Squirrel Hill's Manor Theatre, one hour later...

Brian, Justin, Gus, Lily, and Jack entered the Manor Theatre, the oldest continuously operating theater in the Pitts. The half-timbered facade of the historic building had been restored and the interior fully renovated. Inside, before heading into one of the four screening rooms for a show, moviegoers could soak in the modern ambience of the M-bar - drinking and nibbling on a variety of appetizers in addition to the usual theater snacks of popcorn, nuts, and candy. 

It was Gus's favorite theater, and he wanted to watch the rerun of The Lion King that was being shown there. Brian had been surprised that a movie theater would run such an old movie on Valentine's Day, but Jack and Lily seemed delighted with Gus's choice. Justin had always loved the movie, rattling on and on about the animation and special effects. "I can't wait to see it again," he declared, even more excited than the rest of the group. "I was only eleven when it came out, and I've watched it at least a hundred times."

Brian winced at that reminder of his own age, something he preferred not to think about. As he headed toward the booth to purchase tickets, he passed a large painting of a bald man with round, orange-framed glasses and a plaid blazer holding a dog - a dachshund wearing a horrible pink and blue coat - in his arms. The words ‘In loving memory' were printed at the bottom of the board. Brian frowned. A huge basket filled with pet toys, a tennis ball, a miniature coat, and a golden leash had been placed on a nearby table.

Brian, still staring quizzically at the weird shrine, handed his credit card to the ticket agent, requesting, "Five tickets for The Lion King. Three adults and two kids." 

"That is the theater manager with the love of his life, Barney," the cashier volunteered, having noticed Brian's puzzled glance at the painting. "We're showing The Lion King in tribute since he was a huge fan of that movie."

Brian looked at the clerk, his brow furrowing. "The theater manager died?" 

The salesman shook his head, snickering. "No. Barney died." In response to Brian's perplexed expression, he clarified, "The dog."

Brian snorted in astonishment. After grabbing the tickets from the counter, he put his credit card into his wallet and slid it back into the inner pocket of his coat. He then headed to the bar in the lobby, where Justin was busy buying sweets and a couple of cans of beer. 

"Don't ask," Brian ordered dryly as he joined Justin. The blond was looking at Brian inquiringly, having noticed his partner's bemused expression. When Justin kept staring at him, Brian disclosed, "Barney died."

"Who is Barney?" Jack questioned as he joined them with the biggest box of popcorn Brian had ever seen. 

Eyeing the junk food in consternation - Jack would never be able to eat all of that after having already gobbled down two double cheeseburgers at Jamie's - Brian responded thoughtlessly, "A dog."

"Oh my God!" Jack exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Dad." Brian scowled. "Remember, you're not supposed to ask questions."

"But someone died, Brian. You can't expect me to stay quiet about it."

Brian had to roll his eyes at that one. "It was not a person; it was a dog," he countered exasperatedly. Not waiting for Jack to answer, he called to his son, "Gus? Lily? We should take our seats. The movie will begin in less than ten minutes."

"You'll see, Mr. Jack. It's a great movie," Lily enthused as they waited to enter the screening room. "Gus hasn't seen it either. I wish it could be my first time all over again, too. It's so full of emotion! It's beautiful and profound, with deep insight into the human psyche."

"It's about two lions fighting over which one has the biggest b..." Brian retorted, forgetting he was addressing a little girl. 

"It's about love," Justin stepped in, interrupting Brian's analysis, saving his partner from explaining what kind of balls he was referring to. 

Fortunately, neither Lily nor Gus noticed Brian's misstep, although Jack was now giggling like a child hearing the word ‘wee-wee' for the first time. Brian ignored his father as they stepped up to an employee, who separated their tickets from the stubs and then handed the stubs back to them. They then proceeded into the room where the film would be screened, only to discover it was nearly empty of theatergoers. Brian found himself sitting between Justin and Gus in the center left of the room, Jack having insisted that the couples needed to be able to cuddle during the movie. 

Brian really regretted not having brought a gag with him. It would have been helpful to shut his father up. Justin was in for a treat for the next ninety minutes, since Jack had chosen the seat next to the blond. Before the movie even began, he started chewing loudly on his popcorn.

When the movie started, Gus was mesmerized by the first scene with all the animals dancing and celebrating Simba's birth. Brian was pretty sure he could see his son's eyes moistening, but he didn't say anything, preferring to discreetly observe the boy's reaction. Of course, he should have known the moment would be ruined by his father, who suddenly stood up to cheer Simba's birth.

