian went, since he was now on the outside.
And while the weeks, sometimes even months, of not knowing whether Brian was alright killed him inside, Justin was not ready to give up the moments the two men shared when Brian finally came back to Pittsburgh. Back to him.
Justin smiled as his thoughts paused on the last evening they spent together before Brian left for his latest trip. Ever since, for three weeks now, Justin could not look at ice cream without breaking into the silliest grin – the fact that Daphne had noticed and commented on more than once.
Being so immersed in the memories of that night, Justin was taken completely by surprise when somebody pulled him into a small alleyway between two buildings.
His breath caught in his throat from the shock and for just a split second panic rose in him. But old training and habit were back seconds later. Adrenaline filling his entire body, Justin pushed his assailant back against the wall hard and hit him in the chest with his elbow, freeing himself at once from the grip and turning around with full intent on causing the mugger more harm.
He, however, stopped immediately, his breath catching in his throat for the second time in only brief moments at the sight in front of him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, taking a shaking breath in and stepping back.
“Nice to see you too, Sunshine,” Brian snarled, his trademark smirk in place.
Justin let his eyes wander from his lover’s face to the black leather jacket worn over a black t-shirt, then down to the black jeans and boots. He felt the same thing he felt every time he saw Brian, the same fiery feeling that started just below his belly button and spread through his entire body.
“Nice reflexes, by the way,” Brian added, his smirk changing into a crooked smile, his eyes reflecting the light from a nearby street light, as he rubbed the spot on his chest where Justin hit him.
Justin, breathing finally back to normal, dropped his backpack and moved into Brian’s awaiting arms, their mouths meeting at once – just like they’ve done so many times before - every organ, every part of his body instinctively remembering Brian’s.
A few minutes later they finally broke away, gasping for air.
“When did you get back?” Justin asked, moving only far enough to be able to see the older man’s face.
“Not long ago,” Brian replied, stealing another kiss.
Justin was all but ready to give himself over to his lover as he had done so many times before, but then the one conscious thought still left in his head seemed to halt that process. Pulling away slightly, Justin met Brian’s eyes.
“What are you doing in the alley?”
Brian’s face froze for a moment and Justin felt his stomach drop. A part of him wanted to kick himself for ruining this moment. He should have just ignored the question in his mind and enjoyed the reunion. Unfortunately, things were never that easy between the two of them.
“What’s going on?” he asked, moving out of Brian’s arms and taking a step back.
He watched intently as Brian took a deep breath in and then slowly let it out, their eyes fixed on each other’s.
“I didn’t want anybody to see you with me,” Brian finally replied. “In case…”
“In case what?” Justin asked, completely aware that his voice gave away the rising panic in his chest. It was like he had been waiting for the bad news for months now and this was it. His heart was beating so loud, Justin could barely hear anything else. But he definitely heard the next thing that came out of Brian’s mouth.
“I gotta disappear for a while.”
While he realized that he wasn’t allowed to get any more information, Justin was not content with their arrangement anymore. He needed to know more.
Thankfully, Brian realized as much.
“The mission didn’t go as planned. I got made.”
Justin closed his eyes for a brief moment, trying to gain control over his feelings, but to no avail.
“So, what happens now? I mean, do you go into witness protection? A safe house?” he asked, desperate for an answer.
Brian shrugged. “Something like that.”
“Something like that?”
The brunet sighed loudly, looking away. “I’m going to Ukraine.”
Justin’s eyes widened. He couldn’t believe it. Instead of looking for safety, Brian was going on yet another mission.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” the blond exclaimed, despite realizing that any passerby could hear them.
“No, I’m not,” Brian replied in a calm voice, which only made Justin angrier. “Look,” he said, taking a step toward Justin. “This is the perfect cover. It gets me out of the country and away from any radar I might be on. This is better than any fucking witness protection or anything else the CIA might come up with.”
And even though Brian’s answer might have convinced some people, it only made Justin worry more. Whatever the mission was that Brian was going on in Ukraine, it was probably even more dangerous than the one he had just come back from. This thought brought Justin even less comfort because he wasn’t a part of the CIA anymore; he wasn’t there to make sure that Brian was ok, couldn’t protect Brian anymore.
“Hey,” Brian said, his voice dropping almost to a whisper as he ran his fingers through Justin’s hair, pausing on the back of Justin’s neck. “I’ll be fine.” He smiled. “You know me.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem,” Justin finally responded, his voice quivering. He managed a tiny smile. In the end, he had no choice. Brian had already made up his mind and nothing, not even he, could change that.
He felt Brian’s lips touch his. Letting out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding, Justin moved closer to Brian, pinning the taller man against the brick wall as he deepened the kiss.
“When do you leave?” he asked when they once again pulled apart, even though he already knew the answer.
“The plane leaves in two hours,” Brian replied, running his fingers through Justin’s hair.
Justin nodded.
Brian lowered his right hand to Justin’s chin and pushed the blond’s head up, kissing Justin one last time.
“Just another day in the office.”
Even though his entire body was screaming to not let go, Justin moved out of Brian’s embrace with a brave smile on his face. He wanted to tell Brian to be careful, to watch his back, to not go at all, but he remained silent as he watched Brian walk away from him and disappear into the darkness.
Go to Part 1