Eye of the Beholder

Part 1


 

Prologue

It was a little after noon. Brian was at school and Jack was at work. Claire had been married and gone for almost six months and Joan had nothing to do but sit around the house all day. She decided that she needed to clean and decided to start in Brian's room. She wasn't sure what drew her to start in her son's room, but she felt it was in desperate need of cleaning. His room was actually immaculate, especially for that of a teenage boy. She started looking around his room doing more snooping than cleaning.

Before long she came across some magazines hidden under his bed. She thought, at first, that they were like the magazines any other boy hid under his bed. Pictures of half naked women, sometimes even naked women, adorning each page. Her eyes grew wide as she looked through and saw not women, but men. She thought perhaps it was a mistake, but every magazine was filled with pictures of naked men.

She was heading out the door to throw them away when Jack came into the house. He had never come home before six in all the time they had been married and there he was, standing in the doorway at now half past one. She froze, the magazines in her hand. He walked over and looked at them.

"What's this?" He asked angrily, taking one from her hand and looking through it.

"Nothing." She said.

"This yours?" He asked. His eyes bored into her and she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Claire's stash?" The man asked, once again Joan shook her head. "Well, they sure as hell ain't mine!" Jack yelled.

"They're Brian's." She said softly.

"What?"

"I said, they're Brian's."

"What would he be doing with these?"

"I don't know." Joan said honestly. Jack took the magazines from his wife and stormed upstairs. It was two hours later when Brian came in the door. He threw his backpack down in the hall as he usually did, then started to head up the stairs to his room. When he got to the door of his room he stopped in his tracks. There was his dad, sitting on his bed, his stash beside him. Brian's heart began to pound.

"Your mother tells me these are yours." Jack said ominously. There was no mistaking the anger in his tone. Brian swallowed hard.

"Yeah." Was all he could manage.

"What the fuck are you doing with this kind of magazine?" Jack roared as he stood up. Brian stood his ground, though he said nothing. "Huh? What are you doing with pictures of naked men? Are you some kind of fucking fairy?" Brian had finally had enough. He already admitted that the magazines were his; there was no point in denying it now. At least this way he could stop hiding who he was around his family.

"Yes!" He replied louder than originally planned. Jack's eyes went wide as he looked at his son.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'm a fucking fairy. I'm a faggot, a fudge packer, a cock sucker. I love dick. I love to get fucked by dick. I love sucking dick. And I am fucking good at it too!" Brian was yelling now. He smirked at the pale, shocked look on his father's face.

"No son of mine is a fucking fairy." Jack insisted.

"Then I guess I'm not your son because I’m gay, dad. Face it. Jack Kinney's only son is a fucking faggot!" Jack made his way over to Brian, pushing him out of the way. Brian hit the opposite wall of the hall, coughing slightly at the force of the impact. Jack stalked down the stairs and headed out into the garage. Joan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he would be gone for a while.

As Jack looked around the garage, he saw what he was looking for. There was no way he was going to have a faggot son, he'd make sure of that. He grabbed the object of his desire and made sure it was ready.

"Sonny boy, get your ass in here!" Jack called from the garage door. He then moved a few feet away from the door and off to the side. Brian would not be able to see him until it was too late. Before long, Brian appeared in the doorway, looking around. Just as he turned his gaze on his father, the man decided to strike. Jack let loose, throwing the contents of the bucket onto his son. He had been in the process of changing the oil in the car.

Brian was surprised enough that he didn’t have time to close his eyes before getting hit full in the face with the thick black liquid. He screamed as it burned his eyes and tripped on the steps leading down into the garage. He tried in vein to wipe the fluid from his eyes. Jack then came over and started kicking Brian. Jack kicked his son anywhere he could find an opening. After a while, Brian stopped struggling. Jack moved over and grabbed the gas can and started pouring the liquid over his son, soaking his clothes.

Joan heard the screaming from the living room and went to investigate. She got to the garage door just as Jack was getting ready to light a match. She wasn't sure what was going on until she saw Brian lying on the ground, soaking wet. The smell of gasoline was unmistakable. Joan's eyes went very wide as she realized what her husband was about to do. She ran full tilt into the man, tackling him backwards. Never in her life had she ever done anything to defy her husband, but she refused to let him kill her son. As they fell backwards, Jack hit his head on the fender of the car and was rendered unconscious, leaving a huge dent in the car. Joan managed to get up and run inside, calling the police and an ambulance.

Jack was just starting to wake up as the police arrived. They took him into custody. Since Brian was seventeen years old, they were able to charge Jack with something other than child abuse, making the charge attempted murder. Brain was loaded into the ambulance and hauled off. Joan followed in her car.

It seemed like she had been in the waiting room for hours. She continued to ask about her son but no one would tell her anything. All she knew was that he was not on the top of the priority list. They had removed his gasoline soaked clothing, but that was it. She was growing angrier as the time went by. Finally, she went to the nurse's station.

"Excuse me."

"Yes ma'am." The nurse said.

"I've been here for almost four hours and I have yet to hear anything about my son. Can you please page someone or something?" The nurse started to look through the files on her desk, an impatient expression adorning her face. She looked back at Joan.

"The doctor will be with you shortly. If you'll just have a seat."

"I will not have a seat. I was told the doctor would be with me shortly three hours ago. I want to know what is going on with my son!"

"Are you Mrs. Kinney?" A voice came from her left side. She turned and saw a relatively young man in a white lab coat. She could only assume he was the doctor.

"Yes, I am."

"I'm Dr. O'Reilly."

