Faerie Tales, 2/?

[amelialourdes]

I changed the title of the story since it makes a little more sense than the previous title. Who knows, this may change. It's been so long since I've written a new chapter for this story but I'm feeling extra motivated lately. I had r_me_time look this over but any other errors and bad plot elements are mine. :|

In case you don't remember the first chapter then it's over here.

Last time you saw our heroes they were having hot sex in the loft bed. Justin fell asleep and when he woke up he found that he, Brian and Gus were not in Pittsburgh anymore. So, where are they?

Title: Faerie Tales
Pairing: Brian/Justin, 10th Kingdom crossover.
Rating: Adult content, that enough?
Warnings: There's man-on-man love but that shouldn't be a warning.
Disclaimers: I own nothing.



The green, almost cartoon-like grass is blinding. The sun shines down on Justin but it's almost as if he can't feel it, like it's not heat that's radiating from that sun but just pure light. He looks in the distance, and there's a dark forest, a complete contrast to the world that he sees around him.

He’s lost in these thoughts when he hears, "Where the fuck are we?"

"Daddy, bad word!" Gus yells, looking up at him.

Brian's still tightly holding on to Gus’s hand with no intention of letting go. "Gus, this isn't the time for that. We're trying to figure out where we are. What's the last thing that you remember?"

Brian's other hand reaches down for Justin who's still sitting on the grass. Justin takes it and uses it to lift himself up off the ground. He looks at him and shrugs his shoulders. "We were in bed at the loft and then I woke up and we were here."

There isn't really much to see. There's a dirt path in front of them. That has to lead somewhere.

"Look, let's just find someone and ask and ..." Justin trails off because he has no idea what to do after that. "And we'll figure it out," he concludes. They both have to stay calm for Gus. As long as they don't panic, try to keep things in perspective, and stay in control then they'll be fine. At least that's what Justin's telling himself.

"Come on, sonny boy. Let’s see what’s over here," Brian manages a smile for Gus and shoots Justin a worried look.

They begin to walk down the path and eventually spot a house on the side of the road. Brian and Justin immediately look at one another when they stop in front of it. Once the shock wears off, they look back at the house and begin to slowly walk toward it.

It's not something that Justin remembers seeing in Architectural Digest. It looks like an old cottage with a thatched roof, built out of wood, and coming out of the chimney is a pillar of black smoke. "I don't think that ..." Justin begins but is interrupted when the door begins to open.

Stepping out of the house is an older looking man. He has long white hair, no beard, wire rimmed glasses, wearing an apron that is covered in soot, and unless their eyes deceive them, the man has pointed ears. “Yes?” he asks.

"Um, hi. We’re ---"

Before Justin can continue, a small dog runs out from the house, and Gus pulls his hand away from Brian to run after it.

“Gus!” Brian yells, rushing after him but both his son and the dog are surprisingly fast. “Gus, come back here right now!”

Gus stops in place and bends down. The small dog comes rushing toward him, pressing his paws against Gus’s chest, and begins to lick the boy. Brian stops to look down at the two of them in the grass and pulls the dog off of his son.

Brian helps Gus to stand as he kneels down to Gus's level and takes him by the shoulders. “Gus. You can play with the dog but you cannot run away from me like that. Do you understand?”

Justin slowly walks over to the both of them and feels concern when he hears that tone in Brian’s voice. He’s really freaked out right now. Nothing would’ve happened to Gus. This dog is smaller than he is. But, that’s not the reason that Brian’s upset and Justin can’t blame him.

Gus nods solemnly and looks at Brian, "I’m sorry, daddy."

"It’s okay Gus. It’s okay," Brian assures him, gently cupping his cheek in his hand. He looks over to observe the dog. He seems harmless enough. "Go on. Go ahead. The puppy’s waiting for you," he nods toward the dog who’s sitting on the ground, his tail wagging excitedly.

Gus smiles, leaning in to give Brian a quick hug that Brian returns wholeheartedly before he turns his attention back to the dog.

Brian stands and Justin places his hand against the small of his back to comfort him.

The older man has now come out from the house and looks at the two men. He doesn’t seem to mind Gus playing with his pet. “Who are you?” his tone is a little less suspicious now, more curious.

“I’m Justin and this is Brian and his son, Gus. Um, we somehow … I know that this sounds strange but we don’t know where we are and we don’t know how we got here. Is there someone we can go to that can help us?”

