nanowrenlet (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nanowrenlet) wrote2003-11-10 11:54 pm
nanowrenlet) wrote2003-11-10 11:54 pm
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Well, this was going to be difficult. Not as difficult as it could have been, Liberty Avenue didn't pull the crowds on a Wednesday night the way it did on the weekends, but considering that the address on the Post-It was actually -between- buildings he suspected he had his work cut out for him.
Justin leaned against the wall across the street from his target address and pulled out a cigarette. He was early, of course, there were few things he hated more than getting to his appointments late, and he took the opportunity to scope out the area. Okay, and the -men- in the area, he could be honest with himself about that, and he could also acknowledge that he was getting scoped out occasionally in turn. Justin didn't get hit on nearly as much as he had while he was alive, but he could still find a willing trick when he got the urge, and he had. Several times, in fact.
It was funny in a way, the reaping had become such a part of who he was now that he compulsively asked people their names, even his tricks. Kevin, Murray, Chad, Jacob... he chuckled. It was like Justin had become the anti-Brian, fucking a guy who was arguably the closest friend he had and always remembering his tricks' names. Weird, how life worked.
Justin spotted a couple of guys heading into the alley across from him, and checked his watch. Ten minutes. That was more than enough time for a blow, so maybe one of them was his appointment. He tossed his cigarette down and crushed it out, checked the traffic, and crossed the street.
He peered down the alleyway, and was somewhat surprised to see the taller man down on his knees. Not -too- surprised, Brian had always told him that sometimes the biggest men were really the biggest bottom-boys, but still. Ordinarily he might've watched, but on the off chance one of the men didn't have much longer to live he opted to let them have what privacy they could.
Man, the short guy was loud. And the big guy... was named Hank. Bingo.
Hank Lafferty stood next to Justin and watched the crowd gather around his body. As far as deaths went, he could have pulled worse than 'squished by runaway dumpster' but it wasn't anything to write home about.
"Man, this bites. I was headed down to Babylon, too."
Justin nodded understandingly. "Do a little dancing, get a little back room action...."
Hank shuddered. "Not these days, man, Kinney creeps me out too much."
Justin craned his neck and stared up at the other man. "You know Brian?"
"Yeah..." Hank hedged a little, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I kinda know him, why? Do you?"
"I..." Justin trailed off and chewed his lip, realizing that he didn't really know what to say.
Hank studied him like he almost recognized who Justin was. "You do, don't you."
Justin took a deep breath and met Hank's questioning eyes. "I used to know Brian, really well. I hear he's... kind of in trouble. Can you tell me anything about him?"
Hank nodded, slowly. "I sure can. You'll wanna sit down, though, it's a long story."
The park wasn't far and it was a nice enough night... hell, it could have been sleeting and thirty below and Justin wouldn't have missed this conversation. He needed to -know- what was going on with Brian, and here a guy who could tell him had practically fallen into his lap. Rube could kiss Justin's ass if he didn't like it.
Hank stretched his long legs out in front of him, and didn't seem to care when they sometimes got walked through. "Well, first off, everybody knows Brian, right? He's like, the toppest of the top, a legendary fuck, and everybody wants a piece of him."
Justin nodded. He knew Brian's reputation almost better than anyone.
"So that thing happens, with that kid," Hank's eyes sort of slid towards Justin, but he didn't stop talking, "and Brian locks himself in that loft he has and no one sees him for days. Which is completely unlike him, you should've heard about the fuckfest he had when his dad died."
Justin had heard. He nodded again, so Hank would continue.
"Well I'd run into him at the baths a while back. He liked the look of me but he was occupied at the time, you know? So I gave him my number and didn't think anything about it. Then about a day after that kid's funeral my phone rings."
"It was Brian?"
"Yeah. Only man, I hardly knew it was him, he sounded so off. I show up and the place is totally dark, just those blue lights he's got over the bed, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"And I mean, -totally- dark, he's got those huge windows hung with God knows what, you can't see the sky or the buildings or anything. It's just all dim and blue. And he was -gone-. I've been fucked by guys so high they didn't know their own names, but Brian... Christ." Hank shook his head.
"So... he was really stoned?"
