Justin could still hear the venom as it poured out of Cody when he walked briskly away from the near disaster that his life had threatened to become. The pathetic boy was so filled with hatred that he had even turned on his own kind, calling Justin a faggot and pussy and coward with no balls...everything he detested in the straights who had obviously tormented him his whole life. As Justin put more distance between the ranting lad and himself he allowed himself a moment to wonder what had happened to Cody to make him so angry, but in truth it wasn't Justin's problem. He had enough problems to deal with in his own life. Justin was not going to be the weapon Cody needed to strike back at the heteros.

Cody had used his own car to get to Hobbs’ house for the grand confrontation so Justin found himself without transportation. There was no way he was waiting around for Cody to follow him out of Hobbs' backyard. Justin had made his decision the minute he saw the utter terror in Chris's eyes with the barrel of the gun dangling from his trembling mouth. Justin had been sure he would feel satisfaction at the sight of Hobbs begging for mercy but instead he only felt disgust for the whimpering fool. In that instant Justin had received all the closure he needed from the bashing. He had seen Hobbs as a puny little man who he knew in his heart would never amount to anything and Justin felt pity. He knew that his life would be a thousand times better than Chris's ever would. Brian was right again. Being a success and having it all was the best revenge.

Justin used the cell phone that his lover had provided and called for a cab from the corner. Ten minutes later he was on his way back to the loft. He knew he would be safe and warm and loved there. That was all he needed. He ran his hand through the stubble that had once been his crowning glory and winced at the stupidity of it all. Brian proved his love again. Justin knew how much the man loved his golden locks and yet he uttered no word of rebuke when the lad walked into the loft that day with his head shaved like a cue ball. Justin was itching to have the hair grow back. It was the least he could do for his patient lover.

Justin took the stairs two at a time once he got to the loft. The elevator would have been far too slow. Justin had news and it couldn't wait. He had just reached the sliding metal door to the loft when it flew open, as if the occupant had been waiting there the whole time for his arrival.

Justin stopped in his tracks and looked up at the beautiful brunet in front of him.

"It's finished," was all Justin said.

Brian reached out and gathered his Sunshine to him in one swift movement. He buried his face in the prickly scalp that rested on his shoulder. The hair may have been removed but the familiar smells of Justin's favorite shampoo lingered and Brian breathed deeply of them. He would never have said it out loud but he had been terrified that Justin would be badly hurt or even killed if he continued on the path that the asshole Cody had him walking. It had taken every ounce of Brian's will to keep him from reaming Justin out when he found the gun in his possession. But he also knew that Justin had to stand up for himself in his own way. Hadn't he always said that every queer had to choose for himself how he would live his life? But damn, it was hard.

Sure, he had been protective of Mikey for years, but this was different. He knew that he might not survive the loss of Justin because of physical violence. He wanted to protect Justin as much for his own sake as for Justin's. He refused to give a name to it yet but he knew Justin was the most important person in his life. It was as simple (and complicated) as that.

At first Justin just lay in Brian's arms, feeling grateful for them, but then the realization of what he had come so close to doing began setting in and he started to tremble. Brian pulled his face up and looked deep into his eyes.

"Tell me Sunshine," he said simply.

Justin hesitated for a few seconds. He wasn't sure he wanted to admit how far over the edge he had come. But as he looked into Brian's eyes he saw that there was nothing there to fear. Brian would understand and support him no matter what he said. There was nothing in those concerned eyes but love and the need to know that everything was all right with his man. Justin took a deep breath and then began the Cody-Chris-Justin backyard saga.

By the time he reached the end of his tale, Brian was the one trembling, though he wasn't quite sure why. He knew it was partly anger at that bastard Cody for putting Justin into such a deadly spot but it was more than that. It was also an overwhelming fear. He was now fully aware of just how close Justin had come to destroying his life and future. His only consolation was that Justin proved once again that Brian was brilliant to choose this young man to fall for and care about. He never failed to live up to Brian's greatest expectations.

