All Present and Accounted For

The plane finally touched down in Pittsburgh.  Brian and Justin picked up their luggage and got in line to get a cab.  They hadn't wanted anyone to pick them up, wanting to savor every last moment of their time together alone.  They had promised to invite everyone over to tell them about their trip.  Brian had made that promise with the proviso that there be no excruciating slide show like they had suffered through at Dr. Dave's when he and Michael had come back from France.  Justin had promised to think of a more creative and less boring way to tell everyone about their trip.

 

At last they got their turn for a cab and were back at the loft relatively quickly.  Both of them were tired, having left Dublin around noon.  It was now evening in Pittsburgh, but that didn't match with Irish time.  Brian said they needed to stay up until at least ten o'clock Pittsburgh time so that they wouldn't be too jetlagged the next day.

 

As they unpacked, Justin sat down on the edge of the bed.  Brian saw him pick up the fisherman knit sweater they had bought in Ireland and press his face into it.

 

"You all right, Sunshine?" Brian asked.

 

"I don't want it to be over.  That was the best two weeks of my life," Justin stated firmly.

 

Brian grinned at him.  "It was fun, wasn't it?"

 

"It was spectacular!" Justin gushed.  "We saw so many things, met your family and I got to spend all that time alone with you.  To say nothing of the fabulous sex we had!"

 

"We can still have that," Brian said with a smirk.

 

Justin could feel his cock quicken as he saw the look on Brian's face.  "We should unpack first," he said.

 

"Who says?" Brian asked.  He swept his suitcase and clothes off the bed and dove on top of Justin.  He felt his young lover arch up into him and he moaned his pleasure.  Justin was always so willing and so wanton.  "Jesus Christ, Justin, you turn me on with just a look.  I don't know how I ever thought I could live without you."



"You can't, and you better never try!" 

 

Justin's mouth crushed Brian's and he welded his body to that of the older man.  He could feel Brian's cock straining to be free.  He reached between them and popped the buttons of Brian's jeans.  His hand found the hard and pulsing shaft and stroked.  Brian moaned again, loving the feel of the soft yet firm hand.

 

They rolled around on the bed trying to get rid of clothes as quickly as possible; neither wanting to lose contact with the other while they did.  Finally they were both naked and panting.  Justin felt Brian's hands grasp his ass and squeeze.  He whispered, "Brian," so softly that it was barely audible.  He felt Brian's cock trapped between them jump in anticipation.  He loved how he could do that to the older man.  "Brian," he whispered again, "Brian."

 

He heard the cap of the lube pop and felt Brian's finger press into him.  "Brian," he gasped a little louder this time.  Then "Brian!" more emphatically as he felt more fingers being used on his pliable pucker.

 

Brian rolled him onto his back, ripped open a condom and positioned his cock for entry.  Justin opened his legs wide and smiled up at his lover.  "I want you," he whispered.  "I need you.  I'll always need you.  Brian."



He felt the cock breach the outer ring of muscle and gasped.  He knew Brian loved that sound.  Brian pressed in further and Justin called "Brian" again.  He wanted to be filled with Brian's cock.  He wanted to be such an integral part of this man that he could never break away.

 

"Briiiaaan!" Justin called as the thick hard cock penetrated to his very core.  He was sure if he swallowed he would taste it in the back of his throat.  He felt Brian lean back and pump forward with the most excruciatingly wonderful torque that he had ever felt.  The breath was pushed from his lungs and he grabbed Brian's shoulders fiercely and screamed, "Brian!!!" one more time.  His legs came up around Brian's hips and he clasped the man to him, not allowing him to draw back for the next stroke.

 

He looked into Brian's eyes as he held him there.  "Brian," he whispered in his ear, "I love you so much."  He released the man and allowed his strokes to resume.  He felt Brian hit his prostate again and again, and he knew he was babbling, "Brian, Brian, Brian."  Increasingly he became less and less coherent. 

 

Ripples of pleasure rolled through his body.  He felt electric charges chase each other up his spine.  Brian grabbed his sac and squeezed gently.  "Brian!" he called one last time, as his balls pulled up and he felt the orgasm flood through him like an unstoppable wave.  The cum shot up onto his chest and face, and his anal muscles contracted around Brian.

