“Someone looks like he got some,” Xander teased the blond teen, whose smile got even larger than usual. “I don’t think I even have to ask if you had a good night.”
“No you don’t,” Justin said.” Just like I’m sure I don’t have to ask you if you enjoyed your evening either.”
“Bloody right he had a good night,” Spike stated, leaning over and kissing his lover. It was a kiss full of love and passion and want and had almost every man in the diner panting. And Spike knew it. Unlike Xander, who had no idea of how beautiful he was, Spike hadn’t missed the looks he and the brunet had gotten ever since they had stepped into the diner and Spike wanted them all to know that Xander was his.
“Fuck, if you two are planning on doing that it public, you might want to think about charging,” Debbie joked, coming up behind the two men. Spike’s grin got even larger when he saw his lover blush. He loved that with everything else that Xander had seen and had been through in his life, he still had that innocence about him. “And I thought Sunshine and Brian were bad.”
“Talking about me again, Deb,” Brian said, joining the group. “I swear I could feel my ears burning.” Brian moved closer to the counter, getting between Spike and the man next to him. He leaned over the counter and he kissed Justin. “So who do I have to fuck to get a cup of coffee in this place?”
“Luckily for you, that would be me,” Justin quipped, going to get his lover his coffee. While he was at the pot, he held it ask in question to Xander and Spike if they wanted some. Both nodded their heads. While they were waiting for the coffee, Debbie went to pick up food for one of her tables and Brian took the time to look over the two men that had just been the focus of so much attention. It took him a minute, since it had been a few years since he had seen him, but Brian finally recognized Xander.
“I’ll be damned,” he drawled. “My Alexander, you’ve certainly grown since the last time I’ve seen you. Debbie said you were coming for a visit, although she seemed to have neglected to mention the fact that you were bringing a friend.”
“That would be because I didn’t tell her,” Xander said. “I decided to surprise her. I didn’t want to have to deal with all her questions over the phone. Better to get them in person.”
“Especially when you knew I’d be the one she was bloody well asking all the questions, eh whelp?” Spike asked, knowing exactly how his lover thought.
“Now, Spike, would I do something like that?” Xander asked, trying to look innocent but knowing he wasn’t pulling it off. “I just didn’t want to deal with Debbie’ giving me the third degree after all the shit that Giles and Buffy put me through when they found out about us.” Spike growled when he thought about his love’s supposed friends and the way that they treated Xander after they had caught him and Spike kissing in the basement of the Magic Box. The two made him feel as if he had created a major crime by falling in love with the blond vampire. It made Xander afraid of what Willow’s reaction would be when she found out. Luckily for him, the red headed witch was out of contact with the group with Sunnydale, having gone to LA to help Angel with something that required her witchy skills. Xander wasn’t sure what the vampire had his best friend doing, but he was glad that for now, he could still think of her as a friend.
“Still don’t know why you won’t let me kill Slutty and the Watcher,” Spike grumbled, wanting nothing more than to punish the people responsible for hurting his lover.
“You know why and we aren’t getting into that again,” Xander said, doing his best to ignore the two men listening in on their conversation. Brian, for his part, could tell that whatever was going on was something that he and Justin were familiar with. Both of them had experience with losing people who couldn’t accept them for who they were.
“Justin, you’ve got food up,” Debbie shouted, drawing the blond teen’s attention from whatever was happening between Spike and Xander. He left the two men with Brian, who watched as Spiked gently kissed his lover.
“I take it you’re friends don’t approve of your relationship?” Brian said when the two men finally pulled apart.
“You could say that,” Xander answered. “Although I don’t think it was the gay thing so much as the being involved with Spike thing. Buffy and Giles don’t like the idea of the two of us together.”
“Now what did I tell you about what you should do about other people’s opinions,” the brunet asked.
“You told me to tell them to fuck off,” Xander smiled, remembering the advice he had been given. “And that’s exactly what I told them, if not in those exact words.”
