“Fucking shit!” Justin cursed loudly.

His phone had been ringing for the better part of the past hour and while trying to ignore it, he’d frustrated himself so badly he messed up the painting he was currently working on.

Angered, Justin stomped to his phone and accepted the call. “What the fuck, Brian?”

“Awesome, you’re already upset.”

“Of course I’m fucking upset! I’m trying to paint. The deadline is in one week and all my attempts are a disaster.”

“Don’t overreact, but I have some bad news.”

“You can’t make it for my show,” Justin grunted, jumping to the only plausible conclusion. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the beginning of a headache at the front of his head.

Brian chose not to joke about his show since Justin was having a hard time with finishing his paintings. Especially when his news wasn’t any joke.

“I just came back from the doctor and it looks like—”

“Oh, my God!” Justin shouted, frightened. “No! Don’t tell me. Please.” The last thing he could deal with was Brian's cancer making a comeback.

“It’s not what you think. I’ve got gonorrhea,” Brian admitted, solemnly.

Justin kicked himself for wanting to say the most hurtful and stupid thing ever. He almost wished Brian told him the cancer was back.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Brian! First syphilis, now gonorrhea? What’s next? HIV?”

“You have every right to be mad at me. I should have learned my lesson the last time…”

“But you won’t do anything about it. I’ll get tested.” Justin hung up, cursing for ten minutes straight.

He was going to have a serious conversation with Brian about their safety when they saw each other next time. It was time to bring up the dreaded conversation about toning it down, or simply having a normal relationship.

.

.

.

The test results came a day before Justin's show. He got the usual treatment with ceftriaxone by injection and azithromycin by mouth. The last thing he expected was his allergies to kick in and have him up all night throwing up and having diarrhea with the worst stomach pains ever.

When Brian arrived on Saturday at noon, Justin was under the blanket, curled up in a ball of misery.

“Still sleeping, Sunshine?” Brian laughed, leaving his designer travel bag on the coffee table.

“Fuck you,” Justin managed to grunt.

“Did you catch a cold?”

“I’m allergic to the present you gave me!”

“What?” Brian sat next to him, stroking a hand through Justin's sweaty hair.

“My body is allergic to something from the gonorrhea treatment. I don’t know what, because I’m too sick to go to the doctor. I have to get it out of my system and I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry, Justin.”

“Whatever.”

“I’ve been thinking…” Brian leaned closer to kiss Justin’s cheek. “I’d like to give it a try – just us.”

Justin’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do. You were right over the phone. Melanie has always joked about how lucky I am for not getting infected. Let’s just say, you opened my eyes with your question about what else do I want to catch.”

“You know I didn’t mean it like that. But good to know you’d like to try monogamy.”

Brian smiled softly. He took Justin to the hospital to check if maybe they had something to keep Justin's allergies under control. Then he called Justin's agent to let him know the artist was too sick to make an appearance and to find a good excuse for him. Brian knew Justin would die of mortification if Brian told his agent about the real reason the artist couldn’t be there for his show.

That night, Justin snuggled into Brian's side, feeling somewhat better. “Thank you, Brian.”

“It’s all my fault this happened. I’m sorry you missed your show.”

“Nah. It’s cool. They're just area bunch of snobs who want my paintings because Simon says I’m the best. If he told them a new name tomorrow, they’d forget about me.”

“The ones who appreciate your talent will never forget about you.”

Justin grinned, kissing Brian's lips. “I love you.”

.

.

.

Two weeks after Brian's visit, Justin got a phone call from Cynthia. He stared at the caller ID for a long time before picking up, dread filling his body.

“Cynthia?” Justin answered, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Hello Justin! I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Nah. Just having my morning coffee,” he said, relaxing a little in his favorite armchair. “Everything okay?”

“I know about your deal. Brian told me how you decided to give it a try to be exclusive.”

“Huh.” Justin couldn’t believe his ears. That was unlike Brian, but at the same time, it was a typical move – to boast about personal goals.

