Part Seven

Brian woke Monday morning with a smile on his face and Justin's mouth on his cock. With a moan of pleasure he laid there for long minutes enjoying Justin's talented tongue and hot wet mouth before pulling the blonde away.

"I think there's something better we could be doing," Brian informed his lover.

"Like what?" Justin asked impudently.

"Well, I could be fucking you into the mattress," Brian suggested.

"That does sound better," Justin agreed. Brian just smirked as he rolled over and grabbed a condom and the lube. Justin positioned himself on his hands and knees and felt Brian move behind him. "But you better make it hard and fast, because I have class and you have work today."

"I can do hard and fast," Brian told him. "And tonight, I'll make sure it's slow and long and torture you for hours without relief."

Justin groaned as he felt Brian slide into his body from behind. "Sounds, unh, sounds good."

Brian was as good as his word and soon both men were satisfied. They grabbed a quick shower and dressed for the day, then stopped to grab a quick bite before leaving the loft. Brian dropped Justin off at school before going to the office. Even though Justin's first class wasn't until ten, he told Brian that he had a meeting with his advisor and needed to be there early.

As Brian pulled up to the curb he put the jeep into park and sighed. "We need to get you a car."

Justin frowned. "Not that I don't want one or anything, but why? I'm fine with the bus, and you and Mom give me rides when you can."

"Because there are times when I can't be around and when you end up studying late," Brian said. "I hate thinking of you alone at a bus stop late at night. Anything could happen."

"This is a safe neighborhood," Justin pointed out.

"But the loft isn't in the best area," Brian reminded him. "And you have to walk through a worse neighborhood to get home from the bus stop. Listen, we'll talk about this later, but I want you to consider it. I can talk to Manning today and see what sort of budget he would suggest, but...well, just think about it."

Justin nodded. "I will."

"You going home after class?"

"No, Mom is picking me up." Justin said. "She has a showing in the area and then she's free for the afternoon, so we're going to go look for furniture for the studio and bedrooms."

"Just stick to the budget and keep it simple," Brian advised.

"It is a rather generous budget, so I doubt that will be a problem," Justin grinned. "And I think I know what you like by now."

"I like you," Brian rejoined before kissing Justin goodbye. "Now get out. I have to get to work. I'll be home for dinner around six. Do you want to cook, or should I pick something up?"

Justin shook his head as he grabbed his backpack. "I'll cook. There's a ton of food in the refrigerator."

Brian smiled, "Later."

"Later."

BJBJBJBJBJ

Jennifer and Justin headed to her favorite furniture store and went inside to look around. "I still can't believe Brian is leaving this all up to you."

"Well, he landed a big client right before we left and he has a lot to do to keep the campaign on track," Justin explained. "I think he might have another big client in his sights as well. Now that he's a partner in the firm, he doesn't just get a bonus, he gets a percentage of the overall profits, and a bonus percentage of the clients he brings in. If you thought he was motivated before, just wait until you see him now. While we were away, he kept emailing Cynthia about ideas he wanted to pursue and clients he thought they could get."

"Well, we'll just have to take care of this project for him, then," Jennifer concluded. "Oh Justin, what about this?" Jennifer had found a red leather chaise with modern lines and stainless steel supports.

"It's great," Justin nodded. "It will be perfect in the studio area." He could already picture Brian posing naked on it for him. "I think Brian will love it too."

Over the next two hours, they hunted and debated the pros and cons of each piece of furniture. In the end, they ordered everything but what would go in Gus' room. Justin wanted to talk to Brian about that before making any decisions, but he had something in mind already and he didn't think they would find what he wanted at that particular store. All of their children's furniture was very traditional and wouldn't fit with the rest of the loft.

When Jennifer dropped Justin off, she made him promise to call when the furniture arrived on Thursday so they could arrange it together. Justin agreed and went up to his studio to work on a few drawings for Gus' room. He might have worked until after Brian got home, he was so caught up in what he was doing, but his grumbling stomach forced him upstairs to fix dinner.

He was just setting the grilled salmon and roasted vegetables onto their plates when Brian came home. "Hi honey, I'm home," Brian said with a smirk as he came up behind Justin and wrapped his arms around him. "That looks wonderful. Did you have a nice time shopping with your mother?"

Justin scowled and pulled away. "I am not the little woman. But yes, I did have a nice time."

"And how close to budget are we?" Brian asked as he pulled out a bottle of white wine and poured two glasses.