Somehow the two men had ended up on the sprawling couch while Justin relived the night's events and now Brian had him stretched out beside him with his head in Brian's lap. Brian longed to run his fingers through Justin's silken hair but he contented himself with massaging the young man's scalp. He laid his other hand on Justin's chest and began rubbing it ever so gently. Justin reached up with his hands and began unbuttoning his dark olive jacket. He then unzipped the brown sweater underneath, exposing his dark tee shirt.

Brian paused as Justin sat up and removed all three upper garments. He laid back down with his head nestled in Brian's lap again. Brian returned to his ministrations to Justin's pale warm chest, using his slender, but strong fingers to tease each nipple until they both stood at attention. Justin had begun to reach for his pants but Brian's hand reached the belt buckle first and proceeded to single-handedly loosen the belt. Justin reached for his zipper and the sound of it heading downwards brought a leap to Brian's groin. Justin could feel the hardening against his scalp.

Brian reached into the gap in Justin's jeans and fished around for his prize. It wasn't hard to find. Once again Brian marveled how well endowed his much smaller partner was than himself. Of course he knew he was slightly more blessed but Justin had certainly gotten more than his fair share. Brian released the already inflamed cock from its bed and began slowly stroking it up and down, over and over, all the while massaging Justin's scalp. In no time Justin's breath was coming in short staccato bursts. Brian knew instinctively that it was time to change tactics and so did Justin.

Justin sat up a second time and slid his jeans and briefs all the way off, removing shoes and socks at the same time. Brian, who had only been clad in briefs and a robe when Justin arrived, also removed his clothing. Brian sat back down and Justin put his head in his lap once again, only this time he had turned onto his stomach and he was laying face down. Within seconds he had found his own special prize and headed straight for it, mouth wide open and ready for action.

Justin proceeded to give Brian the same pleasures with his practiced mouth that Brian had just given him with his hand. After a dozen deep-throating exercises on Brian's grateful cock, the same whimpers began emanating from Brian's throat that Justin had produced shortly before. Suddenly Brian pushed the bobbing head unceremoniously off his weeping manhood.

"I think it's time we both had a little TLC, don't you?" He asked huskily.

Brian got up, hardened cock bobbing in front of him like a wind blown flag waving, and turned Justin over on his back. He then put his knees on either side of Justin's head and leaned down so that he could see eye to eye, so to speak, with Justin's equally stiff organ. Scooting his knees to the end of the extra long couch, he settled happily onto Justin's cock and began nibbling from top to bottom. It didn't take Justin more than a single second to begin reciprocating. Before long the room filled with the sounds of the men in the throes of passion. Again the lovers were so in sync that they reached their climax at the same time, exploding into each other.

Brian fell to Justin's side gasping for air. They lay there hugging each other's legs. After a few minutes of down time, they both knew they wanted the upper body more and Brian changed positions so that they were now laying side-by-side, face-to-face. They began kissing, letting their tongues continue the connection. They savored the taste of each other, each thinking how lucky they were to still be together after all they had been through. Eventually they chilled enough to rise and head for the bedroom where they continued their mouth to mouth lovemaking wrapped in each others arms, until exhaustion carried them away to peaceful sleep.

************

The next morning the sound of loud knocking on the loft door rudely wakened the sleeping lovers. Justin slid deeper under the duvet. Brian groaned and forced his eyes open. It was Saturday. Whoever it was would surely go away if he just kept quiet. But no such luck. The knocking just kept getting louder and Brian had had enough. He forced his legs off the bed and stumbled from the room, grabbing his robe as he passed it on the way to the offending door.

Brian threw back the door only to see two stalwart and serious looking police officers impatiently standing there. Brian had an uncomfortable flashback to the last time an officer stood at his door with news of his Nephew's asinine accusations, but he shook it off and asked as pleasantly as he could..."Top of the morning officers. May I help you?"

There was no humor in their faces and the older of the two inquired, "Are you Mr. Brian Kinney?" Brian nodded carefully. The officer continued, "Do you have a Justin Taylor staying here with you Sir?" Again a wary nod. "Could you please ask him to come out here?"

