Brian and Justin were on the couch, flipping through the channels aimlessly. Their feet were tangled together while they passed a joint between them.

Brian scowled at his phone when it rang from the coffee table. It was too late into the evening for him not to know the caller was Michael asking if he was going to Babylon.

Justin picked the phone when Brian didn’t make a move to retrieve it.

“It’s Michael,” he said, stating the obvious.

“Fuck it.”

Justin pursed his lips, accepting the call and placing the phone on speaker, on his palm. “Hi, Michael!”

There was a long pause, and Brian had no idea why Michael was surprised at Justin answering his phone. “Uh, hi…Justin. Is Brian around?”

Brian made a slicing throat motion.

Justin chuckled. “Apparently he wants to slice his throat rather than speak to you.”

“Twat,” Brian mouthed.

Justin smiled brightly, digging his toes into Brian’s thigh. “Was it important?” He asked Michael.

“Well, Ben wanted to go out. We wanted to ask Brian…well, both of you….if you want,” he stumbled over his words.

“What do you have in mind?” Justin asked.

“We haven’t decided. Woody’s? Babylon?”

Brian yawned loudly, narrowing his eyes at Justin.

“Maybe not tonight,” Justin hedged.

“Can you put him on the phone? Maybe he wants to go out, unlike you.”

“No, I don’t want to move from the couch for the foreseeable future,” Brian snapped. “I heard you loud and clear, but I’d rather stay home tonight.”

“And slice your throat?” Michael repeated Justin’s words.

“That’s because of you.”

Another big pause. “Are you on the phone?”

Brian knew what Michael meant. He was curious if Brian had the phone to his ear. So, he pressed a finger to his lips, and Justin nodded, clearly amused.

“What now?” He said it as if he had just taken the phone and made their conversation private.

“What’s up with you and Boy Wonder?”

Justin’s shoulders shook in silent laughter, while Brian rolled his eyes.

“You haven’t called Justin that in centuries.”

“Answer me. Emmett said he saw you last night at Babylon. You were dressed in your work clothes, then you left with Justin.”

“It was business. I told you I had the fucking inspection. And Justin was with me. He owns half of the club. Then we left together. He lives here, in case you forgot it.”

Justin kicked Brian’s leg for being so mean to his friend.

“Are you back together?”

“Would you sleep better tonight if I said yes?” Brian grunted.

“I can’t believe you! When were you going to tell me?” Michael demanded.

“I had no idea I had to report to you about the changes in my life. And don’t tell me you didn’t expect it. I know about your little bet.”

“That’s…it was nothing…we were….”

“Save it, Mikey. Another time,” Brian said.

“Of course. Well…have fun!”

“Oh, we plan to.” Brian pulled Justin closer, kissing his throat. He ended the call, letting the phone fall behind him on the couch.

“Our love life is such a hot topic among our friends,” Justin laughed. “Emmett was incredibly curious yesterday.”

“Hopefully, they’ll lay off our backs now that we made them aware of the reunion. All I want is some peace.”

Justin stroked Brian’s hair out of his eyes. “As much as I want to fuck, my ass is not used to so much action.”

“Did I hurt you?” Brian searched Justin’s eyes, worried.

“No. Let’s just take it easy,” Justin said softly.

“What do you want to do?” Brian sneaked a hand under Justin’s shirt, stroking his chest.

“I just said no sex,” Justin laughed, squirming under Brian.

“Touching you doesn’t always mean I want to fuck you. Christ, Justin. You don’t want me to comment on the questionable relationship you had with Ian, but everything points out to how unsatisfied you were and what a loser he was.”

“Brian!” Justin pushed him away, getting up from the couch. “Stop, okay? I told you our marriage wasn’t unicorns and rainbows. Don’t gauge my eyes out for the mistakes I have made…they brought me back where I belong. Losing Ethan was me paying my karma, reminding me no matter where I want to hide or how much I try to deny our love, I belong with you.”

Brian pulled him back, holding Justin on his lap. “I accepted there was no escaping you…whatever was growing between us…when you kept stalking me and I didn’t feel any anger or resentment. Besides, not many couples have been through as much shit as us in a matter of a few years.”

“That’s true,” Justin mumbled. He burrowed into Brian’s embrace. “Please, stop talking shit about my marriage with Ethan. I had to go through that to grow up and understand you were the only one who loved me and accepted me the way I am.”

