Misapprehension

Chapter 5

Brian opened his eyes and took in the person who had weathered the storms with him, the person who served as his anchor and guide, the person who deserved an answer to his seemingly harmless question. He ran a hand down the side of Justin's face and lay back down next to the sleeping blond. "I chose you," he whispered into the air. Justin sighed and turned on his side facing away from Brian. Brian scooted a little closer to the man that he loved, pulling the smaller body into his own.

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Justin woke the next morning early, slightly before the sun. He felt the warm arms surrounding him and knew that he was loved, protected and cared for. He stayed still for a few minutes listening to the man he loved breath, the breaths relaxed and steady. Justin softly pulled away from the embrace and made his way to the bathroom and then to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

When the coffee was done he grabbed the heated cup and walked over to the sofa. He wrapped himself in the throw blanket and gazed out the window and into the early morning. "Is there anything interesting out there?" Brian asked as he came up behind his lover.

Justin didn't jump at the sudden noise; he had been waiting for it. Brian came around the sofa and Justin opened the huge throw to him, welcoming him like he did every morning. Brian fell into the throw and let Justin wrap his arms around him. Justin handed the heated coffee to Brian and rested his head on his lover's back as they sat in silence.

Brian's eyes traveled to the painting that Justin had drawn sitting where they had abandoned it the night before. "There is always something interesting brewing at the dawning of a new day," Justin stated simply. "It's the end of so many things and at the same time it is the beginning of many things to come," he finished as he placed a kiss onto the skin of Brian's back, pressing his lips there and lingering for a minute before settling his head back into its place.

"Justin," Brian said. Justin gave a lazy 'Hmm' and waited for Brian to finish. "I never thanked you for the present that you gave me," Brian said as he turned himself around to face the angelic face. Justin glowed with the essence of everything he didn't even know he was. Brian took him all in and breathed deep.

*Tell him.*

Brian heard the voice deep within him and he swallowed all his reservations. "I never thought that I would have someone that I needed around me just so I could breathe. I never thought that someone could mean more to me than I mean to myself. I…I," Brian staled; the words were like lead in his throat. Justin brought his warm hand up to cup Brian's face, chasing away the pressure and the fear with his touch. "Justin, I," Brian tried again but Justin stopped him, placing his fingers over Brian's inviting lips.

"Thank you," Justin said. Brian looked into his eyes and saw true happiness there. Justin saw the confusion cloud his lover's eyes and took his fingers away from Brian's mouth. "You don't have to say that you love me, because I know that you do. I have always known that you love me but knowing that you want to love me…need to love me, means more to me than just hearing that you do," Justin said to the brunet. He pressed his lips onto Brian's and buried his head under the brunet's chin, not waiting for Brian to answer or acknowledge that he understood what he meant.

They watched the sun make its full appearance and before it was fully lighting up the sky they were tangled in each other, making love and welcoming a new day…a new beginning.

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2 years later (back to the present)…

"Brian, are you sure you are ready to move? I mean it's taken you two long enough to decide to finally put the loft up for sale," Lindsay said to him as he sat in her living room playing with Gus on the floor. Brian put the toy car down on the floor and moved to sit in the chair facing Lindsay.

"Yeah, I'm… we're sure it just took us a while to get around to it. The place holds a lot of memories for us and to suddenly sell it isn't as easy as most people would think," Brian said to the smiling blonde that sat across from him. "I never thought I would do this you know," Brian said into the air. Lindsay leaned back and rubbed the bulge in her belly that was just beginning to show. Brian smirked and took a drink from the bottle of water he had sitting next to him.

"Doing what? Moving and actually…Growing up," Lindsay stated with a surprised look on her face. "Or is it that you never thought you'd be letting yourself be loved?" she asked. Brian thought his answer over in his head and looked into the blonde's face.

"Both I think," Brian answered. Lindsay laughed and got up to go and check on dinner again. "You better start taking it easy," Brian said to her retreating back.

"I have plenty of time to take it easy. Soon I am going to have this baby, drop her or him in their father's laps and come home and sleep the night away while you clean up spit, shit and throw-up," Lindsay tossed over her shoulder as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Brian watched his son playing on the floor and smiled. Justin burst into the door, led by a very rambunctious Great Dane puppy. He took the puppy off its leash and let it walk through the house and out the backdoor.