Brian's stomach began to lurch and his mind to race. What the hell could these two gruff looking men want with his Justin? The boy never even got speeding tickets, let alone broke any other laws. The expression on the uniformed men told Brian he needed to hurry it up so he turned back into the loft. "Be right with you officers." He threw over his shoulder.

Brian hurried up the steps and entered the bedroom. He leaned over a soundly sleeping Justin and shook him vigorously.

"Justin, wake up." Another slightly rougher shake. "Justin! Get up!"

Justin groaned his dissatisfaction at the rude interruption of a very pleasant dream. He turned over, forced his eyes open, and found himself staring into the very worried eyes of his lover.

"Wha..."

Brian interrupted. "Justin, get up. The cops are at the door and they're asking for you."

Justin snorted and moved to fall back on the bed. "Yeah, right. Now can I pleeease go back to bed? And come join me."

Brian pulled Justin back up and looked him square in the face. "Do I look like I'm kidding around? Get your pants on and get out here." Brian demanded.

Justin could see that Brian was in no mood for levity. He got up looking for his jeans. A quick look around and he spotted them on the living room floor. Moving swiftly, he picked them up and redressed himself, wasting no time in joining Brian who was standing at the loft door. As he reached it, Justin could see the two officers also waiting for him.

"Are you Justin Taylor?" the older man inquired.

"Yes Sir. May I help you?"

"We need you to get your things and come down to the station with us." Justin stared with confusion written all over his face. "We just have a few questions we need to ask," the officer continued.

Justin turned to Brian. "You go ahead, kiddo. I'll grab Melanie and join you as soon as I can." Justin went back to the living room, grabbed his sweater and jacket and followed the two men to the elevator. Brian was on the phone before they even reached the ground floor.

***********

Justin sat at the table facing two well dressed men in suits and ties. One had the look of a gentle giant and was totally unthreatening. The other looked like a man who would bite your head off just for the hell of it. The gentle giant who introduced himself as Mark Quester was talking to Justin again for the umpteenth time.

"So let me get this straight. You say you saw Mr. Hobbs going into his back door when you left him around midnight last night. Is that what you're telling us? And you didn't have any kind of a fight with him. You only went to confront him about the past and ask him to explain himself, which you say he did...so then you parted ways and that was the end of that. Do you really think anyone would believe that cock and bull story Taylor?" Quester took a deep breath and continued. "I mean, weren't you two mortal enemies. You hated the guy, right? I mean, I can understand why. He did bash you and mess you up. Now you're telling us that you didn't go there for revenge."

Justin was exhausted. It had only been a couple of hours, but he had been asked the same questions over and over again and he still didn't understand why. What were they getting at, and where the fuck was Brian? He felt like screaming in frustration but just then a knock was heard on the interrogation room door. The rough looking detective got up and spoke briefly to the older woman standing in the door frame. He then turned back into the room and walked over to his partner. A few whispered words and both men turned to stare at the young man in front of them.

"Okay, Taylor, your lawyer is here. Hold on a minute."

A minute later he watched Melanie hurry through the door. She looked at the frazzled blond in front of her and took a seat beside him. First words from her mouth were, "Did you Mirandize him?"

"Yep," came the reply. "But he didn't seem to want a lawyer."

"Well he does now", she shot back. "Now what are the charges?"

"None right now. We're just checking on stories," Quester answered.

Justin interrupted. "I don't even know what this is all about Mel. They won't clue me in."

Melanie looked at the obvious leader of the two and asked, "Well, why are we here?"

"As of 5 a.m. this morning a trash collector found the body of one Christopher Hobbs laying in his driveway...dead from a single gunshot to the heart. We have a witness who saw a cab pick up a young looking blond man at that same corner just 4 or 5 hours earlier. A check with the cab company shows that Mr. Taylor was that man. Now we'd like to know the rest of the story and your client here isn't very forthcoming."

"I've told them everything I know", Justin said. "Hobbs was alive when I left. I swear it."

