{"id":21750,"date":"2023-12-29T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T16:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/?p=21750"},"modified":"2023-12-03T21:08:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T05:08:28","slug":"sylum-advent-2023-day-twenty-nine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-2023-day-twenty-nine\/","title":{"rendered":"Sylum Advent 2023: Day Twenty-Nine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Title:<\/strong> Episode 4: Summer Lovin\u2019<\/span>
\nSeries:<\/strong> Crossroads<\/span>
\nPairing:<\/strong> Dom\/Brian<\/span>
\nSummary:<\/strong> Summer is coming to an end and Dom and Brian’s relationship is progressing, and Brian becomes more and more entrenched with the Clan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

August 1999<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian walked out of the bedroom with his binder full of notes in hand, grinning when he saw Han coming out of Gabe’s room down the hall. “Someone’s doing the walk of shame,” he said in a sing-song tone.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Bitch, I ain’t remotely ashamed of myself,” Han retorted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian laughed. “You volunteering at the hospital today?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“No, but I am tomorrow. I want to get some practice in on the track today,” Han said, falling into step with Brian and slinging an arm around his shoulders. “I’ve been slacking on it, and I want to make sure my car is perfect. It took us way too long to figure out the problems with it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“At least it’s done now,” Brian said. “I’m planning on getting some breakfast and then plopping my ass on the roof so I can go through all the new notes Bridger gave me.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“How’s the studying going?” Han asked him.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Good. It took him a while to get together the study materials he wanted for me, and he’s still creating them. They’re going to be a good guide for anyone in the future, should I step down. He’s kind of put out with himself that he didn’t think to do it sooner.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Would have made everything easier, and they can always be added to or tweaked due to changes or technology,” Han said. “Dom mentioned he and the others are working on building up the same kind of documents for future use, if they’re needed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Makes sense to me. I mean, the last thing anyone really wants is people flailing about trying to learn everything about a position without any kind of guide. But I can see why no one thought about it much before, since things have been the same for a while, right?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Han nodded. “I think the Security position is the one that had the most handover. Anything you need from us?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Keep Dom out of my hair?” Brian asked, laughing. “He likes to lurk but it’s distracting. He’s apparently got a thing about me being all studious. He’s so weird.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Well, you are awfully cute, but yeah, I’ll have him come down and race with me. But first, I need some coffee.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Long night?” he asked with amusement. He knew that it was more for the taste than anything, but it still amused him that the entire Clan seemed to be coffee addicts.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Long, but fun. Gabe has the day off today, so he’s sleeping in.”<\/span><\/p>\n

They headed into the kitchen and Han poured himself a big travel mug of coffee while Brian worked on making himself breakfast. Once he was done making it, he cleaned up and took his plate and his coffee up to the roof to settle in at one of the lounge areas that overlooked the ocean. It was beautiful and peaceful up there, and it was his favorite place to sit and read. When it wasn’t raining, that was. And it had rained a lot.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian took his time eating, enjoying the silence, before setting his dishes aside and picking up his binder. Most of it was full of information about the duties of the Head of Security, but also had the information he needed to know about interacting with other Clans and how all of that worked. The rest was information he’d gleaned by asking questions, and he was working on memorizing a lot of facts and processes.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was quiet and he wasn’t disturbed most of the morning, and there had been no sign of Dom so he thought Han had probably succeeded in luring Dom out to the race track. So it was closer to lunchtime before he heard someone coming onto the roof. Brian looked up and winced when he saw it was Vince with a thundercloud over his head, and the reason for said thundercloud was close behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesse was still <\/em>unwilling to take accountability for his actions, which utterly baffled Brian. Yes, it was a major fuck up, but he couldn’t understand why Jesse just didn’t want to own it. Vince refused to have anything to do with him while Jesse refused to acknowledge his shitty behavior, and Brian was pretty sure at this point Vince was over the whole actual dying part of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian didn’t know if it was just Jesse not getting that no one actually blamed him for Tran’s shooting Vince, but they did expect him to take accountability for the part he played in everything that led to that moment. But, to Brian, it seemed like Jesse had hit some kind of wall and was doubling down on the idea that if he remained stubborn about it, everyone else would eventually give up and things would go back to the status quo, where he did stupid shit or fucked up, and they’d just pat him on the head and tell him to do better. He didn’t seem to understand that it wasn’t going to happen this time and that the Clan really couldn’t afford to have a Vampire who expected everyone to bail him out for the rest of eternity.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Jesus Christ, Jesse, just leave me the fuck alone already!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“No! You need to get over it, Vince, so everyone else will.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Vince rolled his eyes and dropped down next to Brian, glaring up at Jesse, who stood there with his hands on his hips. “No one is just going to let it go, Jess. Don’t you get it? No one is going to pat you on the head and tell you to do better! You can’t get away with blaming your ADD for every single thing you do anymore. You have Attention Deficit Disorder! You’re not insane in any single way. You are more than responsible for your actions. You cannot be allowed to get away with this kind of shit. This kind of behavior can be dangerous for the Clan as a whole.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“What Tran did wasn’t my fault!”<\/span><\/p>\n

