A Child's Needs

Part 7

It had been over a month since Justin had been back to the diner, so he decided to go over for lunch to see Debbie. She called him every now and then to make sure that he was doing okay and to check up on Tommy and the girls. Justin had come to really care for her and he actually loved having someone mother him.

He stopped the car in front of the diner; he decided to go later in the afternoon to avoid the lunch rush. He was relieved to see Michael, Emmett and Ted exiting the diner as he sat in his car. Debbie told him that Brian chose not to tell the rest of the family about what happened with Gus. He felt it didn’t need to be shared being that everything worked out for the best. Justin was still a bit leery of seeing the guys because of the last run in he had with them. He really liked them and hoped that one day he could be friends with them, but being that they were loyal to Brian he didn’t see that as a possibility.

Justin waited for the guys to drive away in their different directions before getting out of his car. He walked into the diner glad that he timed his visit perfectly, the diner was practically empty. He took a seat at the counter.

“Hey kiddo! How’s my sunshine today?”

“Hi Deb,” Justin said as he leaned over the counter to give her kiss on the cheek.

“I didn’t know you were coming here today?”

“Yeah well it was a spur of the moment thing. I just wanted to see you.”

Debbie smiled her appreciation; she had come to love Justin as if he was one of her boys.

“Ahh, my precious, what I wouldn’t give to be 20 years younger and a gay man.”

Justin laughed at Debbie’s comment and it made her smile brighter.

“You’re in a good mood today,” she said delighted to see him smiling

“As good as can be expected,” he said quietly. He knew he didn’t have to elaborate. Debbie knew exactly what he meant.

“I know kiddo, he’ll come around. He’s just not ready to trust his heart.”

“Or me.” Justin said quietly.

Debbie didn’t want to bring him down so she quickly changed the subject.

“How are the kids?”

“They’re wonderful. Tommy is doing better than ever. The doctors said his recovery was miraculous. He should start back to school next week. Bob Wilson, his foster father, arranged his schedule so that he could drop Tommy off and pick him up everyday. He still gets tired easily but other than that he is back to normal.”

“Oh that’s so wonderful; he’s such a sweet little boy. And you said the girls get along great with their foster mom.”

“Yeah, they do. Bob and Sarah Wilson were gifts from heaven. They’re new parents to foster care. They have been trying to have children with no luck so they decided to open their home to the many kids who need parents. They’re really great.”

“They sound like it. Are they still receiving gifts from the unknown benefactor?” Debbie asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah, the Wilson’s are thankful for all they can get. Even though Bob owns his own accounting firm it’s fairly small and they don’t bring in that much money, so the new clothes and toys work out great. They actually think I’m the one sending the gifts. I told them I can’t afford the expensive clothes and sneakers they have been receiving, but I don’t think they believe me.”

Debbie couldn’t help the big grin on her face. “He’s such a bastard isn’t he?”

Giving Debbie a knowing look, Justin’s eyes grew somber. “How is he? How’s Gus?”

“As good as can be expected,” Debbie said repeating Justin’s words from earlier. “He’ll be at my house Sunday for dinner. You know there is always room for you.”

“Thanks, but no. I just don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“He misses you,” Debbie said.

“Brian or Gus?”

“Both.”

“I doubt it.” Justin sighed and took in a deep breath before changing the subject again. “What does a man have to do to get a cheeseburger around here?”

“Just ask,” Debbie said. “To get what you want you just have to ask. One cheeseburger platter coming right up.” Debbie turned to put Justin order in and to give him a minute to himself.

******

As everyone sat around the dinner table at Deb’s on Sunday night, Michael couldn’t help but comment on the empty seats.

“I wonder where Brian and Gus are. I know he said they were going to be here.”

“You know Brian. He’s always late to things like this,” Ted replied.

“Not anymore. Ever since he became a full time dad he’s been different, yet this last month he’s been acting really strange. Even for Brian. I wonder what’s going on with him.” Michael pointed out, concerned about his friend.