"Yeah. And no. He just wasn't fucking -there-. I thought he was asleep when I left, but I looked back and his eyes were open but he just... lay there. I've talked to a couple other guys since then who went over after, and they said the same thing, he's shitfaced from the second he hits that door until he leaves again in the morning. It's like...."
He wasn't sure that he wanted to hear the rest, but he knew he -needed- to. "Like what?"
Hank shifted, sat up straight on the bench and turned to face Justin. "It's like he dies, every night. He fucks you while he's dead, and then his corpse gets up and goes through the motions all day."
Justin could feel the color drain away from his face. "Fuck."
"Yeah. Anyway, it wasn't long before guys stopped answering when he called, didn't want to come over. Too creepy. Then that friend of his, Michael, starts making him get out of the loft and go places, which is... I guess it's better for him, and guys sure line up to suck his dick, but I dunno. He moves and breathes like he's alive, but he still hurts to look at."
"No one's said anything." Justin's voice sounded faint, even to himself. "I've been asking around, why wouldn't anyone tell me this?"
"Kid," and Hank had started to look like maybe he knew who Justin was, and he was sorry for it. "If I wasn't dead, I wouldn't be telling you either. Fags can be real bitches sometimes, but even we know when a man is too far down for kicking. I'm just thinking maybe you can see to it that he doesn't end up on your list like me."
Justin was clutching the seat of the bench so hard that his knuckles had gone white. He answered, more clearly than he thought he had any right to, "I'll do what I can, Hank."
Hank nodded.
"You ready to move on?"
"If you're ready to take me."
"I am." Justin sucked in a long breath and peeled his fingers loose, knuckles crackling. "And Hank... thanks."
"No problem, kid. You take care."
[1230/3019/20168]
Justin leaned against the wall across the street from his target address and pulled out a cigarette. He was early, of course, there were few things he hated more than getting to his appointments late, and he took the opportunity to scope out the area. Okay, and the -men- in the area, he could be honest with himself about that, and he could also acknowledge that he was getting scoped out occasionally in turn. Justin didn't get hit on nearly as much as he had while he was alive, but he could still find a willing trick when he got the urge, and he had. Several times, in fact.
It was funny in a way, the reaping had become such a part of who he was now that he compulsively asked people their names, even his tricks. Kevin, Murray, Chad, Jacob... he chuckled. It was like Justin had become the anti-Brian, fucking a guy who was arguably the closest friend he had and always remembering his tricks' names. Weird, how life worked.
Justin spotted a couple of guys heading into the alley across from him, and checked his watch. Ten minutes. That was more than enough time for a blow, so maybe one of them was his appointment. He tossed his cigarette down and crushed it out, checked the traffic, and crossed the street.
He peered down the alleyway, and was somewhat surprised to see the taller man down on his knees. Not -too- surprised, Brian had always told him that sometimes the biggest men were really the biggest bottom-boys, but still. Ordinarily he might've watched, but on the off chance one of the men didn't have much longer to live he opted to let them have what privacy they could.
Man, the short guy was loud. And the big guy... was named Hank. Bingo.
Hank Lafferty stood next to Justin and watched the crowd gather around his body. As far as deaths went, he could have pulled worse than 'squished by runaway dumpster' but it wasn't anything to write home about.
"Man, this bites. I was headed down to Babylon, too."
Justin nodded understandingly. "Do a little dancing, get a little back room action...."
Hank shuddered. "Not these days, man, Kinney creeps me out too much."
Justin craned his neck and stared up at the other man. "You know Brian?"
"Yeah..." Hank hedged a little, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I kinda know him, why? Do you?"
"I..." Justin trailed off and chewed his lip, realizing that he didn't really know what to say.
Hank studied him like he almost recognized who Justin was. "You do, don't you."
Justin took a deep breath and met Hank's questioning eyes. "I used to know Brian, really well. I hear he's... kind of in trouble. Can you tell me anything about him?"
Hank nodded, slowly. "I sure can. You'll wanna sit down, though, it's a long story."
The park wasn't far and it was a nice enough night... hell, it could have been sleeting and thirty below and Justin wouldn't have missed this conversation. He needed to -know- what was going on with Brian, and here a guy who could tell him had practically fallen into his lap. Rube could kiss Justin's ass if he didn't like it.
