Justin went to the store near Brian’s loft to pick up a few things for dinner. He was pretty much in his own world. Justin didn’t want to think about Lindsay until he needed to, he needed to think about the changes in his and Gus’s life by including Brian. Even with them only knowing each other for a week, it was nice that they both understood that Gus was the most important person to them. Even the past that Brian told him about didn’t have anything to do with what he and Brian were doing now. Justin needed to stop looking for reasons that made it seem like he and Brian were moving too fast and take the leap he kept saying he would take. If it didn’t work out between them, they at least needed to be friends and find a way to make sure Gus was supported.

Justin finished getting what he needed to make stir fry and managed to get out of the store before he thought too much about what he was going to do. Brian texted that he was going to take Gus to his grandma and would be back as soon as possible. He also wanted to talk to Ted and Cynthia about leaving sooner. Justin figured he could have dinner ready by the time Brian got back. Which would have been workable if Michael wasn’t standing outside the loft when Justin got there. Justin hoped the man would leave when he told him Brian wasn’t there, but Michael seemed happy to hear it.

“I came to talk to you, and maybe get you to see that things aren’t what you thought they were,” Michael told him. Sounding almost as if he was sad for Justin.

“Why would you think talking to you would change what I think?” Justin asked.

“Who better to tell you what you should expect than the guy who knows Brian the best. It’s not that I want to discourage you, but you have to deal with reality, not the person Brian is likely making you believe he is. He probably wants to be that person for you, but in the end, he’ll feel stifled and want out. So I’m here to let you know what you’ll have to put up with if you expect him to stay around.” Michael told him.

“Which is?” Justin asked, unlocking the door. Figuring that until Michael got finished talking, he wouldn’t leave.

“The freedom to be where he wants to be and to do what he wants to do. If you think you and he are going to make a happy little homelife with the kid than you need to know it’s not something Brian would ever want. Right now he’s telling you what you want to hear because he thinks he wants to be a father, something he didn’t want when Lindsay announced she’d tricked him. Brian depended on the only person he trusted to deal with the situation for him. Me. The only reason he didn’t ask me to deal with you was that you had something he wanted, the kid. Apparently, that isn’t going to be a problem, since I heard he now has custody. So I came here to talk to you about what to expect now that he’s got what he really wants.” Michael told him, looking strangely at Justin when he didn’t react to what he was saying, just started cutting up vegetables.

“Which is?” Justin asked again when Michael obviously didn’t get the reaction he wanted out of him.

“For me to be there to help him. Which means you need to go back to wherever you came from and leave it up to me to help Brian, and not get in the way of his life.” Michael told him.

“I don’t see a problem with going back home. In fact, I plan to, tomorrow.” Justin told him.

“That’s really for the best. Once Brian gets Lindsay off his back, then he’ll want me to be here for the kid. So you would really be doing the kid a favor by letting him get used to the way it’s going to be here.” Michael said, happy that Justin was willing to leave.

“And also for you, by clearing the path to Brian for you. Isn’t that what you really want?” Justin asked him.

“You wouldn’t be doing anything that wasn’t already pretty much the way things are going to be. It was always going to be Brian and me. I just let him do the things he needed to before he was ready for what I… we, wanted. I’ll get going now since you seem to understand what you need to do.” Michael left, happily thinking that things were going to be exactly how he wanted them to be.

Justin shook his head at Michael’s words. Everything Michael said was in direct contrast to what Brian was doing. On top of it, Michael’s plans were what he seemed to warn Justin that Brian didn’t want. It was the most confusing conversation Justin ever had.

Ted, with Jen’s help, had already leased a small suite of rooms for the offices in Chicago. He had meetings scheduled with three new clients once the furniture was delivered. Cynthia was planning to leave with Brian in the morning. She would get things set up while Brian got settled with Gus and Justin and while Ted stayed behind and kept things going in Pittsburgh. They were willing to do what Brian needed in order to make this transition work. Brian didn’t let them see how proud he was of the people he'd chosen when he opened up the doors of Kinnetik. He only nodded as they told him without words that they were willing to do whatever he wanted so he could be happy. He called Mel after they left the office to see how things went with Nancy and Ron, not really expecting much from the talk.