Debbie bit back the comment that was on her tongue and went into the pantry to get another loaf on Italian bread. She heard someone come up behind her and turned to see Vic walk in.

“Okay Sis, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, it’s just that I know Sunshine is the reason for Brian’s weird behavior. He hasn’t been the same since the night Gus was taken away. What’s worse is that Justin’s no better. He came into the dinner the other day and he just looked so unhappy. I’ve been trying to stay out of it, but how long am I supposed to sit back and watch my boys torture each other?”

“Have you tried talking to Brian?”

“Not really. I asked him if he talk to Justin once or twice right after the whole mix up happened, but he brushed of my questions by changing the subject,” Debbie sighed in frustration.

“Well, it’s been over a month now. Maybe it’s time you tried again,” Vic suggested.

“Are you suggesting that I butt in where I don’t belong?” Debbie asked in mock horror.

“If anyone can do it, you can,” Vic laughed, kissing his sister on her cheek. “Now let’s get back to dinner before the guys eat everything. Don’t worry so much about Brian. He may be the most stubborn man we know, but he’s definitely not stupid. He’ll figure out what he wants eventually.”

Debbie watched her brother walk back into the kitchen while she grabbed the bread and sighed. “I hope you’re right. For Brian’s sake, as well as Justin’s,” she whispered to the empty room.

By the time Brian and Gus walked into Debbie’s, everyone was almost finished eating. Michael was out of his chair immediately.

“Brian, where have you been? You almost missed dinner.”

“Sorry about that. Gus spent the day at the neighbor’s house so I took advantage of the quiet and got some work done. I guess I lost track of time. Did you scavengers save us any?” Brian teased.

“There’s always plenty of food at the Novotny home, Brian. You of all people should know that,” Michael replied with a smile.

“Have a seat Brian. Gus, go wash your hands, Sweetie. I’ll fix you both a plate,” Debbie offered as she rose and began dishing out the food.

“Not too much for me, Deb. You know I’m trying to watch my figure,” Brian chuckled.

“Not to worry, Brian. Every man in Pittsburgh will be more than happy to watch it for you,” Debbie joked, noticing the dark circles under Brian’s eyes.

Everyone continued to sit around the table while Gus and Brian ate, talking about the latest gossip on Liberty Avenue. Debbie noticed that Brian wasn’t really paying attention to what was being said and decided to take Vic’s advice and talk to him again. She waited until Gus was settled and Brian went out back for a cigarette before following him outside.

“Brian, Honey, why don’t you give him a call. I know he’d love to hear from you?” she said tentatively.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brian replied feigning disinterest.

“Don’t bullshit me, Kiddo. Don’t you think it’s time to admit that you miss a certain blond that managed to worm his way into your life?”

“That’s just it, Debbie. He wormed his way into my life and because of him I almost lost my son. Did you forget that little fact?” Brian snapped.

“You’ve got it all wrong. You almost lost your son because the Petersons’ are homophobic assholes. Justin was the one who helped you keep him. Yes, he made a mistake when he forgot to file his report on time, but can you blame him? You know how much he cares for Tommy. Think about how devastated he was when he learned about the shooting. Work was that last thing on his mind. It’s time to put that behind you and see if you can salvage the rela…friendship you two were building.” Debbie almost slipped, using the dreaded ‘R’ words, but caught herself in time. Not need to send Brian running even farther away.

“Deb, please just stay out of it. Its better this way,” Brian said, repeating the same words he’d been telling himself for over a month.

“Better for whom? You? You look like shit and haven’t been yourself since the whole mix-up happened. Even the guys have noticed it. Better for Gus? He’s been missing Justin almost as much as you have, or haven’t you been paying attention. Or do you mean better for Justin? Because he looks just as bad as you do; maybe even more since he’s been living with the guilt of having made a mistake in the first place,” Debbie told him, hoping that she was getting through to him.

