* Handle With Care *

Brian stood across the quad and watched a smiling Justin talk animatedly to the older man who walked beside him. He tried to remember the last time he had seen Justin smile like that and realized that it had been a long time. Probably when he had said yes to the trip to Vermont. Before that, he had a hard time remembering a time after the bashing. The closest he could recall would have to be after he admitted to them having a relationship.

Brian continued to watch the two men; he finally had to admit that Justin was a man, as they walked in his direction. He couldn't keep the sudden surge of emotion from hitting him as he watched the older man wrap an arm around him. Brian knew it was just a friendly gesture by the expressions on the men's faces and had to force open his hands from the fists they had made.  Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he stepped out onto the sidewalk and moved to intercept them.

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Justin was excitedly telling Bruce about his new flat when he felt someone watching him. Looking around, he stopped when he saw a familiar figure walking toward him. After all this time he still couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach or the lurch of his heart as Brian continued to move toward him.

Bruce stopped and looked at Justin in puzzlement as he had stopped walking and talking in mid-sentence. "Justin?"

When Justin didn't say anything, he followed Justin's line of sight to see what he was looking at and saw a tall, handsome man walking toward them. He knew it wasn't Justin's ex, Ethan because he had seen the pictures of the CD cover that Justin had done for him. Studying Justin carefully, he saw love, hurt, and longing in his eyes. Bruce knew at that moment that this had to be Brian. Justin had told him a little bit about Brian and how he was the inspiration for his comic book character of 'Rage'. "Justin?" He asked once again as Brian reached them.

"Hello Sunshine." Brian said with a slight smile.

"Brian?" Justin couldn't believe what he was seeing.  "What are you doing here?"

Brian couldn't keep his smile from getting bigger at the surprise on Justin's face. "You said I should see this place, so I thought why not."

Brian looked over at the man standing next to Justin and held out his hand. "You must be Bruce Kirkland. Brian Kinney."

Taking the hand offered to him, "Yes, I am, Mr. Kinney."

"Brian, please." he continued to smile but turned the majority of his attention back to Justin. "So Justin, are you going to show me around or not?"

Justin couldn't believe that Brian was here, yet here he was standing in front of him. "I...I, sure but I have class in just a few minutes. It will have to be later."

Brian tried to hide his disappointment and thought that he had done a good job until he saw Bruce watching him. Justin however didn't see it, for which he was grateful. "That's fine. Where do you want to meet and when?"

Justin looked back at Brian from where he had been studying a nearby building trying to decide what to do, in surprise. "Ugh, what hotel are you staying at and I can come there after my classes are done?"

Brian took in the continued surprised looks that were crossing Justin's face and couldn't help but wonder if he had been that self centered, but knew that he had never asked Justin to skimp on his schooling, so he wondered why Justin was so shocked by it all. "I'm staying at the Balmoral at 1 Princes St."

Justin nodded and wrote down the information. "Do you want me to call when I get there?"

Brian waited for Justin to look back up at him. "No, just come on up. I'm in Suite #3. I'll probably be working and that will allow me to finish up without keeping you waiting."

Justin studied Brian's face, looking to see if he meant anything else by his statement but didn't see anything else there. "Okay. I should be done with classes in about three hours. I'll see you then."

Justin looked up as the bell began to chime in the bell tower. "I've got to go or I'm going to be late. I'll see you later Brian. See ya later Bruce."

Both men watched as Justin took off down the sidewalk. Actually Brian watched Justin and Bruce watched Brian. When Justin was gone, Brian turned back and saw Bruce watching him.

"Why are you here really Brian?" Bruce asked as he began to stroll down the sidewalk past Brian.

Brian joined him and anyone seeing them together would have thought they were just having a casual conversation, not discussing the welfare of another person. "I came to see Justin. We...have some unfinished business to discuss, plus I wanted to see for myself that he really was okay."

Bruce nodded his head in understanding. "That's fine, but please don't mess up this opportunity for him."

Brian looked over at Bruce. "I have no intention of talking him out of this. He needs to do this."

Bruce stopped and faced Brian. "I'm glad to hear that, but please don't hurt him. He's been through a lot these past few months and doesn't need that on top of it."

Brian studied Bruce. "Why? What has happened?"

Bruce shook his head. "That is not for me to tell. You will need to ask Justin about his summer."

Brian continued to study Bruce and came to a decision. "Bruce, I'm only going to be here for three more days, four if you include the day I leave. Once I'm gone, look out for him okay? I know he's an adult and can look out for himself but…well anyway."

Bruce nodded his head in understanding. Brian Kinney might not tell Justin that he loved him but he did in his own way.

Brian nodded back and then left, leaving Bruce standing on the sidewalk watching him.

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Brian walked back to his hotel. He needed it to clear his head and calm himself down. He hadn't meant for Bruce to know how he felt for Justin, but somehow he seemed to know and it made him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to anyone reading him, and here it seemed that everyone was. First Deb, then Cynthia, and now Bruce, a total stranger.

Still contemplating what he was going to say to Justin, he was a block past his hotel before he realized it. Shaking his head, he turned back and went up to his room. He decided to get some of the work he had brought with him done. It would help to take his mind off of Justin and what he was going to do.

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Three and a half hours later, Justin stood outside of Brian's hotel room but as of yet hadn't knocked. He was nervous, heck, if he admitted it to himself, he was downright scared. He couldn't believe that Brian was there but why? Sure, Brian had said it was because he had said he should see the school, but what was the real reason? For the fifth time, he raised his hand to knock before bringing it back down. The last thing he wanted to see when the door opened was Brian and some trick. That thought alone almost made him turn around and not see Brian, but he knew he would never find out what was going on if he didn't see him. Besides, Brian would just find him if he didn't show up today like he said he would. Screwing up his courage, he raised his hand and before he lost it, knocked on the door.