“No one is saying it is,” Vince said, sighing heavily, which Brian understood because talking to Jesse was like talking to a brick wall. “He was responsible for his own decisions. But what you don’t seem to get is that you deliberately did things that directly led to that moment, even if you didn’t intend for it to turn out the way it did. It’s too dangerous for you to not understand that what you do has an effect on everyone around you.<\/span><\/p>\n

“What happens when you do something that gets someone dusted because you won’t take care with the things you do because you expect that everyone is going to bail you out of the trouble you deliberately get yourself into? And you know better than anyone you did what you did on purpose and put thought into it. What do you think is going to happen when you do something similar to get yourself the attention you think you deserve and it gets Dom or Mia or me dusted?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“That’s not going to happen,” Jesse said. “I didn’t do anything wrong! It wasn’t my fault!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian looked at Vince, who just looked defeated. He didn’t say anything, just reached over and squeezed Vince’s arm because he got it. And he also got that Jesse wasn’t going to own up to anything, not anytime soon. If he ever did. At this point, Brian was losing any kind of hope that he was going to change his ways without something huge happening.<\/span><\/p>\n

“If you can’t own up to what you did wrong in that whole situation, there’s nothing more I have to say to you,” Vince said, rubbing his face. “Just leave me alone, Jesse. I’m never going to forgive you when you’re not even sorry about anything you did.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“There’s nothing for you to forgive, dude. I don’t understand why nobody gets that,” Jesse said, looking genuinely frustrated.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You clearly don’t understand…or at least you don’t want to,” Vince said evenly. “And at this point, I can’t help you understand it. I’m tired<\/em>. I’m done with trying to get through to you. As far as I’m concerned, we’re just part of the same Clan. We’re not friends. Because if you were actually a friend, we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in now.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesse huffed and glared at him before storming off, and Brian sighed. “I’m sorry. I know he’s been your friend for a long time.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“At this point, part of me is wondering if he was really a friend, or if he latched onto us because we gave him what he wasn’t getting at home and he felt he deserved it. Was he just using us? Because Dom and the others had the money and they didn’t blink at spending it on him. He sure as hell didn’t spend his own money on his own car, and he never really paid for anything. If he were a friend, he’d have a problem with being a part of something that was hurtful and would feel remorse. He’s just pissed off that no one is agreeing with his viewpoint and letting him get away with it like we always did.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Things are eventually going to come to a head,” Brian murmured, “and I’m not sure how it’s going to end.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Josiah, Jos\u00e9, and Dom will do what is best for the Clan. And we’ll have to live with it. But I wasn’t kidding. I’m done with him. He and I have had this same damn argument multiple times since we got here, and I can’t do it anymore.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You shouldn’t have to,” Brian said, patting his leg. “I think Dom and Han were out racing if you want to join them. I doubt Jesse will be heading out there.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“No, he’s currently not allowed out there,” Vince said. “That was Dom’s decision because he didn’t want those out there having to deal with Jesse and his attitude after the first time he went out there.” Vince blew a raspberry and got up. “I’m going to head out there, maybe blow off some steam on the track. Sorry to have bothered you. I didn’t realize you were up here.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I didn’t mind,” Brian said. “I should probably head inside anyway for a break and some lunch.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Vince nodded and got up, picking up the dishes Brian had sitting there. “I’ll take these in.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Thanks,” Brian said, watching him leave before finishing reading through the page he’d been on before heading inside.<\/span><\/p>\n