"How is my son?" Joan asked. The doctor nodded and looked at the chart.

"Were you aware that some of the fluid got into his eyes?" He looked back up at Joan and she shook her head.

"Is that a problem?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so. It appears that the chemical that got into his eyes caused some serious damage." The doctor said. Her face went pale at hearing that.

"What kind of damage?"

"I'm afraid your son is now blind."

"Is there anything you can do?" The doctor shook his head and sighed.

"Unfortunately, the condition is permanent." Joan simply nodded and the doctor walked off. She wandered around the hospital until she found the little chapel. She walked in and took a seat on one of the pews. After a few minutes, she knelt and put her clasped hands on the back of the pew in front of her, resting her forehead on her hands. Before long, tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"This is all my fault." She said between sobs. The guilt that spread through her was overwhelming. If she had just stayed out of her son's room, none of this would have happened.
 

*****
 

Brian walked into the building, accompanied by his Seeing Eye dog, Topper. The security guard in the lobby was about to say something, but then noticed the harness on the dog and the sunglasses Brian was wearing and stayed quiet about the dog.

"Can I help you?" He asked. It was then that Brian turned his attention to the general direction of the front desk. He had his portfolio slung over his shoulder and was wearing a very nice suit.

"Yes, I'm here to see Mr. Ryder." Topper started to move toward the front desk, Brian moving along behind him.

"He's on the tenth floor. Do you need help getting up there?" Brian thought about making a snide remark, then thought better of it. He might be seeing this man on a regular basis and needed to be on good terms with him.

"Yes, please." Brian smiled. The security guard headed over to the bank of elevators and Topper followed him. The security guard pushed the button and an elevator soon appeared. Once Brian and Topper were inside, he reached in and pushed the button for the tenth floor.

"There's two seconds between floors so make sure you get to twenty before you get off."

"Thanks."

"No problem." The security guard moved out of the way and soon the elevator was on its way up. Brian counted slowly to twenty, then heard the door come open. Topper started to walk out and Brian followed. Soon, Topper stopped in front of the receptionist.

"Can I help you, sir?" The young woman asked. She was wearing so much perfume that Brian was starting to get a headache.

"I'm here to see Mr. Ryder." Brian once again tried to remain civil.

"And you are?"

"Brian Kinney." There was a pause and he knew that she had to be at least slightly thrown off. He hid the smirk that threatened to appear.

"Oh, yes. Mr. Kinney. Um.....just a moment." Brian heard as she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Mr. Kinney is here. Yes, of course." She hung up the phone. "You can go on in."

"Um.......where is his office?" Brian tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Oh, yes, of course. Um......just a moment." Brian heard her get up and walk off, after a few minutes Brian caught the scent of cologne. He smiled; it was a wonderful cologne that he had always loved.

"Mr. Kinney, if you could follow me, please." The young man said. Brian smiled and nodded and Topper started to follow the man. They walked for a few minutes before Brian was introduced to yet another secretary.

"Angela, this is Mr. Kinney." The young man said.

"Oh....uh....thanks, John." Angela said. She had a soft voice and wore an intoxicating perfume in just the right amount. If Brian were straight he'd actually be attracted. Brian heard her pick up the phone and talk into it softly, though he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. The young man walked off and Brian was instructed to take a seat. Topper led him over to the chairs and Brian took a seat. Angela got up and went to the office door. She knocked softly, then went in.

"Brian Kinney is here to see you." She said. Ryder looked up at her, then nodded.

"Send him in." He then looked back at the files on his desk. Angela went out and showed Brian in. Marty Ryder was expecting a young, brilliant man who was pretty much fresh out of college. What he was not excepting was a blind man. He tried to keep the shock out of his tone as he spoke.

"So....Brian, is it?"

"Yes, sir." Brian said as he came over and took a seat across from Marty. Topper obediently lay at his feet. Brian took his portfolio and handed it across to Mr. Ryder. Marty took the portfolio and started looking through it. He was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

"This is really quite good." Ryder said and Brian smiled.

"Thank you." Brian said modestly. He was good and he knew it, but there was no point in being arrogant yet.

"There is something I have to ask you, and I hope you don't get offended."

"How can a blind man work in advertising?" Brian asked for him.

"Um.....yes."

"I have people that help with the visual stuff. The ideas are all in here," He touched his temple. "I just need help making them into a proposal. I tell the people what I want and they make it happen. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but as you can see, it does work."

"So.....do you have a specific staff that you would need hired along with you?"

"Not necessarily. I do have a couple of people that have worked with me before and it would be easy for them to work with me again, but it's not required." Ryder nodded as he looked through the portfolio again.

"What are their names?"

"The people that have worked with me?"

"Yes."

"Cynthia Monroe and Thomas Jacobson."

"Are they available to start when you start?" Brian was a little thrown at that question. So far every company he had talked to had turned him down. He wasn't really expecting to get himself hired, let alone his friends with him.

"Um......as far as I know. I'll have to double check."

"You do that. If they can start Monday, you're all hired. I like what I see here, Brian. This is great work. I think you can go far in this business regardless of your disability. But.....I do have one more question?"

"Okay."

"Have you always been blind?" Brian shook his head.

"Happened when I was seventeen."

"That would explain how you can tell them what you want."

"Yes. I can still remember what colors looked like, things like that."

"Well......I'm looking forward to working with you." Brian heard the chair move as the man stood. He stood as well and held out his hand. Ryder took it and shook it.

"I really appreciate this chance, sir. Most people aren't willing to work with me."