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Brian heard the knock and glanced at his watch. He knew it must be Justin but he wasn't ready yet. Walking to the door, he continued to talk to Cynthia about the latest problem they were having as he opened the door and motioned Justin inside. Walking back over to his computer, he looked one more time at the latest screw up. "Cynthia, I don't care if they do complain about having to rework the whole thing. This is garbage and I want it done. You tell them, they either do it right or they can start looking for another job. This is the third time I've asked them to do it this way and I'm not going to do it again."

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Justin was pleasantly surprised to find Brian working and not a single sign of a trick ever having been in the rooms. He continued to walk around the suite, exploring. He hadn't been surprised at all when Brian had said he was staying at the Balmoral. After all, it was one of the best hotels in the area and the furnishing of Brian's suite was proof of that. While it was very state of the art with it's electronics, everything else gave the air of 18th Century splendor. Walking over to the window, Justin was surprised to see that he could see most of his school, as well as a magnificent view of the castle.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Brian was still on the phone and now the computer, trying to work out some problem that was going on back home. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out his pad and pencil and sat down once he had found the perfect spot for the view of the castle. As he began to draw, he felt some of the tension of the last few hours drop away and he got lost in his work. It wasn't until he felt the back of a hand caress his check that he realized just how lost he had gotten.

"Brian, I…" Justin began.

"Are you hungry? I am, I missed lunch." Brian interrupted Justin, wanting to hold off the conversation as long as he could.

Justin couldn't help but stare at Brian. "Yeah, I am."

Brian nodded and walked back over to the desk. "I read about this restaurant, it seems a little touristy but from what I understand the food is really good. It's called, "The Witchery by the Castle". So what do you think? Shall we go check it out?"

Justin couldn't believe it but nodded his head in agreement, rose to his feet, and walked to the door, which Brian held open for him. Justin thought that Brian would probably get a cab but could only shake his head when he began to walk down the street. He just didn't know what to think. The way Brian had been acting all day just wasn't like him and he was beginning to worry.

The walk to the restaurant was quiet. Neither one of them knew just what to say or even how to say it. Once there, they were to busy taking in the oak paneled walls, low ceilings, opulent wall hangings, and red-leather upholstery. Brian decided on the roast quail with tarragon, tomato and chanterelles while Justin ordered the honey-roasted Gressingham duck with savory cabbage, bacon, and sweet potato rosti. Looking over the wine list, Brian finally decided on one out of the 1000 brands that they offered.

Once the waiter had moved away, they sat quietly, each feeling the awkward silence grow around them and neither sure what to say to make it go away. Finally, Brian asked. "So tell me about school and your classes."

Justin smiled slightly and with relief began to do exactly that. He told about the classes he was taking and how the college was connected to the university and how he was allowed to take classes there as well. He explained about the classes he was taking and those that he was being given credit for without having to take them. This was being done by the head of the Illustration Department for his illustration work on 'Rage' and for his computer graphics classes. It was because of this he was able to take other classes that he normally wouldn't have had time to take. He explained how his hand still gave him trouble on occasion and that the head of the Drawing and Painting Department was helping him to continue to strengthen it while bettering his technique.

Brian never interrupted him but looked at the happiness and joy that seemed to radiate from Justin, and knew that he was doing the right thing. He was done pushing people over cliffs. He finally figured it out that by doing that, he was hurting the people he cared about more than if he had done it gently.

When Justin finally stopped, Brian asked. "So do you think you can find some time in your busy schedule to show me around?"

Justin searched Brian's face for his usual cynicism but found none. "Sure, I only have classes for half of the day tomorrow, and none over the weekend but…"

Brian arched his eyebrow and gave a slight grin. "But?"

Justin began to smile back at Brian. "Well, you see. I just got a flat and was going to be moving in this weekend."

Brian nodded. "Well, I'll make a deal with you. How about you show me around Friday and part of Saturday and the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday I'll help you move into your flat."

Justin's smile got bigger. "Deal. So tell me, how long are you here for?"

Brian continued smiling, "I leave on Monday." He wasn't about to tell Justin that he had gotten here this past Sunday but had been checking things out for himself and trying to decide what to say.

Justin's smile faltered. "So why are you really here, Brian." As much as he had enjoyed his dinner with Brian, he still didn't know why he had come.

Brian paid for their meal and rose without answering Justin. Once they got outside, Brian started walking rather slowly and lit up cigarette. "Justin, the reason I came was…so I could see for myself that you were alright. I know you keep saying you are but I just needed to see it for myself." Brian refused to look at Justin but kept walking toward his hotel and smoking his cigarette. "After all, there you were in a foreign country, without any family or friends, completely alone. I checked out the school so I knew it was all on the level, but I just needed to see for myself. Okay?"

By the time Brian was finished, so was his cigarette. They had almost reached his hotel and he was nervous as hell, but he wasn't about to let Justin know that. When Justin still hadn't said a word, Brian stopped and looked at him.

Justin stopped as well but still didn't know what to say to Brian. He knew that it had taken a lot from Brian to admit the little that he had, but why now? Why not before he had left for Europe or even before that? And that's when it dawned on him. Because of Ethan. He had been with Ethan then, someone that the others had gotten to know a little bit. With this revelation, he went over what Brian had just said and realized that he had wishfully changed it in his own mind to mean something else. He was not going to keep doing that. Brian was obviously trying to be his friend and Justin realized that he wanted that as well. "Well, as you can see, and will see as I show you around and you help me move, I'm fine. I'm really doing okay."