"Not to worry, Justin." Melanie turned to the officers. "Do you have any direct evidence linking my client to the slaying itself?" She paused, giving them time to gather their thoughts. When they said no more she turned to Justin. "Get your things, my dear. We're going home."

As they stepped out of the room, Quester made the obligatory demand. "Don't go too far, Taylor. We may be back to visit again...soon!"

Justin stepped lively beside Mel until they reached the lobby desk. There, a very worried Brian sat, fidgeting in his seat. Justin lost his usual poise and rushed forward, being caught up into the grateful arms of his lover.

"I didn't do it Bri. You know I didn't!" He wailed.

Brian patted Justin's shivering back and whispered in his ear. "I know that Sunshine. You don't have to tell me. We'll take care of this, whatever it is, just like we have every other obstacle that's thrown at us." With that they headed for the door and breathed deeply of the cold free air.

***********

Brian, Justin, and Mel spent the rest of the day dissecting every minute of the night before. It was terribly painful for Justin to admit to Mel that he had come so close to killing Hobbs but she listened with a patient and sympathetic ear. She, like so many of the queer family, had had her own moments of rage at the injustices perpetrated by narrow minded homophobic assholes. Secretly, however, she was supremely proud of Justin for controlling himself and thus saving his own life. She didn't doubt his story for a second. Now all they had to do was make sure the police knew the truth.

Brian's ears perked up when Justin repeated the part about Cody still standing in the driveway ranting while Justin had continued walking away from the scene. He had never met this Cody character, but he certainly knew him by reputation in addition to the stories Justin had relayed to him during the Pink Posse phase.

Deep down Brian had hated Cody even more than the Fiddler Fuck because he recognized early on that Cody could get Justin seriously hurt or worse. He had tried everything he could, short of ordering him, to get Justin to drop out of the vigilante group. He didn't want a boyfriend who would give in to his demands, and he was proud of Justin for standing up for himself, but at the same time he was scared shitless. He had never felt so much relief in his life like he did when Justin came home last night and announced that Cody was a thing of the past.

Now Brian had the eerie uncomfortable feeling that Cody had gotten Justin into deadly trouble anyway. It added up, but he wasn't sure what to do with his suspicions. But he sure as hell wasn't going to do nothing. If they thought they were going to take his Justin away from him after all they had suffered to be together, they had another think coming.

************

The next day, after an especially fitful night that had Justin in the throes of an obvious nightmare (frighteningly reminiscent of nights after the bashing), Brian rose early and headed out, leaving a note for Justin that he'd be back as quickly as he could. He had no desire to get Justin's hopes up or worry him any more than he already was so this errand was going to have to be a solo. The first stop was at the offices of the local gay rag. Brian had plenty of acquaintances, both physical and business, at the magazine's offices and he needed a little help.

After a few friendly words and a flirtatious brow lift or two at the handsome young receptionist, Brian discovered that the object of his visit was in his office and unoccupied at the moment. Brian strode briskly down the hall until he reached the last door and gave a loud knock. The voice inside beckoned him in. Paul Gainer stood up as Brian entered and stuck out his hand for a greeting.

"Well I'll be damned, Kinney. I haven't seen you in forever. Where you been keeping yourself?"

"Haven't you heard Paul, I'm trying to start my own agency. Been kind of busy lately, but I'll be bringing business your way again as soon as we're up and running." Brian took a seat that Paul pointed to.

"Okay, sounds good. Now, what's the reason for the visit? I know you. You never waste time with visits for nothing. Spill."

Brian gave his patented cocky smile and wasted no time in declaring his mission.

"I've got to find someone from our little community and get some info on him. Do you think you can help with all your resources?"

"Can Brian Kinney suck dick?" Paul laughed. "So what's the name?"

"Cody Bell."

"The organizer of the Pink Posse? That the one?"

"The one and only. So do you know much about him or how I can find him?" Brian asked.

"I've got a shit load of info. We did a piece on him and his gang a few weeks ago. Let me get my files. I'll be back in a mo'."

Brian sat back and congratulated himself on his smart thinking. He had never met the nefarious Cody Bell so he was going into this cold. At least now he wouldn't be searching blind. He made a mental note to take Gainer out for a steak dinner when this mess was all over.

