latertech | Lockup My Heart Chapter 8/8

Authors: later2nite, techgirl_on_ij
Title: Lockup My Heart
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michira_70. Thank you!
A/N: This story is now complete.

Brian left his bar stool and made his way to a relatively quiet corner of Woody’s when he read the name on his phone’s display. “Kinney.”

“Brian, it’s Carl.”

“Is Deb okay?” He glanced back to the crowded bar, ready to whisk Mikey to his mother’s side.

“She’s fine. It’s Hobbs.”

“Hobbs?!” Brian gasped. “Hold on, Carl. I can barely hear you.” His heart palpitating in his chest, he slipped outside to get better reception. “Okay, tell me.”

“He did it again. But . . . it’s worse this time. He killed an innocent kid, Brian.”

“Fucking piece of shit!” Brian’s mind immediately turned to Justin and how he’d tell him . . . what he’d tell him. Rather panicked, he prayed that he was safe in the loft, just where he’d left him. “The kid?” Brian asked solemnly. “He’s not . . . Ju- ?”

“No,” Carl sighed. “That’s not his name.”

“Please tell me you got Hobbs.”

“We did. I heard the report of a beating in progress over the radio, but by the time I pulled up onto the scene it was too late. I was too late. He’d just punched the last breath out of the poor guy. I couldn’t . . .”

Brian easily read Carl’s sorrow. “You’re sure it’s him?”

“Christopher Hobbs. Male Caucasian. Twenty-three years old.”

“Yeah, that’s him.” An eerie calm swept through the air.

“He’s on his way down to the station right now.”

Hightailing it over to his Jeep, Brian flung the door open. “I’ll meet you there,” he said emphatically, hanging up on Carl and his useless protests.

----------

“Where is he?” Pushing his way past the desk sergeant, Brian burst into Carl’s office. “Where is the fucker?”

“I can’t let you in there. You know that.”

Brian inhaled deeply, attempting to channel some self-composure. “Just . . . do everything right. Don’t fuck this up.”

One of Carl’s policemen walked past him and dropped a stack of reports on the desk. “I’m sure we can get a mug shot and fingerprint him without fucking up.”

Stifling the urge to let the simpleminded cop know just where he could shove his attitude, Brian turned back to Carl. “You book him, and then he sits in County while he waits for an arraignment?”

“That’s how it works,” Carl nodded. “He’ll be up on Murder One charges. Should be an open and shut case. Looks like we got him.”

Relief overtaking him, a glint shone in Brian’s eyes. “Take care, Carl. I have some . . . pressing business.”

----------

“Hey, you two! Wake up!” Brian and Doug entered The Licker’s cell, flipping on the lone light bulb that hung from the ceiling and stirring the inmates from sleep.

“More toilets?” The Licker groaned into his pillow, his eyes still closed.

Doug shook his cellmate and waited for him to sit up, then he took a clean plastic trash bag from his pocket and unfolded it. “Come on. Get your things. I’ve got another cell with your name on it.”

Taking the bag from Doug, the groggy guy filled it, not comprehending what was happening. Relocating away from his disagreeable cellmate wasn’t necessarily the worst thing that could happen, though, he thought, leaving without a second glance back when the guard motioned for him to follow along.

“Now then,” Brian addressed The Licker, pulling the cell’s rickety chair out of the corner and perching himself on it next to his bunk. “You and I are gonna have a little chat.”

“Found another filthy floor in some long forgotten closet that needs scrubbing?”

Brian dragged his palm across his chin. He’d had a long day, and the night was far from over. “The toilets and floors are spotless, thanks to your middle-of-the-night cleaning sprees,” he started. “I have another job for you now, and I have every confidence you’ll carry it out with the same attention to detail you’ve given all the crappers in this place.”

Skewing his face, The Licker fixated on Brian with a sidelong stare, wondering what the fuck was up. “Another job?”

“Hey, I think you’re gonna like this one. It’s got to do with your new cellmate, who’ll be gracing you with his presence as soon as he gets through Intake. We recommended that your old one be moved to a different cell as a reward for tolerating you all this time. I mean, putting up with you is no picnic, right?”