"Dad!" Brian tried to get his father's attention, grateful that the movie theater was almost empty. "Sit down!" he ordered, reaching over to grab Jack's arm, while Justin did nothing except laugh hysterically. "Could you help me control him?" Brian complained.

"Jack," Justin called out as he tried to control his laughter. "You're not supposed to stand up in a movie theater."

Jack - who was now moving his ass in a circle - inquired, "Why not?"

"Because there are usually people sitting behind you, and if you're standing up, they can't see a thing," Justin responded quietly. Thankfully, Jack sat back down just as the title The Lion King appeared onscreen in big letters.

As the movie's second song started, with Simba singing that he couldn't wait to be king, Jack wriggled in his seat, clearly fighting the urge to stand up. Even though he stayed seated, he couldn't refrain from loudly humming the tune.

The worst part came when Mufasa died. Gus, who had been mostly quiet until now, couldn't prevent himself from sniffling a little. With Lily next to him, he tried as hard as he could to hide how sad he was, but in the end, it was a losing battle. He began to cry, searching for his father's hand. Brian, understanding Gus had been affected by the death of the lion cub's father, placed his arm around Gus's shoulders. The boy's chin trembled as tears ran down his cheeks.

"Hey, buddy. It's fine," he reassured him softly.

Lily leaned forward to catch Gus's eyes. "It's okay, Gus. Real men are not afraid to show their emotions. You're very brave."

"Maybe you should listen to her, Brian. You might learn how to be a real man," Justin whispered teasingly in Brian's ear, having overheard Lily's declaration.

Brian glared at Justin, while tightening his grip on Gus. That's when he noticed that Jack was sobbing uncontrollably next to Justin.

"It's so sad!" Jack exclaimed between sobs. "Brian! His father, he's... he's dead!"

"Oh my god, shoot me now," Brian mumbled in aggravation over his father's disproportionate reaction.

"Jack. It's sad, but it will get better," Justin tried to soothe him, but Jack only sobbed harder.

"Jesus Christ," Brian cursed. Peering at his son, he noticed the little boy was not crying anymore. The fact that Lily was now holding his hand probably explained why he had an ‘I'm in heaven' kind of expression on his face. Again, Brian marveled at the children's ability to change from sad to happy in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, Jack wouldn't be so easily comforted. "Switch places with me," Brian asked Justin. "I'm going to try to calm him down."

"Okay," Justin agreed, knowing Brian was the only one who could reassure his father in moments like this.

As soon as Brian sat next to him, Jack grabbed his hand, pulling his son against himself. "Sim... Simba is... devas...devastated. How... how can he... survive on... his own?" he questioned between gasps, crushing Brian's fingers.

"Hey. Look at me," Brian insisted. "It's okay. This is not actually real, you know?" 

"But it's... so sad. So, so sad," Jack wailed, now wiping his nose on Brian's shoulder.

Brian grimaced. "Couldn't you use a tissue instead of my shirt?"

"You could be... more considerate... about... my f- feelings," Jack lamented. "A father has died... and all... you're thinking about... is my snot on your... fancy clothes!"

"I..." Brian was about to argue, but as he eyed his father's nose, the threat of more disgusting mucus on his Ralph Lauren shirt stopped him dead. "Come on. If you quit sobbing, I'll give you a big hug."

"You... you will?" Jack stammered.

"Yes," Brian answered. He wasn't a fan of hugs, never had been, never would be, but he would do anything to stop his father from crying his eyes out until the movie finally ended. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Okay," Jack agreed, his voice still trembling.

Brian sighed in defeat, but he reached around to take his father in his arms. Jack, as always, hugged him as if he wanted to strangle him, but the brunet felt his dad relax in his arms. In fact, he could have sworn that the man had just given Justin a high five over his shoulder. Suddenly pulling back, Brian grabbed Jack's arms and looked at his face. 

His father was grinning. "Got you," he said proudly.

Turning around, Brian discovered that Justin was crying. From laughing himself silly. 

"Traitors," Brian snarled, crossing his arms over his chest. It had just dawned on him that Jack had conspired with Justin to pull this off. "I hate you both."

"You love us," Jack refuted, placing one arm around Brian's shoulders.

"So very much," Justin added, imitating Jack's gesture, Brian now caught between the two men.

"Fuck off!" He leaned forward in an attempt to shrug off their arms.