Brian nodded. He had seen the array of emotions going on behind Justin's eyes before he had answered and knew that the talk he had planned really was going to be necessary if things were going to work out. Upon reaching the hotel, Brian asked, "So, do you want to come up for while?"

Justin grinned but shook his head no. "Brian, I don't think that is such a good idea."

Brian sighed, but knew then what Justin thought he had meant by the invite and couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face either at the thought. "Justin, I didn't mean do you want to come up and fuck. I have some photos I thought you might like, and thought that we could talk some more."

Justin knew better then to turn the invitation down again, especially if Brian Kinney wanted to talk. If he did, they might not ever talk and he really wanted to hear what Brian had to say. "Okay, but I can't stay too long as I have an early class in the morning."

Brian nodded and led the way to the elevator. Suddenly, he was nervous. The silence in the elevator was filled with a nervous energy and it remained until they got to Brian's room. "Why don't you have a seat, I'll go get the pictures."

Justin took off his jacket and sat nervously. Brian came back with a handful of photos and handed them to Justin. As he began to flip through them, Brian started telling him about what led up to them. There were pictures of everyone and before long, they were both laughing as each picture and tale was revealed. When they were through, Justin tried to give them back but Brian refused. "Those are for you."

Justin was touched and looked down quickly as he didn't want Brian to see how his gesture touched him. He looked into the faces of those he cared for as he fought to control his emotions and clear his vision. When it did clear, he noticed the time on his watch and was surprised to find that it was almost 1:30 a.m. "Oh Shit Brian, I have to go. I didn't realize the time and I've got to get home and get some sleep."

Brian didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed that Justin wasn't going to stay. He was glad that the pictures had taken so long, but knew that his time was running out. "Okay, why don't you drop by here when your last class is done, unless you want to me to meet you somewhere?"

Together they walked toward the door as Justin slipped on his jacket. "Here s fine. My classes are from 7 till 11:30 so we can go get some lunch too."

Brian nodded as he opened the door. "Sounds good."

Justin started to walk out the door but stopped when Brian said his name. "Justin…Thanks. It's good seeing you again."

He couldn't help himself, leaning forward, he lightly kissed Justin, without hesitation, Justin kissed him back. It wasn't a passion filled kiss but a tentative, caring kiss. Brian pulled back just a little and looked into Justin's eyes before Justin reached up for another kiss. While this one wasn't filled with passion either, it did hold a promise of what could be.

Breaking off the kiss, Justin smiled, and walked out the door, turned his head for another look of Brian and said, "Later."

Brian returned his smile and said, "Later." Closing the door he couldn't keep the smile from getting wider on his face and as he went into the bedroom, he felt that the talk that he and Justin needed to have might not be so bad after all.

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The next morning, Brian was up and finishing his work when Justin knocked on his door. Still feeling the happiness from last night he smiled a happy smile at Justin who returned it with one of his own. "Right on time. I just finished up with everything I needed to do today so for the rest of the day, I'm yours."

"Great!" Justin said excitedly to be spending the rest of the day with this confusing and surprising Brian. "Have you thought of anyplace you'd like to eat?"

Brian shook his head. "No, I thought I'd leave that up to you since you're the tour guide." Grabbing his jacket, he joined Justin and together they made their way out of the hotel.

Justin paused outside and automatically turned his face up into the sun. Edinburgh rarely reached 70 degrees and while he was slowly getting used to it, he still enjoyed feeling the heat of the sun.

Brian stood beside Justin and felt his breath catch at the site of Justin in the sun. Quickly he put on his sunglasses and cleared his throat. "So, what are you in the mood for?"

Justin looked over at Brian and smiled. "Oh, I don't know. There is a great curry house down by the pier but there is also a neat little pub there as well that serves seafood and steak. What do you think?"

Brian laughed, "I think whichever one you decide on, we'll be needing a cab."

Justin laughed as Brian got the doorman to get them a taxi. Climbing in, Justin gave the driver directions and they were on their way to the pier. Once they got to the pier, the smell of food made both of their stomachs grow and they quickly decided on Britannia Spice, the curry house. Looking around Brian almost felt like he was on a ship as the décor was that of an ocean liner. Once they were seated they looked over the wide range of dishes that were available to them. There were dishes from Northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Talking to their waiter, they were informed that the restaurant was an award winner and proceeded to tell them about several dishes that they had never heard of before. Making their choices, they talked about their day so far and then Justin began to tell him about the city of Edinburgh and some of the places that he wanted to take Brian.

Brian watched at how animated Justin was and listened to what Justin saying as he continued to think about whether to talk with Justin now or wait until later. As the food arrived, he decided to wait until later. He knew that he was just putting it off, but he couldn't help himself. He didn't want to take the chance of ruining what was looking to be a very good day. They both jumped when the canon at Edinburgh Castle went off. Justin started laughing. "It's one o'clock."

Brian laughed as well. "I don't know how you're going to get used to that."

Justin got his laughter under control. "I don't know, but at least I'll always know the time."

Once they were done eating, they decided to take the Royal Mile and work their way back to Edinburgh Castle. Their first stop was the Palace of Holyroodhouse & Holyrood Abbey. They took the tour that was offered and ended with the Great Gallery. Justin had left his books but had still brought his sketchpad in his backpack. He couldn't resist pulling it out to make sketches. Brian walked over to him on occasion and made the odd comments that would crack him up. Shortly afterward, Justin would finish up his picture and they would move on. Justin couldn't help but compare Brian and Ethan and how Brian never was impatient or made him feel as if he needed to hurry or that what he was doing was a waste of time.

When they finished there, they passed by the nearly completed Scottish Parliament building and made their way up to Canongate where they went through the Canongate Tolbooth and the Huntly House which now houses the Museum of Edinburgh.