“He does?” Brian asked, trying to hide his interest. “Well, he’ll get over it. We all will. Life moves on.”

“Yeah, it does, but at what cost? Haven’t you learned anything from Lindsay and Melanie’s death? Life’s too short to take things for granted and not reach out for any chance of happiness that comes your way.” Debbie reached up and kissed Brian’s cheek before continuing. “Just think about what I said. It’s all I ask.”

Brian watched Debbie walk back inside even more conflicted than he’d been before arriving, images of Justin filling his mind once again, just as they did every day.

******

Justin pulled up outside the Wilson’s on Wednesday night and smiled as he saw three sets of eyes watching him from the doorway.

“Justin,” Tonya and Tasha cried out as they ran towards Justin as he got out of the car.

“Hey there, how are my favorite girls?” Justin asked as he embraced them.

“We’re good,” Tonya replied. “You’ve got to come in and see what we got.”

“Yeah,” little Tasha piped in. “We got paystation.”

“Playstation? Where did you get that?” Justin asked although he already knew.

“Hey Justin,” Tommy said as he finally made his way over. “It was another one of those presents that have been coming. Are you sure you know nothing about them?”

“I swear, Tommy. I have nothing to do with the presents that you’ve been receiving,” Justin replied honestly. “Now let’s go in. I haven’t played a video game in ages.”

Justin stayed with the children for a couple of hours, having fun playing the games that they had while giving the Wilson’s a break from three energetic kids. When it was time to leave, he hugged the girls’ goodbye after promising to take them to the park and then walked outside with Tommy so that they could have a few minutes alone.

“How are you feeling?” he asked once they were outside.

“Okay. I’m still tired a lot, but my doctor said that it was normal,” Tommy replied. He glanced down at the sidewalk, trying to find the words he wanted to say to Justin.

Justin noticed Tommy’s hesitancy and knew the kid had something on his mind. “What is it, Tommy?”

“I just…uh…wanted to say thank. For helping us and all. I know you pushed to find a place where we could all live together. It’s really nice here and even though Tonya and Tasha are brats most of the time. Well, I missed them when we were apart,” Tommy admitted shyly.

Justin smiled down at Tommy. “You’re welcome. My job is to make sure children are safe, but it doesn’t mean that I want to tear families apart, either. I was glad that I could find a place where you could all be together. Just do me and favor and stay away from the thugs this time, alright? I don’t want anymore frantic phone calls telling me that you were hurt, alright?”

“I really screwed things up, huh?” Tommy blurted out.

“Well, you went through a lot of stuff that you didn’t need to go through, but you’re getting better now and you can put it all behind you and learn from your mistakes,” Justin assured him.

“No, I mean with you and Brian.” Tommy saw the confusion in Justin’s eyes and continued. “I remember bits and pieces from when I was still asleep. I remember you saying that you screwed things up for him and Gus because of me. Now you never mention his name and you seem so sad all the time. It’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“God Tommy, it’s not your fault. It was my fault for not filing the report on time. No matter what was happening in my personal life, I should’ve finished doing my job before taking off. I deal with people’s lives every day. I can’t afford to let anything stop me from doing what I have to do. I made a very big mistake and it hurt two very special people. It had nothing to do with you,” Justin insisted.

“Have you talked to Brian?” Tommy asked.

“No, not since the day Gus was taken away. I don’t think he’ll be able to forgive me,” Justin said softly.

“He’s an asshole,” Tommy spat.

“Tommy, watch your language,” Justin demanded gently.

“I’m sorry Justin, but how can he still be mad at you? Gus is back at home with him now, right? Everyone makes mistakes, but he needs to learn to forgive and forget.”

Justin smiled at the protectiveness that Tommy was showing. “Who know, maybe one day he will forgive me. But no matter what I don’t want you thinking that it was your fault, alright?”

“Alright, if you say so. I guess I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“Yeah, see you on Saturday,” Justin promised.

