Author’s Note:  This story came to me after the reconciliation in 308.  I started wondering about Justin continuing to work at Vanguard after he and Brian were back together.

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            The sunlight streaming through the windows awoke Justin quickly.  He squinted against the light and looked around.  He saw Brian sleeping beside him and he mentally flipped through the events of the previous night.  He had surprised himself by boldly declaring he thought Brian should take him back.  He half expected Brian to laugh in his face, but their previous interaction when Brian told him to “grow some fucking balls and stand up for yourself” gave him courage.  What surprised him was Brian’s willingness to take him back.  Justin had no illusions about their relationship.  He had grown up a lot in the previous months. 

            Brian began stirring next to him, and Justin turned to look at his lover.  He loved the way Brian looked when he first woke up.  He was reminded of a line from the movie “Hook,” when Julia Roberts talked about that space between sleep and awake when you could still remember your dreams.  That was how he felt when Brian first woke up.  Before the ad-exec could put on his mask and erect his walls, there was a brief moment of the real Brian Kinney.  The man Justin loved.

            “Good morning sunshine,” Brian smiled at him.  Justin smiled back as Brian leaned in for a kiss.  Brian slowly started to stretch and began to get out of bed.

            “What’s the rush Bri?  We can lounge in bed for a little while longer.”

            “No can do Sunshine, I have to go into the office.”

            “On a Saturday?”

            “Well we have the final presentation for the sunglass ad on Monday and I have some tweaking to do.  Something about orange being the new blue?”  Brian smiled at his young lover who had the decency to blush.

            “Do you need any help?”

            Brian studied Justin for a moment.  There was some art work on the story boards that needed some adjusting.  “Do you promise not to distract me?”

            Justin smiled wickedly as he grabbed Brian’s cock, “You mean this kind of distraction?”

            Brian smirked as he pulled Justin up for a kiss, “Shower now!”

            The two men fooled around in the shower.  A blow job for each of them and a quick fuck, and they were ready to go.

 

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            In the jeep on the way to the office, Brian spoke up again, “I mean it we have to work today.”

            “Unlike you I am not a non-stop sex machine, I think I can work on the presentation without taking advantage of your virtue.”  That earned him a smack on the back of his head from his lover.

            “Twat!”

            Justin giggled. 

            They arrived at the office after stopping at Starbucks for some coffee.  Brian left Justin in the art department offices to work on the boards.  He instructed Justin to adjust the story boards to match the updated concept while he worked on the presentation in his office.

            “Call me in my office when you’re done and I’ll come check it out.”

            “Ok, can I call if I have any questions?”

            “Of course, but that’s it, no phone sex, I really need to get this pitch down.”

            “I promise.”

            Brian left Justin to his task and headed to his office.

 

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            Several hours later, Justin was lost in the new graphics he was creating.  Changing the concept wasn’t too hard.  He had a pretty good idea what Brian was looking for.  Although no one would believe it, when they lived together they actually did more than just fuck.  There were many times when Brian would come home, stuck on a presentation and he would appeal to Justin as an artist to help him.  Justin even noticed several of his ideas in campaigns that Brian did.  He had an innate understanding of what Brian was looking for, and they made a good team.  Justin chuckled at the thought that Brian Kinney, ad-exec extraordinaire, actually listened to and used the ideas of his “teenage lover.”

            He was so immersed in his work that he didn’t notice that he wasn’t alone.  Gardner Vance cleared his throat, getting Justin’s attention.

            “Mr. Vance, I didn’t realize that you were there.”

            “Obviously,” the man replied in his clipped British accent, “Aren’t you one of the interns?”

            “Yes sir,” he extended his hand to Brian’s business partner, “I’m Justin Taylor, from Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts.”

            Vance shook Justin’s hand, “I wasn’t aware that interns worked on Saturdays.”

            Shit, Justin thought, “Well Mr. Kinney asked me if I would be willing to come in today to do some final touches on a presentation for Monday.”

            “Is Brian here?”

            “I believe he’s in his office.  He was there earlier when I came in.”  Ok, not a total lie.

