Brian sat in his office at Kinnetik looking over the last touches of his latest campaign. He’d never been prouder of any of his projects as he was of this one.

The campaign was pro gay marriages in the state of Pennsylvania. He had the main idea how political campaigns worked since his disaster with Stockwell. He’d taken the aggressive route with the boards to make it ‘in your face’ and send a clear message to everyone.

The slogans varied from ‘We are just like YOU’ plastered on pictures of men or women hugging and kissing, ‘We have less divorces’ well placed on a picture of two manly hands held tightly with their wedding bands showing, ‘Love is equal’ displayed on various boards with diverse couples of all ages and colors, and the last one which Brian wasn’t particularly proud of, but Ted had a point that even queers believed in God, ‘Jesus doesn’t discriminate’ written in white block letters on the rainbow flag.

As if summoning him by looking at the last board, Theodore stepped into Brian's office. He stopped short, taking in the story boards resting against the back of the sofa.

“What do you think?” Brian linked his hands behind his back, turning to stare at his friend.

Ted opened his mouth, but then closed it. He decided to choose his words carefully.

“I have to say it’s some of the best work the Art Department has ever created.”

Brian nodded in agreement. “I’ve never worked so well with them as during the past month. But what do you think about the final result? Is this going to help?”

“Some of them are a little too aggressive in my opinion.”

“Good.”

“You have to prepare for a lot of hatred thrown at us, Brian,” Ted advised quietly.

“I’m ready. And if we lose accounts, good riddance. I don’t want to work with homophobes.”

The boards would appear on billboards and buses starting on Monday. Brian couldn’t wait to see how they were going to be perceived.

“Wanna join us for a drink at Woody’s tonight?” Ted asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“I might take you up on that.” Brian grinned, in high spirits.

Brian hadn’t visited Woody’s quite that often in the past decade, but he still spent many a night at Babylon. After rebuilding it, he’d invested more in security and was stricter about who was allowed inside.

#

That night when he arrived at Woody’s, his friends were at a table drinking and laughing. He stopped at the bar to grab a drink and to take a moment to look at them. He marveled at how they’d grown up and found their way in life, found a partner, become happy.

Brian accepted his Amstel, allowing his eyes to travel from Theodore and Blake to Michael and Ben, and lastly to Emmett and Drew. He closed his eyes for a second, pushing away the sadness. He’d reinforced his walls since he and Justin had gone their separate ways.

After three long and torturous years, Justin had appeared at the loft’s door in the middle of the night. Brian had known the outcome, but held his tongue. Justin had paced in front of the tall windows until Brian stopped him with his hands on his shoulders, asking what was bothering him. When Justin had looked up, there were tears in his eyes.

“Did you find someone else?” Brian had asked casually.

Hurt had flashed in Justin's blue eyes. “I’m going to Japan.”

To this day, Brian still wished Justin had lied and told him he was leaving him for someone else. New York had been close, even though they had rarely made the time to see each other, but Japan was on the other side of the fucking world.

“For how long?”

“I don’t know.” Justin had burst into tears by that time, and they had spent the night in bed without another word exchanged.

Unlike the time Justin had left for New York without waking Brian up, he did wake him around noon time. He had pressed his slender finger over Brian's lips, shaking his head. Justin had leaned in for one last kiss, his wet cheek rubbing against Brian's. Then he was gone.

Brian had refused to move until it was dark outside and Justin's tears had long dried on his face. After a pack of cigarettes and half of a bottle of Beam, he had allowed himself to cry. It had been the last time he had cried over Justin, locking his memories of the blond man away in his brain.

No one was the wiser to Brian's hurt in the months that followed, and no one knew how hollow he felt inside. He had tried everything to forget Justin: nameless tricks, booze, all letters of alphabet drugs, but his relief had come in the form of renovating their dream mansion. He never planned to move in there, but working on the house gave him time to think, to grieve.

Brian took a shuddery breath, almost bailing on his friends, but he missed them and they deserved better from him.

Only Theodore had known about his possible appearance at the bar, because shock was clearly written on everyone else’s faces.

Brian placed his beer next to Michael’s, and before he could take a seat, his best friend was hugging him tightly.

“I haven’t seen you in forever!”

“Sorry I missed dinner at Deb’s this weekend, but I’ve been working crazy hours on my new campaign.”

“Teddy says it’s going to be something else,” Emmett quipped from his spot perched on Drew’s lap.

“You’ll see.” Brian shrugged, extricating himself from Michael’s embrace and taking a seat. “How are you?”

They stayed at Woody’s until late at night, catching up and having fun like in the good old days. Brian tried not to notice how left out he felt when his friends spoke of couply things they did. He would have never thought he was going to feel left out because he wasn’t in a relationship.

Brian's days blended into each other and sometimes he had no idea what day of the week it was if he didn’t check his phone. He always woke up alone in his bed, showered alone, and drank his coffee alone if he didn’t have a morning meeting to share the warm beverage with a client; after work hours he returned to his empty and cold loft, sometimes watching a movie while eating his take-out food, and other times just sitting alone at the table, staring at the empty chair across from him, before going to bed as alone as he’d wake up.

Brian hadn’t brought tricks home since Justin had left him. He had fucked them in the baths or in the backroom at Babylon, but never took them home.

The weekends were sometimes the worst, and he preferred to keep himself busy with shopping or visiting Debbie, though he usually spent them at Britin.

#

On the following Monday, Brian arrived late at work. It didn’t happen often, but he had taken a detour to admire his work on the billboards all over the city.

He stepped inside Kinnetik with a bounce in his step and a warm coffee in his hand.

Cynthia stopped him outside his office doors. “Morning, Brian! You’re in high spirits!”

“Morning, Cynthia!” He beamed. “Did you see them?”

“A few.” She nodded. “Listen, there’s someone in your office wanting to meet you. He says you used to be friends.”

“You know all my friends,” Brian told her, amused.

“Well, not him. If he bothers you, I can call security.”

Brian snorted, opening the glass door to his office. He could see the profile of a middle aged man with black hair streaked with silver at the temples. He was dressed sharply in a dark gray Armani suit.

Brian approached his desk, startling his guest. The man lifted his head, and Brian froze.

“Hello, Brian!” The man rose, extending his hand.

Brian's jaw dropped, and he was aware he must look like an idiot, but he couldn’t form any coherent thoughts, let alone speak.

“It’s been years,” the man said, pulling Brian into a one-armed embrace.

That had been trigger enough for Brian to snap out of it and clap the man’s back once. “Evan,” he said.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me.”

Brian rolled his eyes, rounding the desk to sit in his leather chair. He stared at his guest, wondering what the man was doing there after so many years.

Evan Steele had been Brian's first boss when he had first gotten a job in his early twenties. They had history, which varied from working successfully on many ad campaigns to sharing glorious nights between the sheets. Brian hadn’t thought about his former boss since he had left to pursue a better career in New York many years ago. At that time, Brian had thought Evan’s departure was the end of the world as he knew it. The man had been his mentor, friend, and the best sex partner he had up until then. Brian had fooled himself into thinking that he and Evan had a thing, even though the man played him on his fingers the way he wanted.

Brian had been deeply hurt by Evan’s leaving, which had created the ruthless facade he showed everyone. After Evan, Brian had convinced himself there was no honest man out there and everyone was following their own interests. He had established his one-fuck rule to keep from ever getting close to anyone else again. Feelings over-complicated everything.

But then Justin had appeared into his life, and Brian had rewritten his rules until he more or less forgot about them, all to please the young man. In the end, he had ended up hurt once again.

Brian cleared his throat, pushing away unwanted memories and keeping his eyes on Evan’s gray ones.

“What brings you here?”

“I was in town for the weekend. Last night, I noticed some amazing advertisements appearing all over the city.” Evan kept their eyes locked. “A little research pointed me to the company who created them. Imagine my shock when I discovered you have your own company.”

Brian took a sip from his coffee, unimpressed by Evan’s smooth talking. Despite the long absence from his life, Brian could still see through Evan’s bullshit.

“I don’t believe you,” Brian said, slowly.

“Why would I lie to you?”

“Because you intended to be here. Something brought you to Kinnetik. You knew exactly who was running the company. You’ve researched me, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you had kept tabs on me over the years, knowing how you never cared,” Brian spat the last words. “So why are you here, Evan?”

The man blanched, taken aback by how fast Brian had read through his bullshit. “You caught me.”

Brian refused to give in, expecting an honest answer about the reason behind Evan’s visit.

Evan sighed heavily, resting back against the chair. “I found myself forced to return to Pittsburgh.”

Brian was aware that coming back to his hometown for Evan was something similar to a walk of shame for a regular person. And personally, Brian didn’t blame him. He would probably feel the same if he had the opportunity to go to New York, only to have to return home after a few decades.

“What happened?”

Evan laughed uneasily. “I screwed up. Or, let’s say I screwed with the wrong person.”

Brian could relate. He could still remember the fiasco around Kip.

“Surprisingly, I didn’t literally screw him. I made a rushed decision to change the storyboards and the clip for an important account. Needless to say, they wanted the person responsible gone. None of the other companies I tried to get an interview with wanted to be associated with me.”

“Who was the account?”

For a moment, Brian was sure Evan wouldn’t answer him. But then he spoke so quietly that Brian wasn’t sure he heard right.

“Colgate.”

“I’ve seen the commercial recently. It doesn’t look terrible.”

“Because they changed it back to the original idea. But they had mine playing for at least one day before all hell broke loose,” Evan explained.

“And just what offended their sensibilities? It’s fucking toothpaste!”

“It was kind of aggressive – showing people with teeth falling out and cavities compared to the ones who used Colgate.”

“Christ. And my friends think I’ve been aggressive with my new campaign.”

“Those boards are genius,” Evan acknowledged.

“Thank you,” Brian grinned. “Let me get this straight. Your dream life in New York fell through and you decided to come to me?” Brian asked, incredulously. “Why me? Ready to work under me, Steele?”

Evan mock-laughed. “I came to you because I know you. Everyone else I knew in the business has retired, or I’d rather chop my dick off than see them.”

“But what’s your plan? Kinnetik is still a small company. I don’t have many top positions open.”

“For the time being, I’d take just about anything. They barely gave me my last paycheck which was seventy percent of what it should have been, but they said the other thirty was kept for their company going through hell because of me.”

“Give me a minute.” Brian walked out of his office.

On his way to Ted’s office, he seriously pondered what he was about to do, but he knew that if the roles were reversed, Evan would take him under his protective wing, too.

Brian knocked once on Ted’s door, before going inside. Ted was on the phone, talking agitatedly with the other person. He held a finger up for Brian to wait. Brian nodded, taking a seat on the only other chair available in the room.

After wrapping up the conversation, Theodore turned to face Brian with a solemn look on his face.

“It’s started. I was on the phone with our lawyer, Brian. There are hundreds of complaints about the ads.”

“Good. Let them talk. I’m here to ask you something else.”

“What?” Ted asked, warily.

“Do we have any top positions open that can be filled immediately?”

Ted frowned, turning to his computer and typing for several seconds. “We still need a Marketing Director. I know you’ve been managing Account Director and Marketing Director yourself, but this is one position we have available. Why?”

“I have a friend in need.” Brian stood up. “I’ll send him to you to talk details.” He was out the door, before Ted could ask anything else.

Back inside his office, Brian found Evan admiring the art work on his walls. All pieces were signed Justin Taylor, and he wasn’t going to take them down even though his relationship with the artist had fallen apart. He had even bought new pieces over the years.

“You’re in luck. You’re going to take some of the work off my back and become Marketing Director. Cynthia will show you to Theodore’s office. He’s the main man around here. I have to take that.” Brian pointed to his ringing phone.

As he picked up the phone, he watched a stunned Evan leaving his office. He hoped he didn’t make a mistake by bringing Evan back into his life.

On the other end of the line was someone from city hall demanding to know if Brian was ever given permission to install his insane ad on the billboard in front of their building. Brian had the clearance to display his new ads all over town as far as he could remember. No matter how loudly he argued with the woman on the phone, she ended up setting a meeting between the city’s attorney and Brian's lawyer for Thursday.

Brian spent the rest of the day on the phone with his lawyer, and going through every paper he had signed for his latest campaign.

Theodore had drawn the papers to have Evan Steele as their new employee, before joining Brian in rifling through papers. Evan was there as well, stating he had nothing better to do.

It was nearly nine at night when Theodore placed a piece of paper in front of Brian. On it was Brian's request to display his ad on a particular billboard – the one in front of city hall. On the paper was a stamp reading REJECTED with big block red letters.

“FUCK!” Brian shouted. “Who missed this when the ads were being put up?”

“The team placing them?” Ted suggested.

“Those weren’t our guys, Ted. Someone from the inside went through these files and missed this important one. Now Kinnetik is at risk of being sued!”

“Or worse,” Evan added quietly.

Brian shot him daggers with his eyes. He didn’t need anyone to make his life more complicated than it was at the moment. He was aware that being sued was the better option. Someone could shut down his company.

.

.

.

To worsen the situation, over the days leading up to the meeting with the city’s attorney, Brian's ads had infuriated a large group of Christians for having one particular board displayed in front of their church. It was about the one saying Jesus didn’t discriminate.

Needless to say, Brian was a bundle of nerves. He spent his days with his lawyer, discussing the upcoming meeting, and his nights at Babylon.

On the big day, Brian had Joe, his lawyer, along with Theodore and Evan by his side. Brian wasn’t sure why he had agreed to Evan coming along, but he needed all the moral support he could get. He had a bad feeling about the aftermath of the meeting.

The judge seemed to be in Brian's favor at the beginning, but as new accusations appeared, not even Joe was able to dig him out of the mess. The city’s attorney had done his job thoroughly. Too thoroughly in Brian’s opinion. He had collected all the negative responses to Brian's new campaign, throwing them in his face, then topped it with pictures of Brian taking different men to the backroom of Babylon over the past few nights. He questioned Brian's integrity and actual motive to want gay marriages legalized when he appeared to be a whore.

Joe bristled, but before he could defend Brian, the other man brought up Brian's dirty campaign against Stockwell and explained valid points that Brian shouldn’t be allowed to do his job any longer. Moreover, he accused Brian of using dirty ways to show good people that gay people should have equal rights, violating some law. Brian had stopped listening halfway through the speech.

He only snapped out of his rage when the judge stated the verdict.

“What?” Brian yelled, standing up so violently, his chair toppled over.

Joe stood as well, keeping a hand on Brian's shoulder to keep him from lunging across the room.

“The accused is sentenced to six months of prison.” The judge pulled his eyeglasses off, placing them in front of him. “Unless…” He looked over at the city’s attorney, then back at Brian. “Unless he’s closely supervised by someone trustworthy.”

Feeling sweat rolling down on his back, Brian said the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re in luck. I was planning to make my old friend here, a partner for my company. How is that for your offer?”

The judge looked at Evan’s shocked face, then at Brian's stoic face. He was about to accept the terms, when the city’s attorney spoke.

“We know for a fact that soon his propaganda will come true. Through discreet and reliable sources, I can confirm that in less than a month gay marriages will be legalized in Pennsylvania.”

“Your point being?” Brian snapped.

“I’d like a moment alone with Judge Bennedict.”

After they had disappeared through a side door, Brian exclaimed, “Unbelievable!”

“That was some quick thinking,” Evan said, still shocked.

“I know I’m going to regret this decision, but I can live with making you my partner in order to avoid fucking prison. Is that something they could have actually done, Joe?”

“I’m afraid yes. This hearing escalated so quickly. We weren’t prepared enough.”

The judge and the attorney returned. The attorney stopped in front of their table, after picking something from his table.

“This ends today.” He threw the pictures of Brian in the club in front of Brian.

“No way in hell I’m going to stop being who I am! I’d rather rot in your fucking prison. The inmates will lov—”

Joe slapped his hand over Brian's mouth, turning to face the attorney. “As far as laws go, you cannot dictate who my client sleeps with.”

The attorney threw them a cunning smile. “We want your client to be a role model for the gay community in Pennsylvania who has been waiting to be able to get married legally. We’ll be waiting for you on the big day to show everyone the reason behind your campaign.”

Brian actually snorted. “Sorry, no can do. You see, marriage isn’t my thing. I promoted this campaign for my friends. I know how much they wanted to tie themselves down to their partner.”

“Too bad, then. I hear the state prison has just refilled their stock of soap.”

Evan leaned forward catching Brian's hand. Brian threw him a look, his head reeling.

“Come on, we both know you making me partner is part of our anniversary gift. Let’s take the next step, baby.”

Brian had the urge to barf. He couldn’t believe how his life had changed in the course of four days. Though, he was impressed with Evan’s ingenious idea. His own mind had drawn a blank after the attorney’s last words.

“You’re in a relationship with this man?” The attorney asked. “Is he aware of your nights at the club?”

Brian shuffled through the photos, glad he noticed Evan in at least one of them. “He joins me in these nights at the club. We have an open relationship.”

“Whatever floats your boat, but my terms still stand if you want to avoid prison, Mr. Kinney.”

“Sign us up,” Evan said loudly.

“We’ll be waiting to see you soon.”

.

.

.

Brian stormed out of the courthouse, down the steps, and stomped to his car.

Evan told Ted and Joe he would deal with him, before running after his old friend. He found Brian behind the wheel of his Corvette. His fingers clenching around the wheel as his eyes stared far away, a blank expression his face.

“You can always run away and change your name?” Evan joked.

Brian snapped out of it, his eyes turning to Evan, but he caught the attorney and a couple of his people looking at them. Brian inhaled sharply, before leaning to kiss Evan. He hadn’t kissed another man in years, and Evan's lips felt foreign.

“Okay? So you want to be thorough about our plan.”

“Shut up, idiot! They’re watching us,” Brian whispered.

Evan didn’t have to look. He believed Brian, so he kissed him back with hunger. After a while, they forgot it was a pretense kiss and succumbed to the memories of their past.

“I don’t know where you’ve been living, but my loft is close,” Brian rasped out, pulling away.

“I was staying at a hotel. My last night is tomorrow.”

“When did you plan on telling me you’re out of money? For all intents and purposes, you’re still my employee, Evan.”

“I brought it up to Ted yesterday.”

At a red light, Brian pulled out his headset, calling Theodore. He answered promptly.

“Ted, you have until Monday to have everything ready to make Evan my partner. I’m thinking, fifty-fifty.”

“Bri, I hate to remind you, but do you remember who owns part of Kinnetik?”

“FUCK! Is there a way around it?” Brian couldn’t believe he had transferred thirty percent of Kinnetik to Justin’s name. It had been so long ago, he had forgotten all about it.

“I’m going to work miracles, but he never signed a paper to confirm he owned part of Kinnetik.”

“Because I never wanted him to know! It was in case I….” died, Brian finished in his head. Brian had drawn the papers before going to John Hopkins to undergo surgery for his cancer.

“I’ll keep you updated. And Bri?”

“What, Ted?”

“Is it worth it? I mean, aside from being free, is it worth it to ruin your life like this?”

“Do I have a better choice? Try to keep it to yourself until it no longer can be a secret. I’m dreading the moment Deb or Mikey find out.”

A gust of wind blew across the rooftop of the building Justin was standing on. He shivered, cursing his own stupidity for leaving the apartment without a sweater. It was still pretty cold for late May.

He sucked from his cigarette, looking at the rising sun. His thoughts were miles away, as he worked out what his best choice would be at the moment.

His life in New York had taken a turn for the worse. Justin should have known that his living arrangement with Eric was going to bite him in the ass.

During his years in Japan, Justin had met Eric, who was a young agent looking for fresh, new artists. He had been impressed with Justin's art from moment one, and they became friends over sake. Sharing a toilet while barfing brought people together. When it was time for Eric to return to the States, he offered Justin a deal, agreeing to find him commissions and keep him busy. Eric even got Justin a spot at a gallery downtown where Justin could display his paintings.

It was more than Simon had ever done for him in his first years in the city.

They lived together, but Justin never noticed Eric’s real intentions.

Some nights they spent together, but mostly, they entertained themselves separately. It was a casual thing and everything Justin needed, because a relationship was the last thing he wanted.

Eric never asked him for money to help pay the rent. The apartment wasn’t luxurious, but it wasn’t a rathole, either.

It took Justin years to overhear Eric talking to one of Justin's potential clients at a party. Eric wanted an absurd amount of money for a commission, and the woman was willing to pay every penny. That night, when they were home in bed, sharing a roach, Eric brought up the subject of a potential new client for Justin. The price he gave Justin was thirty percent of what the woman had agreed to pay.

At the time, Justin had figured the terms and conditions had changed, but from then on, he paid closer attention to Eric’s deals. Justin was never allowed to meet with the client, and if it was a must for them to discuss the painting in person, Eric was always present.

Soon, it became clear what a liar Eric was.

He had taken advantage of Justin over the years, barely giving him fifty percent for each painting he created. That angered Justin beyond reason, and the other night, he had confronted Eric. They had a huge fight, and Eric had confessed to having many artists like Justin. But Justin was the only one he truly cared for, and that was the reason why he was living with him.

Justin felt dirty and used. He had stormed out and walked aimlessly most of the night, ending up in a club where he spent the night drinking and fucking a few guys in the bathroom stall. He had let himself back into the apartment close to four in morning.

There was a note from Eric saying Justin was acting like a brat and they should talk about what upset him. In that moment, Justin knew that he was ready to do the walk of shame back to Pittsburgh.

He had made a name for himself, but he didn’t have a portfolio of clients, because Eric kept it somewhere hidden in his office. With that thought in mind, Justin took advantage of the fact that Eric wasn’t home and went through his files. Justin found his thick portfolio of clients and the amount each and every one had ever paid for his paintings. The prices were absurd compared to what little Justin got.

So he packed his bags, along with the portfolio, then went to the rooftop to clear his head.

After lighting a new cigarette, he called the only person who could understand him and accept him back without judging. While he listened to the ringing in his phone, Justin kept his eyes on the sun now visible above the buildings.

“Hello?” A groggy voice answered, and Justin felt like shit. It was too early in the morning.

“Hey, Daphne. It’s me.”

“Justin,” she gasped. “We haven’t talked in ages!”

“I’m sorry for being a shitty friend. I’ve been busy,” he said quietly.

“How are you? Any plans to visit any time soon?”

“Funny you mentioned that.” He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath. “Think I can crash at your place for a while?”

“Of course, silly! You don’t have to ask. You’re welcome for as long as you want.”

Justin inhaled from his cigarette, closing his eyes. “I’ll see you soon. Thanks, Daph!”

“Don’t mention it. Want me to pick you up from the airport?” she offered, eagerly.

“Nah. I don’t know when my flight will be. I haven’t got a ticket yet.”

“Okay! I’ll be home.”

Feeling immensely better, Justin went back to the apartment he shared with Eric. He found Eric on the couch, looking at the pile of bags near the front door.

“What’s this?” Eric demanded.

“What the fuck do you think it is? It’s over. I’m done being your puppet. I’ve sent Cathy an email about packing my paintings and sending them to my new address. I’m going back to Pittsburgh.”

“Way to ruin your life!”

“It’s my fucking life. I do whatever the fuck I please with it. Anywhere is better than in this poisonous place.” Justin shrugged into his leather jacket. “One question, though. Why?”

“This is the way I’ve always done business. No one has ever asked about the paycheck.” Eric shrugged.

“Well, good luck with fooling other idiots!” Justin pulled the strap of his duffle bag over his head, put his backpack on his shoulders, secured his laptop bag on his shoulder, and hoisted a large suitcase off the floor. “If I forgot anything, don’t bother to send it to me.”

“You’re going to end your painting career if you go back there!” Eric moved closer. “We can make this work. I can give you more. Sixty percent? Seventy percent?”

“Goodbye, Eric.” Justin didn’t look back as he left.

The cab ride to the airport was long and filled with all of his memories involving New York – from his arrival, to Brian’s seldom visits, to Justin receiving the news about the opportunity to visit Japan and paint there, to his and Brian's break-up, and then the life after Brian. He had never found his place. Eric had been convenient, just like the club boys, but Justin had never let go of Brian.

When he left Brian all those years ago, he had wanted to promise they would see each other again, and that he didn’t expect for Brian to wait for him.

On the plane taking him back home, Justin entertained the thought of getting back with Brian.

When he arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport, Justin was greeted by a large advertisement campaigning for the legalization of gay marriages in Pennsylvania. Without knowing for sure, Justin had a gut feeling that the ad was Brian's doing. It was aggressive and stated its message clearly, just like Brian liked it.

His campaign had been definitely successful, because Justin had read several days before that gay marriages were legal in Pennsylvania now.

Justin arrived at Daphne’s late in the evening. He knocked on her door, rocking on the balls of his feet.

The door swung open, then his best friend threw her arms around him, only to let go when she noticed the bags.

“I’ll explain inside,” Justin said, smiling brightly.

She helped him with the suitcase, then closed and locked the door. “What’s going on?”

“Heh.” Justin let all his bags drop to the floor one by one. “Eric was an asshole. I couldn’t live like that anymore.”

“So you’re back for good?” Her wide brown eyes stayed on his face.

“I think so.”

“Oh, Justin!” She hugged him tightly. “You can stay here for as long as you want.”

“I don’t plan to be a bother for too long. I’m sure I’ll find a job soon. I need a break from painting,” he admitted.

#

After getting installed in the spare room, Justin joined his best friend on the couch in the living room. She poured them some fruity liquor, curling up next to him.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Justin took a sip from his glass, cringing at the sweet drink. “Let’s just leave it at Eric kept money from me. Like, a lot of money.”

“I’m so sorry, Jus.”

“It’s okay. I guess I’ve been blinded by the good life I had. I was doing what I liked and he was a pretty nice person… until I discovered what a liar he was.” Justin put down the glass. “Do you have anything else to drink?”

“There might be whiskey.”

Justin retrieved the bottle from the wet bar, pouring a healthy amount in his glass. “Now tell me about you. Anything new in Pittsburgh?”

She watched him warily, twisting the end of her ponytail. “Something… happened.”

“Yeah, I heard.” Justin grinned.

Daphne raised an eyebrow, shocked he was smiling about the news.

“They legalized gay marriages.” Justin beamed.

“Yes, that.”

Justin narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong?” He expected his favorite fag hag to be beyond excited with the news.

“You haven’t talked with anyone lately, have you?”

“As in the gang? No, not really. Why?”

She looked away, hugging her knees to her chest. “I don’t think it’s my place to tell you, but news travel fast around here. And I ran into Emmett at the store the other day, and we had lunch together.”

“Spill it out,” Justin demanded. He figured she was going to give him some monumental news about Brian, and his mind conjured all crazy scenarios.

“I’m sure you’ve seen the ads pro gay marriages…”

“I knew he was behind them. They worked, huh?”

Daphne bit on her bottom lip. “He got in big trouble over them. Like, huge! He was sent to court and risked jail time over these ads.”

“What?” Justin could feel his heart beating into his throat. “Brian’s in jail?”

“No, because he’d conveniently run into one of his old friends days before he was accused of those things…”

“I’m not following.” Justin couldn’t wrap his mind around someone being so homophobic as to throw the man behind these ads in jail.

“In a nutshell, Brian's way out was to get married.”

Justin dropped his glass, staring at Daphne in shock. 

“That’s what the city’s attorney decided Brian should do to stay out of jail. He got married to this friend of his at the end of last week.”

“This is the worst joke you’ve ever come up with,” Justin said shakily.

“I wish I was joking. Sweetie, if you thought there was a chance to get back together, there’s none. They’re supervised, because they probably didn’t fool the judge.”

“You mean they’re married, but they don’t even like each other? That’s sick. Can you imagine how Brian must feel? Marriage – the very essence of what he’s run away from all his life, and even worse – married to someone he doesn’t like.”

“He was willing to marry you,” she reminded him.

“That went out so well, did it not?” Justin sneered.

“Be careful if you run into him,” Daphne advised softly. “I bet there are still feelings from both of you, but if the wrong person sees you… he risks jail.”

“Fuck.”

#

Justin stepped into Liberty Diner at nine the following morning. He was surprised to notice Debbie wasn’t around, though there was a new bus boy who looked wet behind the ears. Justin felt for the kid when he noticed a bear groping his ass.

“Hey dickhead, drop your hand or I’ll break it,” Justin snapped, approaching them.

The bus boy looked relieved, but the big guy threw Justin a nasty look. Thankfully, he didn’t pick a fight, for which Justin was grateful.

“Hey, kid.” Justin smiled at Gabe, as his name tag read. “I’d like a coffee and some pancakes.”

“Sure thing. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Justin winked, looking around for an empty table. He spotted one at the back of the diner and made his way there.

He failed to notice a jacket thrown on the other bench, and when a man in his fifties appeared at his table, watching him curiously before sitting across from him, it took Justin a moment to realize his mistake.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” He started to get up, but the man waved him off.

“It’s fine. The diner’s full. I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?” Justin checked, embarrassed beyond belief.

“It’s no problem.”

Gabe brought Justin's breakfast, while Justin made small talk with his table companion. He co-owned a company along with his husband, which was cool. But the more he talked, the more Justin got an odd feeling.

“What is the company’s name?” Justin asked suddenly, cutting Evan off mid-sentence.

“Kinnetik.”

Justin wanted to laugh and cry and give fate the middle finger for the sticky situation he got himself in. He had already said too much when Evan kept talking about the advertising company he worked at, admitting that he was looking for a job and he was a pretty decent graphic artist.

“You’ve heard of it?” Evan asked.

“You could say that,” Justin answered, amused.

“Ah, the new campaign. Pretty strong, huh?”

“It’s something else.” Justin nodded in agreement.

“Like I was saying. We are looking for a new graphic artist since one of our best has quit after the last campaign went down the drain, even though it was successful. Funny how these things work.”

“Funny, yes.” Justin couldn’t agree more.

What were the chances for him to run into Brian's husband in his first hour out of the house?

Evan pushed his business card across the table, smiling. “We’re waiting for you at the office to talk.” He looked up somewhere behind Justin, his smile widening.

Before Justin could turn to confirm his suspicions, the hair on the back of his neck stood up as another person approached. The next thing he saw was Brian's back as leaned down to greet Evan. Justin stared bemused as they kissed, not believing that kiss was pretense. It looked real enough to him.

Then Evan made Brian aware of his companion, and Justin wanted to duck under the table.

He plastered a big smile on his face, though he could feel it was forced. When Brian turned toward him, his eyes widened, and he even took a step back. He looked like he had seen a ghost.

“Hello Brian,” Justin whispered, proud of himself that his voice didn’t shake.

Brian took another step away from Evan, his right hand covering his left one, his eyes moving from Evan to Justin.

Justin stood up, barely aware that his body was on auto-pilot. Then he stepped around the table and wrapped his arms around a stoic Brian. What felt like an eternity later, Brian hugged him back, squeezing him tightly. Justin mashed his face into Brian's neck, fighting back the tears threatening to spill over. One of Brian's hands stroked Justin's hair, while the other clutched at his shirt, keeping him close.

“You two know each other?” Evan’s surprised voice pulled them apart.

Brian caressed the side of Justin’s face, and Justin did his best to ignore the coolness of Brian's wedding band against his cheek.

Brian glanced at Evan. “Justin is what I wanted to talk to you about the other night.”

Evan blinked. “You mean to tell me that you are in a relationship and that you accepted… that… all we did…”

“We haven’t seen each other in over nine years,” Brian admitted. “You asked about the paintings in my— our office. Justin painted them all.”

Justin shuffled his feet, suddenly uncomfortable. He felt like he was intruding on a private conversation.

“You said you’re a graphic artist,” Evan demanded.

“I’m versatile,” Justin replied without thinking.

“And ambidextrous, I remember.” Brian laughed.

Justin could feel his cheeks turning red as memories of his first night with Brian invaded his mind.

“Sit down, both of you!” Evan pointed to the booth across from him. “Explain, Brian.”

Justin shot Brian a look, silently saying he would like to do the talking, then he turned to Evan. He told Evan in a few sentences the complicated history of his relationship with Brian.

“This is so fucked up,” Brian muttered. Under the table, his hand found Justin's.

Justin had butterflies in his stomach as he squeezed Brian's hand.

“You know our history?” Evan gestured between himself and Brian.

Brian froze next to him. “Let me explain, Evan. We worked together when I got my first job. Evan was my boss. Now, about a month ago he came to me asking for help. I offered him a position at Kinnetik, but shortly after, all hell broke loose. His quick thinking about us marrying saved me from going to jail.”

“Daphne told me.” Justin nodded. “I can’t believe someone would go to such lengths to keep us from taking the final step. I’ve been to a few Pride Parades here, and to some in New York. The homophobes love to attend them as well, but every time they started shit, we were bigger and angrier.”

“Let’s clear up a few things,” Evan said. “First, do you still want to work for us?”

Justin glanced at Brian's surprised face, then nodded. “Yes.”

“Second, I understand you two have history, and I can tell there might still be something there, but under no circumstances is either of you to engage in it! You’re risking everything, Brian.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Justin answered.

Brian threw him a look, full of promises to break that rule. “I love my freedom,” Brian told Evan.

“Good. Then we expect you at Kinnetik for an interview.”

“Evan, I know what Justin can do. He’s as good as hired. We’re one graphic artist down. Peter left last night. I never got around to telling you when I got home, but he came into our office and placed his resignation on my desk. He said he didn’t want his name associated with that campaign anymore.”

“It was his fucking idea!” Evan shouted.

“There is no reasoning with him. I say we drop it.”

“You don’t have to worry about me chickening out. If you have any other similar campaigns, I’m all for it,” Justin told them.

“I think we should stay away from politics for the time being,” Evan reasoned. “We have the cookies account to worry about.”

“Are you ready yet?” Evan popped his head in the bathroom.

Brian glared at him through the mirror, concentrating on not cutting his chin while shaving. “Do I look ready to you?”

“I left you in the shower to rinse off. It took you half an hour to do it,” Evan said, incredulously.

Brian rolled his eyes, refusing to admit even to himself that after shower sex with Evan, his thoughts had drifted to the meeting they had scheduled for today. He couldn’t help but think of the memories of Justin, which led to a self-love session.

“I’ll see you at the office. I have to prepare for the meeting with Janet.”

“Sure. See you at the office.”

Brian closed his eyes, sighing loudly. He wasn’t sure what he and Evan were doing, but to stay out of trouble with the law, Brian had accepted his new life.

It hadn’t been terrible to fall back in bed with his old friend, but it was just sex. If his younger self had been deluded into believing that was love, he knew better now.

All Brian could think at the moment was having Justin back in his life and not being allowed to have him. He had made up his mind that Justin was worth risking his freedom, but Evan was never to know about it. Keeping secrets from his husband was not something Brian wanted, but if Evan didn’t know, he wouldn’t be an accomplice if Brian and Justin's affair ever was discovered.

Brian was stepping into his loafers when his phone buzzed in his coat.

“What, Evan?”

“Stop and grab some coffee on your way in.”