“The problem is that I can confirm he’s keeping his part of the deal, because he’s a mass of pent-up sexual frustration. He’s shouting at everyone over the smallest things that shouldn’t bother anyone.”

“Fuck. I should have known,” Justin mumbled.

“You might be used to waiting, but he’s not.”

“I’ll see if I can visit this weekend. Though, don’t tell him about it.”

“I sincerely hope you can come over. He’s a nightmare to have around,” Cynthia admitted.

After ending the call, Justin snorted into his coffee. Brian had no idea how to live without getting off every night.

Justin could clearly remember how frustrated Brian had been during his chemo radiation when he couldn’t even get it up, then the week after getting diagnosed with syphilis.

Justin decided to check on Brian, because a part of him was worried about his man. Justin was used to being able to go for weeks without having sex. His release was usually with Brian, but sometimes he went to a nice club he’d found and allowed some trick to suck him.

Justin sipped from his coffee, waiting for Brian to pick up his cell phone.

“You better tell me that you're done!” Brian snapped as an answer.

“What?” Justin asked, confused.

There was a brief silence, then Brian sighed loudly. “Shit, Justin. I didn’t check the caller ID. I thought it was Tim.”

“Why would the head of your Art Department call you when he could come to your office?”

“Because I’m not at the office. I’m having lunch with Mikey, while waiting for Tim to keep me updated about the shit boards he’d made.”

“Lunch?” Justin glanced at the clock, cringing. It was noon time, but for him it was morning since he’d stayed up painting until sunrise. “Right, nevermind.”

“Was there a reason you called?”

“I missed you,” Justin said sincerely. “I wanted to know how you’ve been. We haven’t talked much since you went back to Pittsburgh.”

“I’m just busy with work,” Brian answered curtly. That was reason enough for Justin to make sure to visit soon. “And I’m having an inspection at Babylon this weekend. If they find anything illegal, I’m going to fire Kurt.”

That explained a lot. Babylon was Brian's baby. “It will be fine. Just keep your usual drug dealers away and make sure there are no underage twinks.”

“Easier said than done. I have another call.” The line was disconnected just like that.

Justin was used to Brian's atrocious social skills and didn’t take it personally.

Later that day, he purchased a plane ticket for Friday evening to take him back to Pittsburgh. He also started making plans about returning home for good. The new status of his and Brian's relationship wouldn’t make it much longer if they weren’t in the same city.

Justin worked on a list of clients and the potential success of moving back to Pittsburgh, even though he wasn’t as well-known as in New York. Simon would bitch and moan, but Justin was determined to return to his hometown.

.

.

.

Before takeoff on Friday, Justin called Brian. It turned out the inspection at Babylon was coming earlier than expected and he was as agitated as ever.

Justin arrived in front of Babylon a little after nine in the evening. He greeted Tom, the burly bouncer, and left his duffle bag with him.

He made his way through the crowded club to the bar. The only member of the gang was Emmett, staring into his drink like he wanted to drown inside the glass. With a sweep of the dancefloor, Justin realized why his friend looked so down.

Drew was shirtless and dancing with a group of hot guys.

Brian kept him up to date with the cat and mouse dance between Emmett and Drew. It was exhausting.

Justin chose to prank his friend. He stopped behind Emmett, leaning in to whisper into his ear, while running a hand down his back.

“You’ve got such a hot ass. I can’t wait to fill it with my ten-inch dick.”

Emmett froze, whirling around with wide eyes. He blinked a couple of times, then crushed Justin into a tight hug while laughing.

“I must be losing my touch,” Justin mumbled. “Guys usually turn around and drop to their knees before I finish talking.”

“That would be counterproductive to your new relationship with Grumpy.”

“Does everyone know?” Justin almost whined.

“We figured it out before he admitted anything. It was odd to see him glued to the bar ever since he returned from visiting you. Teddy even joked that he was stealing our job for holding up the bar.”

“I can only imagine. What did Michael have to say?”

“I don’t think he knows. He doesn’t come here all that often.” Emmett shrugged. “So you’re here for moral support on the big inspection?”