The Licker sneered, proud of his reputation.

“So we’ve freed up the bunk in here just for this new asshole. We can’t think of another individual to pair him with who can make his stay with us more wretched. I’ve seen your work,” Brian added. “It’s stellar.”

Not one to take a compliment lightly, The Licker raised one shoulder. “I try.”

Brian stood up and set the chair back in its corner. “Good. Then we see eye to eye. Unfortunately, County’s but a stopover on his long road to the big house. But let’s show him a good time while he’s on trial for murder, shall we?” Letting himself out, he locked the cell.

“Murder? You’re gonna lock me up with a murderer?” Beads of sweat broke out on the petty thief’s forehead.

“You’ll be fine,” Brian assured him through the bars on the door. “Just do what you do best . . . cause torment and misery to all who cross your path.”

----------

Thinking that Justin would be asleep, Brian quietly let himself into the loft. He and Doug had waited another two hours for Chris Hobbs to be processed, volunteering to see the new inmate to his cell the moment he stepped into his drab jailhouse uniform. Not satisfied until he’d been entrusted into The Licker’s capable hands, Brian finally convinced himself to call it a night - despite the fact that dawn was already breaking. Unwinding at last, he smiled when Justin’s head popped up from the sofa.

“Get lucky last night?” Justin grinned back at him, turning off the TV. “You didn’t come home. Tell me all about it!”

Brian reached into the fridge for a bottle of water and then sat down next to him, taking some time to gather his wits. Procrastinating while he tried to find the words to explain the night’s events, his thoughts were cut short when Justin stood up.

“You want me out of here, don’t you? I completely understand. You’re not used to having anyone live with you.” His upbeat manner didn’t fade, nor did his grin. “It’s okay. I’ll pack my things right away.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Brian’s genuine surprise stopped Justin in his tracks.

“I just thought maybe you were bored with having me here.”

“Of course, not! Can you just sit down and listen?”

Justin nodded, sinking back into the couch cushions, Brian’s demeanor tipping him off that things would somehow be different after he’d said his piece.

“I’ve been at work all night. I’d gotten a call from Carl while I was out with Mikey. He’d . . . just arrested Chris Hobbs.” Falling silent right then, he waited for Justin’s reaction.

“Arrested Chris? What’d he do?”

Weaving his arms around him, Brian wished he could shield Justin from what he was about to say. “He killed a guy.”

“He . . . killed a guy?! How . . .? Who . . .?” Horrified, Justin felt momentarily suffocated. “Who was it?” he choked out, tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

“I don’t know. Carl had never seen him before. He beat him so badly he died from blunt force trauma to the head.”

“Was he gay?” Justin took Brian’s hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Probably. It happened in an alley right off Liberty Avenue.”

“He’ll go to jail for it, right?”

“Jail’s only the beginning,” Brian said. “He’ll end up in the federal penitentiary for a very long time.”

Justin literally couldn’t speak, the shock almost too much to bear. “It could have been me,” he uttered when the ability returned.

“Don’t say that. Don’t even think it. It wasn’t you! You got your revenge, and now he’ll get his punishment for hurting you.”

Clinging together, both men grappled long and hard with their emotions, not only in regards to the unspeakable crime that had hit too close to home but in dealing with their increasing feelings for each other as well. Brian kissed the side of Justin’s head after a few minutes, fearing they’d suddenly morphed into a couple of lesbians. “You need to get naked.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to take a shower, and I expect you to be ready for me when I get out.”

“Oh.” Justin held on even tighter and poked his tongue between Brian’s lips, kissing him deeply. “You worked an extra shift for me once again,” he whispered at the end of it. “Thank you.”

----------

Brian wrapped a towel around his slender hips and padded out of the bathroom, Justin waiting for him on the bed wearing nothing but a halfhearted smile. “Don’t think about it,” he said, sitting beside him and throwing an arm around his shoulders. “You just got your life back. Don’t let him ruin it for you again.”