“That’s what Cynthia is there for, or that new kid. What’s his name? Shane.”

“Cynthia is the scariest woman I’ve ever met, so no thanks. And Mark is helping me set up the meeting room.”

“Tall Americano with soy milk?” Brian asked, accepting his fate.

“You know it, hon.”

“Call me that again, and I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Brian hissed, but Evan had hung up. “Asshole!”

The drive to work was slow due to the morning rush. Brian parked behind Evan’s Merc, blocking his path if he wanted to leave before him. It would serve him right.

Brian walked to the coffee shop on the corner, greeting the barista by name. He had been a regular ever since the shop opened. He even helped them with promoting their coffee flavors.

“Hey, Danny! A tall Americano with soy milk, feel free to spit in it, and a tall latte with almond milk.”

“Trouble in paradise?” Danny joked.

For anyone outside their circle, Brian and Evan were the regular newlyweds.

“That’s how I express my love for him,” Brian said, fighting amusement.

While Danny prepared their drinks, a new customer stopped next to Brian, ordering a macchiato. Brian recognized Justin's voice, and turned to face him. Justin was tapping his foot impatiently, checking the time on his phone, and chewing on his lips.

“Tardiness is not accepted at Kinnetik,” Brian said casually.

Justin jumped, looking his way with large, blue eyes. Brian wanted to drag him to the nearest toilet and get reacquainted with those plush lips.

“Fuck, Brian.”

Brian licked his lips, still staring into Justin's eyes. “We could fuck.”

Justin choked on his spit. “I swear, I didn’t mean to be late. But everything’s been against me today.”

“Rough night?”

Justin looked away, his cheeks reddening. Brian restrained from asking, probing, checking on what or who Justin had done.

“Here you go, Brian!” Danny placed the hot drinks in front of him. They were already on the carrying tray.

“Thanks!” Brian pushed his drinks closer to Justin, waiting for his coffee to be done as well, so they could head into work together.

“You still own Babylon?” Justin asked suddenly.

“Last time I checked, yes.”

“I’m asking because I know your strict policy about underage kids. Has anything changed?”

“Tom is off for a week. The new guy is not as strict. I’ve noticed it too.” Brian nodded.

Justin finally got his drink, and they left. “I could tell he was young, but I didn’t really care. That is until we got outside and I asked him if he was okay to walk, because I was in the process of getting a car. He said he couldn’t wait to get his license. I didn’t give it much thought. He could have been a late bloomer. I know people who are way older than me and don’t have a driving license.”

“Okay, if that wasn’t trigger enough for how wet behind the ears he was, then what gave it away?”

“No hair,” Justin said seriously, shuddering. “He was fucking fourteen years old, Brian! In a nightclub filled with pervs and drugs and alcohol.”

“Then he’s lucky he went home with you and not some perv.” Brian laughed.

“I took him home, and told him to come back to Babylon when he was old enough.”

“Very responsible of you,” Brian admired.

“Imagine how badly I slept after such a terrible night. Then this morning, Daphne woke me up, but I decided to snooze. I startled awake when the front door slammed after her. There was no coffee in the house, because she’s doing a cleanse.” Justin rolled his eyes. “And I was halfway to Kinnetik when I realized I still had on my pajamas.”

Brian laughed loudly, opening the door of his company, gesturing for Justin to step inside. Justin whistled loudly.

“Some things have changed since you last saw it.”

“Some? I barely recognize anything. I like the new color scheme.” Justin stopped in front of a wall with the logo. He touched the wall, cocking his head. “I could have sworn this was applied on the wall. 3D painting is daring and difficult.”

“Good to hear you’re impressed. The artist tore a huge hole in our bank account with this mural.”

“I take no less than five hundred grand for something like this.”

“Close enough to what this guy wanted. It’s refreshing to hear you’re not selling yourself cheap.”

“After my last experience in New York, I won’t take a penny less than what I think the painting is worth.” Justin dropped his hand from the wall, facing Brian. “I’ll tell you when you have the time.”

“I’m curious what made you come home. Maybe lunch together?”

“If you have the time, sure.”

Brian nodded, already clearing out two hours for lunch with Justin. The world could crumble, and he wouldn’t care. Evan could take care of it.

“Let me walk you to Theodore’s new office.”

“Does he know?”

“If Evan didn’t tell him, then no. It’ll be interesting when the others find out you’re back and working for me.”

Justin scrunched his nose. “Guess we’ll have dinner at Deb’s at some point, huh?”

“Now that it’s warm outside, we have the Saturday dinner at Mikey’s. They have this fancy grill.”

“Fancy,” Justin agreed.

Brian knocked once on Ted’s door, before opening it. His old friend was focused on his laptop, typing away.

“Morning. I’ve got a surprise.”

“Aw, Bri! You shouldn’t have. I already got my coffee.” Ted held his travel mug up.

Brian stepped inside, allowing Justin to follow him.

Ted stood up, nearly dropping his mug. After placing it carefully on his desk, he walked around it, hugging Justin tightly.

Justin hugged him back, smiling brightly. “Hi, Ted! How are you?”

“I-I I’m great! This is a surprise.” Ted looked between Justin and Brian. “Visiting?”

Justin caught Brian's eyes, then focused on Ted. “Staying.”

“Justin is interested in the opening we have in the art department. Since Peter left, maybe he could replace him as the Digital Illustrator?”

“That position was filled yesterday,” Ted answered with a sad smile.

“How is that possible? Both Evan and I have to agree to this shit. We both want Justin, since he conveniently ran into Evan the other day at the diner.”

“Remember when you gave me hiring power for all the new employees after the fiasco with Betty? Cynthia and I found a good replacement for Peter. He has ten years experience in the same position.” Ted shot Justin a sheepish look. “Not that you wouldn’t be great in any Art Department spot, but this guy has worked at Seattle Advertising. He followed his wife to Pittsburgh when her job relocated here.”

Justin touched Brian's elbow. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“But don’t despair.” Ted grinned widely. “Remember that position we’ve discussed a while ago?”

Brian cringed. “How drunk was I to discuss positions with you?”

“For Kinnetik, Brian.”

“Right. Of course.” Brian couldn’t believe he had immediately thought of sex, but with Justin so close, all he could think was sex. “You mean the one I never dared to try because it requires talent and a good eye? UX and UI Designer,” he told Justin.

“That sounds out of my league,” Justin said diplomatically.

“A user experience (UX) designer is responsible for creating the way in which a product will function, which involves mapping out the flow and functionality of each screen or page that a user will interact with to make it enjoyable and effective to use. The user interface (UI) designer the creates the look and feel of a product, which involves taking the mapped out user experience and designing the visual elements.”

“I know, Brian. This sounds like a new position made just for me from what I hear. When I talked to you at the diner, it sounded like I was just going to be another member of your Art Department. I don’t want special treatment.”

“Your talent will waste away if you’re just another member of the department, trust me,” Brian said seriously.

“We could try reopening the Image Manipulator job. We eliminated it last year when Nancy left,” Ted offered as a suggestion.

“What does that entail?” Justin asked.

“Image retouchers or manipulators are responsible for enhancing or changing the appearance of a photo or other digital image to suit a project’s requirements. They can combine different images add or remove backgrounds, change colors and more to create a completely new image,” Ted explained.

“The required skills are creativity, communication, software, and an eye for detail. You’re ideal for this job,” Brian added, placing the coffees on Ted’s desk. He added sugar in his, stirred with the straw, then took a long gulp. “We had to eliminate this position when Nancy left us. She could spot any mistake or colors used incorrectly from miles away. Since then, Peter worked as both an illustrator and manipulator. Now he’s gone as well.”

“Fine! If you think I can do this, I’ll take it.”

“One question, though,” Brian said, taking a step closer to Justin. “Are you absolutely sure? I know this has been your dream, but painting is your life.”

“I plan on taking commissions every now and then, but nothing big. I will let you know beforehand if it ever happens to interfere with my work. Though, for now, I need a break from painting.”

“We really need to do lunch.”

“Is that what kids call it these days?” Ted asked in a somewhat shaky voice, but with a warning undertone.

“Mind your own business, Schmidt.”

“Go to work, I’ll stay here to talk to Ted about what’s needed for my—”

“You start immediately.” Brian checked his smart watch, ignoring the missed calls from Evan. He had felt his phone buzzing, but getting Justin hired was more important. “There’s a meeting with the Art Department in fifteen minutes. My office is still in the same place.”

“I’ll be there.” Justin nodded.

“You’re still Schmidt the Shit.” Brian saluted his old friend with his coffee cup, grabbed the other one, then left.

In the office he shared with Evan, he found his husband rotating in his chair, talking on the phone. Brian placed the tall Americano on a coaster in front of Evan, going to his desk.

Evan made a show to blow him a kiss, before diving into his coffee, still talking on the phone.

Brian couldn’t figure out who was at the other end, but it sounded like a difficult client. He booted up his laptop, looking over the agenda for today. Bless Cynthia for always having it on his desk first thing every morning since they had worked for Ryder. Brian would have missed many deadlines if it weren’t for her meticulousness. She even reminded him about important meetings at least thirty minutes before they happened.

“Unbelievable,” Evan shouted, finally hanging up. “You had to lick Brown’s ass so deep, he wouldn’t accept anything but the best from us.”

Brian scoffed. Brown was one of his oldest accounts. He had risked a lot for Brown Athletics to be part of his portfolio.

“Peter had sent them various potential digital posters for their new campaign. It looks like he’s used to you visiting him and discussing them in person. He even talked to me like I was one of your minions!”

“Evan, not many of my clients know about the new development in my life. Especially not the ones outside the city.” Brian pushed aside the page with the agenda for today. “When does he want me there?”

“Do you do this for everyone outside the city, outside the state?”

“Just the old, important ones. Now tell me, when does he want me?”

“Next week.”

Brian had one week to convince Justin to join him on the trip. It would be their best alibi to get some time alone.

“Would you stop judging me in silence?” Justin exclaimed.

He was busy packing for the business trip Brian had dropped on him. It wasn’t that Brian favored him, but everyone in the art department had been talking behind his back ever since Brian had announced the people who would accompany him to Chicago. Justin had barely been with the company for three hours when Brian had told them he was taking the newbie with him.

The other two people who were coming along were Susan and Garrett. Susan was the content producer and Garrett the brand strategist. It made sense for Justin, the image manipulator, to be part of the team to accompany Brian, but not when he had just been hired.

He became the hot topic at the water cooler.

So the last thing he needed was Daphne judging him in silence after he told her about getting hired at Kinnetik. Then he told her about joining Brian on the business trip, and she kept dropping hints about being careful and that orange wasn’t Brian's color. Justin liked to think he possessed enough self-restraint and common sense not to cave to Brian, but he knew that eventually, he wouldn’t be able to deny his attraction.

Daphne shook her head, making her ponytail swoosh. “Was Evan okay with this idea?”

Fuck if I care, Justin thought to himself. “He didn’t say anything at the meeting. I guess he’s okay with it.”

“I’m just worried. That guy could have Brian followed.”

“That’s illegal,” Justin muttered. “Besides, nothing is going to happen.” He zipped his suitcase, hoisting it up and placing it by the door. “I’m going to Sunday dinner at Debbie’s tonight.”

“Have fun!” Daphne beamed, giving him the thumbs-up.

“I’ve only run into Michael, aside from Brian and Ted, and that was by mistake. It’s going to be a long night.”

“It will be fine. I know you miss them.”

“I do, but there will be questions. It’s enough Brian dragged me to lunch on Wednesday and played one billion questions with me. It left me drained. I’m not ready to go through that again.”

“Then don’t tell them. Just enjoy the time with them. I’m sure they’ll respect your privacy if you don’t want to talk about Eric or what brought you back.” Daphne hopped off the bed and went over to Justin. She hugged him tightly. “I’m really happy you’re here.”

“Me too, Daph.”

.

.

.

Justin had yet to decide on a car. Besides, he was waiting for his paycheck to see what he could afford. He hadn’t told Daphne, but he planned on moving out of her apartment in a month or two.

He needed his independence and intimacy. It was awkward to bring someone to her place. He had done it only three times, and every time, he had run into her. The last guy said he didn’t mind a threesome with his hot roomie.

Justin checked his phone as he turned the corner for Debbie’s street. He was ten minutes late, only because the bus had changed its route, unbeknownst to him.

“Fashionably late? Can’t say I didn’t raise you right,” Brian commented from behind him.

Justin stopped, and turned to see Brian near the dark blue Merc that he knew belonged to Evan.

“The Blue Line changed the route for 42,” Justin explained.

“If it isn’t our new star,” Evan said, joining them. He wrapped an arm around Brian. “How is it that if I leave you alone for a minute, you’re surrounded by hot guys?”

Brian scoffed, pushing him away. “The last time, and only time, was at Babylon. I’d be worried if the hottest guys didn’t gravitate around me.”

Justin blatantly ignored being addressed as hot. “Did your husband scare your tricks away?”

Brian met his eyes, but Justin wasn’t sure what he should read in there: incredulity, amusement, pride. “Sadly, news travels fast on Liberty Avenue. Everyone knows I’m married, and they steer clear.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining about the lack of tricks,” Evan joked.

Justin stared at his shoes, glad they were in front of Debbie’s house by then. In that moment, he was acutely aware that Brian was actually sleeping with Evan.

Before any of them could knock, the door swung open. Debbie engulfed Justin in a tight hug, shouting about how much she had missed him. She barely acknowledged Brian and Evan, as they shuffled inside.

“I missed you, Debbie.” Justin smiled, feeling at home back inside her house.

It smelled of her famous lasagna, and he could see the rest of the gang scattered around the living room. Michael and Ben were on the sofa, embroiled in a deep conversation about the reality show playing on the TV. Emmett and Ted were in armchairs by the window, chatting animatedly. To Justin’s surprise, Blake was perched on the arm of Ted’s chair, one of his hands playing with Ted’s hair, as he listened to their conversation. He had forgotten about Blake being back in Ted’s life.

When Justin turned back to Debbie, who was still yapping happily into his ear, he caught a glimpse of Brian and Evan heading to the downstairs bathroom. It seemed they were arguing about something, and going out of earshot.

“Look who’s here,” Emmett cried out, ambushing Justin. “Wow, baby! Don’t you look dashing!”

“I kept telling him that he grew up nicely, but he’s been brushing me off for the past week,” Ted quipped from his place.

Justin could feel his face burning in embarrassment. Making him feel uncomfortable was one of his friends’ special quality.

“You fill this shirt nicely,” Emmett kept praising him, touching his shoulder. “I like that you let your hair grow out again.”

“Hello, Justin! It’s great to see you again,” Ben said, joining them.

Justin was relieved to be out of Emmett’s suffocating embrace. After greeting Ben, he went to Blake and Ted, smiling.

They were still catching up when Michael said he had seen Brian arrive but didn’t know where he was.

“I’m right here,” Brian answered, stepping out of the shadows behind the stairs.

Justin noticed the rough edge of his voice, but he wasn’t sure if Brian had been fighting with Evan, or doing something else in the bathroom.

As they sat at the table, Brian pulled out the chair next to him, catching Justin’s eye. Justin refused to accept the invitation, and went to sit next to Emmett. A moment later, the chair next to Brian was occupied by Evan.

Justin was grateful that the conversation wasn’t about him anymore. Debbie was worried about Brian, and kept asking if they heard anything from the assholes who got him into that mess.

Justin kept a light conversation with Michael about the bookstore, until he felt eyes on him. He became aware of how quiet everyone was, then he looked around. Everyone was staring at him. He squirmed, catching his bottom lip between his teeth.

Just when Debbie opened her mouth, probably ready to start asking questions, Brian cleared his throat.

“I think we should respect Justin’s privacy. When he’s ready to talk about his adventures, he’ll tell us. It’s clear nothing good brought him back to Pittsburgh. I mean, no sane person would return here.” Brian kept his eyes on Justin as he spoke. He knew every detail about what Justin had done since his departure for Japan.

“Thanks, Brian,” Justin mumbled. “My plan was always to come back, but not like this…” To this, Justin added in his head. He had never thought of not finding Brian available. 

“Now I’m curious,” Emmett said wistfully.

“I need some time. I promise to tell you everything.”

#

The following morning found Justin waiting for Brian at the airport. Susan and Garrett were in the waiting area, chatting. Justin was outside drinking coffee and smoking.

From his spot, he saw when Evan’s blue car parked close to where he was standing. Evan got out of the car, helped Brian with his bag, and they even kissed. It was mind-boggling for Justin to witness Brian being affectionate toward someone else.

He entertained the thought that Brian and Evan were in a business marriage, but everything pointed to the cruel reality that it was more than business.

Justin pretended to be surprised when Brian stopped in front of him. He was wearing his leather jacket, and there was a playful smile on his face.

“I’ve been a bad influence on you,” he said in greeting.

Justin offered his pack of cigarettes. Brian accepted one, along with the lighter.

“Susan and Garrett are in the waiting area. The plane is delayed,” Justin explained.

“Perfect way to start this trip.”

“I know we had that meeting on Friday, but refresh my memory. What am I supposed to do? There might have been a time when I knew Kinnetik, but now, I’m out of loop. This past week I’ve been getting used to your equipment and getting to know the team.”

“I want you to take notes, maybe sketch something and show it to Brown. Nothing big. You’ll work close with the others, so don’t panic. I’ll be there, too.”

“I know…I just feel like I’m stealing someone else’s opportunity to join you on this trip.” Justin flicked ash to the ground, meeting Brian's eyes.

“You’re the one I want there. If you weren’t part of my team, I’d have only brought Suzy and Garrett.”

The honesty in Brian's voice made Justin feel better.

After finishing their smokes, they joined the others. They talked about the upcoming meeting with Brown for dinner, and how not even Brian knew what the man wanted. It was always a surprise with Brown.

“We’ll meet in the lobby at six,” Brian told Susan and Garrett.

They were waiting to be checked-in at the reception desk of Hilton Oak Lawn, Chicago. Justin was impressed with the luxurious location. He had seen grander hotel lobbies with his traveling, but this one made his top ten.

The bell boy approached, ready to help them, but Brian waved him away. Justin couldn’t help but stare at Brian. There once would have been a time when Brian would have invited the bell boy to his room, but Brian had changed.

Maybe, just maybe, Justin was safe in his wishful thinking that Brian loved his freedom more than he loved Justin, so he wouldn’t fall in temptation.

When the front desk clerk handed the group two key cards, Justin rocked on the balls of his feet.

“Was there a misunderstanding? Don’t I get my own room?”

“They’re sharing, and you get to experience the suite with me,” Brian told him, grinning.

The clerk fumbled, his distress grabbing their attention. “I apologize, but the suites are unavailable at the moment. We only had the two doubles available.”

“It would have been nice to tell us beforehand,” Brian barked. “Come on, Justin.”

Justin shot the paling boy a small smile, apologizing for Brian's behavior, before rushing after Brian. He caught him at the elevator.

“Should we dress fancy?” Susan asked, once they were all in the elevator.

“Casual will do,” Brian answered.

“This is our stop,” she said, when the doors opened on the fifth floor.

“I see we’re on the top floor,” Justin commented, after the doors slid close.

“This room had better be the best one they have.”

“Can you be a bigger queen? Staying in a suite is not always important. I mean, I’d know.” Justin led the way to their allotted room. “Look, I’ve stayed at so many hotels I lost count, but the only important thing is the bed and the bathroom. I never took advantage of the various facilities the suite or even the hotel offered. I usually left early in the morning and arrived back late at night.”

“I know what you mean, but it’s nice to know you have all the available features at your disposal.”

Brian slid the card in the slot, opening the door. They walked inside, and Justin ran into Brian's back when he stopped at the end of the small entryway.

Justin could see the reason why Brian had stopped. There was only one large bed. He also noticed a spacious sofa.

“I’m calling dibs on the sofa.”

Brian shot him an incredulous look. “That bed is big enough we may get lost in it.”

“You can do better than that.”

“We’re both sleeping in the bed,” Brian said with finality in his voice.

Their eyes met, and Justin was ready to win the argument about not sleeping in the same bed. When Brian took a step closer, almost towering over Justin, his gaze penetrating, Justin blinked. It seemed to trigger a chain of actions.

Justin wasn’t sure who moved first, but they both reached out, undressing each other, as their mouths collided in a heated kiss.

Brian threw Justin’s sweater to the other side of the room, like it had personally offended him. Justin did his best to unbutton Brian's shirt without ripping it. They undid each other’s pants, letting them pool at their feet, before stepping out of them.

Justin struggled with taking his socks off at the same time with his shoes, and ended up losing his balance. Brian caught him by the elbow, bringing him close to his chest. The sound that escaped Brian's mouth was pure ecstasy.

Once they were naked, Justin found himself on the bed, his legs spread open like some wanton whore. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so turned on.

Brian climbed on top of him, returning to kissing Justin's lips. His hands explored Justin's body, getting reacquainted with it.

Justin wrapped his legs around Brian's thighs, bringing them closer. When their erections touched, they both groaned loudly. Brian pushed against Justin's groin, breathing heavily over his face.

Their eyes met for a fraction of second, and Justin could read need, desire, and a touch of fear. They had to be very careful when they crossed the invisible line. Brian risked a lot by sleeping with Justin, but neither of them could stay away from the other.

Brian sat up on his knees, one hand on Justin's right calf. “I don’t have...”

Justin pointed to his travel bag. “But I do.” He could barely recognize his voice, which was dripping with desire.

“Did you plan to seduce me?” Brian asked, amused, walking to Justin's bag. He opened it and dug around inside, frowning when he couldn’t locate lube and condoms.

“In the side pocket,” Justin advised. “I didn’t plan for this, Brian. I know…” He cleared his throat loudly, not ready to discuss how deep Brian was into his fake marriage. “I wanted to sample the local clubs.”

Brian's head snapped up from his search in Justin's bag. Justin could read possessiveness in there, and it amused him. Brian wasn’t his anymore, and Justin was free to do whatever he wanted.

Brian returned to the bed, victorious. He placed the condom box next to Justin, uncapping the lube bottle.

“Cold,” Justin yelped, when Brian squired some over his ass.

“It will heat up,” Brian said in a rough voice.

“That’s so lame, quoting from our first night together.” Justin laughed, but his breath hitched when one of Brian's fingers circled his hole, pushing inside slowly. “Oh, God! That’s so good!”

“You’re so goddamn tight. How long since you last fucked?”

“A while,” Justin mumbled, pushing away memories of Eric. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Brian leaned between Justin’s open legs, bringing his face close to Justin's, then he was kissing him with ardor. His fingers worked on loosening Justin's hole, while their mouths molded into each other.

“I need you,” Justin gasped out. One of his hands touched the side of Brian's face, his fingers tangling into the slightly long hair.

Brian took a condom and slipped it on his dick, lubing himself up before angling his erection toward Justin's ass.

“No regrets,” Justin whispered.

“I don’t do regrets,” Brian said, sliding home.

And it felt like they were home once again, wrapped around each other, making love.

Justin tried to remember his last time with Brian, but came up empty, because that memory had been pushed to the depths of his mind. It used to hurt too much to think of it, and he had locked it away.

When Brian looked into his eyes, Justin bit hard on his bottom lip, because unwanted words were about to slip out. He could never tell Brian he still loved him. But judging by the raw look on Brian's face, his feelings were reciprocated.

As he stared in the deep hazel eyes, the memory of their last night together hit him like a brick in the head. Soft kisses, lingering touches, hours of lovemaking, no words exchanged, laughter and tears. Justin felt overwhelmed and closed his eyes, throwing his head back. Brian could still make him feel like he was made of jelly when they were doing the horizontal dance.

After coming undone in each other’s arms, Brian allowed himself to lay on top of Justin, his arms tightly wrapped around him. He nuzzled Justin's ear, mouthing the words he wanted so much to say out loud. There had been a time when he ran away from them, but times had changed.

Justin went rigid into his arms, then turned his head to meet Brian's eyes. There were tears swirling in the deep blue eyes staring at him. “Me too,” Justin said so quietly, Brian doubted he would have heard him if he was any farther away.

The emotions were too much for Brian, and he excused himself to the bathroom under the pretext of a shower.

Justin wrapped the bed cover around his naked body, sitting up. He stared at the closed bathroom door. That was so like Brian, to run away from any hint of emotion, though he had been the one to admit he still loved Justin.

Justin had no idea if this was a one-time thing, or if there would be an encore. There was no time to contemplate the direction they were going, however, because Brian's phone started ringing.

The water had started running a moment before.

Justin was all for leaving it to ring, but the annoying ringtone got on his nerves when it wouldn’t stop. He went in search of the phone, and saw Evan’s name flashing on the screen.

Holding the phone in his hand, he went into the bathroom. “Your husband is calling,” Justin said loudly.

Brian was standing in the tub in all his naked glory, water cascading down his body. “Reject the call.”

Thankfully, the phone had stopped ringing while Brian was talking.

Justin placed it on the sink, never taking his eyes off Brian's body.

“Wanna join me?” Brian stepped back so Justin could climb in.

Justin didn’t need any further invitation. He joined Brian, and dropped to his knees instantly. He moaned loudly at tasting Brian for the first time in years. His dick was freshly washed, because there was no lingering taste of rubber or cum. With Brian's hands in Justin's hair, Justin sucked him dry.

After Brian shot down Justin's throat, he helped Justin up. He was about to offer to help with his erection, but noticed Justin had already come. Blowing Brian had always turned him on to no end.

While they toweled off, Brian's phone rang again. He wrapped the towel around his waist, picking the phone and answering.

“Hey,” he said curtly.

“Finally! I’ve tried reaching you for—”

“I got to the hotel a while ago and grabbed a shower,” Brian cut Evan off.

“I see. I sent you an email with something I think you should discuss with Brown.”

“I thought we already made a plan about what was to be talked.”

“I got another idea…” Evan insisted.

“We’ll see. Look, I have to get ready to meet Leo for dinner. I’ll keep you updated. Don’t call every hour,” Brian muttered.

It was the first time they had been separated since the whole farce had begun. Brian could envision Evan turning into a pushover, like he knew him.

Brian ended the call, returning to the room. He was greeted by Justin's hot body wearing only white underwear, as he went through his bag.

Brian tiptoed closer, then slapped Justin’s desirable ass for being so on display.

Justin yelped, touching his tender behind. “Kindly leave my abused ass alone. For a few hours, in the least.”

“Did I hurt you?” Brian asked, concerned.

“It’s been a while, like I said.” He pulled out of his bag a wrinkled shirt. “Shit.”

“Serves you right for carrying that stupid duffle bag. Shirts stay pressed neatly in the pocket of a suitcase.”

“I bet the hotel has ironing service.”

“Justin, we’re almost late to meet Susan and Garrett. Take one of my shirts.” Brian opened his suitcase, pulling out two shirts. He handed the light blue one to Justin.

There was no room to refuse, so he accepted.

To Brian's abject horror, Justin paired his Prada shirt with dark blue jeans and Nike shoes. He almost regretted offering his shirt, only to be so disgraced by Justin.

“You said casual,” Justin said defensively, noticing Brian's judging eyes on him.

“Whatever.” Brian wore dress pants and a red shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone. He stepped into his loafers, running a comb through his hair in the room’s mirror. “This is casual, Justin.”

“In your conception…”

After a touch of cologne on Brian's part, they were ready.

In the elevator, Justin won the short argument about him being the room key holder. Brian was most-likely to misplace it.

They found their colleagues waiting for them in a set of armchairs near the reception area. Garrett was the first to notice them, and jumped up. 

Justin was impressed that they didn’t comment on how late they were, but he reminded himself that Brian was their boss. Brian was his boss, too, but their relationship was definitely different, especially judging by their previous activities.

When Justin started to head for the door, he realized Brian was no longer behind him. He turned to see him talking to the front desk clerk. There was a lot of nodding and a phone call was placed, then Brian joined them.

“The car will be here shortly,” he announced.

During the meeting with Brown, Justin was reminded how irresistible and intimidating Brian was during a business meeting. He had seen him in action when they used to work together, but that had been so long ago.

It was evident that Brian could smooth talk anyone. He knew the fine details about Brown’s life and business and was able to adapt their offer to his needs in a way that made Justin's head swirl. When Brian involved him in the conversation by introducing him as the new talent in his Art Department, Justin found out he could still blush like a school boy.

While he stammered through various ideas for the campaign with Garrett’s help, Brian leaned back in his chair, watching Justin proudly.

At some point, after their second course, Brian touched Justin's thigh under the table.

“You’re doing great,” he whispered into his ear.

“You think?” Justin seriously doubted he made an impression.

“Trust me. I know Leo, and he loves your ideas.”

Justin could feel his heart swell, and the compliment made him feel more confident when Brown’s next questions came.

After dinner, Brian suggested they all head to a bar down the street. Brown was the first to decline the invitation, saying he wanted to spend the rest of the evening home with his wife. Susan and Garrett were game for only a few drinks.

Justin discovered that his Art Department colleagues were actually fun, and not all that serious as he had thought. Susan took it upon herself to tell Justin all about everyone in the department, and it was all damn good advice despite the scowl on Brian's face. Justin wanted to know more about his colleagues’ personalities to be able to know who to be friendly with and with whom to keep it professional. It was enough that some of them hated him by default because he hadn’t even been in the office for a week, and the boss was already taking him on the trip to Chicago.

Brian and Garrett found common ground in classic rock music, but every now and then Brian interjected, correcting some fact Susan got wrong. He was the kind of boss who cared enough to spend time and get to know his employees.

“I’m going for a refill,” Brian said after a while.

“I’m good. When we finish, we’re heading back to the hotel,” Garrett said, meeting Susan’s eyes. She nodded in agreement.

“Another beer?” Brian touched Justin's shoulder.

“Make it a vodka for me,” Justin replied.

“Mixing drinks?” Susan gasped, once Brian was gone.

“This was a light beer.” Justin pointed to his bottle. “I’ll be fine.”

“Brian seems to like you,” Garrett said out of nowhere.

“Oh, yeah?” Justin had no idea how to reply. Was it meant as a professional compliment or a statement of the obvious?

“He barely knows you, and he brought you on this trip, now he offered to buy you drinks.”

“You know that’s how you became friends with Brian,” Susan chided Garrett. “You came home drunk, telling me the boss wasn’t as bad as you thought.”

“And you couldn’t wait to point out that I told you so.” They shared a smile, making it painfully clear for Justin that they were together. He had been meaning to ask Brian if Susan and Garrett were in a relationship, but he never got around to do it.

“I’m not holding your hair if you throw up the whole night again,” Brian said, amused, placing the glass of vodka in front of Justin.

“I can hold my drinks, thank you very much.” Justin bristled, acutely aware their companions were paying close attention.

“Since when?” Brian laughed loudly.

“Since I’ve learned from the best.”

“Ha! So you two know each other from before,” Garrett exclaimed, as if he had solved some complicated puzzle.

Brian choked on his gulp of beer. Justin slapped his back, shooting Garrett a strained smile.

“We haven’t seen each other in years. I recently relocated back in Pittsburgh,” Justin explained, wrapping his hands around the glass in front of him.

“This explains a lot,” Susan agreed.

“You just said it was normal for the boss to get drinks with the new employee,” Garrett muttered.

“Well, I’ve changed my mind.”

Brian met Justin's confused look, shaking his head.

“Justin was my intern at the former company I worked at,” Brian told them.

“Oh, so that’s how you knew his talent,” Susan said loudly. “Because it’s not every day that such a talent walks through the door.”

“He’s also—” Justin grabbed Brian's arm, squeezing it, warning him not to say more. Their colleagues didn’t need to know about their past.

“We better head back. Don’t stay out too late. We have to meet with Brown at nine,” Susan warned them, getting up.

Garrett joined her, and they left with their arms wrapped around each other.

“I was about to tell them that you paint. What did you think I’d say?” Brian asked, amused.

Justin shrugged, finally dropping his hand. “I’m afraid for you, Brian. We have to be careful.”

“Stop worrying. No one will know.” He leaned closer, but Justin ducked out of reach, glaring daggers. “Fine, be like that. See if you get any when we get back in the hotel room.”

“I know we’re in a different city, but I’m still worried someone is going to see us.”

Brian touched his bottle of beer to Justin's glass. “To us!”

Justin smiled. “To us!”

Three glasses of vodka later, Justin had stopped fidgeting when Brian touched him. He was leaning into Brian's shoulder, one hand holding Brian's hand and playing with his fingers, and the other hand firmly glued to his glass.

“We met in Japan. Eric and I. He was a familiar face among strangers, even though I didn’t know him. You know? I used to feel so lonely, even though Han was the best host to ever exist.” Justin sipped from his vodka. “I had a great time there. All I had to do was paint. Rural Japan kept me occupied, inspiring me every day. Then I had a show in Tokyo.”

“I had no idea you stayed in the countryside,” Brian said quietly, masking his surprise at Justin talking about his time spent away.

“Han had an apartment for me in Tokyo, but I didn’t use in the first year. I preferred the quiet the country provided. You’ve been to New York, you know how insanely packed it can get. Multiply it by a hundred and you get the correct picture of Tokyo.”

“That sounds incredibly…”

“Panic attack inducing?” Justin supplied in a hitched voice. “Shit. I knew why I wanted to stay in the country, but the show had to be held in the city.” Justin downed his glass, staring into it for a long time. “The show kept me busy, but during a break, I looked around at how many people were in the gallery and I felt like I was suffocating. So I went to the rooftop for some air. That’s where I saw the people below milling around in all directions despite the late hour. It hit me out of nowhere.” Justin placed the glass back on the table with a trembling hand. “That’s how Eric found me. He’d come out for a smoke, and stumbled upon the panicked artist.”

“Did he touch you?” Brian asked in a gruff voice.

“Sorry?” Justin blinked in surprise.

“During your panic attack. Did he touch you?”

Realization at how much Brian knew him made Justin wrap his arms around Brian's waist, snuggling closer. It didn’t matter they were in the middle of a bar.

“No. He kept his distance, lighting his cigarette, then he started talking about the view, the weather, the culture. He inched closer as he talked, and soon I found myself answering back, my breathing settling. Then he asked if I was the famous American artist.”

“A smooth talker, huh?”

“He had his moments.” Justin shrugged, untangling from Brian. “I need another drink if I’m going to tell you this.”

Brian was out of his chair before Justin could blink. During the short wait, Justin knew it was the alcohol that gave him the courage to open up. All he had talked to Brian about during their lunch meeting the other day had been meeting Eric in Japan and how he played the role of Justin's agent and sometimes boyfriend. Then he had told him about some of the cities hehad visited, and only about that.

“Here you go.” Brian placed a neat vodka in Justin's hand. Justin noticed Brian had upgraded to whiskey from beer.

“So where was I?”

“What’s his face pulled you from a panic attack.”

“Eric. His name is Eric,” Justin mumbled. “After a while of talking about home and where we were from, we returned to the show. He kept praising me and offered to become my agent. I knew that I’d lose my accommodations with Han if I agreed. When I had agreed to go to Japan, I promised Han to never sign a contract with any agent during my stay. But the things Eric told me opened up a new world of opportunities.