After a brief wait the intrepid reporter hurried back into the room with a thick manila file in his arms. He sat down at his desk and started flipping through pages. Brian leaned in and for the next hour the two men thoroughly examined and discussed the sometimes sad, sometimes scary life of one Cody Bell.

Brian discovered that Cody had been the unfortunate victim of a nasty bashing at his Father's church when he was a young teen. His Father, Preacher Bell, had declared that Cody had received the justice of the Lord because the bashers had only reacted naturally to the sight of the young Cody kissing another boy behind the church rectory.

He had spent the next few weeks in the hospital and then been released to the custody of an elderly Aunt who lived in the country. The next few years were spent in and out of trouble until he was barely able to get the grades to graduate from school. The very next day was the last time anyone in his family saw his face. Two years later he showed up in Pittsburgh and has been there ever since. He got into a few scrapes with the law during protests but kept a low profile for the most part. The Pink Posse was his first open act of aggression since an incident in High School when he came this close to putting another student in the hospital that he claimed had bullied him. Brian wrote down the address and phone number that was listed for the man and got up to leave.

"Thanks Paul. I owe you big time." Paul gave Brian a lecherous grin and ushered him to the door.

"Don't worry. I won't forget my I.O.U." Paul laughed.

Brian headed back to the loft armed with his valuable information. He had a plan in mind and it needed to be set in motion asap.

***********

Brian spent the next week staking out Cody's apartment house. He watched all his comings and goings and hired a detective to do the same whenever he was tied up with business. In no time, Brian had Cody pegged. The man had apparently disbanded the Posse and was now keeping a low profile. He went to work and came home. Many nights he would head for Woody's later for some drinks but he no longer held court while loudly espousing his theories on the horrors of heterosexuality. It was now time to set Brian's plan in action.

Justin had become almost a hermit and preferred to stay at the loft or Daphne's place and draw and paint. The only time he came alive was while he lay in Brian's arms at night. It was the only place that he felt safe and loved. When he tried to talk about the cloud of suspicion that he was under, Brian would shush him with a deep penetrating kiss that would make Justin forget for those all too brief moments. Whenever Brian did talk about it, all he would say is 'Don't worry Sunshine.' Justin really tried hard not to and it tore at Brian to see the struggle.

Tonight he had left Justin sitting at the computer easel and made quick work of reaching Woody's. He was in luck and saw Cody sitting at a table near the entrance. He was alone again. Brian ordered his drink and walked over. He was grateful that he had never met Justin's new friend and Justin had said he never really talked about his 'boyfriend' with Cody. Brian leaned over and caught the younger man's eye.

"Yeah, you want something?" Cody asked suspiciously.

"You look familiar. Aren't you the young man who was so determined to clean up the streets of Gayopolis recently?" Brian asked, putting as much admiration in his voice as he could muster. "If you are, I just want to shake your hand. It's about time we stood up for ourselves and didn't back down!" Brian's eyes shone with sincerity.

Cody hesitated for a minute, giving the hot stranger in front of him the once over. He was looking down on him with such obvious respect that Cody felt himself relaxing under the intense stare. It felt pretty damn good to have someone understand his goals and approve of them. He had been feeling pretty shitty lately after the Pink Posse fiasco. The few idiots that had first come on board had baled so fucking fast when the going got rough (which was the only way it could go when dealing with asshole straights) and the one guy he thought he could trust betrayed their mission even worse by running away with his fucking tail between his legs. Cody allowed himself one moment of nasty glee when thinking about the cute 'Meg Ryan' that he had thought briefly would be a real partner for him. The fucker was going to pay dearly for his betrayal, that was a given. But enough of that, he thought. Here was a gorgeous hunk with some maturity standing in front of him and he was an obvious admirer too. Only this time, maybe he'd found the REAL thing.

Cody stood up and extended his hand. Brian grabbed hold and shook vigorously. "My name's Cody Bell, and you are?"

"Folks call me Kenny", Brian answered with the half-truth. "Can I freshen up your drink there?"

