After specifically going to bed at a decent hour to be able to get up early and prepare breakfast for his son on his birthday, Justin was up in the middle of the night.

He sat up on the bed, confused why he was awake. Then he started sneezing so much it woke Brian.

“Bless you,” Brian said amused.

“Not funny,” Justin mumbled, scratching his nose as he searched for paper tissues on the nightstand.

“Should I close the window?” Brian offered, already getting out of the bed.

“I hope I’m not getting sick,” Justin moaned, sneezing some more.

“You’re probably cold. The temperature dropped during the night.” Brian closed the window and drew the drapes shut.

Justin took a moment, as he scratched his nose intensely, taking small breaths. He had a bad feeling this wasn’t because of the cool air in the room.

“Uh, can you bring my bag of meds from the kitchen, please?”

Brain paused on his way back to the bed. “You think it’s your allergies?”

“Some of the signs are there.”

“The whole bag?”

“Yes.”

Justin blew his nose again, when he remembered a distant conversation with Brian about the tree closest to their window. Justin hadn’t spent enough time in the past at Britin to trigger his allergies.

“Just my fucking luck,” he mumbled.

Brian returned with the bag and a bottle of water, and Justin immediately went for the strongest pills he had.

“It’s the goddamn tree.” Justin waved in the window’s direction.

“Are you sure?” Brian asked, concerned.

“I’m telling you. I’m allergic to poplar trees.” Justin tried to think of a solution because ingesting half a dozen pills before bed for the rest of his life wasn’t the best idea.

“We’ll cut the fucking tree,” Brian said seriously, sitting close to Justin and combing his fingers through Justin’s hair.

“You’re crazy. We can’t cut the tree.”

“Watch me. I’ll call a company which specializes in cutting trees. Because I’m not changing the master bedroom just because of a tree. And I’m not risking your health, either.”

Tears sprung into Justin’s eyes. Only Brian could make him cry while finding the most logical solution for their problem. He sneezed a few more times, dabbing at his eyes with another paper tissues.

“Now you have an excuse about the tears in your eyes.”

Justin slapped Brian’s arm playfully. “It is my allergies, but it’s also this overwhelming love I feel for you.”

“I’m just looking out for you, Justin. What the fuck would you do?”

“Keep the window closed at all times?” Justin hinted.

“Good luck with that. This is the hottest room in the whole house. There were times in the very beginning when I wanted to choose a different one as my bedroom, but …”

Justin rubbed Brian’s elbow. “You hoped I’d return. I only chose this room because of the view,” he admitted. “And the idea of waking up with the sun bathing us in its rays while we made love in the morning was romantic.”

Brian scowled, shaking his head. “You have to live with your decision, we are not moving bedrooms. That tree will be gone by the end of the week.”

“Thank you.” Justin wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck, placing his cheek against his shoulder.

“Think you can sleep?” Brian suggested.

“What time is it?”

“A little after two,” Brian said, lowering them on the bed. He stroked Justin’s naked back. “It’s been a while since I experienced your allergies.”

“It’s been a while since they acted up,” Justin admitted, tracing patterns on Brian’s chest. “Last time it happened…I was at one of my shows, a couple of years ago. Nick was with our neighbor, because we planned on going out to celebrate. It was my best solo show, without anyone else’s work displayed. Let’s say, we ended up at the hospital after I ate peanuts and almonds.”

“Sometimes, I wonder how such a smart man can make such stupid decisions…”

“Shut up. They were wrapped in chocolate and they tasted so good. I think Ethan told me not to eat them, but it was all I could stomach due to nerves. Anyway, it was a memorable night.”

“I can only imagine,” Brian joked. “Try to sleep. Are you feeling better?”

“I’m still itchy and my nose is tickling like I’m going to sneeze, and definitely teary.”

“Did Nick inherit this from you?”

“I kept asking his doctor back in New York, but he said if no symptoms show until he is six or seven, he might not develop any severe allergies.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Tell me about it. He only gets a rash after eating fresh berries. Don’t even ask…”

Brian laughed. He pressed his lips to Justin’s forehead.

It felt for Justin like he had just fallen asleep when the bedroom door was slammed to the wall, followed by Nick’s loud voice.

“It’s my birthday! Wake up, wake up!”

“This is what nightmares are made of,” Brian mumbled.

Justin stifled a smile, sitting up slowly and making sure the blanket covered both him and Brian. “Morning, baby!”

Nick dove between them. “I turn six today.”

“I know,” Justin said softly, stroking his hair, kissing his cheeks. “Happy birthday!”

Brian pulled Nick on his chest, hugging him and wishing him a happy birthday. Then he stroked a hand over Justin’s back, meeting his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Great.” Justin threw him a smile, but narrowed his eyes, hoping Brian wouldn’t worry Nick with questions about his health. “Do you want pancakes?”

“I think so,” Nick said, shrugging.