“At the after party, we continued our conversation over sake. We ended the night at his place, kneeling side by side in front of his toilet. It was a night to remember.” Justin shuddered, making Brian laugh. “In the morning, we parted ways. I went to the apartment Han had for me, and after a good sleep, I thought over Eric’s proposition. I stayed in Tokyo for the following week, meeting with people who wanted to know me after the show. When Han called to ask if I was staying in the city or returning to the farm house, I told him I was grateful for everything he’d done, but I’ve found another opportunity. He warned me about Eric, probably he’d seen us at the party. But you know I never listen.”

A smile tugged at Brian’s lips.

“And so I moved into Eric’s place. He lived on the outskirts of town in a traditional, small house, near Tokyo Bay. It had a gorgeous view. Anyway, we kept a professional relationship, with me spending my time painting and Eric promoting me. Then he asked if I’d like to visit other parts of Japan. That’s when we started a road trip of sorts. We explored the whole world. After Japan came China and some parts of India, Singapore, then we went to Europe where we spent at least a couple months in each major, important city. I insisted on heading to Africa, but we only visited Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

“We returned to the States fourteen months ago. I had a spot in a pretty big gallery in Soho. We had a decent life. I’m saying this because it was nothing fabulous. His place was small, but more than enough for the two of us.”

“When did you start fucking?”

“I think we were in Berlin? Or Frankfurt? Not sure. We had one too many beers, and back in the hotel room… one thing led to another and we ended up in bed. It scared me how natural we acted the next day, and that neither of us freaked out when we held hands as we walked down the street or when the following night we ended up in the same bed again.” Justin shrugged, sipping from his glass. “I guess we already knew each other after so much time spent together, and having sex was the next natural step.”

“Did you love him?” Brian raised an eyebrow.

“I wouldn’t be so hurt if I didn’t more than like him, but love? No. I know what love is, and what I felt for him was nothing compared to what I feel for—” Justin stopped abruptly. As intoxicated as he was, he could still think clearly.

“Me?” Brian checked in a rough voice.

Justin chose to empty his glass instead of answering.

Brian linked their fingers, squeezing tightly. “I already told you over lunch how Evan returned into my life at the best and worst moment.”

“I see you have history with him. You never mentioned him.”

“There was nothing worth mentioning. Evan was my first boss. He left the company to Ryder when he got a job opportunity in New York. It’s true, we had a quite unorthodox relationship, but I was young and stupid back then. Evan was the first man I truly felt attracted to. The others were a means to an end.”

“And now?” Justin whispered, staring at their fingers. His eyes were glued to the golden wedding band on Brian's finger. “Do you still feel attracted to him?” His voice shook, and he hated himself for it.

“As in I don’t find him repulsive?”

“As in you’d sleep with him,” Justin said, meeting Brian's startled eyes.

“I…”

“I can tell you’re fucking him.”

Brian clenched his jaw, looking away. “After we decided to go through with this charade, we ended up at my place. Shit.” He pulled his hand away, running it through his hair. “There’s something you don’t know about my relationship with Evan. No one does.”

“It’s not only a front, it’s the whole deal?”

“No! Stop assuming.” Brian exhaled loudly. “He’s a top.”

Justin snorted. “So? You fucked tops before.”

“No, Justin. He doesn’t bottom. He never has from what I know.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Justin stood up, but lost his balance due to the copious amount of vodka he had ingested. Brian was quick to grab him before he ended up sprawled on the floor.

Brian steered him toward the door, chiding him hotly. “You have no right to act like a jealous queen! We broke up, remember? This marriage was supposed to be fake, but I’m being watched. I can’t very well go to the backroom of Babylon to get off.”

“No, but you’re smart enough to find a workaround. Call them to Kinnetik, hire a male maid, or something, anything! Not this!”

“Why? Because you disapprove of someone else fucking me?”

“Because you so easily accepted this, basically becoming Evan’s pussy boy when you loathed the mere thought of rolling over for me!” Justin shouted, stopping outside the door of the bar.

Brian glanced around, always concerned about who might eavesdrop. “First, I’m no one’s pussy boy! Second, I never loathed rolling around for you. And last but not least, it’s my goddamn life! It’s not the best situation, but it is what it is.”

“What the fuck, Brian? Where are your balls? You never used to be so afraid to show who you are or speak your mind!”

“You’re making a scene. Keep your voice down,” Brian hissed, pushing Justin in the general direction of their hotel.

Justin huffed, wrenching from Brian's grip. He walked in long strides, muttering to himself.

The bar was a few blocks away from the hotel, and they arrived fairly quickly due to the fast stride imposed by Justin.

In their hotel room, Justin snatched a pillow off the bed and dumped it on the couch. Then he threw himself down, closing his eyes. The room seemed to spin faster than he expected.

“Come to bed. We’ll sleep if you refuse to do anything else.”

“After learning the nature of your relationship with your husband, I refuse to sleep with you! I won’t become your much-needed release when you can’t get what you want from your stupid marriage!”

“Would you stop, already?”

“No! I might be drunk, but I’ve never thought clearer than now. Think about what I just said. Sleep on it.”

Brian brought one of the blankets and threw it over Justin's dozing body, while he went to take a shower.

Justin wasn’t exactly wrong. Brian was surprised that he hadn’t thought of an alternative way to find his pleasure with his usual tricks when the dooming cloud of marriage loomed over him. He had taken the easy route, choosing to consume the marriage. He had known who he was bringing in his bed, and bottoming wasn’t the end of the world. He had done it with Evan before, but he still had his side trick in the backroom of Babylon back then.

If he could fit some tricks in his daily schedule somehow, without being caught by the prying eye of those guys trailing him to check if he and Evan were keeping their part of the deal, Brian thought maybe he could live with the marriage.

If he could convince Justin that he wasn’t Brian's itch to scratch, but so much more, Brian was sure his life would be close to perfect.

He went to bed that night, determined to show Justin what he meant to Brian, and that he needed him in his life.

In the morning, Justin experienced the worst hangover he had ever had in his life.

At the breakfast table, he nursed his black coffee, keeping his eyes closed so he wouldn’t see the food around him. The mere smell of eggs and bacon made him nauseous.

“You should try eating something,” Brian said gently.

“I’m good.” Justin took another gulp of his coffee.

Brian wanted to bring up the subject of their conversation from the previous night, but Suzie and Garrett joined them. They looked rested and fresh, unlike Justin, who looked like he had rolled out of bed and had fallen in a pit of misery.

“Look who lied about being able to hold his alcohol,” Garrett joked.

Brian shot him a dirty look, making sure his employee knew it wasn’t wise to make jokes about Justin’s state.

“Okay, no food. How about some OJ?” Brian returned his attention to Justin.

“Christ, Brian! Leave me alone.” Justin got up, walking away.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

“To throw up, wanna hold my hair, dear?” Justin snarked, earning disapproving looks from the other people eating.

“What was that?” Suzie asked, once Justin disappeared through the breakfast area’s doors.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m going to make sure he’s well enough to come with us. Wait for us in the lobby like yesterday. You can ask for the car to be up front.”

Garrett nodded, as Brian finished his coffee and left the room.

Brian found Justin sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his phone. He sat down next to him, and noticed Justin was looking at a text message.

“Everything okay?”

Justin locked his phone, curling his fingers around it. “I never finished my story. The reason I came back was because Eric played me. He gave me twenty or thirty percent of what he made out of my paintings. He thought I was a fool, but I figured it out. I had my regulars for commissions, and when we discussed prices, it started clicking together. Then I overheard Eric talking to a potential client. He asked for an outrageous amount and the woman didn’t even blink. Later that night, he told me about a new painting for this woman. The price he told me she was paying was about thirty percent of what they had discussed.”

“That asshole,” Brian muttered.

“Eric was always around when I was with my clients, except when I was doing portraits. Soon, I figured out what he was doing.”

“But why? Did you ask?”

“He said he had other artists. I wasn’t the only one. Imagine how much money he has…His reasoning was that this is the way he does business. I get that he needed his own commission, but not that much. And trust me, he took a lot from me, so imagine what he took from everyone, total. ”

“Can you give me a ballpark figure?”

“Some paintings were worth up to a million dollars, as in I got that amount. If I got what I deserved, it would have been close to two million. Some were cheaper, like a few hundred dollars or a few thousands.” Justin shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. I got more than I could ever imagine out of my time spent with Eric, but if he’d been honest…”

“You’d have been beyond rich.”

“And now he’s telling me that we can change the terms. To hell if I’m going back there!”

“You could try again, on your own. Without an agent,” Brian said softly.

“I can’t.” Justin turned to face Brian. “I missed you so much. I foolishly thought I’d come back and we’d get back together.”

“We can still have what you want.”

“No, we can’t. You’re married. Like you said, someone is spying on you to see if you keep the deal.”

“Maybe not now, but eventually, they’ll stop. Give them a year, and they’ll forget about me.”

“Brian, I love you too much to risk your freedom. Let’s go. We don’t want to be late to our meeting with Brown.” Justin pulled Brian to his feet.

They walked out of the room side by side. In the elevator, Brian touched Justin's back, meeting his eyes.

“You mentioned not getting a car or your own place yet… Why is that? I bet you have a nice amount in your bank account.”

Justin shifted his laptop bag from the right to the left shoulder. “I plan on giving Molly some of the money. She turned eighteen last year. She’ll need the money if she wants to pursue her dream.”

“That’s very nice of you.”

Justin shrugged again. “It’s the least I can do. Mom and Tucker don’t have the money. Dad may or may not help her. I want to know she succeeds in what she wants to do.”

They reached the lobby and found their colleagues waiting for them.

Brian sensed that there was a tension between him and Justin, but he couldn’t do much to remedy it until the end of the day.

#

After a second cup of coffee in the meeting room, Justin started feeling human again. The clearer he could think, the more he cringed at the ideas Brown and his team had for the new campaign. When Brown’s assistant shared his own opinion about a slogan, Justin had had it.

Justin didn’t even spare Brian a look, or think of checking if it was alright to interject.

“Seriously? Brown is warm, Brown is good? In all honesty, it makes me think of poop.”

Silence fell over the room. Brown himself stared at Justin as if he had just noticed him, which was probably true since he had barely spared Justin, Garrett, or Susan a look. It had been all about Brian. Brown’s team was looking at him, disgusted, whispering to each other.

And Brian? He stopped typing on his laptop, giving him a sharp look, Justin noticed a hint of pride behind the shock and outrage.

Justin decided to dig himself in further since no one was saying anything.

“I’m thinking more along the lines, Choose Brown for an effortless workout session. It’s not the best thing I can come up with, but it’s better than what…” Justin tried remembering the guy’s name. He didn’t have to, because Brown got up from his chair, rounding the table.

In that moment, Justin was sure he would be kicked out, and he hated letting Brian down.

Brian stood up when Brown reached them, since Justin was sitting right next to Brian. He held a hand up, slight worry in his eyes when Brown reached out for Justin.

“Leo, I want to apologize for—”

“Apologize?” Brown exclaimed, clapping Justin's shoulder. “I like your new man, Kinney. He’s outspoken and knows to stand up for what he believes in, especially when it’s the right time. If he hadn’t said anything, I might have objected to that last idea Joey had.”

Justin breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Sir.”

Brown sat down on Justin's left, and Brian took his seat on Justin's right. Justin met Brian's eyes briefly and his astonishment was mirrored there.

“Justin might have good ideas for the slogan, but you should see the art he can create. He’s our Image Manipulator,” Brian explained, proudly.

“I’d love to see a mock-up for this new ad. Did you have anything in mind?”

Justin didn’t want to leave out his colleagues, and he looked at Garrett, who seemed upset to be excluded from the conversation. “I will work with Garrett and Susan, and show you something tomorrow,” Justin answered. “I’ve got a few ideas, but we have to see what works out the best.”

#

Justin returned to the room he shared with Brian late in the evening. He had brainstormed with Garrett and Susan, creating several mock-up sketches for the new campaign.

Brian was sitting on the bed with the laptop on his lap. What surprised Justin was that Brian was wearing glasses.

Brian closed the lid of the laptop, taking off the black-rimmed glasses. “What took you so long?”

Justin threw himself next to Brian, opening his own laptop. He pulled up the application that contained the new designs, showing them to Brian. “Genius!”

“It’s not half bad. I knew you’d win him over.”

Justin blushed, ducking his head. “Garrett helped, too. But yeah, mostly, it’s my work.” Justin pushed his laptop away, meeting Brian's eyes. “You look hot with glasses.”

Brian scoffed. “They’re a necessary evil. When I’m tired or I look for too long at the computer screen, I need them.”

“No need for excuses, it’s not you. Besides, I just complimented the way you look in them.”

Brian rolled on top of Justin, combing a hand through his hair. “What are we doing, Justin? I’ll go crazy if I can’t touch you when we go back.”

“Believe me, I know what you mean. I don’t want to get you in trouble…”

“I’ll think of something. In the meantime, let’s grab some dinner.”

“Another fancy dinner with Brown?”

“Just the two of us. I already made reservations. I don’t want to hear any complaints.”

#

At the restaurant, Justin did his best not to think of what dining together meant. It felt like a date, but he didn’t dare voice his thoughts. Instead, he decided to make small talk while they waited for the food.

“How is it to be married?”

Brian took a sip from his water, rolling his eyes. “How does it feel to be alive?”

“What?” Justin frowned.

“That’s a stupid question. I had to do it so I wouldn’t end up in jail. Believe me, I’d rather—”

“Don’t say it!” Justin interjected, looking away.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“I can only guess. You’d rather entertain the inmates, or worse…you’d rather wish you stopped me from leaving so you’d be married to me.”

“Since when are you a mind-reader?” Brian asked, amused.

“I know you far too well, Brian.” He smiled politely as the waiter placed the food on their table. “But things are the way they are.” Justin shrugged.

“I have an idea.” Brian reached across the table, taking Justin's right hand. “Hear me out.” He squeezed Justin’s fingers.

“Let’s hear your master plan.”

Brian swallowed nervously, which was unusual for him. “I kept the manor. No one knows about it.”

Justin stared at their linked fingers, feeling warm inside, then his eyes met Brian's. Desire pooled in his stomach as he thought of their dream house being their hidden spot.

“What do you think?”

“I’m weighing the options: to become your dirty little secret or become a bomb of sexual tension from spending so much time around you at work and not being able to touch you.”

The jovial smile faded from Brian's lips. “Don’t call yourself that. I’m hoping everything will get back to normal in less than a year and we won’t have to hide. Don’t think that I’m doing this just to have you in my bed again. I want all of you, Justin.”

Justin grinned. “You have me. You always had me.”

“I want one promise from you: no one can know. Not Daphne, not Debbie, not Emmett, not Evan. No one.”

“I can keep my promise. What about you? How are you going to explain to Evan? You’ll probably be gone for hours.”

“Let me deal with that. I already have some ideas.” Brian shifted his chair closer to Justin’s.

“Not here.” Justin pulled away when Brian leaned close, most likely ready to kiss him. “Call me paranoid, but let’s keep this behind closed doors.”

“Suit yourself.”

Brian arrived back home Friday evening. He didn’t expect to find Evan home, but he was at the kitchen island.

Something smelled really good, and Brian wondered if Evan had taken up cooking classes without his knowledge.

Evan looked up from the laptop, gasping. “You’re back!”

Brian rolled his eyes. “My bad. Honey, I’m home!” He shouted in a high-pitched voice. “You’re cooking?”

“Ah, that’s a new recipe Debbie made. She sent some to us.”

“For a second, I thought you’d started cooking.”

“Don’t be silly! I’ll probably burn down the entire building.”

Brian shook his head. Despite his dislike for cooking, he missed Justin's home cooked meals. Justin used to surprise him with a new dish every other day.

“How was the trip? I saw Brown praised the mock-ups the team made while there.”

“Yes, everything went well. All we need is a photoshoot for the new campaign. I’m thinking of talking to Jimmy to see if he’ll let us use his gym for a day or two.”

“The one on Liberty Avenue?” Evan asked.

“Yes. I’ve been going there for so long, they should allow me to use the equipment for free.” Brian laughed. “Remind me to call the modeling agency on Monday.”

“Or maybe we can use the guys who go to the gym and get their honest feedback regarding how the clothes feel.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“We also need to find a gym where women go, because some of the gear is for women, too.”

“True. We’ll research—”

“Already found a couple gyms downtown, and they’re willing to meet with us next week.”

“Damn, you move fast, Steele.” Brian rolled his suitcase into the bedroom. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“Do you want wine or beer to go with the pasta?”

“Whatever.”

Brian closed himself in the bathroom. He placed his phone on the sink, and noticed a new message.

There was a picture of a red car followed by several question marks.

Brian stared at the photo, trying to identify what type of Ford Justin had sent him.

Is that a Taurus? I need to check the specs to let you know if it’s good. Or maybe you can tell me.

It says the engine is ecoboost v6 3.5 L, all wheel drive, 6 speed automatic

Decent. HP?

Uh… what

horse power, Justin.

I think it says 365. That’s good, right?

Yes, send me a link and I’ll get back to you after a little research.

Brian was impressed with the car Justin had chosen. Justin had decided he needed a car if they were going to use Britin as their hideout.

While showering, Brian tried to piece together a plan strong enough for what he planned on doing. Evan was likely to guess Brian was tricking discreetly somewhere, and hopefully he wouldn’t make a big show out of it. At work, Brian was going to treat Justin like any other employee. He really hoped he could do it. As for the times they saw each other outside work or Britin, they had to keep their distance and act like old friends.

After dinner, where Brian caught Evan up with all the details from the trip regarding their new campaign for Brown, Brian went to bed with his laptop.

He started a thorough research for the 2013 Ford Taurus, then checked out the Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Avalon. The Toyota was closer to the Taurus Justin had showed him in the specs range.

Because he didn’t have anything better to do, and he really wanted Justin to choose a good car, he pulled up an Excel worksheet and created a table with the three cars and their engine, safety, comfort, and prices.

“You want to trade in the ‘Vette?” Evan’s question pulled Brian from the diagram he was creating.

“Just checking something.”

“If you want a new car, I recommend the Mercedes.”

Brian scowled. He had never liked the German limousines, and if he ever sold the Vette, he would go back to a Jeep. Besides, he doubted Justin would like a Mercedes or BMW.

With Evan focused on his phone, Brian continued with the table, then sent it to Justin in an email.

From: Brian Kinney
To: Justin Taylor
Fri, Apr 27, 9:47 PM

Here you go!

Let me know what you decide.

Brian

Some time later, Justin replied, impressed with the research, saying he would weigh his options and decide.

#

On Monday, Brian was stuck in meetings and on calls most of the day. Around four in the afternoon, Evan took off to meet with the gym owners downtown, but Brian stayed behind. He was looking over the designs for Brown’s campaign when there was a knock on his door.

“Yes?” He called, without looking up.

He had liked them when Justin had first showed them to him, but now something was off and he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

“Do you have a moment?” Justin was hanging on the door handle, his eyes worried.

“Come in. Shut the door.”

Justin slumped on the sofa, kneading his fingers on his lap.

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked, turning his attention to the distressed man across the room.

“You better hear this from me.” Justin’s eyes glanced to the door then back at Brian. “We don’t have much time. The thing is, I got in this argument with Kyle.”

Brian knew that his Art Director wasn’t the most tempered man, but he had never been in a conflict with a co-worker. “What about?”

“Brown’s campaign. I was looking over the latest version of the boards. I don’t like the dark brown background. I was thinking of something between pine and seaweed.” Justin noticed Brian couldn’t tell what color he meant, but he went on. “And I think the person we’re going to portray on the bicycle should be a woman wearing the headband. There. I said my piece.”

“I’m trying to visualize the color. It’s a muddy green?”

“Kinda. Let me show you on your lapt—”

The door of Brian's office opened to reveal a red-faced Kyle. “Just amazing! You came running to the boss to whine that I’m against your idiotic ideas.”

Brian stood up, handing Justin his laptop to show him the color. “Kyle, we’ve had this conversation. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and some are pretty damn good ideas.”

“Brian, he wants to change the background color! We’ve always used the mocha brown for Brown Athletics. Now this…this kid…a former painter…comes out of nowhere and decides to change something that has been working since the first time you signed with Brown!” Kyle turned to Justin. “No wonder you’re a former painter. I can only imagine wha—”

“ENOUGH!” Brian shouted so loud Kyle shut his mouth, and Justin startled from his quest for the correct color.

“Here’s the shade of green I had in mind.” Justin turned the laptop so Brian could see. He tried not to be affected by how hot Brian was when he was defending him.

“I like it.” Brian met his eyes. “Show me a parallel of the two colors for background and I’ll decide whether or not it’s a completely waste of energy.”

“This means hours spent doing something useless while we could move forward with this,” Kyle muttered, annoyed.

“It’s my job to do this. No one else will work overtime, besides me,” Justin snapped.

Kyle simply glared, not having a witty reply.

“Now kiss and make up, then get back to work,” Brian told them, amused. “Oh, and the other idea…I’ll see how it works when we have the photoshoot.”

Justin beamed, heading out of Brian's office.

“Seriously, Mr. Kinney. Where did you find this stubborn kid?”

“He’s not a kid, Kyle. He’s thirty years old, so, old enough to stand up for what he believes in and not take any shit from bullies like you.”

“So I’m a bully now?”

Brian leaned against his desk, folding his arms across his chest. “I’ve noticed you didn’t like Justin from the moment I introduced him to the team.” He met Kyle’s eyes, who seemed ready to retort. “You know why you don’t like Justin? Because he’s better than you, and you’re scared he’ll take your job one day.”

“That’s…”

“The reality. Now get back to work and stop wasting my time with first grade problems.”

Kyle shuffled out of Brian's office, berated.

Not fifteen minutes later, Justin sent Brian one of the story boards with his color choice as the background. Brian loved it instantly, and realized that was the thing he didn’t like about the pictures.

It was a little after six in the evening when Brian decided to call it a day and head home. He was at the front door when he heard footsteps behind him. Everyone should have left an hour ago.

He turned to see Justin walking to him. He was focused on his phone, but stopped right before he could collide with Brian.

“Shit! What are you doing still here?” Justin asked, slightly nervous.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Brian said, teasingly.

“I didn’t joke about staying overtime to finish the boards.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Brian said softly, catching Justin's right hand. “You’re tense.”

“I’m fine.” Justin snatched his hand back. “I promise,” he added, when Brian stared at him in concern.

“Can I drive you somewhere?”

Justin chuckled. “I was headed to the Ford dealership. I want to take that car for a test drive.”

“It’s a pretty nice car. What made you choose it?”

“It’s red.”

Brian stopped outside the building, waiting for Justin to say he was joking. When Justin lifted a brow, confused, Brian started laughing.

“Are you serious? You chose it based on the color?”

“And it’s pretty,” Justin added, seriously.

“Lucky you have me for the technical part.”

“Why do you think I asked you? I know you like cars. Daphne told me the gas will kill me.”

“She’s not lying, but if you want that car, I recommend it.”

#

The test drive cemented Justin’s love for the Ford Taurus. After an hour of taking the car for a spin, he signed the papers.

Since Justin wanted it in red, he had to wait a couple of days for them to bring one to Pittsburgh, but he didn’t mind.

“I thought your favorite color was green,” Brian said, once they were back in the Corvette.

“I’ve always liked red for cars. And I thought you liked black, but now I know why the ‘Vette is dark green,” Justin teased.

“We weren’t even together anymore when I got it.”

“Details.” Justin waved a hand about, before putting on his seatbelt.

Brian glanced at Justin, noticing how at ease he was. In a rush decision, he took the route leading outside the city.

“Check the glove compartment and tell me if there is a set of keys with a tiny dildo key chain.”

Justin shot him an amused look, but did as told. He came up with the keys, staring at them blankly. “Do you own a castle, or something?” He rolled the large keys over in his hand, noticing how heavy they were.

“Take one, and don’t lose it. Besides, I thought you were smart enough to guess to what they belong to.”

Justin stopped trying to take one of the keys off the chain. His hands trembled as he met Brian's eyes.

“Britin,” he gasped. “Wait! We’re going there now?”

“If you want.” Brian shrugged, already taking the interstate.

“I promised Daphne I’d have movie night with her, but I guess she’ll understand.”

“I know you hate lying to her, but…” Brian reached out for Justin's hand, linking their fingers.

“Don’t worry. What about you?” Justin worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

“I’ll call Evan when we get there.” Brian focused on the road, but he could tell Justin was tense. “I had a talk with him this weekend. I told him that I won’t give up tricking for our fake marriage.”

“Okay?”

“He didn’t seem to mind, only reminded me to be careful. He said he’s been thinking of going to the Baths, but I told him no. The city’s attorney would have places like that watched.”

“Damn.” Justin rubbed his temple, squeezing Brian's hand. “I wish there was another way.”

“You and me both.”

When they arrived at the manor, Justin stood outside for a few minutes, admiring the house. He’d forgotten how beautiful it was.

“I still can’t believe you bought this house for us. And you kept it, even after I left.”

“I used to come here after you went to Japan.” Brian lit himself a cigarette, looking up at the manor. “It was my private retreat. I couldn’t get rid of it.”

Justin wrapped his arms around Brian's waist, simply taking in the moment. “Is everything working inside?”

“If you mean whether there’s running water or not, the answer is yes. The electricity is sometimes a problem, especially if the weather is bad. And there’s no gas.”

“What about food? I’m kinda hungry,” Justin admitted in a small voice.

“Just a second.” Brian placed the cigarette between his lips, pulling his phone out and dialing the closest takeout delivery company. “Hey, Danny! It’s Brian. Could you place an order for my usual for two?” He nodded to whatever Danny answered. “Good. I owe you. See you soon.”

“What was that?”

“That’s Danny – the only delivery kid who didn’t get lost on his way here. He even brought the food warm, which earned him a big tip.”

Justin laughed. “I can imagine it’s hard for the delivery boys to find the address.”

“That’s why I asked Danny for his number after the third time he got here in time and with warm food.”

“Did you come here often?”

“Sometimes I spent only a few hours here, other times, I stayed here for days. The longest I disappeared without telling anyone was three years ago. It was around my birthday, and it hit me that I was turning forty. Then darker thoughts invaded my head, because I can’t think of my birthday without thinking of your prom.”

It was the first time Brian had brought up Justin's prom in such a casual tone.

“Oh. I never thought about it like that.” Justin hugged Brian tighter.

“I spent seven days here. My phone’s battery died by the end of my first night here. There was a storm and it rained for days, hence the electricity problem.”

“I bet you had everyone worried sick!”

“When I stepped into the diner the following Monday, Debbie started crying while hugging me so tight I feared she’d crack my ribs. The boys were just as relieved to see I was alright. They thought…”

“You’d done something stupid,” Justin finished the sentence.

They walked to the front door. While Brian unlocked the door, Justin remembered the first time Brian had shown him the house. The same eagerness consumed him as they stepped inside.

Justin explored the house, something he hadn’t done thoroughly in the past. Brian left him to his own devices, while he sat on the sofa, entertaining himself with his phone.

Justin started with the upstairs, and nearly got lost. There were so many rooms, some had furniture, others didn’t, but Justin fell in love with the round room from the corner. There was Brian's Barcelona chair and a stack of books. He was tempted to stop his exploring only to stay there and enjoy the potential of the room.

Before leaving that room, Justin closed his eyes, imagining himself painting in that room. It could have been his nook. He shoved the melancholy thought away, closing the door, and resumed walking around.

The only bedroom with an actual bed and dresser inside was the only room that looked lived in.

A pack of cigarettes was sitting on the nightstand. There were dirty socks and a balled-up t-shirt at the foot of the bed. More books sat on the dresser, along with a deodorant spray. In the bathroom sat Brian's toothbrush in a glass.

Justin left the room with tears in his eyes. He refused to allow dark thoughts to invade his mind, but there were so many what ifs that he felt like he was suffocating.

When he made it back downstairs, he discovered a large sunroom adjacent to the sitting room where he’d left Brian. The tour stopped in the kitchen, which was furnished with modern appliances but vintage looking. There was an old cast-iron cook stove, and Justin almost wished there was gas so he could test it. The island counter was made of black marble and above it hung frying pans and an assortment of utensils.

Justin opened cupboards at random to find food that he knew Brian didn’t usually eat, like peanut butter, cookies, and there were some granola bars and a bag filled with nuts, raisins, almonds, peanuts, and pistachios.

There was a loud knock on the door, and Justin bumped into Brian in the entrance hallway. Their eyes met briefly, and Justin could see Brian was startled by the look on his face. Justin could only guess what his face showed.

#

They sat at the kitchen island to eat the food. Justin was impressed that Brian hadn’t ordered Thai or Chinese food, which used to be his favorite. Instead, they had two casseroles with beef and mashed potatoes and a salad on the side.

Brian opened two beers he had in the fridge, to complete their meal.

“This is good,” Justin said between bites. “Really good.”

“It’s nothing special. Though, wait for dessert.”

“Is that what we call it now?” Justin teased. He rubbed a foot against Brian's calf.

“I’m talking about actual dessert, you perv!”

“Hey! I never know with you.”

Brian chuckled, accepting the footsie war.

“So, how are we doing this?” Justin asked, once he finished his meal. He leaned back in his chair, watching Brian chew the last of his beef.

“This… arrangement?” Brian checked.

Justin shrugged. “Whatever you wanna call it.”

“I’ve been thinking about it. I guess we can text each other, or call.”

“And if the other doesn’t answer within the hour, they can’t make it.”

Brian nodded. “I also expect you to go out and have fun. I don’t want you to wait for our next rendezvous.”

“Woo. Fancy words.”

Brian smiled. “Dessert time!”

“You’re awfully excited for sweets. What happened to you?”

Brian grabbed a pint of ice cream from the freezer and two spoons. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“I was expecting some exotic dessert with the way you were going.”

“Have you tried this flavor? Pecan nuts and caramel. It’s my favorite.”

They walked upstairs, and Brian stopped at the master bedroom door. He met Justin's eyes, jerking his head for him to follow. Brian opened a pair of French doors Justin hadn’t noticed, which led to a small balcony.

There was a sofa and a small table holding an ashtray. Brian threw himself on the sofa, and Justin joined him. They shared the ice cream in silence, looking out at the landscape.

Justin snuggled into Brian's side, closing his eyes. Brian wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“We have to solve this mess.”

“There’s always the option to move to Antarctica and change our names.”

“I’m thinking something more realistic, like having my lawyer work his ass off to prove to the city that I’m not the bad guy. Then I can divorce Evan.”

“Getting a penguin for a pet in our igloo sounds more realistic,” Justin mumbled into Brian's chest.

“Would you stop being so damn pessimistic? This is all new. I’m trying to adjust to all the changes in my life, and you know how I hate change.”

“If I hadn’t come back, would you still fight to divorce Evan and go back to your life?”

“Would we have ended up married with two point five kids and a white picket fence if you hadn’t left?”

“Brian, I’m being serious!” Justin said, hotly.

“So am I,” Brian answered, narrowing his eyes at Justin. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you.”

Justin looked away, sighing loudly. “If you want to get home at a reasonable hour, we should do this.”

He got up, making his way inside the master bedroom.

Brian followed him, catching Justin's elbow. “We don’t have to fuck. I want Britin to be the place we meet to be together, and not always in a sexual way.”

Justin stared at him in surprise. “Okay. Though, if you want…” He stepped closer, sliding his hands under Brian's dress shirt. “Only if you want to.”

Brian snorted. “Is there a time I don’t want you, Sunshine?”

“I missed hearing my nickname.”

Brian pressed his lips to Justin's. “My Sunshine,” he whispered, before kissing him deeply.

They undressed slowly, taking their time in caressing each other, each rediscovering the other. Brian brought Justin to the brink of release while preparing him, but stopped when Justin arched his back, mewling loudly.

“I can still extract the most glorious sounds out of you,” Brian noted, amused.

Justin shifted his ass, grabbing Brian's wrist. “Fuck me! I need you.”

Brian ripped a condom open, unable to wait any longer, either. When he slid inside Justin, his body dictated a slow pace, which wasn’t what he had in mind. But he hovered over Justin's body, their hands clutching at either side of Justin's head, while they made love.

Perspiration covered their skin as they kept up the slow dance, moaning in each other’s mouths.

The first to find completion was Justin, arching his back and getting his dick trapped between their sweaty bodies. Brian held Justin's hips in his lap as he thrust several more time, throwing his head back and coming with a strangled cry.

He fell on top of Justin, exhausted.

Justin ran a hand through Brian's hair, smiling. He decided to bask in the moment, and not think of their complicated situation.

“Did you say there’s running water?” Justin asked after a while.

“Wanna shower?” Brian pulled himself up, and out of the bed.

“I’m all sticky and gross.”

“You look thoroughly debauched.” Brian laughed, taking in Justin's naked glory and his stomach and chest covered in his own cum.

“I can’t believe I used to skip showering after we fucked.” Justin shuddered, joining Brian on the way to the bathroom.

“You loved to smell like me.”

“I… Don’t have a good comeback. I do love the way you smell.”

“Even now?” Brian raised a brow, as he adjusted the temperature in the shower stall.

“Especially now – I liked to think that you smelled like a man.”

“I am a man.”

“You know what I mean.” Justin touched Brian's back. “I was still a kid with baby fat on my stomach.”

“You had a great body. Trust me. I wouldn’t have touched you if you didn’t look hot,” Brian answered seriously. “And fuck, you look amazing now.”

“I just follow a healthy lifestyle and I use the stationary bike a lot. There was a time I got on that thing just to get my thoughts in order for what I had in mind for a painting.”

“Did you get to the basement?” Brian asked, inviting Justin inside the stall with a wave.

“No. I didn’t even know there was one.”

“I turned it into a gym.”

“Now I know what you’ve been doing while locked up in here.” Justin laughed.

Brian picked the soap, immediately going to soaping Justin's back.

“For someone who doesn’t live here, you sure do have a lot of practical things.”

“The thought to move here has crossed my mind more and more in the past few months, but then…”

“Sucks.” Justin twisted his head to see Brian's sad eyes. He reached backwards to cup Brian's jaw. “It will be fine. I have this feeling.”

“I hope so.”

#

Justin let himself in Daphne’s apartment close to eleven at night. The laptop’s glow in the dark living room showed that Daphne had forgotten it was open. It was odd how it hadn’t gone to sleep.

There was a blanket bundled up against the side of the couch, and when he approached to close the laptop, the blanket moved.

Justin wasn’t proud of the girly scream he let out, but his heart stopped for a second.

“You promised me movie night. You didn’t even call to cancel, when I tried your cell, it said you were out of range.”

Justin was surprised to hear that. Brian's phone had worked just fine. Maybe it was time to change providers.