~*~<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri looked up when she heard someone coming and found Brian coming in and heading toward the refrigerator.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian was an interesting young man. He was sweet and handsome, very playful, and always willing to help out when someone needed something. He’d spent a lot of time in the kitchen with her, getting to know her and helping out with anything she needed. Missouri thought he was a good addition to the Clan and complemented Dom very well.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was thrilled that he was settling in as well as he was. She often worried about humans who came in, because this unknown part of the world could be overwhelming. But he was actually taking everything in stride and as it came, and it was encouraging that he was already settling into a position within the Clan with enthusiasm not everyone had.<\/span><\/p>\n

“You looking for something, honey?” she asked, laughing a little when he jumped about a foot in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I didn’t even see you there,” Brian said with a laugh. “I was thinking about a little bit of lunch while I took a break. Not anything big. Maybe a sandwich or something.” He poked his head back in the refrigerator and came back out with some ham and cheese, followed by lettuce and tomatoes. “What are you up to over there?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m working on the grocery list for the back to school-slash-end of summer beach party that we’ll be throwing two weekends from now. The kids of the Chosen will be heading back to the grind in the later part of August, so we usually have a beach party. We’ll grill out a bunch of meat, have a ton of different sides and desserts, and we usually have surfing, playing in the ocean, and some various games set up for everyone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Sounds like a lot of fun,” Brian said as he pulled out the loaf of bread and a bread knife. “Anything I can do to help?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“After you finish eating you can help me cross-check the list with the recipe book so I don’t forget anything, and then help me do inventory to see what we actually need to buy.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I can definitely do that,” Brian said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri went back to working on the list while Brian fixed his sandwich and then sat with her to eat. Once he was done and had finished cleaning up and sat back down, she looked up. “How are you settling in?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m good. Everyone’s been really friendly and I haven’t gotten lost in a while, so I’m counting that as a win,” he said, laughing a little. “Things would be as perfect as they can get if Jesse would just get his head out of his ass.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“That boy,” Missouri said, sighing. “I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with him. This whole thing isn’t that complicated, but he’s making it his hill to die on.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Well Vince is done with the whole thing. He’s basically declared that they’re no longer friends, so…I don’t think Jesse coming around is going to help much with that. There’s nothing that we can do about him. It’s something that Josiah is ultimately going to have to deal with, because I don’t think Jesse is ever going to admit fault to the things he did, but he’s also not going to let it go because he wants things to go back to the way they were and they’re just…not.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri hummed. “Yeah, he burned some bridges he’s never going to be able to rebuild at this point. Doesn’t mean that we can’t all be in the same Clan, but he’s not going to have the friendships he once relied on, and he’s got no one to blame but himself. He’s not owed forgiveness or a relationship of any kind with anyone.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You know that, and I know that, but I have a feeling he’s not going to accept it,” Brian said. Then he shrugged. “There’s nothing I can do about it, and I really don’t have the time or the energy to even stick myself in the middle any more than I’ve found myself already. My plate is full, and I don’t have room for more.” He clapped his hands together. “Now, let’s get to sorting all this out.”<\/span><\/p>\n

For the next hour and a half they worked on the list and inventory, and once they were done, Missouri pushed him into a chair at the kitchen table. “You’ve earned some of my strawberry lemonade. You just sit there and let me make it.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri went to the pantry and got what she needed. “Where’s your other half right now?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m presuming that he’s with Han down at the track because Han said he’d lure him down so Dom wouldn’t sit around and be weird about me being studious.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Missouri burst out laughing. “Well, everyone’s got something that turns their crank. You’ll just have to deal with his competency kink.”<\/span><\/p>\n