"Actually, we're well under budget so far," Justin told him as he set down their plates and then sat down. "But we haven't touched Gus' room yet. I wanted to ask your opinion on that before I bought anything. Then I'll look online to see if I can find what I want."

Brian sat down across from Justin and noticed for the first time that there was a sketch pad beside his place setting. "What's this?"

"Just some ideas I had for the room," Justin shrugged. "Go ahead and look."

Brian flipped open the pad to the first page and was amazed by what he saw. There were murals on each wall of a forest scene including deer and other woodland creatures. The furniture Justin drew had clean lines, but had a rustic feel that fit well in the room he was proposing.

"This is really good," Brian said as he set the pad down to break of a forkful of the salmon. He continued to eat as turned the page and found another angle of the same room. The details and colors were vibrant and Brian could see his little boy in that room.

"The next one is my favorite," Justin said. "I think it fits the style and feel of the loft better and will work better as Gus gets older. He won't outgrow it the way he will the other two ideas."

Brian took another bite before turning the page. This time the room was had sleek modern furniture and the murals on the walls reflected the Pittsburgh skyline. There were airplanes and trucks and clouds in the sky to keep a young boy interested, but there was nothing childish about the mural itself. It was something even a teenage boy could like. The second page of that design showed the room at night. The lights in the buildings were illuminated and stars seemed to twinkle off the page.

"I have a few ideas about lighting for that one," Justin told him. "I think I can actually make the sky look dark at night and light in the day. And the windows and stars would just be glow paint."

Brian nodded and turned the page again. This time the room had a train theme. It was nice, but nothing like the first two. Brian shut the sketch pad and concentrated on eating his dinner while he thought about the designs. It wasn't until he had finished that he spoke again.

"Is it possible to make the mural three dimensional?" Brian asked.

Justin shrugged. "A little more time consuming and expensive, but yeah. Why? What were you thinking?"

"Well, if we made some of the buildings and maybe the airplane come out of the wall, we could rig a lighting system into the mural, so the plane's lights actually flash at night and the building lights were real. He wouldn't need a nightlight then."

Justin grinned. "So we're going with the cityscape?"

"Yes," Brian nodded. "I really liked the woods, but I think the city fits our home better."

"Me too," Justin agreed. "It may take me a while to get it all put together. And I'll need to talk with a lighting designer."

"Sounds expensive," Brian commented.

"Actually, I left about half the budget just for Gus' room," Justin admitted. "I was hoping we could make it really special. And If I do the murals myself, that will keep costs down. And I have a friend at school that is amazing with wood sculpture and carpentry. He might be willing to help out for student wages."

"Price it," Brian urged. "And don't forget to take into account how much time you can put into the project and keep up with your painting and school. If we need to hire help, we can do that."

"Nothing's too good for Gus, huh?" Justin smiled.

"Or for you," Brian smiled back. "Now, I think I promised you a long slow fuck this morning. If we want to take our time, we should clean up and get to it."

"Yes, sir," Justin salute and scooted away to avoid the swat Brian aimed for his ass.

BJBJBJBJBJ

The week flew by for Justin. He was so busy between school and putting together estimates and detailed designs for Gus' room that he didn't have time to worry about Brian's reaction to his decorating choices. He did think about getting a car, however, since all the running around he needed to do would have been much easier if he had had his own transportation. The furniture came on Thursday and Jennifer had come by to help him set it up as planned. Unfortunately, Brian had to work late Thursday and Justin was already sleeping when he got in, so he never got to show him the new rooms.

It wasn't until Justin was cooking dinner for their friends Friday evening that he stopped to think about it. And when he thought about it, he got nervous. What if Brian hated everything? Emmett knew that the new furniture was being delivered and would expect to see the rooms. This meant that if Brian did hate it, Justin would be embarrassed in front of their friends. He groaned.

He didn't have any more time to consider it, though, because Brian got home just then. "I'm sorry I'm late. The guys will be here any minute and I need a shower. Then I'll be right out to help with anything you need."

Justin didn't even have time for a hello before Brian was shutting the bathroom door. Shaking his head, Justin resigned himself to his fate. What would be would be. He went back to preparing dinner for their friends. The soup was already in small crocks with the croutons in the soup and a small round of provolone cheese on the top. They would go under the broiler right before it was time to serve. He had already roasted several red and green peppers and shallots with olive oil to put on the sandwiches. He was in the process of slicing the thick Italian bread and layering them with slices of marinated grilled chicken, the vegetables and asiago cheese when the buzzer sounded.

Brian had just returned from the bedroom, his hair still damp, and went to buzz Ted and Emmett in. "I see your mom dropped off the panini grill."