“I’m sorry.” He sat next to her, staring at the laptop. Set as the wallpaper was a picture of Daphne and Justin smiling at the camera. It had been taken on one of her trips to New York when he lived there.

He felt like a lousy friend for letting her down.

She leaned into his side, placing her head on his shoulder. “Huh.” She sniffed his neck. “You weren’t at Babylon.”

“Freak.”

She sniffed again, then pulled away to glare at him in the darkness. “I know that scent. Are you kidding me right now?”

“Double freak.”

“Justin, this isn’t a joke!”

“If you want to give me a lesson on morality, we’ll have to reschedule for tomorrow. I’m tired.” He made to get up, but she kept him down.

“You listen to me, mister! You’re playing with fire!”

“We’ll be careful. Now, can I have my arm back and go to bed?”

She huffed, releasing the grip she had on his bicep. “I expect details!” She called after him.

“Triple freak!” Justin fired back, laughing.

“This is insane,” Brian shouted, when Ted showed him how much Kinnetik had lost in the past month. And all because of that ad and what it brought to him.

“Some of them were homophobes. We both know that. Others were influenced by the bad image of their company being associated with you,” Ted explained.

“And you knew this for how long?”

“About a week or so.”

“We need to advertise ourselves,” Evan decided.

“That’s crazy. What advertising company advertises itself like some whore?” Brian shouted louder.

Ted shot Evan a look, hoping he’d keep his mouth shut. “Cynthia and I were thinking we could find a small game business and revamp it.”

Brian pressed his fingers to his temples, squeezing his eyes shut. “In case you haven’t noticed, everyone is running away from us.” He turned to Evan. “What did you have in mind? And keep your dry humor locked down, unless you want to fly through that window.”

“I’ve never had visual imagination. I just have ideas. You were the one with the vision, one of the reasons I liked working with you.”

Brian rolled his eyes at Evan’s ass-kissing. Even if Theodore didn’t know their history in detail, he got the gist of it.

Brian picked the phone from his desk, dialing the Art Department’s interior line.

“Derek,” the prompt answer amused Brian. When the Art Department saw his extension calling, they usually teleported to the phone to answer.

“It’s Brian,” he had to explain, since Evan called more often than him lately.

“Hey, boss.”

“Is Taylor around?”

“Right next to me. Want me to put him on?”

“Send him to my office. And tell him to bring his toys.” Brian hung up. “What?” He barked at Ted’s amused look.

Ted had the decency to shake his head, before refocusing on the papers between them.

Brian was aware that his friends could tell there was something between him and Justin, but they kept their distance in public. The most they touched in public was when their shoulders brushed if they had to squeeze into the same booth at the diner, or if Brian touched Justin's back or shoulder while he checked his work. That was something he did with everyone.

When Justin entered the executive office, he stopped short, holding a tablet in his hand.

“Uh, Derek said you wanted to see me?” He sounded uncertain.

“Don’t let Theodore intimidate you,” Brian joked, waving him closer.

“Ha!” Ted snorted, sliding away to allow Justin to sit in the chair across from Brian. “I knew I was intimating.”

“Tell Blake it’s not nice to lie to you,” Brian replied, without looking at him. “So, Justin. We have a problem.”

“And how do I fit in solving the problem?” he asked, confused.

Brian showed him the papers spread across his desk. It was something he usually showed Kyle, but he had a day off.

Justin stared at the tables and diagrams, trying to figure out what they meant.

“Let me explain,” Evan said, leaning closer. He pointed to some tables and the totals, showing Justin differences between the previous month and the current month, then even bigger differences from three months before.

“Is this because of that pro gay marriage ad?” Justin asked, incredulously.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Brian nodded. “I regret taking that job more than anything else in my life.”

Justin chewed on his lip, knowing how true that was. “Okay, and how can I help?”

“Evan’s got an interesting idea.”

“It’s a damn good idea and you know it!” Evan slapped Brian's shoulder, playfully.

“I’m still hesitant on whoring myself. I didn’t even do that when we first opened the company.”

“You had Brown then,” Ted reminded him.

“I have Brown now, too.”

“And only Brown,” Evan mumbled.

“Stop!” Justin raised his voice. “Can someone explain this to me? How could all these people pull out just because of an ad?”

“If you haven’t figured out until now, people’s opinions can be fickle,” Brian muttered.

“My idea,” Evan touched Brian's hand to prevent him from talking over him. “My idea is to advertise Kinnetik in a way for companies to see we’re still the best.”

“That’s stupid. No company that respects itself and the individuals working within it would do that!”

“It has potential,” Brian said slowly. “Think about it. We show them our history, then show them we dared to do the impossible and became the pariah, but we’re still strong and fighting for what we believe in.”

“We’re still the best – that should be the motto,” Evan decided.

“Would you kindly leave the fine details to us – the art team?” Justin grunted. “I hope you don’t expect me to draw something for you right now, because the idea of doing this makes me sick. Wait until the others hear it.”

“Treat it like any other project you didn’t like working on. If you didn’t have anything until now, just wait. There will be plenty of projects you don’t want to create, but it’s your job,” Brian said quietly. “Go and talk to the others. Tell everyone to mull over the idea over the weekend and we’ll have a meeting on Monday.”

“If they don’t make a line in front of my office to offer their resignation,” Ted joked.

“Stop being so pessimistic!”

#

Justin returned to the modern office he shared with the other artists. Derek was the only one who knew where he had been.

“Everything okay?” he asked, when he noticed a pale Justin stopping in the doorway.

Justin shook his head. “Guys, we should stop what we were doing,” he announced. Not surprising, only a few people turned to him.

“Hey,” Derek shouted, whistling loudly. “Justin has something to tell us.”

Justin smiled gratefully at Derek. “So I’m coming from Mr. Kinney’s office.”

“Did you finally hand in your resignation?” asked Alice, Kyle’s best friend and a gossip machine.

Justin pretended he hadn’t heard the jibe. He was going to have a long conversation with Brian about the way some of his colleagues treated him. It was common for newbies to be left out and treated badly, but some of the people in the Art Department were downright nasty.

“Kinnetik is not faring well after that pro gay marriage ad. We’ve got only a couple companies who still want to work with us.” He wasn’t sure why Brian had sent him to give them the bad news, but he was trying to sound as emphatic as possible. “So Mr. Steele got this idea to promote Kinnetik and show everyone we still got the groove.”

The room erupted in murmurs and looks were exchanged.

“Where did you come up with this shit? Mr. Kinney would never talk to you about such a delicate issue,” Alice sneered.

“It’s true,” Justin replied hotly.

Trevor, another senior graphic artist in the department, rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. “It doesn’t make sense for Mr. Kinney to tell you something like this.”

“Mr. Kinney called earlier asking for Justin.” Derek came to his aid. He was one of the few people who had been nice to Justin.

“He probably fired this kid, and now he’s making up stories to get us upset and start an argument with Mr. Kinney!”

“I’m not lying,” Justin shouted, refraining himself just in time from stomping his foot. He could feel his blood pressure rising. “Whether you choose to believe me and start thinking of something, or you wait until Monday morning, when Brian has already scheduled a meeting with us. If you want to go into that meeting unprepared, suit yourselves! I recommend bringing lube.”

As he spoke, Justin could see all his colleagues looking terrified, but he had stopped caring what they thought of him.

“Good speech, Taylor,” Brian said proudly from behind him.

Justin's breath hitched. Brian had heard his speech. He was probably livid. Justin gathered his courage to turn and face an amused Brian.

“That last part must have made an impression on them. Look how scared they are,” Brian joked.

“I’m sorry,” Justin mouthed.

“I figured you weren’t going to believe the newest hire, so I decided to deliver the message myself. I must say, Justin has a way with words.”

“It wasn’t a sick joke?” Alice asked in disbelief.

“Which part? The one where we got fucked without lube—” Brian caught Justin's eye. “—or the one where you’re gonna need the lube in our meeting if you don’t come prepared?”

There were some quiet chuckles, which died down when Brian advanced into the room. He stood in front of Kyle’s desk, planting his hands on top of it.

“This ad – promoting us – is crucial to our future. I want all of you to give it your best. If any one of you thinks of a better idea than what the others say, speak up! You know I take into consideration all potential ideas before I make the decision.” Brian swept the room with his eyes, finally stopping at Justin, who had retreated to his desk and was trying to hide behind Derek. “I expect your solution to save Kinnetik on the meeting we have Monday at ten.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing, even if some were still doubtful of the bad news.

“Have a nice weekend!” Brian left the office, without a glance at Justin.

“I could tell you weren’t making it up,” Derek mumbled, as the room exploded in noise once the door was shut after Brian.

“Thanks,” Justin muttered, gathering his things. “I’m in a hurry. See you on Monday.”

“Bye!” Derek patted his back.

Justin slid his messenger bag over his head, slipping out the door before Alice could reach him. He noticed her walking toward him, but shutting the door in her face was oddly satisfying.

As he walked outside, he pulled out his phone and called his mother. She better have good news regarding Justin's apartment hunting.

“Honey! I was just about to text you,” she answered, sounding worried.

“I’m all done for today. Give me good news.”

“The apartment you liked was taken off the market, and as for the condo on Baker… there was no way to convince the owner to go any lower with the price.”

“Fuck,” he spat, pushing the front door open. He shook a cigarette out of the box, lighting it up promptly.

“Don’t curse, Justin,” she chided him.

He inhaled the nicotine greedily, so he wouldn’t snap at his own mother. “I’m destined to be the cliché gay guy, who lives with his personal fag hag.”

“You could always come live with us.”

“That’s a thousand times worse. I’m thirty, Mom. No way am I going to live with you!”

“I’ll look at other apartments and let you know on Monday,” she said soothingly. “Maybe there’s something else out there for you, waiting around the corner.”

“God, don’t start with your shit about fate and something better around the corner.” Justin knuckled his forehead.

“In other news, what do you say about brunch on Saturday?”

“Your place?” Justin asked, unlocking his car.

“Yes. You don’t have to bring anything.”

“What if I want to bring someone?” he joked.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“It was a joke, Mom. But I might drag Daphne out of the house. See you tomorrow!”

After he hung up, he put out his cigarette, before getting in his car. He was completely in love with it.

The Taurus had arrived the previous day, and Justin couldn’t wait to drive it for longer than the short commute to work and back home.

His phone pinged with a message.

Britin? Tonight?

How long?

Overnight :)

If E won’t report you as missing…

He’s going out of town.

Business or pleasure?

Same reason we’re meeting.

See you there in a couple of hours, stud!

Justin chucked his phone into the passenger seat right when Brian and Evan stepped out of the building. He noticed how they both tensed up, looking around, before reaching out for each other’s hands.

It had to be exhausting to pretend to be in a relationship, when it was clear there was nothing between them. Except maybe some unresolved sexual tension. Or resolved, Justin reminded himself.

Text me the address. I’ve got an idea how to get there, but I might get lost.

Pick me up in an hour…

Justin sent Brian a thumbs up emoji before hopping in the shower.

Once he had arrived home, he packed a spare t-shirt and a pair of underwear, lube and condoms, in case Brian couldn’t get some, along with his laptop. Justin planned on doing something productive about the new project.

He had some ideas, but he wanted to see if they looked as good if he worked on some sketches.

After his shower, he loitered around, until Daphne had had enough of his behavior.

“Stop moping! Do something useful and help me finish this salad.”

Justin hopped up on the counter, but was immediately whacked with a spatula on the thigh.

“Get down! I cook here! Who knows where your ass has been!”

“Ouch!” Justin rubbed the tender spot. “If you must know, I just showered. And last I checked, my ass has been around Brian's dick.”

Daphne threw her head back, glaring at the ceiling.

“What are you doing?” Justin asked, confused by her behavior.

“I’m gathering willpower so I won’t smack you again.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” He stood by her side. “What salad are you making?”

“Garbage.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s made of everything I have left in my fridge. That’s what I call it.”

“Okay…I’m so glad I’m not eating here this weekend.”

“You plan on spending the weekend with Brian?” she cried out, turning to face him.

“Don’t be absurd. I have brunch with Mom tomorrow, then in the evening the customary dinner at Debbie’s. Or maybe at Michael’s? Brian said Michael took over hosting the Saturday dinner.” Justin shrugged. “Stop worrying. We’re careful.”

#

Justin parked in front of Brian's building. He opted to wait for him, instead of calling.

A knock on the passenger side window startled Justin from thumbing through his Facebook wall. He pressed the button to unlock the doors, allowing Brian to get inside.

Brian threw a bag in the backseat, then joined Justin in the front.

“Long time, no see.”

“What’s in the bag? You already have clothes at Britin.”

“My laptop and something to eat.”

“I have food, too. Daphne made a salad and I couldn’t leave without some.”

“What did you tell her you were doing?” Brian asked, programming the route in his phone and placing it in the holder.

Justin chewed on his bottom lip. “She figured out we were seeing each other.”

“Of course she did,” Brian tsked.

They drove in silence for a while. Justin tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in rhythm with the music on the radio.

“I haven’t heard this song in ages,” he commented when Justify My Love by Madonna came on.

Justin tried not to think of the memories every city in the song brought to him, but he focused on the emotions it made him feel. They were still raw.

“Did you love him?” Brian asked, out of nowhere.

Justin glanced at him, pondering the answer. The truth was that he had no idea if he had ever loved Eric. “I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?”

“Being in love…loving someone...That’s something you don’t feel every day. I had feelings for him, strong feelings…but I don’t think I ever loved him,” Justin replied.

“You know how I operate, so I can’t understand how you can’t know. You either fucked the way I fuck my tricks, or you did it the way we love each other.”

“Are you serious? You’re the only one I’ve ever been in love with, ever loved with my whole heart.” Justin turned to face Brian at a red light. “Eric was convenient. I guess that’s a good word, just like I was for you when we were forced to live together, but on a different level.”

“The same way Evan is convenient for me,” Brian said.

“I guess.” Justin didn’t want to discuss Brian's relationship with Evan.

“After our conversation in Chicago, I thought of what I was doing, and you were right. I don’t want you to be the guy I get off with, because we both know you’re more than that for me.” Brian touched Justin's shoulder. “I decided to put a stop to the way we consummated the fake marriage.”

“So you stopped letting him fuck you?”

“Taking everything in consideration, I’d be a hypocrite to tell him no, but we’ve only done it twice in the past two weeks.”

“What? You’ve abstained for that long?”

“I had my favorite call boy on speed dial,” Brian joked.

“Should I be offended?”

“I was talking about you!”

“I know! That’s why I said it.” Justin laughed. “Shit! I missed the turn.”

“Take the next street on the right. The app will reroute, and I’m here to guide you.”

Justin smiled, keeping his eyes on the road, while enjoying the way Brian played with his hair. It reminded him of the times they used to sit on the sofa at the loft and simply enjoy each other.

“I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but you’re a good driver,” Brian commented.

“Why, thank you!”

When they hit the interstate, Justin rolled the windows down a little and upped the volume of the music. He ignored Brian's scandalized look when he started singing along with what was playing, but he felt happy and carefree.

Justin was in the middle of singing It’s My Life when his phone rang loudly from its place on the dashboard.

Brian turned down the volume, grateful for the interruption.

“Watch this,” Justin said proudly. “Answer,” he stated loudly.

His mother’s voice filled the car the next second. “Hi, honey! We can’t do brunch tomorrow.”

“Oh. Why?” Justin was filled with joy at knowing his time with Brian wasn’t limited anymore.

“Unless you want a cold, of course,” she added, amused.

“Did Molly bring some bug from school?”

“It was Tuck this time. They’re both down with fever and sore throats.”

“Ouch. Are you okay?” he checked, knowing she had to take care of both of them.

“You know I’m tough.”

“Be careful, though. And thanks for canceling. I can’t afford to get sick now.”

“I know. New job and all that.” Jennifer paused for a few moments. “How’s Brian?”

Justin shot Brian a panicked look. It wasn’t like his mom knew what he was doing, but it was odd of her to ask such a thing.

“He’s okay. Why?”

“Just curious how it is to work for him. If you’re okay with working for him.”

“Mom, really. We’re both adults.”

“I know, honey. But…”

“Look, I bet you’re busy with Molly and Tuck. I’ve got something I have to do for work. We’ll talk on Monday.”

Once they hung up, Brian tsked. “That was so rude!”

“She started asking about you.”

“How many people know about this? I thought you promised.”

“She doesn’t know, calm down.” Justin shot him a scandalized look. “Mom thinks I’m going to slip if we find each other alone in the copy room.”

Brian laughed loudly, relaxing in his seat. “Did you tell her there’s no copy room at Kinnetik? Or that I’d never be caught dead in a copy room?”

“And you’re the boss,” Justin added.

“Do you think I’d be that kind of boss? That kind of person, actually.”

“It’s true. You get involved in all the accounts. Sorry,” Justin mumbled. “Anyway, I’ve run out of ideas for how to placate my mom when she starts talking about you. It’s funny really, because I’ve got this feeling she still cares for you.”

“We’ve stayed friends when you first went to New York, even after you left for Japan. But I guess we distanced ourselves eventually.”

“You distanced yourself, you mean. The way she worries about you sometimes, it reminds me of Debbie.”

“Second exit at the roundabout,” Brian interject before the GPS app lady’s voice could say it. “Now ignore what she might say. You stay on this road until the next intersection, then go right.”

“I think I remember this part better than the rest of the journey.” Justin glanced at Brian. “When you first brought me here, I thought you were taking me to the woods.”

“To kill you?”

“I was aiming for fucking in nature.” Justin laughed.

“But I surprised you,” Brian said quietly.

“Surprise is too small a word for how I felt. You bought us a huge ass house and you proposed.”

Brian rolled his lips inward, and Justin knew him well enough to know that Brian was keeping himself from saying something. It was for the best, because what could Brian say? Justin broke his heart by leaving and declining their happiness.

Justin parked in front of the manor, taking off his seatbelt. He got out of the car and took his overnight bag out of the backseat.

“You brought your laptop, too?” Brian inquired.

“Yeah. I want to see how my ideas look when I draw them.”

Justin fished out the key for the front door, grinning at Brian. He skipped ahead to unlock it, making Brian laugh.

It was good to hear Brian laugh and see him happy. Justin knew how seldom Brian allowed himself to be happy. Especially as of late, what with everything that had happened in his life.

When they stepped inside, Brian's phone rang, making him scowl.

Justin gave him a peck on the lips, taking his bag to put the food away.

#

Brian was ready to reject the call that was disturbing his precious time with Justin, but the name on the screen made him think twice.

“Hello, Joe.”

“Brian! I’m sorry to disturb you.” His lawyer sounded agitated, which wasn’t a good sign.

“You know you can call anytime,” he said, following Justin into the kitchen. “Did something happen?”

“I got a horrifying email from Jeffrey McDonald.”

“Who the hell is that?” Brian slumped in a chair, watching Justin puttering around. It felt like they were home, and the thought of what it could have been nearly choked him.

“The city’s attorney. You must remember him.”

“How could I forget him?” Brian shuddered. “What does he have to say?”

“He asked me about my client’s whereabouts and if he’s keeping the promise—”

“Like he doesn’t know,” Brian interjected. “He has me followed, Joe! That shit is not legal.”

“I can see he has you followed. The photos he sent me are professional.”

“What? He took pictures? The fuck?”

Joe cleared his throat. “You haven’t done much with your husband, have you? Aside from a handful of pictures where you are together – and in just a couple of them you’re kissing and holding hands – the others are of you two separately.”

“Joe, I have a fucking life. Even if this shit was real, I won’t take my partner every-fucking-where with me! I own a business, I’m supposed to be places… ALONE!”

“You’re partners in that business, Brian,” Joe reminded him.

As if Brian needed the knife twisted deeper in the wound. He would never be able to share Kinnetik with Justin, like he had planned for years.

“Look, whatever is in these pictures, I bet it’s not compromising.”

Justin shot him a worried look, but Brian turned around. There was no need to get him more involved in his mess than he already was.

“You were caught with your friends, your employees, and there is a picture in which you’re not doing anything compromising. But if I can see it, Jeffrey can clearly see it too. The way you’re looking at one of your friends…and Evan is right next to you in that one.”

“Can I see these pictures? You better find a way to solve this. I’m sick of some fucking pictures dictating my life. And like I said, it’s not legal to take pictures of people when they’re not aware of it.”

“I hate to break it to you, but it is legal. The photos were taken by a private investigator. He does it all at the limit of the law, so I can’t charge him with anything.”

“Joe, I might have gotten myself in this mess with that campaign, but you have to save me. I can’t stay married to Evan and look over my shoulder for the rest of my life!”

“The man you’re looking at in the picture looks familiar. Is your old boyfriend back in town?”

“Joe, I’m not paying you to be nosy,” Brian snapped. “Send me the pictures and get your team ready to win when I decide it’s time to make an appeal.”

He ended the call, placing the phone on the island.

“Have we been seen?” Justin asked in a shaky voice.

“No. That asshole is playing with fire.”

“Be careful how far you want to go.” Justin cupped Brian's cheek. “I’m not worth it to risk—”

Brian caught Justin's chin in his hand. “I dare you to say that again!” When he noticed the alarmed look in Justin’s eyes, Brian dropped his hand. “Shit. Fuck,” he spat. “I’m sorry, Sunshine.”

Justin wrapped his arms around Brian, swaying side to side. “If we have to stop seeing each other until you find a way out of this, I’m willing to do it.”

“Absolutely not. I need you close to me. I feel like I’m losing my mind,” Brian admitted into Justin's neck.

The phone call from Brian’s lawyer had put both Justin and Brian in a bad mood.

Brian poured himself a glass of whiskey, but traded it for the bottle shortly thereafter.

Justin sat on one end of the couch, focused on his laptop. “Stop sulking and come here. I need your help.”

“Do you realize it’s not ethical for me to help you?”

“You brought me into your office. I think you want my perspective more than anyone else’s.”

Brian leaned over the back of the couch, looking at the screen. A high quality photo editing and drawing program was running. Brian had wanted it for his Art Department for some time, but it was too expensive to get it installed on all of the computers.

Justin pulled up the virtual canvas, cracking his fingers in front of him. He tilted his head to look at Brian expectantly.

“Oh, you want me to tell you what to do?” Brian chuckled.

“It would be helpful to get some facts straight. I want to know pretty much everything about Kinnetik from the moment it was simply an idea to this moment.”

“You know when it was just an idea. You helped me—”

“No, Brian. You and Ted worked out the fine details. I know that you convinced some of your old accounts to join you, and I want to know their reasoning. I also want to know how fast people decided to try working with a new company, who influenced them, how much and how fast Kinnetik’s profits grew.”

“I can help with some of these. I hope you don’t expect me to remember everything.”

“Call Ted.”

“It’s Friday evening. Work hours are over,” Brian reminded him.

“Do you want this shit on your desk Monday morning so you can have something to start the campaign?”

“I don’t want it done perfectly. Just a rough sketch.”

“Then I’m not your guy for this. We could go upstairs and fuck, because I refuse to do this half assed job.”

Brian rounded the couch and sat next to Justin. “Tell me what you had in mind. We’ll have to make it work with what I can tell you off the top of my head, then we’ll get it right on Monday.”

“I’m thinking of a video. I want you to be star, but all the others will make an appearance eventually to show Kinnetik as a united company. There will be mentions of your best accounts and some of your ads for them. It’s going to take ages to get this whole thing just perfect, but it’s the only way to revive Kinnetik.”

“Did I ever mention how smart you are?” Brian asked in a proud voice.

Justin ducked his head. “Thanks.”

Brian took a swig from his bottle, leaning into Justin's side. “So where do we start?”

“First thing I want to portray is you sitting at a desk, thinking of opening a company when you thought your career had gone to shit. We’ll go through the accounts you started with, then slowly introduce the others. Next we’ll show the amazing team you have that helped, and then after going over the important ads you’ve created over the years, we’re going to conclude with the daring pro gay marriage campaign and how it brought your downfall, but Kinnetik is strong and it will get back on its feet no matter what obstacles it has to face – all because of the best manager.”

“I see.”

Justin smiled widely. “But I guess I’m tired after what a day we had at work. I’ll sketch my ideas tomorrow.”

Brian didn’t waste much time in pushing Justin against the arm of the couch, molding his lips over Justin's. Brian pushed his hands up Justin's shirt, touching his sides, stopping at his perky nipple. His thumbs pressed against Justin's sensitive nipples, making him moan loudly.

“Always so responsive,” Brian whispered.

He slowly divested Justin of his clothes, before undressing himself. Brian hadn’t taken care of Justin properly since their reunion, so he planned on rectifying that.

He lay on his stomach across the couch, arranging Justin's legs so they were draped over his shoulders.

“Holy fuck!” Justin threw his head back, grabbing his dick. “Fuck, yes!”

Brian smirked against Justin's ass, licking around the rim.

“Oh, God,” Justin breathed out, wrapping his fist in Brian's hair. “Fuck, Brian!”

Brian set to work on giving Justin the best rimjob he had in years. Soon, he pushed in two fingers coated in saliva, before holding Justin open so he could fuck him with his tongue.

“I’m gonna— Bri...aaaaaan!” Justin seized up, nearly toppling over the couch if it weren’t for Brian keeping a firm grip on his thighs.

Brian smiled, proud of his tongue skills. He cleaned Justin's dick, before licking his chest and shoulders where cum had landed when he had erupted earlier.

“I’ve still got it,” Brian said, chuckling.

“Was there any doubt?” Justin cupped his cheek. “Now fuck me. I want it hard.”

“Turn over. Hold onto the back of the couch.”

Brian rolled on a lubed condom. He dove deep inside Justin without any further preparation.

Justin shouted, gripping the couch. Brian found his prostate with his every harsh puncture inside his ass, making Justin scream until he was hoarse. When he thought he couldn’t handle anymore, Brian found a different angle, fucking him at a furious pace.

The sounds they created were obscene, but they were drowned out by Justin's cries of pleasure.

Brian took his hands off Justin's hips, making him collapse into the cushions, then pinched Justin's nipple. It was enough for Justin to convulse in pleasure as he came untouched.

“I’m not done,” Brian grunted into his neck, taking hold of Justin's hips again. He moved faster and deeper, dragging Justin's orgasm to the point where pleasure turned into pain.

When Justin came for a third time, though this time it was dry, Brian pushed hard into him, gasping against his ear, before spilling into the condom.

Justin immediately felt empty when Brian mustered enough energy to pull out and tie the condom. He touched his ass, amazed at feeling himself so open. On few occasions had Brian managed to wreck his ass this badly, like the time he had stolen Ted’s Viagra, or the time they had taken E and emptied a bottle of whiskey, or the time they had gotten engaged and christened the whole loft.

Brian knew Justin needed to be filled in such moments, and he pushed three fingers up his ass.

“Mhhm…” Justin leaned back into Brian's cold, sweat-covered chest.

“I should bring some toys over.”

Justin could only nod. He doubted he could speak again.

Brian wrapped his fingers into Justin's hair, tilting his head backwards, so they could kiss wetly. Justin sucked greedily at Brian's tongue, tasting himself there. He moaned, unsure if his body was ready for another round, thought he wanted more.

“How about a bath?” Brian suggested.

“Sounds heavenly,” Justin said in a scratchy voice.

“Go, fill the bathtub. I’ll bring the wine.”

“We have wine?” Justin gasped.

“Of course we do.” Brian smiled brilliantly.

#

Justin was in the bathtub when Brian appeared in the doorway with two glasses filled with red wine.

“You started without me,” Brian protested. He handed Justin a glass, before lowering himself into the tub, facing Justin.

“I could get used to this,” Justin said quietly. His voice was still raw, but getting better.

He let one of his feet touch Brian's abs, going up then down, dangerously close to Brian's hardening dick.

“As you might remember, I used to be a fan of showers.”

“But now you like baths?”

“Oh, I love baths. They’re my favorite thing, especially when I have you here all naked and wet.” Brian sipped from his glass. He searched for the remote control for the stereo, clicking a button once he found it.

“Classical music?” Justin could feel his eyebrows getting lost in his hair from the shock.

“It’s relaxing.”

Justin enjoyed the wine, lowering himself down further into the tub and closing his eyes. He loved the quiet of the moment. His lips turned up into a smile when Brian ran one of his hands over his calf.

“I wish this was real,” Justin whispered into his glass.

“It is real,” Brian said vehemently. “I’m real. You’re real. What we have is real, Justin.”

Justin blinked back tears. “It’s a lie, Brian.”

“Our love is not a lie.” Brian sat up, pulling Justin on his lap. “Look at me, you twat.” Brian forced Justin to look into his eyes with a hand on his chin. “I promise we’ll make this right.”

“Don’t make such promises.”

“I am, because I know I’m going to keep this promise.”

Justin pressed his cheek against Brian's shoulder. “You heard your lawyer.”

“Fuck Joe! People get married and divorced all the time. What’s the most common reason?”

“Difference of character? Or whatever it’s called,” Justin mumbled.

“The number one reason people divorce is infidelity.”

“You’ll end up in jail if they find out you cheated on him.”

“Not if I find out he cheated on me,” Brian said softly. “I’m going to talk to him to make sure the guys who follow us catch him in act. I’ll have that evidence.”

“I hate to say it, but what if Evan likes being married to you? What if he doesn’t want to divorce?”

“He’s out of town to get some, because I’m too paranoid about him finding someone here,” Brian explained.

“Let him find someone here so the people who are following you will see it too.” Justin drank half of his glass before setting it on the tile. “Though, I think he likes it this way. He has everything he’s wanted, from what you’ve told me. He has you, he’s always satisfied in bed, he’s your partner—” 

“Shh.” Brian pressed a finger to Justin's lips.

“How often do you fuck?” Justin demanded, sliding off Brian's lap.

“I don’t see how that has anything to do with our conversation.”

“It has to do everything with this whole thing. Because you don’t love him and you’re not satisfied, but he is! He’ll never let you fuck him.”

“Justin, you’re being ridiculous. I see this marriage as a business relationship with some benefits.”

“You actually allow someone to fuck you on a regular basis. How often?” Justin insisted. When Brian refused to answer, Justin used Brian's method with his fingers on Brian's chin.

“Almost every night, but like I said we haven’t done it more than twice in the past two weeks. Are you happy now?” Brian narrowed his eyes. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just another fuck.”

“Where you’re at the receiving end,” Justin pointed out. “It took hours, sometimes days, to get you to allow me near your ass. Now you’re giving it up freely to some old man.”

Brian snorted. He pulled Justin back into his arms, hugging him tightly. “This is how I’ve made my bed, by agreeing to marry him in order to save myself from fucking prison.”

“That’s insane! I doubt they’d have sent you to prison!”

“Joe is trying to find a way to save me, and I trust him to do it. We don’t know how long it’s going to take, but in the meantime, I have to suck it up.”

Justin nuzzled Brian's neck, swallowing his tears at the things Brian had to do in order to keep himself free.

Brian stroked a hand over Justin's hair. “I love you.”

Justin chewed on his lower lip so hard, he tasted blood. He had wanted to hear Brian say those words, but not when their future was uncertain.

“Did you hear me?” Brian pulled away so their eyes met. “I love you, Justin.”

“I heard you,” Justin choked out. “I love you so much.”

They shared a long kiss, filled with promises of forever.

On Saturday morning, Brian woke up at the crack of dawn, unable to fall back asleep. They had made love until the late hours of the night, which resulted in barely three hours of full sleep for Brian. Though, apparently, his brain had decided that was enough.

Brian had learned how to make waffles, so he was waiting for them to cook when his phone buzzed on the counter top.

“Morning, Evan,” he answered promptly.

“Brian, you’re awake!”

“Yes. Why?” He plated the cooked waffles, adding more mixture for new ones.

“You’re not home. You didn’t come home last night.”

Brian froze. “Where are you?”

“Home. I changed my mind on our plan. Surprisingly, I don’t need anyone else. You’re enough to satisfy me. Just like before.”

“Is that a joke? I clearly remember you fucking other guys,” Brian retorted. “As for where I am, it doesn’t matter.”

“Did you go home with one of your tricks?”

“Yes.”

“Then you can leave. How about breakfast at Toscana Sunrise?” Evan asked, excitedly. “I could pick you up from wherever you are. I see your car is here.”

Brian finished the waffles, glaring out the window. He had to think fast and get out of this mess. “I’m staying for breakfast. See you later.” He hung up, hating himself for what he had to do in order to be happy.

He carried the plate of waffles and the maple syrup upstairs, setting them on the bedside table before returning to the kitchen to make coffee. When he returned, Justin was in the same position he had left him – spread eagle, snoring softly.

Brian leaned over Justin's back, kissing his shoulder, earning a soft grunt from Justin.

“Wakey, wakey, Sunshine.”

Justin tugged the pillow over his head, mumbling something unintelligible.

“I made you breakfast in bed, and you’re acting like a brat.”

Justin poked his head out from under the pillow, cracking an eye open. His nose twitched adorably, making Brian catch his lips in a soft kiss.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” Justin pulled away, smiling. He rolled on his back, stretching and yawning loudly. Slowly, he sat up, leaning against the headboard. “One could get used to this,” he said, accepting his coffee cup.

“I decided to spoil you. Now, don’t get used to it.”

Justin's eyes widened when Brian offered him the waffles. He grabbed one after pouring liberal amounts of maple syrup on it. “Fuck! Delicious,” Justin moaned loudly, licking syrup off his fingers. “I ov u oh muah!”

Brian laughed, resting his back against the headboard, enjoying his coffee.

“Haf one!” Justin pushed a waffle to Brian's lips. Brian had no other choice but to bite into the cookie. Then Justin descended, licking his lips, prying his mouth open.

“I thought I was sweet enough without the excess of maple syrup on my face,” Brian joked.

Justin smirked. “I plan on sweetening every inch of you.”

“What?”

“I promise to clean you afterwards. Thoroughly. With my tongue.”

Brian's dick stood at attention, making them both chuckle.

Brian linked his hands behind his head. “My body is ready.”

Justin threw his head back, laughing loudly. He gulped more coffee before setting aside his cup and the waffles. Armed with the syrup, he turned Brian into his breakfast.

#

On the drive back into town, Justin was curled up in the passenger seat of his car. His arms were wrapped around his stomach, and he was regretting his choice of fun.

“I told you not to do it, but do you ever listen to me? No. You had to pour every last drop of that thing on me,” Brian admonished him, though there was concern into his eyes.

“Let me die in peace,” Justin grunted. “Fuck. Why didn’t you stop me?” He pressed his hands into his stomach as another cramp hit him, followed by a wave of nausea.

“I tried, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Justin's phone ringing made him moan pitifully. “Hey, Mom,” he mumbled.

“Are you running late? We’re waiting for you to start brunch.”

“Shit. Uh, raincheck? Besides, didn’t you cancel it yesterday?”

“Tuck’s feeling better! You’re coming. Tuck made waffles.”

“I’m going to be sick,” Justin groaned.

“You don’t like waffles anymore?” His mom asked, surprised.