 

He heard Brian yell, "Justin!" the first sound he had made other than moans and bleats of pleasure.  He came in scorching intensity inside the man he loved and would never be separated from again.

 

They lay cradled together when it was through.  Each let out a long sigh, fully satisfied, completely sated and sorry that it was over so soon.

 

"I wish I could stay inside you forever," Brian whispered, his fingers touching Justin's cheek with a tenderness that bespoke the moment they had just shared.

 

"I wish you could too," Justin said caressing Brian's lips with a soft and gentle kiss.  He moved to turn over on his back and clean himself up.

 

Brian stopped him.  "Don't move," he whispered.  "I want to memorize this moment.  If we ever fight or disagree, I want to be able to think about this moment and how perfect we are together."

 

Justin smiled up at him and stayed still.  Who would believe that the hard hearted and jaded Brian Kinney would say something like that?  "I am so lucky," he whispered.  "To have you say that to me means the world."

 

"You mean the world to me."

 

"And you to me."

 

They fell asleep shortly after, more than content and completely united in each other's arms.

 

                                                                   -----

 

The next week went by in a blur.  Justin started his year at PIFA and was immediately landed with many assignments.  Brian had much to catch up on at work.  They had laundry and shopping and other mundane activities to fit in.  Justin had dropped off their pictures to be developed and had talked to Emmett about planning the party to tell everyone about their trip.  The weekend came much too soon.

 

Everyone was invited to the loft Saturday afternoon.  Justin had made a huge pot of Irish stew in the morning and it bubbled away all day on the stove.  He had followed a recipe from a cookbook that called this "The Best Irish Stew Ever", but it didn't taste as good as the stuff they had had in Ireland.  However, it wasn't bad.

 

Friday night he had made Brian stay home with him to go over their pictures from the trip.  He and Emmett had decided to make groupings of pictures from each place they had visited in Ireland.  They stuck them on foam boards and set them around the loft.  Brian had helped Justin pick the best pictures of each place, and then Justin had arranged them on the boards.  Limerick took two boards, as they had spent the most time there, and Brian had agreed to let Justin make one board of all the Kinney's they had met.

 

Brian had brought some easels from the office and their whole trip was laid out around the loft for everyone to look at and ask questions if they wished.  They had a little row of gift bags in the closet with all their presents for everyone inside.

 

Everyone began arriving around four o'clock and Brian served beer, wine and cocktails to their guests as they settled in.  When Lindsay walked in with Gus, the little boy ran to his father and jumped up and down wanting to be picked up.  Brian lifted him up and kissed his cheek.

 

"Did you miss me, Sonny Boy?" he asked gently.

 

"Yes," Gus said giving him a sloppy kiss and a big hug.

 

"He brought his atlas with him.  We've been showing him where you and Justin went," Lindsay explained.  "He'll want to point it out to you."



"We can do that in a bit.  Okay, Sonny Boy?"

 

Gus nodded and Brian took him to the kitchen to get him some juice.  Everyone had a drink and was walking from easel to easel looking at the pictures, making comments and laughing.

 

Justin came over to Brian and took Gus who gave him a big kiss.  Brian filled his sippy cup with juice.

 

"That was a great way to display our pictures," Brian said to Justin, motioning towards their guests.

 

"Yeah," Justin said with a smile.  "Emmett helped me figure that out.  He really does have some great ideas for parties."



"Especially when they're not too over the top," Brian snorted.  "Did he want us to dress up as leprechauns?"

 

Justin chuckled, and didn't admit that Emmett had proposed something like that.  "Be nice to Emmett," he said.  "He helped me with the party, and he helped you before we left."

 

"Yeah, he did," Brian said thoughtfully.

 

"Hey, guys, who are all these people under the Limerick heading?" Debbie called.

 

Brian looked at Justin wanting him to explain.

 

"They're your family," Justin said, meaning Brian should go tell them about the pictures. 

 

Brian took a stiff drink of his Beam and moved over to the easel where most of their guests had gathered.  "They're Kinney's," Brian said.

"Kinney's?" everyone asked surprised.

 

"And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  These are the ones who came to meet us on one day's notice.  There are plenty more of them over there," Brian continued.

