Chapter 27
One year later
“Hmmmmmmmmm, that's a nice way to wake up,” Brian murmured as he felt Justin's tongue on his cock, gently licking up and down its sides.
Justin just continued what he was doing, but when their eyes met, Brian could see the smile on his face. He allowed himself to let go and give himself over to Justin's ministrations, just enjoying the early morning wake-up call.
Ten minutes later, when he had enjoyed a delicious orgasm thanks to his amazing boyfriend, Brian smiled when Justin crawled up his side and their mouths met in a passionate kiss.
“What did I do to deserve this?” Brian asked into the kiss, gently running his hand through Justin's blond locks.
“You being you was enough,” the blond whispered happily, rubbing his own erection against Brian's thigh.
“How about I repay the favour?” Brian whispered, his hand slowly taking hold of Justin's cock and starting to gently pull on it before he changed his movements to tender rubs.
“Hmmmmm,” Justin moaned happily, rolling onto his back and presenting his body to Brian to do with as he pleased. “Please...”
Brian left gentle kisses all over Justin's chest, marvelling at the beauty of his boyfriend and once again not being able to believe how lucky he was that this man was his boyfriend and loved him as unconditionally as he did.
The whole time Brian kissed all over Justin's upper body, he continued with his hand job, but then pulled his hand away when Justin was close to coming himself.
“Brian...,” the younger man moaned at the loss of contact, clearly wanting to get off.
“I was thinking... what a waste to let this beauty end up as a handjob,” Brian whispered, slowly crawling up Justin's side and leaning on his elbow, before he met Justin's lips in a gentle kiss.
“I guess you have a better idea?” Justin mused, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke.
“Indeed I do,” Brian whispered, before he rolled over onto his other side and reached for the bedside table. When he turned around he presented the lube and a condom to Justin. “We can't let such an impressive morning boner go to waste,” he whispered and smiled when he saw how Justin's eyes had gotten that much bigger once he had understood what Brian was saying.
Shortly after they had won their Supreme Court case and Pennsylvania had changed its slavery laws to accommodate the Supreme Court decision, Brian and Justin hadn't wasted any time to get the paperwork filed that would make Brian a free man once and for all. Once that paperwork had been approved and they had gotten the information that Brian was now a free man, they had gone home to celebrate the news in style.
They had later found out that the Supreme Court decision had started a completely new trend in anti-slavery campaigns. Now anti-slavery supporters would buy slaves to then grant them their freedom, just like many anti-slavery groups were now collecting money for the purchase of as many slaves as possible, so that they could then be granted their freedom.
Brian and Justin hadn't left the loft in two days after Brian's freedom had been approved and during those two days, Brian had finally overcome his fear of being a bottom and had allowed Justin to top him.
At first Brian had been scared of giving over that much control, but he trusted Justin and he knew that Justin would never do anything to hurt him. Justin had been by his side through the darkest hours of his life, had always supported him, had always been there and the last thing Justin had done and would ever do was hurt him. Rationally Brian had always known that, but somehow being a free man had changed his perspective on things. For the first time in his life Brian finally really felt like Justin's equal. It wasn't that he hadn't felt like that before because Justin had treated him like anything less than his equal, but more because there had always been this barrier in Brian's mind to really let go and to really give it all to Justin. At the back of his mind there had always remained this small doubt that one day Justin would grow tired of him and would sell him and then he would be on his own again.
Brian knew that it was absolutely respectless and unfair to think of his own boyfriend that way and he had known better than anyone how wrong he had been doing Justin with that thinking, but he couldn't help himself. He just hadn't been able to let go of those last remaining doubts in his head.
Once he had officially gotten his freedom back however, he was finally ready to accept that his life had changed and for the better. He was finally Justin's equal, though, if he was honest with himself that was a very generous description of himself. After all he had been a slave all his adult life and had never learnt a job or gotten a degree. It wasn't like he was bringing anything to their life that he hadn't already brought to it when he had been a slave, but yet it had felt completely different to him. The day he had gotten the letter confirming his status as a free man, he had felt something click in his brain and had also felt a shift in his relationship with Justin. No matter how ridiculous it might seem to someone on the outside, to Brian it had felt real. Brian had felt like he could finally let go of those last lingering doubts and as if he could finally give himself over to Justin completely.