She grinned when Brian slumped down in his chair and started giggling.<\/span><\/p>\n

~*~<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo what\u2019s going on?\u201d Dom asked as he sat down in Josiah\u2019s office.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing serious. We\u2019ve been keeping an eye on Rogue activity, and it\u2019s been a while since we checked in.\u201d Josiah shrugged. \u201cThings have honestly been pretty quiet lately.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnything going on regarding Tran\u2019s dusting?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, nothing that I\u2019ve heard so far, and Joaquin says that Santa Anna\u2019s been keeping his ear out about that specifically. Honestly, I don\u2019t think there are many around who actually care that Tran was dusted. Loyalty among enemies is in short supply more often than not, and all things considered, a lot of them are probably relieved that he\u2019s out of the picture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything going on with them that we need to worry about?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing of significance. Just the usual basic bullshit that they get up to, but they\u2019ve been keeping it out of Salina Cruz and the immediate villages. Santa Anna says they\u2019ve come into Salina Cruz here and there, clearly fishing for any kind of information, but so far they haven\u2019t sussed out any information outside of knowing that Tran and Lance were dusted. There\u2019s been no talk about you finding your Mate, so we\u2019re in the clear on that as of right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBrian\u2019s content to stay on the property until he\u2019s Turned. He said he doesn\u2019t want to chance anything beforehand. He was happy enough with that decision at first, but I think Riddick and his story also had an impact on him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a difficult thing to have to deal with. Do you know when he\u2019s planning on being Turned?\u201d Josiah asked curiously.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom rolled his eyes. \u201cHalloween. He likes the aesthetic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Josiah laughed. \u201cAlright then. We\u2019ll prep for that. Suki\u2019s ready and she plans on being turned this weekend.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am aware that my Mate is a little odd, but I\u2019m rolling with it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more fun when they\u2019re a little left of center. It keeps things interesting.\u201d Josiah leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk. \u201cNathan says he\u2019s doing well with his studies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom nodded. \u201cHe finds it interesting, and Bridger\u2019s always been good at teaching others. I think it\u2019s going to be a good fit for Brian. He\u2019s more than a little disillusioned by what happened with the FBI and the LAPD.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it certainly didn\u2019t help that his superior turned out to be a disappointment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom hummed in agreement because Josiah certainly wasn\u2019t wrong. \u201cNo, it didn\u2019t. He\u2019s throwing himself into everything dealing with the Clan and I think it\u2019s partly in reaction to that. He has a need to fit in and become a part of everything. He was honestly too good and earnest to actually be undercover for this particular op. I think one of the things that saved him was that he really didn\u2019t have to pretend all that much. And that we weren\u2019t actually assholes.\u201d He couldn’t imagine what would have happened to Brian if things had been different. It didn’t bear thinking about.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Well, it all worked out for the best,” Josiah said. “Mostly.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom thought about Jesse, but pushed that whole situation aside and nodded. “It really did.” Dom rubbed his face. “Is there anything else going on that we need to discuss?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Josiah shook his head. “No, not that I’m aware of. Things have been quiet for a while, and I can’t think of anything offhand elsewhere that’s a problem. I’m sure sooner rather than later, something will blow up somewhere, but that’s about par for the course.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Well, let’s just hope everything stays quiet for a while. We’ve got enough on our plates without having to deal with anything from the outside.”<\/span><\/p>\n

~*~<\/span><\/p>\n

The morning of the beach party, Brian was up bright and early and headed down to the kitchen to help out Missouri with the last of the meal prep for the party later in the day. All of the cold sides were in the second refrigerator and ready to go for the afternoon and evening, and most of the meat was already prepped to go on the grill at the appropriate times.<\/span><\/p>\n