 

"Fuck, the Irish are a prolific lot!" Ted said.

 

Brian made a slight face at him, but pointed to the picture that best showed Kieran.  "This is Kieran Kinney, the man who engineered my meeting 'the family'.  We met him after the mistress of our B and B told me she knew several Kinney's.  He's keeping a family tree," Brian explained.

 

"He has Brian's eyes," Justin offered.

 

"Really?  After all these generations?" Vic asked.

 

"Seems to be a Kinney trait.  He recognized me as a Kinney right away when he looked at my eyes," Brian said rather proudly.  "His grandfather was my great grandfather's cousin."

 

"He had us to dinner and we met all these other Kinney's for drinks afterwards," Justin explained.

 

"Who's this next to Kieran in this picture?" Jennifer asked.

 

"That's Seamus, Kieran's partner.  They've been together for almost twenty years," Brian said looking right at Justin as he said it.

 

"Fuck, the homo Kinney's," Debbie joked.

 

Everyone chuckled but Brian.  "I think he's the only one," Brian said.

 

"He was great.  We both liked him immediately," Justin said.  "He took us on a personal tour of King John's Castle where he works."



"Fags are the best tour guides," Emmett said with a smile.

 

Everyone laughed.

 

"What?" he said.  "It's true."

 

"Yes, it is," Ted said kissing his cheek.

 

"Where's King John's Castle?" Molly asked.

 

Brian pointed it out to her and Justin explained a bit about the history.  The questions went on from there and they moved from easel to easel answering whatever anyone wanted to know about.  They all oohed and aahed over Ashford Castle.  They listened intently to the story of leaning out the side of Barney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone.  They chuckled over the story of Brian chasing the bus from Knappogue Castle.  By the time they were through they had talked about all the castles and covered the whole trip. Nobody had fallen asleep.  It was also well past dinner time.

 

"Wish I could have seen you and Brian hanging out the side of a castle," Daphne teased.

 

"You would have laughed yourself silly," Justin conceded.

 

"I'm glad you two got away and had such a great time.  I was worried.  Brian seems … better."

"Yeah," Justin agreed.  "He is.  He saw a lot of Dr. Frank before we left and he's scheduled to see him a few more times.  I think the worst is over though."



"That's good," Daphne said.

 

Justin was quickly setting out the food with help from Daphne and his mother.  The stew was dished up in soup bowls and served with a crusty bun.  Everyone said it was delicious and complimented Justin on it.  He said he wished they could taste the stew at Bunratty Folk Park.  It was beyond delicious.  Everyone wanted to know about Bunratty so Justin held court for the next while telling them all about it.

 

Gus wandered over to Brian carrying a big book.

 

"What's this, Sonny Boy?" Brian asked

 

"Atlas," Gus replied saying the word slowly to get it right.

 

Brian looked at the book and flipped it open. It was a child's atlas of the world.  On each page was a map of a continent or a country with all the things around it that were noteworthy of that place.  The book had opened to Australia.

 

"Do you know what that is?" Brian asked pointing to a picture of a kangaroo.

 

"Kangaroo," Gus said immediately, looking proud of himself.  "Show me Ireland," he asked.

 

Brian flipped through the book and found Ireland.  There were pictures of the green fields of the Irish landscape and the Cliffs of Moher and some castles.

 

"Dada sleeps there?" Gus asked pointing to a castle.

 

"Not in that one, but in one quite like it."



"Take me next time?" Gus asked with a sad look in his eyes.

 

"That would be fun.  We were supposed to go back to Justin's cottage and go fishing again.  Would you like to do that?" Brian asked.

 

"Yes!" Gus said emphatically.  "Now!"

 

"We can't go right now, but I'll see what I can do.  Okay?"

 

"Okay," Gus agreed.  "Show me more places," he asked pointing to the atlas.

 

Brian turned the page and found a map of Great Britain.  "There's Big Ben," Brian said pointing to the picture of the tower on the Parliament Buildings in London.

 

Gus looked confused, then he pointed in the direction of Michael and said, "No, that's Big Ben!"  Brian looked toward Michael and Ben who cracked up laughing at Gus' description of Ben.

 

Brian flipped a few more pages and found Germany.  Not knowing if Gus would recognize any of the things on the page, Brian asked, "What do you think is in Germany?"