"Dad! Language!" Gus hissed. "I'm trying to watch the movie. You need to shut it."

At that point, Brian gave up and focused on the movie, not even blinking when Jack started to dance again, singing Hakuna Matata - with Justin joining in.

As soon as the movie ended, Jack tried to convince his son to let him go to the girls' place with them, especially after Gus inadvertently confided that they were going to offer chocolates and flowers to Lily and Justin, but Brian didn't cave in this time. His father pouted in the backseat, sitting between Gus and Lily and glaring at Brian through the rearview mirror during the entire ride to the Institute. When they arrived, he refused to get out of the car. Brian had to threaten never to let him watch The Lion King again before his father finally relented.

The thought of not being able to watch Pumba fart or sing to his son ‘Can you feel the love tonight' was way too scary for Jack to maintain his intransigence. "You're a dictator. Threatening not to let me watch this masterpiece again. How can you do that to your own father?" Jack complained as Brian walked with him to his room, while Justin, Gus, and Lily stayed in the car.

"Stop with the martyr act. You know it doesn't work on me," Brian demanded, unfazed by his father's theatrics. 

"Why don't you love me like I deserve to be loved?" Jack melodramatically inquired, as the two of them ascended the last stair to the second floor and began walking down the hallway.

"I know you too well," Brian declared as he briefly placed his hand over Jack's, muttering in his ear, "This is just a ploy to make me say that I care about you."

"And so what if it is?" Jack asked, glancing at his son when Brian stopped at the door to Jack's room.

Brian looked at his dad, his expression becoming serious as he grabbed the door handle. "You don't have to play me to get me to acknowledge how I feel. Not anymore. But I'm not going to declare my undying love to you every single time you want me to."

"You used the word ‘love'. You sooo love me," Jack repeated with a knowing smile.

Brian chuckled, "Shut up," opening the door and stepping inside his father's room. "Now, I need to go. Lily has to be back at her parents' house by five."

Jack followed Brian and took off his coat, placing it on a chair. Brian should have predicted his announcement would not please his father, who now looked like he was about to start pouting. Again. "Go then. They're waiting for you."

"Dad," Brian called, but Jack didn't look at him. "Dad," he insisted, walking over to his father. Jack still refused to gaze at him. "You're really the most stubborn person in my life, you know that?" Brian inquired with a smile.

"And who do you think I take after?" Jack asked, his lips turning upward.

"I think the correct question would be who I take after," Brian countered, smirking. He then demanded, "Come here."

"Why?" Jack's brow furrowed.

Brian rolled his eyes, but he moved to envelop his father in his arms, giving him a tight hug. "Happy Valentine's Day," he whispered in his ear, before releasing him as he stepped back.

"You're not my lover," Jack stated, pleased with his son's gesture. 

"Thank God for that mercy," Brian playfully responded, but before he could add anything else, Jack wrapped him closely in his arms.

Brian was almost strangled in less than five seconds. "Easy..." he breathed out. 

"Shut up and let me love you, for Christ's sake," Jack dryly mumbled, doing his best imitation of a bad-tempered Brian and making his son laugh. 

When the older man broke their embrace, he raised his hand to cup Brian's cheek. Brian would never say it out loud, but those gentle, brown eyes caused a deep tightening in his chest.

4:30 p.m...

Twenty minutes later, Brian finally parked the car in front of Lindsay and Melanie's house. "Last stop. Muncherland!" he exclaimed thoughtlessly as he killed the ignition.

"I don't see any sheep or goats out there," Lily commented as she undid her seatbelt. 

Brian peered at Justin, a deer caught in the headlights sort of expression on his face. 

"Muncherland? Really?" the blond mouthed quietly so that the kids wouldn't hear him, although Brian could see he was trying hard not to laugh.

Brian's lips curled upward, but as he gazed into the backseat, he managed to announce in a serious tone, "Justin? Lily? We have a surprise for you. Right, Gus?"

"Absolutely," Gus eagerly agreed as he opened his door and jumped down, before walking around the back of the vehicle to help Lily out. 

Brian and Justin followed their lead, and soon they all were standing on the girls' porch. "Gus," Brian called to his son, preventing him from immediately entering the house. He crouched down in front of him and murmured, "Why don't you offer your presents to Lily first, okay, buddy? I will give mine to Justin after that."

"Okay. I need some time alone with Lily anyway," Gus nodded, indicating that he didn't want anyone to be present when he gave Lily her gifts. "And I know that..." he paused, obviously hesitating to share what he wanted to say with his father.