“So what are we doing this morning?” Brian asked as he washed his hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We’re prepping all the breakfast food,” Missouri said. “I’m working on everything for breakfast tacos that people can build for themselves.” She pointed. “I just finished the batches of refried beans for breakfast, and I’ve got the salsa done. I need to work on the potatoes, so why don’t you start on the eggs? We’re going to need a lot, and they’re going to be scrambled.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian nodded and grabbed the bowls of eggs. “We’re saving the shells for confetti eggs for Easter, right?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yep. I know you know how to do it, so have at it. We need that entire catering pan heaped with scrambled eggs. Season them with salt and pepper, since people will add salsa to their own taste.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“You got it,” Brian said, bopping along to the music Missouri was listening to while he got started, quickly falling into a rhythm.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was on his fourth round when Dom came in and pressed a kiss to his temple. “What can I do to help, Missouri?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“We need to start setting up down at the beach, on the big patio area. I know some were already taking the grills down there, but we need to set up the food tables and the eating tables and chairs. We also need to set up the games and get the lounge chairs and towels down there.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I’m on it,” Dom said, heading toward the sliding glass door. “Tell the others as they come down to come and help.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Will do,” Missouri said and they continued to work, preparing the food and sending people out as they trickled down. By the time they had several warmers full of tortillas, Chosen who where going to help with the food had arrived and started taking things down to the beach.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Okay, now go on with you,” Missouri told him. “Go and get yourself some breakfast.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yes, ma’am,” Brian said, washing his hands and heading out the door. He followed the pathway and stairs down to the beach.<\/span><\/p>\n

The huge structure they called ‘the patio’ was at the foot of the stairs and spread quite a bit to the left and to the right of the stairs, and spread toward the water for about ten feet before a ramp led down onto the sand. As he came down the stairs, to the right was where the food stations and the grills were set up. The grills were furthest from the central area and gated off. Brian remembered Dom telling him that they gated it off specifically to keep kids away from the hot grills.<\/span><\/p>\n

To the left of the stairs were a few dozen long tables and matching chairs, all set up under large, weighted-down canopies. A few kids who had already arrived with their parents who were helping out were waiting patiently and sipping on juice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Out on the beach, there were several canopies, umbrellas, and lounge chairs littering the sands, and on either side of the main section were volleyball nets. Towels filled the shelves just to the side of the ramp that led down to the beach, and there were several net baskets filled with various water toys and floats for the kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian finished taking it all in and then headed to get into line for the food. He grinned when Dom and Han, who were adding charcoal to the grills, turned to look at him. “Missouri told me to eat, so I’m gonna eat.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Han laughed. “Good idea. She’ll be really cross if you don’t do it. And knowing you, you might pass out in some dramatic fashion from low blood sugar.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Ha-hah,” Brian said, rolling his eyes. Once it was his turn, he made himself a few tacos, picked up a drink, and headed over to where Han and Dom were working. “Everything looks great.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, it’s old hat putting this together by now,” Dom said. “We won’t fire up the grills until a little later, but it’s best to have the charcoal already set up.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Brian hummed and nodded as he chewed. When he swallowed, he pointed toward the nets on either side of the patio. “What’s with the nets being separated so far? I get that one of the two down that way is for the smaller kids who might want to play, but…”<\/span><\/p>\n

Han laughed. “One side is for the kids and the humans. The other side is for the Vampires.” Han closed the grill as soon as Dom put the grate back down. “We tend to get…very cutthroat about playing and it’s proved to be an issue before.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“What he means is that we’ve had Chosen get a concussion before just by being hit with the ball while playing and while spectating. So we have to separate the two areas, and everyone knows not to go beyond a certain point when we’re actively playing. Josiah’s orders, as he says we can’t knock all of our Chosen in the head and give them brain damage.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Shaking his head and laughing a little, Brian took another bite of his taco. It didn’t surprise him at all that they played hard. He would keep a safe distance from the net and the players, because who knew how Dom would react if he were to take an injury from another of his Clan members.<\/span><\/p>\n

People started trickling in more and more, far more than Brian had expected, but then again, maybe he should have. The Clan had been here for many decades, cultivating their territory and having a hand in the nearby city and the smaller towns and villages nearby. It made sense that they would have a lot of people in their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