 

Gus' brow furrowed in thought.  "Germs?" he said finally.

 

Everyone had been listening to the exchange after Gus' Big Ben comment, and they all cracked up again at this bit of wisdom.

 

Brian went through a few more pages with his son while everybody else was finishing their stew.  Many had gone back for seconds saying they really enjoyed it.  Justin was pleased.  For dessert he had purchased a huge cake and had it decorated with an Irish leprechaun and shamrocks.  He got them all to gather around while he cut it and served everyone a piece.  They got cups of coffee or another drink and found a seat to eat their dessert.

 

When that was nearly finished Brian motioned Justin to follow him up to the bedroom where they retrieved the gift bags for everyone.  They stepped out from behind the glass partitions laden with their presents.

 

Emmett clapped his hands in anticipation.  "Oh, goody, presents," he gushed.

 

"If everyone will find a seat somewhere, we'll give out the presents we picked out especially for each of you in Ireland," Justin said.

 

When everyone was settled Brian called Gus over and quietly asked him if he would deliver the bags to each person.  Gus nodded and smiled at his father proud to be given such an important job.  Brian handed him the first bag and whispered in his ear.  Gus carefully carried it over to Vic.

 

"For me?" Vic asked and Gus nodded his head.

 

Vic opened the bag and pulled out a beautiful blue wool scarf and matching cap.  The scarf was soft as down and felt great wrapped around his neck.  The cap looked jaunty. 

 

"You didn't have to bring me anything, boys," Vic said a little choked up.  "But this is lovely and I'm not giving it back."



Brian smiled, "It'll keep you warm in these fucking Pittsburgh winters."



Vic smiled back.  "Thanks, guys."



Brian handed Gus another bag and told him to be very careful with this one.  He whispered who to take it to in Gus' ear.  Gus very carefully carried it over to Debbie.  Debbie took it from the little boy and gave him a kiss.  Gus giggled and ran back to his father.  Debbie opened the bag and pulled out a Belleek porcelain basket.  She gasped when she saw it.

 

"I hope you like it," Justin said.  "It was actually made in Northern Ireland, but we got it in Blarney.  They have been making what is called Parian china for over a hundred years and are world famous."



"It's so beautiful and delicate."  Debbie's hands ran softly over the fine woven strips of clay that had formed the basket.  It was a latticework design with tiny openings between the strips.  The handle and top edges were decorated with tiny shamrocks glazed in green.  Brian could see tears in Debbie's eyes.

 

"It's all handmade," Brian said.  "I hope you like it."



"I love it.  Thank you both so much."  Debbie stood up and kissed both Justin and Brian.  When she sat down she cradled the basket in her lap, continuing to run her fingers over the tiny shamrocks.

 

Brian leaned over and whispered in Gus' ear.  He gave one bag to the boy who carried it to Michael and whispered in Michael's ear.  Michael took the bag but didn't open it.  Gus went back to his father and got a second bag which he took to Ben.  "Open now!" Gus ordered.

 

Michael and Ben looked at each other and opened their bags.  Inside each was an Irish wool sweater, not matching, but in similar tones of greens and blues.  They each slipped their sweater on over their heads and turned to face everyone.  Everybody told them they looked great and surprisingly the sweaters fit nicely.

 

Michael gave Brian a hug and Ben did the same with Justin.  "Gonna keep us all warm this winter?" Michael asked.

 

"We have to look after our family," Brian said, his usual tongue in cheek barely covering the sincerity of his words.

 

Brian picked up another bag which he set down beside Gus.  "This one is heavy so I think you better drag it over to Jennifer."  Gus nodded and pulled the bag over to Justin's mother.

 

"Thank you, Gus," Jennifer said and gave the boy a peck on the cheek.  Gus grinned and retreated back to his father.  Jennifer opened the bag and carefully lifted out the gray Waterford box containing the crystal bowl they had bought for her.  She gasped in delight.  "It's so beautiful," she said.

 

"We thought of you as soon as we saw it," Justin said. 

 

She got up and gave her son a big hug and kiss.  She then moved over to Brian.  "You didn't have to do this," she said softly.

 

"We wanted to," Brian replied and she gave him a big hug too.

