After lunch they ran their errands and returned to Britin.

"Dad, are you up to kicking the soccer ball around? We've got a few more hours of daylight and you're as good as coach when it comes to putting me through the moves." Gus tossed his soccer ball in the air as he waited for his dad's response.

"I guess that could be arranged. Want to come watch?" he asked Justin as he watched him put the guava juice in the refrigerator and take the DVD's out of the bag. 

"No. You two go ahead. I think I'll use the computer for a bit. My arm's getting stronger every day. I've got a piece I started a few days ago that I want to work on."

Brian raised his eyebrows, wondering what it might look like since they were in the midst of a big argument at the time, but he kept quiet. "Why don't we change into our gear and I'll meet you in the mud room in twenty minutes."

"Great." Gus went up to his room and quickly changed. Since it didn't take him long, he sat on his bed thinking about the conversation at lunch. I wonder if the moms would let me move here? I bet it would be so cool to live with Dad and Justin. They've got Rosa, who cooks for them--no more ‘who's going to cook dinner or clean up'. They've got all the money they need so no more arguments about working late to pay for those lessons or this trip. It would be so great if I could live with them. It would solve all my problems. Gus put on his shin guards and socks and went downstairs to wait for his dad.

Justin went to his studio while Brian changed. Gus had played soccer since he was four, so Brian kept a full set of gear at his disposal. He bought new cleats and shin guards every few years and made sure there was a soccer ball available. He enjoyed playing with Gus, and now that he was older, their skill level was similar. Brian had been a star player in his youth and still enjoyed the game.

They met in the mud room and went to the back yard to practice. They started with passing drills and moved on to long runs, where they moved the ball between cones that they placed in the yard. Gus spent half an hour placing kicks into the goal while Brian played goalie. Few balls made it into the net. They practiced for almost two hours and they were tired when they finished.

"Good job, Sonny Boy. Coach has definitely been working on your kicking skills these last few weeks. I'm certain your team will kick everyone's ass next week at the tournament. I've told Cynthia to clear my calendar for all your games, and I think Justin plans on being there too."

Gus wiped the sweat from his brow with his towel and drank half a bottle of Gatorade to replenish his energy. "Dad, let's stretch and then hit the shower."

Justin had just returned to the house when they came in. "Have a good practice? You both looked wiped out." He handed Brian a bottle of water and grabbed a banana for himself.

"Sonny Boy is a great player." Brian gulped the water and finished it in one drink. "I'm going to shower. Want to join me and I can help you take yours?" Brian offered.

""Dad!" Gus groaned.

Gus, I need help showering because of my arm." Justin explained as he threw his peel away.

"I didn't think about that. I guess it would be hard to wash your hair and stuff." Gus took his sweaty towel and threw it in the laundry room. "I'm going to shower and then do some homework. I'll be glad when summer comes and I don't have to work on pre-calculus."

Brian and Justin went upstairs to their bedroom, where Brian stripped his clothing and helped Justin take off his. He went into the shower, adjusting the water temperature to a lukewarm, not as hot as he would like, but acceptable to Justin.

Stepping into the shower, Brian rinsed the sweat from his body and grabbed the soap, washing his body quickly. He wet his hair and traded places with Justin. After soaping his hair, he took the soap and washed Justin's body. When he got to Justin's cock, he played with it, quickly getting it hard. 

"Briannn," Justin sighed in pleasure.

"Like that, Justin?" He continued to milk the hard cock as he pressed his body against Justin's back. 

Justin was lost in the sensation for a few moments, but then pulled away. He turned around, kissing Brian on the mouth in a soft, gentle kiss. "We need to talk; maybe when Gus leaves." He grabbed the shampoo off the shelf and handed it to Brian, signaling the end of the sex play.

"Shit," Brian said under his breath. He opened the shampoo, poured some in his palm and washed Justin's hair. He washed his own hair and rinsed both their bodies. After turning off the shower, he stepped out and pulled a heated towel off the rack and gave it to Justin, and then pulled a second one for himself. 