“Okay, okay.” Brian leaned closer to kiss Justin. “Want to watch a movie?”

#

It was late at night when they retreated to the bedroom. Brian had insisted to open the window since it was too warm.

Justin woke up only a few hours after falling asleep, feeling stuffed up and with the first stages of his allergies partying in his body.

He dragged his feet to the kitchen to get a pill just in case, and when he returned to the bedroom, he closed the window. He tried blaming the way he felt on the cool air outside, but he knew something had triggered this reaction. It was always a fun game to figure out what caused his allergic reaction.

Brian wrapped his arms around him when Justin lay next to him. He kissed Justin’s shoulder, making Justin smile about how lovable and relaxed Brian was in his sleep.

Next time Justin woke up, the sun was up and warming his back. He squinted toward the window over his shoulder before patting the empty bed, in hope Brian was there.

He wanted to sleep more, but he missed Nick too much to be lazy. They had to go and get his son.

When Justin arrived in the kitchen, he found the yellow cup he had used as his coffee cup since he had moved in with Brian, placed on the heating rack. The liquid inside was lukewarm, but still everything Justin needed in that moment.

Holding the cup, he went in search of Brian. He found him in what should be the sunroom, but it needed a lot of restoration to look as it should. Brian was on his Barcelona chair, one of the few pieces of furniture in the room, smoking and drinking his coffee while looking out the tall windows.

“Morning,” Justin said, stopping behind the chair. He leaned over the back of it to kiss Brian.

“You’re awake!” Brian caught Justin’s wrist, pulling him on his lap. “Deb called earlier. Nick misses you, and apparently he told her since you don’t want him anymore, he’s going to live with her because he liked it there.”

Justin groaned loudly. “He can be so dramatic…”

“Takes after someone else I know,” Brian whispered, kissing Justin’s neck. “No one wants me. No one cares about me. I’m going to New York to become a go-go boy.”

“Hey! Did you ever wonder if you stole my glory days by bringing me back before I could become a success in the Big Apple?”

“Your time to shine in New York came a few years later. You didn’t do too badly, either.”

Justin snorted. His stomach squirmed at being reminded he had a show in about a month.

“I have to start painting. I need two new pieces for the show in June.”

“I hope you noticed the room upstairs, and even the shed where your moved your paintings. We can turn one of these into your studio.”

“I’ll take the shed because I don’t want to smudge the floors with my paints. I saw the room…it’s all I wanted when we talked about it.”

Brian smiled against Justin’s skin. “Let me know when you want to start the renovation for any part of the house. I was thinking of going south this summer, but we can use the money for the house.”

Justin leaned his head against Brian’s shoulder. “You deserve a vacation. When is the last time you had a break?”

“Honestly, when I went to the White Party when the girls got married.”

“Christ, Brian! Go and have some fun. We can restore the house in time.”

“If I’m going anywhere, you’re coming along. You and Nick,” Brian said sternly.

Tears sprung into Justin’s eyes. “Of course! Just let me know when so it doesn’t overlap with my plans.”

“Maybe in July, after your show.”

“I’d love that. What do you have in mind? If we take Nick with us, it has to be a family friendly location.” He grimaced.

“Do you want your child to forever hate you? We’ll take him with us, and later in the year, we can go to the White Party together.”

“You know I’ve never been, right?”

“I’m not allowed to comment…remember,” Brian sneered.

Justin pressed his lips to Brian’s. “It’s a date. You and I at the White Party this year.”

“Now, let’s go and get your son. Are we still going to the park? Or do you want the zoo?”

“Honestly…” Justin stood, stretching and yawning loudly. “…anything he wants.”

#

It was close to eleven when they arrived at Debbie’s house. Justin had his arms wrapped around Brian, basking in the blissful feeling of contentment and joy at finally being happy.

Debbie opened the door, smiling at them. “Hello, kiddos! Little Sunshine discovered Michael's old comic books. I found him reading them this morning when I went to see if he was awake.”

“Awesome,” Justin mumbled, taking Debbie in his arms. “Thank you so much for having him.”

“You know I’m here any time you need a sitter.”

“Do you take early bookings? We’ll need a week off in November.” Brian smirked.