Leaving Canongate, they made their way to High St. They bypassed the John Knox House and the Brass Rubbing Centre. Justin was all for going into the Museum of Childhood but Brian refused and no amount of pleading could get him to budge. They walked through the Mercat Cross and into St. Giles Cathedral. Coming out on the other side, they stopped. Brian looked confused and then disgusted when Justin spit on a cobblestone heart in the pavement. "Why did you do that?"

Justin laughed at Brian's look. "You spit on the 'Heart of Midlothian' for luck."

"Oh, well in that case…" Brian raised his eyebrow and spit on the heart as Justin began to laugh. "Come on. Show me some more of your new home."

Justin continued laughing and without thinking linked his arm with Brian's. Brian looked over in surprise but realized that Justin had done it without though and did nothing to remove it.

Passing by the old parliament buildings, they were soon in Lawnmarket. Justin surprised Brian by taking him to The Writers' Museum where they saw and read some of the manuscripts and memorabilia that belonged to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. From there they went to Gladstone's Land. Brian looked around but his favorite sight was when Justin pulled out his sketchbook and got swept away by the painted ceilings, walls, and beams. When Justin was finished, they decided it was time to move on to Castlehill.

In Castlehill, they went to the Highland Tolbooth Kirk, which has the tallest spire in Edinburgh. Once inside they went to the Hub where they sat in the café and relaxed while having a drink. Brian laughed when Justin walked over with food as well. "What? I was hungry."

Brian shook his head. "Aren't you always?"

Justin answered by taking a bite and chewing. After they were finished, they went to the Outlook Tower and Camera Obscura where they had some great views of the city.

Their next stop was one of Brian's favorites, The Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre. There they took the tour and got to have a taste of the real thing before going into the shop at the end filled with whisky. Brian was about to buy some when Justin stopped him. "We can get the same thing cheaper just down the street at Odd-bins."

Brian looked at Justin but surprisingly set the bottle down and followed him out the door and down the street. Justin opened the door and was greeted by the man behind the counter. "Justin! Ciamar a tha thu?" (How are you?)

Justin smiled and said, "Gle` mhath, tapadh leat." (Very well, thank you.)

The man laughed. "That was pretty good. You are getting much better. What can I get for you today?"

Justin couldn't help smiling back. "Mr. Campbell, this is my friend Brian from the states and he wants to by some of your fine Scotch Whisky."

"Ah, well lets see what I can do for you Brian." Mr. Campbell began to show Brian all kinds of bottles and types.

When they walked out of the shop, Brian bought only one, but three bottles and had a burning question in his mind. "Justin? How does Mr. Campbell know you so well?" He was concerned that Justin might have started drinking too much.

Justin kept walking, "Bruce introduced me to him. They've known each other for years and he lets me run errands for him when I'm in need of a little pocket money. He also sells the best whisky in town."

Brian nodded, not completely happy with the answer but knew it wasn't his place to say anything. Their last stop on the Royal Mile was Edinburgh Castle itself. There they saw the Stone of Destiny, The Honours of Scotland, and the Royal Apartments among others spots of interest.

By the time they finished the tours of the castle, it was getting dark and they decided to head on back to the hotel where they would have dinner. Afterwards, they went back to Brian's suite. Brian was once again nervous but knew that his time was up. He had two more days and that was it.

Once they were seated and one of the bottles of whisky opened, they talked more about their day and some of the things they had seen. When the bottle was half empty, Brian decided that it was time. "Justin, listen. We need to talk. There are some things I need to say but I don't want you to take them the wrong way."

Justin had been feeling warm and fuzzy until Brian spoke. Sitting up, he put his glass down. "Okay, what?" He knew this was what Brian had really come for.

Brian sighed, "I…the reason I came here was for what I told you, but it was for more than that." Standing, he moved to look out the window, but he could still see Justin's reactions reflected in it. "I came here because you didn't come home and we have some unfinished business to discuss."

Justin looked confused, but didn't say anything so Brian continued. "If you had come home, regardless of whether you were with Ethan or not, I was going to insist that we talk. I was going to tell you that…"

Brian paused and took a deep drink. "You were going to tell me what Brian?" Justin asked, barely releasing his breath.

Brian lowered his glass and caught Justin's eyes in the window. "I was going to tell you that…I…care for you."

When he heard Justin's breath draw in quickly, he turned to face him. "Now don't get me wrong. I didn't come here to sweep you off your feet with a bunch of mushy romantic dribble. I'm not here to proclaim my undying love for you either. I just wanted you to know that I care. I always have and I always will."

Justin nodded and tried to keep the hurt from showing on his face. Brian saw it anyway and went to sit on the coffee table in front of Justin. "Justin, I also wanted you to know that I miss you. I miss us but I think this time apart is good for us. You need the time to grow and experience all that the world has to offer you."

When Justin started to protest, Brian stopped him with a raised hand. "It's not just good for you. It's good for me also. Being with you and living with you has shown me things and made me feel things that I never expected too. I need time to process these things and try to figure out these feelings that I'm not use to and in doing so, to…grow up some. I want you in my life but I would like us to be friends right now. I want you to take this opportunity that has been given you and run with it. I want you to get the education that you deserve and when you're done, when you come home, maybe, just maybe we can start over again."

Justin stood up in between Brian's legs and looked down into his eyes. Placing his hands on either side of Brian's face he caressed it with his thumbs. "I still love you Brian. I never stopped. I thought that I could get over you but I couldn't. I have however, learned to live my life again without you, but like you I'd rather have you in it. I don't want to lose you and I don't want to give up what I've got here either. So I'm willing to give it a shot as friends and when I come home, you better believe I'm going to look you up."