“That, and to take away some of the tension from Grumpy,” Justin joked, using Emmett's new nickname for Brian. “Speaking of, I’m going in search of him.”

“Last I saw him, he disappeared into the Backroom with a mop.”

“Mop?” Justin repeated.

“To clean the cum, probably.”

Justin resisted the urge to slap his forehead. Brian was going to the extreme with this inspection. He patted Emmett on the shoulder and made his way into the Backroom. To his surprise, most of the guys were getting dressed, and the ones still fucking were hiding their goodies like in a bad staged movie sex scene.

It took a few turns to find Brian. He was shouting at a young boy, who was definitely underage.

“As if it’s not bad enough you sneaked into the club and bought alcohol, you allowed someone to bring you in here for sex, you also came all over the clean floor!”

Justin waved at Todd who was gaping at Brian, as if not believing what he was hearing.

When the twink in question opened his mouth, most likely ready to retort, Justin stepped out of the shadows. “It would be wise to simply leave the club if you don’t want to be banned once you reach twenty-one,” he said softly. Justin's fingers curled around Brian's, squeezing them.

Brian relaxed instantly, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He chucked the mop away. “Fuck this shit!” He pushed Justin into the nearest wall, devouring his mouth.

“Brian!” Justin groaned into his mouth. He couldn’t stop Brian, who seemed a man on a mission.

Justin succumbed and allowed Brian to undo his pants and pushed them down. Brian sank into his ass with a minimum of preparation, making them both moan loudly. Brian pressed a hand against the wall near Justin's head, cupping Justin's hip with the other. He moved in quick, precise movements, breathing harshly into Justin's ear.

“Brian,” a different voice called Brian's name. He had to try grabbing his attention several times, before Brian turned to look at Tom. “Sorry to disturb you, but the inspector is here.”

“Fuck!” Brian cursed loudly, pulling out of Justin with a wince. “Catch you later. I’m not done with you.”

Justin cringed, never feeling as empty and abandoned as at that moment.

Tom smiled sympathetically, before walking away.

oOo

Justin spent the best part of the night at the bar, talking to the new bartender. Justin heard all about how the boss hadn’t been himself lately, and that he hoped whatever troubled Mr. Kinney would go away.

Justin planned on de-stressing Brian the best way he could over the weekend. He had had to work hard to get all his contacts together and make sure his faithful clients would still want him even if he wasn’t in New York anymore. He also had to find a spot to open his own gallery in Pittsburgh, since that had been his dream since he was a kid. For that, he had to find old acquaintances and his mother. She had to help him find the best and cheapest spot in town.

“What’s up, Stud?”

Justin snorted into his drink, turning to face Brian. His partner looked relieved, and Justin guessed the inspection had gone well.

“Having a chat with Billy.” Justin waved to the bartender with his glass of vodka. “He’s nicer than Chuck.”

Brian shrugged, wrapping an arm around Justin's shoulders. “Chuck was my friend since before I bought Babylon. I didn’t want to fire him, and besides, he was doing a damn good job.” Brian stole Justin's glass, taking a sip. “Billy is young and still learning,” he added, keeping his eyes on his bartender, who was attending a group at the other end of the bar.

“Give him some credit. He even flipped the bottle when he mixed drinks for Emmett earlier.”

“Show-off.” Brian laughed. “Wanna get out of here?”

“So soon? I wanna dance. I haven’t danced in ages.” Justin retrieved his glass, downed the contents, before pulling Brian to the dancefloor.

“If we must…”

“You just want to get your dick in me again,” Justin teased.

“How did you guess? Am I so transparent?”

“Brian, everyone’s complaining about your behavior since our deal. I know it’s a lot for you, but I’m proud of you.” Justin looped his arms around Brian’s neck, kissing him deeply. “I’m going to make up for the past few weeks.”

“How?” Brian asked in a rough voice.

Justin wasn’t into dirty talking, not when he had to be the one delivering the speech. He gathered all his courage and pressed his lips to Brian's ear.