“They want to make it sound like Justin was the father and that he and Lindsay are close to each other. They want you erased from the picture. Strangely enough, you seem to be the person for everyone to blame. It sounds like they are trying to do damage control to keep Randolph from dumping Lindsay in their laps again.” Mel told him.

“They really think I give a shit about their reputations or connections? This is about my son. He’s not going to be a chess piece they move around to keep scandal at bay.” Brian told her.

“They also aren’t getting that you hold all the cards right now, and somehow apply their logic with Lindsay to Justin. They think talking to Justin’s father will bring Justin to heel.” Mel laughed.

“From the way Jen talks about Craig, he simply wants to ignore that Justin exists. I doubt he’s going to want to get involved.” Brian told her.

“Not unless he has something to lose or gain from it. He seemed to find it funny when I told him why they wanted to see him.” Mel told him, hanging up.

Brian laughed at Mel’s way of thwarting the Petersons and looked at the time, deciding to get back to the loft. Cynthia let him know on the way out the door that she needed a list of what he wanted to be moved with him. Brian stopped for a second, thinking about it.

“Everything.” He told her, walking out the door. Knowing that his life was going to be where Justin and Gus were from now on.

Lindsay sat on the couch staring at the family portrait on the mantle while her mother was lecturing away at all the things that Lindsay did to screw up their lives. As she looked at the picture of them, dressed, smiling, and pretending they were perfect, she thought about how they weren’t. Her father’s life was pretty much giving in to all of Mommy’s decrees. If he even tried to do something Mommy didn’t like, she made sure he understood what it would cost him. Lindsay didn’t get how he could head a business when at home he was weak and pathetic. In contrast, her mother was demure in public, the perfect hostess, everything she wasn’t at home. Maybe that was why Lynette was her favorite, because they both thrived on beating down the men in their lives. Only Lynette didn’t pick as well as Mommy did since she couldn’t hold on to a marriage. But nothing Lynette did mattered to her parents, she was always better than Lindsay. 

“I need you to behave when Craig Taylor gets here, and show Randolph whatever it was that made him believe you were worth marrying.” Nancy told her.

“Why? Randolph left saying I’d hear from his lawyer, so it sounds like he’s not the one.” Lindsay said absently.

“No, what it sounds like is you couldn’t keep it together the way I taught you. A man like that could have given you all the things we hoped for you. But you had to drag up a past that you seemed to forget about until you came here. You took off when we already had a way to make what you did right. We planned to help you, but once again you disappointed us. If you pursue this, Brian Kinney isn’t going to hide that you were basically a high price escort, and will drag our names through the mud. Something we could have prevented if you’d just allowed your sister to raise the child. We were thrilled Lynette would be a mother, and instead, you took the money and left our grandson with a stranger. Lynette would have given him everything. I can only be thankful that Justin was someone we could at least be happy with. You need to make sure that Craig sees it our way.” Nancy told her, going to answer the door.

Lindsay watched as Craig came in, noticing that he seemed puzzled at why her parents invited him, or at least wanted them to think he was. Lindsay followed them to the den for drinks, grabbing a beer as her mother looked at her disapprovingly.

“Is there a reason you asked me to come over?” Craig asked.

“We seem to have something in common, and wanted to discuss with you how to handle the situation, so everyone involved sees things the way we want them to.” Ron told Craig.

“What do we have in common?” Craig asked.

“Justin, Lindsay, and a grandson.” Ron told Craig, pointing to Lindsay.

“My son Justin?” Craig asked.

“Yes, Lindsay and Justin have a son in common. One that we want to see doesn’t end up with the wrong kind of people. Lindsay’s husband recently wanted to reunite her with her child, but there are a few complications that seem to bring a situation back to haunt us.” Nancy told him.

“What are you expecting from me? Justin lives his own life.” Craig asked them.