After Justin dried himself, he hung up his towel and Brian did the same. They went into the bedroom to get dressed. 

Brian pulled a shirt off the hanger and said casually, "I asked Gus if he'd like to live with us? What do you think?"

Justin sat on the bed, pulling on his underwear. "He's that unhappy?"

"The grass is always greener..."

Justin stood up to put on a pair of cargoes to repeat the routine. "Do you think the girls would let him do it?"

"Maybe. If Gus is accurate, they argue all the time and money is really tight. Face it, Justin. He's my son and wants the very best of everything. Clothing, shoes..."

"But money isn't everything, Brian. Mel's always talking about what a terrible father you are."

"Yet they let him come here whenever it's convenient for them. Hell, they accept my money freely enough."

"You want this, don't you?"

Brian came over to the bed, sitting next to Justin. He placed a soft kiss on his lips and looked Justin in the eye. "I never thought I wanted to be a father, much less a full time one, but... yes, I want this."

"Okay."

"Okay. That's it, just okay?"

Justin stood up to grab a shirt, carefully putting it on so as not to aggravate his arm. "I love Gus. I consider him my son, but ultimately Brian, this is your decision."

"I'll give Lindsey a call in the morning." Brian kissed Justin and finished getting dressed.


Gus finished his homework, and Brian worked a little on a new campaign while Justin read an art magazine. They ordered pizza for dinner and watched Borat.

"I think I'm going to bed, Dad. I've got more homework to do tomorrow before we go to Grandma's, and I promised JR I'd take her bowling. See you in the morning."

Justin and Brian cleaned up the media room, putting away the DVD and bringing the popcorn bowl to the kitchen. Justin followed Brian to their bedroom and softly closed the door, going to the bed to sit down. He's joining me. About time.

Brian eyed Justin, smiling at his partner. When he saw that Justin was not moving to get undressed, he finished hanging up his pants and asked, "Why aren't you getting undressed?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Gus moving here."

Brian waved his hand toward the seating area in their bedroom, and Justin joined him in the cozy area. "You were right to have this area set up in here. There have been many times that we've sat and talked here."

Justin laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Just something Emmett said. I told him we actually talk a lot and he scoffed. I told him that we don't just fuck all the time. He seemed to think about that, but dismissed the idea."

"Despite my protestations, you have gotten me to talk, something I truly despise." Brian said, tongue-in-cheek. 

"We both know that while our sex life is hot as hell, it wouldn't really hold us together," Justin commented as he got up to get two bottles of water. Returning to the seating area, he gave them to Brian to open, holding his hand out for his opened bottle.

"Shh... Somebody will learn our secret," Brian whispered as he put his finger up to his lips in a quieting motion. "You've changed me, Justin--in ways I would never have imagined. I have a partner--a word I would never have used except in business. I have a big house in the country, and I'm monogamous--haven't gotten my dick sucked by anyone but you in seven years."

Justin paled as he said the last part. Brian quickly stood up, walking to Justin and bending down in front of his chair. "I'm sorry. So sorry, Justin. I didn't mean..."

Justin leaned down, placing his arms around Brian's neck, but winced at the sudden pain. He straightened up and gave Brian a half smile. "I know. I forgive you." He motioned for Brian to get up and bend down towards him, and then kissed him gently on the lips. "I'm working on it, Brian, but I want to talk about Gus."

Brian returned to his chair and took a sip of the cold water.

"Do you really think Gus moving here is a good idea?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Do you remember being a teenager?"

Brian rolled his eyes at the question. "I try not to--I didn't enjoy being a punching bag."

Justin winced at the reminder of Brian's rough childhood. "Point taken, but at least you had Debbie."

"And Michael. They were a life saver."

"Did you ever think of moving in with Deb?"

"Sometimes, but I'm sure Jack and Joan would never have gone for it."