“There are people who came before you through the mirror. They will have the answers you seek.” Brian quickly shoots Justin a glance and he’s reading his mind. Who talks like this? “You just continue down the path until you get to the end of the forest. There, you will see another road. Take that road until you reach Cinderella’s castle.”

“What?” Brian and Justin say simultaneously.

“Take that road until you reach Cinderella’s castle!” he yells at them. “Bruno!” he yells again and marches straight back to the cabin. The dog pulls away from Gus and the man slams the door behind him.

Again, they stand there in shock. Gus walks over to Brian and that snaps him out of it. “Come on, Gus,” Brian says quietly, bending down to pick up Gus. He holds on to him tightly and turns to start walking down the path.

“Brian …”

“You heard him. Down the path, through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.”

“I thought that was over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go?”

“So, I’m improvising a little. If we’re walking to a place called Cinderella’s castle then I can take artistic license with an old song.” He makes his point and Justin shrugs his shoulders.

After a few minutes of silence, Justin speaks again, “We’re just going to believe that we’re actually going to Cinderella’s castle? We’re just going to believe that we’re in a place where they actually believe in Cinderella?”

“Is there something you’re not telling me? Do you know how we got here or where we are?”

“No but …”

“Then we have to believe. We have to go home and if that’s going to get us all there then that’s what I believe.” Brian just sounds so determined that Justin immediately shuts up.

They walk together in silence and even Gus falls asleep on Brian’s shoulder. Sometimes Brian shifts him from shoulder to shoulder but he’d rather have him close to him than risk him running away from him again.

“Brian, it’s getting late. I think that we need to stop somewhere,” Justin speaks quietly so he doesn’t wake Gus.

“Stop where, Sunshine? The local Four Seasons? Just lead the way.”

Justin sighs heavily and takes a look around until he sees black smoke in the distance. It looks the same as the smoke billowing from the old man’s cabin that they had seen earlier. “There,” Justin points and leads the way toward the smoke.

They reach the home and the smell of cinnamon is overwhelming. The house is a light shade of brown, the windows tinted yellow and bordered by stripes like a candy cane.

“Hello?” a woman’s voice calls out and then she comes out of the house, a smile on her face as she looks at the three of them. “Oh, visitors!” she says excitedly. “We rarely receive visitors and oh, a child. There’s been no child here since we were young children.” She comes close and she seems pleasant and looks like she may be Brian’s age or a little older. “What’s his name?”

“Gus,” Brian responds automatically as she leans in to take a closer look at him.

“He’s darling. Would you like to come in? You both look weary and tired. We have a place for you to rest and eat. Come in, come in,” she opens the small wooden gate for them and Brian steps inside. Justin’s hesitant but he’s so tired and hungry that it’s difficult to say no to such a good offer.

When they walk into the home, the smell of food immediately makes their stomachs grumble. Gus doesn’t even stir. This woman leads the way to a bedroom with a small, tiny bed. It’s just Gus’s size. She motions to leave Gus there and Brian carefully places him into bed. He takes his little shoes off and covers him up with a blanket before he leaves the room.

They walk back into the other room as Brian closes the door behind him.

“Um, I’m Justin,” he introduces himself to the woman.

“Brian,” he holds out his hand and she offers the top of her hand. Brian glances at Justin and leans down to kiss it. Justin does the same.

“I’m Gretel,” she says. “And this is the home that I share with my brother Hansel. He’s out chopping wood for the fire tonight.”

“Hansel … and Gretel?” Justin repeats.

“The only two in the Second Kingdom at the moment,” she tells them as she walks into the dining room. They follow her and see the table is covered with food, perfectly plated, recently cooked. “You two must be hungry. Eat!” she motions to the chairs.

They follow her orders and take a seat across from one another while she sits at the head of the table. “I’m sorry, the Second Kingdom?” Justin wonders as he takes a plate and begins to fill it with what he wants to eat.

“Yes. My, you are weary travelers aren’t you? Where is your kingdom?”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a Kingdom,” Brian comments, taking a plate of his own to eat. “It’s a city, I guess. Pittsburgh.”

“Pittsburgh?” she questions. “I’ve never heard of such a kingdom. Where is your destination?”