"Well, like I said. I like what I see. You've got some great ideas. I'm willing to give you a chance to prove yourself."

"You won't regret it, sir. I promise." Brian smiled. Topper stood and Brian took hold of the harness, gathering his portfolio before leaving the office, and then the building. When he got back to the apartment, Cynthia was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Guess what?" Brian said as he came in. He put his portfolio down on the floor near the door and knelt down, taking the harness off of Topper. The dog licked his face, then went into the kitchen to get some water.

"What?" Cynthia asked as Brian joined her on the couch. "Did you get the job?"

"We got the job." Brian said with a smile.

"You mean.......he wants to hire me and Tommy too?" She asked. Brian nodded.

"I told him you guys have been helping me and he wants people that know how to work with me. He wants to know if we can all start on Monday."

"Of course we can. Holy shit! I knew being friends with you would have its advantages." She said with a smirk, poking Brian in the ribs with her elbow and laughing.

"You mean besides getting the handicapped parking spaces?" Brian asked and they both laughed.

"Just think......come Monday morning you and Tommy and I will all be employed at Ryder agency." Cynthia smiled.

"And they said a blind man couldn't work in advertising. Well......fuck 'em all." Once again they both laughed, deciding that night to go out and celebrate their recent employment.
 

*****
 

Brian was fast approaching his thirtieth birthday and he did not like it one bit. Thirty was over the hill as far as he was concerned. Though he wasn't the stud he had been in high school before his asshole father decided to try to set him on fire, he still managed to get his fair share of men. Even being blind he still managed to get laid often enough to make him happy.

"Brian, you're going to be late if you don't hurry up." Joan called from the stairs. Brian was starting to regret allowing his mother to move in with him. Though it was helpful to have her around for cooking and cleaning and various other jobs that Topper couldn't do, it was annoying that she still felt guilty about what happened. She never said anything about it, but Brian could tell that the guilt was there. He wondered if this hadn't happened would he be as close to her as he was.

"I know that, mom." He called, feeling like he was in high school again. After getting into his suit, he draped his tie around his neck and made his way downstairs. Joan walked up and tied the tie for him, kissing his cheek when she was done, then headed into the kitchen. Brian followed, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Anything in particular you want for breakfast?"

"Just coffee."

"You really need to eat something."

"I have a breakfast meeting."

"Oh okay." She got a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him, making sure to set it down so that he could hear where she had placed the cup. Brian reached for the sugar and poured some in, then stirred his coffee. He took a sip and almost spit it out.

"Mom......."

"What?" She asked.

"Why did I just put salt in my coffee?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. She looked at him, then looked at the center of the table.

"Brian.....I'm sorry." She came over and took his cup, pouring him a fresh cup of coffee, then grabbed the sugar bowl and placed it next to his mug.

"Thanks." He said with a smile. Just then, the clock chimed that it was eight.

"Well, I have to get going. I might be late."

"Call me when you're on your way home."

"Okay. Later, mom. Topper, come on!" Brian stood and made his way to the door. Topper, already adorned with harness, appeared at his side. Brian took hold of the harness, grabbed his briefcase from its usual place, then headed out the door.

When he got to the office, Cynthia and Tommy were both waiting. Topper took his usual place in the corner and Brian took his seat, removed his sunglasses and slipped them into his inside jacket pocket.

"So, what have we got today?"

"Well," Cynthia started "First, you get to meet with the Calvin Klein people. The meeting is in half an hour. After that, Marty wants to introduce you to the new art director."

"Another new art director? I hope this one sticks around for a while. It's hard having to get to know people every couple of months or so."

"You're telling me." Tommy agreed.

"It would help if you wouldn't try to run them out." Cynthia commented.

"Okay, everything set up for the presentation?" Brian asked, ignoring Cynthia.

"Yes it is. I'll be up there with you to work with the visual aid." Cynthia answered.

"And you said we have a half an hour?"

"Yes we do." Tommy replied.

"Good, can one of you get me something to eat?"

"Will do, boss." Cynthia said with a smirk as she got up and left. Tommy looked at Brian.

"You nervous?"

"Have I ever been nervous before?"

"This is a major account."

"And I can get it. All I have to do is answer the same old questions that everybody asks. Of course, I know what people think. They think that you guys do all the work and I get the credit for it." He sighed slightly.

"Yeah, but who gives a shit what they think, we know the truth, that's what matters, right?"

"I'd like to get credit for being something other than an equal opportunity statistic."

"You do. You're the one that gets all the awards. If they thought you didn't do any of the work, Cyn and I would get the awards. Besides, do you think Ryder would keep you around for seven years if he thought that Cyn and I were doing all the work?"

"No, I don't think he would." Brian smiled. "Thanks, Tommy. You always know how to cheer me up."

"Yeah, well. What are friends for?"

After the meeting, Brian made his way into his office and took a seat. He rested his head on his desk, a headache slowly forming in the front of his head. Topper came over and rested his head on Brian's thigh. Brian smiled and scratched behind Topper's ears, though he did not lift his head. Cynthia came in with a glass of water and two Tylenol. Brian sat up and Cynthia placed the glass in his hand, he then took the Tylenol and rested his head on his desk again.

"Is there any way you can put off that meeting with the new art director until my headache goes away?" He asked. Cynthia looked at her watch.

"I might be able to. Let me see." She went out to her desk and stopped when she saw someone approaching. He was young and blonde and gorgeous. She smiled.

"Can I help you?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm Justin Taylor, the new art director. I came to see Mr. Kinney."