As a slave, he had been forced to let people fuck him and had been forced to let people near his ass that he wouldn't have normally touched with a stick. He hadn't had a choice and even with Justin, he had still felt like Justin fucking him would be a sign that Justin was his owner and Brian was the slave, which was ridiculous really, especially seeing how often Brian fucked Justin and how much the younger man loved being fucked by his boyfriend, but in Brian's mind being fucked was something that made him a slave, something that was part of his live as a pleasure slave and nothing that belonged in his relationship with Justin.
Once he had become a free man, he had been able to let go of that kind of thinking, knowing that from now on, whatever he did, he would do because he wanted to do it and not because someone else made him do it. It would be his choice and his choice alone. There would be no one to force him or hold him down. Those times were over once and for all.
He could still remember how shocked Justin had been that night when he had realised that Brian wasn't just getting off by fingering himself, but that Brian was actually preparing himself for lovemaking. Justin had nearly refused to top Brian, knowing how many bad memories were associated with that sexual act for Brian, but Brian had been able to convince Justin that he really wanted him to top and that he also needed Justin to do it. In the end Justin had given in and their lovemaking had been magical. Justin had been so tender and careful not to hurt him, had prepared him so well once he had taken over from Brian finger fucking himself and the younger man had been so concerned with Brian being comfortable through it all that Brian's heart had been warmed once again by the love the younger man felt for him. Brian had no idea what he had done to deserve Justin in his life as his partner, but he knew that he would do whatever he could to keep him in his life.
Ever since, they would occasionally switch places and Justin had started to top Brian quite regularly, but not nearly as often as Brian topped him. Justin claimed that he just loved having Brian's cock up his ass and that he loved it when Brian fucked him, so who was Brian to complain? Every once in a while however, Brian felt the need to feel Justin inside him, felt the need to have Justin's dick up his own ass and today was one of those days.
He slowly rolled over onto his stomach and smiled at Justin, urging the younger man to get going. Justin didn't need to be told twice and moved into the space between Brian's legs, running his hands over Brian's perfect backside.
Justin loved making love to Brian and he always made sure that it was making love. He had never fucked Brian roughly so far, not because he hadn't wanted to, but because he had been scared that it might bring back unwanted memories for his boyfriend. He knew that Brian had never had anyone make love to him during his time as a pleasure slave, so Justin always made sure to be extra gentle and loving, to make sure that Brian would in no way be reminded of his time as a slave when he was with Justin.
Those days were over once and for all and had ended for good when Brian had been handed his declaration of freedom and his first real passport as a free man about nine months ago.
Justin spread a generous amount of lube in his hands and on his fingers and warmed it up a bit, before he led his hands to Brian's ass, carefully pushing the round globes apart so he would get access to what he was looking for.
He gently started caressing Brian's pucker for several minutes, making the older man moan in pleasure, before he carefully pushed the tip of his index finger inside. He felt more than heard Brian's gasp, but when the older man didn't complain, Justin continued pushing inside his boyfriend's ass. Once he was sure Brian had adjusted to the invasion, Justin gently started adding a second finger and after a short while started scissoring movements inside Brian's ass. Every once in a while he would hit Brian's sweet spot, knowing that hitting that would make the older man see stars.
“God... so good... God, need to feel you,” Brian moaned, his head resting on one of the big pillows as he pushed his ass back onto Justin's fingers. “Please, need to feel you,” he nearly begged and Justin ran his other hand up and down Brian's side, urging him to be a bit more patient.
“Just need to finish preparing you...soon.”
“I am ready,” Brian moaned, seeing stars when Justin once again hit his sweet spot.
“Just a bit more,” Justin whispered, drawing soothing circles on Brian's back as he slowly entered a third finger. He continued spreading his fingers a bit more until he deemed Brian ready, then removed them, making Brian gasp at the loss of contact and the sudden feeling of being empty.
“Need you inside me,” Brian whispered, his breath ragged as he was clearly enjoying what had happened so far.