"Do you remember when I came to live with you in high school?"

Brian grinned. "Your mother brought me a duffle bag filled with your underwear and a copy of fucking Yellow Submarine. Told me to make sure you took your allergy pills and got to school on time. I will never forget that morning."

"I was so happy to come live with you. I just knew that you wouldn't hassle me about homework, my grades, how late I stayed out. Of course we can't forget not hassling me about who I slept with since it was you."

"Okay. Can we stop waltzing down memory lane and get to your point?" Brian groused.

"My point is..." Justin paused to emphasize his words. "I was thrilled to move in with you, thought all my problems would be solved, but I was wrong." Justin finished his bottle of water and played with the screw cap in his hand. "You still hassled me about my homework, my problems at school didn't go away, and you fucked other guys besides me. I just didn't have to deal with my homophobic father."

"Justin, I'm not exactly getting the point of your little lesson here. Gus doesn't have a homophobic father and he doesn't have parents that hit or ignore him. He's not escaping a horrible situation." Brian stood up and walked across the room, occasionally massaging the bridge of his nose. "Sure he's hassled by the Munchers, but I don't think he's running away."

"Are you sure?"

"I know my own kid. Would you like to talk to him before I talk to Lindsay? See for yourself that he's not 'running away'."

"I'll talk to him at breakfast."

"Okay. Anything else on your little agenda or can we go to bed? I'm beat," Brian said as he walked over to seating area and started massaging Justin's shoulders. 

Justin let Brian massage his shoulders for a few minutes and reached up to grasp one of Brian's hands, squeezing it. "Thanks for the talk and the massage. I'll see you in the morning." Justin got up to leave the room.

Brian quickly walked to him and turned Justin around, kissing him passionately on the lips. When they were done, he released him, but still kept his arms wrapped around his neck. "Sure you don't want to stay here? We could relive those early memories of you moving into the loft," Brian said in a husky voice as he removed one of his arms and placed his hand on Justin's groin, stroking Justin's cock through his pants.

Justin reached down and removed Brian's hand as he pulled away from the embrace. "Not yet. Remember, I love you." He turned again and walked out of their bedroom.

Justin was up early and made a pot of coffee, having become adept at using one hand to do many activities. He poured himself a cup as he read the Art section in the newspaper. As he was finishing the article about the new exhibit for up-and-coming artists at the Bloom gallery, Gus entered the kitchen.

"Coffee," Gus grunted as he poured himself a mug. "This is the good stuff... Columbian. The moms never buy it--they say it's too expensive."

Justin put down the paper, watching Gus drink his coffee. "The other night you mentioned that you wanted to move to Britin," he casually mentioned as he walked to the bread box, taking out two pieces and popping them in the toaster.

"Yeah."

"Why do you want to live with us way out here in the country? We're far from school and your friends."

"I can see my friends at school, and Dad works pretty late so I'd be able to stay in town while Dad's working."

"Wouldn't it be easier to come and go as you please?"

Gus looked at Justin as he was buttering his toast, trying to read his facial expressions. "Why are you asking, Justin?"

"I'm worried about you. This seems like such a sudden idea. I want to make sure that you've really thought about the decision." Justin brought his toast to the table, indicating to Gus that he could take a piece.

"I love spending time with you and Dad. When I'm here, its really calm and there's no tension in the air--even with this thing going on with you two. You're civil to each other. At home, I leave the house as often as I can--sometimes I only sleep there," Gus admitted.

"How long has this been going on? Why didn't you tell us?" Justin asked as he frowned deeply at Gus' confession.

Gus took the other piece of toast and took a bite, prolonging his answer. "It's been this way for most of the school year. I study at the library or a friend's house. After school, I practice soccer or go to Uncle Michael's store and read the comics. He always lets me sit in back. Sometimes I visit Grandma, but she can be nosy and ask a lot of questions, so I try to go there only once a week."