“He killed someone.”

Dropping the towel to the floor, Brian pulled Justin into the middle of the bed with him and arranged the sheet on top of their naked bodies. “Come here.” He rolled on top of him, kissing his mouth and combing his fingers through his hair. “Everything’ll be okay,” he hummed over and over, trying to soothe him.

Justin moaned when Brian carefully nipped at his neck, licking down his chest and over his nipples. He felt his cock start to harden and double in size as Brian opened his legs and sat between them, stroking it until it became wet.

Jerking himself a few times, Brian rolled on a condom and lubed it up, then he propped Justin’s legs on his shoulders and slid the head of his cock in, slowly rubbing him from the inside. He heard Justin’s heavy breathing when he bent forward and softly kissed him, stilling to let him adjust.

Justin wound his legs around Brian’s waist and pushed his ass into him, setting a slow rhythm. Groaning loudly, his head fell back as his long, strong fingers worked on his cock. “More! Deeper!” he cried when he tried to rock faster and Brian held him in place with a firm grip. “Yes! More!” he panted seconds later as Brian inched a bit further inside.

“Not yet.”

“Brian!” Justin begged. “I need more.”

Easing back out, Brian merely grinned when Justin hissed at him. He stroked their cocks together for a while, Justin arching his back in pleasure. Gazing down at him, Brian thought he looked beautiful with his closed eyes and red, swollen lips. “Incredible,” he muttered, gliding inside his tight ass again. Finally speeding up, his cock hit Justin’s prostate on every thrust.

“Faster! Don’t stop, Brian. Please, don’t stop!” Justin grabbed his own cock and pumped it as Brian leaned in and sloppily kissed him, both of them coming hard with their flesh fused together in one sweaty mass. “That was great,” he sighed when he caught his breath, stretching his legs off of Brian’s shoulders.

“Amazing,” Brian agreed, burying his face in Justin’s neck and breathing in his musky scent. “I guess this would be as good a time as any to let you in on a little secret. You know that vile creature known as The Licker? I think you’ll be happy to hear he’s gonna babysit Hobbs for us while he calls the county jail home. Just happened to be an empty bunk in his cell and everything! Can you believe it?”

“No!” Justin dissolved into laughter. “I’m sure you had nothing to do with it.”

“Me?” Brian feigned blamelessness, combing his fingers through Justin’s hair again. Suspecting that maybe everything really would be okay - in more ways than one - he found it difficult to stop.

----------

“I’ve talked to every one of my clients now, and only a few of them wanted out of their contracts. A couple of them couldn’t give me an answer right away, but at least they didn’t say no. I’ve got meetings lined up with a lot of them to discuss possible work projects.” Justin came up for air, excited to report such good news to Brian on their drive to Debbie and Carl’s. “I wasn’t expecting so many of them to stay with me.”

“See? I told you not to worry, didn’t I? Putting your business back together is gonna seem like child’s play compared to what you’re up against tonight,” Brian wisecracked. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you about these people!”

Justin laughed at the idea of meeting the family Brian had described as certifiable on more than one occasion during the week and a half they’d been living together. “I think it’s great that Debbie wanted to have this thing at her place,” he said. “My mom started talking about having a welcome home dinner for me when I still had a month to go on my sentence. I guess she and Debbie have become pretty close.”

“Heaven help us,” Brian deadpanned, parking in front of the house where he’d spent most of his teen years with Mikey. “Are you ready for this?” he asked, slinging an arm around Justin’s shoulders as they climbed the steps to the porch. “We can leave right after we eat if you want . . . maybe go to Babylon or Woody’s and get drunk, just the two of us.”

“Sounds fun.” Justin squeezed Brian’s hand. “We can use that as an escape plan if we need one.”

Every eye turned toward the front door when Brian let himself in, Justin still encircled snugly under his arm. Glancing around at all the new faces, Justin felt like a deer caught in the headlights until he spotted his mom.