“He involved the real father. A Brian Kinney. Brian wouldn’t care what it did to any of us if the truth was brought to light. What we need you to do is talk to your son about a deal we’d be willing to make to keep Brian out of it.” Nancy told him.

Craig’s laughter wasn’t what Nancy expected. “You know, I have a problem with Justin’s lifestyle. But until it came out, one of the things I was, and still am proud of, is that Justin never gave in to anyone’s demands that he do anything but what he wanted. Since you obviously don’t know that about Justin, then you also don’t know that there isn’t anything you could do that would get him to be or do anything but who he is and what he wants to do. He also wouldn’t give a damn what I said to him.” Craig said, sounding proud of his son.

“If he doesn’t, you’ll feel the scandal too.” Lindsay added, to see how he reacted.

“What scandal? That Justin is gay? Already happened. That he took in your son while you ran off, and from all accounts offered yourself out to anyone willing to pay for it? Not sounding like it’s something that would scandalize my family, but yours. From what I was told, Justin and Brian plan to raise ‘Gus’, not ‘the child’ together. While you are just hoping to save Lindsay’s marriage and keep the backlash from your family.” Craig told them, smirking.

“What if Brian and Justin decided to get married?” Lindsay asked, trying to figure out how to get Craig on her side.

“Nothing I could do about it, other than disapprove of it. Since that didn’t work on Justin years ago, I doubt it will now. And, while yes, I do disapprove of it, in the end, if Justin is happy, that’s all that will matter. I spent years distancing myself from my family over it. All that happened was that I lost everything that at one time I valued, over something Justin couldn’t change about himself. And if you thought I’d be willing to lose more by siding with you, think again.” Craig told them, putting his untouched drink down and walking towards the door.

“I’m willing to get some people to invest in your business.” Ron told him.

“I’m not for sale. That’s something I learned from my son. I’m also not willing to put a child near your family after listening to how you value ‘it’.” Craig said, walking out the door and leaving the house.

Nancy paced around the room, not understanding Craig Taylor. “He turned his back on Justin, proclaimed his hatred of homosexuality, that should have had him willing to do what we wanted.” Nancy told Ron.

“He still loves him. It doesn’t matter to him that Justin isn't everything he wanted.” Lindsay told her, jealous of Justin for having everything she couldn’t.

Brian walked in to the smell of garlic and set the table for them. He went to look for Justin, who was in the bathroom taking a shower. In the past, this would have had the asshole in Brian demanding what Justin thought he was doing here, but now it felt like a home he once dreamed of having when he would hide from his father and mother. He never wanted to depend on anyone, but with Justin, it felt equal. Neither of them would stay with each other out of obligation, but because it was where they wanted to be. Letting go of those thoughts Brian undressed and got in the shower with Justin.

Justin was rinsing out his hair and Brian needed to touch him. Justin smiled when he opened his eyes and saw Brian naked in front of him, and let Brian run his hands down his body. Brian watched as goose bumps appeared everywhere he touched Justin.

“It feels like everywhere you touch comes alive with feelings I never felt before.” Justin told him.

“Everything feels different with you.” Brian told him, going down on his knees.

“Why?” Justin asked, trying not to think about Michael.

“It’s different because with you everything means more than it ever has.” Brian told him, taking Justin into his mouth.

Justin moaned loudly as Brian took him down his throat. Only Justin wanted more, he wanted Brian inside him. A place only Brian would ever be. Justin pulled at Brian’s hair and almost came instantly when hazel eyes looked straight into his. Eyes that continued staring until Justin came. When Brian stood he kissed Justin, letting the blond taste himself on his tongue. Brian then turned Justin around and grabbed a condom he had left on the shelf.

“You were waiting for me.” Brian growled, and he made quick work of the condom and then used the lube to open up Justin.

“Hoping you’d show.” Justin said, turning his head and kissing Brian as he started to enter him.