Justin was surprised when Tommy threw his arms around him in a quick hug, whispering another thank you before heading back to the house. He smiled to himself at how much the kid had grown up since he’d been taken away from his mother. Times like that made Justin feel as if all he did was well worth the work.

******

As Brian walked into Gus’s classroom, Daphne was standing by the door saying good bye to a student when she noticed him come in.

“Hi Mr. Kinney.”

“Brian, Daphne, my name is Brian.”

“Sorry, Brian. How are you today?” Daphne asked smiling at the handsome man standing in front of her.

“I’m good. I hope Gus wasn’t a handful today?”

“Gus is never a handful.”

At that moment the object of their conversation came over to greet his father. “Hi Daddy.”

“Hey there. Whatcha got there?” Brian asked when he noticed the odd looking objects in Gus’s hands.

“It’s for you.” Gus said proudly handing one of them over to his father.

“Thank you, it’s beautiful,” Brian said smiling at his son as he stooped down to pull him in for a hug. He shot a questioning look to Daphne hoping she would tell him what it was his son created.

“Wow Gus, how sweet of you to give your Daddy the paper mache vase you made for him.”

Brian mouthed a silent thank you to Daphne. “This is the best vase anyone has ever made for me. And you made me two, wow.

“No Daddy this one’s for Justin. Can we give it to him?”

Brian was caught off guard; Gus hadn’t asked or said anything about Justin in a couple of weeks. Apparently Debbie was right. He wasn’t sure why he is so surprised being that he himself couldn’t get the beautiful blond off his mind.

Daphne noticed Brian’s silence and jumped in to save him once again. “Gus I can give it to him. I’ll give it to him this weekend, and I bet he is going to be thrilled. No one has ever made anything for him this beautiful.”

“Thank you Ms. Daphne, and could you tell him Gus says hi?” Gus said still beaming from the praise from his father and Daphne.

“I will. Now you go get your stuff together. Your father’s waiting.”

Gus went to gather his things while the two adults were left to talk.

“Um, thanks again.”

“No problem. Do you want me to tell him you said hi too?”

Brian smirked at Daphne. “No that’s okay; he may just prefer hearing from Gus.”

“I doubt that.” Daphne said. She wanted to say more but thought better of it.

“How is he Daphne?” Brian couldn’t help himself from asking

“If you really want to know you can find out for yourself. He’ll be taking the Marlowe children to the park on Saturday.”

Before Brian could answer Gus returned, ready to go. Daphne looked at Brian waiting for an answer. He shook his head slightly and noticed her smile dim a little.

“Goodbye Daphne, see you Monday.”

“Goodbye Brian, bye Gus.”

“Bye Ms. Daphne, don’t forget to give Justin his present.”

“I won’t. It’s going to make him very happy.”

 Brian walked out of the school holding his son’s hand. He thought about what Daphne told him. A part of him wanted to see Justin again, but a part of him felt it would be best to leave things as they were. He chose to go with the latter.

******

It was early afternoon and Brian sat on the couch reading over files while Gus played with his toys using the television as background sound. Brian was re-reading the same file over and over; he couldn’t focus on what he was doing. He glanced down at his son who seemed content doing his own thing.

“What are you playing?”

“Dump truck.”

“Looks like fun. It might be more fun if we played outside, huh?”

Gus shrugged his little shoulders “I could use real sand outside.”

“Let’s go get some fresh air. Run upstairs and get your jacket.”

Gus looked at his father strangely. “You said you had to work today.”

“I do, but it can wait. We’ll go out and have some fun first.”

“Okay,” Gus said smiling at his dad. “You can pack the snacks and I’ll get more toys.”

“Deal.”

Less than fifteen minutes later they were ready to go. Brian stuffed the snacks into Gus backpack that was now over flowing with toys as they were walking out the door.

“Daddy, we driving?” Gus asked as his father led him toward the jeep.