Justin got up, walking to the bread box. He pointed to the bread and Gus nodded his head that he wanted more food. Justin put the bread in the toaster. "So moving in with us would be a lot better for you. You'd have a place to retreat that was your own, not someone else's space." The toaster dinged and Justin removed the toast, buttering it and placing it on the plate. 

"Yeah. It's nice to be able to go to your room and not wonder if there'll be food for dinner--knowing that the groceries have been bought and you won't have to be a witness to a fight about buying the expensive coffee versus the mid-range one."

"I'm sorry that you've had to live like that, Gus. I wish you'd spoken up earlier. Your Dad and I would be glad to have you come live with us. I'm sure we can convince your moms to let you move in."

Gus got up from the table and hugged Justin. "I promise to do my homework, do my chores and do whatever you guys ask. Wait until I tell Sam, he'll be so happy."

"Sam?"

"My best friend and current boyfriend," Gus admitted. 

"You'll have to have him out to Britin. I would love to meet him." Justin smiled at Gus and Gus beamed at the prospect.

"When do you think I could move in?"

Brian walked into the kitchen as Gus asked his question. He looked toward Justin and saw a big nod of affirmation. "I'll talk to Lindsay today before we go to Grandma Deb's. I'll see if she'll agree to having you stay here until the tournament. That won't send her into a tizzy. Hopefully after the tournament, she'll be so used to you not being there, the idea of you being here longer won't set her off. Then I will talk to her about you moving here permanently."

"You think it will be that easy, Brian?" Justin asked as he walked over to get his morning kiss.

"No, not really, but I can always dream, Sunshine." Brian took down his favorite mug, filling it with coffee. "I think this calls for pancakes. Do you think you boys have room in your stomachs for some pancakes from First Watch?"

"Sure." Gus got up and ran out of the kitchen.

"So he convinced you that he wasn't running away?" Brian asked.

"You were right. Did you know that he usually only sleeps at the house? Things have gotten that bad. He finds places to go and people to hang out with and goes home to sleep. No wonder he loves coming out here so much. He can relax and just hang out without being witness to daily drama." Justin placed his coffee mug on the counter and placed Brian's mug next to his. He leaned on Brian's chest as he shared his thoughts. "I'm glad we can offer him a safe place. I told him he should invite his boyfriend here. Did you know he had a boyfriend?"

"Not exactly. He kind of talked around the idea, saying he and a friend were going to the movies and spending the night, or going to a concert. I kind of suspected. Guess I'll need to reiterate Gay Sex 101 with him."

"I want him safe too," Justin said as he repeated the oft-used sentence from their earlier relationship. "I guess I need to get dressed if you're taking me out for breakfast. Want to help me put on my shirt?" Justin teased.

"If that's an invitation to see your gorgeous body... of course I'll help." Brian playfully slapped Justin's butt as they walked up the stairs to their bedroom. 

They went upstairs and shared several strategically-placed kisses as Brian assisted Justin to get dressed. They didn't linger, knowing that Gus was waiting. They drove to the restaurant and ate breakfast. 

On the drive back, Gus asked, "I've been thinking Dad... If I move out here, maybe I could get a car so you won't have to drive me back and forth."

Brian laughed. "Good try, Gus, but the answer is still no. I'm not ready to have several heart attacks every day, thinking of you driving back and forth to the Pitts."

"Well, I had to try."

"You wouldn't be a Kinney if you didn't ask for the moon, Gus. Fortunately, your Dad and I have discussed this particular subject several times. While buses are inconvenient, there is definitely something to be said for using public transportation. I will always know that you can safely get home from wherever you are in the Pitts. I used to ride the bus all the time when I was your age. My parents could afford to buy me a car, but they said that the bus was perfectly fine for my needs, especially since I didn't have too many time deadlines. Riding the bus is a great skill that will help you later in life."

Gus rolled his eyes. "Is he like this a lot, Dad? I swear I feel like I just watched a Public Service Film in Civics class."