"What? You can tell me," Brian prompted gently, while Justin pretended not to listen to their conversation. Lily was humming absently a few feet away, granting her boyfriend some privacy.

Gus leaned closer to his father's ear as if he were going to impart a big secret. "I know you need some time only with Justin, Dad. And I understand. There is nothing wrong with being shy," he declared solemnly.

Brian laughed as he gazed softly at his son. Ruffling his hair, he quipped, although he had a feeling Gus would take his words very seriously, "Just don't tell Justin I'm nervous about offering him flowers and chocolates on Valentine's Day."

"Pinky promise," Gus swore, reaching out to hook his little finger with Brian's. To demonstrate the solemnity of his promise, he then gestured over his heart and intoned, "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." 

"Good boy," Brian praised as he quickly glanced downward to make sure that the pinky swear hadn't divested him of his manhood. He really needed to talk to the two lesbians about what they were teaching his son.

Maybe this whole pinky thing wasn't that bad, Brian reflected when he noticed Justin looking at both father and son in adoration. "Now, let's do this!" he encouraged as he patted his son on the back.

Gus smiled broadly at his father and opened the front door. "Come on, Lily!" he invited his friend to enter his house. As he crossed the threshold, he called out, "Mom? Momma? We're home!"

Meanwhile, Justin was still looking at Brian as if he wanted to devour him on the spot. "Do you have any idea how sexy you really are?" he unsurprisingly teased as soon as Brian straightened up.

Brian snorted. "You're so easy," he mocked his partner playfully before capturing his tantalizing lips, emboldened by the blond's reaction. And what the hell, Justin might have fallen for the heartfelt connection between father and son, but Brian fucking loved it when his partner looked at him like he was head over heels in love with him. 

Melanie's voice echoing around the entryway unfortunately stopped Brian from exploring Justin's mouth more thoroughly. "Ahhh, you're finally here!" she addressed the two men with a smirk before greeting her son, "Hi, Honey!" After bending over to give Gus a big hug, she leaned back, focusing on the petite Afro American girl standing quietly at his side. "And who is this beautiful girl with the amazing green eyes?" she questioned in a warm voice.

"I'm Lily. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Marcus," Lily responded bashfully. 

"Call me Melanie, please," Melanie replied, extending her hand to shake Lily's, obviously impressed that the girl knew her last name. She then shouted to get her wife's attention, "Linds? They're here!" 

Lindsay appeared at the top of the staircase and quickly descended the stairs to join them. After blowing a kiss toward Justin and Brian, she turned to greet her son's date, "Hey Lily! I'm Lindsay. You saw me and my partner briefly at Jamie's during lunch. We didn't introduce ourselves because we didn't want to interrupt your meal."

Brian guffawed at that one. Lindsay was so full of shit.

The blonde continued, "But now, we have some time to discover more about each other! What do you say? You want a hot chocolate with white and pink marshmallows? I spent hours preparing the drinks! I even made the marshmallows by hand! This hot chocolate is Gus's favorite!"

"No, it isn't," Gus interjected.

Lindsay ignored her son's comment. "You will love it!" she insisted.

"For Chrissake, Linds," Brian cursed quietly as he grabbed her elbow, escorting her a couple steps away. "You're not doing what I think you're doing, right?" 

"I have no clue what you're talking about." Lindsay gazed at him innocently.

"Oh, you don't?" Brian mocked. "What about guilting your son's date into trying one of your awful concoctions while you grill her with stupid questions, such as ‘You still live with your parents? What does your father do for a living? What do you want to grow up to be? Are you interested in embroidery? Ballroom dance?" he imitated her high-pitched tone. "And homemade marshmallows?" he asked as he pretended to gag. "You want to poison the poor girl?"

"Brian, how can you think that of us?" Melanie intervened, feigning outright indignation. "We just want to get to know her. Gus seems to like Lily, and as concerned parents, we want to show our interest in our son's life." 

Brian huffed at her explanation. "Give the kid a break. If I had to meet in-laws like the two of you at her age, I would have been driven to embrace the Lord and become a priest. One wicked mother-in-law is bad enough, but two?" he grimaced. 

Justin, who was observing the whole scene and enjoying the free entertainment, barely restrained himself from doubling over in laughter - especially at the notion that his lover would ever be a man of the cloth. Intent on rescuing Gus, he purposely suggested, "Gus, why don't you go to the living room with Lily and give her her presents? We will respect your privacy and wait for you here." 