Bending down, he gently brushed his lips over Brian's, then he did it again, this time slower. Raising up, just a little, he hovered over Brian's lips and looked deep into his eyes as he licked the taste of whisky, cigarettes, and Brian from his lips.

Brian closed his eyes as he felt his cock react to what Justin was doing. "Justin…I"

Justin laid a finger against Brian's lips. "Shhhhh. I know you said you don't fuck your friends but regardless of what we are, and what we do, we don't fuck and we're not going to fuck. We're going to enjoy the time we have with each other and have wild passionate sex."

Brian moaned as the pressure in his pants got even more uncomfortable. Justin released Brian's face and ran his hands down Brian's chest and before he could say anything kissed him again as he straddled his lap. Brian wrapped his arms tightly around Justin and the kiss that Justin had started became even more heated as the two battled with their tongues. Justin moaned and threw back his head and he began to grind his hard on against Brian as Brian licked down his neck and gasped as Brian nipped his collarbone.

Brian wrapped his hands around Justin's legs and stood up. Justin needing no instruction wrapped his legs around Brian's waist and held on as he was carried to the bedroom. Once there, Brian let go of Justin's legs but held on to his waist as Justin released him and put his feet on the floor. Brian grabbed hold of Justin's shirt and raised it over his head, not stopping until it was gone and he could touch the smooth expanse of Justin's chest.

Justin meanwhile was busy unbuttoning Brian's shirt, teasing his nipples, as they were uncovered. Moving in for a kiss, Justin pushed Brian's shirt off and began on releasing the hard cock within the pants in front of him. As soon as Justin had it freed, he fell to his knees and took it into his mouth.

Brian couldn't hold back the moan as Justin began to suck him off. He had been trying so hard not to touch Justin the whole time he'd been there, but he had to admit that he wanted Justin just as much as Justin wanted him. As he felt his balls begin to tighten, he pulled Justin back up and kissed him as he tried to get control of himself.

Releasing him, he gave Justin a push onto the bed and set to work removing his pants so that he could have a taste, but first he just had to tease him a little bit. He wanted to see him squirm. Moving up his body after pulling down his pants, he totally bypassed the glistening cock that was begging for his attention. Intertwining his fingers with Justin's, he proceeded to lick and nip every available spot on Justin's neck and chest.

Justin began to squirm at Brian's attention. "Brian! God…please!" He raised his hips and rubbed his aching cock against Brian.

"What Justin? What do you want?" Brian whispered as he circled Justin's ear with his tongue.

Justin whimpered. "Fuck me!"

Brian reached over to his pants and grabbed a condom and the little bottle of lube. Warming it in his hand, he slowly began to prepare Justin. As he slid in his first finger, he felt Justin's muscles clamp around it. Sliding in his second finger, he began to work Justin's hole until Justin began to squirm and hump up against Brian pleading for more. With a quick motion, Brian slipped on the condom, removed his fingers and replaced them with his cock.

Both men sighed and stopped, just relishing the feel of being back where they each felt they belonged. Slowly they began to move in a rhythm that built until they both cried out, calling to each other as they came. Brian collapsed on top of Justin, spreading his cum over both their chests. Brian started to roll off but Justin wrapped his arms around him, not ready to let go just yet. Within minutes, both men had fallen into a deep relaxed sleep.

When they awoke, it was to find that morning was upon them and that they had hardly moved. In fact, they were stuck together. As they pulled apart, Justin couldn't help but start to laugh at the look on Brian's face. "Oh gross." Justin looked down at the flaking mess on his and Brian's chests.

Brian looked down at Justin and couldn't help but start to laugh as well. "Come on Sunshine, let's go take a shower. Today is moving day for you."

"Oh Shit! That's right!" Following Brian into the shower they cleaned each other and had their favorite breakfast and were out the door. Justin wanted to go back to the dorm where he was staying to change clothes. After that, they went for a stroll down by the river for a while, stopping here and there to see the sites. At some point they even held hands without seeming to realize it.

When the daily bang startled them at one o'clock, they went to The Garden Café for lunch. There between the potted palms they ate sandwiches and talked more about things that had gone on between them. They talked about things that they had never talked about before and this time neither shut the other one down, nor did they try to avoid any of the issues like they used to do.

Afterwards, they went to get the key and look around Justin's flat before he was to move in to see if there was anything he was going to need. Walking into the flat Justin excitedly showed Brian around. "I got real lucky and was able to get a flat to myself. Most students get their own bedrooms, but three to five of them have to share the bathroom, kitchen, and living areas. Of course it's kind of small but it's all mine."

Brian looked around the small room or boxroom that served as a dining room or living room. Then he walked to the doorway of the bedroom and found it even smaller but with it's own bathroom. "What are you going to do about a kitchen?"

Justin looked around and walked over to a corner of the room. "I'll set up a table with a couple of burners. There won't be any problems with it as it's allowed. The best part though is that it's got great lighting and I'll be able to set up an easel over here and that will cut down on the amount of studio time that I'll need."

Brian nodded. "Well, it's obvious you're going to need quite a bit of furniture. Do you know where you're going to get it?"

Justin smiled and started walking out the door. "Actually I already have a lot of it. Bruce is loaning me several pieces. The only things I'm going to need to buy are a mattress, a hotplate, and a few other small things."

Brian followed Justin out the door and waited while he locked it. Walking down the stairs, Brian was feeling slightly uncomfortable about Bruce. It wasn't that he didn't seem to be a nice guy, but just why was he being so nice to Justin.