 

Brian handed Gus a smaller bag and whispered in his ear where to take it.  He carried it over to Molly and handed it to her.  She seemed surprised that they had got something for her.  She opened the bag and fished out a small jewelry box from deep inside.  She opened it to reveal a tiny gold harp on a fine gold chain.  Justin went over to help her put it on.

 

"The harp is an old Irish symbol," Justin said as he fastened the clasp.  "We thought it would be appropriate for someone with a fine Irish name like Molly."



Molly gave her brother a hug.  "Thank you … both," she said her fingers holding on to the little harp.  She went over and gave Brian a tentative hug.  He pulled her closer and hugged her with genuine warmth.  "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

 

"You're welcome," Brian said releasing her.

 

Brian handed a similar bag to Gus and whispered who to take it to.  He carried it over to Daphne and handed it to her.  Daphne gave him a little peck on the cheek and opened her bag.  It contained a similar jewelry box to Molly's.  Inside was a gold chain with a shamrock charm hanging on it.  Justin went over to help her put it on.

 

"It's beautiful," she said hugging Justin tight.  She walked over to Brian who pulled her into a warm hug.  "Thank you," she whispered.

 

"Thank you," he whispered back, "for talking to Justin and being there for him when I was such a mess."

 

"Anytime, Brian," she said sincerely.  He gave her a kiss and she giggled like a ten year old, quickly retreating to her seat.

 

Brian took another bag and whispered to Gus who it was for.  The boy dragged this one over to Emmett and Ted.  Emmett gave Gus a kiss.

 

"It's for you both," Brian said.

 

Emmett pulled out another Waterford box.  He opened it and said, "Oh!"

 

"I hope you and Ted like them," Justin said.  "They're for your romantic dinners together."

 

Emmett held up a pair of gorgeous crystal candlesticks.  There were lots of complimentary words from everyone present.

 

"There's one for each of you," Brian said tongue in cheek, "so you better stay together."

 

"I think these are the most elegant things I have ever received," Emmett said with a tear in his eye.  "Thank you both so much."  Emmett rushed over and hugged Justin rocking him from side to side.  Ted followed him doing the same thing.

 

Emmett moved over to Brian and grabbed him in a big hug.  Surprisingly Brian returned the hug, whispering, "Thank you," in Emmett's ear.

 

"You're welcome, Brian.  Anytime you need me, I'm there."  He knew Brian was referring to Emmett bringing him home after his all night binge.

 

Ted approached Brian and gave him a tentative hug which surprisingly Brian accepted.

 

"These are the most beautiful things," Emmett continued to gush, holding on to one of his candlesticks.  Ted kissed the top of his head.

 

"Are we done?" Brian asked.  There was clearly one more bag which everyone assumed was for Gus.  They all looked at Lindsay and Melanie who had not received anything.  Brian reached for the bag and told Gus what to do.  The little boy carried it over to his mothers.  Lindsay opened the bag expecting it to be a toy or something for Gus.

 

She took in a breath as she pulled out a beautiful damask linen tablecloth.  She unfolded it to find that the corners had been cut out and inset with fine Irish lace.  A little border of lace went all around the edges.  "This is exquisite," she said.

 

"It's for you and Melanie to use in your home," Justin said.

 

"It must have cost a fucking fortune," Melanie observed.

 

"It did, but who's keeping track?" Brian said with a tinge of irony.

 

Lindsay hugged Brian and Melanie grabbed Justin.  They left it at that knowing that Melanie would not want to hug Brian.

 

That left Gus with no present.  They couldn't believe that Brian and Justin would come back without something for Gus.

 

"Come with me, Gus," Brian said taking his son's hand.  They went up the steps and into the bathroom.  Justin followed them with a grin.  The bathroom door closed and everyone waited.  After a minute or two the door opened and they stood at the top of the steps from the bedroom.  Gus stood between Brian and Justin, each of them holding one of the boy's hands like they had in Justin's drawing of so long ago.  They were wearing identical fisherman knit sweaters in Irish wool.  They had found a miniature one for Gus to match the ones they had bought for themselves in Ireland. 

 

Debbie started clapping and everyone joined in.  Gus grinned from ear to ear happy to look just like his Dada and Justin.