“Um, Cinderella’s castle,” Justin tells her, lifting his gaze to look at Brian. Then he looks down at his plate and takes a bite of the perfectly roasted chicken in front of him. “Wow, this is really great. Thank you for taking us in.”

She smiles, pleased when she hears him. “Thank you for coming. It’s rare we have visitors. Our home is deep into the forest. If you’re looking for answers then Cinderella’s castle is where you’ll find them. The King is very wise.”

“Cinderella no longer lives there?” Justin can’t believe that those words just came out of his mouth.

“Oh. Well, there’s a rumor that she’s still there. People saw her at this ball and said she looks a bit … haggard. But, the King is now the ruler in her place and he rules the Fourth Kingdom. My grandmother is still able to rule part of this Kingdom, the Second Kingdom.”

“Your grandmother?”

“Yes, Gretel the Great. She rules this part of the Kingdom, the South. While Queen Riding Hood the Third, rules the North. I’m next in line for the throne but I like spending my time right here in the old cottage.”

Brian almost stops eating then and there. He looks at Justin and Justin is looking back at him. They know exactly what the other is thinking.

“But, listen to me prattling on here. You boys finish your meal and I’ll start on dessert.” She leaves the table to go to the kitchen and Justin actually laughs.

“I can’t even believe that any of this is happening. It’s all so absurd. We’re literally trapped in some kind of fairy tale. I think that this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to us.”

Despite their current circumstances, Justin’s laughter makes Brian smile. “I think that we’ve been in weirder situations,” Brian comments as he takes a small bite of apple pie.

“Oh, yeah? Name one.”

Brian’s up to the challenge and begins to name situations that come to mind. “Okay what about ---“

“Daddy?” They both turn to see that Gus is in the doorway, rubbing his eyes.

“Come over here, sonny boy,” Brian motions for him to sit in the chair next to him. “Eat something. Did you sleep well?” he bends down, pressing a kiss to Gus’s hair before he takes some food for Gus to eat.

As Gus begins to tell them about his dream, Justin glares at Brian for getting away with avoiding the conversation and Brian gives him a shit-eating grin that tells him he feels like he somehow won the argument. That look only causes Justin to roll his eyes.

A few minutes into their meal, they hear the door open, and someone calls out, "Sister?"

Justin's eyes zero in on the man who has just walked into sight. He's gorgeous. His eyes are an almost startling blue, pink full lips, chiseled features, a body to die for, and clothes that fit him in all the right places.

Brian sees this and has to comment, "Close your mouth. You're letting the flies in."

Justin's about to let him have it for the bad joke but he does realize that his mouth is open and he promptly closes it.

"Greetings," the man says, his voice deep, and friendly. "And who may you be?"

"You must be the brother," Brian guesses.

"I'm Hansel and you are?"

Justin looks back and forth between the two of them and can already see a silent contest forming between the two. Even in another dimension or land, if Brian faces competition he's going to make sure that his competitor know that he has the upper hand. Gus is too occupied with his food to notice that any of this is happening but one day he's going to get used to seeing this side of his father.

"Brian Kinney and this is my partner Justin Taylor," Brian motions across the table to Justin.

Now Justin knows that this means war. It's only once in a blue moon that he's referred to as a partner. Lately, since the engagement, he has heard more of those declarations but only jokingly and only in front of friends and family. This is the new Brian that Justin's still trying to get used to. It's not easy.

"Partner. As in traveling partner?"

"No. That's not what I mean," Brian says with just that hint of mischief in his eyes and that subtle tone of suggestion. Justin looks across the table and gives him a look that tells him, "Why don't you just hit me over the head with a club and grunt 'MINE' while pulling me by the hair into another room?" Okay, Brian may not have received that message but that's what Justin's thinking.

"Brother!" Gretel finally comes into the room and loops her arm through his. "Did you meet our visitors? They'll be staying for the evening. I must ready the spare room and you must light the fireplaces so that we may keep warm tonight."

"I think I know how I'm going to keep warm tonight, sister," Hansel gives Justin a quick glance and leads his sister out of the room.

Neither one of them could be oblivious to that glance. They know that stare all too well. Brian barely looks at Justin after that. He makes sure that Gus is eating and then continues to finish his meal and Justin does the same.



Oh, if anyone likes Shelter, I wrote a Shelter story today too after a rewatch. Until next time!