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February 12

Justin walked down the street; his face tipped up and enjoyed the feel of the pale, winter sun on it as he and Brian made their way back to Kinnetik, hand-in-hand. They were just getting back from an early lunch at the bistro down the street as they were still avoiding the diner. Not because they were still mad at Deb or avoiding her, but because they were avoiding Michael as Brian was still in 'kill Mikey on sight' mode.

Or, at least Justin was avoiding him.

He really did not want to be hauling his ass down to the precinct to bail his husband out of jail if Michael played true to form and started whining about Brian being unfair to him. Because, of course, Mikey didn't do anything, but tell the truth; and it wasn't his fault that Justin was overly sensitive.

Yes, because apparently, panicking because you've just found out that you potentially have a stalker, who is also targeting your husband, was overreacting. Or, so the Liberty Rumor Mill said. Justin didn't really know for certain that Michael had said any of that as he hadn't seen him since their little showdown at the same bistro that he and Brian had just eaten at.

But, he could fully believe it to be true; it certainly sounded like Michael's usual brand of passive-aggressive bullshit.

Pressing his other hand to his stomach, Justin smile as Brian leaned down and kissed his temple, and decided to forget about the asshole. He just wanted to enjoy these last last few minutes with his husband before Brian had to meet with the Aster Avalon representatives and Justin headed back home to finish his last piece for the show.

He tipped his head back and kissed Brian lightly on the lips, humming when Brian stopped and deepened it, his arms wrapping securely around Justin. He sighed and wrapped his hand around the base of Brian's neck and enjoyed the impromptu make-out session, ignoring the people grumbling as they walked around them.

Tough cookies; he had better things to do.

"What was that for?" Justin asked as he pulled away, a small smile on his lips.

"You know me," Brian said, his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. "I never could resist making a public display of the most beautiful man in Pittsburgh."

"And I'm not bad either, right?" Justin said with a self-deprecating smile, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Twat," Brian snorted, shaking his head, and then sobered. "I do believe that you have surpassed me, Sunshine. You are truly the most beautiful man I have ever seen; especially now that you're carrying, Sunbeam. I don't stand a chance."

"Wow," Justin teased, fighting back a wide smile. "What did they put in your drink at the bistro. Are you sure your dick is still attached because that was particularly lesbionic of… mmmph."

Justin giggled as Brian claimed his lips once more, kissing him into submission and cutting off anything else that he might say.

"Mouthy twat," Brian complained as he pulled away and wrapped his arm around Justin's shoulder, and they continued walking down the street.

"You like my mouth," Justin smirked, wiggling his eyebrows, eliciting a loud bark of laughter from his husband.

"Oh, I do, Sunshine," Brian said, his eyes dancing with mirth. "I really, really do. How about, when we get back to the office, you demonstrate just why I love your mouth so much and I will be vocally appreciative of your every effort."

"Asshole," Justin laughed, wrapping his arm around Brian's waist. "Only you can go from complimenting me in one breath and soliciting me for a blow job in the next."

"Oh, come on, Sunshine," Brian said, all faux innocence. "I was just looking out for the baby." Justin stared at him suspiciously at that non sequitur. "After all, I read somewhere that having an extra helping of protein is beneficial…"

Justin squawked and smacked his laughing husband on the arm. Huffing, Justin rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath about irritating husbands who need to behave if they are expecting him to do anything with their dicks. Brian just smirked; a look that said, 'please, Sunshine; like you can keep your hands off of this.'

Sadly, that was the truth; with his hormones raging the way they had been lately, denying Brian anything was moot. He'd just be punishing himself.

Sighing in exasperation, Justin shook his head and continued to walk down the street towards the office. Brian took his hand and fell into step at his side, a content smile on his face. Justin grinned and turned to him to say something, but whatever he was going to say was forever lost when he caught sight of Michael in the distance.

"Jesus," Justin cursed in a hushed voice, his eyes widening as they fell onto a bruised and battered Michael. "What the fuck happened to him?"

Brian looked over, his lips compressing into a thin line as the lit on Michael, but he remained suspiciously silent. Justin cast a wary look in Brian's direction and then looked back at Michael, who had turned his head in their direction. His left eye was blackened and there looked to be a shadow of a bruise on his right jaw line, and there was a scrape of some kind on his right cheek as well.

But most telling was the way he limped and held his body – as if there were bruises or injuries in places that couldn't be seen.

Narrowing his eyes, he turned back to Brian, vividly recalling the time he'd hit Michael at Mel's and Lindsay's anniversary party. Brian just watched his friend with an impassive look, but Justin could see the rage that simmered beneath the surface. A rage that likely wouldn't abate any time soon unless it found a target.

"Please tell me you didn't do that," Justin said, a quiet look of rapprochement on his face; and not because he cared one way or the other that Michael had gotten his just dues and had his ass handed to him.