“I’m gonna vomit! Pull over,” Justin demanded, throwing his phone in Brian's direction. The second they were parked, he opened the door and bent over. He was aware of Brian talking to his mother, but that was the least of his worries.

When he felt human again, he took a sip from the bottle of water Brian handed him, rinsing out his mouth. Justin shut the door, slouching in the seat, refusing to even look at Brian.

“Your mother expects both of us for brunch, dear.”

“Did you mention to her that I’m currently dying?”

“Did you barf up your brain? She wants me there!”

“She likes you, Brian. Didn’t you say that you were besties after I left? I bet she thinks we’re just friends.”

“I hope so.”

Brian kept a hand on Justin's leg for the rest of the drive, moving it to his back when he moaned pitifully.

“Maybe your mom has something against nausea?”

“Next time I decide to do something so utterly stupid, stop me. You can bodily restrain me if needed.” Justin cringed as another cramp hit him. “I’m never going to be able to look at maple syrup the same again.”

Brian chuckled, parking in front of Jennifer's house. “Ready?”

“Not in the least.”

Justin stood so close to Brian that he was leaning into him while he waited for his mom to open the front door. She gave them a disapproving look, ushering them inside.

“Shit.” Justin headed to the bathroom, ready to expel all of the maple syrup and cum from his body.

When he joined everyone in the living room, Brian stood promptly. He helped him down, offering him water.

“I thought you made up an excuse for not coming,” his mom said, worried.

“It’s indigestion,” Justin lied, his face burning in embarrassment. “You had cancelled brunch, so I accepted Brian's breakfast invitation. I ate too many waffles.”

“I could make you something else,” Tucker offered.

“Some orange juice, please.”

“So what’s going on?” his mom asked, the second the three of them were alone in the room.

“We work together. We’re friends,” Justin explained.

“I thought you stopped lying to me, honey.” She glanced at Brian, who was busy cutting around the yolk of an egg. “This is dangerous.”

“I feel too sick to argue with you, Mom. Leave us alone. Where’s Molly?”

“At a friend’s,” Tuck answered, returning with Justin's OJ.

“Thanks. You let her spend the night at a friend’s?” he gasped.

“You were allowed to stay over at Daphne’s. I don’t see why she shouldn’t—”

“Mom, half of the time you thought I was at Daphne’s, I was in Brian's bed.”

“Molly doesn’t have a boyfriend,” she explained.

“That you know of,” Justin and Tuck said at the same time, then shared a knowing look.

“What? You know something and you haven’t told me?” Jennifer rounded on Tucker.

“I’m just saying, hon. She’s eighteen.”

Brian had his lips pulled inside his mouth, watching entertained. Justin caught his eye, grinning.

“Feeling better?” Brian checked.

“A little.”

“Want the yolk?”

Justin contemplated if it was wise to try eating, but the decision was made when Brian lifted his fork with some of the yolk on it. There was a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, and Justin could only imagine what Brian was thinking. He was probably remembering the way they used to share food and divide the parts they each liked.

“Just friends, my ass!”

Jennifer’s exclamation made both Brian and Justin snap out of it. Justin leaned against the back of his chair, realizing he had been invading Brian's personal space.

“Jen,” Tuck gasped, surprised by her language.

“Friends who want to bone, maybe,” she added, laughing.

“Mom!” Justin pressed his hands to his face.

“Jen, you know I respect both, you and your son. Believe me, I’m trying to get out of this situation and make everything right,” Brian said in a serious voice.

Justin watched amused as his mother blushed. She stammered, before answering. “Of course, you do. Knowing your history, I assumed…”

“You assumed correct. I love Justin too much, and I can’t stay away. We’re both careful, so don’t worry,” Brian explained.

“I thought we were keeping it a secret,” Justin gasped, ignoring his mother’s scandalized look.

“You told Daphne; I don’t see any harm in telling your mother.”

“Who’s next? Debbie? Michael? Might as well shout it out loud in the middle of the busiest shift at the diner,” Justin muttered, pushing away from the table. “I need a smoke. Don’t follow me!”

He couldn’t believe Brian had outed their supposedly taboo relationship to his mother. She might smile and be nice in front of Brian, but she would give Justin hell when she caught him alone.

When he found himself outside, Justin realized he didn’t have any cigarettes or a lighter on him. Upset with himself, he stomped back inside.

Brian was in the middle of explaining how he planned to regain his clients while showing everything he hadn’t done anything illegal to earn their stigma.

Justin grabbed Brian's jacket from the sofa, searching for the smokes.

“Hey! What the fuck?” Brian snapped.

“I want a ciggie and a lighter,” Justin muttered.

“Right pocket. One,” Brian insisted.

Justin noticed there were only three left, so he accepted to enjoy one lone cigarette. “Thanks,” he whispered, passing Brian on his way out. He made a cup of coffee before taking a seat on the front step.

He barely got two drags of the ciggie when the front door opened behind him.

“I said I wanted to be alone, Brian.”

Justin felt the anger rising in him when Brian had the nerve to sit next to him. When he turned to give him an earful, he gasped. Tucker was to his left, wearing a sheepish look.

“Did they send you to pacify me?” Justin rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his coffee.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, thanks.”

“No, I mean…you weren’t well earlier.”

“Yes.” Justin nodded. “I’m feeling better, but Brian managed to upset me by confessing to Mom. What the fuck is wrong with him?”

“Sometimes, it’s okay for other people to know about a secret. Of course, those people have to be trustworthy.”

“Speaking from experience?”

Tucker linked his hands between his spread knees. “When Jenny told you about our relationship, I was scared shitless. We planned it, but it still scared me.”

“This is different. Neither of you risked jail!” Justin inhaled nicotine. “Fuck,” he spat.

“I was a teacher at Molly’s school. I was her teacher. It’s kind of similar.”

“Yet, nothing like what we’re facing.”

The front door opened again, and this time Brian was there. “Can we talk?”

Justin nearly choked on his spit. It was the first time Brian wanted to talk about their current problems.

“I’ll be inside,” Tucker said, allowing them some privacy.

Brian sat close to Justin, plucking the cigarette from his fingers, taking a hit. “Your mom said you’re looking for an apartment.”

“And I’m not having any luck.”

Brian exhaled to the sky. “Promise not to bite my head off, before you think through my proposal?”

Justin was mesmerized by the poofs of smoke leaving Brian's mouth as he talked. “And what do you propose?”

“Move into Britin.”

Brian had a talent of oversimplifying everything and making it look natural. In truth, Justin moving into his engagement present from Brian would be one of his dreams coming true, he had always feel safe there. But Brian would be the one visiting, giving him a sense of an imaginary life that might never be possible.

“You call the shots. If you don’t want me over, just say the word. If you want to bring someone home, I won’t care. But I draw the line at you paying all the bills. We can split.”

Justin smiled. “I think that’s a good idea. Did you ever bring anyone there?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Then I won’t do it, either. That house is ours,” Justin said gently. “It’s sacred.”

“So this means you agree to move in there?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to talk to Daphne, but I might move in next weekend.” Justin shrugged. “Thank you.”

Brian kissed his cheek, offering him the last of the cigarette. “I’m sorry for telling your mom.”

“Don’t be. She’d have gone ballistic if she found out later.”

On Monday morning, Justin arrived at Kinnetik half an hour later than planned. He had stayed up until three in the morning, working on the new ad. He was quite proud of the sketches he had been able to make.

The meeting had already started.

Justin swallowed his pride and nerves, and opened the door, strolling inside as confidently as possible.

Brian was in the middle of showing everyone the history of Kinnetik. He didn’t stop his presentation to even spare Justin a look.

Justin swept the room, searching for an empty chair.

Evan waved him to the chair to Brian's left. On the table in front of that chair was a sample of a bottle from Dandy Lube.

Justin lost some of his confidence, remembering his innocent joke about his colleagues needing lube if they didn’t get some ideas ready for Monday. He sat down, studiously ignoring the lube as he pulled out of his bag the laptop.

Brian took a sip from his coffee, and when he placed the cup back on the table, his dark hazel eyes met Justin's. “I’d like to see your ideas now,” Brian declared, taking a seat.

Only a couple of the people from the Art Department talked about ways to create the new ad.

Justin could feel himself cringing with every word out of their mouths.

“If I may speak?” He cleared his throat, shifting into his chair.

“No, you may not,” Brian snapped, finally turning to face Justin.

“I stayed up until three in the goddamn morning to work on this! I’m sorry for being late, but I barely got four hours of sleep. And apparently, I’m the only one who took the time to work on something actually worthy to show you.”

“Let him show us what he’s got, then you can shout all you want for his tardiness,” Evan said calmly, placing a hand on Brian's.

It didn't escape Justin how Brian turned his hand, palm up, to hold Evan’s hand. That couldn’t be for show.

Justin wasn’t sure what Brian was doing, but he better choose fast, because Justin wasn’t ready to become the “run-to man” and Brian's escape from reality.

He snatched the video cable from Brian’s laptop, plugging it into his own to show his screen on the projector. He went over the sketches he had done and the rough ideas for the clip he had discussed with Brian that it would be a good idea to do.

“Email me these files,” Brian demanded. “You all get back to finishing the boards for Brown. Taylor, stay.”

Justin noticed how the others didn’t look pleased by Justin's presentation, but he had at least done what Brian had asked of them.

“You, as well, Evan,” Brian added, when Evan didn’t make a move to get up.

“Are you kidding me?” he asked, shocked.

Brian lifted a brow, pointing to the door. “Someone has to run this company while I take care of Taylor.”

“Just go easy on him. He was late because he barely got any sleep to do what you asked him to do on Friday.”

“Let me be the judge on how I handle my employees, Steele.”

Evan shrugged in Justin's direction, as if saying, “I tried.”

Brian walked Evan to the door, closing and locking it after him.

Justin was about to ask why Brian had to lock the door when he was lifted off his chair by the arm. Brian swept everything off the table before pushing Justin over it.

“Brian,” he gasped, not expecting that.

Brian pressed a finger to his lips, undoing Justin's jeans. He dropped to his knees, wrapping his lips around Justin's hardening dick.

Justin gripped the end of the table with one hand as the other flopped around over some files still left on the table. He was aware of his loud breathing, and hoped no one was around to eavesdrop on them.

Brian sucked and licked him until Justin was sure he was going to lose his mind. Brian brought him to the brink, before he stopped. Justin protested with a loud groan.

Brian chuckled, ripping a foil with his teeth, spitting it across the room. He pulled his erection out of his slacks, rolling the lubed condom onto it, then pulled Justin to the edge of the table. He pushed a finger into Justin, pleased to find him still ready after their weekend fuck-fest.

After they had left Jennifer’s house, they had returned to Britin where they stayed until around noon on Sunday. They had both missed family dinner at Debbie’s.

Brian pushed into Justin, grunting. His arms slapped down on the table on either side of Justin's head. Justin hooked his legs over Brian's shoulders, moaning in pleasure.

“Quiet,” Brian hissed, kissing him deeply.

The table rattled under them. Justin stroked his dick to the fast pace Brian used, and too soon, they both found completion.

“I’m gonna be late every day if I get fucked like this,” Justin said, jokingly.

“Oh, trust me, you’re gonna get admonished properly, but when you took over, telling everyone how the job’s done, you were so fucking hot.”

“Thanks?” Justin shimmered off the table, pulling his jeans up and buttoning them. “What’s with the Dandy Lube sample?”

“That was Kyle’s idea. The others told him about your memorable speech, and he figured you’d be the one needing it since you were late.”

“The joke’s on him. I like it rough.”

“Don’t I know?” Brian leaned into Justin, kissing him slowly.

“Are you gonna admonish me, or can I go and start working on my ideas properly?”

“First, send me what you’ve got. I like most of the ideas, but I want to make some changes.”

Justin nodded.

“As for admonishing you, wait till I get you alone. I’m gonna redden your ass.”

“Oui, Sir!”

Brian watched him amused. “We tried that route when you wanted to visit MeatHook.”

Justin shuddered at the memory. They had stuck out like a sore thumb in the club and ended up being hit on by a Master thinking they were both looking for someone to dominate them. Then they had tried it at home, and Justin hadn’t listened to any of Brian's orders.

They gathered their stuff, ready to go to their respective office. Brian stopped Justin in the doorway with a hand on his shoulder.

“If they give you shit, I want to hear it from you. Don’t keep things from me, because I already know they’re not your biggest fans.”

“Sure, I’ll tell you. But you know I can handle it.”

“I know, but I’m the boss. You’re all my employees and it’s my rules they’re breaking.”

“Along with various laws on discriminating and harassing other employees.” Justin sighed. “I promise to tell you.”

Brian smiled, allowing Justin to go on his way.

In the Art Department, he found Kyle in his chair.

“So did Kinney fire your ass?”

Justin placed his bag and laptop on his desk. “Move it. I’ve got to send Mr. Kinney my ideas.”

Kyle frowned. “I don’t get it.”

Justin smiled widely, not giving a fuck about Kyle’s confusion. “Out of my chair.”

Kyle huffed, but did as told. He went to his desk, where he was surrounded by the rest of the team.

Justin gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to involve Brian in his problems, but the way he was treated got on his nerves. It was like in his school days when he would be picked on and his mom had to talk to his teacher and the principal. At eight, that had been mortifying. It wouldn’t be any less embarrassing to have Brian solve his problems with the art team. They woul’d hate him even more if the boss took his side.

Justin wrote Brian a lengthy email with what he had worked on Sunday, and at the end, he added a post script saying something vague about the way Kyle acted. If the email was seen by someone who didn’t agree with Justin, they wouldn’t understand.

He focused on the boards for the ad about saving Kinnetik.

“Do you plan on helping us finish the boards for Brown?” Garrett asked loudly.

Justin figured he was Team Kyle. “I’ve done my part, now we need to focus on the new ad. Brian likes the boards for Brown the way I changed them the other week.”

“Oh, so it was your idea to change the background to that baby vomit green?” Garrett asked, repulsed.

“Gary,” Susan gasped.

“What? I thought you were smart enough to be part of this team and take orders from Kyle, but no. You had to go over his head, directly to Brian with your stupid ideas!”

“Well, Brian liked them,” Justin snapped. “And about the current ad we should be working on, why am I the only one who bothered to do something? Brian understood why I was running late, because I stayed up half of the night to work on this.”

“You just want to kiss Brian's ass any way you can to get my job,” Kyle muttered.

“I don’t care about your stupid job,” Justin shouted, getting up from his chair. “I just want to do my damn job and make sure it’s done the best way possible.”

Alice snorted from beside Kyle. “Like we believe you!”

Justin stomped over to Kyle, glaring down at him. “Let’s do two mock-ups for the new ad. Let Brian decide who did it best. You have the whole team on your side; I’m doing it on my own.”

“I’ll help you, Justin,” Derek said from behind him.

“Me too,” Susan offered, ignoring the disbelieving look on her husband’s face. “I don’t see why you give this kid a hard time. He’s got the talent and he wants to get the job done, just like the rest of us!”

“He’s manipulating Kinney!”

“I think that’s enough, McGee,” Brian said in chilling voice from the doorway.

Justin went to his desk, slumping in his seat. He tried to tune out Brian ripping his art team a new one for the way they were treating Justin.

In that moment, Justin made a promise to himself that he would stay long enough to finish the ad to save Kinnetik, then he was going to quit and go back to painting. Having a steady job was too nerve-wrecking, especially with such assholes around him.

He was concentrated on the sketch he was working on, because he jumped, startled, when a warm hand touched the small of his back. There were tingles down his spine, and he didn't have to smell Brian's Armani cologne to know it was him.

“Check your phone,” he spoke softly. Then he left.

Justin extracted his phone from his pocket.

Lunch in Ted’s office.

I’ll let you know. Justin didn’t want to push his luck with meeting Brian in secret at Kinnetik.

It was a statement.

Justin refused to get into a silly argument with Brian about the rationality of his precaution.

He told Derek and Susan what he wanted to do, and they worked on the mock-ups. Justin barely realized he kept shaking his hand when it started cramping, because it had been ages since he had overexerted it.

“Taylor!” Justin jumped out of his skin, yet again surprised by Brian's presence. “Wrap that up and follow me.”

Justin saved his work, closed the laptop’s lid, and walked after Brian out of the office. They went into Ted’s office, as Brian had told him.

“It’s three-thirty. Did you plan on taking a lunch break?”

“I was busy with—” Justin waved a hand around.

Brian caught his hand, narrowing his eyes. “You need to take breaks. You hurt yourself.” He stroked the tensed tendons of Justin’s palm as Justin chewed on his lower lip.

“Look, I know you want to prove yourself in front of Kyle, but don’t kill yourself over it. Besides, I hope they’ll never give you shit again after our talk earlier.”

Justin pried his hand out of Brian's grasp. “I’m gonna tell you now so you know. I’m going to quit the second we finish this ad.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“I can’t work in this environment. I’m going back to painting.”

“Justin, don’t let Kyle kill your dream. I know that you love painting, but your dream has always been to become a graphic artist. I’ve given you that opportunity twice.”

“If their behavior doesn’t change, I’m out,” Justin mumbled.

Brian nodded. He guided Justin with a hand on his back to Ted’s desk. “Do you still like Thai?”

“I haven’t eaten good Thai in years.”

Brian was over the shitty Monday he had when he arrived home. He parked behind Evan’s car, and they met at the front door.

Evan got the mail, while Brian called the elevator.

“What’s up with you?” Evan demanded, handing Brian the bills.

“I’m tired.”

“Want a massage?”

“I want you to leave me the fuck alone,” Brian snapped, getting in the elevator.

“Whoa! What the fuck got into you? Where were you this weekend?”

“Would you stop with the damn questions? If I wanted a nagging wife, I’d have been straight.”

They stomped out of the elevator.

Evan pushed Brian against the wall next to the metal door leading into the loft.

“Get off me,” Brian snapped.

“I want answers!”

“This is all a farce! It will be over in some weeks or months. Just play along.” Brian shoved Evan out of his way, unlocking the door.

“So you want a divorce?”

“I thought that was where we were headed when we agreed to this freak show.”

Evan slammed the door shut, making Brian wince. “You know what I think? I think you want out of this marriage to get back to Justin.”

“And how did you figure that one out?”

“It’s glaringly clear that you’re still in love.”

“You’re delusional.”

“The fuck I am! Deny that you had Taylor for lunch,” Evan demanded.

Brian opened the fridge door so hard that the lamp on top of it rattled. He had to get that thing down, but there was never time for such a simple act. He glared at the casseroles inside, pulling a random one out. He wished Debbie would let them starve.

“No witty answer?” Evan glared.

“If you must know, I had Thai,” Brian explained, throwing the casserole inside the microwave oven. “Besides, I meant that you’re delusional because you think there’s something between us.”

“We were just fine before he came back!”

“We were married for a couple of weeks! I don’t know what you thought we were doing, but this ain’t gonna last.” Brian waved between them. “I refuse to be tied down to anyone, especially to a pompous ass like you.”

“Must I remind you that I own half of your company?”

“What, you’re threatening me now? We’ve always worked well on a professional level. It’s the personal one that’s lacking.”

“We’re not much different, Brian. Do you think I like being married? But I figured if I took that step, I should at least do it with someone I really like and I won’t get bored with.”

“So thoughtful of you. I told you, you can get your rocks off somewhere else.”

“Shocking, I know, but you’re enough,” Evan hissed.

“Well, here’s a newsflash for you: You’re not enough for me. I’m a top.”

“Since when?”

“Since for-FUCKING-ever! You were the only one I allowed to top me back then.”

Evan opened his mouth, then closed it.

“So stop this bullshit that you’re into monogamy and marriage and all the things that make life worth living,” Brian yelled. “If you cared enough, you’d have noticed I’m not satisfied. But don’t worry, we’re going to end this farce of a marriage soon.”

“Brian, I had no idea…”

“Of course, you didn’t. There’s only one person you care about: YOU!”

Brian took the food out of the microwave, which had pinged a while back, but he had lost what little appetite he had.

He went to change into his clubbing clothes, muttering to Evan that he was going out and he shouldn’t wait up.

Brian ended up at Woody’s. He found Emmett nursing a cocktail by himself, and he joined him after getting himself a whole bottle of whiskey.

“What’s up?” Brian sneered, taking a seat across from Emmett.

“Planning a party?” Emmett joked, pointing to the bottle.

“Me and my little self decided to indulge in some old fun.” Brian wished he had stopped by Babylon to track down one of his drug dealers.

“Whoa! What happened?” Emmett asked, concerned.

“I fucking hate this mess! If they didn’t have a real reason to put me in prison, they will soon. I’m so close to murdering Evan.”

“Now, now. You mustn’t harm your husband.”

“Do you realize this is all fake, right?” Brian asked as seriously as possible.

“You’re putting on a pretty good act, then.”

Brian knuckled his forehead, taking a healthy swig from the bottle.

Thankfully, Emmett changed the subject, telling Brian about one of his latest event planning jobs.

By the time Brian decided to leave, he was more than a little drunk. He walked to Daphne’s apartment, amazed that he remembered where she lived. He had been there only a handful of times.

While he waited for someone to answer the door, Brian looked at the bottle in his hand, realizing he was pathetic.

Daphne opened the door, bleary eyed and with her hair sticking up in all directions. She blinked several times, before stepping aside.

Brian shuffled inside, saluting her silently with his bottle, then made his way to the guest bedroom.

Brian didn’t bother to knock; he simply walked inside. Justin was fast asleep. His laptop was open on the nightstand, still playing the movie he had been watching.

Brian placed his bottle on the other nightstand, before climbing in bed next to Justin. Justin mumbled something, snuggling into Brian's warmth.

“Are you sleeping?”

“Definitely. I’m imagining you’re in my bed.”

Brian chuckled, kissing the back of Justin's neck. “I’m here.”

Justin rolled on his back, cracking an eye open. He reached out to touch Brian's face. “Shit! You’re real.”

“I just told you I’m here.”

“And you’re drunk.”

Brian retrieved his bottle, taking another swig of it. “I had a fight with Evan.”

“And I’m your rebound guy?” Justin asked, hurt.

“I’m not sober enough to have round two with you. I just had to be here with you. Go back to sleep.”

“What’s wrong?” Justin sat up, taking the bottle from Brian's hand. “You’ve had enough of this.”

“You might be right. Evan thinks we’re…that our marriage is real. But I opened his eyes. Told him that I hate everything about it.”

“And what did he say?”

“I left.”

“Jeez, Brian. That’s not how you solve your problems.”

“Just shut up. Can we just sit here quietly?”

Justin nodded. He stopped the movie, then closed the laptop, encasing them in darkness. They got under the blanket, their arms wrapped around each other.

Justin pressed his cheek to Brian's shoulder, sighing loudly, as Brian played with his hair.

“I love you,” Justin whispered.

“Likewise, Sunshine,” Brian slurred.

#

In the morning, Justin drove Brian home before going to buy coffee, with the promise to meet him at work.

Brian expected to find Evan waiting for him, and he didn’t disappoint.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Brian mumbled, heading straight for the shower.

“Can I join you?”

“No.” Brian slammed the bathroom door shut in his wake.

He was surprised when Evan didn’t follow him. When he was done, Evan was gone.

Brian took his time getting dressed, fighting off the monstrous hangover.

In front of the building Evan’s car was idling, the passenger door ajar. It took Brian a second to understand that he had waited for him, noticing Brian didn’t have a vehicle.

“What happened to the Vette?” Evan asked, when Brian joined him inside the Mercedes.

“Left it in front of Woody’s,” he answered truthfully.

“Did you go home with someone again? That’s unlike you.”

“Back to one thousand questions? If you must know, I went to Justin’s. I had to talk to someone.”

Evan shot him a look, and Brian wasn’t sure what to read there: hurt, incredulity, shock.

“Nothing happened,” Brian added.

“If you say so.”

“We have to talk when we get home tonight.”

“I agree.” Evan nodded.

Brian was surprised Evan wasn’t putting up a fight.

“I’ve given it some thought, and I decided to let you fuck me. Equal rights and everything…so you’ll be satisfied and happy. But not every night.”

Brian groaned, because by that point they were going two steps forward and ten backward.

“I might even let you fuck me on the desk at work.”

“There are glass doors,” Brian snapped.

“So?”

“NO!” Brian got out of the car when they arrived. He noticed Justin's car parked in his usual spot.

Brian went directly to the Art Department, making everyone freeze at his appearance. Good. The fuckers deserved to be terrified of him for the way they were treating Justin.

Justin was bent over Susan’s desk, pointing to something on her desktop. He threw Brian a smile over his shoulder.

“Where’s my coffee?” Brian asked, noticing only one cup on Justin's desk.

“In your office. I even got Mr. Steele a coffee. I remembered what you ordered last time.”

“I hope you didn’t forget to mention about the spit,” Brian told him.

“I’m gonna let you do that yourself,” Justin joked. “Now let me work on the ad that’s gonna make Kinnetik rise like the phoenix.”

Brian rolled his eyes, amused at the jovial mood Justin was in.

He went to the office he shared with Evan.

Evan was inspecting the coffee on his desk, confused.

“That’s courtesy of our newest artist.” Brian picked his latte, taking a sip. His head was throbbing, and he knew the coffee wouldn’t be enough to chase the hangover. He picked up the phone and pressed the digit to speed-dial Cynthia’s office.

“Good morning, Brian!” Her cheerful voice filled the room.

“The strongest painkiller you have. And the documents for the Eyeconics.”

“Sure thing, boss!”

“What the fuck is with everyone being so happy-go-lucky?”

“You’re just grumpy.”

Brian glared at him, but aimed his glare to a smiling Cynthia who chose that moment to step in their office. She lifted an eyebrow, and he shook his head. Brian was done with giving explanations. He took the pill with his coffee, ready to start the day.

“This is exactly what I needed.” Brian punctuated his every word with a thrust into Justin.

“When you asked me to come with you for lunch, I didn’t expect to become the dessert.”

They were in the bathroom at the diner, and it was dangerous, but Brian couldn’t keep his hands off Justin.

It was one o’clock on Thursday afternoon, and Brian’s problems weren’t even close to being solved.

He and Evan had come to an agreement about their marriage and the way they would navigate it. At least, Evan had accepted Brian's proposal to be able to trick as discreetly as possible so no one would catch on to it. They would always act in love and as couple-y as possible in public. As for the part where they fucked each other, it was still murky gray, because Brian wasn’t sure how he felt about topping Evan. That had been his dream in his twenties, but that ship had sailed.

His lawyer kept telling him to hang in there, because it was a difficult case, and he might have a chance to win, but only once the ad for Kinnetik was done, to show people that his usual work wasn’t gay propaganda. Brian’s ads had always been daring and ‘in your face’, and the gay marriage campaign was no exception. The only problem had been a huge misunderstanding and miscommunication that resulted in some billboards being displayed in places where there hadn’t been any authorization cleared.

On top of everything, Brian hadn’t gotten five minutes alone with Justin.

Anchoring himself with one hand on the stall door and the other on Justin's hip, Brian plowed into him at a restless pace.

Justin whimpered, pushing back into Brian's dick.

When they were close, Brian's phone rang loudly.

So won't you, please, be my, be my baby
Be my little baby, my one and only baby
Say you'll be my darlin', be my, be my baby
Be my baby now, my one and only baby
Wha oh oh oh oh

Justin started laughing at the ringtone.

“Fuck!” Brian extracted his phone from his suit jacket. “What Evan?”

It had always amazed Justin how Brian could talk on the phone while fucking him and not lose momentum. Justin had learned to ignore the fact that Brian was on the phone while he was in his ass. Though, at the moment it was odd, considering the person on the other end was Brian's husband.

Brian kept a firm grip on Justin, pushing two more times before spilling into the condom. Justin pulled away, stroking his erection, but soon his hand was battled away, being replaced by Brian's.

“Yes, I heard you,” Brian answered to Evan. He was slightly out of breath. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Fifteen, tops,” he added, stroking Justin's dick hurriedly.

Justin leaned into the metal door, feeling his toes curling in his sneakers. His hands grabbed Brian's shoulders, as he breathed harshly at the impeding orgasm.

Brian covered his mouth with his own, after hanging up. It was enough to drown out Justin's cries of pleasure when he came.

“Nice ringtone,” Justin said amused when he could breathe right again.

“It’s part of the charade,” Brian explained. He turned to the toilet, pissing, like he didn’t have company.

Justin shook his head. He had managed to forget the little things about Brian, and how he had no scruples.

“So you have to be back,” Justin mumbled.

“Yeah, one of the old accounts decided to pay us a visit when Gardner fucked up his ad.”

“Gardner? The same…” Justin frowned, arranging his clothes.

“The very same. There are limited options in Pittsburgh regarding good ad agencies.”

“You plan on taking this account back or teaching them a lesson?”

“I’m all for the latter, but we need all the accounts we can get in order to survive this month.” Brian tucked his dick in his pants. “Go right ahead. Tell Debbie to pack our lunch.”

“She’ll know where we’ve disappeared to,” Justin whispered.

“She’ll get over it.”

Justin washed his hands and splashed some water on his flushed face before heading into the diner. He choked on his spit when he ran into Debbie right at the bathroom door. She had her hands on her hips.

“I was just looking for you,” he said. “Can you pack our lunch to go?”

“Should I double your servings? Did you work up an appetite in there?”

“Deb…”

She huffed, heading to their table to get their plates.

Justin sat on an empty stool at the counter, trying to explain the situation in a way that wouldn’t make her go ballistic.

Brian came to Justin's side, leaning into him. “I’ll go ahead, Evan called again saying that these idiots want a meeting now.”

“I’ll bring your food.”

“Thanks. See you, Deb!” Brian waved to her.

“Hold the remarks,” Justin muttered when Debbie placed two Styrofoam boxes in front of him. “Can I get a couple of lemon bars, too?”

“Sunshine, I hope you’re being careful.”

“We are,” he mumbled, accepting the dessert. “See you Saturday?”

“We’re having dinner at Michael’s.”

“Okay. I’ll let Brian know.” He smiled, taking the food and making his way to Kinnetik.

Justin left Brian's pasta carbonara on his desk, taking his burger and fries and the lemon bars to the kitchen area.

He found Ted eating by himself, so he joined him. Ted shot him an amused look.

“Didn’t you leave with Brian to get lunch?”

“He had to come back. Some old account decided Kinnetik was better.”

“I can’t believe this is happening just because of an ad.” Ted shook his head.

“Oh, I can believe it. People are such homophobes, they’d do anything to catch us at our weakest and hurt us.”

“I know you’ve been at the end of the hatred from the homophobes…”

“Several times,” Justin agreed. “And if you haven’t, you’re lucky.”

“Must be tough.”

Justin shrugs. “You know that saying? What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger? It applies to me so well.”

“It’s sad that so many bad things happened to you. And you’re so young.”

“It opened my eyes about the cruel world we live in.”

“Justin!”

Justin turned to the door where Evan was standing, looking at him. “Get Kyle and Garrett and come to the meeting room. Uh, I’m sorry to disturb your lunch, but it’s urgent.”

“Sure thing.”

“I’ll put your food away in the fridge,” Ted offered.

“Thanks.”

#

Saturday brought dark clouds. Justin stayed with Daphne, who helped him pack up his stuff, until it was time to head to Michael’s, though he wasn’t ready to be around Brian and Evan.

Brian had told him about his agreement with Evan, and even though it made sense, it would hurt Justin.

When he was getting dressed, his phone rang from the bed.

“Michael?” he answered, surprised at the caller.

“Huh. You still have my number.”

“I didn’t delete any numbers. What’s up?”

“Dinner at our place. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

“I know. Your mom made sure to tell me. Should I bring anything?”

“Just yourself,” Michael answered, amused.

“Okay. See you.”

His cargo pants paired with a blue sleeveless shirt, along with his brown leather jacket, would do for the weather outside. Despite it almost being June and gloomy, the breeze was slightly cool. Besides, he planned to head to Babylon after dinner.

#

Brian and Evan were the last to arrive, and despite the happy act they had to show, they were both in a bad mood.

Brian greeted Ben curtly, heading straight for the kitchen. He found Justin and Michael in there, all cheerful about something or another.

He placed three bottles of wine on the counter, startling them.

“Brian,” Michael exclaimed. “You shouldn’t have.”

“These are for research purposes. If they’re shitty, I’m going to strangle Billy.”

“Uh?” Michael inspected one bottle. “This looks like expensive wine.”

“With all the things happening in my life, restocking the bar at Babylon had been the lowest of my priorities. I allowed Billy to deal with that. Then Ted gave me all the bills I had to pay for Kinnetik and Babylon. I didn’t look at work, but Evan checked them this morning. Billy should probably erect a monument to Evan for keeping me from going after his ass.”

“But it’s good stuff,” Justin protested, checking on bottle.

“It’s a fucking dance club, Justin! We don’t sell expensive wine. We make sure the strong booze is good quality, but not the wine. If you want good wine, go to a fucking winery.”

“Would you drop it?” Evan groaned, joining them. “Are you going to whine about Bill’s mistake to everyone?”

“We’re going to Babylon after we leave, and I’m going to make him drink every last drop of it.!”

“Brian, he’s never done anything like this. He didn’t know what to get, and he figured good wine was the correct choice.”

“He’s the goddamn bartender. He doesn’t know what he gives the patrons? Is this a joke?”

“Relax. You’re going to talk to him tonight.” Evan touched Brian's back.

“Take this outside.” Michael handed Brian a bowl of salad.

Evan picked up the wine opener and two bottles, then followed Brian outside.

Brian deposited the bowl on the table, greeting the others before heading back inside. He crossed paths with Justin in the kitchen doorway. They did a little dance, left then right then left again, before Brian backed him into the wall.

“When are you moving in?”

“I’ve packed most of my stuff. I might do it tomorrow.” Justin shrugged. “Seriously, you need to chill. Evan’s right. So Billy made a mistake, it will be okay.”

“Yeah right.”

“See you in the Backroom,” Justin whispered against Brian's ear, before disappearing outside.

“Need help with anything?” Brian offered, joining Michael in the kitchen.

“No. It’s all ready.”

Brian noticed the last issue of Rage on the counter. He smiled wistfully at the image of Rage and JT married. He traced the cover, turning to his best friend.

“Planning a comeback?”

“Justin asked if I still had the comic book. This is the only one I found. The others must be in the attic.”

“I still remember that dinner where I acted like an ass.”

“Good to know you admit it.”

“Let’s just say I grew up enough to understand what a horrible person I used to be,” Brian said diplomatically. “I’ve treated everyone badly, especially you and Justin – the only two people I ever loved.”

“And we knew you were capable of love, and we stuck around.” Michael patted his arm. “Come on.”

Brian wrapped an arm around Michael, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry, Mikey.”

“Hey, stop it. Everything will work out.”

“I hope so.” Brian pressed his lips to the top of Michael’s head, before they joined the others outside.

Justin and Emmett were bickering over who would make the drinks as Ted and Blake looked on, while Ben and Evan were discussing Ben’s latest book. Debbie tried to act as the mediator between the fighting boys, but she had little luck.