"Mr. Kinney's got a terrible headache at the moment, would it be possible for you to come back later?"

"I'm afraid I've got a busy schedule today."

"Just a moment." She kept the smile on her face until she turned her back to him, then walked into the office. "He's here and he says he can't wait." Brian sighed heavily and sat up.

"Okay, send him in." He ran his fingers through his hair and faced in the general direction of the doorway. Cynthia went out to her desk.

"He says you can go on in." She was smiling once again. Justin nodded and headed into the office.

"Hello. I'm Justin Taylor, the new art director." He walked over to the desk and held out his hand, a little perturbed when Kinney didn't take it. That's when Justin got a good look at him. While his face was pointed at Justin, his eyes were unfocused. He wasn't actually looking at Justin. That was when Justin noticed the dog.

"You're.......you're blind." He said, a little shocked.

"How very perceptive. What was your first clue, the blank stare in your general direction, or the seeing eye dog?" Brian smirked.

"I......um......I didn't mean......"

"Is he being snippy again?" Cynthia asked as she walked in.

"I’m not being snippy, I'm having fun with him." Brian smirked. Cynthia walked over to Justin and whispered in his ear.

"Unfortunately sarcasm is his finest feature."

"I heard that." Brian said with a laugh.

"You could hear a pin drop a mile away." She quipped and they both laughed.

"I wouldn't say sarcasm is his finest feature." Justin commented softly.

"You know, I've been told that my c....."

"Justin.......how would you like a cup of coffee?" Cynthia interrupted and Brian just laughed.

"Actually, I need to get going. It was very nice to meet you Mr. Kinney." Justin said.

"Please, call me Brian. And the dog is Topper."

"Why did you name him Topper?" Justin asked. Before Brian could say anything, Cynthia cut in.

"You really don't want to know." She smirked and once again Brian laughed. Justin walked out of the office with Cynthia, who shut Brian's office door behind her.

"How does he do it?" Justin asked.

"Do what?"

"His job."

"Well, Brian comes up with the ideas, tells us what he wants it to look like, then Tommy and I do all the work that he can't."

"That's cool that Ryder is allowing it."

"He's the only one that would hire Brian. And, I can tell you, all those companies that turned Brian down because he's blind have been eating their hearts out ever since." They both smiled.

"Well, it's nice to meet you.....uh......"

"Cynthia." She said holding out her hand. He took it and rather than shaking it, he bowed at the waist and kissed her hand causing Cynthia to blush.

"Nice to meet you, Cynthia. I guess we'll be working together a lot."

"I guess we will." She smiled and Justin turned and walked off. Cynthia sighed and walked into Brian's office.

"So?" He asked.

"Gay." She said, a little sadly.

"I knew hanging around with me would improve your gaydar." He smirked.

"I'm glad you find it amusing." She sulked.

"Oh, come on, Cyn. You have a perfectly good guy that wants you, and would do anything for you, and you keep saying no."

"Oh? Who's that?"

"Tommy."

"Tommy is not interested in me."

"Jesus, and they say I'm the one that's blind."

"Whatever."

"He was wearing great cologne, wasn't he?"

"Tommy?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No, Justin. Why would I be even slightly interested in Tommy?"

"We.......I really wish you would warn me before switching topics of conversation."

"What's the fun in that?" Brian said with a smirk. Cynthia threw a couch pillow at him. Topper had returned to the corner and was trying to ignore what he had come to understand was the normal behavior of the humans in his life. Brian got hit in the face with the pillow, then managed to find it and throw it in what he thought was Cynthia's general direction.

"You really should stop trying to throw things at me, Brian." Cynthia laughed.

"How far off was I this time?"

"About four feet."

"Closer than last time." He smiled.

"And at least you didn't break anything this time." Cynthia laughed when Brian grimaced.

"Of course, the problem could be solved if you would stop throwing things at me." Brian replied. Just then, Brian heard the door open and smelled what was unmistakably the cologne worn by Marty Ryder. "Hey, Marty." Brian smiled.

"You know, it really creeps me when you do that."

"Why? Because I figure out from your cheap cologne that it's you? Or maybe the fact that you are one of three people that come in without knocking, one of which is right here and the other is getting my lunch?"

"Very funny. So......did you meet Justin?"

"Yes, I did."

"And what did you think?"

"Well.......he's a nice enough kid. How old is he?"

"Twenty six."

"Ah, good. Not too young. He'll learn how to deal with me quickly I hope."

"You know that you're the reason we keep going through art directors, right?"

"It's not my fault you hire complete idiots."

"Well, hopefully Justin will work out because he's anything but an idiot." Ryder then shut the door on his way out.

"Yeah, I hope he works out." Brian said. Cynthia did not like his tone of voice.

"You're not going to try to run him out, are you?"

"No, I'm just going to make him work for his continued employment."

"Well, don't go too hard on him. I mean......he's really nice. It might be to your advantage to let him stick around."

"We'll see." Brian said with a smirk and Cynthia sighed. Even as long as she had known Brian, he never ceased to amaze her.

*****
 

Brian and Cynthia were going over some of the notes for the new campaign. They still had a few days until this campaign needed to be ready. Brian was also putting the finishing touches on the presentation he would have to give the next morning. They’d been working for about an hour when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." He said. He heard the door open, and he heard someone walk in, but whoever it was wasn't talking.

"Um.....we have a problem." Justin said finally.

"And that is?" Brian asked.

"You know that meeting you have in the morning?" Brian closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding.

"What about it?"

"The art work's been totally fucked. The guy that I put in charge of it just seriously screwed everything. I'm going to have to start all over."