He grinned when the kids started heading out to the water under the eagle eye of watchful parents and a few of the Vampires who were taking their turn at lifeguard duties. Brian was honestly impressed at the entire set up they had going to ensure that not only was everyone well-fed and happy, but that they were also as safe as possible. It honestly did a lot to ease his anxiety when it came to little kids around any kind of body of water. He knew it was his own issue and one well-earned, but he was happy that they took safety so seriously at this kind of thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

When all their guests were done with breakfast and the Vampires who wanted to eat had gotten what they wanted, Brian helped Joaquin and Teaspoon haul the big serving trays up to the kitchen so they could be cleaned out and washed for the hot sides for later.<\/span><\/p>\n

“They did a good job of eating up most of this,” Missouri said when they dropped them on the counter where she indicated.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, there ain’t much left,” Teaspoon said. “Anybody who isn’t here by now’ll show up later on closer to lunchtime.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Alright, honey, you help me with getting this prepped for later. Brian, get your cute little butt outside and have some fun. You’ve already done your fair share of the work over the last few days.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing better than to actually argue with her when she’d decided he’d done more than enough – he’d argued exactly once and didn’t need to feel that level of demoralization again – Brian just nodded and headed back out to the beach.<\/span><\/p>\n

“There you are,” Dom said as Brian strode out onto the sand. He and Han had set themselves up on a group of loungers. He shook a bottle of sunscreen. “Let’s get this on because I don’t want to deal with you turning into a lobster. It’ll lead to several unfun days.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, not my idea of a fun time either,” Brian said, pulling off his shirt and sitting down so Dom could cover his back while Brian worked on his arms and legs. Once he finished up with his chest and face, Brian jumped up and grinned. “Last one to the water has to do the next ten oil changes for the winner!”<\/span><\/p>\n

He laughed when he took off and the other two shouted.<\/span><\/p>\n

~*~<\/span><\/p>\n

“Did you have fun today?” Dom asked as he ran a cloth across Brian’s shoulders while Brian let the water from the showerhead to flow over his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, I did. It was fun watching all those kids running around and having fun. It seems like it was a huge hit.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“It usually is. It’s one of the best days that we have during the year around here. One that’s an annual thing anyway.” He continued washing Brian’s body, trailing the cloth down Brian’s back and over his ass. “You’re exhausted.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I am,” Brian agreed, “but parts of me are taking an interest, so I think you need to put up or go away so I can take care of my problem myself.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom peered around Brian and looked down, laughing a little when he saw that Brian’s dick was definitely taking an interest, so he placed the washcloth on the shelf and grabbed the lube they kept in the shower. “We’re both way too tired for anal.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Not too tired for you to jerk us off,” Brian said, turning around and leaning against the wall. He beckoned Dom closer. “Come over here and give me what I want.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom grinned and coated his hand with lube before dropping it back on the shelf, and then he pulled Brian just to the right of the water stream and crowded up against him, reaching down and taking them both in hand while he pressed a gentle kiss to Brian’s mouth that went hot in a few seconds.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Come on, Dom. Get us off,” Brian murmured against his mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom hummed in agreement and started stroking them both with firm, even strokes.<\/span><\/p>\n

“God that feels good. Not gonna last long,” Brian said against his neck.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah,” Dom murmured, rubbing his free hand up and down Brian’s back as he stroked them both harder and faster until Brian was coming against their stomachs and Dom followed a couple of strokes after.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom held onto him as Brian rested his forehead against his shoulder. “Satisfied?” he asked after a few minutes.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yes, but now I’m even more exhausted than I already was,” Brian said, laughing a little.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, I bet. How’s the scratch on your leg feeling?”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Fine. Doesn’t hurt or anything, and it didn’t bleed anymore after that initial scrape. My crappy luck would result in me getting an injury. Stupid twig.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Eh, you’ll survive. Nice of you to keep a stiff upper lip for all the kids though.” Dom grinned. He could practically hear the eye roll.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Brian laughed a little as he pulled back and got back under the water to rinse off. “I think a few of the younger ones were actually expecting me to cry.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I think a good portion of the time, kids cry more because adults make a big deal about their injuries.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. They pick themselves up and are okay, but then the parent says something and the waterworks are going full blast,” Brian said, laughing. “Saw it more than a few times as a cop.”<\/span><\/p>\n