Brian pushed Justin and Emmett away from the drinks. “Allow me, boys.”

That turned into louder protests, until Debbie whistled loudly. “Quit it! I declare Sunshine as the bartender.”

Emmett sulked, slumping into his seat. “If Drewsy was here, he’d tell you what an amazing drink mixer I am.”

“We’re not all into the fruity shit you drink,” Brian muttered, accepting the whiskey on rocks Justin handed him.

“Okay, I’m all ears. What do you guys want to drink?” Justin beamed, pouring vodka and cranberry juice in a glass for Emmett.

When everyone had a drink in front of them, they settled in, catching up and having fun like in the old days.

It wasn’t until dessert, when Emmett jumped, startled. He was seated next to Justin. He shot a look across the table at Brian.

“You missed,” he joked in a strangled voice.

Brian's eyes widened, glancing at Justin to see if he was paying attention. He found him deep in conversation with Michael.

Brian poked his tongue out to Emmett, acting like nothing had happened. He hadn’t expected to touch Emmett under the table when he decided to tease Justin.

“Feeling better?” Evan asked, leaning closer.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Brian muttered.

“I just noticed you’ve relaxed. Good.” Evan touched Brian's thigh under the table.

Brian stiffened under the palm dangerously close to his dick. He had expected to have some fun with Justin under the table, but he was apparently going to get some from his husband.

Evan rubbed Brian’s hardening dick, and as much as Brian tried to squirm out of his grasp, he couldn’t escape.

“Want to check the bathroom?” Evan breathed into his ear.

Brian shook his head, biting his cheek. He became aware of Justin's eyes on him, and when he looked his way, Justin smiled. Then he turned to Michael, and they giggled like two school girls who had been caught by their crush.

Brian gasped when Evan ran his thumb over the head of his dick through the denim covering it. He tried to mask it with a sip from the wine he had confiscated from Babylon. But several pair of eyes turned to him, including Justin, who had a knowing look in his eyes.

Brian tore his eyes off Justin’s inquisitive blue ones, glaring at the raspberries left on his plate. He couldn’t allow Evan all the control, and he definitely wasn’t going to let Evan make him come in his pants like a teen.

Brian shoved Evan’s hand away, getting up and storming inside the house. He locked himself in the downstairs bathroom. He refused to stroke his dick until he came, because it made him feel dirty somehow. Instead he thought of Lindsay and Mel going down on each other. His boner went down so fast, he hoped he hadn’t scared it forever.

When he left the bathroom, there was a flurry of activity. Everyone was bringing plates and chairs inside. He looked out the window, and saw that a downpour had started.

He wasn’t going to get his clothes wet by helping them, so he jumped on top of the counter, picking at the berries from the cake Emmett had baked.

Brian watched his friends, amused, as they left a trail of water on their way in and out. It was only a matter of time before someone slipped. He expected Justin to be the clumsy one, knowing the twat was a master at stumbling, but Brian doubled over in laughter when Evan slid on the wet tiles before he fell on his ass.

“Instead of laughing, you could lend me a hand,” Evan grunted, still not moving an inch from where he was sprawled on the floor.

Before Brian could reply, Ted rushed into the house, not seeing Evan and stumbling over him, dropping a bowl of whipped cream on Evan’s head. Brian grabbed a tissue to wipe his tears of laughter.

“You’re so fucking entertaining!”

Blake appeared in the doorway, helping Ted and asking if he was hurt.

The others soon gathered in the kitchen doorway, and Evan finally got up. Ben offered to lend him a clean t-shirt, guiding him upstairs.

“You’re the worst,” Evan snapped at Brian.

“I’m doing my best, honey,” he called out, still laughing.

“Did you trip him? There are other ways to get rid of your husband,” Debbie announced.

“He slipped on that puddle over ther…” He barely got the words out, before Justin slipped on the same puddle, breaking free from the crowd.

Brian chucked out the berry in his hand, jumping off the counter and kneeling at Justin's side. The twat had broken his fall with his wrist, and now he was cradling it to his chest, whimpering.

“Did you break it?”

“I don’t think so.”

Brian helped Justin up, leading him to the couch in the living room. Debbie checked Justin's wrist, which was swelling by the second.

“It’s broken,” she declared.

“I just have to ice it,” Justin hissed, but Brian noticed tears in his eyes.

“I think you should listen to Ma. She knows what a broken bone looks like having to deal with me and Brian growing up,” Michael quipped up.

“I’ll take you to the hospital.” Brian grabbed their jackets, then ushered Justin to the front door. “Tell Evan where I am, will you? And he should go talk to Billy.” He fished Justin's car keys from his jacket and led him to the passenger seat of the Taurus.

Emmett rushed out of the house with a pack of frozen peas. “Keep this on your wrist until you get to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Em,” Justin mumbled.

“Fuck, Justin,” Brian muttered, getting behind the wheel.

“Just drive. It hurts like a motherfucker. I never had anything broken.”

“Well, now you do. And it’s your right hand,” Brian said, worried. “I hope there’s not any permanent damage.”

“Well, instead of laughing, you could have wiped that water after Evan fell.”

“He’s fine, but I didn’t think anyone would get seriously hurt. I half expected it to be you falling, because I know how prone you are to getting hurt. But I never thought you’d seriously injure yourself.”

Justin curled on the seat, pressing the frozen peas to his swollen wrist. “I’d kill for some of the good drugs we used to take back in the day.”

“If you’re a good boy at the doctor’s, I might indulge you, Sonny Boy.”

Justin chuckled. “If I was good when they drew blood, Mom would buy me ice cream. Times have changed, I guess.”

Brian laughed along with him, reaching out to stroke Justin's hair. “You’ll be fine.”

Justin ended up with a cast from his knuckles to his elbow. He was forbidden to drive or put pressure on the hand.

“I offer to be your designated driver,” Brian told him, amused, as they drove away from the hospital.

“At least they left my fingers free. I can still work.”

“And they gave you Vicodin. You lucky fucker.”

Justin beamed. “I’m still expecting you to keep your promise. This will wear off in a few hours.”

“Let me drive you home first.”

“I still want to go to Babylon.” Justin pouted. “I wanna shake mah booty.”

“Christ. I’d forgotten how funny you are when you’re high.”

They parked close to Babylon and skipped the line. Tom shook Brian’s hand, and even greeted Justin by name. Justin was amazed the bouncer remembered him.

They stopped at the bar, where Billy started babbling apologies, until Brian waved a hand to cut him off.

“Water for this one,” Brian said authoritatively, pointing to Justin.

“Hey! Not fair,” Justin protested.

“Drugs and alcohol don’t mix, Sunshine.” He patted Justin's cheek. “I’m off to talk to Evan, then I’ll be back. Don’t get in trouble.”

“If I ask you to pour an ounce of Jack in some soda…”

“No,” Billy replied. He placed a bottle of water in front of Justin.

Justin sulked, sipping from his water, until Emmett joined him with a cocktail.

“Ohhh! Look at you, Baby,” Emmett cried out. “Does it hurt? What are you doing here?”

“I’m high as a kite so what other place to be?” Justin shrugged. “Want to sign my cast?”

Emmett eyed him curiously. “I don’t have a pen.”

“We can find one in Brian's office.” Justin pulled Emmett after him, up the stairs and into Brian's office.

They stopped in the doorway, gawking at Evan being sucked by some twink.

“On second thought, Billy might have one too,” Justin said loudly, closing the door. He giggled madly.

“What the hell did they give you?”

“Vicodin – two pills, because the doctor said I’m cute.”

“Did you watch Dr. House?”

“I’m not gonna become an addict from two lousy pills. Don’t kill my buzz, Em.”

They returned to the bar, and Justin leaned over the counter, smiling leerily at Billy.

“I’m not giving you alcohol!”

“I just want a pen,” Justin explained. “Pleeeease!”

Billy gave him a pen, shaking his head.

“Here you go. Don’t take up too much space. I want everyone to write on it,” Justin said, handing Emmett the hot pink pen. “I have to wear this for a couple weeks or so.”

“Poor baby.” Emmett painted some hearts and wrote the usual wishing well.

“Now let’s dance! Thanks, Billy!” Justin threw the pen back at Billy, hitting him in the shoulder, but he didn’t stay to check if he had hurt the man.

Justin dragged Emmett by the hand into the masses of hot, dancing men.

That was where Brian found him an hour later. Justin was too high to care who looked and how he danced, because he was in some weird sync with Emmett, waving their hands in the air and shaking their asses. They were dancing ass to ass, making a small circle around them, with only few brave ones who dared to touch either of them.

“I think that’s enough,” Brian demanded, separating them.

“Brian!” Justin threw his arms around Brian's neck, nearly giving Brian an uppercut with his cast. “Ooops!”

“Watch the face, asshole!” Brian flinched. “I’m taking you home.”

“B-but…”

Brian steered him to the door with his hands firmly clasped on Justin's shoulders.

“Britin?” Justin asked, hopefully.

“If you want, we can go there, but according to Joe I have to go out in the world with Evan, so the vultures would see us together. So we settled on breakfast at some stupid coffee shop.”

“Then take me to Daphne's,” Justin agreed.

In the car, Justin turned to face Brian. “Did you know that Evan was getting a blowie in your office?”

“Blowie,” Brian repeated incredulously. “You’re not allowed anywhere near Vicodin ever again.”

“So, did you know?” Justin insisted.

“I figured he was busy in there from the tie hanging on the door handle. I’ve been busy tracking my best drug dealer.”

“I didn’t notice the tie.”

“You also didn’t notice half of Babylon ready to fuck you by the way you were dancing with Honeycutt.”

“They did?” Justin asked, shocked.

“It shouldn’t be news to you.” Brian pressed his tongue inside his cheek. His eyes found the cast. “You’re so going to regret this in the morning.”

“Would you draw something too?”

“No!”

“Please? I’ll give you anything.”

“A blowie?” Brian laughed, parked in front of Daphne's apartment building.

Justin made to lean over the gearbox to unzip Brian's jeans.

“Upstairs, maybe.”

“If Daphne gives you shit, I’ll protect you,” Justin promised as they climbed the stairs to the first floor.

“So considerate of you.” Brian pulled the keys from Justin's jacket, unlocking the door.

They found Daphne on the couch, watching a movie. She gasped, when she noticed them.

“Justin! What happened to you?” She rushed to his side, touching his cast.

“I fell. Brian saved me.” He beamed, giving Brian a star-eyed look. He was so damn beautiful. “He’s my hero!”

“They gave him Vicodin,” Brian explained. “I’ll put him to bed.”

“Wait, wait!” Justin skipped to the kitchen, returning with a black marker. He handed it to Daphne, grinning.

“Draw something he’ll regret in the morning,” Brian encouraged her.

“I’ll leave the dick to you.” She winked. She wrote BFF = Butt Fuck Feast

Brian doubled over in laughter. “He’s gonna wonder if he had a gangbang.”

Daphne shrugged. “Serves him right for giving me free reign at writing stuff on his cast. Seriously, he’s okay?”

“He will be.”

“Thanks, Daph!” Justin plucked the pen from her hand, pulling Brian after him into his room.

Brian undressed down to his boxers, then he helped Justin out of his clothes. They got under the blanket, and despite Brian's futile wishes to sleep, Justin got frisky. He squirmed until he was on top of Brian. His ass ground against Brian's hardening dick.

Brian prepped Justin, covering his dick, before allowing Justin to have fun. He was asleep a second after he came, leaving Brian to clean him. Brian hugged Justin tightly, closing his eyes.

#

In the morning, Brian woke up to find Justin sprawled on his back, snoring loudly. He seized the opportunity to draw a nice, veiny dick on the length of the cast. For the ones who had seen him naked, they would know that was pretty similar to his cock.

Off to my husband Sunday duties. Later.

Brian left the note and several small pills on the nightstand. He trusted Justin to take them responsibly.

Brian found Daphne in the kitchen, making coffee.

“Morning,” she greeted him.

“Good morning.”

“Coffee?” she offered.

“Nah. I’m meeting Evan for coffee. We have to be seen in public together, doing couple-y stuff so they’ll see we’re not lying.”

“Must be tough.” She blew in her cup, taking a careful sip.

“You’ve no idea.”

“Justin told me that he’s moving in the house you bought for him,” she said softly.

Brian fished out his smokes, lighting one up. “Yeah. He’ll delay that I hope, what with his hand.”

“What the hell happened, anyway?”

“He slipped on the wet tile at Michael’s.”

“While you were fucking in the bathroom?”

Brian touched his heart theatrically. “It started raining during dinner, and they were carrying stuff inside. Evan and Ted fell first, then the twat slipped on that puddle, but he broke his fall with his wrist.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, clucking her tongue at Justin’s misfortune. “I’ll take care of him.”

“I left him a little something on the nightstand. Make sure he doesn’t overindulge.” Brian inhaled from his cigarette, blowing out smoke rings.

“I never understood how you do that.”

“I’ve got a skilled tongue,” Brian joked.

Arms wrapped around Brian's middle. “Ain’t that the truth?” Justin whispered into his ear, nipping at it.

“Did you take something?” Brian turned into Justin's embrace.

“Not yet.” Justin stepped away, pouring coffee in a mug. “Anyway, why is there an almost perfect replica of your dick on my cast?”

“You felt like drawing it there last night,” Brian told him, as seriously as possible.

“I said almost perfect. If I’d drawn it, it would have been a lot more realistic.”

“Ouch. The burn.” Daphne laughed.

“Don’t get me started on you! You wrote this shit, didn’t you? I’ll have to spend hours trying my skills at covering that atrocity with something else.” Justin pointed to the BFF part.

Daphne made a show to inspect the cast and gasp in shock. “Did you have a gangbang?”

“Daphne, I know that was you. I might have been high last night, but I do remember what happened.”

“Good thing you’re versatile and ambidextrous.” Brian joked, winking at him.

“Shouldn’t you be having coffee with your hubby?” Justin sneered.

“It’s time for little boys to take one happy pill,” Brian said, amused.

“Fuck off.” Justin glowered at his cast. “Think they’ll change it if I ask nicely?” He turned to Daphne.

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you coming back?” Justin asked Brian.

“Dunno. Miss me already?”

“I want Crayola. All the colors out there.”

“I thought you liked acrylic paint.” Brian frowned.

“It’s for my cast, you genius. I have to cover up your work of art with actual fucking art. I can’t go out in public with a dick on my arm and the words this cunt wrote on the side.” Justin pointed to Daphne, who sniffed, as if offended.

“We’ll see.” Brian pecked Daphne’s cheek, then kissed Justin lingeringly, before letting himself out.

#

Brian walked to the coffee shop since it was close. He ordered for both him and Evan, scoring a window table.

“Is this seat taken?” Evan pointed to the seat across from Brian. “Wait, I can do better. What’s a hot guy like you doing all alone here?”

“Waiting for my crazy husband,” Brian muttered, pushing Evan’s Americano toward him.

“And you know my drink.”

“Would you cut it out?”

“I don’t see why you’re so cranky, when you’re the one who abandoned me yesterday.” Evan took the lid off his cup, blowing into the coffee.

“Didn’t the boys tell you? Justin broke his wrist. I took him to the hospital,” Brian said, curious as of why no one had told Evan what had happened.

“Oh, they described in vivid detail how you rushed to his aid when he’d fallen, unlike you did with me.”

“You were perfectly fine,” Brian retorted.

“My ass hurts like hell.”

“Serves you right. Now, that this is out of the way, let’s quit the fucking happy act.”

 Justin ended up with a cast from his knuckles to his elbow. He was forbidden to drive or put pressure on the hand.

“I offer to be your designated driver,” Brian told him, amused, as they drove away from the hospital.

“At least they left my fingers free. I can still work.”

“And they gave you Vicodin. You lucky fucker.”

Justin beamed. “I’m still expecting you to keep your promise. This will wear off in a few hours.”

“Let me drive you home first.”

“I still want to go to Babylon.” Justin pouted. “I wanna shake mah booty.”

“Christ. I’d forgotten how funny you are when you’re high.”

They parked close to Babylon and skipped the line. Tom shook Brian’s hand, and even greeted Justin by name. Justin was amazed the bouncer remembered him.

They stopped at the bar, where Billy started babbling apologies, until Brian waved a hand to cut him off.

“Water for this one,” Brian said authoritatively, pointing to Justin.

“Hey! Not fair,” Justin protested.

“Drugs and alcohol don’t mix, Sunshine.” He patted Justin's cheek. “I’m off to talk to Evan, then I’ll be back. Don’t get in trouble.”

“If I ask you to pour an ounce of Jack in some soda…”

“No,” Billy replied. He placed a bottle of water in front of Justin.

Justin sulked, sipping from his water, until Emmett joined him with a cocktail.

“Ohhh! Look at you, Baby,” Emmett cried out. “Does it hurt? What are you doing here?”

“I’m high as a kite so what other place to be?” Justin shrugged. “Want to sign my cast?”

Emmett eyed him curiously. “I don’t have a pen.”

“We can find one in Brian's office.” Justin pulled Emmett after him, up the stairs and into Brian's office.

They stopped in the doorway, gawking at Evan being sucked by some twink.

“On second thought, Billy might have one too,” Justin said loudly, closing the door. He giggled madly.

“What the hell did they give you?”

“Vicodin – two pills, because the doctor said I’m cute.”

“Did you watch Dr. House?”

“I’m not gonna become an addict from two lousy pills. Don’t kill my buzz, Em.”

They returned to the bar, and Justin leaned over the counter, smiling leerily at Billy.

“I’m not giving you alcohol!”

“I just want a pen,” Justin explained. “Pleeeease!”

Billy gave him a pen, shaking his head.

“Here you go. Don’t take up too much space. I want everyone to write on it,” Justin said, handing Emmett the hot pink pen. “I have to wear this for a couple weeks or so.”

“Poor baby.” Emmett painted some hearts and wrote the usual wishing well.

“Now let’s dance! Thanks, Billy!” Justin threw the pen back at Billy, hitting him in the shoulder, but he didn’t stay to check if he had hurt the man.

Justin dragged Emmett by the hand into the masses of hot, dancing men.

That was where Brian found him an hour later. Justin was too high to care who looked and how he danced, because he was in some weird sync with Emmett, waving their hands in the air and shaking their asses. They were dancing ass to ass, making a small circle around them, with only few brave ones who dared to touch either of them.

“I think that’s enough,” Brian demanded, separating them.

“Brian!” Justin threw his arms around Brian's neck, nearly giving Brian an uppercut with his cast. “Ooops!”

“Watch the face, asshole!” Brian flinched. “I’m taking you home.”

“B-but…”

Brian steered him to the door with his hands firmly clasped on Justin's shoulders.

“Britin?” Justin asked, hopefully.

“If you want, we can go there, but according to Joe I have to go out in the world with Evan, so the vultures would see us together. So we settled on breakfast at some stupid coffee shop.”

“Then take me to Daphne's,” Justin agreed.

In the car, Justin turned to face Brian. “Did you know that Evan was getting a blowie in your office?”

“Blowie,” Brian repeated incredulously. “You’re not allowed anywhere near Vicodin ever again.”

“So, did you know?” Justin insisted.

“I figured he was busy in there from the tie hanging on the door handle. I’ve been busy tracking my best drug dealer.”

“I didn’t notice the tie.”

“You also didn’t notice half of Babylon ready to fuck you by the way you were dancing with Honeycutt.”

“They did?” Justin asked, shocked.

“It shouldn’t be news to you.” Brian pressed his tongue inside his cheek. His eyes found the cast. “You’re so going to regret this in the morning.”

“Would you draw something too?”

“No!”

“Please? I’ll give you anything.”

“A blowie?” Brian laughed, parked in front of Daphne's apartment building.

Justin made to lean over the gearbox to unzip Brian's jeans.

“Upstairs, maybe.”

“If Daphne gives you shit, I’ll protect you,” Justin promised as they climbed the stairs to the first floor.

“So considerate of you.” Brian pulled the keys from Justin's jacket, unlocking the door.

They found Daphne on the couch, watching a movie. She gasped, when she noticed them.

“Justin! What happened to you?” She rushed to his side, touching his cast.

“I fell. Brian saved me.” He beamed, giving Brian a star-eyed look. He was so damn beautiful. “He’s my hero!”

“They gave him Vicodin,” Brian explained. “I’ll put him to bed.”

“Wait, wait!” Justin skipped to the kitchen, returning with a black marker. He handed it to Daphne, grinning.

“Draw something he’ll regret in the morning,” Brian encouraged her.

“I’ll leave the dick to you.” She winked. She wrote BFF = Butt Fuck Feast

Brian doubled over in laughter. “He’s gonna wonder if he had a gangbang.”

Daphne shrugged. “Serves him right for giving me free reign at writing stuff on his cast. Seriously, he’s okay?”

“He will be.”

“Thanks, Daph!” Justin plucked the pen from her hand, pulling Brian after him into his room.

Brian undressed down to his boxers, then he helped Justin out of his clothes. They got under the blanket, and despite Brian's futile wishes to sleep, Justin got frisky. He squirmed until he was on top of Brian. His ass ground against Brian's hardening dick.

Brian prepped Justin, covering his dick, before allowing Justin to have fun. He was asleep a second after he came, leaving Brian to clean him. Brian hugged Justin tightly, closing his eyes.

#

In the morning, Brian woke up to find Justin sprawled on his back, snoring loudly. He seized the opportunity to draw a nice, veiny dick on the length of the cast. For the ones who had seen him naked, they would know that was pretty similar to his cock.

Off to my husband Sunday duties. Later.

Brian left the note and several small pills on the nightstand. He trusted Justin to take them responsibly.

Brian found Daphne in the kitchen, making coffee.

“Morning,” she greeted him.

“Good morning.”

“Coffee?” she offered.

“Nah. I’m meeting Evan for coffee. We have to be seen in public together, doing couple-y stuff so they’ll see we’re not lying.”

“Must be tough.” She blew in her cup, taking a careful sip.

“You’ve no idea.”

“Justin told me that he’s moving in the house you bought for him,” she said softly.

Brian fished out his smokes, lighting one up. “Yeah. He’ll delay that I hope, what with his hand.”

“What the hell happened, anyway?”

“He slipped on the wet tile at Michael’s.”

“While you were fucking in the bathroom?”

Brian touched his heart theatrically. “It started raining during dinner, and they were carrying stuff inside. Evan and Ted fell first, then the twat slipped on that puddle, but he broke his fall with his wrist.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, clucking her tongue at Justin’s misfortune. “I’ll take care of him.”

“I left him a little something on the nightstand. Make sure he doesn’t overindulge.” Brian inhaled from his cigarette, blowing out smoke rings.

“I never understood how you do that.”

“I’ve got a skilled tongue,” Brian joked.

Arms wrapped around Brian's middle. “Ain’t that the truth?” Justin whispered into his ear, nipping at it.

“Did you take something?” Brian turned into Justin's embrace.

“Not yet.” Justin stepped away, pouring coffee in a mug. “Anyway, why is there an almost perfect replica of your dick on my cast?”

“You felt like drawing it there last night,” Brian told him, as seriously as possible.

“I said almost perfect. If I’d drawn it, it would have been a lot more realistic.”

“Ouch. The burn.” Daphne laughed.

“Don’t get me started on you! You wrote this shit, didn’t you? I’ll have to spend hours trying my skills at covering that atrocity with something else.” Justin pointed to the BFF part.

Daphne made a show to inspect the cast and gasp in shock. “Did you have a gangbang?”

“Daphne, I know that was you. I might have been high last night, but I do remember what happened.”

“Good thing you’re versatile and ambidextrous.” Brian joked, winking at him.

“Shouldn’t you be having coffee with your hubby?” Justin sneered.

“It’s time for little boys to take one happy pill,” Brian said, amused.

“Fuck off.” Justin glowered at his cast. “Think they’ll change it if I ask nicely?” He turned to Daphne.

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you coming back?” Justin asked Brian.

“Dunno. Miss me already?”

“I want Crayola. All the colors out there.”

“I thought you liked acrylic paint.” Brian frowned.

“It’s for my cast, you genius. I have to cover up your work of art with actual fucking art. I can’t go out in public with a dick on my arm and the words this cunt wrote on the side.” Justin pointed to Daphne, who sniffed, as if offended.

“We’ll see.” Brian pecked Daphne’s cheek, then kissed Justin lingeringly, before letting himself out.

#

Brian walked to the coffee shop since it was close. He ordered for both him and Evan, scoring a window table.

“Is this seat taken?” Evan pointed to the seat across from Brian. “Wait, I can do better. What’s a hot guy like you doing all alone here?”

“Waiting for my crazy husband,” Brian muttered, pushing Evan’s Americano toward him.

“And you know my drink.”

“Would you cut it out?”

“I don’t see why you’re so cranky, when you’re the one who abandoned me yesterday.” Evan took the lid off his cup, blowing into the coffee.

“Didn’t the boys tell you? Justin broke his wrist. I took him to the hospital,” Brian said, curious as of why no one had told Evan what had happened.

“Oh, they described in vivid detail how you rushed to his aid when he’d fallen, unlike you did with me.”

“You were perfectly fine,” Brian retorted.

“My ass hurts like hell.”

“Serves you right. Now, that this is out of the way, let’s quit the fucking happy act.”

As much as Justin praised his ambidextrous skills, he had failed to cover Brian's dick on his cast. All he had managed to do was color it in nude, making it look even more realistic.

Monday turned out to be a warm day, and the mere thought of a jacket made Justin’s skin crawl.

As promised, Brian had the ‘Vette on idle in front of the building at eight thirty.

The first thing he did when Justin got in the car, he checked the cast. “I see what you meant by almost perfect. Now it looks even better than the real thing.”

Justin scowled. “I’ll have to ask Derek to draw something to cover it. I can’t reach around my arm so well.”

“If you keep Derek from work to doodle on your cast, I’m keeping money from you salary.”

Justin gasped. “You’re joking!”

“Maybe I am.”

“Are we stopping for coffee?” Justin asked, hopefully.

“Evan will get us coffee. I asked him to get you a mocha.” Brian shot him a smile.

“You’re the best.”

When they parked at Kinnetik, Justin squeezed Brian's hand. “See you later.”

He walked slowly to the Art Department, subconsciously covering his cast with his left hand. Justin was surprised to get worried looks from several of his colleagues.

Alice even came to him to check if he was in pain.

“I’m good.” Justin cringed when he noticed Alice inspecting the cast.

“Do you mind if I draw something?”

“I’m first!” Derek seized Justin's arm. “Any color is accepted?”

Justin beamed. “All colors. Make sure you cover that dick.”

“What asshole did that to you?” Susan asked, staring horrified at the dick. “Though, it’s very well drawn.”

“Thank you, Susan,” Brian said loudly, depositing Justin's coffee on his desk.

“You drew that?” Susan gasped.

“And I want it covered because it’s obscene,” Justin mumbled. “Come on, Derek. There’s a crowd ready to make sure Brian’s dick is gone.” He shot Brian an amused look at what he’d said. “You know what I mean.”

“Watch if I ever do nice things for you.”

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Justin called after Brian's retreating form.

“We should make a theme. Let us brainstorm,” Derek said, gathering the others.

Brian poked his head back in the office. “If I don’t have the first look at the ad for Kinnetik by noon, you’re all fired! And I’ll break all your limbs and draw dicks on your casts!”

Justin hung his head, wondering why he was in love with that child of a man. He seemed to be the only one doing actual work. Well, Kyle too, but that was another story. Kyle hadn’t dared to even look at Justin since Brian had ripped them a new one the previous week.

Derek took his spot next to Justin, saying Justin could work and not mind him, he was just going to paint his cast. After Derek, came several others, but Justin didn’t spare them a look.

Only when Alice clapped her hands, saying they were done, did Justin look at his cast.

He could feel his face flaming. They hadn’t covered the dick or Daphne's words. They had made it worse. There were tongues drawn all over the length of the dick, there was the unmistakable shape of an ass rosebud at the tip of the dick, and Daphne's words were surrounded by graphic sketches of men fucking.

“What have you done?”

“Don’t you like it?” Alice pouted.

“This way Mr. Kinney can’t be mad at us,” a young man said quietly. Justin couldn’t be bothered to remember his name.

“Oh, lighten up! Imagine all the guys you’re going to get with this work of art on your arm,” Derek joked.

Justin opened his mouth, ready to retort, when the landline rang. “WHAT?” He shouted, realizing too late, he shouldn’t have answered like that.

“Justin? It’s Evan. We’re ready for the first look at the mock-ups.”

“I’ll be right there.”

He and Kyle took their initial sketches and went into Brian and Evan’s office.

Brian beckoned him with a finger. He inspected the cast, whistling loudly.

“I love my art team!”

“I hate everyone.”

“Don’t be upset. It becomes you.”

“And I hate you the most.”

“You’re just upset because you couldn’t draw this art yourself.”

Justin was ready to strangle Brian, when Evan intervened, guiding everyone into the meeting room.

Kyle had his boards set up and started his presentation when Brian joined Evan at the head of the table. Justin kept his eyes on their body language, glancing at Kyle every now and then.

“That’s interesting, but it’s not what Justin came up with,” Evan said, confused.

“That’s because we worked separately. I had Susan and Derek’s help to create this.” Justin connected the tablet to the WiFi of the room, projecting his creation on the screen. “We couldn’t make boards with it, because I tried my hand at animation.” Justin caught Brian's eye. “Remember, I told you how I want to create a clip? This is the rough version of how it might look like.”

“I’m confused. We make two ads?” Brian asked, at the end.

“No. Justin thought we should do two and you’d decide which one is the best,” Kyle explained.

“Hands down: Justin’s,” Evan declared.

Brian cocked his head to the side, frowning at Evan. Justin thought, for a wild second, that Brian liked Kyle’s idea better. “While I’m a fan of what you did, Justin, I also like Kyle’s idea. I want both of you to integrate Kyle’s slogan. That’s the best part of your presentation. Did you come up with it?”

“It was Alice’s idea.”

Justin stared at the slogan on one of the boards. Kinnetik – Daring. Dynamic. Driven.

“I think I can work with that.” Justin nodded.

“The real question here is: can you work together?” Brian stared at them, seriously.

“Of course,” Kyle declared, offended.

“If you or anyone from the team gives Justin any more shit, you’ll deal with me.”

Kyle looked ready to protest, but thought better of his need for the job probably, and closed his mouth.

“It’s available for you as well,” Brian told Justin. “You don’t have to be friends at work, just get along enough to get the job done.”

Justin nodded. “Sure thing.”

“Now go! Play nice!”

“Wait.” Evan stopped them. “We need to be organized if we want to shoot a clip. Some should work on the editing, others should be there when the clip it’s shot, and others should think of the script.”

“I’ve thought of some lines. I’ll run them by Kyle,” Justin answered.

“Good! Now you can go.”

“Dick Boy, hold it!”

Justin froze in the doorway. He turned to glare at Brian, and caught Evan cuffing Brian. He wanted to shake his hand, but he wasn’t pro violence.

“What, Mr. Kinney?” Justin asked as politely as possible.

“Nothing. It’s funny how you answered to that nickname.” Brian grinned.

“Asshole,” Justin muttered, following Kyle.

#

That evening, Justin stopped by the diner to eat.

Brian had bailed on him, going to a business dinner with Evan, which resulted in Justin having to find a new way to get home.

Justin found Blake at a table, focused on his phone.

“Mind if I sit here?” Justin asked.

Blake glanced up, startled. “Hey, Justin! For a wild second, I thought someone hit on me.”

“Would that be too bad?” Justin joked, sitting across from Blake.

“Aside from the fact that I have a boyfriend? No one ever spared me a second look.” Blake shrugged.

“Ted did, or you wouldn’t be here.”

Blake smiled, his eyes lingering on Justin's cast. “So you broke it, after all?”

“It’s sprained,” Justin said, mournfully.

“And someone signed it.” He leaned closer to inspect the drawing. “Whoa! Did you do this yourself?”

Justin rolled his eyes. “The dick is Brian's handiwork and the words are Daphne’s. The rest of the drawings are from my colleagues.”

“Here I wanted to ask if I could write something, but I might ruin the art.”

“Go ahead and ruin it,” Justin begged.

“Sunshine,” Debbie cried out, joining him in the booth. “Poor dear. Oh, my,” she gasped, noticing the drawings on his cast.

“I’m gonna wrap it in bandage so no one will be able to gawk.”

“That would make a nice tattoo,” Debbie offered.

“Of course, you’d find it funny. It’s all Brian’s fault! He drew that dick, then my colleagues helped me covering it. I was aiming for a different covering when I allowed them to paint my cast.”

“Is that Brian's dick?” Debbie asked, laughing.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Well, I know you love Brian's dick, but to wear it on your sleeve…”

Justin slid lower in the booth, feeling his cheeks reddening.

“Did you tattoo Brian's dick on your arm? That’s kinda extreme,” Michael quipped up, joining them.

“That’s it! I’m going to murder Brian,” Justin shouted.

Debbie explained to her son that Brian had drawn his dick on Justin's cast.

“We have company. Don’t look,” Evan whispered into Brian's ear.

After the disastrous dinner with Sports for Life, they had stopped at the first bar.

“What,” Brian demanded, glancing up to see the room in the mirror behind the counter. His eyes narrowed on a familiar face. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

“Following us?” Evan shrugged, downing his drink.

Brian kept his eyes on the city’s attorney, as he made his way toward the bar.

“Exactly what we needed,” Brian said, taking a pull from his beer.

“I know you had that account for years, but it’s okay to let go.”

“Did you hear him? I never gave two shits about what others thought of me, but calling me a cocksucker and ass-licker in that fancy restaurant, loud enough for half of the patrons to hear, then bad-mouthing Kinnetik…”

“This ad will save Kinnetik,” Evan said forcefully, rubbing Brian’s back.

“I’m starting to doubt anything can save my company.”

“Fancy seeing you here, guys!” McDonald called from behind them.

Brian pretended to be shocked by his sudden appearance. “Long time, no see.”

“What are you two boys doing here?”

“We’re celebrating a successful dinner meeting with a client,” Evan explained smoothly. His hand traveled down Brian's arm, linking their fingers together.

“I must admit, I had my doubts about you,” McDonald said, staring at them.

“I don’t know why. Open relationships are the best,” Brian told him. “Though, we hadn’t seen others that much since we got married.”

Evan grinned, kissing Brian, just to hear McDonald’s gasp. Brian kept his eyes open just to make sure if he had to deepen the kiss, but McDonald seemed repulsed enough.

Brian finished his drink, before standing. He wrapped an arm around Evan’s waist, nipping at his jaw.

“Let’s get home! I’m so horny.”

Evan smirked at McDonald, walking out the bar wrapped in Brian.

Afraid to be seen separating too soon, they stayed close until they reached Evan’s car. Evan even pressed Brian against the front door, kissing him passionately.

Inside the car, Brian bitched about dirtying his suit.