"And that could take how long?"

"If I stay up all night I can have it ready by ten." Brian took another deep breath, trying to stay calm.

"That is a problem considering the meeting it at nine." Brian almost shouted the last word. Cynthia reached across the desk and took Brian's hand, trying to help him stay calm.

"There's no way you could have it ready in time?" She asked.

"The only way I could get it done in time was if I had somebody to talk to while I worked."

"What?" Brian and Cynthia asked simultaneously.

"I work faster when I have someone to talk to. I stay awake better. As it is, I have to stay here and work by myself."

"Why not get the fucker that screwed things up?" Brian asked.

"I kind of fired him." Justin said sheepishly.

"Well, the first good news so far." Brian sighed, then took another deep breath.

"Come to my place." He said finally. Justin and Cynthia both stared at him.

"Huh?"

"Come to my place. You and I can talk while you work. I am not staying here because I told my mom I would be home on time for once. So show up at my place as soon as you can. Cynthia, give him the address."

"You live with your mom?" Justin asked with a smirk.

"She lives with me. Helps around the house with stuff that you need eyes to do."

"Okay." Justin said. Brian nodded and Cynthia got up to give Justin Brian's address. They both left the office for a minute; Cynthia shut the door behind her.

"You know.....I'd consider myself lucky if I were you." She said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The last art director that was in charge when something like this happened ran out of the building crying."

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope. The fact that he's willing to let you come to his place means that he actually likes you."

"Should I be honored?"

"Extremely." Cynthia said with a smile as she handed over the piece of paper. Justin simply nodded and went back to his office.

Justin finally arrived at Brian's house at about seven thirty. He'd left work late and then got lost three times on the way to the house, luckily finding his way back on track without any problems. He had everything he would need to work on the campaign with him. He managed to ring the doorbell and then waited. When the door opened, he was slightly surprised to see that Brian answered the door, and he did not have Topper with him.

"Hey." Brian said with a smile.

"Hi." Justin replied. Brian moved aside and Justin walked in. "How'd you know it was me?" Justin had to ask.

"I wasn't expecting anybody else."

"Oh."

"Okay. Let's go into the living room. From what mom tells me, that's where the best light is." Brian shut the door behind Justin and then started making his way down the hall to the left. Justin followed. He kept a careful eye on every one of Brian's movements. Brian motioned over to the couch, much to Justin's amazement. "Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"Um.....beer if you have it." Justin said. Brian nodded and headed into the kitchen. A moment later he came out of the kitchen carrying two beers. He set one down on the coffee table, then opened the other one.

"Mind if I turn on some music? I can't stand to not have a little soft background noise."

"That's fine." Justin said. He watched as Brian got up and walked across the room to the stereo, turned it on, then came back. He was amazed at the confidence with which Brian moved. "How do you do that?" He asked finally.

"Do what?"

"Move around without help? It's almost like you can see where you're going."

"In a way I can. I've lived in this house for five years now. Everything has stayed in the exact same place so I know my way around without even thinking about it. It's pretty simple."

"That's cool."

"Oh, you wanna know a funny joke to play on a blind man?"

"What's that?" Justin asked, a little wary.

"Move the furniture." Brian said with a laugh. Justin couldn't help but laugh too.

"It amazes me that you have such a sense of humor about this."

"If I don't laugh, I'd probably cry, and I have much better things to do with my time. Besides, you shouldn't laugh at anything if you can't laugh at yourself." He said with a grin and Justin laughed. It wasn't long before Justin got to work. They got comfortable and Justin started talking about everything. After a while, the beers needed to be replaced.

"I'll get them." Justin offered.

"You don't know where anything is." Brian said with a smile, then got up to go get them. While Brian was in the kitchen, Justin stood up and stretched. He walked around a little bit, then slipped his shoes off. He didn't even think about where he left them as he resumed his seat to work on the artwork. He was so busy concentrating on the work that he didn't notice Brian come out of the kitchen until he heard a thud, and the sound of two bottles hitting the carpeted floor.

"Fuck!" Brian yelled. Justin looked over to where Brian was and saw that he had fallen. Not only had he fallen, he had tripped. And what he tripped over was Justin's shoes.

"Brian, I'm so sorry!" Justin said as he got up and went to help the man.

"What was that?" Brian asked as he dusted himself off.

"It was my shoes. I'm so sorry. I should have moved them out of the way. I'm sorry."

"Justin......it's okay. While you're right, you should have moved them, it's fine. Nothing's hurt but my pride and I think I can live with that particular pain for one evening. Now, you can pay me back by finding the beers." Justin nodded and picked the two beers up, setting them on the coffee table. He moved his shoes out of the way before resuming his seat on the couch.

"I really am sorry."

"Saying that you're sorry a million times will not change the fact that it happened, Justin. Forget about it, okay?" Brian smiled and Justin sighed with relief. Brian continued to talk as Justin worked. As Justin had said, having someone to talk to helped him work faster. It was six in the morning when he put the finishing touches on the last bit of artwork.

"Done, four hours ahead of schedule." Justin said with a smile.

"That's great." Brian said with a yawn. "Now I can go get an hour's worth of sleep before I have to get up."

"I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've worked on no sleep before. This is a no brainer campaign; I can do it on practically no sleep." He smiled.

"Should I take them with me or leave them with you?"

"Take them with you. Between my briefcase and Topper I won't be able to carry it."

"Where is Topper anyway?"

"Out in the back yard. I didn't want him jumping all over you."

"He never jumps on me at the office."