“I’m going to suck you like a candy stick, then I am going to rim you until all you can think about is how much you want me, and then I’ll let you choose – my ass or my dick.”

“Fuck, Justin.” Brian thrust his hips into Justin's, biting on his lips. “How long do you plan on torturing me?”

“Three more songs.” Justin showed him three fingers to make sure Brian understood him loud and clear. Then he spun around, throwing his arms in the air, and getting lost in the rhythm. Brian plastered himself against Justin's back, more humping him than dancing.

The last song happened to be Forever Young, and Justin turned around to face Brian. He wrapped a hand in Brian's hair, molding their lips together. Brian kissed him with ardor, grabbing two handfuls of Justin's ass, lifting him up. Justin knew Brian could hold him, so he wrapped his legs around Brian's hips, continuing to kiss him. They separated only when the song morphed in an Abba remix of Dancing Queen.

“Let’s go,” Brian urged him, letting Justin slide his feet back to the ground.

Justin was ready to protest, but he knew that Brian was desperate, and he’d waited too long. “We’ll have to get my bag from Tom.”

Hand in hand, they made their way to the entrance of the club. After retrieving Justin's duffle bag, they walked outside.

On the ride home, Justin was on the phone, making plans with his mom. He wanted his returning home to be a surprise, so he kept his intentions of seeing her vague. Thankfully, she didn’t ask many questions, simply happy to have her son back.

“Say, goodbye mom, now,” Brian said loudly, when he parked in front of the building.

“Goodbye mom,” Justin joked, joining his mother in laughter. She’d overheard Brian’s impatience. “Mom sends her love,” Justin added, after hanging up.

Brian was already out of the car and on his way to the front door, before Justin could finish his sentence.

He got out of the car, and followed his partner. The elevator ride took forever. Justin could feel Brian's intense gaze on the side of his face, but he refused to make eye contact. They’d likely end up fucking in the elevator if Justin as much as peeked at Brian.

Inside the loft, Justin dumped his duffle bag by the door, before shutting it with a loud bang. When he looked up, he had a strong sense of déjà-vu from his first time in Brian's loft.

Brian was undressing on his way to the refrigerator. He pulled out two bottles of water this time. One he placed on the counter and the other he opened and took a few sips.

Justin approached him, feeling knots in his stomach. Before he could reach his bottle, Brian invaded his personal space.

“No more games, Sunshine.”

“Let me have some water first.”

Brian handed him his own bottle. While Justin sated his thirst, Brian finished getting undressed. He walked up the steps, standing gloriously naked in the archway of an opened panel.

“Well? Are you going to join me?”

Justin chucked away the empty bottle, hurrying to take his clothes off. His hands were shaking with eagerness to get their night started.

“Have you decided?” Justin could barely recognize his low voice, dripping with desire.

He didn’t have to explain himself. “By the end of the night, I might allow you to go to the forbidden land.”

Justin snorted, but he grinned widely. That was definitely a yes for getting a taste of Brian's ass. He hadn’t topped Brian in such a long time, he could barely remember when it was the last time Brian had allowed him.

“I’ll have to give you what you need sometimes, because this isn’t going to work otherwise.”

“That’s really mature of you.”

Brian shrugged. “I have my moments. Now, get to sucking me like a candy stick. Or, are you all talk, no actions?”

“I’ll show you, all talk, no actions!” Justin pushed Brian until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, before he dropped to his knees.

Brian was rock hard and dripping precum. Justin wasn’t sure how long his lover would last, but he’d do his best to prolong the ecstasy.

Justin doubled his efforts when one of Brian's hands wrapped in his hair, and little gasps left Brian's mouth. Brian rarely made sound during sex, but when Justin did the right thing or touched a sensitive spot, Brian turned into a real whore in bed.

“Fuck!”

After that interjection, Justin abandoned sucking Brian's dick, and went for his balls. He always paid extra attention to both fake and real. Then he hooked Brian's legs around his legs as he went for the gold.

“Holy shit, Justin!”

