Justin tossed and turned in the bed. He had dozed for a few hours; however, since then, sleep had become invasive. His mind was deeply troubled... and knowing that Brian, the domineering Sultan of Al Duran was only a few feet away from him, made sleep impossible. What was Brian up to? Excluding that brief moment in Gary's office, Brian hadn't touched him. It wasn't like the lust-driven Sultan to abstain so completely. He raised a hand to his temple, a low groan escaping as his head began to throb. Fuck! Not one of these headaches on top of everything else. He would never sleep tonight.

Brian found himself struggling the same in the next bed, although he wasn't sure of the true cause of Justin's restlessness. Was it the drugs that Michael had induced him with? Or, was it about the tension between them? Knowing Justin as he did, he surmised it was a mixture of things. "Justin?" he spoke in a low, but clearly audible voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes..." Justin answered, his voice low and achy. He began to rub at his forehead, the pain quickly spreading. Hell, this was going to be a bad one. He hadn't had one of these in such a long time. Why did it have to be tonight?

Swearing, Brian flipped back one side of his bed covers, quickly moving to the bathroom, filling a glass with water, returning to the bedroom to place the light on a slightly brighter setting, before reaching into his luggage to retrieve a bottle of prescription medication. He brought the bottle and water to the side of the bed, his voice compassionate yet stern when he spoke, "Here Justin, take your medication."

Slowly sitting up, Justin blinked at Brian in confusion, his eyes moving from Brian's face to the bottle and glass he held in his hands. "You brought my migraine pills?" Reaching for them, never more grateful to see them than ever before, Justin voiced his thoughts aloud, "I can't believe you thought of that. Hell, I didn't even remember to bring them."

Brian sat down on the bed next to Justin, his eyes staring straight ahead, unwilling to show Justin his own agony. Fuck, how he wanted things back as they once were... before he had taken that obviously fateful business trip. It angered and hurt him that Justin couldn't see how much he fucking cared. What more did he have to do? He had released his harem for him. That was a life-changing event that he'd never thought to do for any other man. And the most shocking part of that, at least to him at the time, was that he hadn't done it solely to keep Justin by his side. He had done it because making Justin happy was what mattered the most to him.

Swallowing the pills, and drinking most of the water, Justin sat the glass down on the bedside table, his head turning to watch Brian staring straight ahead, clearly a man deep in thought. "Thank you, Brian."

Nodding his head, Brian turned to look at Justin, amazed at how quickly the color returned to his face. He wasn't sure of the chemical compounds in Justin's medicine, but it was incredible to him how quickly they always worked. "I remember the first time you had one of those headaches... before the doctor prescribed this medication. You scared me to death."

"Yeah, I remember that. I was in so much pain. It was probably the worst one I ever had. I rarely get them now; I'll never know what brings them on."

"I believe the doctor said stress often induces these severe headaches." Glancing away, Brian's face became shadowed with pain. He didn't know how to respond; in fact, he didn't even understand what he was feeling. Weakness was a foreign entity to him. He didn't like it. However, what he liked even less was how he felt thinking he was the source of Justin's inner pain. "Try to get some sleep, Justin. It's a long flight home."

Justin blinked slowly. Something didn't feel right with Brian. His voice had been raw... almost aching. He had never felt such emotion emanating from him. Over the past couple of hours, when the headache hadn't been consuming him, his mind had been flooded with thoughts. Some had made sense, where others had not. Maybe Brian was right, and something was wrong with his head. Giving a slight jerking nod, Justin slid back under the covers, watching as Brian stood to his feet, moving to turn out the light, once again only the dimmest of lighting in the room. As Brian quietly made his way back to the other bed, Justin surprised himself when he called out, "Brian? Wait..."

Brian's steps stilled, his eyes worriedly finding Justin in the semi-darkened room. "Is something wrong, Justin? Do you need something other than your pills?"

Swallowing almost convulsively, Justin's eyes sought out Brian as best as he could in the dimmed light, uncertain of how Brian would respond to his request... or what he would take it to even mean. "This is awkward being in the same room with you, and us sleeping in different beds. I- I think I could get to sleep much better if you were to sleep with me."

Was this some sort of a sick joke? Fuck! Not a joke... more like a depraved form of torture. He had gone weeks without the possession of this man that obsessed him on virtually every level, and now he was asking him to sleep with him. "Justin, you don't understand what you are asking of me. I get that our current sleeping arrangement is uncommon, but I explained why it needs to be that way. Being in the same bed with you, and not touching you... well, it's pure fucking torture!"

"Just for the rest of the night? It's only a few more hours before daybreak, and we'll be leaving for the airport not long after that. We are both tired. Surely you can will your over-enthusiastic dick to take a brief respite!" Justin muttered in a sudden bout of sarcasm and irritation.