"That's because at the office he's on the clock." Brian smirked.

"On the clock?" Justin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Topper is just like any other dog. He's playful and cheery and just a great dog to have around. But once that harness goes on, he's all business. He's a very well trained dog. He knows the difference between in the harness and out of it. He even saved my life once."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We were about to start crossing the street. He looked and there were no cars and so we started across, then, when we were just about to step off the curb, he froze. I wasn't sure what was going on, but he did stop, so I stopped too and right when I stopped, a car whizzed by. If he hadn't stopped then both of us would have gotten hit because the guy was going way faster than the speed limit."

"Guess it's a good thing he was there, huh?"

"Yeah. That's why I never go outside the house without him."

"Well, I better get going if I'm going to get any rest."

"Don't worry about coming in on time. I'll tell Ryder what happened. You get as much sleep as you need, okay?" Once again Brian smiled.

"Thanks." Justin replied. "But......what about the artwork?"

"I'll have Cynthia come by and pick it up before she comes into work. I think you're on the way from her place to the office."

"Okay, I'll expect her to come by then."

"Okay." Brian got up and led Justin to the door. "I guess I'll see you later." He said with a smirk and Justin laughed.

"Yeah, see you." Then Justin left. He was still amazed at how easily Brian could move around without being able to see anything.
 

*****
 

Daphne made her way up the stairs to Justin's apartment. They were going to go to a movie together. She knocked on the door and heard no reply. She checked her watch and knew that Justin was supposed to be home by then. Besides, his car was parked outside. She waited a couple of minutes, then knocked again.

"Fuck!" came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a loud thud. After about five minutes, the door finally opened. Daphne tried not to laugh as Justin was standing in front of her with a blindfold on.

"Kinkiness get out of hand?" She asked with a smirk.

"Fuck you." Justin replied. He did, however, step aside for her to come in. Once the door was shut, he moved around, trying to find the couch and succeeding only in running into it.

"Justin........what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see what it's like to be blind."

"Um........why?"

"One of the top ad execs at the firm is blind."

"A blind ad man? That explains a lot." She chuckled.

"Shut up. He's one of the best. He comes up with the ideas and his staff makes it possible. They do the stuff he can't."

"But.......why this sudden interest in blindness? You've been working there for like.....six months."

"I went over to his house the other day to work on a campaign that he had to deliver the next morning. He was walking around his house without any problem. It was almost like he could see."

"That's cool. It's also common. Blind people usually know their way around their own house." Justin sighed and sat down on the couch, after finally removing the blindfold.

"I know, but it was so interesting watching him. Although.......I took my shoes off and didn't think to move them to the side and he tripped over them. God, I still feel awful about that."

"He didn't get hurt, did he?"

"No. But I still feel bad."

"So......is this interest in blindness purely academic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me what he looks like." She said. Justin gave her a curious look, but obliged nonetheless.

"Well, he's tall, about six foot three. He's got this chestnut colored hair that shines when the light hits it just right. He's got these beautiful hazel eyes, even though he covers them with sunglasses most of the time. And a totally amazing body."

"That's what I thought." Daphne said with a smirk.

"What?"

"You're hot for him."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Justin.......listen to how you just described him." She repeated his description word for word, even matching his tone and expression.

"Did I really say it like that?" He asked. She nodded and he sighed.

"You're lost for him, Justin. Is he gay?"

"Yeah. That much I know for sure."

"Okay then. I say, go for it."

"You mean, ask him out?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Maybe because technically he's my boss."

"That can be over looked, Justin. Besides, if you make the first move, he can't get in trouble. So.....make the first move." She smiled.

"You really think I should?"

"Most definitely. Who knows? He might just turn out to be Mr. Right."

"I always thought Mr. Right would be able to see me."

"This is better, Justin. He's not blinded by how gorgeous you are. No pun intended."

"Oh great." Justin laughed.

"Think of it this way then, okay? If he wants to fuck you, it won't be because you have a nice ass, or a gorgeous face, it'll be because he's attracted to your mind, and your personality. Because he's attracted to the real you."

"That is better." Justin said with a smile.

"Of course it is. I'm always right." They both shared a laugh before heading to the movie.
 

*****
 

Brian had been sitting in the house all day and he was tired of it. He put his book down and got up from the couch. He walked over to where he generally kept Topper's harness and picked it up.

"Topper, come here boy." Brian called. A few minutes later the dog came running and almost tackled him. Brian laughed and scratched behind his ears, causing the dog to lick his face. "Okay, boy, calm down." Once Topper was on all fours again, Brian put the harness on him. Joan came downstairs to get something to drink.

"Going somewhere?" She asked.

"Just for a walk. I need to get out of the house."

"Okay, but be sure to take a jacket, it's a little cold outside." She walked over and kissed his cheek, then headed into the kitchen. Brian stepped outside long enough to test the weather, then grabbed a sweater.

"It's not cold enough for a jacket." He told Topper as he pulled the sweater on. Once he was ready, he grabbed the harness and he and Topper set off. At times like these, when Brian really just wanted to get out of the house, he let Topper lead the way, not really caring where they went and knowing the dog would get him back home when he said to.

They had been walking along for about an hour when Brian felt something cold and wet hit his hand. It was at that moment that he heard thunder rumble overhead. He sighed heavily.

"Come on, Topper. Time to go home." The dog obediently turned and headed back home. They had gotten all of ten feet when it suddenly started raining. Because they were actually in the suburbs, and Brian had left his cell phone at home, there was no way to call a cab, or flag one down, so Brian was stuck walking home. By the time he got in the door, both he and Topper were completely soaked. Brian took the harness off Topper and he moved in front of the fireplace. Sometime while he was gone, Joan had started a fire. Brian tried to make it upstairs without being noticed, but he failed.