Justin poked his head up to see Brian's back arched, his eyes squeezed shut, and his mouth opened. He enjoyed giving his man such intense pleasure. Before Brian could chide him for stopping, Justin went back to licking and sucking at Brian's hole.

Rimming wasn’t something Justin enjoyed giving. He could remember the first time he’d rimmed Brian, and how he’d gagged and could only think of how gross it was to put his mouth there. Eventually, he’d overcome his rationality about the act, reasoning with himself that he enjoyed it immensely when Brian did it to him.

Justin was startled to feel Brian's strong hands grabbing his arms and pulling him up. They kissed roughly for several minutes, before Brian said the unthinkable.

“I need you inside me.”

Justin was about to tease him, but thought better. He wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He scrambled to the nightstand to get a condom and lube. A thought crossed his mind as he returned between Brian's legs armed with the lube.

Now that they were exclusive, was it a possibility for them to ever fuck without a condom?

Justin decided to keep that question for the morning.

When Brian was ready, Justin wrapped one of Brian's legs around his waist, inching slowly inside his partner. He was amazed how easy Brian accepted him every time, but Justin knew that Brian was a big fan of toys. He must have used them a lot ever since their agreement.

“Harder,” Brian urged him, lifting his hips off the bed. “Fuck me hard.”

Justin had to use all his restraint to not come on the spot after hearing such a thing from Brian. He doubled his effort, pummelingBrian at a fast pace. He could feel the sweat on his brow dripping down his chin and onto Brian's chest, but it made their fucking feel hotter. Brian's hands were everywhere, and when he pushed two lubed fingers up Justin's ass, somehow nailing his prostate from the odd angle, he was off. Several pumps later, he emptied himself inside Brian.

Since Brian's hadn’t come, he covered his achingly hard dick in latex and dived into his boyfriend. Justin whimpered at the overstimulation, but enjoyed every second of their short fuck. It didn’t take long for Brian to find completion.

Brian fell next to Justin, breathing harshly.

“We have to do this more often.”

Justin only turned his head to look at Brian. There was a big smile on Brian's face, and his eyes were closed. “Do what? Not fuck for weeks? Me top you?”

“Now, don’t get ahead of yourself. It was all fun and games, but I don’t think…” Brian propped his head on his hand, facing Justin. “So, I’ve been thinking…” He traced a finger over Justin's bicep.

“Go on.”

“I’m going to move to New York.”

“Wha—” Justin choked on his spit. He sat up, looking down at Brian with wide eyes. “You’re not serious.”

“I’ve never been more serious. I wanted to be the first to say something. Knowing you, you’re making plans to come back here to give me what I want.”

Justin could feel his cheeks pinking. He had no idea that after all this time, Brian could still make him blush.

“Am I wrong?” Brian asked gently, dropping a kiss to Justin's brow.

“I… Shit. You know me too well.”

“Tell me you haven’t broken your contracts.”

“Not yet.”

“Good. I already found a condo. I was waiting to show it to you, before I placed the deposit. I’ve been working crazy hours with Ted to see if Kinnetik is strong enough to branch out.”

“And…” Justin chewed on his lips.

“It’s getting there. New York is a good opportunity.”

“Brian, I know New York is your dream, but it would be much easier for me to move back here.”

“Justin, you’re moving back to Pittsburgh over my dead body.” Justin had never heard Brian use such a serious tone. “You’ve met many people there. You’ve become a success. Pittsburgh is going to kill your dream.”

“You don’t know that,” Justin said, hotly.

“Let’s not fight about who’s following who. Like you said, New York is my dream – let me experience it.”

“But your friends…”

“Our friends will live,” Brian said, softly. “They’ll understand we need to be together in the same town. We’ve suffered for too long.”

Justin mulled over Brian's words, then smiled brightly. Leaving the big city would have been a bad decision, but he’d have done it for Brian. Moving there with Brian would fulfill one of Justin's fantasies.

“Show me the condo.”

Brian smiled, kissing Justin's temple, before leading him to the desk. They sat on the chair – Justin on Brian's lap. While the laptop booted up, they made out like teenagers. Justin couldn’t remember the last time they’d kissed so much, or groped each other.