Justin didn't really notice how quiet Brian had gotten, as he was so excited about moving into his own place. "Bruce has gotten a friend of his who owns a truck to help move the furniture"

By this time, Brian and Justin had reached Bruce's house. Justin reached over and rang the bell. It wasn't long before a woman opened the door. "Justin! I didn't think you'd be here for another hour." Giving Justin a hug, she ushered him in along with Brian. "Bruce, Justin is here." She called out.

"Brian, Arden. Arden, this is Brian." Justin introduced.

Brian held out his hand and shook Arden's. "Nice to meet you Arden."

"Likewise Brian." Arden smiled and led the way into the house.

Bruce came out of the back of the house. "Justin, Brian, it's good to see you again. I'm assuming that Justin introduced you to my wife?"

Brian smiled as Bruce circled his wife with his arms and kissed her on the cheek causing her to laugh. "Yes he did."

Bruce laughed at his wife and watched as she headed back toward the back of the house. "I'm going to leave you men to move the furniture and go finish up with my garden. Don't let him hurt himself. We have plans for tonight."

Justin and Brian couldn't help but laugh at her parting look and comment. Bruce turned and began to climb the stairs with Justin and Brian following close behind. "I hope you two are strong enough. Some of this is pretty heavy."

With that, Bruce opened a door that led into his attic. Brian had expected to find a room full of dusty old junk. Instead he was led into a room that was clean, neat, and the items were far from being junk. "We try to keep everything neat up here. You never know when a friend might need to borrow something. Justin isn't the first student that Arden and I have befriended. Arden says I collect students like some people collect stray cats."

Bruce started laughing and Brian and Justin joined him. Brian was beginning to feel better about Bruce. He now realized that Bruce was just a do-gooder and genuinely wanted to be a friend and mentor to Justin.

So began the afternoon of moving Justin into his flat. Bruce had just about everything, from a bed frame, couch, table and chairs, to the most important item to Justin, an easel.  When the furniture was all in the flat, Bruce left wishing them much luck in getting it all to fit.

Brian looked around the crowded flat and sighed. Just then he heard a rumbling sound and turned to look at Justin. Justin looked up over at Brian and laughed. "I guess I'm a bit hungry."

Brian laughed, "Well, I say we call it a day. We have all of tomorrow to figure this out and get the rest of what you need as well as getting you out of your dorm. Now lets go get something to eat."

Justin looked around and agreed. "Okay, I am hungry. Where do you want to go?"

Brian looked down at his clothes and then at Justin's. "How about we go grab you some more clothes. Then we head back to my hotel, grab a shower, and go find us a steak. I'm starving."

Justin laughed and followed Brian out the door. He couldn't get over the change in Brian. Maybe, just maybe, this time apart was what they needed. Then he sobered. He was going to be here for three years. That was going to be a long time to be apart. Of course, he'd try to go home but there was no guarantee, it was expensive.

Brian noticed Justin suddenly growing quiet and knew just what he was thinking about. "You are going to have the best time here over the next three years. You're going to meet some really interesting people and learn a lot of important things. Before you know it, three years will be gone and you're going to wonder where they went."

Justin nodded, understanding what Brian was saying. Brian was expecting him to live his life while he was here and not wait around for things. "You're right, but that doesn't mean that I can't miss Pittsburgh and everyone there."

They had reached Justin's dorm by this time and they quickly grabbed not one, but two sets of clean clothes. Once that was done, they made their way to the hotel. "You're right, you can miss everyone there, and they'll miss you too. But they all understand that this is important and are behind you 100 percent."

Justin turned to Brian as they entered the elevator. "Does that include you Brian? Will you miss me?"

Brian sighed, "I'm here aren't I? Is there anything that we've talked about since I've been here that couldn't have been said over the phone or in an email?"

Justin smiled, "You missed me! That's why you're here!"

Brian smiled and stepped off the elevator and into his room. "Quit being a twat and come scrub my back."

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The rest of the night was all that Justin could have asked for. They went and ate dinner at The Atrium, strolled through the Princes Street Gardens holding hands and when they returned to the hotel, Brian did everything he could to show Justin just how much he had missed him.

The next day, it was the sun coming through the windows that woke them. They were surprised to find that it was almost noon and had wasted the whole morning of what was to be their last day together. They quickly dispensed with their shower and morning hard ons. Dressing they made their way downstairs to Hadrian's for brunch. They sat and enjoyed breakfast while listening to live jazz.

When they were done, the first thing they did was to go and gather everything of Justin's out of his dorm room and carry it back to his flat. Justin explained that the dorm really belonged to one of the other universities and was on loan until the semester started and the student who it was assigned to, arrived to take it. When Brian looked a little confused, he explained about how the college of art didn't have any dorms, but did have flats but it was a first come first serve situation.

With everything cleared out, Justin returned his keys to the dormitory office and they quickly grabbed a cab to take them to the flat as there was no way they could have carried everything. Once there, Justin listened good-naturally as Brian gripped once again about Justin being on the top floor of a building without an elevator. When he had done it yesterday, Bruce had explained that none of the flats had elevators, that only the hotels in the area had them.

After dropping Justin's things off at the flat, they went and bought a mattress, bedding, towels, things for the kitchen, and the much-needed hotplate, which Brian insisted on buying for him as a housewarming presents. They quickly began to set the apartment to rights. While Justin was putting up the last few touches, Brian told him that he was going to go and get some groceries so that they could have dinner there that night. Justin nodded and continued to put his new place to rights and make it his home.

Brian left Justin puttering around his new flat and went to the corner market. There he bought enough food to see Justin through the next couple of weeks. As he made sure that the food would be delivered, he then went back to his hotel and packed. He was leaving tomorrow morning and he wasn't going to miss out on any of the time he had left with Justin. Checking out, he took a cab back to Justin's and walked in to find that the groceries had been delivered and a surprised Justin, putting everything away.