They rinsed off quickly and got out, drying off and climbing into bed naked.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Do we have to get up early for anything?” Brian asked after yawning wide enough to practically take over his whole face.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Nope. We can sleep in as long as we want,” Dom said, curling up around him.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Good, because I don’t want to get up until noon.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom wasn’t sure Brian would stay in bed for that long, but he wasn’t going to protest if he wanted to. He pressed a kiss to Brian’s shoulder. “Go to sleep. Love you.”<\/span><\/p>\n

“I love you, too.” Brian sighed and fell quickly into sleep, and Dom followed him shortly.<\/span><\/p>\n

~*~<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom yawned as he headed down the stairs, having left Brian asleep in the bedroom. He hadn\u2019t been sleeping a lot lately, which was a remnant left over from his human life, as sleep hadn\u2019t always come easy to him. He rubbed the back of his head as he headed into the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

He stopped short when he saw Josiah and Jos\u00e9 sitting there, looking a little troubled. Then he went over and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then he sat down and sat back to stare at them. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Please tell me that we don\u2019t have some asshole planning some kind of weird invasion. It\u2019s too damn early and I didn\u2019t get enough sleep for that shit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but I don\u2019t think you\u2019re going to be happy,\u201d Jos\u00e9 said as he sipped his coffee.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMight as well lay it on me. What dumbass shit has someone done?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Josiah sighed. \u201cJesse\u2019s gone. At some point yesterday, while we were all down at the beach, he decided to leave. Vince noted this morning when he went to get into his car to head to town, he noted Jesse\u2019s car that he keeps here was gone. He called me to let me know because he figured that Jesse was breaking my order, probably to get attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9 took over. \u201cI went to his room and found all his things missing. It seems he\u2019s decided to leave. He didn\u2019t leave a note that anyone has found, so we\u2019re unclear if he\u2019s permanently breaking ties with the Clan, or if he\u2019s doing it simply for attention.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom groaned and rubbed his face. \u201cIs it bad that at this point, I just don\u2019t care?\u201d he asked after several moments. \u201cThe only thing any of us asked of him was for him to grow up and just take responsibility for his actions, to acknowledge what he did wrong and just fucking apologize for it and mean it. No one was cruel or ugly to him. We just weren\u2019t accepting his bullshit excuses for his bad behavior. Instead, he chose to continue to act like a spoiled, entitled brat. And now he\u2019s going to run away and sulk because he\u2019s not getting his own way? I\u2019m not chasing his ass down and begging him to come back. He needs to figure himself out, and if he doesn\u2019t come back, then so be it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI agree,\u201d Josiah said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing we can do for him, and he\u2019s on his own. But if I were you, I\u2019d let them know up in LA what\u2019s going on with him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, Mia\u2019s already pissed off about how things have been going and his behavior,\u201d Dom said. \u201cI\u2019ll call her here in a while and let her know. It\u2019s likely he\u2019s heading back up that way since that\u2019s what he knows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dom shook his head. It was a conversation he wasn\u2019t looking forward to having with his sister.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Title: Episode 4: Summer Lovin\u2019 Series: Crossroads Pairing: Dom\/Brian Summary: Summer is coming to an end and Dom and Brian’s relationship is progressing, and Brian becomes more and more entrenched with the Clan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[184,1082,137,66],"tags":[1090,1083,86],"class_list":["post-21750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-side-stories","category-sylum-advent-2023","category-sylum-events","category-sylum-stories","tag-series-crossroads","tag-sylum-advent-2023","tag-writer-gil-grissom"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Da1M-5EO","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":519,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-december-13th-on-the-shores-of-cape-sounion-by-gil-grissom\/","url_meta":{"origin":21750,"position":0},"title":"Sylum Advent – December 13th: On the Shores of Cape Sounion by Gil Grissom","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"December 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"December 13th \u00a0 Title:\u00a0On the Shores of Cape Sounion Author:\u00a0Gil Grissom Pairings\/Characters:\u00a0Dom Toretto\/Brian O'Conner Rating:\u00a0FRAO Summary:\u00a0\u00a0Dom and Brian take a little trip to the Clan's villa. Art:\u00a0taibhrigh \u00a0 Link to Sylum Archive \u00a0 Please reply to this post for comments\/observations","rel":"","context":"In "Sylum Advent: 2012"","block_context":{"text":"Sylum Advent: 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/sylum-events\/sylum-advent-2012\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/banner_advent2012-final.