On Monday, the visit to the hospital to take Brian's cast off was a tiring experience. Brian was happy to be rid of the cast, but it would take him a while to get used to step on his foot correctly. The doctor advised him to try a couple physiotherapy classes to strengthen the muscles and relearn how to step correctly, but Brian flat out refused.

“You weren’t in a cast for long, but you haven’t used your leg properly during this time,” Justin said once when they were in the car.

“You heard the doctor. I have to keep walking. I’ll be fine.” He rolled his ankle a few times, wincing.

“Therapy helps…in the long run. I mean, I didn’t see results during my therapy when I had to relearn how to use my right hand until weeks, months later. Of course, for you it’s different, but this is your foot. The doctors will teach you how much pressure to apply when you walk, what type of pain you should expect, when it’s advised to do more with the leg…like run or dance.”

“Christ. Were you always so annoying?” Brian groaned.

Justin shot him an amused look. “I’m only looking out for you, Brian.”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Besides, after a certain age, mending bones is a delicate job.”

Brian laughed, despite the fact that he wanted to strangle Justin.

Ever since their chat on Saturday early morning after Justin's escapade to Babylon, the air between them seemed to have cleared. Justin was almost back to his former self, the way Brian knew him. He even hinted at small restorations and repainting some rooms at Britin, which was more than he had done since his return.

During dinner at Michael and Ben’s, Justin didn’t get upset by Michael asking how he found the living arrangements. Justin even said he and Nick were going to be at Britin for the foreseeable future. Brian had chosen to show ignorance to that comment, even though he was pleased to hear Justin had decided it was for the best to stay home.

“Take you to work?” Justin asked at a red light.

“Where else would we go?” Brian rolled his eyes, lighting himself a cigarette.

“I’m meeting Mom for lunch. I thought maybe…you missed her.” His voice was small, and he kept his eyes on the traffic light.

“What for? Did you change your mind about staying with me?”

“No. I have to tell her that, besides…” He glanced at Brian. “I’m worried about telling her my decision to live with you. She expects this. She kept complaining about me trying to find my own place, when you bought that palace for me, and how ungrateful I am.”

Brian grimaced, flicking ash out the window. “It’s your decision where you want to be. It’s true, I would like to have you home, but you do what you think is best for Nick.”

Justin gripped the steering wheel, driving carefully when the light turned green. “Nick already adores you. I’m not sure how it happened. He’s not friendly towards strangers. You saw how wary he was around Ben and Michael.”

“What do you want?” Brian asked.

“I want you to come with me to my lunch date with Mom,” Justin said slowly. “And I want to repair what we broke a decade ago. I want you back in my life.”

Brian smiled, satisfied with Justin's answer. He had been waiting to hear those words ever since Justin's return. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“I also want to punch you in the face for how you act when feelings come in a conversation,” Justin muttered.

Brian leaned closer, pressing his lips to Justin's ear. “I want you back, too.”

Justin shuddered, biting his lip. “Baby steps. Getting back together scares me like nothing else, because I know how intense everything gets…and I also know how it hurts when things don’t work.”

“We will make it work this time. Third time is a charm.”

“Try the seventh time,” Justin laughed, glancing at Brian.

Brian relaxed back in his seat. “Let’s go see Mother Taylor,” he said, making Justin grin.

They were quiet for a while, during which Brian smoked another cigarette.

“Oh, by the way, I noticed you stopped wearing the ring,” Brian added off-handedly when they pulled in an empty parking spot at the restaurant.

“It’s time to leave the past behind.”

Brian knew it was going to be a challenge to go at Justin's pace, but in reality, he had trained himself for the difficult times awaiting him for the past month. Brian hadn’t had a trick in weeks, which proved to him he was capable of living without his side-pleasure. Because Justin would set strict terms when they were going to have a serious conversation about their relationship. Justin would want monogamy, and Brian was ready to give him anything he wanted.

The truth was, he had reduced the numbers he fucked nameless guys drastically since his break-up with Justin. None of his friends knew it, and he wasn’t going to explain his actions.

Justin met Brian at the front of the car, hooking an arm around his elbow. Brian was about to point out that he didn’t need support anymore, when he hissed in pain for putting too much pressure on his freshly healed foot.

“How about that therapy?” Justin asked gently.

“I’ll call the clinic later,” Brian mumbled. He loathed his body for betraying him in such a way. He hadn’t even thought about the aftermath of his time in the cast.

“Shit. She’s here,” Justin groaned, when they stepped into the restaurant.

While Justin explained to the hostess they had reservations, Brian spotted Jennifer at a table near the window, busy looking at her phone. When she looked up, Brian nodded in greeting, watching the evident shock on the woman’s face.

The hostess led them to Jennifer’s table, promising to send the waiter soon.

“Oh, Brian! I heard about what happened. Are you okay?” She jumped up, reaching to hug him and check on his leg.

“Hello, Jennifer. I just escaped the cast. Justin definitely missed his vocation. He would have made an excellent nurse,” he praised her son, winking his way.

“Hi, Mom. I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Justin muttered, sitting across from her.

“Well, I’m surprised you brought Brian. I didn’t know…I thought…” she stammered, taking her seat.

Brian sat between them, fighting amusement at the interaction between mother and son.

“I won’t need your services about finding an apartment anymore,” Justin said formally.

Jennifer shot Brian a confused look when he snorted in his glass of water. He shook his head, because he wasn’t walking into a conversation about how WASPy Justin had sounded.

“Did you make up?” she asked.