            “I see.  Well keep up the good work.”

            “Thank you sir, I will.”

 

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            Brian was in his office trying to redo the sunglass presentation, but all he could think about was his blonde twink in the art department downstairs.  He couldn’t believe they were back together.  Although, if he was honest, he never wanted them to break up in the first place, but he was too fucking stubborn to admit it.  The kid had balls, he had to give him that.  He was very impressed by the way Justin stood up for himself and stood up to him.  Justin’s bold declaration the night before gave him a new respect for the kid.  He gave Brian no choice but to take him back, but the truth was he took Brian back.  He was surprised when Justin told him he knew what Brian wanted of him and what he could expect in return.  Justin was taking him back without rose-colored glasses, and that impressed the hell out of Brian.  What Justin didn’t know was that Brian was ready to make some changes as well.  He wasn’t about to let his baby walk out on him again.

            Brian was jolted from his thoughts by a knock at his office door.  He looked up expecting Justin, and was surprised to see his business partner standing there.  “Hey, what are you doing here on a Saturday?”

            “I was going to ask you the same thing Brian.”

            “The presentation for the sunglass people is on Monday, and some adjustments needed to be made.”

            “So you drag interns in here on a Saturday Brian?”

            “In addition to changes needing to be made on the pitch, the graphics needed some tweaking.  Since the color concept change was Justin’s idea, I asked him to come in and work on them.”

            “I don’t want you fucking around with the staff.”

            This surprised Brian, “What are you talking about?”

            “I mean that kid is a starry eyed college student, and you’d better not be using members of our staff to serve your own needs.”

            Brian felt his blood starting to boil, “I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about.”

            “I know your history and your reputation Brian.  I know about the sexual harassment suit a couple of years ago.”

            “That matter was dropped.”

            “Just because the lawsuit was dropped doesn’t mean there wasn’t some truth to the accusations.  I will not have a repeat of that to tarnish this agency’s reputation.”

            Brian was having a hard time keeping his temper in check.  He decided to come clean.  “First of all the charges in that lawsuit were pure and total bullshit.  Second, Justin Taylor was my partner long before he ever worked here.”

            Vance was not expecting this, “I wasn’t aware that you were with anyone?”

            “That’s because I keep my private life out of the office.”

            “But you bring your boyfriend to work here, hardly keeping it out of the office.”

            “We broke up last summer, but remained friends.  I had no idea he was going to work here until the day he started.  However, because we are still friends, we are able to work together.”

            Vance pondered this information, “There had better not be any problems.”

            “There won’t be.”

            With that, Vance left Brian’s office.  Fuck, was all Brian could think.

 

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            Justin called Brian a few hours later to come see the story boards.  Brian was impressed with the changes Justin had made.  They matched his new presentation perfectly.  He shouldn’t have been surprised, they were always in sync.  Satisfied that the presentation was finished, they left to go have dinner.

            Over dinner, Justin broached the Vance topic.  “Your partner was in the office today.”

            Fuck, Brian didn’t know that Vance had gone to the art department.  “I know he came to my office.”

            “I figured.  He was surprised to see anyone there on a Saturday.”

            “Yeah, he went after me.”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “He warned me about fucking around with the staff.  Apparently he heard about the Kip incident.”

            “Shit, Bri, I’m sorry.”

            “For what?  You didn’t do anything wrong.  I told him about us.”

            This, Justin was not expecting, “You did?”

            “Well kind of.  I didn’t tell him we were back together, just that we had been together and remained friends, so there was no problem with you working there.  I’m sorry I had to lie baby.”

            Justin was shocked, he hadn’t been expecting any kind of admission like this from Brian, “Don’t worry, I understand.”

            “I hate to ask this, but we have to keep it quiet around the office.”

            “I know, I wasn’t expecting that we would tell anyone.  The last thing people need to gossip about is the partner of the firm fucking some intern.”

            “It’s not like that and you know it.”

            “I know Brian, but I also know that you don’t need people gossiping about you at work.  It would ruin your image.”