“Turn around. I want to see your face,” Justin whispered gently next to Brian's ear, before he leaned back, giving the older man space to do as he had asked.
Once Brian lay on his back, their eyes met and Justin could see all the love and trust Brian felt for him in that one look.
Their eyes never left each other as he slowly started putting on the condom and coating his penis with some more lube. When he saw Brian nod, Justin moved into position and lifted the older man's legs over his shoulders. He positioned himself at Brian's entry and then carefully pushed in.
He could hear the hiss from Brian as his penis breached the ring of muscle and he hated to hear that sound from his boyfriend. He knew that there was always some pain involved in bottoming, he knew that Brian could take that pain, but he hated to be the one that made Brian feel that pain to begin with. Hearing the hiss only strengthened Justin's resolve to make their lovemaking as good for Brian as he could. It always did.
Once he was sure that Brian was fine and had gotten used to being filled by his cock, Justin slowly pulled out, before he pushed in once again. He picked up a steady rhythm and was happy when he heard the sound of pain coming out of Brian being replaced by sounds of pleasure.
Brian quickly adjusted to Justin's rhythm and let his legs slip down from the younger man's shoulders, slipping them around his waist, pulling Justin that much closer. Justin hit Brian's prostrate with each thrust and knew that the older man had to be seeing stars right now. Justin gasped at the narrowness of the tunnel his dick was now in, not able to believe how tight Brian was each and every time Justin made love to him.
“So tight...,” he pressed out, wanting to let Brian know how incredible he made Justin feel. “So good...”
Their bodies met in a steady rhythm and Brian's head fell back as Justin pounded into him with youthful vigor. He enjoyed every second and felt his own erection come to life again. He smiled when he felt Justin's hand start to rub his penis in sync with his movements and it didn't take long before Brian felt the telltale signs in his stomach, felt how his muscles constricted and his orgasm slowly became the rolling wave that would run him over any second now.
When he came, he was yelling Justin's name in pure ecstasy. Mere seconds after, the feeling of Brian's orgasm taking over bringing him close to the edge as well, Justin followed suit and emptied his load into the condom.
They collapsed into a heap of limbs and tried to get back their breath and control over their bodies.
Justin was the first to move and he carefully pulled out of Brian, before he removed the condom, threw it into the trash by the bedside and then snuggled into his boyfriend's waiting arms.
“Wow... that was...”
“Amazing?” Brian supplied, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he watched Justin struggle to find the right word.
“Mind-blowing more like it,” the younger man said, smiling as their gazes met.
“Well, I hope your mind will still work enough to blow away your client when you meet with him later,” Brian chuckled, gently pushing a sweaty strand of hair away from Justin's forehead.
“If not, I can always offer to blow him the old-fashioned way,” Justin winked, then yelped when Brian gave him a swat on his bottocks.
“Don't you dare,” Brian joked, knowing that Justin would never do anything like that. They had been together for nearly seven years now since Justin had found him and had bought him from Sapperstein and in those seven years there had only been the two of them, no one else.
“I wouldn't,” Justin promised, smiling up at Brian. “I have everything I want right here.”
They laid like that, talking about this and that for a couple more minutes, before Justin regretfully pulled away, knowing that he would need to get ready for his meeting with his client.
Brian joined him in the shower, then prepared some quick breakfast for both of them, while Justin got dressed.
“Do you have any plans for today?” Justin asked as he came over to the kitchen island, gratefully taking the cup of coffee that Brian held out for him.
“I am gonna meet with Ben later. He has a few more universities interested in hearing us speak.”
For the last six months, Brian and Ben had worked closely together on creating a speaking tour across American university campusses, that would chronicle his past as a slave and his fight for his freedom. Once the Supreme Court decision had been made public, Brian and Justin had been drowning in media requests for interviews and offers of book deals, but it hadn't felt right to either of them to cash in on Brian's misfortune of the past. And really, Justin's company had been doing really well thanks to all the free publicity and they didn't need the extra money.