"I can't believe you bought all this food! Why?" Justin asked.

"I guess I just want to make sure that you get a good start in your new place." Brian shrugged setting down his suitcase.

Justin looked at the suitcase and smiled. "So does this mean that you're not going to be staying at the hotel tonight?"

Brian couldn't keep the grin off his face as he walked toward Justin. "I hope you made the bed." With that he picked Justin up and tossed him over his shoulder.

"Brian! What are you doing! I still have groceries to put away!" Justin laughed.

Throwing Justin onto the bed, Brian launched himself at him and landed with a laugh. "Well, we have to christen the bed."

Justin laughed and began to kiss Brian along his jaw line. "I think that is a wonderful idea."

Justin pulled Brian's shirt over his head as soon as he was free; Brian attacked Justin's mouth with a vengeance. He had never before needed Justin like he did at this time. Quickly they undressed each other and with little preparation he slid into Justin's tight ass. Where as last night had been slow and tender, this time was quick and rough, as if they both knew and needed it to be that way.

As they both lay panting, trying to gather their breath, they looked at each other a laughed at how carried away they had been. "Well, I guess we christened it all right." Justin said, leaning up on his elbow to look down at Brian. "Why don't you go start the shower. It's going to be a bit tight but I think we can manage it. I'm going to go finish putting up the groceries."

Justin got out of bed and walked naked into the other room and Brian could see him putting up the groceries. Walking into the bathroom, he turned on the water, than walked back to the bed where he continued to watch Justin. When he bent over to put something in the cabinet, Brian could only groan at the site of Justin's bare ass flashing him a peak of the hole he loved to fuck.

Getting up off the bed he walked quietly up behind Justin and ran his hand down the soft skin of his ass toward his hole. Justin remained perfectly still; content at the feelings Brian's hands were creating. As Brian's finger slipped inside his hole, he moaned and leaned back against him.

"It isn't polite to tease." Brian whispered in his ear as he watched Justin grow hard while he finger fucked his hole. Withdrawing his finger, he pushed Justin from him and turned back toward the bathroom. "The shower is ready and we don't know how much hot water your building has available."

Justin groaned as he watched Brian walk into the bedroom and then the bathroom. Following, he began to make plans for the night. If Brian thought he was teasing before, he didn't know what he was in for.

Stepping into the shower, Justin acted as if he didn't have a raging hard on and began to wash himself clean from their previous activity. He turned and began to wash Brian's back. Sweeping the soap over Brian's ass, he watched the soap gather and handing Brian the soap began to rub the suds over his ass in soft strokes that ended inside his crack, just skimming his hole in a teasing caress. Justin stopped when Brian turned around. He tried to act as if he didn't notice Brian's hard on and took the soap from his hands. Soaping up his hands he began to run them over his own chest, paying extra attention to his nipples and then down to his still hard cock.

Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the sensation of his soaped up hand against his pulsing cock. Leaning against the wall, he totally ignored the fact that Brian was in the shower with him and began to jack himself off. With his second hand, he cupped and fondled his balls. Feeling his balls tighten after a few more tugs, he opened his eyes and saw Brian rubbing himself but watching Justin. Catching his eyes he held them as he sped up his strokes and with a shout shot his load.

Brian watched as Justin gathered himself and waited to see what he had in mind next. He hoped it would be something that would bring him relief. Justin meanwhile, pushed off of the wall, grabbed the soap, cleaned himself once again, rinsed, and with a last look at Brian, stepped out of the shower.

Brian stood there in shock as he watched Justin towel off and leave the room. "What the fuck!" He rinsed the soap from his body, turned off the chilling water, climbed out and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Walking into the bedroom, he was unprepared for when Justin ambushed him. Justin had been waiting by the door and as soon as Brian walked through the door, Justin grabbed Brian by the arm and pulled him off balance and onto the bed. Jumping on top of him, he straddled his lap and pinned his arms to the bed. "Tease, am I? No more then you are. After all, I learned from the best."

Brian knew that he could probably flip Justin but he was curious to see just what he had in mind. Justin began first by licking some of the water that had dripped onto Brian's chest from his hair, off of his face. Then he moved down to his neck and chest, never releasing his hands. He was extra attentive with his nipples. Finally he released Brian's hand but it was only so he could move lower on Brian's body. When he hit that spot above Brian's hip, his body left the mattress and almost knocked Justin off but he was ready for it and managed to keep his place. Justin continued to lick Brian clean of any remaining water droplets as he worked his way down his body and back up, bypassing the one place that Brian desperately wanted him to do.

Justin knew he was driving Brian crazy but that was the plan. Moving back up, he began by capturing Brian's lips as he moved his body so that his cock was rubbing against Brian's, creating waves of pleasure that ran through them both. Breaking off the kiss, Justin whispered in Brian's ear. "Roll over. I'm not done licking you dry yet."

Brian groaned but did as Justin asked as soon as he got off of him. Rolling over he grabbed a pillow and shoved it under his head and waited for Justin to resume.

"Are you comfortable?" Justin whispered in his ear as he leaned against him, rubbing his hard on against Brian's crack. The only answer he received was another groan.

Brian could feel Justin smile against his back as he began his licking once again. "Don't be a twat." He growled.

Justin chuckled and continued to lick Brian's back, stopping to nip at the dimples at the small of his back, causing him to squirm. Justin gave Brian a little slap on one of his butt cheeks. "Be still. You don't want me to bite down to hard do you?"

Brian stilled his body and waited for Justin to continue. As he felt Justin's tongue sooth over the red mark his ass, he fisted his hands under the pillow and turned his head into it.