“I figured we’d go to the other park today.”

“Okay,” Gus said happily as his father helped him into the jeep and shut the door.

Brian stopped the jeep outside of the park and just sat there. He knew he was acting strange but he couldn’t seem to help himself as he fought the turmoil going on inside of him.

“Daddy, we here,” Gus said when he noticed his father did not attempt to get out of the car.

“Yeah, um okay,” Brian said as he got out of the driver side and walked around to help Gus out.

Brian noticed Justin as soon as he walked into the park. Justin’s back was to them as he pushed Tasha on the swing. Tonya was standing next him laughing as she tried to push her big brother who was sitting in the swing next to Tasha. Justin leaned over to give Tasha a hand and they all laughed as Tommy squeaked in shock from being pushed so hard. Justin looked happy as he laughed and played with the kids. Brian began to re-think his decision to come. He was about to turn around and leave the park when Gus realized that it was Justin standing over there.

“Daddy, that’s Justin,” he said letting go of his fathers hand and making a beeline in Justin’s direction. “Justin,” he called as he continued running.

Justin turned around when he heard his name being called. He was shocked to see Gus coming rather quickly in his direction. Justin squatted down just in time to catch the little cannon ball in his arms.

“Hey you,” Justin said as he wrapped his arms around the smiling four year old.

Gus greeted him back before breaking free to get hugs from each of the kids, who were just as happy to see him.

“I have toys,” Gus proclaimed loudly as he turned to his father to ask for his back pack. Brian handed over the back pack without a word. The kids walked over to a sandy area of the park and sat down as Gus removed the many toys he stuffed into his bag.

The two men stood watching the kids for a second before turning toward each other.

“Hey Brian,” Justin said looking up at him as he tried to remain nonchalant.

“Hey. Tommy looks great. I wanted to say hello, but Gus whisked them away too fast.”

“Yeah, he’s doing well. He goes to physical therapy three times a week, but he may not need to go for long. He just needed to build up the strength in his arm again.”

“That’s great. I’m happy for him…and you. I know he means a lot to you.”

“Yes he does. He and the girls. By the way thank you.”

“For what?” Brian asked looking genuinely puzzled.

“For the new clothes, sneakers and toys, and …everything.”

“I don’t know what you talking about,” Brian said diverting his eyes. Justin knew he was aware of exactly what he was talking about.

Justin smiled at him. He had expected him to deny it. “Well, thanks anyway.”

“Your welcome,” Brian said seeing that there was no point in pretending it wasn’t him sending the gifts.

Not knowing what else to say, both men focused their attention back on the kids.

“It looks like I’ve been ditched,” Justin said jokingly.

“So have I,” Brian said nodding his head in agreement. “It looks like Sonny Boy doesn’t want to play with his old man any more.”

“I’ll play with you. Have seat and I’ll push you,” Justin said gesturing toward the swings.

“Um...tempting, but maybe next time.”

“Will there be one Brian? Will there be a next time?” Justin’s eyes were sad when Brian looked down at him. It was hard for him to continue the small talk when all he really wanted to do was wrap his arms around Brian and never let go.

Brian’s expression sobered when he saw the look in Justin’s eyes. “I knew you were going to be here.”

“What? What do you mean?” Justin asked not wanting to read too much into Brian’s admission.

“I knew you were going to be here. Daphne told me yesterday. I wasn’t going to come, but then I couldn’t stay away.”

“Why?”

“Why what? Why stay away or why come?”

“Both,” Justin said quietly. He needed to know what Brian was feeling towards him.

“I wasn’t going to come because I don’t know if I can give you what you want. I came because a part of me wants to try, and I really needed to see your face.”

Justin let loose the breath he was holding in. His eyes suspiciously shiny and damp as tried hard to hold the tears in check. “I really needed to see you, too. I thought you hated me for what happened.”

“No Justin, I never hated you. I was angry and scared. I may have blamed you for a split second because I had to blame someone, but I don’t hate you. It’s impossible.”