“And I was never prouder of you, whelp,” Spike said. The blond vampire groaned as he saw someone enter the diner. “Bloody hell, looks like your loving cousin has arrived, Pet.”
“Hey, Brian, the guys should be here in a minute,” Michael greeted his friend, giving the other man a kiss on the lips. Spike could tell it was a casual greeting, one between best friends, even though he could also see the look of desire in Michael’s eyes. “Did you manage to get us a booth yet?”
“There wasn’t one open,” Brian told him.
“Well, I’ll grab us one now,” Michael volunteered, the diner having become significantly emptier in the time that Brian had arrived.
“I’m not staying, Mikey,” Brian stated, downing the last of his coffee.”
“But Brian, I thought we were going to have breakfast,” Michael whined, causing everyone to cringe, including Justin who had rejoined the group. “I’ve barely seen you since I’ve gotten back.”
“You know how it is, Mikey. Things to see and people to do.” Brian looked over at Xander and Spike. “You two coming?”
“I don’t see why not, mate,” Spike said, wanting to get to know the other man. After hearing how Brian had helped Xander when his lover was younger, Spike knew that Brian was someone he would get along with.
“Sure, maybe you can catch me up on the gossip,” Xander agreed. Brian nodded, leaning over to give Justin another kiss.
“What time does your shift end?”
“Three. Pick me up?”
“Maybe,” Brian answered in a way that Justin knew was really his way of saying he would be there.
“Brian, what about breakfast?” Michael continued to complain, not willing to believe his friend was really going to leave. “Ted and Emmett are going to be here any minute.”
“Another time, Mikey. How about Babylon tonight?” Michael could tell that he was not going to convince Brian to change his mind and got angry. He had moved back to Pittsburgh, leaving behind his lover, because he had missed the brunet too much and had realized that he would never be happy away from his best friend. He had been in love with Brian for too many years to be able to live somewhere so far away from him, even if it was with a man that loved him the way David Cameron did. Michael had hoped that he and Brian could just pick up where they had left off, maybe become even closer now that David was out of the picture, but Brian was quick to make it clear that some things had changed. One of the biggest changes, much to Michael’s disappointment, was the fact that Justin was now living with Brian.
Michael knew that it was Justin’s mother’s idea for Brian to take in her son. Justin’s inability to be in crowds or fear of anyone touching him other than Brian, making it obvious that Brian was the best one to help the blond. Michael also believed that the main reason that Brian allowed Justin to live with him again was the guilt that his friend was feeling over Brian being attacked at his senior prom. He understood that and was willing to give Brian kudos for helping the teen but, in Michael’s mind, now that Justin was okay and, his being back to work proved that to him, Michael believed it was time for Justin to either move back into either Jennifer Taylor’s home or his old room at Debbie’s. Michael thought it was time for Justin to allow Brian to get back to his own life.
‘And now my damn cousin had to come into town and ruin that,’ Michael thought. ‘Xander is just like Justin. Always acting like a little puppy, chasing Brian down for any attention he’s willing to give him. And he’s decided to bring that Spike guy and I know Brian. Since he doesn’t believe in relationships, I know he’s going to try and fuck one if not both of them. Maybe even get Justin involved. Fuck. Between the two of them, I’ll never get to see Brian. They’ll make sure of that. I can’t have that. There’s got to be something I can do to get Brian away from them.’
Just as he thought that, Michael remembered something that one of his fellow co-workers at the Q-Mart had told him. She said that she had read something about some form of black magick that called a vengeance demon. ‘Demons and magick are bullshit,’ Michael admitted to himself, ‘but she swore that it worked. That she had tried it and wished that he ex-boyfriend would go impotent and he had. Maybe it could work for me. Maybe if I can find this demon I can make it so that Justin never entered Brian’s life.’ And with that thought, Michael smiled to himself, thinking of what his life would be like if Justin had never entered it that fateful night and wondering how he could contact that vengeance demon that he had heard about. A demon by the name of Anyanka.