"My goodness, Brian! You're soaked. I told you to take a jacket."

"I d....d...d.....didn't think it was th...th...th...that cold out there." Brian answered. He was shivering so bad it was causing him to stutter.

"Get up to your room right this minute and get out of those clothes." She demanded. Brian just nodded and headed up to his room, stripping out of his wet clothes. Before he could pull anything on, Joan came into the room and went straight to the bathroom that was attached.

"Mom....." While Brian was not usually a modest man, being seen naked by his mother still bothered him.

"Oh, come on. It's nothing I haven't seen before." He just sighed and sat down on the bed. She ran him a hot bath. While he waited for the tub to fill, he noticed a tickle at the back of his throat. He began to clear his throat but it soon turned into a cough.

"I knew it; you've gone and gotten sick." She said as she came out of the bathroom and pulled him to his feet, practically pushing him into the bathtub.

"I'm not sick." Brian protested, though he coughed again.

"We'll see." She said. Even though Brian protested, Joan helped him with his bath, having switched into seriously overprotective mother mode. She helped him out of the bath and let him dry off as she went to make some soup. Brian went digging through his drawers until he found his sweats. He wore them so infrequently that he often forgot where they were kept. Once he was dressed he climbed into bed. Joan came into the room with the soup and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Mom, I'm fine."

"You should still eat something."

"Okay, fine. But you are not going to feed me. I can feed myself."

"Fine." She said as she set the tray in his lap. He picked up the spoon, got a spoonful of soup and started to move it toward his mouth, stopping half way.

"What is it?"

"Tomato." Brian nodded and tested the temperature of the soup before eating. Once he was done, Joan gathered up the tray. "Now, get some sleep. Maybe you'll have a chance to fight off whatever it is that you're coming down with."

"I am not sick." Brian protested once again, though he was snuggling under the covers to do as instructed. Joan came over and kissed his forehead after setting the tray down on the dresser.

"Get some sleep." She smiled and touched his cheek. He returned the smile. She then gathered everything and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Joan was awakened in the middle of the night. She wasn't quite sure what had woken her up, but she felt an intense urge to go check on Brian. When she got a few feet away from his door, she understood what had woken her up. Ever since Brian was a small child, Joan would always wake up in the middle of the night if he were sick. No matter how quiet he was, there was some kind of connection between them that made it impossible for her to sleep if her son was ill for any reason. As she neared his door, she heard him coughing. They were deep, horrible, hacking coughs and she sighed. She knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

"Brian?" She said as she poked her head in. He was sitting up in bed, a tissue in his hand. He looked up at the sound of her voice. "You okay?" All Brian could do was shake his head as he was hit by another round of coughing. Joan moved over and sat beside him on the bed. She reached up and touched his forehead, almost pulling her hand back immediately.

"Brian, you're burning up." She went into the bathroom and got a thermometer. It was the kind that you put in your ear, which was advantageous given that Brian's coughing would have prevented him from holding one in his mouth. When she took his temperature, her eyes went wide. "I'm taking you to the hospital." She insisted.

"That bad?" He finally managed to say between coughs.

"You sound like you're trying to cough up a lung and you've got a temperature of one hundred and three. What do you think?" Brian simply nodded. He stayed in bed while Joan got dressed, then he let her lead him down to the car.

They had been sitting in the emergency room for about two hours when someone finally took them to an exam room. By that time Brian's fever had risen to almost one hundred and five. They gave him some Tylenol to bring the fever down, then ran some tests to see what the problem was. The doctor left Joan and Brian in the exam room. Brian managed to fall asleep, though he was still coughing every now and then. Joan sat there, looking at her son with a concerned expression. She hoped it wasn't too serious.

"Mrs. Kinney?" The doctor came into the room about an hour later.

"Yes."

"It appears your son has contracted pneumonia." He answered. Joan put a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my."

"Don't worry. His case isn't as severe as it could be. I'm going to prescribe him some antibiotics and he can go home once all the paperwork is taken care of. He needs to stay in bed and drink plenty of fluids. If his fever spikes again, don't hesitate to bring him back in." Joan nodded. The doctor handed her two pieces of paper with the prescriptions on them, then left. Once the paperwork was filled out, Joan put Brian in the car and headed home. She managed to find a twenty-four hour pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled, then helped Brian into bed.

"I'm sorry." Brian said softly as Joan started to leave his room. She thought he was asleep. She made her way back over to his bed and took a seat, moving his bangs back from his forehead before leaning down to kiss it. He was still a little warm, but at least the fever had gone down.

"Don't be, Brian. You couldn't have known it was going to start raining. And it wasn't really all that cold out there when you left." He simply nodded and rolled over and went back to sleep. Joan waited until she was sure he wouldn't wake up, then went to her own room, though she couldn't get back to sleep.

The next day, Joan was in the kitchen making some lunch when the phone rang. She wiped her hands off on the dishtowel before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Um.....hello.....is Brian there?"

"Who's calling?"

"This is Justin. I work with Brian."

"Oh yes. He's home, but he's not feeling very well at the moment."

"I heard he called in sick."

"Yes, he did. He managed to come down with pneumonia." She sighed.

"Is he okay?" There was no missing the concern in the man's voice.

"The doctor says he should be fine as long as he gets plenty of rest."

"Oh......um......can I talk to him?"