Justin fell in love with the condo at the first picture. It had a gorgeous view over Central Park, located on the upper floor of an apartment building.

Brian told him all about the features, furniture, appliances, but Justin was lost in the beauty of every picture Brian showed him.

“I love it!” Justin said before Brian could ask, when the presentation was over.

Brian didn’t waste much time. He immediately sent the contractor an email, saying he was going to buy the place.

“What about Kinnetik?” Justin wondered. “Planning to find office place?”

“For now, I’ll work remotely, testing the New York market. I trust Cynthia and Ted to take care of Kinnetik while I’m not here.”

“And Babylon?”

“I found someone interested in taking over.”

“Do I know him?”

Brian smirked. “Drew Boyd.”

“No way!”

“Yes. He called me the other day, asking me if I could give him ideas what to do once his contract is up with the Ironmen. He doesn’t plan on going into coaching. I invited him out and we talked for hours. Somehow, I told him about my intention to move, and he was the one who offered to take over.”

“And you trust him?”

“He finished business school. I’m going to have to meet with him and draw up papers, tell him how things work, but I trust him.”

Some months later . . .

Justin arrived at a select bar downtown New York City.

Brian was seated at a table with a glass of whiskey in front of him. There was another glass next to his, which made Justin wonder if they had company.

He climbed on the stool next to Brian, kissing his cheek. “Sorry I’m late.”

“It’s alright. I arrived a few minutes ago.” Brian pushed the other glass to Justin, filling it with whiskey from a bottle Justin hadn’t seen.

“What’s this about? You bought a whole bottle of whiskey?”

“We’re celebrating!”

“Is it our anniversary and I don’t know?”

Brian saluted him with his glass. “Close enough. It’s been seven months since we’ve become exclusive.”

Justin froze. He’d been dreading this moment. “Yeah?” He asked in a small voice.

“Yes.” Brian nodded, smiling. “I have a present for you.” He produced some papers from his briefcase.

Justin frowned, his mind zooming from imminent doom to a possible marriage proposal. It would be typical Brian. He checked the pages, confused. They were test results – their six months tests results.

“Okay…? We’re negative, no surprise there. Unless…” He raised an eyebrow.

“I’ve only been with you all time. I’m hurt you think so little of me,” Brian said in a slightly hurt voice.

“Shit. Sorry, Brian.” Justin dragged his stool closer, putting an arm around Brian. “What is it?”

Brian eyed him amused. “You’re not going to guess? I’m surprised you haven’t already pieced it together.”

“Like I said, it’s no surprise we’re negative. We haven’t been with anyone else in over half a year.”

“Justin,” Brian whispered, stroking the side of his face. “What’s been your darkest desire since we met?”

Justin blinked. “Uh… I’m not sure what you mean…”

“Christ!” Brian snorted, rolling his eyes. “I was thinking of ditching the condoms.”

Justin had made the mistake to take a sip of whiskey when Brian was talking. He spat it out on Brian’s amused face, his eyes watering. Brian rubbed his back, watching him worried, and expectant. He wiped the back of his hand over his face to remove the whiskey and Justin's spit.

“You’re serious!”

“Never been more serious in my life.”

“What’s next? Another grand marriage proposal?”

“Now, why would I give away my secrets?” Brian teased. “So, yay or nay?”

“Yay, duh!” Justin kissed him with hunger. “You plan on drinking the whole bottle here?”

“We can take it home.”

Justin was out of the stool and on his way to the door. He looked over his shoulder impatiently to find Brian watching him amused. Then Brian followed him.

They walked home with their arms wrapped around each other.

“Thank you for showing me monogamy doesn’t rhyme with monotony. Not for us, at least,” Brian said after some time.

“The pleasure was all mine.”

Brian kissed him softly. “I can’t wait to fuck you raw. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought of this, but I restrained myself.”

“I can’t wait, either.” Justin smiled, returning Brian's kiss. “I love you.”

“Likewise, Sunshine,” Brian replied against Justin's lips.