Gus directed a thankful gaze at Justin before frowning at all three of his parents. Satisfied that they weren't going to voice any more ridiculous ideas, he grabbed Lily's hand and dragged her to the living room, where they had left the flowers and chocolates the day before. 

As soon as they headed toward the living room, however, Lindsay, Melanie, and Brian followed them. Justin feared they were intent on interrupting Lily and Gus's tête-à-tête, but they stopped once they could clearly see both children. "You're not going in there," he warned sternly. "And Brian... really?"

"What? I'm just curious," Brian defended himself as he stood behind Melanie and Lindsay, peering over their heads to discreetly spy on his son. Justin couldn't believe how childishly they were all behaving.

He joined them within a few seconds, though.

"Ohhhh! He just told her he loves her! That's so sweet!" Lindsay melted, her eyes riveted to the scene unfolding in the living room. Gus was holding out the bouquet of lilies and the heart-shaped box of chocolates with an expectant look on his face.

"And look at her face now that she has seen the flowers!" Melanie raved. Lily was now fawning all over Gus's thoughtful presents.

"He is so going to nail her," Brian snickered.

"Oh my God, Brian," Justin chuckled at his partner's remark. He wasn't surprised that Brian would assess the most ridiculously romantic scene he had ever witnessed between two children in such a way, but he had a feeling the brunet was merely trying to disguise how immensely he was enjoying himself.

"What?" Brian countered. As he looked at his partner, the blond saw that he was smiling brightly. "Fuck it," Brian mumbled. Moving into the living room, the brunet demanded, "Come with me."

He then paused, waiting for Justin to join him. "I need the gifts," he stated in explanation when his son gave him a puzzled look. 

Brian walked to the dining table and picked up the remaining bouquet and the bag from the chocolate shop. Making sure Justin was still following him, he then headed to the back door and stepped outside, the blond closing the door behind them.

"So," Brian began, clearly feeling awkward. It wasn't every day that he offered gifts like these to another man. In fact, it was the first time in his life that he had bought flowers and chocolates for anyone but Debbie. "Gus made me buy these. So, I thought that instead of watching the roses, tulips, and gardenias wither and die in the presence of lesbians eating chocolates that will undoubtedly turn them into bloated whales, I could give them to you instead." He shook his head, eyeing the flowers askance, as if the thorns on the roses would suddenly jab him. 

Justin was trying very hard to remain serious.

Brian noticed and finally admitted, "Do you have any idea how ridiculous I feel?"

"You're not ridiculous," Justin refuted, a small grin playing across his lips. "You're romantic," he drawled. Annoying the brunet truly was one of his guilty pleasures.

Brian glared at him. "I hate romantic shit."

"I know you do," Justin agreed. "That's why I'm aware how much it costs your ego to give me these," he teased, snatching the bouquet of red roses, yellow tulips, and golden gardenias from Brian's hand. Inhaling deeply, he kept his gaze on Brian, who was now looking at him with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I spent the last month studying the meaning of flowers with Gus, by the way. Oh, and I taught him about the importance of behaving like a gentleman and choosing the perfect gift for your lover," Justin revealed, now grinning broadly.

"You did?" Brian raised an eyebrow, understanding the blond had totally played him. "You're so enjoying this," he stated knowingly.

"I am," Justin confirmed, before grabbing the ‘Mon Aimee Chocolat' bag from Brian's hand and looking inside. He burst out laughing as he retrieved the heart-shaped box with the sentimental declaration of love printed on its top. "Be my valentine. Yours forever and ever..." Justin read out loud, giggling.

At the blond's hilarity, Brian pursed his lips before moving closer and raising his hand to cover Justin's on the chocolate box. Glancing at the top of the box, he frowned playfully. "Gus chose it," he acknowledged as he placed the chocolates and the flowers on a nearby table. "It was either that or a heart-shaped note stating ‘You own the key to my heart' in French, with the two halves of the heart representing lovers kissing while their eyes turned into tiny hearts." He then took Justin into his arms and disclosed with a laugh, "Either way, it was totally lame."

Justin nodded. "You poor thing. It must have been a terrifying and highly traumatic experience."

Brian smirked, pulling Justin close to him. "Luckily for you, I survived."

"And you did it for your son," Justin argued, as he softly caressed Brian's cheek.