After a while Brian had started to feel restless though and had sat down with Ben one day to talk about it. Now that he wasn't a slave anymore and wasn't restricted to the loft and Justin's decisions for his life, he felt like he should start contributing in some way to their life as well. He just didn't know how. He had never gotten a degree, had never learned any real job, if you didn't count being a pleasure slave and he just didn't know what to do with himself. Justin had told him over and over not to worry and that Brian had the whole world in front of him. Whatever he wanted to do, Justin would support him. If Brian wanted to get a degree, Justin would support him, if Brian wanted to get another job, Justin would support him. For a time Brian had helped Michael at the comic book store, but it had become obvious to both of them that comics just weren't Brian's thing. Brian had a good hand for business though, so he had presented some ideas to Michael about how he could increase the revenue of the store which Michael had gladly made reality. Brian had also tried working at the diner for a bit, just testing his skills as a waiter, but Debbie had kindly fired him after two days when she hadn't been able to bear the angry expression on his face every time some horny gay would pinch his ass cheeks or grab his crotch. They had both agreed that maybe working with a horde of horny gays wasn't what Brian needed in his new life.
It had been Ben who had presented an idea to Brian that Brian had actually liked. Over the years Brian had started coming to Ben's anti-slavery lectures as a guest speaker and had told the students about his past as a slave and later on about his fight for his freedom. In the beginning Brian had hated talking about his past, but with time he had come to realise how cathartic the whole experience was for him and how it made him feel better about himself, being able to share his experiences with a new generation of young people that would one day become the decision makers of their country.
The lectures had been very popular at Carnegie Mellon and over the years Brian and Ben had been invited to other universities to speak there as well. Once Brian and Justin had won their Supreme Court Case and had become household names in the anti-slavery movement, the interest had only gotten bigger and a couple of months ago, Brian and Ben had embarked on a 12-week speaking tour all over the country.
Now there was talk to take their speaking tour on the road again as more colleges and universities had expressed interest in hosting them. Thankfully Justin's job allowed him to work on his laptop a lot, so he could pretty much work from wherever he wanted and Justin had been able to join them for most of the tour, only returning to Pittsburgh occasionally for business meetings when needed.
During one of their stops in LA, Brian had had an incident where he hadn't been allowed to enter a restaurant due to his slave tattoo. They hadn't cared that Brian had paperwork to prove he was a free man. They had just seen the slave tattoo and wouldn't let him enter. Brian had been so angry that night, it had taken Justin a long time to calm him down. The next morning, when Brian woke up, he found a small sketch on his bedside table.
It showed the letter “S” that made up his slave tattoo, but it had been turned into a heart shape, now looking like a heart and not like his slave tattoo any longer. Brian looked at the sketch for a long time before Justin woke up. Once he did, Brian asked him about the sketch.
“I... I don't know. It just came to me last night. The “S”... it doesn't just have to stand for something bad. It can also be something good. I mean... I know it sounds wrong, but if you hadn't been our tutoring slave, I don't think we would have ever met. If... if we hadn't made it through everything we went through, we wouldn't be where we are right now, right? It's a despicable sign of an archaic system, but for me personally... it gave me the love of my life and something beautiful came out of it.” Justin looked from the sketch to Brian and then back. “That's just me though, I think... I guess if I were you, I'd just want to have it removed. Once we get back to Pittsburgh, we should look into tattoo removals and get rid of it once and for all.”
Brian had listened to Justin's explanation and the more he ran it over in his head, the more he had to agree with Justin. Not everything had been bad and Justin was right, they might have never met if it hadn't been for Brian being a slave. They wouldn't be where they were now if it wasn't for Brian's past. It wasn't as if his being a slave defined him, but it was definitely a part of his life and Brian wasn't sure he just wanted to remove it from his life. Yes, most things had been bad, but... It had given him Justin and Gus... it had given him a family and friends that loved him and Justin was right, being a slave had also turned into something good. The more Brian had thought about what Justin had said, the more he had liked the idea of turning something as bad as that tattoo into something hopeful and good like love.
The next day, when Justin had been meeting with some client in LA that had been interested in his services, Brian had taken the sketch and had gone to the next tattoo parlour and had gotten his slave tattoo changed into Justin's heart design. A design that would always show his past and where he had come from, but would always end with where he was now. In a loving relationship with a man that loved him and who he loved more than life itself and with a big family that would always be by his side no matter what.
