Surprise?

On Saturday, Justin's worst nightmares came alive.

First, he woke up to an empty bed, the same way he'd gone to sleep. He checked his phone to find a missed text around two in the morning that Brian was still at work.

Second, he stepped into a puddle of cat piss when he arrived in the kitchen. "Litter trained, my ass." Though, the cat had never done it before, only when he was alone with Justin.

Third, he found Brian fast asleep on the sofa, still in his rumpled suit.

Justin had planned to wake up next to Brian and greet him in the nicest of ways. It was his thirty-fifth birthday only once.

To show Justin their trip was going to be a disaster, he saw a carry-on cage next to the table. They were taking Baby Purry with them.

Over the weeks since they'd made up, Justin had come to hate cats. Baby Purry wasn't even trying to be nice to him. It was all about Brian.

After making coffee, Justin shook Brian's shoulder. "Wake up."

"Uh? Oh, hi." Brian blinked a few times, stretching.

"Why did you sleep on the couch? Are we fighting and I don't know?"

"I was too tired to come upstairs. I made it back close to four."

"Jeez. I can't wait to see you relax these two days." Justin combed his fingers through Brian's hair. "We're taking him with us?" He pointed to the cage.

"Yeah. I can't leave him alone. I tried to talk Evan into looking after him, but yeah...let's not go there."

"I think it's the only matter I agree with him."

Brian sighed, tugging Justin on his lap. "Cuz you don't know how adorable and affectionate Baby Purry can be."

Hearing his name, the cat appeared at Brian's feet, undulating between his ankles, purring.

"Come here." He scooped him up, depositing him carefully on Justin's lap.

Justin froze, keeping eye contact with the cat. "Brian, I'm quite fond of my dick."

"Stop being a sissy. Pet him. Be nice to him. If you're afraid, he feels it."

"He fucking hates me. Look into his eyes." Justin refused to touch the cat.

"We'll try to hook you two up later. We have to get ready," Brian decided, laughing.

They had yet to acknowledge Brian's birthday. Justin decided to wait until they reached Pittsburgh to suffocate him with affection.

oOo

We're here. Where are YOU?

Justin shifted away from Brian, replying to Michael's text message. In a cab. Close. I hope there's nothing suspicious around.

"Yes, we're almost home. You have a lot of space to run around when we get there," Brian whispered through the cage door.

Justin blinked, shaking his head. He couldn't determine if romantic Brian or pet-loving Brian was worse. Whatever the case, it wasn't his Brian, though he found it funny when Brian talked to the cat.

When they arrived, Justin grabbed their suitcase, heading to the door to unlock it, also texting Michael that they had arrived.

Brian opened the front door, breezing past him, opening the cage's door. The cat jumped out, shaking all over, arching his back, and headed to the living room to explore.

It was the cat who gave away the surprise, when he stopped in the doorway of the living room, hissing and running back to Brian, scared.

Brian shot Justin a scandalized look, picking Baby Purry, holding him in the crook of his elbow, rounding the corner.

"SURPRISE!" The whole family shouted.

A chorus of Happy Birthday followed the cheerful greeting.

Justin was pleased that Brian hadn't started threatening anyone. He grinned when he spotted Lindsay and Melanie among the crowd. Gus was the first to break from the group.

"Daddy!"

Brian thrust the cat in Justin's unsuspecting hands, before bending to catch his running son.

Baby Purry was so shocked to be in Justin's arms that he didn't try to claw at him. For a first, he snuggled closer, holding with his claws on his sweater.

Tentatively, Justin stroked his back. "It's okay."

The cat kept his eyes on Brian, before looking at Justin as if begging him to take him to his human.

"Deal with it. You can't be the center of his attention."

"Isn't he a cutie!" Emmett gushed, petting Baby Purry's head.

"Oh, yeah." Justin held the cat closer, realizing he was too scared to even claw at the people touching him. Because everyone came to pet him and coo at how cute he was.

"Hey, let him breathe!" Brian finally stepped between the family and Justin. He extracted his precious cat, which crawled on his shoulder, burrowing into Brian's neck, purring. Brian stroked his back softly. "Christ, are you all crazy? He's shaking."

"Here we thought you were worried we were suffocating Sunshine," Debbie commented, watching him curiously.

"Justin can save himself from you lot. Baby Purry can't. It's okay." Brian brought the cat down from his shoulder, cuddling him to his chest. "It was enough we traumatized him with the flight and being locked in that stupid cage."

Justin waved a hand next to his head in the universal sign that Brian was crazy. "After a certain age, crazy things happen to some people," he whispered, hoping Brian wouldn't hear.

Before Brian could snap, Gus tugged at his pants. "Can I play with it?"

Justin could see an internal battle within his boyfriend, but his love for his son won. "Be careful, okay, Sonny Boy? No tugging at his hair or tail."

Gus took the cat carefully, petting his head a little too harshly, but like all nice animals, Baby Purry accepted the rough treatment from the child.