“I’ll send it to the dry cleaning first thing tomorrow,” Evan promised.

“Drop me off at work. I have to get my car.”

“We’ll carpool tomorrow morning.”

“Evan, do as I fucking say.”

“If you want to stop by Babylon, just tell me,” Evan muttered.

“You’re doing it again,” Brian pointed out.

“What?”

“Being a fucking nagging wife!”

“Did you see McDonald? I bet it’s not the first time he followed us. What if he sees you with your tricks?”

“He’s aware of our open marriage,” Brian snapped.

“You just told him that we haven’t tricked since we got married.”

“I changed my mind.”

“About?”

Brian rolled his eyes. “About our marriage. It’s fucking worse than prison.” His phone rang from his jacket, making him accepted the call without checking the screen. “What? I’m busy.”

Evan muttered nonsensically, annoyed. It made Brian want to slam his head against the steering wheel.

“It’s me. You forgot about your promise to be my designated driver,” Justin said, sounding upset.

“Shit! I had this meeting. Where are you?”

“Blake drove me home.”

“Oh. I’m sorry for not keeping my promise.”

“It’s cool. You had that meeting. How did it go?”

“Horribly wrong. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

“I already made plans to meet with Michael for coffee before work. He’s picking me up.”

“If you’re trying to find my weak spots to revenge against me for the dick, don’t bother,” Brian threatened him lightly.

“Oh, I know all your weak spots, Kinney,” Justin chuckled. “I’m just catching up with Michael. Anyway, you must be busy…”

“Not particularly.” Brian noticed Evan had driven them home. “On second thought, I’m busy. See you!”

“So who was that?” Evan demanded.

“We need to have a long conversation about your jealous housewife attitude.”

#

The following morning, Brian was the first to wake up. It wasn’t like he had slept much or well.

He had planned to have a serious conversation with Evan about their tricking and how it would be a good idea to stop altogether any sexual adventures between the two of them. But when they had stepped into the loft the previous night, Evan had walked Brian backwards to the couch, apologizing for his behavior.

Brian had been too shocked by hearing Evan apologize to react. They had ended up fucking against the back of the couch.

As Brian made his way into the bathroom that morning, he tried making Evan the guilty one for what they had done, but it takes two to tango.

Brian stood under the hot steam of his shower, wondering what low he was going to hit next.

He had stepped all over his pride by accepting this deal to marry Evan Steele to avoid jail, then he went behind his back to fuck Justin, but he still allowed Evan to fuck him sometime. He had become the epitome of middle-age man with a mid-life crisis that was getting in over his head.

The shower stall door opened, causing a draft.

Evan smirked his way, invading his space.

Brian pushed his wet hair out of his eyes, side-stepping Evan and reaching for the shampoo.

“Are we okay?” Evan touched Brian's chest, running his hand down to his stomach.

Brian followed Evan's hand with his eyes, silently cursing his responsive dick. “I hate repeating myself, Evan. This is going to end sooner or later.”

“Might as well enjoy each other while we’re stuck together.” Evan pushed Brian against the tile wall, lowering to his knees.

“I think we should stop doing this. We can act married and in love in public, but we don’t have to act it behind closed doors.” Brian was losing his resolve when Evan took his erection in his mouth. “Besides, that asshole is aware we’re into an open relationship. He won’t be surprised to see us taking someone else to the backroom of Babylon.”

“Some part of you might not want this, but your dick surely wants my mouth around it,” Evan said, licking Brian's cock.

“Fuck! Do you ever listen?” Brian grabbed a fistful of Evan's hair.

“Since when do you talk so much during sex?”

“Since you fail to hear me out!”

“There’s a better way to tug at my hair – while you’re pounding my ass.”

Brian stared at him in wonder. He couldn’t believe what Evan, who was a declared top, was offering. Justin was right. Evan didn’t want them to trick anymore. He somehow thought they were exclusive in their fake marriage and they had a happily ever after.

Before Brian could shove Evan out of his way, Evan pulled him down. “I prepped,” he breathed out against Brian's lips. Then he rolled a condom on Brian's erection, sliding down onto it.

Brian gasped, overwhelmed with the emotions of finally being inside the ass he had coveted for years when he was in his early twenties. Though, he didn’t want Evan anymore. Sure, he was hot, even in his mid-fifties, he had a great body and a perfect dick, but Brian had stopped wanting him long ago. For him, it was just sex.

Brian pulled out, pushing Evan on his hands and knees, imagining himself at the Baths, fucking a faceless, nameless trick in a steam room. He fucked him roughly, digging his fingers into Evan's skin, reached out to clap a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet, and yes, he pulled on his hair hard enough for Evan to cry out in pain.

After they came, Brian cleaned himself, stepping out of the shower. While he was toweling his body, Evan walked out of the stall gingerly.

A veil of concern hit Brian. “Was I too rough?”

“Just…perfect. I never imagined…”

“Did I turn you into a bottom?” Brian laughed, mirthlessly.

“No chance in hell. Especially not when I have this tight ass at my disposal.” Evan cupped Brian's ass, then slapped one of the cheeks.

“Watch out!”

“Or what?” Evan challenged.

Brian snatched his toothbrush from the cup. “This changes nothing. I’m still going to Babylon tonight.”

“Of course. And later tonight, we’re still sharing a bed,” Evan reminded him.

“Unless I send you to sleep on the couch!”

“Why do I get the couch?”

“Because this place is still mine. No one has my bed, besides ME!”

#

They arrived late at work.

Evan was still arguing about the injustice of being sent to the couch when they stepped into the office.

Justin was sitting in Brian's chair, his feet up on the corner of the desk, eating some sort of pastry that left a mess on his clothes and on the floor.

“What are you doing here?” Brian exclaimed.

Justin finished his pastry, licking his fingers. “I thought you weren’t coming. It’s almost ten.”

Evan started saying something, but Brian shouted, “Shut up!” Then he turned to Justin. “Get your feet off my desk. And tell me what the fuck are you doing here.”

“Wow. Someone’s pissy,” Justin mumbled, getting up and dusting his shirt off crumbs. “Well, I have to run some ideas by you. I found a crew willing to film the clip, but you just have to see their work and sign if you like them.”

Brian knuckled his forehead. He spied a cup of coffee on his desk. “Yours?” He pointed to it.

“That’s for you. I drank mine while I had breakfast with Michael,” Justin said. “So? Want to hear my ideas?”

“Go into the meeting room. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Brian took his suit jacket off, picked up his laptop, then turned to Evan. He was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

“Now what?” Brian groaned.

“You’re fucking him, aren’t you?”

Brian looked up from the paper where he was testing a pen.

“Don’t you even dare deny it.” Evan advanced to him, shoving a finger into Brian's chest. “That’s why you don’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

“All my arguments are valid regarding our farce of marriage, Evan.”

“I can clearly remember you promising not to risk your freedom by going back to your ex-boyfriend.”

“Look, I’m not going to excuse and explain myself to you about what I’m doing. And you have no right to shove this into my face or threaten me, because even if you don’t see it like this, it’s the same as with you sleeping around.”

“But I haven’t tricked much lately.”

“I encourage you to pick up tricking, because you’re not getting anything else from me.”

Brian breezed into the meeting room.

Justin was chewing on his lip, a worried expression on his face.

Brian realized he hadn’t been exactly quiet. He sat next to Justin, opening the lid of his laptop.

Justin cleared his throat. “I guess the word you is kind of impersonal. I meant both of you, because—”

“You get only me.” Brian held his gaze for a long time.

“Do you think he might tell the city’s attorney?” Justin whispered.

“He’s not that cruel. Stop worrying. And stop talking about that asshole. We ran into him last night.”

“Ouch.” Justin touched Brian's elbow. “Okay, so here goes nothing.”

They spent four hours poring over which company to choose to film their clip, because the ones Justin had found bailed out when they heard the name Kinnetik. The pro-gay marriage ad haunted them to the end of the world. After many failed requests and offers, Brian said he would film it himself. As for the parts where he would be on the other side of the lens, Justin could do it, or someone else who knew how to handle a camera.

They also covered more in depth points regarding the new ad, tweaking with the original ideas.

When Justin's stomach made a horrid noise, they discovered it was about two-thirty o’clock in the afternoon.

Brian was surprised Evan hadn’t interrupted them.

“Lunch?” Brian offered.

“What about these? I have to talk to the team how to make these changes.”

“Okay, talk to them. Meet me back here in half an hour. We’re leaving for the day.”

“Brian…”

“Taylor?” Brian raised a brow.

“Of course, Mr. Kinney.” Justin grinned.

Justin returned to Brian forty-five minutes after he had left the meeting room. He knocked on the glass door of Brian's office, confused to see only Evan inside.

Evan gestured for him to step inside.

“Hey, I was supposed to meet Brian.”

“He’s in the bathroom.” Evan stared at him in a way that made Justin want to run for the hills. “Come here.” He beckoned with a finger.

Justin walked closer, not sure what to expect.

“You better be careful, little boy. If Brian ends up in jail over your romance, I’ll destroy you,” Evan hissed, glaring.

Thankfully, Brian left the bathroom at that moment, saving Justin from fumbling over an answer.

Justin had half the mind to bail on Brian, but he couldn't find his voice.

“Babylon, tonight?” Evan asked, curiously, as Brian packed for the day.

Brian shrugged. “Have fun! Don’t wait up.” He wrapped an arm around Justin, steering him out the door. “Did they give you any shit?”

Justin shook his head.

“Then, what’s wrong? You look…”

“Freaked out?” Justin joked, uneasily. “Look, I’ll tell you in the car.” He stepped away from Brian.

They walked in silence to Brian's Corvette. When they were seated inside, Brian turned to Justin, lifting a brow.

“You told Evan about us,” Justin stated softly. “I don’t blame you for not wanting to keep secrets from him, but he sort of threatened me.”

“He, what? I swear to God!” Brian reached for the door handle.

Justin lurched to stop him. “He’s right. Every rational part of my brain is telling me to put a stop to this affair, but I can’t. I’m too fucking weak when it comes to you. I won’t be able to stay away.”

“Same here, Sunshine.” Brian cupped Justin's cheek, leaning to nuzzle his nose.

“Not here, Brian.” Justin pulled away, looking out the window.

“How about we grab something to go and head to Britin?”

“Great idea!”

#

Justin battled Brian's fork out of the way, as he stabbed the last shrimp in the box. Brian tackled Justin to the floor, taking a bite from the shrimp.

“Asshole! You never left me the last piece on the plate.”

“You still have half of it,” Brian pointed out, rolling on his back next to Justin.

Justin wrapped his lips around what was left of the shrimp, chewing slowly. He stared at the high ceiling of the sitting room.

After a few minutes spent in silence, Justin stretched, digging his toes in the soft fabric of the carpet, turning to look at Brian. He shouldn’t have been surprised to find Brian watching him, but what surprised him was the enamored look in Brian's eyes. Brian rarely allowed others to see what he was feeling.

Justin shifted closer, kissing Brian's cheek, draping a leg between Brian's. He ran the tips of his fingers over Brian's bicep, as he chewed on his lower lip.

“Stop worrying. Let me solve this. You’re the last person I want to be worried about me.” Brian kissed Justin slowly. “Please, Justin.”

“You can’t tell me not to worry. That’s impossible!”

“How’s your hand?”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. Don’t change the subject, Brian. Now it’s not only that attorney I’m worried about, but your husband, as well!”

Brian trapped Justin under him, gazing at him down his nose. “Let’s take your mind off this!”

Justin was ready to protest, but Brian was an expert at making Justin forget his train of thoughts. It was easy for Brian to divest Justin of the only piece of clothing he was wearing – his boxers – since they had hurriedly undressed the moment they had stepped into the house. The food had to be reheated, but neither of them had cared.

Brian threw Justin's boxers over his shoulder, before diving between Justin's spread legs.

“You promised,” Justin gasped out. “My turn.”

Brian rolled his eyes, sighing heavily. He gave Justin's ass one last lick, before he turned on his stomach. He bent a leg at the knee as he shot Justin the sluttiest look over his shoulder.

Justin surprised him by kissing his sole, then slowly made his way up Brian's leg until he reached the ass. Justin focused on giving Brian as much pleasure as Brian gave him when he rimmed him.

When Brian was close, Justin reached for a lubed condom, keeping a hand on Brian's ass, caressing the soft skin.

Brian flipped around, not meeting Justin's eyes.

It was the first time they would do it facing each other with Justin topping Brian. Justin didn’t want to ask why, because he knew. Brian allowed Evan to fuck him that way.

“Turn around,” Justin said in a rough voice.

Brian lifted a brow, in challenge.

Justin pressed a finger over Brian's lips. He couldn’t explain why he refused to make love with Brian facing each other, but it had something to do with Evan doing it as well.

Brian pushed Justin on his back, rolling the condom down on Justin's dick, before sinking on him slowly.

“I didn’t allow him to see my face when we fucked. Maybe once or twice after we made the deal to get married, but never after.”

Justin curled the fingers from his left hand around Brian’s fingers, basking in the bliss that was Brian's ass. Brian moved slowly, his head thrown back, his left hand anchoring his body between Justin's legs. Justin mostly allowed Brian to set the rhythm, while he sat up only to lick the sweat from Brian's jaw and kiss him wetly.

When they came, Brian lowered on Justin's chest, pressing his cheek to Justin's shoulder. Justin wrapped his arms around Brian's back, mindful of his cast.

#

Justin was standing on the back porch, smoking and looking at the sunset. The door opened, alerting him of Brian joining him.

He had gone to take a shower, while Justin had opted to clear his mind outside.

Brian wrapped his arms around Justin, nuzzling his left ear. Justin leaned back into Brian's embrace, inhaling from the nicotine.

“What are you thinking?” Brian asked.

Justin snorted. “I’m trying not to think, that’s the thing.”

“Easier said than done,” Brian said, squeezing Justin into his arms. “But I’m all for living in the moment.”

Justin tilted his head so he could look into Brian's eyes. “That’s not me. You know I worry about stuff. As if it wasn’t enough to be worried about someone noticing us, now I have to worry about Evan.”

“I told you, he won’t trouble us.”

“I need a distraction from all this thinking.” One of Brian's hands traveled lower until it reached Justin's ass. Justin slapped his hand. “It’s not always about sex.”

“Since when?”

Justin laughed. “I wish I could draw,” he mumbled wistfully.

Brian turned Justin into his arms, rubbing a hand over Justin's right arm. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” He frowned.

“You fell because of me. I should have cleaned that puddle, or at least said something about the slippery floor.”

“It wasn’t your fault. And since when do you apologize so much?”

Brian shrugged, resting his forehead against Justin's. “You have no idea how much I want to do this the right way.”

Justin pressed his cheek against Brian's shoulder, enjoying his warmth. He refused to keep thinking of what they could have had, because the reality was cruel, yet they had each other. Justin was grateful for every stolen moment he had with Brian.

“So…Michael wants to revive Rage. We both do,” Justin said after a while.

“Let me guess, Rage has lost his mind and is in another relationship but still in love with JT?”

Justin shook his head. “We haven’t discussed ideas much, just the general desire to work on it again. Though, I’ve got a few ideas.” He met Brian's eyes. “I was thinking of JT and Rage getting separated by some evil force during their honeymoon.”

“So they got married?”

“Shush! And after years of searching, JT find Rage incarcerated and almost brainwashed, doing what the scientists want.”

“Sometimes, I’m wondering how your brain works.”

“My mind is a scary place,” Justin joked. “I have to run this idea by Michael, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“He might make it sound more realistic.”

“So you don’t like my idea?” Justin pushed away, narrowing his eyes.

“I didn’t say that, but it could use a more solid plot. What do the scientists want of Rage?”

“They’re using his mind controlling powers in their advantage.”

“Remind me to never get on your bad side,” Brian said seriously.

Justin smirked, burrowing closer into Brian's chest.

“You’re playing with fire, Brian!” Evan argued loudly.

Brian gripped the steering wheel, glaring out the windshield. He had spent the night at Britin with Justin, and they had a relaxed morning, but when they got in the car, Evan called. Brian placed the phone on the dashboard on speaker so he could drive and talk to him.

“Are you going to give me the silent treatment?” Evan demanded.

“I have nothing to say,” Brian muttered.

Justin slumped in the passenger seat, fingering the edge of his cast.

“Well, I do.”

“I can hear that.”

“What if McDonald comes for a visit?”

“Tell him I overslept because you tired me out last night,” Brian replied tersely.

“I’m serious, Brian!”

“So am I, Evan!” He reached for the phone, ending the call.

Since they were at a red light, Brian dialed his lawyer’s number. “Morning, Joe!”

“Good morning, Brian. I planned on calling you later today.”

“Tell me you have something to make this insanity end.”

“I might have something. Remember how you told me that someone missed the rejected file and gave the team assembling the ads the green light?”

“Don’t make a big deal out of that. It could have been anyone, even me. I did some pretty stupid stuff over the years,” Brian explained.

“What if I told you that your previous employee Peter Smith is behind it?”

Joe’s words enraged Brian. “How did you find that? Pete has been with me since Vanguard. We’ve always worked wonderfully.”

“I took liberty to talk to your employees. Don’t bite my head. I just did my job.”

Brian wanted to argue, but no one could lie about such a thing. Everyone in the art department loved Peter. He was an easy-going guy and liked to help everyone.

“Brian?” Joe asked, when Brian stayed silent.

“I’m thinking. Did you talk to him as well?” Brian asked.

“I was hoping you’d set a meeting for all of us. You don’t have to tell him about me being present. If we have the element of surprise, we might catch him with his guard down.”

“Jesus. I can’t believe this.”

“Give me a call when you have a time and place.”

“Sure. Thanks, Joe.”

“What the actual fuck?” Justin exclaimed. “This is the guy you praised and everyone talks so nice about!”

Brian glanced at Justin. “Though, he quit right after shit hit the fan. He didn't want to be caught in that mess.”

“Well, he created this mess! Did he feel any remorse for almost sending you to jail?” Justin shouted. “We’re working our asses off to save Kinnetik and you because he approved one of the ads to be displayed in a place you were clearly not allowed to do it!”

“Calm down, Sunshine. I’m sure he has an explanation.” Brian reached for Justin's hand, squeezing it. “You can help by asking the team about Peter, out of curiosity. Maybe they’ll tell you something.”

Justin nodded. “Do you think he’ll answer when you call?”

“One way to find out.” Brian parked in front of Kinnetik. “Let’s get coffee while I call him.”

Surprisingly, Peter answered and was eager to meet with Brian for lunch that day.

“I don’t like this,” Justin mumbled. “He shouldn’t have answered if he was guilty.”

“Maybe it was a mistake.”

“The art team said he did it on purpose, Brian! You heard your lawyer.”

Brian shouldered the front door open, having his coffee and Evan’s in his hands. Justin couldn’t use his right hand, so he was no better.

“I’ll let you know what happens. In the meantime, talk to the others and focus on the ad.”

“Later. And thanks for the ride!”

“I promised to be the designated driver, didn’t I?” Brian laughed, advancing to his office.

He found Evan in a deep conversation with Theodore.

“Whatever it is, I don’t want to know,” Brian said. He placed the black Americano in front of Evan, before throwing himself in his chair.

“Thanks,” Evan said, slightly surprised.

“You know I don’t bother you with my number crunching job, unless it’s really important.”

“We lost the majority of the accounts, surprise me how I don’t know we’re in deep shit,” Brian snapped.

“Well, your employees will expect their money on payday and they won’t care Kinnetik—”

“Ted, you’re the miracle worker between the two of us.”

“We either don’t pay the utilities, and pay the people, but then without electricity, I don’t know how we can work…”

“Babylon had a great trimester. Move some money around.”

“I thought you kept that money for your trip to the White Party.”

“That’s not going to happen at this rate. It’s my money, so do as I fucking say.”

Once Theodore was gone, Brian called back Joe to tell him about the lunch meeting with Peter.

When he hung up, Evan was staring at him.

“Want to come with me?” Brian asked, thinking it might be a good idea to be seen together in public.

#

They arrived at the restaurant with fifteen minutes before the set time.

While Brian gave his name to the hostess, Evan took his hand, squeezing his fingers.

“What?” Brian snapped, trying to free his hand.

“Stop resisting. We have company.” Evan nodded discreetly in the direction of a table to their right.

Brian pretended to check a painting on the far wall, but swept the pointed area with his eyes. Sure enough Jeffrey McDonald was supposedly hidden at a table near a wall behind a large group.

A sudden idea occurred to Brian. What if Peter was hand in hand with McDonald? He dismissed the insane thought as soon as he created it.

The hostess led them to the opposite side of the room, but in plain view for McDonald. Brian wanted to ask for a different table, but he decided to see what would happen.

Evan pulled his chair close to Brian's, throwing an arm over Brian's shoulders. Brian intertwined his fingers with Evan’s from the hand over his shoulders.

When their drinks arrived, Peter joined them. He was startled to see Brian had company, and he gave himself away by looking right at the spot where McDonald was sitting.

“Hello, Brian!” Peter extended his hand.

“Pete. Long time, no see. I trust, you remember Evan.”

Peter nodded. “I heard he’s partner now.”

“In more ways than one,” Evan said smoothly, kissing Brian's cheek.

“We’re married,” Brian explained. “But this shouldn’t be news to you, right? All Pittsburgh knows I’m off the market.”

Peter chuckled nervously. He was saved from coming up with some lame answer by their waiter checking if they were ready to order.

While they waited for the food to arrive, Peter babbled about his new job and how it wasn’t challenging and how he missed Kinnetik.

“Then why did you leave?” Brian interjected.

Peter gulped, sneaking another look to McDonald. Brian fought every muscle in his body not to turn and check if McDonald was even looking at them.

“You see…”

Brian sighed loudly when he spotted Joe walking to their table. His lawyer was rarely late, which made Brian think whether Joe had sat aside and watched them for a while.

“Hello!” Joe greeted the table, sitting next to Peter.

Peter shot him a confused look.

“We haven’t officially met. I’m Brian’s lawyer Joe Jackson.”

Brian watched entertained as sweat rolled down Peter’s temple. “He’s fucked,” Brian whispered to Evan.

“I don’t understand,” Peter stammered.

“It has come to our knowledge that you’ve landed Brian in this mess,” Joe said calmly.

“Are you crazy? Brian, you don’t believe that, right?”

“I don’t want to believe it, but facts don’t lie. You were stupid enough to boast around the office that you wanted to set me up. The art team told me everything.” Brian noticed Joe’s disapproving look, but he went on. “I hope you’re aware Kinnetik lost all the important accounts based on the aftermath of the campaign you helped create.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Peter said, not sounding in the least sorry.

“You came up with the general idea for the story boards, but then when it turned out to bring negative reviews, you resigned,” Evan said accusatory.

Joe cleared his throat loudly, keeping his eyes on Peter. “Maybe we should invite your friend, over there, to join our conversation. He seems lonely by himself at that table.”

Peter shifted uncomfortably, barely acknowledging the waiter who brought their food.

Joe went to invite McDonald to their table.

“I had no idea you’d ever stab me in the back. Not after everything we’d been through,” Brian told Peter. “I’d really love to hear the reason why you did it.”

Joe returned with a terrified McDonald. “Let’s hear it,” Joe demanded. “The whole truth.”

“I refuse to talk without my lawyer,” McDonald demanded. “You better not saying anything, either!” He threatened Peter.

“If you want to do this the hard way, we can meet at the tribunal. I already filed the case for a recess,” Joe explained.

“Could I go to jail for this?” Peter asked.

“It might be a possibility,” Joe replied.

Peter glared at McDonald, then turned to Brian. “I’ll tell you everything you want as long as I don’t end up in jail.”

“Oh, scared? What about me? If it wasn’t for Evan being back in my life, I’d be the one in jail!” Brian shouted.

Evan squeezed Brian's shoulder, while Joe shot him a disapproving look. Brian noticed Joe setting his phone on recorder discreetly.

“Don’t say a word!” McDonald hissed.

Peter ignored him. “I met Jeff at one of my AA meetings. We talked about our jobs, and when I told him about the campaign we were going to start, he told me that he knew gay marriages would be legal soon enough. Remember, I tried telling you that we were already headed in the right direction for gay people being allowed to get married even without our new campaign? But you insisted we had to do it,” he said, meekly.

Brian nodded, because he could remember that conversation with Peter.

“Well, when I couldn’t change your mind… I had to do what Jeff had put me up to do,” Peter mumbled.

“You had to?” Brian repeated. “Why? Did he have you at gun point?”

“It was your right to tell the authorities if you were threatened,” Joe interjected.

“One night… I slipped,” Peter admitted.

Brian sucked in a breath, knowing how hard Peter had worked to stay sober for over a decade.

“If I think about it, it was all Jeff’s fault for taking me to the bar. I couldn’t drink just soda.”

“Say no more!” McDonald yelled.

“You can’t dictate what Peter wants to tell us,” Joe told him.

Peter hung his head. “I got ass drunk and ended up at Jeff’s place. I had the worst hangover in the morning. Jeff promised not to tell Mitch, my sponsor, but I had to do him a favor.”

“Fuck,” Brian spat, already knowing in which direction this was headed.

“What I don’t understand, is why would Mr. McDonald want to hurt my client,” Joe said, frowning.

“Isn’t it obvious? Everyone in Pittsburgh has heard of what a whore Brian Kinney was. He deserved to be shaken from his high throne. I was hoping the inmates would teach him a lesson. If my plan worked, he’d have been out in six month on good behavior, but he wouldn’t have been the same again,” McDonald said, most likely without thinking. He’d clearly forgot about wanting a lawyer.

“Did I fuck you and dump your sorry ass?” Brian sneered. “I must have been desperate.”

“Brian!” Joe hissed.

“You didn’t have to fuck me for me to see what a pompous ass you are.”

Brian turned to Peter. “And you decided to work behind my back to land my company in a huge mess. Let’s say I understand you wanted to hurt me, but do you realize that if I went to jail, they’d have shut Kinnetik? What about all the other people working in there? I thought they were your friends!”

Peter paled, making it painfully clear he hadn’t thought over what his actions could bring to Kinnetik. He only wanted to save his ass.

“Jeff declined one of the billboards, and I over-viewed it. I had no idea his true intentions. Believe me, Brian!” For the first time since he’d started talking, Peter sounded sincere.

“We’re meeting in court with this new information,” Joe declared, making a show to stop the recording.

McDonald’s eyes widened. “That’s illegal!”

“I’ll let you know the time we set the meeting,” Joe said, getting up. “See you!”

Once he was gone, McDonald threw Brian a look pure hatred, then he turned to Peter. “I can’t wait to tell Mitch what a drunk you are!” He stormed away.

Peter froze, but he slowly got up and with one last scared look at Brian, he sprinted after McDonald.

Evan stared at the soup he’d ordered, which was cold by now.

“We’re going to win the case,” Brian told him.

“Do you realize that this guy is dangerous? Jeffrey, I mean.”

“Joe put him in his place.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I think we should watch our backs until the recess. That look in his eyes was the look of a mad man knowing he was cornered and had no escape.”

“It’s his turn to be scared,” Brian said.

Evan shook his head. “He’ll want revenge for putting him in that corner.”

“Stop worrying. Joe is going to save us.”

“Are you coming home this afternoon?” Evan asked when they were in Brian’s Corvette on their way back to the office.

“Where would I go?” Brian asked, amused.

“I thought you’d meet with Justin again.”

Brian shot him a hard look.

“What? Deny it.”

“I might as well just do it, to irk you.”

“If I ask you nicely to tone it down until the recess, will you listen to me?” Evan pleaded. “McDonald really gave me the creeps.”

“What can he do?” Brian rolled his eyes.

Before Evan could answer, a large SUV came speeding in their direction from a side street.

“Watch out!” Evan made to reach for the steering wheel to help Brian spin the car round, but the impact was imminent.

Brian threw his arms over his face as the airbag popped open, but as the car spun, there was another deafening crash, which proved they his another car. His shoulder hit the door as the seat belt dug painfully in his abdomen. He closed his eyes, aware that it was juvenile to hope if he closed his eyes the reality of the moment would change.

The car toppled over, and it stopped when it was upside down.

Brian tried to look at Evan, who hadn’t said a word. Brian had expected him to curse or shout, but he was awfully quiet.

Arms pulled him out of the car, and he became aware of his neck hurting, his shoulder radiating pain, and his stomach hurt like anything he had ever felt. In the distance, Brian could hear sirens, but darkness surrounded him.

#

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ceiling lights of a hospital room. Then a doctor’s face came into view. He flashed a small light in his eyes, asking how he felt.

Brian could feel his head heavy and his mouth was parched. “Thirsty,” he grunted.

The doctor offered him a plastic cup with water, after helping him in a sitting position.

“You were very lucky, sir.”

Brian merely nodded. After a few sips, he looked around the room, frowning. “I was with someone in the car.”

The doctor’s somber expression made Brian’s insides twist.

“He is my husband,” Brian explained, hoping that would make the doctor hurry with an answer.

When the doctor paled, Brian braced himself for bad news. “I am extremely sorry, sir. The team who arrived at the accident, declared the victim deceased at the scene.”

Brian turned his head away, hating that tears gathered in his eyes. Evan had been his friend, despite their differences and his constant nagging. Evan had always been a good friend.

“Is there anything we can do? Anyone who you want to call?” The doctor checked.

“Can I have my cellphone?” Brian could barely recognize his rough voice.

“I will let the nurse know to bring your belonging.”

“And Evan’s, please.”

The doctor nodded, leaving him to digest the news.

Brian could remember the conversation they were having when they were hit. If McDonald was behind the accident, he’d spend his life in jail for homicide. The thought didn’t make Brian feel any better. He wanted revenge, but with McDonald in jail, justice would be made. That way, Peter could talk to his sponsor and explain his lapse of judgment in drinking again.

But nothing was going to bring Evan back.

Brian tried to remind himself that now he was a free man again, but the price behind his freedom was terrible.

A nurse brought him two bags, depositing them at the foot of the bed, also checking if Brian was in any pain.

Surprisingly, he hadn’t been aware of anything hurting until she talked. She offered to up the morphine, then disappeared out the door.

Brian noticed his phone in the smaller bag. Surprisingly, it wasn’t cracked. There were several missed calls from Justin and Theodore.

With shaky fingers, he called Justin. The clock read a little after seven in the afternoon. It meant he had been out for several hours after being admitted to the hospital.

“Brian! I kept calling you! How did the meeting go?”

Brian couldn’t talk. There was a knot in his throat. He tried clearing his throat, but he ended up choking on his words. “I’m in the hospital.”

There was a long pause. “What,” Justin whispered, sounding afraid.

“I need you here.”

“Which hospital? What happened, Brian?”

Brian checked the bracelet on his wrist. “West Penn.”

“I’ll be right there.”

While Brian gathered enough courage to touch Evan’s bag, his phone rang on his lap. It was Joe.

“Hey, Joe,” he answered, his voice still shaking.

“Thank God! Brian, I just got called by the police. They have McDonald in custody.”

“That’s great news. Make sure he never sees the light of day!”

“He might not. He was in a massive accident on Penn Avenue corner with Stratford Avenue.”

“I’m aware,” Brian said dryly. “He ran us over.” He gulped thickly. “Evan’s dead.” It felt odd to say the words out loud.

Joe cursed a stormed. “How are you?”

“Beautiful,” he muttered.

“Do you need anything? I can drop by.”

“We can talk how we’re going to do this tomorrow. For now, I only want to rest and let the reality set in.”

“I’m really sorry, Brian.”

“Just make sure McDonald can’t escape this time,” Brian warned, hanging up.

He looked through the bag holding Evan’s belonging, finding his watch. Evan had cared for that accessory greatly. It was destroyed beyond repair, just like the owner.

Brian managed to doze off, holding the ruined watch.

When he came around next, it was to a familiar face. Justin was sitting beside him on the bed, staring at him.

Brian clutched his hand immediately, startling him.

“Oh, Brian!” Justin squeezed his hand. “I heard…This is so fucked up.”

Brian merely nodded. “Thank you for coming.”

“When you didn’t return to Kinnetik, I thought you went home early.”

Brian chewed on his bottom lip. “I have so much to tell you about our meeting.”

“Not now.” Justin stroked his hand. “The doctor said you dislocated your shoulder and you have a bad concussion.”

“That must be why my head feels like it weights a ton.”

Justin nodded seriously. “He also told me that if you’re well by tomorrow, you can leave.”

“Stay,” Brian whispered, his lids already dropping. He didn’t hear Justin's reply.

#

Justin paced up and down the hallway outside Brian’s hospital room.

He decided it was time to see how well he could compartmentalize, because he had to stay strong for Brian. If his feelings got the better of him, he wouldn’t be able to help Brian. Even if Brian might say he was okay, Justin could see how affected he was by the horrible news.

“Justin.”

He spun around upon hearing his name. Michael and Ben were hurrying down the hallway.

Justin was ready to face a Rage-like Brian for calling his best friend, but he knew that Brian would appreciate it.

“Hey, guys!”

“What the hell happened? How is he?” Michael stopped next to Justin.

“He looks terrible, but he’ll be fine. Physically, at least,” Justin explained. “There’s something I didn’t tell you over the phone.”

Michael shared a worried look with Ben. “Is Brian in life-threatening danger?”

“Justin just said he’ll be fine,” Ben said gently.

Justin smiled at Ben, then turned to Michael. “Evan died in the accident.”

“Oh, God! Does Brian know?”

“Yes. He’s…I don’t know how he is.” Justin's shoulders slumped. “Don’t push him if he doesn’t want to talk about that.”

Michael shot him a look that clearly said “Do I look like a moron to you?”

Ben placed a hand on Michael’s elbow. “How bad is Brian?” he asked Justin.

“His face is covered in bruises and there’s a long cut above his right eyebrow. The doctor said the window shattered.”

“Would it scar?”

Justin could tell Michael was wondering the same thing like him. How badly would Brian queen out about a scar. “They don’t know. It looks pretty deep. Also, Brian doesn’t know about this. He’s only aware of his concussion and the dislocated shoulder.”

Justin noticed the doctor heading into Brian's room in a rushed paced. “Something’s wrong,” Justin gasped, hurrying that way with his friends close behind.

They found Brian sitting up in the bed, clearly agitated. He settled when his eyes landed on Justin.

“I thought you left,” he admitted.

The doctor tsked. “I was at the nurses station when your monitor went askew.”

Brian shrugged. “I’m fine, doc.” His eyes slid to his best friend. “Mikey, Ben…I wonder how you knew where to find me.”

“Don’t be mad at Justin. He thought you’d want me here,” Michael said quietly, advancing in the room.

“How thoughtful of him.” Brian smirked.

If Justin could see through the bravado, it was clear that Michael could tell how terrified Brian was about the situation.

The doctor left them, but not before warning them that the patient needed rest.

Michael sat next to Brian, pulling a plastic bag out of his pocket. “I thought this would make you feel better.”

Brian chuckled, opening the bag. “Gummy snakes?”