Angrily, Brian advanced to the bed. He stared down at the beautiful blond that evoked his passions in a variety of ways. "Brief respite?" he spat out. "I told you how long it's been for me... but you refuse to believe me." Brian ran a hand through his hair, fatigue, and annoyance sweltering in him. "I didn't want to do this here, Justin. I want your head to be clear first!"

"That's another thing. Why do you keep saying my mind isn't right? I remember everything. It's you that doesn't seem to remember... and no, I can't believe the oversexed Sultan that once had a harem of men could go three weeks without sex!" Justin kicked the covers away; standing to his feet, he punched the button on the light on the bedside table, moving around the bed to face his glowering captor. "I remember the pictures quite clearly, Brian. You had sex with a stranger even before I left. So, don't try to lie about it now!"

That was the second time the little twat had called him a liar. Brian took in a deep breath, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, using all his inner will not to throw the insolent little shit onto the bed and show him exactly how much he wanted him. How much he needed him. A few factors stopped him. One, Justin was still under some form of hypnosis; however, he was beginning to think it was as the doctor had suggested - the mind-altering drugs Michael had used were beginning to wear off. Justin was more his rebellious self... not one steeped in cruelty and confusion. Two, Justin had just suffered one of his more intense migraines. And lastly, he did NOT want to do this here. He only wondered if his self-control would allow him the option of a choice.

"If you have anything close to lucidity remaining in your little blond head, you will back the fuck off - NOW!" Brian hissed, his eyes closing as he tried to regain his composure. It was shakier now than when dealing with the demented club owner, and the soon-to-be deceased Michael Novotny. "I have never lied to you, Justin. That you accuse me of that now only angers me more. Believe me when I say, you don't want to inflame my passions further - on any level!"

"Oh yes, the big, bad savage." Justin sneered. "Never mind, Brian. Let's forget the whole thing. Go back to your bed, and I'll return to mine. Obviously, we cannot amicably resolve this tonight."

Brian took in a deep breath, Justin's continued sarcasm continuing to incite his need to bend the blond to his will. "You need to stop this now, Justin. There are things at work here that you can't understand right now. Once we return home, that will change." Uncertain if it was the right thing to do or not, Brian took a step closer, almost toe-to-toe with his adorable little hothead. "I will tell you this much, Justin. Those photos were a fabrication devised by a madman that was obsessed with pushing you away from me. He will be dealt with soon. I have not touched another man since I released my harem." Brian threw his hands up in exasperation. "I am the ruler of a country, Justin. I don't chase after a man that means nothing to me. Why can't you fucking see that!?"

Justin looked away, guilt immediately settling in his stomach, before suspicion continued to nag at the back of his mind. He could feel the validity of Brian's words... and yet something in him refused to accept them. Something was wrong with him. "I- I don't know, Brian. I want to believe you. In fact, a part of me does. I just can't. I- I mean... look at me, Brian. Really look at me. You gave up a harem filled with some of the hottest men I've ever seen, all for me. It stands to reason that you would tire of me at some point, especially when you had been accustomed to a variety."

"Look at you?" Brian replied huskily. "That's all I ever do." Reaching up, Brian's hands framed each side of Justin's face in his hands, his eyes drilling with purpose into the beautiful blue orbs. "You blind little fucker. Needless insecurity caused you to run from me... instead of simply coming to me with your fears and giving me a chance to figure this out and respond to those same fears. However, let's settle the harem first. That seems to be where this all started... long before the photos. I would have never released them if I hadn't found something I wanted more. Not just wanted, but something I needed. That was you, Justin. They never had my heart. Did I care about them? Yes, I did." Brian smiled into Justin's eyes that were finally attentive to his every word. "I didn't love them, though. My heart was stolen by a tempestuous little blond. A man that I just cannot live without."

Justin's bottom lip quivered. "You mean it? You're not just saying this? You really love me. H-have always loved me?"

"Yes, Justin. I really love you. I left my country, and my son to chase after you. I didn't do that for simple sexual gratification. I could have that anywhere, and we both know that. I want it with you. Sex is different with you, it always has been." Brian dropped his hands, at this moment not wanting to rush and ask for anything Justin wasn't willing to give. In the space of an hour, they had made such progress. He didn't want to regress for anything. "I won't deny that I am possessive and territorial. My actions support that. However, get this, Justin. You have ruined me for any other man. I only want you. It's not going to change."

Justin blinked, feeling his heart was winning the battle against his uncertain mind. "B-Brian, I don't know what to say. It's what I used to believe, or at the very least hope for, but I still have so many doubts."

Brian nodded. "You are confused; however, not as much now as when I first arrived. We'll get there, Justin." Unable to do anything else, Brian pulled Justin into his arms, holding him tightly, his mouth finding the side of Justin's neck. He breathed him in deeply, shocked that he could hold him and not find it to be a sexual experience. Love was a powerful element. He would never understand it. What he did understand was that he embraced it... and this man. Once they were home, all would be set right again. No matter what he had to do to ensure that, Justin would always be safe, and they would be as one again. He had never been more determined in anything in his life.

TBC