 

Suddenly they were surrounded by people thanking them and telling them that they shouldn't have been so extravagant.  Everyone seemed to love their presents.

 

Gradually people went to get more cake or coffee or another drink.  They sat around talking and laughing.  Michael sought out Brian who sat on the steps to the bedroom.

 

"You guys had a great trip by the sound of it," he said.

 

"We did," Brian agreed.

 

"I'm glad you're feeling better.  I know there was something wrong before you left.  I tried to call you a lot of times."

 

"I wasn't ready to talk to anyone at that point.  I was a mess."

 

"What happened?  Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really.  I think I've put it behind me.  Justin and I are working out some things still, but I think we're going to be all right," Brian said seriously.

 

"If you ever need me or need to talk, you know I'm there.  Always will be."

 

"Thanks, Mikey.  I know."  He hugged his best friend.

 

The party was beginning to wind down.  Melanie and Lindsay said they should really take Gus home to bed.  The little boy made a big fuss and said he wanted to stay with his Dada.  Brian said he was welcome to stay, but they hadn't brought all the paraphernalia for him to do so.  Justin said they could make do and they'd bring him home tomorrow afternoon.

 

Everybody took that as their cue to leave even though it was not very late.  They knew Brian and Justin would have trouble getting Gus calmed down and into bed, so they thought they would get out of the way.  They left with many kisses and hugs, each clutching their gift that was greatly appreciated.  They made sure they told Brian and Justin that as they left.

 

Once everyone was gone, Brian asked Gus if he was ready for bed.  The little boy most emphatically told him no.  Brian groaned knowing it could be awhile before they would get him to sleep.

 

"Let's go look at the pictures again," Justin suggested thinking that the little boy would have had trouble seeing with all the adults milling around the pictures earlier on. 

 

Gus took Justin's hand and led him over to the pictures of the Kinney's from Limerick.  "Who are they?" he asked.

 

"That's part of your family," Justin explained.  "They all live in Ireland."

 

"Oh," Gus said thinking about that.

 

Justin proceeded to take Gus through all the pictures that sat around the loft.  Brian marveled at his patience with Gus.  Nothing ever seemed like too much trouble. 



"No wonder he can put up with me," Brian thought.  "The patience of Job."



Brian went over to join Justin who was telling Gus about Kilkenny, what a pretty town it was with a beautiful castle.

 

"Dada," Gus said, "tell me about the bus."

 

Brian realized he wanted to hear about their ride from Knappogue Castle once more, so he began the tale with them getting lost.  By the time he finished Gus seemed to have quieted down and even yawned a couple of times.

 

"Let's get your clothes off," Brian said.

 

"You get to sleep in your underwear tonight," Justin said trying to make it sound like a big deal.

 

"Go to the bathroom, Gus, and wash your face and hands.  We'll have a shower in the morning," Brian told the boy.

 

Gus went up to the bathroom.  Brian said quietly to Justin, "Remember that we were going to try to take Gus fishing again?"

 

Justin nodded.  "We kind of had some other things to deal with." Brian made a face.  "Do you want me to see if I can get my uncle's place again?"

 

"Yeah.  I think Gus was disappointed that we didn't take him to Ireland, so maybe we could do the fishing thing again."

 

"Sounds good to me," Justin smiled.

 

Gus came out of the bathroom dressed in his underpants.  "Sleep with me?" he asked with a wistful look on his face.

 

Brian and Justin went up to him and laid one on each side of the boy in the big bed.

 

"Thank you for handing out the presents today, Gus," Justin said.

 

Gus smiled up at him.

 

"Did you like the party?" Brian asked.

 

"Yes," Gus said.

 

"Did you like your big boy sweater just like Dada's and mine?" Justin asked.

 

"Yes," Gus grinned then yawned.

 

Brian rubbed Gus' tummy and before long the little boy drifted off. 

 

"That was easier than I thought it was going to be," Brian whispered.

 

"He's a good kid," Justin said as they carried Gus to the couch and got him settled for the night.  They each gave the little boy a kiss.

 

"Now we can use our bed for other big boy things," Justin said with a wicked grin.

 

"The perfect ending to a good day," Brian said putting his arm around Justin's waist as they climbed the steps to their waiting bed.

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