Neither of them talked any more, since they were no longer able to do anything but feel. As Brian started hammering into him, Justin met him thrust for thrust. The water was turning cool when both of them came, causing them to laugh at the cold shower they had to take in order to clean up the mess they’d made. 

They threw on robes and Justin got their dinners out of the oven. Both sat eating, knowing once they were done, they weren’t going to need the robes. Justin wanted to tell Brian about Michael, but the buzzer went off and Brian went to check it. Justin froze as he heard the sound of his father’s voice. Something he hadn’t heard since the day he walked out of his childhood home. Brian looked to Justin to see if he should let the man in. Justin nodded warily since he really didn’t know what to expect from his father anymore. One thing he wouldn’t do was put on clothes, since he didn’t give a shit how uncomfortable it would make Craig Taylor to see what was obviously going on.

Craig didn’t disappoint him, since he was very uncomfortable at seeing them only wearing robes and the dinner that was set for two.

“I should have called first.” Craig said, gratefully accepting the drink Brian handed him. 

“I would still be gay if you had.” Justin told him.

“I’d still be shocked, but it’s not why I came here. Trust me, your mother made sure I understood exactly what she’d do if I upset you. I still might, since I was invited to the Peterson’s. I guess they expected me to get you to do what they want.” Craig told Justin, snorting at the same time with Justin.

“They can’t get Lindsay to do what they want.” Brian told him.

“That’s what your lawyer told me. I think they thought I’d be awed by them, since they were higher on the social scale than me.” Craig told them.

“There was a time when I would have agreed with them.” Justin told him.

“I just didn’t understand this.” Craig said, waving awkwardly between Brian and Justin.

“It still doesn’t look like you do.” Brian told him.

“I don’t, but I’ve already lost enough to know I don’t need to understand it. I stayed away when Molly told me you were back, but I want you to know I did keep up with you. No matter how big of a disappointment I was to you, and in turn, my perceived disappoint in you, you were still my son.” Craig told him.

“I can’t change. So I guess we’re still in the same place we were when I left.” Justin told him.

“I want to try as best I can. I have a baby on the way with my girlfriend. She’s asked me what I’d do if the baby wasn’t perfect, adding if it was gay, because she knew it was what caused our problems. Something she only brought up after Mel called me and I told her about you.” Craig told him.

“What did you tell her?” Justin asked.

“I avoided the possibility of the baby being gay, and said we’d do what the baby needed to be happy. She asked again if it would matter to me if the baby was gay, and let me know if it did, then she would happily raise the child without me. I realized the cost of what I did to you, would cost me another child. I don’t want to be that father.” Craig told him.

“What do you want?” Brian asked.

“To find a way to bridge the gap I caused by not loving you enough to tell you I didn’t care. I can’t ever say I’ll be comfortable with this, but I’ll do what I can to not make it the reason we don’t talk again for five more years. I want my newest child to know the brother Molly loves, even when I tried to get her to stop loving him. I want to be as strong as Justin was for not letting what I did stop him from becoming what he wanted to be. I know we can’t repair the damage in a day, or even soon, but I now know I was wrong and I can at least tell you, I still loved you.” Craig told them.

“Will you still love me now that I love Brian? Now that I see my future with him and our son?” Justin asked.

“I will. Even if you’ve already given up on me. I’ll be waiting if you decide I’m worth bothering with after what I did, not just to you, but to your mother and Molly.” Craig told him, getting up and heading to the door.

“Brian and I are leaving here tomorrow, but when I’m ready I’ll call you.” Justin told him, as Craig nodded, leaving.

Brian dragged Justin off the couch and laid down next to him in bed, letting Justin absorb the fact that Craig was trying.

“I don’t know if it’s enough.” Justin told him.

“You said you love me.” Brian said, still wanting to hear it.

“I didn’t want to believe I could love someone that fast, but I did with Gus. So maybe for me, it’s just the way I’m built.” Justin told him.

“I didn’t want to believe I could love anyone, so for me, it must just be you.” Brian told him.

“It’s just you then. Your mine.” Justin told him, pulling off the robe.