“How about we go to the diner for breakfast?” Brian suggested.

Nick’s eyes widened and sparkled with joy. “Can we go to Starbucks and get that yummy muffin?”

“You’ve never been to Starbucks,” Justin groaned. “Their muffins are expensive rocks.”

“The muffins are yummy,” Nick insisted.

Brian realized the conversation was about to go downhill. He had taken Nick to Starbucks on his way to school a few times, and he hadn’t thought about the consequences. Justin always fed his son as much as possible only healthy food.

“Come on, Justin. It’s his birthday.” Brian also made sure to meet Nick’s eyes, and shake his head.

Thankfully, the child was smart, and he stopped gushing about the muffins.

“Fine,” Justin huffed. “But only because I haven’t drunk Starbucks coffee in a while.”

It took them over an hour to get ready and pile in the Jeep. Nick was in the process of attempting to get out of going to school.

“That’s not how real life works,” Justin said, amused. “You don’t get an off day because it’s your birthday.”

“In some companies, you do,” Brian pointed out.

“Anyway,” Justin said loudly. “I used to love to go to school on my birthday. It was fun. The teachers were kind enough not to pick on me, by which I mean, they didn’t make me stand up and answer whatever stupid questions they had.”

Nick sucked in a breath. “Were you excused from doing homework, too?”

Justin turned around as much as the seatbelt allowed. “You didn’t do your homework?”

Nick chewed on his lip. “I kept trying to get you to help, but you were busy.”

“We’ll work on it during breakfast,” Brian offered, reaching out to touch Justin's hand. “It was my fault for moping around after the terrible day I had.”

“Don’t blame yourself. I’m the shitty father here. I didn’t even think Nick had homework so close to summer break,” Justin protested.

Starbucks turned out to be packed at seven, which made Justin buy their coffees and the muffin for Nick, then returned to the car.

 Brian drove to the diner where they scored a table near a window.

Not a moment before they sat down, Liam appeared at their table, and Justin jumped to ask how he was feeling. Brian should have guessed Justin would take the boy under his protective wing, just like Debbie had done.

They didn’t want to order anything yet since they got better coffee than the diner could provide.

Brian focused on Nick, telling him to take his homework out so they could look over it.

Eventually, Justin took over helping Nick, while Brian sipped from his coffee. He looked around, and spotted Liam behind the counter. The boy was counting his tip, a frown between his brows.

“Hey, Liam,” Brian called, making both the boy and Justin look up sharply. “We’d like something to eat. Egg white omelet….” Brian lifted a brow at Justin.

Maybe he could help with a generous tip, because he knew Liam needed the cash.

“Nothing for me,” Justin mumbled, returning his focus on Nick’s homework.

Brian kept his eyes on Liam, trying to understand what was different with the boy. He seemed to be more tired than he usually was.

Liam leaned against the wall near the kitchen window after placing the order, checking his phone, chewing on his lips in worry.

When he brought over Brian’s breakfast, Brian caught his wrist. Liam froze, as he usually did when someone touched him.

“Hey, what’s up? How’s Peter?”

Tears sprung into Liam’s eyes, and Brian understood that the boy’s friend wasn’t faring well. “I left him with the doctor when I came on my shift. Tannis said she’d call if…if…if….” A loud sob erupted from his throat.

“Shit. What the fuck happened? I thought the doctor found the meds he needed this time.” Brian was ready to rip the asshole doctor a new one for playing with a kid’s life just because he had been dealt a bad set of cards in his preteen years.

“It’s not the doctor…Pete was feeling better. He wanted to go on the bench outside.” Liam grimaced. “He got a cold.”

“Can he ever catch a break?” Brian groaned.

A small smile appeared on Liam’s worn out face. “That’s probably one thing he will never catch. Anyway, I better go…” Liam gestured to a new customer.

“Is the doctor paid?” Brian didn’t let go of Liam’s hand. The boy shook his head, more tears pooling into his eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have a talk with Tannis. Who’s replacing you?”

“Debbie. She should arrive. I really have to go.” Liam squirmed out of Brian’s grasp, hurrying to the new patron ready for his breakfast.

“What the hell? How well do you know Liam?” Justin asked the second they were alone.

“I was the one to take him to the Center and promise to rip everyone a new one if they didn’t take care of him.” Brian cut some of his omelet, chewing slowly. “I found him in front of Babylon one night when I left early. It was winter and the kid looked close to hypothermia. I didn’t have to be a genius to know he was homeless.”

“It’s a wonder at the things you can find outside Babylon,” Justin teased, reaching over to squeeze Brian’s free hand.

Brian laughed. “Yeah. It crossed my mind to take him home, but I had no idea what to do with him. Anyway, I called a friend doctor who recommended me a fellow doctor who was discreet and did home visits at any time of day and night.”

“Liam has a friend who isn’t well?” Justin asked softly. “I remember Debbie mentioning this Peter the last time I was here.”