            That earned Justin a trademark “Kinney smirk.”  The two men finished their dinner, and shifted topics.

 

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            On the ride home from the restaurant, Brian posed a question to Justin.  “When are you moving your stuff home?”

            Justin was not expecting that, “You want me to move back in?”

            “No, I want you to come home.”

            “I can do it tomorrow, unless my boss tells me I have to work.”

            “Tomorrow it is.  I’ll help you.”

 

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            The next few weeks flew by.  Justin moved back into the loft, and they moved forward.  They were very successful at hiding their relationship at work.  Justin continued his work as an intern, and no one was the wiser.  There was only one breach in the plan, and that was Cynthia.  Cynthia knew Brian too well, and she knew who Justin was.             

            One day Justin received a call in the art department.  “Taylor, you have a call from upstairs”

            Justin picked up the phone a little nervously, Brian never called him, the man was adamant that there be no indications of their personal relationship, “Hello?”

            “Justin it’s Cynthia.”

            “Hey, what’s up?”

            “Can you come up here for a few minutes?”

            “Umm, sure, what’s going on?”

            “Brian is being a bigger bitch than usual, and I figured maybe you could calm him down.”

            Justin chuckled at the thought.  Cynthia was the only person at the agency that knew about their relationship.  She also knew that there were times when Justin was the only one who could get the ad man under control.  “I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

            “Thanks.”

            Justin got off the elevator on the 10^th floor where Brian’s office was.  He headed down the hallway and saw Cynthia.  She just gestured to the door, and Justin walked in.  Brian was sitting at his desk with a scowl on his face.  Justin flopped in the chair across from Brian and waited for the man to notice him.

            “What the fuck are you doing here?  I thought I told you …”

            “Shut up Brian.  Now what is it that has you so pissed off that I had to get summoned up here?”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “Cynthia called me.  She’s pissed about what a bitch you’re being today and thought I could straighten you out.”

            “Nothing could ‘straighten’ me out.”

            “Ha ha, drama queen.  What’s going on?”

            “I can’t believe that bitch called you, I don’t need anything.”

            “Don’t talk about Cynthia that way.  She takes care of you and puts up with more of your shit than she should.  So suck it up and talk to me.”

            Resigned to his fate, Brian shoved some papers at Justin.  “It’s this new client, London Shoes.  They have a pretty successful campaign, but they want something new and edgier, and I haven’t come up with a god-damn thing.”

            While Brian was ranting, Justin was flipping through the pages.  He felt some ideas going through his mind.  Justin knew how Brian normally worked, he would develop a concept and ad copy.  Then he would put the art department on the campaign.  Justin had some other ideas about how to develop a successful campaign, and he’d been waiting for an opportunity to try it out.  However, he thought it would be in his classes, not a real live campaign at the most successful ad agency in Pittsburgh.  Justin thought artistic free association would be a good way to develop a campaign.  Before coming up with any concepts, Justin thought he could just develop some artwork about a product and then brainstorm the concept from there.  He had to tread lightly, rather than risk pissing his lover off.  “When do you have to present to the client?”

            Brian looked up at Justin.  He was about to bark at him, but decided against it.  He had learned not to take his frustrations on his young lover.  That always met with disastrous results.  “A week from Monday.”

            “Well that’s plenty of time.  I don’t see why you’re freaking out.”

            “I am not freaking out like some stupid teenager,” that earned him a sharp look from his lover, “Sorry.  It’s just usually when I get a new client, the seeds of ideas come right away and I go from there.  It unnerves me to have sparks coming.”

            Justin knew this vulnerable admission from Brian was rare, so he decided to proceed carefully.  “Well leave it alone for a couple of days, I’m sure it will come to you.  You’re brilliant, and you’ve never let a client down yet, so get over yourself.”

            Brian could see the wheels turning in his lover’s brain, he knew the blonde artist was coming up with a plan.  He decided to run with it, and not think too much.  “Come here.”

            Justin got up and walked around the desk.  The two lovers proceeded to have another hot session in Brian’s office.

            Cynthia heard the two men inside the office, and silently thanked the gods for bringing this young man into her boss’s life.