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9691,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-2017-december-23rd\/","url_meta":{"origin":21750,"position":1},"title":"Sylum Advent 2017: December 23rd","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"December 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"*** Title: Episode Three \u2013 Revelations Season: Shifting Tides Author: Starkindler Main Pairings: Dom\/Han Background Pairings: Adam\/Nathan Rating: R Summary: More is revealed about Vampires and Brian figures out just how deep he's landed in it. Link to Archive","rel":"","context":"In "Sylum Advent: 2017"","block_context":{"text":"Sylum Advent: 2017","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/sylum-events\/sylum-advent-2017\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bar-banner_advent2017.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2278,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-december-3rd-building-mysteries-by-gil-grissom\/","url_meta":{"origin":21750,"position":2},"title":"Sylum Advent – December 3rd: Building Mysteries by Gil Grissom","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"December 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"December 3rd \u00a0 \u00a0 Title: Building Mysteries Author: Gil Grissom Summary:\u00a0Dom seeks out Brian a few days after Christmas. \u00a0 Link to Sylum Archive \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Sylum Advent: 2013"","block_context":{"text":"Sylum Advent: 2013","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/sylum-events\/sylum-advent-2013\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"banner_advent2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/banner_advent2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":506,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-december-9th-the-perfect-gift-by-gil-grissom\/","url_meta":{"origin":21750,"position":3},"title":"Sylum Advent – December 9th: The Perfect Gift by Gil Grissom","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"December 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"December 9th Title:\u00a0The Perfect Gift Author:\u00a0Gil Grissom Pairings\/Characters:\u00a0Dom\/Brian, Daniel Boone, David Crockett Rating:\u00a0FRAO Summary:\u00a0Daniel and David's gift on their fifth-year Bonding anniversary wasn't anything they'd ever expected, but it was more than welcome. Art:\u00a0taibhrigh \u00a0 Link to Sylum Archive \u00a0 Please reply to this post for comments\/observations","rel":"","context":"In "Sylum Advent: 2012"","block_context":{"text":"Sylum Advent: 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/sylum-events\/sylum-advent-2012\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/banner_advent2012-final.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":488,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-december-3rd-say-goodnight-not-goodbye-by-gil-shep\/","url_meta":{"origin":21750,"position":4},"title":"Sylum Advent – December 3rd: Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye by Gil & Shep","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"December 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"December 3rd \u00a0 Title:\u00a0Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye Author:\u00a0Gil Grissom and John Sheppard Pairings\/Characters:\u00a0Dom\/Brian, various characters from Border, The Vampire Council, and Sanctuary Clan Rating:\u00a0FRAO Summary:\u00a0A new threat darkens Border's doorstep and attempts to break the Clan's spirit, while chaos erupts half a world away. Art:\u00a0taibhrigh \u00a0 Link to Sylum Archive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sylum Advent: 2012"","block_context":{"text":"Sylum Advent: 2012","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/sylum-events\/sylum-advent-2012\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/banner_advent2012-final.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15369,"url":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/sylum-advent-2019-day-twenty-one\/","url_meta":{"origin":21750,"position":5},"title":"Sylum Advent 2019: Day Twenty-One","author":"Nicolaus Meridius","date":"December 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Artwork: Mates Wallpapers (Dominic Toretto & Brian O'Conner) & (Jack McPhee & Doug Witter) Artist: Gil Grissom \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Sylum Advent: 2019"","block_context":{"text":"Sylum Advent: 2019","link":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/category\/sylum-events\/sylum-advent-2019\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bar-banner_advent2019.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21750\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sylumclan.com\/sylumblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}