"Yeah..." Brian replied, although Justin could have sworn there was more in that single word than Brian was willing to share. The thought was a fleeting one, however, since Brian chose that instant to kiss him, one of those kisses which made Justin's legs turn into jello and his heart feel like it had stopped beating altogether. His back encountered the wall of the house as Brian walked him backward and trapped him there.

Not that Justin had any complaints about that, mind you. But that's when they heard someone loudly clearing his throat.

"Dad!" Gus' indignant voice reached them.

And yep. That was a scowl on Brian's face.

Turning to see where the voice had come from, Brian and Justin discovered four heads looking at them through the sliding-glass door. Linds and Mel even had the audacity to wave at them.

"We're just waiting for you to devour Justin alive, Brian," Melanie jested. "The post-honeymoon reunion haze still hasn't worn off, I presume?"

"They need to stop kissing all the time!" Gus exclaimed. "Seriously, Dad, we need to go. It's ten to five," he informed his father, before disappearing into the living room.

Brian groaned. When he realized Linds and Melanie were still watching, he growled some more before murmuring, "I think that's our cue. Let's take Lily home with Gus, and then we will drop him back here so that we can finally celebrate Valentine's Day in true Kinney fashion. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan," Justin smiled, as he picked up his flowers and chocolates. "By the way..." he stopped Brian as the man was ready to join his son. "Thank you... for the flowers and... the chocolates. I mean, well... thank you."

Brian's eyes softened. A shy smile appeared on his lips, one Justin rarely saw. And fuck if he didn't love Brian a little more every time he saw that smile on his face.

5:05 p.m., Lily's house...

"What is he doing?" Brian whispered, trying to watch his son from his position behind the steering wheel. Gus had accompanied Lily to her door while he and Justin waited in the jeep.

"Nothing for now," Justin disclosed as he stared through his window. "No, wait; I think... yes! That's it!"

"That's it, what? What? Let me see!" Brian tried to push Justin out of the way so he could see the Harris' front door. 

"She kissed him," Justin declared proudly. 

"What? How?" Brian babbled. For now it was just a first kiss but before Brian realized it, Gus would surely knock on his door claiming that he was pregnant.

"She assaulted him. She grabbed his collar and planted her lips on Gus's without asking for his permission. And she ravished him," Justin stated with a straight face.

"Sorry, what?" Brian exclaimed. "She raped my son?"

Justin roared with laughter. "Jesus Brian, you really think an eight-year-old girl like Lily could abuse your son?"

"What if she traumatized him with her gross, wet tongue? She ate cheese for lunch," Brian countered. Maybe she couldn't assault Gus, but still, a smelly tongue could agitate an innocent child, right?

"She didn't," Justin barked out a laugh. "And for your information, she just placed a soft peck on his lips. Christ, you're worse than Michael, I swear."

"You're sure? That's all?" Brian questioned, so relieved he even ignored the comparison to his overprotective best friend.

"Yes. That's all. She is gone now," Justin responded, still gazing at the house.

"So where is Gus then?" Brian inquired. If Lily was home, Gus should be coming back to the car.

"Still standing in the same place. It seems her kiss has frozen him to the spot," Justin revealed.

Brian growled. "I knew he would be traumatized."

"He's not," Justin contended. "Give him a couple of minutes. He just received his first kiss from the girl he loves. It's a very intense experience," he stated, covering Brian's hand with his own. 

Brian peered at their joined hands, before entwining their fingers.

"You remember that night? On the roof?" Justin questioned softly.

"Yeah..." Brian acknowledged, gazing over at Justin's face.

"I knew that day that I would love you for the rest of my life," Justin declared, lost in memory.

"Now, who is being cheesy?" Brian teased, caressing the back of Justin's hand with his thumb.

"It's true," Justin insisted. "Standing on the edge of that roof, with you holding me in your arms... it was the most wonderful feeling I've ever had. I felt so alive that night. And when you kissed me, after everything that had happened to me... You brought me back to life, Brian."

Brian didn't respond immediately, staring at Justin as if memorizing the moment. Then, he grabbed Justin's neck and pressed their lips together, letting out a moan as his lover opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. He felt high, totally high from Justin's scent and touch. Talk about intense.

"Dad, really? Again?" Gus's voice resonated in his ears as he slid into the backseat.

Brian chuckled against Justin's lips, pulling away slightly and smiling.

He almost said the words out loud but refrained, preferring instead to steal another kiss from the man he loved.

It was the best fucking date he had ever been on.

THE END