Justin heard the groan come from deep inside Brian and knew he was drawing Brian near the brink of his patience. Spreading Brian's legs, he settled between them and motioned for Brian to hand him a pillow and to lift his ass up. Brian did so and waited motionlessly for Justin to begin rimming him. When he did, he let out a sigh of contentment. For a few minutes, he remained still, enjoying the feel of Justin's tongue within his ass. Then he started feeling the need for more and began to thrust back against Justin's mouth and rubbing his cock against the pillow.

Brian still wasn't satisfied, finally he growled out, "Justin, fuck me already!"

Justin didn't say a word but Brian heard the wrapper of the condom tear open and almost sighed with relief. When Justin pushed inside of him, he too sighed. Leaning up against Brian's body, he planted a kiss between his shoulder blades.

Brian levered himself up onto his elbows, raising his ass farther in the air so that the angle was more pleasurable for them both. Justin slid back so that he could move deeper into Brian and couldn't get over the sensations he was feeling by fucking Brian. Not wanting the feeling to end, he slowed down his motions as he ran his hands down Brian's back and around to do the same to his chest. As he was bringing his hands down toward his hips he bumped Brian's cock. Brian groaned and tightened around Justin causing him to groan as well.

Justin reached around and wrapped his hand around Brian's cock and tried not to cum when Brian gripped him again. Slowly he began to move his hand in time with his motions. It wasn't long before he began to speed up and within minutes felt Brian's cum cover his hand as his muscles tightened around him, causing him to cum as well.

Justin fell on top of Brian who collapsed under the sudden weight. When Justin began to pull out, Brian reached back and stopped him. "No, not yet."

Justin knew exactly what Brian was feeling. This was to be their last night together for a long time, if ever again. Brian wanted to remember the feeling they were sharing just as much as he did. Finally he had to pull out or it would be too painful. Removing the condom, he went into the bathroom, cleaned himself up and returned to Brian to do the same. Crawling back up into the bed, Brian opened his arms and Justin snuggled into them.

Brian was warm and well fucked; he pulled Justin tighter against him and smiled as he inhaled his scent. Without meaning to, his eyes drifted closed and moments later he was asleep. Justin placed his arm across Brian's chest and decided a short nap would do them both good.

A couple of hours later, rumbling stomachs awoke them. Going into the kitchen, they prepared sandwiches, which they ate quickly before returning to bed. This time the sex was slow and gentle. Wrapped around each other they drifted off to sleep once again.

Later in the night Brian awoke to find Justin once again inside him. As they came, Brian could feel the warm tears hit his back and he fought hard not to give in to them and ask Justin to come home with him. Later in the night, Brian woke Justin by returning the favor.

When the alarm went off hours later, Brian rolled out of bed and took a quick shower, all without waking Justin. Leaving him was going to be hard enough as it was without Justin showing all his emotions as well. Dressing and packing up what little he had unpacked, Brian placed his bags by the door. Turning, he took a package out of his briefcase, walked back into the bedroom and placed it on the pillow he had used beside Justin's head. Bending down, he lightly kissed Justin's lips. "Later" he whispered.

Grabbing his bags, he did the hardest thing he had ever done. He walked away from Justin for what could be the last time. He hoped it wouldn't be, but he knew it was a chance he was going to have to take.

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Two hours later, Justin awoke to Brian gone and the package in his place. Opening it, he found a letter and a cell phone.

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Justin,

Emails are good but it's not the same as hearing the voice of the ones you care for. Please use this any time you want and don't worry about the cost. This is a gift Justin, so please take it. Hopefully I will also be included amongst those you call.

Brian

********************************************************************************************

Justin couldn't believe that Brian had done this for him. Turning on the phone, he checked out all the bells and whistles that it had to offer and found that Brian had even already programmed everyone's phone numbers into it. Pulling up Brian's cell phone number, he hit instant dial and wondered if he was in the air yet.

********************************************************************************************

Brian squirmed in his seat and motioned for the stewardess. "Could I get an extra pillow please?"

"Certainly sir." The young woman said with a smile. Returning within seconds, she handed him his pillow. "Is there anything else I can get you before we take off?"

"No, thank you. This is fine." Brian said as the stewardess nodded and moved on to answer her next call.

Brian looked around to see if anyone was watching and slipped the pillow underneath him. Sighing with the extra cushion the pillow gave him, he was finally able to get comfortable. Staring out the window he wondered if Justin was still sleeping when his cell phone went off. Looking at the caller id, he smiled. It was Justin.

"Good morning sleepy head." Brian said by way of answering.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Justin asked, still moved by the phone but upset still by the fact that Brian hadn't woken him.

"I didn't want to wake you. I wanted to remember you just the way you were. Sleeping with your mouth slightly open, with that little snore." Brian said with a laugh.

"I don't snore!" He said indignantly but had to laugh as well. "When does your flight leave?"

Brian looked around, "I'm sitting on the plane as we speak. As a matter of fact, the stewardess is walking toward me and is motioning to my phone. Yep, there it goes, there's the announcement telling me to turn off all electronics."

Justin sighed, "Call me when you get home? Let me know that you're okay?"

Brian heard the sadness in Justin's voice. "I will. Oh, and Justin, let my visit be just between us, okay? The last thing I need is to be getting grief over this from everyone back home without you sharing in it."

Justin laughed. "Okay, I won't say anything."

"Later" Brian said, as the stewardess came to stand over him.

"Later" Justin said and tried not to cry as he heard the phone disconnect.

Brian had heard Justin and as the stewardess moved to go take her seat, felt tears build in his eye. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back in his seat, tried to find a comfortable position and waited for the plane to leave.

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