"Yesterday," Justin told him. "She wanted to wait until you were around to open it, but I convinced her to spare you the pain of seeing the wrapping paper she used."

"Not..." Brian groaned.

"Silver with bells and doves."

"Fuck, that woman's as bad as Debbie," Brian said. "Just wait until I tell you what she had delivered to work."

Justin's curiosity was piqued, but he wouldn't get an answer then, because Brian was opening the door and in walked Emmett, Ted, and Michael.

There was silence for long minutes, but Michael eventually said, "Emmett said that you had changed the loft a lot, but wouldn't tell me how. Nothing looks different to me."

Justin laughed nervously. "Well the tours will have to wait until after dinner. Emmett, could you help me finish up while Ted plays bartender?"

"Sure," Emmett smiled. Ted nodded and followed Emmett into the kitchen.

"There are a couple bottles of white wine in the fridge Ted, could you open one and pour five glasses," Justin directed. "And Emmett, that tray of crocks needs to go under the broiler for five minutes. Keep a close eye on it so the cheese doesn't burn. I'll just get these sandwiches on the grill."

"And we'll give Mikey and Brian a few minutes alone," Emmett said quietly to Ted, just in case he had missed Justin's intentions.

"Sure," Ted shrugged. He poured the wine and set a glass by each of the five place settings. "What would you have done if Michael didn't show up?"

Justin shrugged, "Put the extras in the fridge and had it for lunch tomorrow. I was pretty sure he would, though."

"Why's that, hon?" Emmett asked.

"Because Michael won't give up Brian by choice," Justin said. "The question is will he force Brian to push him away."

"You okay with this?" Emmett asked.

"I'm secure in my relationship with Brian," Justin said. "I know how he feels about me, and about Michael. Whatever happens, Brian won't allow Michael to come between us."

"He won't talk to me about what he's thinking," Emmett told them. "Since that first night, he's been avoiding me."

"He probably thinks you'll side with Justin," Ted commented.

Justin and Emmett eyed Ted. "Has he been talking to you?"

Ted nodded. "But I'm not going to tell you what we talked about. I won't break his confidence like that."

"It's fine, Ted," Justin sighed. "He needs someone to confide in. I'm just sorry he thinks I'm taking his other friends away, too. It doesn't bode well."

"I think the soup's done," Emmett said as he grabbed a couple potholders and opened the oven door. "Help me set these out Ted."

"There's a trivet by each plate for the crocks," Justin told them. "I'm just about done with the sandwiches."

Just then, Brian and Michael walked over to join them. Brian went to Justin and kissed his neck. "The soup smells amazing. Can I help you cut these?"

Justin smiled up at him and whispered, "Everything alright?"

Brian nodded. "As alright as it can be. I don't think it's over, though."

"I don't think so either," Justin sighed, and then straightened. When he spoke again it was in a regular voice. "Why don't you take these to the table, and I'll get the salad and vinaigrette from the refrigerator."

Everyone was seated around the round table when Justin finally brought the last of their dinner to the table and took his seat beside Brian. As soon as he sat, everyone began to dig in. The food helped ease the tension in the group and soon everyone was smiling and laughing. But Justin knew that Michael was watching him, and it made him nervous and tense.

After dinner, everyone helped clean up-on Brian's orders. He threatened that there would be no tour as long as there was a mess in the kitchen. Soon it was all clean and the moment of truth had arrived.

"No more putting it off," Emmet griped. "I want to see what you did with the space!"

"All right, but I go first and then Brian," Justin said. "I haven't had a chance to show him yet."

"You've been making changes to his loft and he hasn't seen them?" Michael asked, horrified.

"Justin has been making changes to OUR HOME," Brian said in a warning tone. Michael backed down, but didn't look apologetic.

Justin sighed and said, "Well, follow me then."

When they reached the stairs, Michael said, "Where did these come from?"

"Just wait, Mikey," Ted said. "It gets better."

Justin flicked on the light at the bottom of the stairs. While he had kept with the modern designs and clean lines of the floor above, he had chosen a warmer palette to furnish this part of their home. Everything was in shades of Brown, tan, orange and red, with both wood and stainless steel accents. Justin thought it was nice, and Jennifer agreed, but Brian's opinion was the one that mattered in Justin's mind.

"What's with the red and orange?" Michael piped up. "And since when does the loft have two floors?"

"Since Justin and I decided to expand," Brian said. "And I like the colors."

Justin smiled. Even if Brian hated it, he should have known that he would defend Justin's choices. He wouldn't embarrass him, especially in front of Michael.

