Brian smiled tightly and pinched Justin's thigh, pleased when Justin jumped and batted his hand away. Brian didn't think his polite smile was going to continue to cover up his annoyance if the new representative from Remson didn't stop mooning over the 'amazing' trip to New York City that he and his pleasant, if overly-plump, wife had just returned from.

Brian sighed and sipped his water, wondering why he hadn't tried harder to come up with a good excuse to decline. It wasn't like he had to kiss this guy's ass or anything. Remson needed Brian Kinney more than Brian Kinney needed Remson; a fact that taunted him now that he was trapped in the overly-pompous restaurant with no escape in sight.

Justin seemed to be enduring the whole affair with admirable grace. Brian had to admit that when New Rep had insisted on dinner with their respective 'partners' (with a good natured wink and nudge that was intended to give away the fact that Remson had apparently made Brian's proclivities clear), Brian hadn't been very enthusiastic.

Not that he thought Justin would embarrass him, just the opposite. No, it was just that the whole "two couples out to dinner" thing made Brian's skin crawl on principle. Especially when one of the couples was a breeder set with two kids and cheap taste in suits and wine. Brian had just known that they would mention a vacation to Disney World, and Justin would be hard-pressed not to snort.

So far, though, they hadn't said a word about Disney World, instead going on and on about The City, and The Shows, and The Empire State Building. Brian had coughed into his napkin when Justin politely asked with wide eyes that gave him away how they had enjoyed The Ellis Island.

"And we took in The Symphony, too. Didn't we sweetheart?" The overly-plump wife smiled demurely, fingering her wine glass. "It was divine."

"Oh? The New York Phil?" Justin asked. "What was playing?"

Brian was going to have to give the kid a great blow job for more than holding up their end of the conversation, and not even batting an eye when Brian had disappeared to the men's room to fuck the hot bus boy.

"Brahms Concerto for violin in D-major," New Rep announced.

Justin nodded and took a bite of his dinner, keeping his eyes averted from Brian.

"Are you familiar with it?" New Rep asked.

Brian began to reply that he was; after all, he'd made it his duty to be familiar with all forms of 'high culture', no matter how personally dull and annoying they seemed to him. But Justin answered first.

"Quite."

Brian looked over, ready to make a smart-ass comment about just when Justin became interested in anything other than techno and hip-hop, when he remembered. He hoped that his face remained blank, or at least appropriately bored. He tried to shake it off. That was the past.

"A fan of fine music, then?" New Rep asked, playfully. He'd been talking down to Justin all night, treating him like he was Brian's little wife, and it was starting to piss Brian off. From Justin's expression, it was starting to piss him off, too. "You've trained him well, Kinney."

"Don't look at me," Brian said, hoping to cut the subject short. "I had nothing to do with it. Violins sound like rutting cats."

Justin blinked at him, almost smiling, but then he spoke to New Rep instead. "No, I'm not a fan. My knowledge of the piece is just the dregs of a short-lived relationship."

"Dregs? Oh, hardly, my boy." New Rep chuckled. "I take it he was another older boyfriend? It's my experience that you young people must be trained to enjoy the finer things in life."

"I'm not as young as I look," Justin replied, before Brian could intervene. "And the person in question was a music student, quite young, and he delighted in the finer things of life." Justin's eyes flashed angrily.

Overly-Plump leaned forward and rested her hand on Justin's wrist. "Don't mind my husband. He's often out of his depth when dealing with young people. He didn't mean anything insulting."

"Of course not," New Rep agreed. "I think it's wonderful that you have someone older like Brian to guide you through life. The wisdom that comes with age is priceless and it is truly a great thing to share with someone you love."

"You make me sound ready for the fucking convalescent home," Brian said, twisting his lips into a harsh smile.

New Rep shook his head, raising his hands in a mea culpa. "Oh, no. I didn't mean to imply--"

He was interrupted by Overly-Plump who seemed to realize that her husband had gone too far, standing on the edge of a large cliff that Brian would have no problem pushing her husband off of. "So, tell us about your most recent vacation," she said, smiling too brightly.

Justin blinked at him, and Brian blinked back. A fucking nightmare the dinner was turning out to be.

After a few tense moments, Justin smiled winningly at the wife and said, "Brian went to Ibiza, recently."

Overly-Plump gasped, "Oh, my! How wonderful."

Brian glared at Justin who ignored him, nodding at Overly-Plump with a shit-eating grin. "Oh, yes. Yes, it was wonderful."

Brian pinched Justin's thigh under the table again, but Justin slapped his hand and shifted away, before continuing, "Everywhere he went there were beautiful men dressed all in white."

"Delightful!"

"And it smelled like lemon air freshener, right Brian?"

Brian felt his lips curling in a suppressed smile as he tried to glare, but the chuckles that shook him ruined the effect.

Justin leaned forward, adding cheerfully, "He even fucked a matador."

Overly-Plump opened her mouth to say something, but closed it quickly without uttering a word, seeking comfort in her glass of wine. New Rep blinked and blushed, looking everywhere but at Brian or Justin.

Brian had to hand it to Justin. He'd turned the tables neatly and spectacularly. The evening, if he dared to say so himself, had morphed into a triumph of the finest kind. Yes, that was his boy. And, yes, that was exactly why he loved him. Yes, loved him.

Justin raised his glass in an enthusiastic toast, "Olé!"

"Olé," New Rep and Overly-Plump murmured in response.

Brian reached over, grabbed the back of Justin's neck, and kissed him for all he was worth.



THE END