No, it had to with the fact that Brian let himself get so angry that he'd ended up doing something he would eventually regret. Maybe not today; and tomorrow wasn't likely either. But eventually, he would calm down and then he'd beat himself up for giving into the temptation of physical violence; and then he'd start comparing himself to his father and it would just snowball into a fucking mess from there.

"I didn't do it," Brian parroted solemnly.

"Brian." Justin turned and forced his husband to look at him.

"No, seriously, I didn't," Brian said, realizing that Justin was legitimately concerned. "When I left, he was still standing without a mark on him. I didn't trust myself to stop once I got going; so, I made sure to keep my hands to myself. Mostly."

Justin nodded and took him at his word; but there was something lying just under that confession that had him looking back at his husband suspiciously. He just knew there was more to it than that. Crossing his arms over his chest he continued to stare at Brian until finally he sighed explosively and caved.

"Of course," he said a bit too nonchalantly for Justin to believe it. "I did conveniently forget that I brought Emmett with me when I left."

"Brian!" Justin exclaimed, slapping his hand against his forehead and staring at his unrepentant husband with no little exasperation. Brian just shrugged.

"I am not responsible for that Queen's actions, Sunshine," Brian stated firmly, arching a brow when Justin went to argue. "And frankly, if I could have done it myself without worrying that I would have murdered the little twerp, he would look far worse than that. I will not condemn Em for the actions I wish that I could have taken at the time."

Justin huffed, but then let it go, knowing that Brian wasn't likely to show any kind of remorse for Michael's predicament any time soon.

"I can't believe that Em…" Justin said, trailing off when Brian snorted.

"I can," Brian said as he reached for Justin's hand and led him down the street once more. "He was an out and proud queer in the middle of the Bible belt. You don't survive something like that without some serious ass skills." Brian paused, his mouth screwing up at the unintentional double entrende; and then tossed a tongue in cheek smirk Justin's way. Justin just rolled his eyes as they turned the corner. "From what I've heard, be glad he didn't have a gun with him."

"Brian…" Justin said, trailing off again when the implications of that last statement hit him. "Em wouldn't…"

"Kill him?" Brian finished with a serious look, pausing by Kinnetik's door to face Justin. "No, but he sure as hell would have made him hurt." Justin stared at his husband incredulously. "You forget, Sunshine; he thinks of you as a brother. He most definitely would do whatever he felt was necessary to keep you safe."

"I swear to God," Justin sighed and then opened the door and stepped into the lobby. "I can't take either of you anywhere."

"Deal with it, Sunshine," Brian said, following him through the halls to their shared office. "As I don't see it changing anytime soon. And be glad it was Em and not Blake that got hold of Mikey; as I'm certain we'd be scraping Mikey off the floor if Blake hadn't been preoccupied with Luc."

Justin winced at that thought; everyone thought that it was either Justin or Emmett that were the biggest instigators in their little trio. But in reality, Blake was usually the one that was dragging them behind him. He really would have hated to see what Michael looked like had Blake confronted him.

"Fuck," Justin cursed as they walked into the office. "No wonder Deb was on the warpath…"

"Don't make excuses for her, Sunshine," Brian said implacably, skirting his desk to look through the files that Yasmeen had set on his desk in his absence. "Her doing exactly as she did on Friday is the reason Mikey thinks that he can get away with this shit. True, I didn't help matters before you and I met; but most of the blame lies at her feet as she was his sole influence right up until the time that he was fourteen. And trust me, a lot of his behavioral issues were set in stone by that point."

"Jesus, what is it with people telling me that this week? I'm not offering up an excuse for her behavior, just an explanation," Justin huffed; and he wasn't.

Deb had always been one of Michael's worst enablers, followed closely by Ben. He wasn't excusing her behavior; it was that he could just see why she might have flown off the handle before asking questions if she'd seen Michael's face just after it occurred.

"You know as well as I do that once she saw Michael the next day," Justin continued with a frown. "That she would have remembered your confrontation the day before; and also remembered the time that you hit him at the munchers' party; and that she would instantly jump to conclusions. It's not the first time she's done so; and even with what I said to her on Friday, I doubt it would be the last."

"Sure it is, Sunshine," Brian smirked, trying to lighten the moment."We all know that it's because you have such a soft heart that you can't help defending mothers, babies and cute fluffy animals everywhere."

"Fuck you very much," Justin snorted as he rounded the desk and stood between Brian's splayed legs. "In your dreams maybe; everyone knows that I'm the badass in this relationship."

Brian slowly turned his head and stared at Justin with an 'are you fucking with me' look. Justin just smirked and then dropped to his knees in front of his husband; and anything Brian might have said after that was lost to a groan as Justin pulled him out of his pants and did indeed show him just why he loved his mouth.

 

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