"It gorgeous, honey," Emmett gushed. "And that lounge by the window? I could lie down and never get up!"

Ted, who had peeked his head into the guest room came out and said, "Your guest room is nicer than my bedroom at home."

Soon they were all walking around, looking at the details and Brian came up to Justin and held him in a tight embrace. "You were worried I wouldn't like it, weren't you?"

"A little," Justin admitted.

"Well, I think you did a great job," Brian said. "And if you ever decide to give up painting, I think you could make a fortune doing interior design."

"Let's wait and see if I can pull off Gus' room before making any grand pronouncements," Justin laughed, but he was relieved, and the tension he had felt earlier drained away.

Michael came out of Gus' room and said, "Hey, did you spend everything out here? You left a room unfinished."

Justin sighed and closed his eyes as the tension in his neck and shoulders returned.

"That's Gus' room," Emmett explained, doing his part to keep the peace. "Justin has some wonderful designs for in there, but they'll take a bit more time to execute."

"Speaking of," Brian said, attempting to take Justin's attention away from Mikey's idiocy. "Did you get the bid from the lighting designer I suggested?"

"He said that everything was doable, but wants to meet with me and Tim to go over the plans before we start constructing the cityscape," Justin said. "And the bid was actually less than we anticipated."

"He did the lighting in our bedroom," Brian said. "If there's some wiggle room in the budget, maybe you should see about adding better lighting to the studio area. And maybe a couple of spots on the wall where you can display your art."

"I'll ask when Tim and I meet with him next week," Justin said. Despite Brian's attempt to distract him, Justin was well aware that Michael was standing close by, listening to every word they said. "I think you were right about the car. I've had to run around all week and getting from place to place was a nightmare."

"I talked to Manning about it and he gave me a few suggestions about how much to put down and how much to finance. He thinks we shouldn't look at anything over twenty five grand," Brian said. "We can go this weekend and pick something out."

"I was thinking about a small SUV," Justin admitted. "It would make lugging canvases around a lot easier. Maybe a Honda CR-V? Or a Toyota 4 Runner?"

"Not a jeep, but either will do," Brian teased. "Now, come show me what you've done with the place."

By then Emmet and Ted were relaxing in the sitting area and Michael had reluctantly joined them. Justin took Brian over to see his favorite piece: the chaise.

"I thought you might actually pose for me on this," Justin admitted.

"I might," Brian teased. His next words came out in a rush. "The storage cabinets for your art supplies that you incorporated fit so well with the rest of the design you wouldn't think they were a totally functional addition. And I like the portable screen. It works in the room, but I know you want a clean backdrop for any portraits. And the desk area is divine. Now, show me the guest room."

Justin followed behind Brian in bemusement, wondering what had brought about the need to rush. Once inside the room, Brian shut the door and pressed Justin against it with his body, already thrusting.

"Michael is pissing me off," Brian whispered. "Every time he opens his mouth or glares at you I want to just throw you down and show him that I really...but I can't do that. And I can't punch him. So this is the only option left."

"Whatever you need," Justin gasped out, his body responding to the hard thrusts of Brian's cock against his own. "Fuck. Pants."

Brian growled and leaned up enough so they could each undo their pants and shove them down. Now, with naked flesh on flesh, their frenzied thrusting increased until the inevitable moment of release. They stood there holding each other up and getting their breaths back for a couple minutes before Brian swore.

"Shit, we need something wipe the come off."

"There are guest towels in the wardrobe," Justin told him.

Brian kept his shirt out of the mess as he hobbled over to the wardrobe to find the towels. Justin had to stifle a giggle at the sight. Brian must have heard him, though, since he threw the towel at Justin with a small glare.

"We need to start keeping condoms and lube in handy places down here," Brian commented. "It seems we already have towels."

Justin did laugh this time. Moments later they were presentable again, but Brian stopped Justin before opening the door.

"You know I love it, don't you?' Brian asked. Justin nodded. "Good. And don't let Mikey get to you."

"I'll try," Justin said, and he diplomatically refrained from pointing out that Brian had been the one worked up just minutes before.

There was a knock at the door and Michael's whiney voice came though. "Come on, guys. Are we still going to Woody's or not?"

Brian raised an eyebrow in question to Justin. Justin nodded in response. "Fuck off Mikey! We'll be out in a minute!" Then he leaned over and kissed Justin breathless. "Just for a couple hours, then we can come back here, take a bath and make love all night." Justin nodded again and Brian kissed him again.