Hours later, everyone was slumped on various pieces of furniture after eating the delicious meals cooked by Emmett and Debbie.

Brian nudged Justin's jaw with his nose, from where he had his head on Justin's shoulder. "You're in so much trouble for doing this to me."

Justin smiled innocently, stroking Brian's cheek. "I promise you are going to enjoy your present."

"There's more?"

"Me. Naked. Later tonight."

"Why wait? We can get rid of them now." Brian swept his eyes around the room, but stopped when he saw his son in the corner playing with the cat. "He seems to like Baby Purry."

"Maybe we can give it to him?"

Brian elbowed him. "I wanted to suggest that we could have Gus over for a week during summer break."

"Are you sure you'd have time? I barely see you as it is. If you have Gus over, you will need to be with him all the time."

"That's why you're there too."

"Brian, I bet Gus would love to see me too, but he'd visit for you. When are you done with this thing?"

"I hope to finish everything by June. They want to launch it in July."

"Good timing." Justin leaned his cheek against Brian's forehead, looking at Gus and the cat. "I'm surprised the cat is so nice with him."

"He didn't have a problem with being in your hands earlier. It's all in your head, Justin. If you made the first nice move, I bet Baby Purry would accept you."

"We'll see about it."

Not long later, the family hinted at leaving, knowing both Brian and Justin would love some peace and quiet.

"I'm NOT leaving!" Gus wailed loudly, throwing himself on the floor in the entry hallway.

Lindsay stared at him mortified. "You'll see daddy tomorrow again."

"No. NO! I want to stay with Daddy and Jus!" Gus crawled to Brian, hugging his legs, looking up at him pleadingly.

"Gus, I'm sure your dad has other plans for the evening, that don't include babysitting your spoiled self," Melanie said impatiently. "Get off the floor."

Justin picked Gus up, cuddling him close. "We don't mind. Do we, Brian?"

"Of course not. I barely see him. I don't mind keeping Gus here," Brian told Lindsay and Melanie.

"Are you sure? He has his clothes and toys at Ben and Michael's."

"Linz, stop worrying. He can borrow a shirt from one of us. Besides, what toys does he need when he has Baby Purry?"

"Only you'd name a cat something so horrible," Mel commented, earning a glare from Brian.

"If I were you, I wouldn't insult the cat in front of Brian," Justin quipped up.

"Yeah, Mom. The kitty is cute," Gus agreed, smiling.

"Where is he, anyway?" Brian looked around.

Justin groaned, pressing his face into Gus's back. "Why don't you go find the cat, buddy?" He suggested, allowing the child back on the floor. "Let me pack you leftovers. Debbie and Emmett don't know how to cook for a handful of people."

While Justin went to the kitchen with the girls, Gus returned from his quest, saying he needed help with finding the cat. Ben offered to help him. He passed the sleeping JR to Michael, going with Gus upstairs.

"Baby Purry?" Michael snorted. "Whatever inspired you to name the male cat that way?"

Brian frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "If you think Dirty Dancing inspired me, then you and Justin are perfect for each other."

"He thought so too? See? We know you."

"Anyway, I didn't have time to tell Theodore, but you can still go to Kinnetik for promoting the store. Just tell him what you want, and he'll point you to the Art Department."

"You don't have to," Michael said quietly.

"I want to. Especially now with Rage's revival."

"No. You aren't getting anything out of me." Michael shook his head when Brian raised an eyebrow.

JR shifted in his arms, waking a little. Michael patted her back. "I guess we should go. Can you grab my wayward husband? I'll get the girls."

Brian didn't have to search for anyone, because Ben and Gus returned victorious. The cat was in Gus's arms, being squeezed to death.

"Here." Brian decided to save his pet. He pried Baby Purry from his son's grasp. "Hi, Baby. Where did you run off?"

"She was under a bed upstairs," Gus explained.

"He. Baby Purry is a boy," Brian told him.

Justin came out of the kitchen with the others, and after hugs and kisses and promises from Gus to be good for his daddies, the Novotny-Bruckner family and Peterson-Marcus family were gone.

"Did Lindsay say daddies? As in plural?" Justin checked, feeling light-headed.

"Aren't you my other daddy?" Gus asked, confused.

Justin's panicked eyes met Brian's watery ones. "Uh… Brian?"

"You are. You've been there from the beginning," he said softly.

"I am?"

"Yes, silly. But is it okay if I call you Jus?"

"Is it okay?" Justin stared at Gus, bemused. "It's perfect!" He crouched to hug the child.

"I love you, Jus!" Gus hugged him tightly around the neck.

"Love you too, kiddo."

"What about me?" Brian asked, grinning at the two of them.

Justin stood up with Gus in his arms, and they both hugged Brian. "We love you too."

"Lots and lots, Daddy."

"Happy birthday, Brian." Justin kissed his lips softly.

Despite the tamed nature of his birthday, Brian enjoyed it more than if he would have spent it alone with Justin. He had the two people he loved the most. Oh, and Baby Purry, too.