Justin had been beyond emotional when Brian had shown him the tattoo later that night and ever since, Justin just loved tracing the lines of the heart on Brian's hand, something that Brian didn't mind at all. He also liked the heart and seeing the “S” of his slave tattoo only reminded him of the long journey they had been on and where it had all begun,
“Do you already know when?” Justin raised an eyebrow.
“Not really, but I guess I am gonna find out later today.”
“Let me know once you have dates, so I can try and keep my schedule clear. If you want me to join you, that is of course,” Justin chuckled, leaning over the kitchen island for a quick kiss.
“You know I want you to come along. I wouldn't dream of going without you,” Brian whispered into the kiss and sighed when he was interrupted by the door bell. He watched as Justin took one of the bagels and bit into it, then made his way over to the door.
When he pressed the intercom, he smiled when he heard the excited voice of his seven year old son. “Daddy! Do you have bagels? I am hungry.”
Brian couldn't help but chuckle. “You better come up then before Justin eats them all.” He pressed the button to let Gus and his mother into the building and opened the metal sliding door. When Gus rushed inside, he gave him a quick hug, before Gus walked over to the kitchen island and greeted Justin happily, then took a bagel.
“You don't have food at your house?” Brian teased Lindsay as she walked in behind her son, giving her a hug as well.
“You know we do. He's just being a pain in the ass,” Lindsay sighed, before she walked over and greeted Justin as well, watching as he and Gus were sharing a bagel. “Apparently your bagels are sooooo much better than our bagels. He just needs to come here and have your bagels.”
“Sonny boy has good taste, what can I say?” Brian teased, knowing that Gus hated the organic, healthy food his mothers prepared for him at home and tried to come to the loft whenever he could to eat there. At least with his fathers he would be allowed to eat food that actually tasted of something.
They all sat together for a couple of minutes, before Justin apologised and got ready to leave for his meeting. He and Brian kissed goodbye and promised to meet up for lunch at the diner before Brian would be off to his meeting with Ben later that day.
Lindsay and Gus watched them, Lindsay with a happy expression on her face, Gus with something akin to polite disinterest. He had seen his fathers kiss more often than he knew to count and he couldn't care less. Lindsay always loved seeing how happy Brian and Justin were and how happy Brian especially seemed to be. She was happy for him and couldn't get enough of seeing her good friend happy and content.
After another half an hour Lindsay excused herself as well, getting ready to get to work, offering to take Gus to school on her way. Both Gus and Brian had other ideas however and Brian told her that he would take Gus to school. Once his son had finished his breakfast, Brian got him ready and they headed down to the parking space outside the loft. In recent weeks Brian had often taken Gus to school, something which Gus apparently liked. He liked spending some time alone with his father and it always gave them a good chance to talk, just the two of them.
It was a good thing that one of the first things Brian had insisted on doing as a free man had been getting a driver's licence. Something he had not needed and hadn't been allowed to get as a slave, but came in very handy now in his new life as a free man.
“So, are you ready for that maths test?” Brian asked as he pulled out onto the street, giving his son a sideways glance.
Gus nodded, a smile on his face. “How can I not be? You studied with me, Justin studied with me, Ted studied with me. I'll get an A, I am sure.”
Brian laughed at the confidence his son displayed and then reached over to ruffle his hair. “Daddy, don't!” Gus complained and Brian did it once again just to tease him.
“How are things with Billy?” Brian asked when they calmed down, knowing that Gus and his former best friend had gotten into a fight the previous week. He could only assume what the fight had been about, since Gus had refused to say anything to Melanie and Lindsay.
Gus just shrugged, staring straight ahead, refusing to look at Brian.
“Okay, sonny boy. Here's the deal. You can either tell me what happened, or I'll find out myself.”
“How?” His son turned to him and looked at him from big hazel eyes.
“By talking to Billy or his parents,” Brian said calmly, not surprised when that got the reaction he had expected.
“Don't bother... They won't talk to you.”