“For the White Party? Aren’t you boys too old for that shit?” She put her hands on her hips, lifting a brow at them.

Brian gasped, feeling insulted. “Who are you calling old, woman? Besides, I’ve prematurely interrupted Justin’s lessons about becoming the best homosexual. The lad has never been there.”

“How did I ever survive?” Justin lamented, chuckling.

“Daddy! You’re back!” Nick barreled down the stairs, throwing himself at Justin.

Justin caught him, hugging him close and kissing his head. “Hey, baby. Did you have fun?”

“Yes! Grandma Deb is the best!”

Judging by Debbie’s shocked expression, it was the first time Nick referred to her in that way.

“Honey, Debbie isn’t your grandmother,” Justin said gently.

Nick frowned, turning to stare accusatorily at her. “You said your son is Brian’s best friend, and Brian is like a son to you – you said that. Brian is Daddy’s boyfriend. You’re like a grandma.”

Brian pointed to Nick, wrapping an arm around Justin’s shoulders. “I like his logic.”

Justin shrugged him off. “Technically, you’re not wrong. Practically, your grandmother is my mother. We will visit her soon and you will meet her.”

Nick folded his arms. “I remember her. She upset you when she visited us home in New York. Pappy kept telling me not to ask about who the lady who visited was, but I figured out.”

Justin glared at the ceiling, unsure why he expected any less from his son. “I’ve made up with her. As you know, there are fights in a family. We had plenty. But we always made up.”

Nick pursed his lips. “You were very upset that day, Daddy. And many days after…”

“Your Grandma Jen is actually a very nice lady. We are going to meet with her soon and you will change your opinion,” Brian interjected.

Justin appreciated the effort, but he knew how difficult it was to change Nick’s opinion on something or someone, once it was formed. Especially, when the person had done him or someone he loved harm.

“Well, how about you stay for lunch,” Debbie proposed.

“We were thinking of going to get fast food and then to the park,” Justin said slowly, looking at his son.

Nick’s eyes widened. “Can we? Wow! KFC?”

“Anything you want,” Justin promised, ruffling the kid’s hair.

“Let’s go!” Nick grabbed his dad’s hand, dragging him to the door.

“Whoa, buddy!” Brian blocked his path. “What do you say to Debbie and Carl?”

“Carl was called at the station earlier,” Debbie explained, watching with a smile the interaction between Brian and Justin’s son.

Nick peeked at Debbie, “See you around.”

Justin slapped his forehead. “Thank you,” he hinted.

“I’m hungry,” Nick continued unperturbed.

Debbie gave Justin a pointed look about how similar Brian and Nick were. Justin grimaced, feeling like a failure because his son wouldn’t be polite when he had to, but only when he wanted.

“Go to the car with Brian,” Justin said quietly.

Nick dropped his hand and took Brian’s, already opening the front door.

“Later, Deb!” Brian waved, then picked Nick up, asking what he wanted to eat.

“Good God,” Justin moaned. “I hope he behaved.”

“He was a little angel.”

“Somehow, I doubt it. Where is his bag?”

“Oh, upstairs.” She made to go that way.

“I’ll get it,” Justin offered, taking the stairs two at a time. He found a mess in Michael’s old bedroom. All the comic books were all over the floor and bed, some of Nick’s clothes were at the foot of the bed and his stuffed turtle was on the windowsill. Justin imagined his son had been looking out the window, waiting for his arrival.

After packing everything and stacking the comics on the nightstand, he returned downstairs.

“Thank you again, Debbie. I hate how I dropped him on your head…”

“I told you I don’t mind. We even did some of his homework.”

“Aw, thank you.” Justin wrapped his arms around her. “You’re the best!”

She patted his cheek. “I see that you and Brian worked out whatever tension was between the two of you.”

He grinned shyly. “Several times over.”

“Good for you.”

Justin’s phone vibrated in his pocket, making him laugh. Brian’s name flashed on his screen.

“I’m coming,” he answered, amused.

Brian cleared his throat loudly, refraining himself from any dirty comment. “Nick is all for leaving you there while we go to Burger King alone, if you’re not in the car in the next minute.”

“Right. Coming.”

“You already said that,” Brian pointed out.

Justin hung up, smiling at Debbie. “I’ve gotta go.”

She walked him to the door. “Call me whenever you need some time alone.”