Brain laughed. "Justin hasn't changed much in seventeen years, Gus. In fact the night I met him, he was giving me his Public Service Announcement about using condoms. Told me that he'd been told about practicing safe sex."

"TMI, Dad," Gus spoke from the back seat.

"Actually, Gus it is a perfect segue. Justin tells me you have a boyfriend. You do remember our talk about safe sex? ALWAYS use a condom. NEVER let anyone convince you they're clean and to do it raw."

"DADDDD. I'm not stupid. I know about AIDS. Hello! I do know Uncle Ben and I've heard about Uncle Vic, although I don't remember him."

"Good to know. I'm your father and I have responsibilities. One of those is to make sure you know about safe sex. Having fulfilled my fatherly duties, tell me about your boyfriend," Brian half teased as he turned onto their street.

A loud groan was heard from the back seat. "What do you want to know?"

"Brian, remember this is not a court of law," Justin tempered. He squeezed Brian's hand as he turned around and smiled at Gus.

"He's my age. I met him at the library in school. We were both using the computer. He's good-looking and I like him a lot."

"Justin tells me that he told you to invite him over for dinner one night. What do you say?'

"That'd be cool. I talk about you guys all the time and he thinks that it'd be so neat to have parents that didn't freak when you told them you were gay."

"Do his parents know?" Justin asked.

"Not really. I think they suspect but they just don't ask. They're like the military. Don't ask, don't tell."

"I'll talk to Linds this afternoon before we go to Deb's and if she says okay, then maybe you can have him over one night this week."

"Thanks Dad."

Brian pulled the car into the garage and turned to the back seat to address Gus. "What are your plans for the rest of the day, Gus? Remember, we have to be at Deb's by 6:00. I thought I might call your mom and see if she'd meet me at 5:00 at the diner. You could drive Justin into town."

"That's awesome. Can I drive the ‘Vette?"

"No, you may not drive the ‘Vette. You can drive the Saab. We haven't replaced Justin's car yet, but it will do to get you from here to there."

"Okay. I thought we could kick the soccer ball around again. If not, we could watch another DVD."

"Soccer it is. I need to burn off some of that big breakfast and I know Deb will be feeding me lots of carbs tonight." Turning to Justin, he asked, "What are you plans for the afternoon?"

"I thought I might watch you two for a little, maybe sketch some. I know I'll have some good material."

Justin went to his studio, grabbed his pencils and charcoal, and followed them outside. He sketched for about thirty minutes, let his hand rest, and then continued again. He made several preliminary sketches and then watched the father and son play soccer, marveling at the skill and ease of them. As the practice concluded, he gathered his supplies and deposited them in his studio. 

Brian and Gus came in and showered, returning to the media room, where Justin joined them. 

"Did you get in touch with Lindsay?" Justin asked as he grabbed a water. Handing it to Brian to open, he gave Gus and Brian their own bottles.

"Yeah, I called her before we went out. She seemed curious as to why I wanted to meet before going to Deb's, but she agreed."

"What are you going to tell her, Dad?"

"I won't lie to her, Gus. I'll tell her you'd like to stay with us until after the tournament."

"Your mom won't probably ask why?" Brian attempted to ease Gus' mind.

"Can you call me after you talk to her? I'd like to know before we go to Grandma's."

"Sure. I probably should get going." Brian grabbed his light jacket and walked to Justin to give him a good bye kiss.

Justin stood up, giving Brian a kiss on the lips and his version of a hug. Brian gave Gus a slap on the back. "Be careful driving Justin to Grandma's. I'll see you two in a few hours."

"Bye, Dad." Turning to Justin, he asked, "Can we watch something? I don't think I can concentrate on any more pre-calc."

"Sure Gus. Let's watch some Graham Norton. I have a few saved on the TiVo. They always make me laugh."

They watched a few episodes of Graham Norton and then Gus drove them into the city.


TBC