“Hi, honey!” Jennifer rushed over and hugged him for an eternity, the phone conversations they’d had since his release nice but nowhere near as satisfying as being able to touch him once again. “I’m so happy you’re here!”

“I’m happy I’m here, too.” Justin kissed her cheek. “Thanks for doing this.”

“I hardly did a thing. Deb’s a great cook, and Daphne took care of the decorations.”

“Mom, this is Brian,” Justin said quickly, smiling up at him. “I think you two have seen each other before . . . on visiting days?”

“We have. Great to finally meet you, Brian.” She extended a friendly handshake.

“You, too, Mrs. Taylor.”

“Daphne’s told me how much you’ve done for Justin. I’m so grateful he had you to take care of him in there.” As painful as it was to consider the past six months, Jennifer couldn’t help but notice that her son had made a seemingly flawless connection with the corrections officer, Brian’s fingers alternately skimming up and down his back and playing in the hair at the nape of his neck while the three of them stood and talked.

Michael took in the scene from where he and Ben sat on the sofa, his partner asking what was wrong when he shook his head from side to side. “Oh, nothing . . . it’s just . . . look at them! Talk about soul mates!”

Ben laughed. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“Uhm, prepare for a thousand nosy questions,” Brian whispered in Justin’s ear when he saw Debbie crossing from the kitchen toward them.

“Sweetie! It’s so good to meet you!”

“Deb, you need to let go. He can’t breathe.” Brian took hold of her arm and rescued him when the crushing bear hug she’d enveloped the guest of honor in threatened to cut off the circulation to his head.

“Thanks for throwing me a dinner party, Debbie,” Justin said after the introductions had been made.

“Don’t mention it! I love to have everyone gathered together, and this is a special occasion, right?” Beaming proudly, Debbie acknowledged the people scattered around her living room and kitchen. “You’ve got to meet everyone! That’s Teddy, the sweetest man you’ll ever know,” she got the ball rolling, pointing to the guy on the couch next to Michael and Ben.

Ted waved, he and Justin exchanging pleasant smiles.

“And you already know Doug,” she continued.

“Taylor! Uh . . . I mean Justin.” Grinning from ear to ear, Doug dragged his boyfriend over. “This is Emmett.”

Justin eyed the most colorful person he’d ever seen, shaking hands with him and introducing himself .

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Emmett drawled. “It’s because of you that we met. He’s such a sweetheart,” he added, winking at Doug.

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Justin couldn’t quite bring himself to call Guard Williams by his first name. “He’s always been very kind to me, and he’s certainly gone out of his way to give Brian and me some space,” he told Emmett. “He didn’t have to do that.”

“I saw no harm in helping you guys out,” Doug said. “Six months is a long time. Oh, this might make you nostalgic for your old cell block. The last thing I heard before I left work today was Hobbs screaming at The Licker to keep his fucking tongue away from his ears and his hands out of his pants!”

Rousing laughter erupting from everyone, Brian followed Debbie into the kitchen, good old prison humor breaking the ice and instantly putting Justin at ease.

“And somehow I can’t feel bad for him,” Justin giggled. “Well, for either of them. They deserve each other,” he added, Carl walking up right then and introducing himself. “Thanks for arresting Hobbs,” he told him in all seriousness.

“I was just doing my job.”

“Of course,” Justin said a little stiffly, never so happy to hug Daphne as he was when she appeared by his side at that very moment. “I don’t want you to worry,” he told her. “I’m gonna make double rent payments to you until I repay every cent of what you got stuck with while I was in there.”

Daphne kissed his forehead. “It seemed as if you wanted to run away from Carl,” she whispered, carting him off by the arm. “Let’s go talk to Michael and Ben.”

“Brian said he’s okay, but I had no idea how to talk to him. That was just weird.”

“He’s really nice when you get to know him.”

“It’s so strange that you know all these people because I was in jail.”

“I told you something good might come out of what you did!” Daphne squeezed Justin’s arm as she introduced him to Deb’s son and his partner.

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Ben said.

“Brian’s talked about me?”