“Well, where do we go from here?” Justin asked.

Brian reached out and wiped away the stray tear that escaped down Justin’s cheek. “How about dinner tonight? Gus and I were going to order in Chinese food, or I could defrost one of the many pasta dishes that Debbie has stored in my freezer.”

“Dinner would be great. Chinese or Italian, it doesn’t matter.”

“Good.” Brian leaned over and kissed Justin lightly on the lips. It was a quick and chaste kiss. He knew anything more than that might become obscene since he didn’t think he’d be able to stop. “We can let Gus decide on dinner, but be prepared for Chinese food. I think he may be getting a bit tired of Debbie’s pasta.”

Justin laughed a genuine laugh feeling happy for the first time in weeks. “Hell, we could have hot dogs for all I care.”

“Shh…not too loud. Don’t let him hear you or we will.” Brian clasped Justin’s hand and led him from ear shot of the children to a nearby bench where they could be seen but not be heard.

The two men spent the next couple of hours talking and watching the children play, content with the knowledge that they were getting a second chance and neither one of them wanted to blow it.

******

Epilogue

Five years later…

Nine year old Gus walked into the kitchen and sighed in exasperation. “Jeez Dad, don’t you and Justin ever do anything but kiss?”

Justin pulled away from Brian and chuckled. “Someday Gus, you’ll understand how it feels to be in love.”

“Ewww, gross. I don’t even want to think about kissing anyone. Not boys or girls,” Gus replied with a scowl. “Besides, you’re like…my parents. No kid wants to see his parents kissing.”

Justin smiled at Gus’s reply. Even though he had been living with Brian and Gus for the last four years, it still thrilled him when Gus referred to him as his parent. “Sorry Gus, we’ll try to refrain from now on.”

“Yeah right. That’s what you always say,” Gus replied.

“Okay, enough out of you,” Justin teased. “Go on upstairs and clean your room. Tommy and the girls will be here soon and don’t forget the girls are staying the night.”

After Gus was gone, Brian turned to Justin and smiled. “He’s turning into such a little shit, isn’t he?” Brian asked with affection. “So, you never told me. Why isn’t Tommy spending the night?”

“Because he’s bringing a date. Apparently, according to Sarah, Tommy and Jimmy are getting pretty close. I think he wants us to meet him and give him our approval,” Justin explained. “So you better set the table for seven instead of six.”

“A date? Isn’t he a little young for that?” Brian asked as he started pulling bowls out of the cabinet.

“Brain, he’s seventeen. Think about what you were doing at seventeen,” Justin reminded him.

Brian thought about it for a minute and then scowled with the same expression Gus used. “I’ll kill him.”

“Relax Brian. Maybe using you as an example wasn’t such a good idea,” Justin joked. “I can’t believe it’s been five years since Tommy was injured. The kids have really come a long way, haven’t they? Thanks God for Bob and Sarah.”

“And thank God you cared enough to keep looking until you found them a good home. You always manage to forget that you’re the reason they’re growing up to be happy, well adjusted children,” Brian pointed out. He knew how much Justin hated to be praised for the work that he did.

“I was just doing my job,” Justin replied shyly, needing to change the subject. “Oh, did I tell you that Tommy made the honor roll again? His counselor said that if he keeps it up he’ll have his pick of any college he wants.”

“Is he still thinking about following in Bob’s footsteps and becoming an accountant? I know Bob’s secretly hoping for that. He’s been bringing Tommy into the office and letting him help out with some of the easier accounts.”

“Last I heard that’s what he’s planning. He even doubled up his math courses for his senior year so that it would look good on his college applications,” Justin said as he stirred the stew he was making.

“Good. Accounting isn’t a bad career choice, although it’s not as exciting as advertising,” Brian laughed.

“Don’t worry. You still have three chances at finding someone to follow in your footsteps,” Justin assured him. “And with Tonya’s ability to make people see her side of things, I think you have a really good shot with her.”