The next couple of hours were spent refreshing drinks and swapping life stories about the fucked up world of straights versus queers. Brian made a point early on to let his old buddy, Mario the bartender, know that he wanted his drinks as weak as humanly possible in order to still look like a drink and then made a point of matching Cody drink for drink. The twerp was surprisingly able to hold his liquor but the effects of 'one too many' finally began to show.

Brian began steering the conversation over to the Pink Posse fiasco and who was to blame for its failure. Of course he made a point of giving Cody large credit for any success the gang had in the beginning. Like a lot of really angry men, Cody had an over inflated perception of his own importance that Brian recognized immediately. ‘Too bad he hasn't got a healthy ego like me,’ Brian mused to himself with his trademark tongue in cheek. In a way, Brian felt sorry for the pathetic creature who was now hanging on his drinking companions every word. Getting the man to open up to him had proven a hell of a lot easier than he had first thought it would. The man was obviously missing the adulation of his former followers.

By the time that Brian had steered the conversation over to some of the members of the Posse who had disappointed Cody the most, the lad was too drunk to have any kind of censor on his tongue. Visions of Justin and his failure to act jumped around in Cody's addled brain and he began to rant about how he had been betrayed the most by the blond twink that he had trusted the most. Brian grew quiet as the grave and every sense sharpened into focus.

"So what the hell did the twat do that pissed on your plans so bad?" He asked casually.

Cody started relaying the whole story, emphasis on how much work he had gone to to track down the nefarious Chris Hobbs, and how he had even put the gun into Justin's hands when it looked like he was just going to stand there and piss himself when he first confronted Hobbs. He told Brian how something finally stiffened the blond's backbone and he had gone after Hobbs, forcing an apology from him and making him shit his pants. Cody then grew quiet and Brian feared he had lost him. But a few seconds later, he started to ramble on again.

"He had the chance to blow that fuckwad to hell and back but the little shit backed down. He didn't even have the balls to injure the jerk. I told him! I let him know what I thought of him and all his kind! He just kept walking away like the coward he was! But I showed him. I showed them all. I had the balls."

Brian's head began to swim. He hadn't even realized that he'd been holding his breath until that moment.

"I can believe that, man. So how'd you show them...I bet it'll keep anyone from doubting you again," Brian purred, his face a blank mask.

Cody was so out of it he didn't even hesitate.

"I was standing there in that yard trying to decide what to do next and that asshole comes out of his door with a fucking gun in his hands. He was fucking going to kill me. I didn't stand there like a pussy...not like that twat Taylor. I didn't give the asshole a chance to think about shooting me. I plugged him right then and there! I showed him good! I showed him who the man is! He went down like a lead balloon!"

Cody stopped and took several deep breaths. He leaned in even closer to Brian's face, giving off the noxious odors of stale breath and booze. Brian's stomach lurched but he pressed on, just grateful the guy was so coherent even while drunk as a skunk.

"You know what the best part is?" He whispered conspiratorially.

"The best part is there were no witnesses and I took both guns with me. I'm pretty sure no one saw me leave either. But I found out that Taylor took a cab home and I heard through the grapevine that he's been questioned by the cops. Hell, he's even got a motive for killing the man. If I'm real lucky they'll pin this thing on him." He paused.

"Hell, he deserves it. Maybe some time in the slammer will make a man out of him."

With that he took another big swig of his drink and stood up. "Hey sorry man, I’ve got to piss like a motherfucker."

Brian watched as Cody wobbled his way to the back where the johns were. He was able to relax for the first time that night. His muscles ached from the tension he'd been under. He did a quick check of his breast pocket to make sure the recording device he had had his detective friend plant on him was still working and waited for Cody to reappear. When the shaky man returned Brian offered to get him home safely. Thirty minutes later he had Cody settled in his tidy little apartment snoring like a buzz-saw and sleeping like a dead man. Brian made a quick exit and headed for the local police station.