 

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            A couple of days later, Brian came home from work to find Justin working feverishly on his computer.  It was the same scene he had found every day after he admitted his reservations about the London Shoes campaign.  He glanced at what Justin was working on, and noticed it was shoe related.  “What are you working on?”

            Justin decided come clean with his lover.  “I’m helping you with your campaign.”

            “Sunshine, who is the one with the marketing degree?  Who is the ad-executive?  Who is the partner at Vanguard Agency?”

            “Who is the one with the block on an important account?”

            Brian knew he was beaten.  “Touche Sunshine, what are you doing?”

            “Well, I know you usually develop the concept, and then take it down to the art department to develop.  But I’ve been thinking about another approach to advertising.”

            “Really, and what is that?”

            “Well, I’ve done a series of pieces based on the company and their product.  You see I thought you could have something visual to focus on and use that to inspire ideas for the campaign.”

            Brian thought the idea sounded totally fucked, but it also seemed to have some merit.  “Let me see what you’ve done.”

            Justin handed Brian a pile of graphics and sketches.  He watched as his lover flipped through the papers.  He watched as his lover cocked his head and squinted his eyes.  Justin knew the ideas were starting to flow, Bingo!

 

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            A few months later, the lovers were at home in the loft.  After the London Shoes hiccup, work was going smoothly.  The campaign was a smash, and Brian received a large bonus for his work.  He shared half of it with Justin, after all it was Justin’s radical approach to the account that led to its success.  A few more times, Brian asked Justin to visually inspire him for an account whenever he seemed stuck, and Justin was happy to oblige him.  The ironic thing is that Justin never held it over his head when Brian asked for his help.  That was even more proof to the unrelenting devotion Justin had for Brian.

            Brian was sitting at his desk doing some research for a new account and Justin was working on his homework.  There was a knock at the door.  Justin rose to answer it, and found himself face to face with Gardner Vance.

            Brian’s business partner appeared properly shocked to find the young intern at Brian’s home.  “Is Brian here?”

            “Umm yeah, come on in,” Justin led the man inside the loft, “Brian you have company.”

            Brian grimaced when he heard Vance’s voice.  He knew he was busted, and stood to face the music.  “What are you doing here?”

            Justin wisely left the room, and went into the bedroom.  He knew this unannounced visit by Vance was going to mean trouble for Brian.

            “What the hell is going on Brian?”

            Brian decided to play dumb, “What are you talking about?”

            “Don’t patronize me, I come to your house and find our college intern answering your door.”

            “What are you doing at my house?  Last time I checked, my personal life begins when I leave the office.”

            “I have some copy that I figured you might need for the Jacobs account, and since my wife and I are heading out of town for a few days, I wanted to drop them off for you.”

            “Well thank you, and have a nice trip,” Brian began to usher Vance to the door, “Goodbye.”

            “No Brian we aren’t finished.  I thought I made my position clear about your fraternizing with the staff.”

            “Has there been any complaints?  Has anyone mentioned that I am giving Justin special treatment?  Or has life just gone on business as usual?”  Gardner had no answer.  “Exactly, so I don’t see what the problem is.”

            “The problem is that you are keeping your ‘boy-toy’ entrenched at our place of business.”

            “I’m going to forget that crack Gardner, but I’d better not hear you say anything like that again.  Justin, can you come in here please.”

            Justin appeared at the top of the bedroom stairs.  He looked over the situation waiting for him.  He swallowed the lump in his throat, and walked towards the two men.

            “Justin, I would like you to meet my business partner, Gardner Vance.  Gardner, this is my partner, Justin Taylor.”

            Justin held out his hand, “It’s nice to meet you sir.”

            Vance shook the outstretched hand, “Likewise.  Brian, I will see you at work in a few days.”

            With that, Gardner Vance left the loft.  The two men stood there wondering how fucked they really were.