“Does that bother you?” Brian asked gently, having had a feeling that this fight with Billy had been about him once again. Ever since Billy had stopped playing with Gus in pre-school and ever since his parents had turned out to be real assholes, Billy and Gus had gotten into disagreements again and again much to the chagrin of Gus' parents.
“Mama says they are assholes,” Gus just said, shrugging his shoulders.
“Hey,” Brian chastised his son, looking at him sternly. “You're not supposed to say that word.”
“Fine, they're not nice people,” Gus amended his earlier statement and Brian had to hide his laughter. It was so obvious that Gus had heard that from Justin and was now copying Justin's statement.
“It's life, sonny boy. Some people are nice, others aren't. It's not fair, but it's something we all come to learn sooner or later.”
“I just want him to stop calling you names,” Gus said quietly, not looking at Brian, but staring straight ahead.
“Hey,” Brian said quietly, once he had pulled the car over and had stopped, so he could talk to his son. “Don't you worry about that. If it makes him feel better to call me names, let him do it. It just shows how not nice he is. You are better than that, sonny boy. You are way nicer than he is and... I am glad that you want to defend me, but you need to stop getting into fights with him. Just ignore him, okay?”
“And let him get away with calling you mean names?”
“No, don't let him get away with it, Gus. Go to your teacher and tell her. She can punish Billy. It's not your job to do that, okay? You're just a small boy that's supposed to learn his math, his writing and his reading and you're supposed to have fun with your friends. Ignore Billy and let your teachers take care of him.”
Gus just harrumphed, showing his father that he wasn't really happy with what he had just been told. Brian smiled to himself. He had been so much like Gus when he had been a child. Gus really looked like a miniature version of him.
“Promise me, Gus. I don't want you to get into any more fights with Billy.”
“Fine.”
“No, say it, Gus.”
“I promise,” the small boy finally said, though it was obvious to Brian that he was not happy.
Brian pulled him close and hugged him tight. “I love you, sonny boy. Never forget that, okay?”
“I love you,too, daddy.”
“I know,” Brian smiled and he did. He really knew. He still didn't know how his sperm had ended up at the sperm bank and they still didn't know how he had ended up being Gus' father, but now that he was, he was glad that Gus was in his life. Being a father to this beautiful boy gave his life a sense of fulfilment it hadn't had in a long time.
They hugged once more, before Brian pulled back into traffic and let Gus off outside his school a couple of minutes later. “How about you call me later tonight and tell me about your test?” Brian offered with a smile and he felt glad when Gus smiled back, his earlier gloomy mood seemingly forgotten.
“Okay, daddy!”
“And remember, on Saturday Justin and I are going to take you to the movies. So you better start thinking about what movie you want to see.”
Gus' face broke out into a huge smile when Brian reminded him of their movie date. “Can I get popcorn?”
“Of course! It's a movie! What kind of movie outing would it be without popcorn?” Brian frowned and smiled when Gus agreed that every movie date needed popcorn.
“You have a good day in school, sonny boy. We'll talk later. And no more fights with Billy, you hear me?” Brian said goodbye to his son and smiled when Gus nodded and then ran off to meet with his friend who was waiting for him on the playground. He watched for a few minutes as Gus and his friend played on the slide before the teacher called them inside the building, then pulled away from the school, ready to start his own day.
A day that now, like any other day, was filled with the freedom to do as he pleased, always knowing that at the end of the day he had Justin waiting for him, ready to support him in whatever he wanted to do. Brian's eyes wandered over the back of his hand and rested on his heart tattoo and he couldn't help but smile. His life was filled with so much love now, if he went back ten years and told his younger self what life would have in store for him, he knew he wouldn't have believed himself.
Life clearly worked in mysterious ways and his life had turned out to be pretty amazing after all. Who would have thought? Clearly not him when he had gotten his original tattoo so many years ago. That was for sure.
But that was a former life now, all that mattered now were his son, his lover, his family and his friends. Brian had decided months ago that he wouldn't dwell on his past anymore and would instead focus on the good things in his life. And all things considered, it was a pretty good life, he had to admit.
The tattoo design Justin's tattoo idea is based on:
