Who: Billy and Justin What: Getting to know each other When: Sat 29th June Where: Pride! Rating: PG for light flirting(?) Status: Complete
Billy was having fun. He’d hoped he would, he’d heard lots of great things about Pride and the guys he’d come along with were all pretty sound. It had been really nerve wracking at first and it had taken him a couple of days to work up the courage to reply to the offer on the net. But he had done it. He’d never hidden his sexuality, in fact he’d moved schools twice as a child in order to find a school without bullies which, thankfully, he had. However there had still been that slight hesitance, as much as he wanted to be himself he was here completely alone.
Thankfully everybody was great and he’d laughed a lot since stepping into the vehicle back in the OC. He was on his own now, sitting to the side and just taking everything in. It was such an amazing atmosphere, he wanted to soak it all up.
Justin had been to Pride in LA quite a few times, but never in San Francisco, so he was glad that this trip had actually happened. He’d been worried at first that no one would be interested in going, so when he got more responses than he’d expected and then Gaz had offered up her private jet, he’d started to get even more excited for it. The flight over at been a lot of fun, considering flying on a private jet was a lot different than a commercial flight. Upon arriving, they’d checked into their hotel then went out.
He too was now on his own, having spent time with everyone at different times. He had been wandering around, seeing if he could find anyone from the group when he spotted Billy. He’d only just met the other, but he’d also just met most of the people who had come on the trip, “Hey, Billy!” He called out to the brunette.
Looking up when he heard his name he smiled, “Hi Justin” he called back shuffling over on the low wall so that the other boy could sit if he wanted to. “Having fun? So is it similar or loads different?” he asked, knowing Justin had been to LA Pride before.
Justin nodded as he sat down beside Billy, “Yeah, are you?” So far everyone seemed to be having fun, which Justin was happy about. It would suck if anyone wasn’t having fun. “Both. I think this is definitely bigger, but they are similar.” He said, glancing over at the other, “Next year you’ll have to go to Pride in LA and then you can judge for yourself.”
“Yeah, it’s great. Atmosphere is so friendly and relaxed” Billy replied, “Oh I don’t know about that. Maybe if a group was going again. It took me awhile to ask to tag along on this trip” he admitted, “I’m glad I did though”
Justin smiled, understanding what Billy meant. His first year, he almost hadn’t gone, because he hadn’t been sure what to expect, but it had been his best friend, Daphne, who had convinced him that he would never know what to expect if he didn’t go, “You have a whole year though. Besides, next year you might have someone you want to spend it with.” Justin couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually had a boyfriend during Pride and considering every cute guy he’d met recently was either straight or taken, it wasn’t looking good for him in the relationship department, “Do you mind if ask how long you’ve been out?” He was always curious about when other guys had realized they were gay or bisexual.
Billy nodded, he wasn’t sure about that but Justin was right there was a whole year to go. “I don’t mind. I was ten when I first realised I liked boys more than girls but it didn’t really mean much until a couple of years later. I’ve had to change schools a couple of times because I’ve never hidden who I was and some people seem to have issues with that”
“That fucking sucks.” Justin had been lucky, no one at his school had really seemed to care, but he’d gone to high school in Beverly Hills, so that probably had something to do with it, “I’ve always been pretty lucky. No one ever really bothered me about being gay. I was fourteen when I realized it, but didn’t tell anyone till I fifteen.” He ran a hand through his hair as he spoke, “Where did you grow up?” It still boggled Justin mind that there were some places where hardly anyone batted an eye at homosexuality, but then there were some places where you were practically shunned if you were gay. He couldn’t wait until the day where no one gave a fuck who you slept with as long as you weren’t hurting anyone.
“It did but my third school was great. They had a zero tolerance thing going on and I have some really great friends who befriended me and it all worked out in the end” Billy was a lot calmer about it now, at the end of the day nothing he did now could change the past so he had to look forward. “That is lucky. I do think there are ignorant people all over it just depends how loud and how many as to whether or not you notice them” He certainly didn’t think there were any places where nobody would take issue with some kind of minority group, whether it was homosexuals or not. “I grew up in Brooklyn”
“That’s good. I wish more schools had zero tolerance policies,” Justin shook his head as he recalled the various stories about young gay teenagers who hadn’t been quite as lucky as him and Billy. “That’s why I like coming to Pride though. Yeah, sometimes you get assholes you think they can come and crash or something, but for the most part, you can be yourself without worrying about what anyone else thinks.” Not to mention there were always plenty of hot guys around, “I went to New York once with a couple friends from art school. I couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to live there though.”
“Me too. It makes the whole experience just a lot nicer. Probably because nicer people go there” he said giving a small smile. “Pride is pretty great for that huh? I’ve not felt self conscious or watched at all”
But he had been doing some watching, there were definitely some nice hot guys around. “It’s loud and busy. I already prefer it here. It helps I landed a job in the industry I love almost straight away too” Being a runner, even part time, was awesome for Billy.
"Yeah, that's what I really like about Pride. You can just be yourself," Justin glanced at all the goings on then back to Billy, "Where did you wind up getting a job? I wish I could have been able to help more." Justin had inquired at the studio, but there hadn't been any entry level jobs at that time, "I know what you mean though. I hadn't expected to get into the art department of such a big studio so soon. I mean, I started kinda low, but now I do the storyboards for Black Widow." He knew that this next season would be the last, but he was sure he'd wind up on another show.
“Red Gum studios” Billy replied, “It’s just part time but it’s pretty awesome. Satisfies the geek in me” he admitted with a shy grin. “Oh don’t worry, it was great that you asked for me. Just keep me in mind” he requested, “Are you looking now the show’s finishing?”
"That's a good studio, from what I've heard. Good place to get your foot in the door." Justin smirked, thinking that Billy looked especially cute when he smiled, especially that particular smile, "I haven't started looking for anything yet. Probably during the winter hiatus. Gaz got me a temporary summer job working on storyboards and graphics for a new video game." Justin didn't use computers often when it came to art, but he definitely knew how to use various digital arts programs.
“They’ve been really nice to me so far” Billy nodded, “And I’ve even met a few nice actors. Zelda was lovely, no pretentiousness” But then she was young, he hoped the business didn’t change her too much though. “Oh that must be fun” Billy said, “I don’t play very often now but I used to. I’ll keep an ear out while I’m running around if you’d like”
“I’ve met a few actors too. Haven’t met Zelda, but I’ve seen her around Valarnet along with a bunch of others.” That was one of the thing Justin liked about Valarnet; so many different people posted there, including actors and they were always nice to just about everyone, “I don’t play much really either. When I’m not working or doing something art related I try to get out and surf.” Of course, he wouldn’t be surfing for a few weeks since he’d gone and gotten his nipple pierced with Gaz the night before, “That’d be great. Might be a nice change to work at a different studio on something completely different.”
Billy nodded with a smile, “Surfing seems to be popular around here” he commented, “I’ve never tried it. It looks kind of hard” Cool, but hard. Billy wasn’t sure he could do it. “Then I’ll definitely keep a lookout” he promised.
Justin shook his head, “It’s not really that difficult. You know Miguel who came here with us? Me and another friend are currently teaching him to surf. If you ever want to learn, I can teach you.” Justin wouldn’t mind spending more time with Billy, to be honest, “Hey, you wanna get a drink?” He was sure that there were festivities going on inside all the bars and clubs just like there was on the streets at the moment.
“Well if you think it’s possible then I’m all for giving it a go, as long as you have the patience” he grinned before nodding, “A drink sounds good to me” He liked Justin and wouldn’t mind getting to know him a bit more.
“It might have to wait a few weeks though. Last night me and Gaz went and got our nipples pierced.” Justin still couldn’t believe he’d actually done it, but if seventeen year old Justin in his dreams could do it then so could he, “Well, I got one.” He didn’t mention the dreams though, because he didn’t know if Billy was a dreamer too and he didn’t want to scare him off. When he agreed to go get a drink, Justin smirked and got to his feet, “Come on then.”
“No way” Billy gawked slightly, “You guys are braver than me. Did it hurt?” he asked as he stood with Justin to get a drink. Billy had yet to start dreaming but he knew people who did and he’d seen the discussions on the net. He didn’t quite get the full implications of it though, and probably wouldn’t until he started dreaming himself.
“A little, yeah. Gaz barely fucking flinched. It was kind of crazy.” He couldn’t help but pull his t-shirt up to show off the ring that hung through his right nipple, “I almost got both, but I figured that’d look even weirder on me, so I opted for the one.” After a moment, he put his shirt back down then gestured for Billy to follow him so they could find a bar, “I bet every place is packed.” But that was to be expected at Pride.
As Justin pulled his shirt up Billy was slightly distracted by the pull of muscles across his abdomen. He felt two spots of color appear on his cheeks so he pulled his mind away from less pure thoughts and focused on the conversation at hand. “One was definitely the way to go” he agreed, his voice sounding fairly normal. “Maybe the places off the main streets will be less crowded?” he suggested.
While Justin might not have had a six pack or anything like that, his stomach was flat and he was in pretty good shape, thanks to the surfing as well as his young age. Not to mention, sex was have one a pretty good workout as well. Smirking at Billy's reaction, Justin stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked, "That's not a bad idea." He glanced down the first side street they came to and turned down it as he spotted a bar a few buildings down. Inside, it was busy, but not packed, "What do you drink?"
“Beer” he replied, he wasn’t a big drinker but he could handle beer. Spirits and hard liquor wasn’t something he had a lot of practice with. “Shall I grab us a seat?” he suggested noticing an empty table in the back corner of the bar.
Justin nodded and turned to the bartender to order two beers while Billy went to get a seat. When the beers were placed on the bar, Justin paid the man then took both mugs over to the table that the other had found and sat down, "I'll drink pretty much anything, but at bars I usually keep it simple." He smiled and slid the other mug over to Billy.
Billy smiled back, “I don’t really drink except for the occasional beer” he replied, “But this is nice” he added. “So tell me Justin how did you end up doing what you do in California?”
“You mean how’d I become an artist?” Justin took a sip of his beer, “My mother says I could hold a pencil before I could even walk, but I think she’s making that up. But I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. As I got older it was one of my outlets from everything. I’ve almost always got a sketchpad with me and it was just an obvious career choice. I’m really fucking good at it, so I figured I might as well get paid to do it.” There really wasn’t anything else that Justin could see himself doing professionally. “How’d you get into what you do?”
“That’s pretty awesome to have something that you’re obviously destined to do” Billy said almost in awe, “I’d like to see your drawings sometime, if you don’t mind” he added. “Me? I’m just a huge geek. I’ve always loved television and movies and it’s been my dream to work on a set so...” he shrugged. He didn’t have anything he was really good at like Justin.
“Anytime. I’ve got one back at the hotel. You can look at it when we get back later.” Justin enjoyed showing his work off to other people. His sketchpads were filled with sketches of family, friends, random people he saw on the street as well as random things in general. There were also some sketches of Brian. The man that he kept dreaming about. “That’s pretty awesome too. It’s always better to do something that you really love.”
“That’d be great, thanks” Billy said with a nod, looking forward to seeing Justin’s work. He wasn’t an art connoisseur or anything but he knew what he liked and appreciated the work that went into producing it.
“That’s what I figured and if I start out with a runner’s job it gives me a chance to see everything and maybe decide where I want my focus to be” he shrugged.
“That’s a really good way to go about it.” Justin had done something similar when he was in art school; he’d taken pretty much every class he could in order to see which mediums he was best at and while sketching and painting were his best, he was also good on the computer and had made a few fairly decent things out of clay. “Once you really get into it, I’m sure you’ll figure out exactly what aspect of the business you want to be in.”
“That’s my hope” Billy said, “I’m enjoying it all right now but I’ll get some focus sooner or later” he grinned. He didn’t mind being a runner for a while, he got to meet interesting people and it gave him a chance to be on sets which was like a dream come true for him.
As they spoke, Justin finished off his drink and made to stand then turned back to Billy, “Do you want another one? One more and then we can head back outside?” He didn’t want to take up all Billy’s time at Pride in a bar after all.
Billy nodded, “Sounds like a plan to me” he agreed standing himself and placing a hand on Justin’s arm, “But let me get them” Justin had gotten the last two so it seemed only fair.
Justin smiled as Billy placed his hand on his arm and he nodded, "Alright. This round is on you." The last time he'd had a drink bought for him he'd wound up going home with the guy, but he didn't think that was going to happen with Billy and that was perfectly fine with him, because even though they were just getting to really know each other, Justin liked Billy and he didn't want him to become a random hookup.