“Not officially.”

“Possibly.”

Justin laughed at his and Brian's different answers, amending his reply, “Not really.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear this. Brian never made you cut ties with your family. He always supported you in keeping us close.” Jennifer offered Brian a small smile.

“For your information, Ethan didn’t make me do anything. All the decisions I made in New York were mine, as stupid as they were. Can we leave my life in New York in the past, and move on?” Justin pleaded.

“Okay,” she agreed. “Did you find a gallery?”

“I’m working on it. I have a few options. I also want a show by summer.”

Their waiter arrived, and Brian was pleased to see a familiar face. Daniel had been the epitome of professional during one of Brian’s business dinners not long ago. His client was one of the biggest homophobes he had the misfortune of encountering, and their waiter was an obvious gay man. Daniel was a lot like Emmett, if Brian thought about it.

Daniel recognized Brian, and offered him a small smile after greeting the table.

While Jennifer ordered a salad and Justin decided to try the salmon pasta dish, Brian simply said, “My usual.”

“You dine here often?” Jennifer asked, surprised.

“Only with important clients.”

“You seem to be cozy with the waiter,” Justin noticed.

Brian chuckled, amused of how jealous Justin got.

“Daniel is a trooper for standing his ground and not going for the jugular to one of my clients. As you might have noticed, he’s queer, and sadly, he waited for an important business dinner where my client commented every time he came by our table.”

“That’s absolutely terrible,” Jennifer said emphatically. “Does it happen often?”

“Working with homophobes? No; only when I need their money.”

She smiled indulgently. “I meant people making snide remarks at you.”

“Oh, he didn’t say anything to me because he didn’t know. But by the end of our dinner, he was aware of my sexual preference.”

“Did you fuck the waiter in front of him?”

Brian smirked at Justin, but Jennifer scolded her son for his language.

“Well, did you?” Justin insisted, leaning closer to Brian.

“No, give me some credit. I gave Daniel a big tip and invited him to Babylon, the other place I own, you know…a gay dance club.”

“That’s called tact,” Jennifer laughed.

“And that’s where you fucked him,” Justin stated.

Brian shrugged, because Justin knew him so well, it was scary.

“Is this going to end now that you’re getting back together? Your extra-curricular activities?” Jennifer inquired.

“Mom,” Justin hissed. “That’s part of Brian’s lifestyle. I never want him to change.”

Brian covered Justin’s knee under the table. “Don’t worry, Jen. I plan on changing a few of my habits. It’s been a while since I indulged in my promiscuous lifestyle. But my reputation precedes me.”

“Really?” Justin gasped.

Brian only smiled, leaning back in his chair to allow Daniel to place their food on the table.

“I mean, sure, you had your leg in a cast and all that,” Justin averted.

“It started before that,” Brian explained.

“What about Nick? Does he get along with Brian?”

Justin snorted, picking his fork. “They’re best buddies. I still have no idea how this happened. Nick is extremely shy, and it takes weeks to talk to strangers, let alone be friends with them.”

“During that campaign to promote healthy food in schools, I had several principals telling me I had a way with kids.” Brian smirked. “I’m not a big fan of children, as we all know. But Nick is one of the best-behaved kids I have ever met.”

“Thank you,” Justin whispered.

Jennifer smiled at their exchanged, happy to see her son ready to think of his future and accept Brian was what he needed to heal. As much as she hadn’t liked Brian in the beginning, Jennifer had come to think of him as a second son, and saw him as a mature man, able to take care of Justin.

“How’s Molly?” Justin asked suddenly. “She never told me what college she wanted to get in.”

“Is it her last year of high school?” Brian asked.

“Try her last year in college,” Justin said, amused.

“She went to Dartmouth, after all. I think she’s dating someone, but she never told me about this guy.”

“Maybe the guy is a girl, and she’s worried about telling you both your children are gay,” Brian joked.

“It is a man. And he’s from Pittsburgh, because every time she visited for the summer, he brought her back in his Mercedes.”

“Fancy,” Justin whistled. “I’m sure he’s a busy man, driving such a car.”

“Well, I expect to meet him. She should return in a couple of months. She already has a job, and I have no idea how that happened.”

“Wow. What job?”

“Manager Assistant for this new construction company downtown. The name escapes me, and Molly only mentioned getting the job in passing.”

“That’s a tough job,” Brian commented. “I should introduce her to Cynthia…you know, for pointers.”

“Maybe she’ll get a decent boss, not a freak like you. Cynthia needs a statue for the way you treat her,” Justin said seriously. “Well, I can’t wait to see Molly again. I haven’t talked to her in a while.”

Jennifer nodded. “I know you kept in touch, because she used to ask me when I was going to forgive you. She probably chose Dartmouth to put some distance between us, since we kept fighting about everything.”

“I hear girls are more difficult to raise. At least, that’s what Lindsay says.”

Justin's eyes sparked as he looked at Brian. “Oh! What are they now? Twelve and fifteen?”

“Yes.” Brian nodded.

“A whole lifetime,” Jennifer gushed. “Has Gus been talking about college?”

Brian shook his head. “That’s a taboo subject. The girls are pushing him to come to the States for college, and I keep telling him it’s his choice. He can do anything when he finishes high school.”

“But what do you want?” she insisted.

“It’s his life, not mine. If he needs advice, I’m here, but I won’t push him to do something he clearly doesn’t want.”

In that moment, Justin wasn’t sure why he ever doubted Brian's love for the people in his life. He was the most selfless person in the world.