"Yes, but just for a minute." She then put the phone down and went upstairs. She knocked on Brian's door and stuck her head in.

"What is it?" Brian asked as he sat up. He'd been in the middle of a nap.

"There's someone on the phone for you."

"Okay, thanks." Brian started to reach for the phone.

"Try to keep it to ten minutes, you need to sleep."

"Yes, mom." Brian picked up the phone. Joan shut the door behind her as she went downstairs. Both men waited until they heard the click of the other phone before either started talking.

"Hey." Justin said.

"Hey."

"How you feeling?"

"Like I'm back in Jr. High." He then imitated his mother's voice. "Be sure and keep it to ten minutes" They both laughed.

"She just wants to make sure you get better." Justin said.

"Yeah, I know." Brian sighed. "So.....was there a reason for the call?"

"Yeah, we were supposed to have a meeting this morning, remember?"

"Oh yeah.....I completely forgot about that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. That's how I found out you're sick, by the way. I went to your office for the meeting and Cynthia told me."

"Well, at least she's good for something." He said with a laugh, which then turned into a horrible cough. Justin couldn't help but worry.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked.

"Other than trying to cough up a lung every few minutes, I'm fine. They've got me on all kinds of drugs to help clear it up."

"That's good." About then they heard the phone click indicating that Joan had picked up.

"Brian, you need your rest." She then hung up the phone. Brian sighed heavily.

"Guess I better get going. I have lots of homework to do." He said sarcastically, making Justin laugh.

"Any idea when you'll be back to work?"

"Doctor says I'm stuck in bed until this clears up. Could be a couple of weeks."

"Well......I'll see you whenever. I hope you get better soon. You've only been gone one day and the place is already a disaster." Justin chuckled and Brian laughed, and again the laugh turned into a cough.

"You gotta stop making me do that." Brian said.

"I'm sorry." Justin replied softly.

"It's okay. I was just joking. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later." Justin said, then hung up. Brian hung up the phone and snuggled back up under the blanket, falling asleep almost immediately.
 

*****
 

Joan was sitting at the kitchen table, going through the bills. When she first moved in with Brian, he had gotten a joint account with her so that she could pay the bills for him. It amazed her that he trusted her enough to give her access to his money and she did everything that she could to maintain that trust. The bills were always paid on time and in just the right amount and she never spent money that she did not have his permission to spend.

She was looking through the bills when Brian came into the kitchen. It had been almost two weeks since he was first diagnosed with pneumonia and he was showing marked improvement. The doctor even said that he could go back to work starting Monday. Brian walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. He leaned down and started digging around. After a couple of minutes, he held up a drink can.

"Mom, what's this?"

"Pepsi." She responded. He nodded and put it back, then held up another one.

"This?"

"Coke." Once again he nodded and put it back before holding up another one.

"This one?"

"Minute Maid Orange." She answered. He stood up and looked in her general direction.

"What the fuck are we doing with Minute Maid Orange?"

"You asked me for it a couple of weeks ago."

"When I first got sick?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered and Brian nodded.

"That explains it." He said, then he went back to digging through the fridge. Before long he held up another can. "What's this?"

"Pepsi again."

"Regular, or diet."

"If it was diet I would have said diet."

"Geesh, no reason to get snippy." He then put the can back.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you?" Once again Brian stood and looked in her general direction.

"Where's the fun in that?" He asked with a smirk.

"And what exactly would you do if I wasn't here to tell you what was what?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd just drink whatever I grabbed first." He said, sticking out his tongue at her. Joan couldn't help but laugh because he looked all of ten years old when he did that.

"Why don't you do that now?" She questioned.

"Because I want to make you feel useful." He replied.

"More like you want to annoy me."

"That too." He said with a laugh and Joan just rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm trying to pay the bills here so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't bother me."

"How much this time around?" Brian asked as he made his way over to the kitchen table where Joan was sitting. He had grabbed a can of Coke, opened it and took a drink. Joan flipped through the bills.

"Electric is eight five. Water is twelve. Cable is forty-five. Internet is fifty. House payment is, of course, six hundred eighty seven. Phone bill is ninety five because you keep making those long distance calls to your sister and talking for hours on end."

"How do I know that you're not just spouting numbers out to me?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Not really." Brian said with a laugh.

"Then why am I doing this?"

"Because last time I checked, bills don't come in Braille." Joan sighed and Brian could tell she was not amused at all. "Mom....I'm just joking. If I didn't trust you I wouldn't have given you access to my money." She reached across the table and took his hand.

"I know. I just......I don't understand why you trust me so much."

"Maybe because you kept what happened to me from being a lot more serious than it was." Brian said softly, his voice sincere.

"It wouldn't have happened if......"

"If what? If you hadn't gone into my room? Mom, come on. We've talked about this. This is not your fault. You did not tell him to throw oil in my face. You did not tell him to pour gasoline all over me. You did not convince him to try to kill me because I'm gay. That was entirely him. So as much as you would like to blame yourself for this, you are the only person that blames you. This was his fault, not yours, okay?"

"I still feel responsible." She said softly. Brian squeezed her hand.

"Think about it this way, mom. If you hadn't stopped dad, I could be dead now. If he had been able to light that match......God only knows what could have happened. He could have blown up the whole house for all we know. At the very least, mom, you saved my life." He smiled reassuringly at her. Brian could not see the tears rolling down his mother's cheeks, but he did feel them against his own cheek when she came around the table and hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you too, mom." He said with a smile before kissing her cheek.
 

On to Part 2