“You used to eat them after…” He left the sentence hanging, and Justin hated that he didn’t know the story behind that.

“After I’ve been used as a punching bag by the old man?”

Justin gasped, not expecting Brian to explain the story behind the gummy snakes. Brian's wide eyes met Justin's, and Justin realized Brian hadn’t thought it through when he commented.

“I’m going to grab a coffee,” Justin excused himself.

He was two steps out the door, when he heard footsteps. He turned to see Ben.

They walked in silence to the nearest vending machine. Justin tried feeding the machine a bill, but it kept being rejected, and he started kicking the machine in anger.

“Don’t take it out on an inanimate object. Brian will pull it through. He’s tough.”

“Can’t you see that he’s been through enough? He had a shitty life at home, which I barely know anything about. He never talked to me about that, but I could only guess. Then the things he told me about Evan…he’s the reason why Brian was like that when I met him. He was sleeping around so he wouldn’t let anyone close and end up hurt again. Then he let me in, and what did I do? I hurt him. And now this. It wasn’t enough his problems at work…”

Ben wrapped his arms around Justin, and Justin squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he was close to breakdown.

“Brian made me check on you, but I can go back and tell him we can have our happily ever after since you stole my husband.” Michael’s amused voice startled Justin and Ben.

Justin pulled away, hastily wiping his eyes. “Is he okay?”

“Are you okay?” Michael challenged, dropping the amusement. “You look ready to lose it.”

“I get myself worked up, you know how I am,” he mumbled.

“I told Brian that it’s time he told you about his childhood. I can tell you’re curious, and you probably have the big picture in your head, but believe me, whatever you’re thinking it’s nothing near the reality.”

“Wait, you mean now?” Justin inquired.

“He needs a distraction. You need to know the story.” Michael went to stand next to Ben. “We’re going to Ma to grab some home cooked meal and we’ll be back tomorrow.”

Justin nodded. He walked numbly back to Brian's room.

Brian was in the same position he had left him, and he was sucking at a snake. Their eyes met as Justin closed the door behind him.

Brian scooted to the side, allowing Justin to sit beside him on the bed. He even shared his sweets with a small smile.

“The first time he slapped me around I was four.”

Justin definitely didn’t expect Brian to start talking about it. He inhaled half of a gummy snake, coughing violently.

Brian curled his fingers around Justin's, talking in a detached voice. He told Justin about his childhood and how he’d found solace in his sister when his parents turned against him, then she’d left for college and he had no where to hide. He rebelled in school – the reason behind him changing no less than five schools until he ended up at the one where he met Michael. Brian explained how he’d always felt welcomed and safe at the Novotnys’. He admitted that Debbie had become the mother he never had.

Justin's head was reeling by the time Brian finished his story. He could never imagine a father could punch his own son so badly and so many times. What was worse, Brian kept going back years after he’d left their house, because he sought their redemption.

“Peter was blackmailed into digging my hole,” Brian said after a long pause. “Peter has been sober for about fifteen years, give or take. He met McDonald at one of his AA meetings. Long story short, McDonald hates my guts for having anyone I want. The guy needs serious help. He blackmailed Peter to corrupt the campaign or he’d tell Peter’s sponsor how Peter had slipped. McDonald had gotten Peter drunk one night.”

“Holy fuck! That’s crazy.”

“And after they left, Evan kept warning me that McDonald is one crazy fucker, but I dismissed him. We were talking about what he could do when he ran us over.”

“Wait. How do you know it was him?”

“Joe called me after I hung up with you. Homicide is enough to put McDonald in jail for many years, if not for life.”

“Shit.” Justin burrowed closer into Brian's side. “Fuck. He could have…”

“I’m still here,” Brian whispered. He sighed loudly. “I’ve got a funeral to plan.”

“Don’t think about that now. You have to get better. I can call and arrange for everything,” Justin offered.

“You don’t have to.”

“Allow me.” Justin kissed Brian's bruised cheek. “I’m right here with you. Forever. I promise.”

Brian clutched his hand tighter, closing his eyes. 

During Brian's days spent in the hospital, Justin had bullied the doctor into taking his own cast off. He wanted to be able to drive now that Brian would be incapacitated with his whole arm in a cast.

They had shared a cab to Brian's loft since the doctor had advised Justin to be confident in his wrist and hand before he drove.

Justin kept his distance as Brian was the only one left near the fresh grave. He could still remember the haunted look on Brian's face when they had stepped into the loft.

Brian had traced an abandoned coffee cup on the kitchen island, then he had stood on the steps, staring at the rumpled sheets for so long Justin was expecting him to start crying. Brian had smoked three cigarettes before he packed everything that had belonged to Evan. He then instructed Justin to do anything he wanted with the garbage bags holding Evan’s belongings, before he locked himself in the bathroom.

Justin had called Michael for help, not wanting to leave Brian's side.

Two days later brought the funeral and the recess day.

Justin leaned against a tree, smoking slowly. He watched Brian staring at the grave, gripping a rose in his hand. When the rose fell on the soft ground, Justin heard a sniff.

He sighed in relief. Brian was finally letting go. He had expected this moment since he found out Evan had died.

He was surprised to see Brian turning around and strolling to him with tears streaming down his cheeks. Justin couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Brian openly crying. Brian wrapped his good arm around Justin, clutching him close.

“Shh.” Justin rubbed soft circles over Brian's back. “We can skip the court if you’re not up for it.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this moment for too long.”

Justin stroked his thumbs under Brian's eyes, kissing him softly. “Let’s go, then.”

During the car ride, Brian pulled himself together, scrubbing at his eyes and blowing his nose several times.

“I don’t know what happened,” he mumbled.

“You kept your emotions bottled up. It’s human to cry, Brian.”

“I’m not even sure I was crying over him. It was a combination of that and the relief of freedom and being able to have you back for good. I’m a horrible person.”

“No, you’re not,” Justin said loudly. “A tiny part of me is happy about this situation, and it makes me feel bad. But we’re following our interests, right?”

Brian chuckled. “Whoever taught you that…”

Justin smirked, reaching over to pat Brian's thigh. “Let’s be over with this.”

“Stay close.”

“Right beside you, dear,” Justin joked.

#

Brian was shocked to find Peter a few rows behind his side of the court. He shot up when he noticed Brian arriving.

“I can’t apologize enough for everything, Brian.”

“Are you ready to confess?” Brian asked.

“Yes.”

Justin steered Brian ahead. “Is he…”

“That’s Peter. I’d like to give him the benefit of doubt, because I have a feeling he’s in this mess as innocent as me.”  

Justin took the seat right behind Brian, staying as close as possible.

“Okay?” Joe checked, glancing at him from the papers on their table.

“I’m ready to get over this freak show so I can go back to my life.”

It was satisfying to see the police bringing McDonald to his table. Funny how some months prior McDonald was being a pompous ass about sending Brian to jail for something he had started, and now he was the one being accused. And he had no way out.

But Brian tried not to celebrate before the judge decided the faith of McDonald. He knew how the accused could escape with some minor sentence. He could clearly remember how Hobbs had escaped jail only because he was a minor when he had bashed Justin.

The process started, and Brian watched proudly as Joe dug McDonald so deep his lawyer wasn’t able to defend his client. Then came Peter’s confession, which cemented the judge’s decision.

Twenty-five years was the verdict, with no possible parole on good behavior.

Outside the courthouse, Peter was waiting for him.

Brian stopped Justin, saying he could wait in the car. Brian went to Peter, struggling to get a cigarette out with one hand.

Peter helped him, lighting it up. “I feel like I’ve redeemed myself with that confession.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were friends.”

“Tell you what.”

“What that asshole did to you. Pete, we could have avoided this whole mess. I remember you called me one night when your sponsor wasn’t picking up.”

“And you met me at Liberty Diner for ice cream at two in the morning.”

“Exactly. Aside from Cynthia, you’re the only other friend I made at Vanguard, who I brought with me.”

“And who stayed,” Peter added.

“Yes. Did he scare you that badly? How much money did he offer you?”

“Remember my lame conversation about hating my new job, at the restaurant? The truth is I’ve been staying at home and doing pretty much nothing. Jeff offered a handsome fee for what I did. I plan on donating the money.”

“Would I sound like a jerk if I asked you to donate it to Kinnetik?” Brian asked, sucking from his cigarette. “We’re in deep shit. Most of the accounts have left, Ted’s struggling to make ends meet to pay everyone on time, and the Art Department is working on an ad to promote us.”

“Of course, Brian! It’s the least I can do. Believe me, if I knew what my actions would do to you…if I had thought it through…”

“It is what it is.” Brian shrugged. “See you on Monday to talk about your donation?”

Peter nodded.

“And your job is waiting for you.”

“You’d have me back? Mitch tried to convince me to get the courage and talk to you, but I was afraid you hated me.”

“I never hated you, and when my lawyer told me about you being behind this, I tried to find excuses for you, because it didn’t sound like something the Pete I knew would do.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?”

“See you on Monday!”

Brian joined Justin in his car, slumping in the seat.

“Did you get my painkillers after all?” He had insisted on not needing them, but his shoulder and back were hurting.

Justin popped open the glove compartment. “I only have Advil. For once I listened to you and you’re making me regret it.”

“You should never listen to me,” Brian joked.

“I think we should pick some clothes for you then you spend the weekend with me at Britin.”

“I like that idea. I don’t think I can stay in the loft alone.”

“Feel up for dinner at Michael’s? He called while you were talking to Peter.”

“Sure, as long as we’re not expected again tomorrow,” Brian answered.

“That’s what I told him, too.” Justin smiled widely. “So?”

“Yes, let’s go.”

#

When they parked in front of Michael and Ben’s house, Brian got this far-away look in his eyes. Justin could only imagine what Brian was thinking.

The last time Evan had accompanied Brian to Saturday’s brunch was when Justin had gotten injured.

“Everything okay?” Justin checked.

Brian turned to him, smiling. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

“Ready? I see Michael doing a bad Pipping Tom job behind the curtain.”

“I wonder where he got that from.” Brian rolled his eyes, opening his door. “If he starts with the questions, feel free to get us out of this.”

“I’m horrible at lying,” Justin protested.

“Say your ass has an appointment with the best cock in town.”

Justin snorted in laughter, just as the front door opened. Michael rushed to them, worry etched on his face.

“McDonald’s got sentenced for life,” Brian said in opening.

“He got twenty-five years, actually,” Justin added.

“That equals life sentence for that fucker. I give him a year – at best.”

“Wow. That’s amazing,” Michael exclaimed. “Come on. This is reason to celebrate!”

Brian stalled Michael with a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t feel much like celebrating. Dinner – just the four of us. That’s all I need right now.”

Michael got a worried look, and Justin hoped Michael hadn’t actually planned for a party. Evan’s death had affected Brian more than he let it be shown.

“I better tell Ben to call off the strippers,” Michael grumbled.

Justin shot Brian a scandalized look, but it turned out that Brian knew Michael better.

“You haven’t even started dinner, because you were sure I wouldn’t come,” Brian said, draping an arm over Michael's shoulders.

Justin walked ahead of them, listening to Michael arguing that Ben was working on dinner. He found Ben at the stove handling two pans.

Ben looked up when he heard voices, and smiled widely.

“Need help?” Justin offered, stopping beside Ben.

“I wouldn’t mind a helping hand.”

“We’re out back if you need us,” Michael said, leading Brian through the backdoor.

“How’s Brian?” Ben asked, the moment they were alone.

“Not really okay.”

“Is it his back?”

“Ben, besides the physical injures, he’s pretty affected by this whole thing. I guess he really cared for Evan.”

Ben nodded. He picked a jar of spices.

“Uh, I hope there’s no oregano. I developed an allergy to it,” Justin mumbled, embarrassed. His allergies had taken a toll on him during his last few years in New York.

“Just curry, cinnamon and turmeric.”

“Good. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They worked in silence for a while. Justin focused on stirring the rice so it wouldn’t burn, glad for the distraction.

“Michael says you want to revive Rage.”

“It’s still a thought…at least, that’s what it is for me.” Justin shrugged.

“Michael’s already clearing space in the store for the new issue,” Ben said, chuckling.

“Of course, he is.” Justin laughed. “I have to run my ideas by him, but I’m afraid he’ll hate them.”

“He always complained about your ideas, but eventually they saw the light of day with a little tweaking from him.”

“You’re right. I might tell him later.”

When dinner was ready, Justin went to get Brian and Michael, while Ben set the table. Justin stopped right outside the back door.

Brian and Michael were on the large garden bench swing. Brian was laying with his head on Michael's lap. They were sharing what looked like a roach, talking in soft voices. It felt like he was interrupting an intimate moment, which was absurd.

Justin had learned long ago Michael was no threat to his relationship with Brian.

But at the moment, he didn’t want to disturb them. It was good to see Brian relaxed, after the week from hell.

Justin was about to retreat when Brian turned his head to the side, spotting him. He smiled lazily, beckoning him with a finger.

Justin stuffed his hands inside his pockets, walking slowly to them. He stopped next to them.

“Dinner’s ready.”

“We should eat outside,” Michael suggested, squirming, in an attempt to get up. Brian didn’t move, which incapacitated Michael from escaping. “I want to help them bring the food outside.”

Brian groaned, getting into a sitting position. When Michael stood, Brian seized Justin's hand, pulling him down. Justin fell awkwardly on the bench, grateful for the cushions. Brian didn’t waste any time in getting back in the same position he had been earlier.

Michael rolled his eyes, heading inside the house.

“Let them be good hosts. You already helped with making dinner,” Brian said quietly, as if reading Justin’s mind about wanting to help.

Justin sighed, relaxing and running his fingers through Brian's hair. “Where did you get the roach?”

“I packed it while you were in the shower. I knew I’d need something to numb me today.”

Justin chewed on his lips. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I know.” Brian braced himself on the back of the bench, lifting himself up, inhaling a particularly large hit, then leaning for a kiss.

It had been too long since they had shared the smoke of a roach. Justin was surprised he remembered how not to cough at the intrusion in his lungs. He exhaled slowly, surrounding them in smoke.

“I forgot how hot it was to share a shotgun kiss.” Brian licked Justin's bottom lip, making Justin shiver in pleasure.

Instead of pulling away, Brian went back to kissing Justin, opening his mouth with his probing tongue. It was inappropriate on so many levels, but Justin couldn’t find it in him to push Brian off him. Brian ended up straddling Justin's lap, his good hand cradling Justin's head, while they shared a desperate kiss.

“Could you kindly not fuck on our swing?” Michael’s whiny voice pulled them apart.

Brian shot his best friend a dirty look, over his shoulder. “What about your bathroom?”

Justin choked on his spit. It was true that he was turned on beyond rational thought, but Brian boldly telling Michael that they were going to fuck in their house…

“Or you could use our guest bedroom,” Ben offered, joining Michael outside. He had a salad bowl in his hands.

“But how about we eat first?” Michael added, hopefully.

Brian grabbed Justin's hand, pulling him toward the house. “Later, boys!”

Justin avoided eye-contact with their friends, feeling embarrassed beyond belief. “This is so not okay, Brian,” he said.

“Shut up! You want this as badly as me.”

“It’s true, but…”

“Stop trying to find a way out, when all you want is to fuck. Leave your waspy thinking at the door. Look, they even allowed us to use the guest room.” Brian shouldered the door open. “I hope they have condoms in here.”

“I’m so not going back to ask for condoms,” Justin gasped, feeling his whole body heating up in embarrassment.

Brian pulled open the bedside table. “It’s like they planned this.” He shook a box of condoms at Justin. He chucked it on the bed, trying to undo his pants with one hand, but being only partially successful. “A little help?”

Justin chuckled, joining Brian at the foot of the bed. He helped Brian out of his pants, then slowly unbuttoned the black shirt, letting it fall to the floor.

They hadn’t adventured to do more than sleep next to each other since Brian's accident.

Justin pushed away all thoughts about where they were, about what had happened earlier that day, about the fact that for all intents and purposes Brian was a fresh widower, who was supposed to mourn his dead husband.

Brian strolled outside through the backdoor, ahead of Justin. The twat was feeling guilty for fucking in Mikey’s house.

Michael and Ben were on the swinging bench, tangled in each other, drinking from tall glasses. A glance at the table proved that they had waited for them to eat. That made Brian feel a little guilty, but he couldn’t regret the hot sex he had with Justin.

“There you are,” Michael exclaimed. “We were beginning to wonder if you’d ever resurface.”

“After being around each other for months without being allowed to touch, imagine the pent-up need,” Ben said compassionately.

Justin finally emerged from the house. His cheeks were red, but his eyes were still sparkling with desire and arousal.

Brian snorted, taking a seat at the table, as the others joined him.

“Is that what you think, Ben?”

“Don’t tell me,” Michael cried out.

“Tell them what,” Justin mumbled.

“They think we’ve abstained since your return,” Brian explained. “It proves how little they know me—us, actually. You jumped me in Chicago.”

“I did not!” Justin retorted hotly. “You got that look in your eyes, then…we moved at the same time.”

“You’re delusional.”

“Don’t start bickering,” Michael begged. “I can’t believe it. Why didn’t I see it?”

“Because we’ve obviously been careful about not showing others our relationship,” Brian replied. “We kept it behind closed doors.” He picked a chicken leg, then scowled at his plate. He hated being incapacitated to do trivial things, like eating or pissing or even undressing himself.

“Let me help.” Justin pulled Brian's plate closer, peeling the meat off the bone then cutting it in tiny pieces so Brian wouldn’t have to use the knife. When he was done, he added a helping of fried vegetables and some rice, then offered Brian his plate back.

“Thanks,” Brian said, stabbing a piece of meat with his fork.

“So you think now that the city’s attorney was found guilty, Kinnetik will get back on its feet?” Ben asked.

Brian appreciated the change of subject. He could tell Michael was about to comment on how sweet of Justin to help him.

“We’re also close to finishing the ad that will show everyone Kinnetik is still strong,” Justin answered.

“I’m hoping that a combination of the consequences of what had happened and the ad will make everything better. We’re in a deep hole.”

Michael held a bottle of wine to Brian, lifting a brow.

“No,” Justin said quickly. “You’ll take the pain meds when we get home.”

Brian shrugged to Michael. “Just pour some juice.” He pointed to the bottle of orange juice. “Thanks for reminding me about the pain meds. It’s like you reminded me of my backache.”

“We have some painkillers if you want,” Ben offered.

“No, thanks. He took two Advil on the way here,” Justin declined. “He has Motrin at home.”

“If Brian is in pain, a pill to relieve him won’t—”

Justin shook his head, interrupting Ben’s argument.

“Trust me. You’ll never win an argument with Justin when it comes to drugs,” Brian told Ben. “He always loved to lecture me about the safety of the drugs I took.” He shot Justin a smile, both of them clearly remembering the night they had met.

As the meal progressed, Ben engaged Brian in a conversation about the book he was writing. When they looked at the other end of the table, Brian couldn’t help but laugh.

Justin was doodling on a napkin, while Michael prattled about something or another.

“Ready to head home?” Brian asked.

Justin glanced up, almost surprised. He always lost focus when he got lost in his art. “Uh, sure.”

“What about dessert?” Michael asked, ready to get up and bring some sweet.

“Don’t bother. We’re fine,” Brian said. “Right?”

Justin nodded, pushing the napkin to Michael. “It’s not my best work, but I’m starting to love this idea.”

“I’ll have to write down what we just talked so I don’t forget it. Can I keep this?”

“Sure.” Justin got up, smiling brightly at Brian.

Curiously, Brian walked to Michael, leaning to see what Justin had drawn. Michael covered the napkin. “No peeking!”

“Ideas for Rage?” Brian guessed.

“Michael likes my suggestion. It actually makes sense for the politicians to use Rage’s power.”

“Lucky he has JT to save him.” Brian rolled his eyes.

Justin looped an arm around Brian's waist. “I think you need one happy pill.”

“Can’t argue with you.”

After saying goodbye to their friends, Justin drove them to Britin.

“I’m seriously thinking to move in here. Do you think Mother Taylor can help me sell the loft?”

“Uh, that’s nice!” Justin’s voice hitched. “I’ll help you move and be the designated driver until you can drive again.”

“And you should get your hand checked regularly. You barely stayed two weeks with the cast.”

“The doc said it was fine. They x-rayed it first. I doubt the doc would have taken the cast off if it wasn’t healed.”

“Fair point.” Brian nodded. He stared out the window as they approached the mansion. “Can’t wait to call this place home and come here every evening after work to you.”

“What?” Justin glanced at him.

Brian frowned, then laughed. “Right. We’ll both come home from work at the same time. We can carpool.”

“Wait. Back up.” Justin parked in front of the house. “You want me…here?”

“You already live here! I hope you weren’t just planning to find a new place!”

“Well…Fuck. I don’t know why I didn’t even think of…” Justin grinned widely. “Home.” He wet his lips, meeting Brian’s eyes.

“Our home.”

“We’re both going to hell, but I don’t give a shit. Race you upstairs!”

Brian stared after him in amusement. He walked slowly, not ready to break his neck, too.

Justin was already naked on top of the bed.

#

On Monday, Justin dropped Brian at the office, before going to buy coffees.

By the time he arrived in Brian's office it was close to ten, but Justin had stopped by a pastry shop to grab some food too.

Justin was surprised to find Peter and Kyle in Brian’s office. They appeared to be arguing. Ted was on the couch holding a folder, staring at the show.

Justin was all for slinking out the door, away from the danger zone, but Brian noticed him.

“At last,” Brian groaned, extending his good hand, wordlessly demanding his coffee.

“Sorry, there was a line,” Justin mumbled. He placed the cup on the desk because it was still hot. He also placed one of the pastry bags next to it. “You have to eat something. You took the meds without eating.”

Brian rolled his eyes, then focused somewhere behind Justin. “Are you two about done? We have a shitload of work to do.”

Kyle bristled. “Excuse me, boss, but this is a huge mistake! You’re rehiring this rat!” He pointed to Peter.

Brian stood up so fast, Justin took two steps back to be out of Rage’s way. Brian slammed his fist to the desk. “If you don’t go do your job in the next five minutes, I’m going to fire your ass! I’m about done with your bullshit, Kyle!”

“Brian, you need to calm down. You heard what the doctor said about getting upset.” Justin placed a tentative hand on Brian’s elbow.

“Come on, Peter. If you sign on the dotted line, you’re hired once again,” Ted spoke, advancing to the desk.

Kyle, still breathing fire, shot daggers at Peter while he signed, but kept his eyes on Justin. Justin braced himself for more snide remarks, that would probably leave Kyle jobless in the next five minutes.

“And I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” Ted told Kyle. “As we all know Mr. Kinney is not feeling well. He’s been in a fucking accident that killed his husband. A little compassion won’t kill you.”

Brian slumped back in his chair, eyeing Ted amused. Justin rubbed a hand over Brian's shoulder.

“Let me know if you need me,” he whispered.

“I want a meeting after lunch with the Art Department to know where we stand with the ad. Ted, let Cynthia know I’ll only accept the important phone calls.”

Justin led the way out of Brian’s office. Ted stopped him at the first corner.

Kyle stopped as well, raising an eyebrow.

“Go ahead,” Ted muttered impatiently. “You too, Peter. And you heard Brian. If he gives you shit, let us know.”

Once they were alone, Justin leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

“How are you holding up?” Ted checked.

“I haven’t slept much. I’m so worried, Ted.”

“What do you mean? He looks fine.”

“Yeah, he looks fine. He acts like the Brian you know, but it’s the little things that scare me. I caught him yesterday smoking in the study room while drinking from a bottle of whiskey. When I tried reminding him that alcohol didn’t mix with his meds, Brian slammed the door in my face. Several hours later, he found me on the couch drawing. He snuggled into me, apologizing.”

Ted blinked. “Did you try talking to him about what happened?”

“I wouldn’t know where to start. I guess it’s difficult to lose a friend…and in such a terrible way.”

“Wait, where the hell were you? Brian doesn’t have a study in his loft.”

Justin wanted to punch himself. “We moved into the house he bought for us. You probably know he kept it.”

“As his accountant, I know more than I should. As his friend…” He shook his head. “Take care of him.”

“That’s the plan. See you later.”

.

.

.

Inside the Art Department, Justin had a sense of deja-vu when he spotted Kyle in his chair. He placed his own coffee on the coaster, then plugged in his laptop.

“Move it. I’m not in the mood,” Justin muttered.

“So all you wanted all along was Kinney himself. We got it all wrong,” Kyle said slowly.

Justin balled his hands. “Do you have any sense of decency?”

“Just deny it. I saw the way you touched him. And I’ve seen the lingering looks, even when his husband was in the same room.”

“What I do in my private time is none of your goddamn business! And if I were you, I’d be careful about saying anything regarding Evan. Brian lost his husband.” Even the mere words sounded alien out of Justin's mouth, but he had to say it to make Kyle shut up.

As much as Brian pretended not to care, he suffered. He might feel better in a week or so, but Evan had helped him and he had been there for him. They had to remember that – Evan had saved Brian from prison.

A month had passed since the accident that widowed Brian. Life went on. Brian got over the event, slowly returning to his charming personality from before the whole debacle. He had successfully moved into Britin with Justin, renting the loft with Jennifer’s help.

The campaign to save Kinnetik had been a success. Many old accounts had returned with the proverbial tail between their legs, and some new ones had knocked at their door.

At the moment, Brian was doing research on the background for one of the new companies that wanted to work with them.

A knock on his door made him look up. Justin was standing on the other side, a wary look on his face. Brian waved him inside.

“What’s wrong?” He got up and walked to his partner.

Justin handed a piece of paper to him, keeping his eyes on Brian's. Brian tore his eyes away from Justin’s to scan the paper, then looked back into the determined and hurt blue pools.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m done. I know this is what I wanted ten years ago, but after actually doing it, I don’t want it anymore.”

“If my art team wasn’t so immature, you wouldn’t find the need to quit.” Brian wrapped his arms around Justin. “What are you going to do now?”

Justin huffed. “Maybe it’s not the environment.” He shrugged. “But working behind a desk is not for me. I’m going to start painting again. I met with a few local galleries in the past week.”

“You didn’t say anything.” Brian pulled back, staring confused at Justin. “When?”

“During lunch breaks.” Justin grinned. “And I still have to decide if the brainstorming sessions I had with Michael would get Rage anywhere. Some things are better left dead.”

“It’s up to you. I’ll encourage you no matter what you choose to do.”

“So, please accept my resignation. And if it didn’t upset you, I’d like it if I could leave immediately.”

“That’s abuse of power, Taylor.” Brian pursed his lips, fighting a smile.

“I have a meeting with Art Nueve. It’s the newest modern art gallery in Pittsburgh. They called earlier asking how soon I can meet with them.”

“Go.”

“Really?”

“You’ll finish all the legal stuff with Ted tomorrow.” Brian returned to his desk.

“Tomorrow is Saturday.”

“On Monday.” Brian waved dismissively. “Meet me at Woody’s later.”

Justin smiled widely, skipping to his side and kissing his lips. “Later, Stud.”

Brian returned to his research. He decided to make a couple mock-ups and present them to the potential new client.

He picked the phone, pressing the dial 7 for the Art Department. He would have to get used to someone other than Justin picking up. Justin had been the one to usually answer when he called them, and Brian suspected he did it on purpose.

“Boss?” Kyle answered promptly.

“Come by my office for a second.”

Five minutes later, Kyle stepped into Brian's office, knocking once on the door. Brian waved to the chair across his desk.

“What do you think of flower shops?” Brian asked, still contemplating the idea of promoting a small chain shop flower business.

“Uh, corner of the street shops or bigger ones?”

“Bigger.”

“They’re more credible and I think people choose them over the corner of the street ones. Why?” Kyle frowned.

“We have an offer from The Secret Garden. They have several shops across the city.”

“I heard of them. I even bought from there once or twice.”

Brian nodded. “So you have intel. I’ve read through the reviews on their website and everyone is pleased.”

“If I remember correctly, the roses I got from them lasted over a week. My wife was over the moon,” Kyle explained.

Brian nodded again, not ready to ask how long should the roses last, but it seemed they usually didn’t last so long.

“And the other time, I bought that pot for Alice’s birthday as a present from the team. She still has it, obviously.”

“The orchid on her desk?” Brian checked.

“Yes. Good quality flowers, I’d say. So you want to promote them?”

“We’ll work on a couple mock-ups first. If they like what we come up with, we can add them to our extending portfolio.”

“Sure. Anything special you have in mind?” Kyle asked.

“You guys brainstorm and come up with something. You have until Tuesday.”

“Uh, Brian?” Kyle stood up. “We noticed Taylor left shortly after arriving today. He never returned.”

“And he won’t,” Brian said in a dismissive tone. “Now, go do your job.”

“Did you fire him?” There was a hint of hope and a lot of astonishment in Kyle’s voice.

“Justin quit. Now go break the good news you were all expecting and get the fuck to work!”

It looked like Kyle wanted to say more, but he chose to leave.

Brian sighed, leaning back into his chair. He had lost a valuable team member, but he understood that Justin wasn’t comfortable working in such an environment.

Close to five in the afternoon, Ted knocked on his door. Brian waved him inside.

“Look at this!” Ted placed some papers in front of him. “We’ve got profit!”

Brian smiled, pleased that the hard work was showing at last. “Miracles!”

Ted grinned. “So how do you plan on spending it?”

“How about a raise?” Brian quirked a brow.

“What? I wasn’t hinting at anything like that.” Ted shook his head, bewildered.

“You’re worked miracles, Ted. I have no idea what I would have done without you during these past few months.” He got up and went to touch his friend’s elbow. “So thank you, Ted. Ten percent raise?”

Ted blinked.

“Twenty?” Brian continued.

“Whoa! Let’s no go wild.” Ted laughed uneasily.

“Fifteen, it is.” Brian nodded. “Oh, and please take care of this.” He handed Ted Justin’s resignation.

“Did you fire Justin?” Ted gasped.

“He quit. Read the subject: R-E-S-I-G-N-A-T-I-O-N.” Brian rolled his eyes. “He’ll come by your office next week to sign everything.”

“Were you afraid of your office romance being discovered?” Ted teased.

“Justin decided to pursue his painter career. It’s what he loves to do.”

Brian wrapped up for the day, and on his way out, he stopped by Cynthia’s small office. “I’m leaving. You should, too. See you on Monday.”

“After I finish your schedule for next week. Some meetings are overlapping.”

“How so?” Brian walked closer.

“All the emails you sent me this past week. You already had other meetings set for some of the times you wanted.”

Brian leaned over the back of her chair. It took them over an hour to clear the mess.

By the time Brian made it to Woody’s, it was half past seven. Justin was sitting with Emmett at a table, having a heated conversation. Michael and Ben were across the table, watching them entertained. After a detour to the bar to grab a beer, Brian joined his friends.

He looped an arm around Justin’s shoulders, kissing his cheek wetly. “Hey, Sunshine.”

Justin glanced at him, kissing his lips quickly, before turning his focus on Emmett. There was a piece of paper on the table with a diagram of sorts. It looked like table arrangements.

“You just don’t get it, Justin. Summer weddings are the worst! Rain comes out of fucking nowhere. Bridezillas and groomzillas are my nightmares coming true!”

“Emmett, that’s why these fucking beams are here. It will be like a tent. The theme is fantasy, so this should work.” Justin doodled some more on the paper. “It will be like a tent, but without the tent. Over the beams will go these cloud-like roofs. I’ve seen them at a party in Switzerland. I have no idea what they’re called, but rain doesn’t go through them. Trust me.”

“Hold up. What’s this?” Brian demanded.

An inexplicable fear was gripping his insides.

“Justin decided to prove to me I can give my new clients their dream wedding even if it might rain.” Emmett scowled.

Justin met his Brian's eyes, chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll be involved if I decide to plan our wedding.”

“I think I still have your old notes,” Emmett said thoughtfully.

“Oookay. We’re not talking about it.” Brian sat next to Justin. “So how did the interview go?”

“Oh!” His eyes lit up. “It’s so beautiful! The most glam gallery I’ve seen in the state. I’ve already signed with them. They heard about me.”

“Wonders never cease.” Brian chuckled, pulling Justin closer. “I’m proud of you,” he whispered in his ear.

“Thanks.”

“We should celebrate this weekend.”

Justin winced, pulling a way slightly. “I promised Mom we’d be over there for brunch.”

“Then we’ll save the whipped cream for after. We don’t want a repeat of the last time.” Brian winked.

Justin paled, feeling his stomach squirming uneasily at mere memory of the maple syrup incident.

“Do we want to know?” Michael asked, reminding Justin where they were.

“It’s a hilarious story, actually,” Brian started in an amused voice.

“Use your imagination. We should go if we want to celebrate.” Justin pulled Brian up.

After saying goodbyes to their friends, they walked to the car wrapped around each other.

“Is that something you still want?” Brian asked when they reached the side alley where the car was parked.

“Celebrating? Licking whipped cream off your boner?” Justin joked.

Brian pressed him into the side of the car, trapping him there, propping his hands on either side of Justin. “Marriage.”

Justin choked on his spit, and it took him a moment to get over the coughing fit that followed. “Sorry?” He watched Brian as if he was a different person.

“You seemed pretty invested in helping Emmett.” He shrugged.

“I had to draw what I wanted to explain because he didn’t get the visual. And…since when are you so interested in marriage?”

Justin couldn’t believe he was having such a conversation with Brian in the alley behind Woody’s.

“I want to know where we stand,” Brian said softly. “And don’t get smart,” he warned, because he knew Justin was about to say something foolish.

Justin looped his arm around Brian's neck, bringing his head closer. “In lieu of the recent events in our lives, I realized a piece of paper can cause more trouble than it should. I’m not saying never, but not any time soon.”

Brian chuckled. “Let me know what you decide. I still have the rings. And this time, Emmett will get his fun in preparing a fabulous reception for us.”

Justin combed his fingers through Brian's hair. “I just got you back – all mine. Let me enjoy this peace we have in our lives. Throwing a wedding is hectic.”

“Of course. Anything you want, Sunshine.” Brian kissed Justin's brow. “Want to stop by this new Korean place on the way home? Theodore recommended it.”

“Sure.”

Justin shouldn’t feel too overwhelmed by Brian hinting at marriage, or sampling yet another restaurant. For the past couple of weeks, Brian had been the epitome of Stepford husband, though Justin could still see his Brian underneath the surface.

This time, Brian wasn’t changing and adjusting to accommodate what he believed Justin needed. Now, Brian was ready to embrace his freedom and how he could hold Justin's hand and kiss him in the middle of Liberty Avenue without fear.

The few times they had gone to Babylon, Brian had stayed by his side, not even blinking when some guy gave him long looks.

Justin wasn’t sure if the events in Brian's life had made him realize how everything could change within the second and he might lose more than he bargained, but he loved this new version of Brian. He was calmer than Justin had seen him since his return, and he made sure to show Justin even more how much he loved him.