“Yeah, she does have a way with words,” Brian agreed with a smile.

A short time later, Tonya, Tasha, and Tommy showed up with a very good looking boy in tow.

“Brian, Justin, this is my friend Jimmy,” Tommy said as he introduced them. “Jimmy, this is Brian and Justin. Part of my second family.”

Brian and Justin smiled at the introduction. “It’s nice to meet you, Jimmy. Come on in,” Justin said as he took their coats. “Girls, Gus is upstairs. Why don’t you go say hello? Dinner will be ready in a little while.”

“Okay,” the said in unison before running upstairs in search of Gus.

Brian led everyone into the living room and waited until the boys were seated before the questions began. “So Jimmy, how did you two meet?”

“Tommy and I have a couple of classes together,” Jimmy explained.

“I see. How long have you known each other?”

“Well, I’ve seen him around school ever since I moved here two years ago, but we didn’t officially meet until the beginning of this year.”

“And what are your grades like?” Brian continued.

“Brian!” Tommy cried in horror.

“What?” Brian asked casually.

“Brian, stop with the inquisition already,” Justin told him with a chuckle before turning to Jimmy. “You’ll have to excuse Brian, Jimmy. He tends to be a little over protective when it comes to his family.”

“That’s cool,” Jimmy replied. “Brian, I have a 3.9 grade point average. Most of my classes are advanced and I plan on majoring in pre-law in college. Do I pass the test?”

“Uh…yeah, you’ll do,” Brian laughed, causing everyone else to join in.

Dinner was a success and everyone had a good time regaling Jimmy with stories of Tommy’s earlier years. Jimmy felt like part of the family by the time he and Tommy got ready to leave.

“Thank you for having me, Justin,” Jimmy said while Brian and Tommy were upstairs saying good night to Gus and the girls.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Jimmy. Our family is a little strange sometimes, but we’re a good bunch when you get to know us,” Justin proudly replied.

“I know. Tommy talks about you all the time. I think one of the reasons he wanted me to meet you is because he knew I’d understand. I live with my two mothers and have plenty of aunts around. We’re a strange family, too but in my book, strange is definitely better.”

Justin looked up to see Brian and Tommy walking down the stairs. “Are the kids all settled down for the night?” He asked as Brian appeared at his side.

“As settled as two nine year olds and an eleven year old can be at 10:00 at night,” Brian replied. “Well, you two better get out of here. I’m sure you have better things to do than hang out with a couple of old queers,” he teased.

“Oh my God! Did you hear that, Justin? Brian just admitted he’s old,” Tommy said jokingly.

“Uh oh, I better get him to bed. He’s obviously delirious,” Justin laughed.

“Twat,” Brian said to Justin, his smile softening his comment. “Good night, Jimmy. We hope to see you again soon.”

“Oh you will. I’m not letting this one go,” Jimmy replied, motioning towards Tommy who was smiling with happiness.

Once Jimmy and Tommy were gone, Brian and Justin locked up the house and headed upstairs to their bedroom. They followed their nightly ritual of showering together and brushing their teeth before climbing into bed and curling up in each other’s arms. It was their favorite time of day, when they could put aside any stress that they may have and be content just being together.

“Jimmy seems like a really good kid,” Brian finally said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah, I’m just glad that you didn’t scare him off with your third degree,” Justin replied with a laugh.

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure he was good enough for Tommy,” Brian said in his defense.

Justin reached up and pulled Brian in for a deep kiss, leaving them both breathless.

“What was that for?” Brian asked in confusion.

“For being the wonderful man you that you are and for loving us as much as you do. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Justin replied softly.

“Right back attcha, Sunshine. But don’t worry, you’re never going to have to find out,” Brian assured him, pulling him back in for another kiss.

No more words were spoken as the two men spent the next few hours showing exactly what they meant to each other.

The End

03/15/05

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