“Yeah. Tannis called me in the morning saying my stray rescue had left. I knew I couldn’t have any control over him, but I felt bad for not being able to help him.” Brian shrugged. “Imagine my surprise when I found him huddled in a corner of the diner with Debbie hovering with piles of food…a few days later. Liam told us he appreciated all the help but he had someone who needed all the medical care and food more than him. And that’s how I installed Liam and his friend Peter at Grassi House.”

Justin watched Brian with a soft look, because he knew what a big heart his man had.

“Peter has aids. It’s the last stages. Nothing can be done. He’s barely eighteen…” Brian explained. “Every time I look at him or Liam, I imagine that could have been you. If I hadn’t fallen for you and decided you weren’t a mere toy for me…your parents kicked you out, I didn’t want you…”

“But it didn’t happen like that. Besides, I would have survived, as best as I could. Like they did.” Justin nodded to Liam who was fumbling with his ringing phone.

Brian held his breath, gauging the boy’s reaction. The news from the other end of the line could be devastating for Liam.

Justin was on the edge of his seat when Liam cupped his mouth, slumping on a chair by the counter.

“Don’t,” Brian warned, because he had learned how Liam worked. He would flee if someone crowded him.

“I need the bathroom,” Nick announced, shifting in his seat.

Justin grimaced, but helped his son toward the bathroom, casting a worried look to Liam.

Brian busied himself with his coffee and food, checking the email he received from the Art Department about an upcoming project.

A shadow obscured his light and Brian glanced up to see Liam close to tears.

“Do you think Debbie would be upset if I left early?” His voice was surprisingly steady.

“I doubt it. Everything okay?” Brian asked.

Liam grinned widely, tears knotting at his jaw. “Peter is better.”

“That’s a relief,” Brian sighed.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Justin asked, agitated, returning to their table.

Liam surprised them by throwing his arms around Justin, who was a virtual stranger to him. “My friend is not suffering anymore.”

Brian realized what Liam had meant a moment ago. “Fuck. Can we help?” Brian asked, standing and touching the boy’s back.

“No.” Liam pulled away, wiping his tears. “I promised Petey I wouldn’t cry. He made me promise to be happy because no one will suffer anymore if this happened.”

“But you will suffer,” Justin said hotly. “You aren’t grasping the reality right now.”

“Justin,” Brian said sternly, shaking his head. “I’ll take you back,” he offered to Liam. “Go, grab your jacket.”

“I’ll wait for Debbie,” Justin mumbled.

“You have to take Nick to school. Come by the Center after. Take the car.” Brian handed Justin the Jeep keys.

He went to the cook, telling him to take care of the diner because Liam had an emergency. The man had heard their conversation, and agreed without argument.

.

.

.

The day turned out to be more hectic than either Justin or Brian anticipated.

Justin wasted forty minutes at Nick’s school to chat with the teacher, and confirm last minute details for other parents regarding the party on Saturday.

When Justin arrived at Grassi House, which still amazed him how people could believe Brian was heartless after his gesture regarding the Center, he found a flurry of activity.

Liam still seemed to hold it pretty much okay, but Brian told Justin in passing, he had offered the boy a happy pill so he wouldn’t crumble in the middle of the day.

It was late in the day when everything was prepared and if they had forgotten some important step regarding the process, Tannis promised to take care of it.

She had changed her attitude toward Brian, but he wasn’t treating her any different, which proved the problem had been at her.

When Brian and Justin got in the car, it was about time to go and collect Nick from school.

“I have to head to the gallery. I promised them to talk to the curator about the show, and I can’t not go,” he said quietly.

“I’ll drop you off then go to get Nick. Meet me back at Kinnetik. I hope Ted didn’t fuck up the deal I had to seal today.”

“I thought you had a minion who replaced you when you couldn’t attend a meeting.”

“This is a meeting I would have taken Ted to, so I told him earlier to fill in. Anyway, what do you want for lunch?”

“I might eat with the people at the gallery. Get whatever. No fast food, please.”

Brian nodded seriously. “Don’t worry. I won’t cave to Nick’s puppy eyes.”

Justin grimaced. “Right. Don’t mention the D-Thing in front of him.” Nick had tried coaxing Justin into the best present for his birthday during the flight back from Vermont.

Brian threw him an incredulous look. “What the fuck, Justin?”

“He’s been begging for it for years and now he apparently remembered about his most desired present,” Justin went on unperturbed.

“I’m afraid to ask what you mean by D-Thing,” Brian said slowly, parking in front of the gallery.

Justin threw his head back, laughing. “It’s not dick, you sick perv! It’s worse…it’s dog.”

“Dog?” Brian shuddered. “And excuse me for dick being the first thing I thought about.”

“You’re a dork.” Justin leaned over the console to kiss Brian. “I’ll see you later!”

“Good luck.” Brian returned the kiss, watching as Justin hurried inside the gallery.