Hank stretched his long legs out in front of him, and didn't seem to care when they sometimes got walked through. "Well, first off, everybody knows Brian, right? He's like, the toppest of the top, a legendary fuck, and everybody wants a piece of him."
Justin nodded. He knew Brian's reputation almost better than anyone.
"So that thing happens, with that kid," Hank's eyes sort of slid towards Justin, but he didn't stop talking, "and Brian locks himself in that loft he has and no one sees him for days. Which is completely unlike him, you should've heard about the fuckfest he had when his dad died."
Justin had heard. He nodded again, so Hank would continue.
"Well I'd run into him at the baths a while back. He liked the look of me but he was occupied at the time, you know? So I gave him my number and didn't think anything about it. Then about a day after that kid's funeral my phone rings."
"It was Brian?"
"Yeah. Only man, I hardly knew it was him, he sounded so off. I show up and the place is totally dark, just those blue lights he's got over the bed, you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"And I mean, -totally- dark, he's got those huge windows hung with God knows what, you can't see the sky or the buildings or anything. It's just all dim and blue. And he was -gone-. I've been fucked by guys so high they didn't know their own names, but Brian... Christ." Hank shook his head.
"So... he was really stoned?"
"Yeah. And no. He just wasn't fucking -there-. I thought he was asleep when I left, but I looked back and his eyes were open but he just... lay there. I've talked to a couple other guys since then who went over after, and they said the same thing, he's shitfaced from the second he hits that door until he leaves again in the morning. It's like...."
He wasn't sure that he wanted to hear the rest, but he knew he -needed- to. "Like what?"
Hank shifted, sat up straight on the bench and turned to face Justin. "It's like he dies, every night. He fucks you while he's dead, and then his corpse gets up and goes through the motions all day."
Justin could feel the color drain away from his face. "Fuck."
"Yeah. Anyway, it wasn't long before guys stopped answering when he called, didn't want to come over. Too creepy. Then that friend of his, Michael, starts making him get out of the loft and go places, which is... I guess it's better for him, and guys sure line up to suck his dick, but I dunno. He moves and breathes like he's alive, but he still hurts to look at."
"No one's said anything." Justin's voice sounded faint, even to himself. "I've been asking around, why wouldn't anyone tell me this?"
"Kid," and Hank had started to look like maybe he knew who Justin was, and he was sorry for it. "If I wasn't dead, I wouldn't be telling you either. Fags can be real bitches sometimes, but even we know when a man is too far down for kicking. I'm just thinking maybe you can see to it that he doesn't end up on your list like me."
Justin was clutching the seat of the bench so hard that his knuckles had gone white. He answered, more clearly than he thought he had any right to, "I'll do what I can, Hank."
Hank nodded.
"You ready to move on?"
"If you're ready to take me."
"I am." Justin sucked in a long breath and peeled his fingers loose, knuckles crackling. "And Hank... thanks."
"No problem, kid. You take care."
[1230/3019/20168]
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::facedown on bed crying::
Oh and thank you for posting, now I can sleep.
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This just keeps getting better and better. I love the solid grounding you've given it, the little details and the supporting cast that are three-dimensional in themselves and still feel like stand-ins for those Justin left behind. It's limbo, and it aches just the way it should.
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*pets* It sure did. But, he does need to know, so... *sigh*
And thanks :) At this stage I'm just plugging along as best I can and it's hard to know how much of what I'm throwing out there "sticks," so this is great to hear.
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He really does, and at least he didn't have to learn it by pulling an assignment for one of the gang. Yet. ::has premonition and can't decide if it would be good or bad::
And thanks :) At this stage I'm just plugging along as best I can and it's hard to know how much of what I'm throwing out there "sticks," so this is great to hear.
It's all sticking for me. *G* Seriously, I don't know DLM outside of the story, but you've written a solid altworld that allows Justin to maintain his "Justin-ness" even as events impact him realistically. That's the kind of AR I love.
Herbig, as in her big brown eyes
Re: Herbig, as in her big brown eyes
Re: Herbig, as in her big brown eyes
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(squished by runaway dumpster! hee.)
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(Some of the deaths they show in DLM are pretty wacky. I'm not so good with the wacky but I try :)
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THIS IS ME NOT COPING.
DJYFMG,LJLJ;
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Poor heartbroken Brian