“No. Daphne has.”

Justin blushed. “How did I not see that one coming?”

“Hey,” Michael smiled at him. “Brian’s here, and it doesn’t look like he wishes he were anywhere else. That’s kind of a big deal.”

“It is?”

“It is,” he and Ben assured him.

Looking on as Justin got to know their family, Debbie and Brian thought he fit right in. “He’s cute!” Deb declared, bending to check a casserole dish in the oven.

“Cute?” Brian wrinkled his nose. “He’s not five.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-three. You think he’s too young for me?” Brian asked when she’d grown contemplative.

“No. Actually, I think you two look great together. Does he make you happy?” Debbie smiled when Brian shrugged and left her in the kitchen. Knowing a shrug was far from a ‘no,’ she wanted nothing more than for her other son to finally find contentment.

Justin’s eyes lit up as Brian came toward him. Rising from the sofa, he made a beeline for his arms and stayed there while Brian lifted his chin, tilting his head up to kiss him deeply. He only took a step backward when Brian’s fingers worked their way under his shirt and lightly stroked his stomach before creeping around his hips, the ensuing silence in the house droning in his ears.

“Come back.” Brian hauled him in again. “Maybe they’ll go away if we ignore them,” he muttered against Justin’s mouth, grinning when he felt him nod. Inching them into a corner, he wasn’t about to let go. “They’re not used to . . . I haven’t . . . uhm . . .”

“They’re not used to seeing you with anyone?”

Brian gave an affirmative grunt and kissed him again, Justin starting to laugh and angling to get away as his body began to respond.

“Okay, you guys,” Mikey intervened just in time. “Dinner’s ready.”

“I miss you so much at the apartment,” Daphne said to Justin as everyone took a seat at the table, her best friend placing himself comfortably between she and Brian. Leaning close to his ear, she spied Brian’s hand resting on his thigh. “But I’ll understand if you don’t want to come home,” she whispered, “since you’ve found the world’s hottest guy . . . who’s apparently crazy about you.”

Justin hit her on the arm. “I’ll move back soon. I just needed some time to recover.”

“You needed some time to get laid.”

Brian had to laugh, overhearing the banter. “I can see why you like her,” he told Justin, who merely smiled at both of them.

Thanking Debbie again at the end of the meal, Justin excused himself and headed out back for some fresh air, Brian close behind.

“Hey!” he called after throwing on his jacket and taking a couple of long strides to catch up. Feeling around in his pockets, he came up empty, planting himself on the back steps next to Justin. “I gotta ask Doug if I can bum a smoke. He keeps cartons in the trunk of his car, you know. Does a thriving business with the inmates.”

“I’ve seen it. Your friends and family are really nice!”

“I know.”

“Emmett and Williams are adorable together.”

“According to Doug, Emmett’s great in bed.”

“Gross!” Justin laughed. “No one seems to mind that you’re dating an ex-con.”

“We’re not . . . you’re not . . .” Brian glared at Justin’s amused expression. “Shut up!”

“Well, I am one.”

“They all know why you were in jail, and they think you’re really brave.”

“Yeah, they told me. I’m happy they don’t have a problem with it.”

“Are you cold?” Pulling him close, Brian kissed his lips.

“No. Not at all.” Justin grinned as Brian ignored him and shed his jacket, draping it over his shoulders. “I talked to Daphne about going home.” Growing quiet for a bit, he continued when Brian kept mum. “I’ll pack my stuff tomorrow. The few days we talked about me staying with you have turned into more than a week now, and I’m sure you can’t wait to have the loft to yourself again.”

“No need to hurry,” Brian mumbled, his mouth on Justin’s head. Wrapping his arms around him, he held him tightly.

Drawing a deep breath, Justin’s need to know was stronger than his fear of pushing Brian away. “So . . . you want me around?”

“For a long time.”

“Let’s take it slowly, okay?” Justin visibly relaxed, everything falling into place.

“That sounds perfect.”

THE END

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Lockup My Heart Chapter 8/8

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