"Damn Brian, did you have to have a fucking puppy?" Justin asked as he flopped down next to his lover. "And a fucking Great Dane puppy at that. You do realize that the fucking thing is going to get as big as a house?" Justin asked.

"You're getting the baby you always wanted, so, I get the dog I always wanted," Brian said as if that made all the sense in the world. Justin smacked him in the arm and looked over at him.

"Don't compare our kid to your fucking dog," Justin said with a laugh. "And if you love and wanted that dog so much why weren't you the one out there walking it and picking up it's shit?" Justin asked. Brian rolled his tongue into his cheek before answering.

"I'll remember what you just said when you roll over at two in the morning and tell me to go change a diaper or get a bottle," Brian said. Justin thought of saying more but realized he was caught in a tough spot so he snuggled closer to his lover's heat and sealed his lips.

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"I cannot believe I agreed to go through this shit again," Lindsay screamed as another contraction hit her. She held her breath and pushed with the pain as she gripped Justin and Melanie's hands with all of her strength.

"You're gonna break my hand Linds," Melanie screamed as Lindsay tightened on her hand again as another contraction hit her right away. Justin was too pumped to feel the pain as he waited and watched for his son to enter the world. Brian stood beside him watching for any signs of the new life.

"God, I never thought I'd be this close to twat and be happy about it," he said as he watched for the baby. After another half an hour the head was visible and shortly after loud shrills could be heard filling the room. The makeshift family was in the waiting room impatiently waiting for news of the newest member.

"Oh my god Brian, he is beautiful," Justin said as the nurse handed the baby to Lindsay. The exhausted woman held up her hand and smiled sweetly at the nurse.

"Give him to his daddies," Lindsay told her. The nurse turned and handed the baby to Justin. Brian wrapped his arms around his new family before turning to kiss the other blonde in his life.

"He is beautiful," Brian said softly. He kissed the soft new skin and whispered gently in his ear.

*"I made the right choice," Brian said.*

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"Goodnight you guys," Emmett said even though it was only the afternoon. Brian and Justin closed the door behind their family and looked around the empty loft and the bassinet sitting in their bedroom. They were not looking forward to leaving but it was time to go someplace new, someplace that was more than just a place to live, someplace that was…Home. They moved to the kitchen and Justin hopped up on the counter. Brian settled in next to him, leaning on the counter, close enough to touch.

"I did not think that it would be possible for the loft to look any emptier," Justin said as he leaned back and studied the boxes and empty spaces. Brian stood next to him and looked around.

"Yeah well, just because you like crap in every place you step doesn't mean we all do," Brian said as he smiled a small smile at Justin.

"Oww…what'd you hit me for?" Brian asked as Justin jumped off the counter and started to walk toward the bedroom.

"That was just the start of your punishment," Justin said as he climbed the stairs. Brian pushed himself off the counter, the counter that he barely felt that he was leaning against, and followed Justin. He paused to look at the sleeping blond in the bassinet before joining his lover on the bed.

"Fuck me," Justin breathed into Brian's neck as the brunet dropped his weight onto him. They moved into each other and time and logic became obsolete. They sat on the bed after fucking for the last time in the place they had used as shelter through their many storms.

"We got to get a move on sunshine," Brian said as he rolled out the bed and headed to the shower. Justin followed and they washed each other off and left their mark in the shower one last time. When they finished they repeated the needed shower and got out to get dressed. Time moved quickly and before they knew it they were dressed and standing at the door of the loft, looking in on their memories.

"This is it," Justin said as he held onto the small bundle in his arms. Brian wrapped the leash around his hand, holding the happy dog in place. They watched as the realtor walked the young couple through their place and for a split second they saw themselves, standing at the top of the stairs.

Brian saw himself move forward to stop the woman, to hold her off for a little longer; he needed more time but the realtor didn't stop, she walked right through him and in that instance Brian felt himself let go of the past. There was no more time for flashbacks and what ifs. He reached his free hand down and grasped onto Justin's. They walked down the loft stairs for the last time and out the door. It was time for a new beginning; how they started the story was up to them.

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