**********

Carl Horvath was surprised to see Brian Kinney again. He winced because every time he saw him or heard the man's name it had something to do with trouble. The incident with his Nephew and the Stockwell scandal with the killer cop came to mind. Now the man was rushing towards him with that same determined look he had had on his face the night he brought in the semen sample from the cop. Oh well, he might as well get it over with. He took Brian into his office and asked him to sit.

Brian wasted no time in telling him the saga of the Pink Posse Man and his encounter with the gay-basher. He handed over his proof with the proffered tape. The two men sat back and listened to the whole ugly confession with mixed emotions. When it ended, Carl turned to Brian.

"You know that this might not be acceptable in a courtroom?"

"I figured as much. The point is that it proves that Justin did the right thing and the worst he could be accused of is threatening Hobbs. Am I right?"

"I'd say that pretty much sums it up. I'll turn it over to the proper authorities and we'll see where it goes from there." Carl hesitated.

"Taylor is lucky to have you in his corner, Kinney," he added.

"I'm lucky to have him any way I can get him," Brian declared.

The two men said their goodbyes and Brian made a beeline for home. He had something important to say to someone important and he was in a mighty big hurry to get there.

Justin had fallen asleep on the couch and never heard the sound of the loft door sliding open. He was in the throes of another bad dream when he felt someone shaking him and whispering his name. He forced his eyes to open and found himself staring into the beautiful hazel eyes that he loved drowning in. Brian reached down and gathered Justin into his arms.

He whispered passionately into his lovers ear, "The nightmare's over Justin. I promised you they wouldn't bash you again and I always keep my promises."

Justin turned to stare into Brian's face again. He saw the confidence and reassurance that he needed and knew Brian was telling the truth. Brian held Justin tightly to him as he relayed the entire story of Cody and his confession. He could feel Justin melting into him more with each passing word. The stiffness that had been in his whole body when Brian first embraced him was slowly being replaced by a different kind of stiffness. When Brian got to the part where Carl let him know that Justin was undoubtedly off the hook even if Cody was never prosecuted, Justin reached for Brian's head and pulled his lips to his own.

Justin knew that he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time every time he had stepped out with Cody, but being with Brian was NEVER wrong and never would be. He used his mouth, lips, and tongue to punctuate his appreciation for the man who had saved his life again. Justin knew that Brian would always be there for him...it didn't matter whether they were together, apart, or in between. Brian was his hero and would be to his dying day.

Brian felt the old familiar longing that he had never felt with any other man he had ever touched as it stirred his senses. He relinquished all control over his emotions and body and began to slowly, ever so slowly make love to his Sunshine. He thought of Justin as his hero and knew he always would. The boy was a real man. He had so much love in him that he was even willing to look deep into Brian's soul and love him anyway. He had heart, intelligence, and -Damn it- he was Brian's Sunshine. Brian felt warmed to the very core of him as he saw Justin's face spread into one of his famous smiles.

This was another of those nights that the lovers defined the term...made love...over and over again. There were moments that they simply touched with such tenderness that the walls wept with joy. There were moments so passionate that the electricity crackled in the air as they brought each other to one climax after another, each one surpassing the previous one. Their souls touched as profoundly as their bodies linked, forging a bond that would never ever be completely broken. Finally they settled into a comfortable form of exhaustion that required a little rest in order to replenish their energy.

After a little time had passed, Justin looked into Brian's face again and spoke. "So, how are the plans for the opening party of Kinnetik going Brian?" Justin laughed wickedly. "I've been a little preoccupied and haven't been much help."

Brian laughed and gave his blond a decidedly Debbie-like slap to Justin's bristly head. "Well, my little Stud, things are moving along quite well. So are you up for the party?"

Justin laughed, looked down at his totally soft cock and answered, "Oh, I'm up for it!"

Brian's eyes followed Justin's gaze and he grinned from ear to ear. "Not tonight honey, I'm saving myself for the party!"

The sound of laughter echoed off the walls of the loft. And both men settled comfortably into each others arms as they drifted off to dreamland, thinking of the Kinnetik party coming up and their bright shining future as a couple (well in a non-defined non conventional way, that is!)

The End