 

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            Another few months passed after their relationship was outed to Gardner Vance.  To the man’s credit, he never mentioned the scene in the loft to Brian, but the ad-exec knew that he and Justin were being watched closely.  Any signs of impropriety or favoritism would undoubtedly cause another uncomfortable scene, and Brian feared that Justin would bear the brunt.  He didn’t want anything to jeopardize Justin’s internship at the firm.  His lover was flourishing.  The campaigns he worked on turned out first rate, and Justin talent contributed to their success.

            Brian was surprised to see his business partner standing in his doorway, “What can I do for you Gardner.”

            “I need to talk to you about your ‘partner’”  Brian could not ignore the emphasis on the word ‘partner.’

            “Is there a problem?”

            To his credit, Vance looked a little bit uncomfortable, “Well, I understand he has been doing great work in the art department.”

            Tongue in cheek smirk proudly in place, “Yes, I’ve heard that too.”

            “I’ve been wanting to compliment the two of you for some time on your professionalism.  I admit, when I found out about your personal relationship, I was worried.  I thought there was no way this was going to work out.  You and Justin have conducted yourselves with utmost professionalism and discretion, and that has impressed me very much.”

            “Is this why you are coming to me now?  To compliment me and Justin for not fucking in the middle of the conference room.  Well thank you very much.”

            “That’s not why I wanted to talk to you.  I understand his internship will end in about six weeks.”

            “That’s correct, with the end of the school year.”

            “Well, I don’t want talent like his let loose for some other firm to snap up.  I want to offer him a permanent position in the art department.  We can work around his school schedule until he graduates and then he can start a more normal work schedule.”

            “Why are you talking to me about this?  Shouldn’t you be talking to him?”

            “Brian, this is an awkward situation.  I’m trying.  Besides, I thought you should be the one to tell him.”

            “Ok, I will.”  Vance started to walk out of Brian’s office, “Gardner,” the man turned around, “thanks.”

            The man nodded and walked out of the office.

 

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            Justin was working on some story boards when he heard the phone ring.  Jeff, one of the employees in the art department answered, “Umm, yeah sure, just a second.  Justin, phone for you.”

            Justin raised his eyebrows and walked over to the desk.  Jeff whispered, “I don’t know if you’re in some kind of trouble.”

            “Why would you say that?”

            “It’s one of the partners, Mr. Kinney.”

            Justin kept the smile off his face, and wondered why Brian was calling him, he never did that.  “I’m sure it’s ok Jeff, thanks.  This is Justin Taylor.”

            “Hey baby,” Brian’s voice was very seductive, “Can you come up to my office?”

            “Sure, when?”

            “Right now.”

            “Ok, I’ll be right up.”  Justin hung up the phone, “Jeff, I need to go upstairs for a few minutes.”

            As Justin left the office, he noticed Jeff’s worried face.  Justin had to surpress a giggle as he walked out the door.

 

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            Justin walked into Brian’s office, and saw his lover sitting behind the desk, his face unreadable.  He gestured for the younger man to sit down.

            “Brian what’s going on?  You never call me yourself here at work.”

            “I just had a meeting with my business partner.  We talked about you.”

            Justin’s face was stricken, “About me, why?  Have there been complaints?  Shit Brian, I’ve been discreet, I’ve never indicated that there was any kind of personal relationship between us.  God, does he want me gone, shit, did he ask you to fire me?  Are you firing me?” 

            Justin paused to catch his breath, and Brian interrupted, “Are you done Sunshine?  Can I please speak?”

            “Who’s stopping you?”

            “You apparently.”

            “Sorry Bri, what’s going on?”

            “Vance wants to offer you a permanent position here at the firm.  Apparently he is reluctant to let someone with your talent out on the streets when your internship ends.  He doesn’t want you snapped up by another firm.”

            “Are you serious?”

            “Absolutely,” Justin leaped out of his chair and planted himself in Brian’s lap and began kissing him with abandon, “Slow down baby.  Let’s go down and see Vance, I’m sure he has an offer drawn up.  Then we can go home and celebrate in private.”

            “I love that idea, and I love you.”

            “I love you too, and I am so proud of you.”

            The two lovers met again for another passionate kiss.

 

The End

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