What A Difference A Year Makes

Chapter 8

With his head just above most of the airport crowd, Brian could see Sidney standing near the gate patiently waiting for his new charge. As Brian and Justin approached, Sidney beamed and called out.

"Justin, my dear lad, right on time. A very good start. Are you all checked in?"

"Yes, he is." Brian replied with a scowl on his face. "Sidney..."

"Brian, I promise, Justin's experiences in New York will include learning from some of the world's most talented artists, conservators and collectors. He'll be spending most of his time in museums and in a studio. I promise you, the boy will not have time to waste on frivolous behavior. And I don't appreciate strangers in my flat. Do we understand each other?"

Brian considered Sidney's words and nodded with just a touch of relief noted in his eyes.

"Come along now, Justin. One more gate to pass through. Say your goodbyes."

As Sidney passed through the last security gate Justin turned to look up at Brian's face. A set of watery blue eyes met a set of tear filled hazel.

"It's time."

"Are you pushing me away?"

"Yes."

"Is this for my own good?"

"Yes, it is." Brian fingered the shell just under his shirt.

"I love you Brian. I want you to be proud of me."

"I love you too, and I've always been proud of you."

"Even when..." Justin was thinking of the time he left Brian for the fiddler.

"Even then." The lovers hugged. Justin buried his head into Brian's chest as Brian nestled his head into Justin's neck and inhaled his lover's soft scent. Brian placed a chaste kiss onto his neck then disengaged himself from Justin's arms. Pushing the boy toward the gate, Brian growled out, "Go, now."

"Next weekend?" Justin whispered hopefully.

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Justin went through the gate, Brian turned and walked away.

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"Brian Kinney."

"Brian, it's John."

"How's it going, big bro?"

"It's not."

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

"John, you and Bobby, please don't tell me you're..."

"Separated? No, nothing like that. We've been trying to have a baby."

"John, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you guys have only half of what it takes to make a baby."

"Brian, not you too. You know what I mean. We've been searching for surrogates and contacting adoption agencies. It's been over three months. The summer's come and gone. And nothing. I was hoping to end this year by making my mother a grandmother. But that dream is fading."

"John, did you call me just to complain?"

"Well misery does love company. Is this your weekend to go to New York?"

"Yes, I leave Friday morning. I have a new client to see there and then I intend to spend some serious down time with a certain piece of blond boy ass."

"Ever the tactful one. Have fun."

"I will, and John, you'll find someone to be a surrogate. Even if I have to draw up a campaign to find her myself."

"I may take you up on that offer. Later."

"Later."

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"Mom."

"Jackie!" Claire gave her forlorn looking son a kiss as he walked through her door just before he went home to the cottage.

"What's wrong, Jackie?" Claire already knew but she had to get her sometimes stoic son to talk.

"Mom, we're in trouble."

"What kind of trouble, sweetheart?"

"Baby trouble. We can't find a surrogate and the waiting list for a baby is years long. I'm sorry, I've failed you."

"Failed me! What in God's name makes you think you've failed me?"

"I can't make you a grandmother." John began to cry and sunk into his mother's arms.

"Oh, honey, don't even think that. You could never fail me. I'm so proud of what you've accomplished. Making me a grandmother would only be icing on an already huge cake. You've made me the proudest of mothers."

"But, I really want to have a baby. Is this my punishment for not being normal?"

"John Anderson-Morrison, don't ever say that again, don't ever think it. You are the most loving person I've ever known. God will give you a baby. I know he will. Now, dry your eyes," Claire said while handing her son a tissue. "Bobby will be home soon. Let's make a batch of cookies."

"I don't think cookies will solve anything."

"You're right, it won't get you a baby but it will make a nice dessert."

"Where's your usual baking assistant?" John asked, referring to Hunter.

"Out with Nick. Those two have really hit it off." Claire began to take out the fixings for toll house cookies.

"I hope they're being safe." John remarked as he took down the mixing bowls his mother would need.

"They are."

"And you know this for a fact?"

"Yes, John, I know this for a fact. Hunter has recently been tested. His viral load is low and his medication seems to be the right combination. Nick has also been tested and he remains negative. Nick is also the top, which is a safer activity."

"Mother! How do you know all this?" John stared at his mother in astonishment. A few years ago this conversation would have never taken place.

"I ask, Hunter tells. I think he's adopted me as his mother."

"He couldn't have picked a better one," John said with a kiss to his mother's cheek and the two went about making cookies in relative silence.

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"Nick?"

"Hunter, is that you?"

"Yeah, How's Penn State?"

"I've barely got settled in. So far it's fucking hard."

"You can handle it, I know you can."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I miss you," Hunter said sadly.

"Um … how are your courses going?"

"So far so good, and there's lot of work at the farm now that the summer kids are gone."

"Did you like working with them?"

"Yeah, I really did. There was one kid, Chuckie. He could have been like the Chuckie from the movies, evil little bastard. Anyway, we kind of hit it off after I put him in his place."

"Did you teach him to skip stones?"

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," Nick laughed. "I'm glad the summer worked out for you."

"Me too, but I hate that you had to go up there early."

"It's a job and I need the money. Med school costs a fortune."

"I know."

"Anyway, I better go. I 'm meeting some friends for a drink."

"That's nice," Hunter said but he really didn't like Nick making all these new friends. It felt like Hunter had been left behind. "I … I was wondering if you'd like me to drive up there this weekend. I think Bill and Steve can do without me for a couple of days."

"This weekend isn't great. They're still having orientation stuff and I've kind of made some plans."

"I see," Hunter replied although he didn't like what he was seeing at all. Nick seemed to be pulling away from him to a new and different life. "I really want to see you."

"Maybe in a couple of weeks. Okay?"

"Sure," Hunter said feeling like shit. "Bye." The line went dead.

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"Brian!"

Brian looked up and his face broke into a broad smile, just as his arms were filled with a bundle of blond. "Sunshine," he breathed against Justin's neck.

"Let's go," Justin said dragging on Brian's hand.

"You're in a hurry."

"I missed you so much."

"Me too."

Justin grabbed a cab outside the terminal and pulled Brian inside. He snuggled against his lover as they started the drive to Sidney's apartment.

"I could have gotten a hotel room," Brian said.

"I know, but Sidney's in Pittsburgh for the week tying up some business at the gallery, so I have the place to myself."

"Ourselves," Brian corrected.

"Ourselves," Justin agreed with a satisfied smile.

It wasn't long until the cab pulled up outside the apartment building where Justin now lived. The two men rushed inside and quickly found their way to Justin's bed. Brian was inside Justin before either of them knew what was happening. A week apart was almost more than they could bear, but they had been doing this for a couple of months now. Almost every Friday afternoon Brian would arrive on a plane from Pittsburgh. He always kept the afternoon clear and tried to catch the earliest flight he could. They usually stayed at a hotel and fucked their brains out until Sunday night when Brian had to go back. Once or twice Justin had returned to Pittsburgh, but then he had to see his mother and Daphne and the gang. That never gave them time for themselves, so they had settled into this routine where Brian came to New York, fucked for hours and then days, and then went back.

Brian came with a mighty groan and rolled away. Justin let the aftershocks of his orgasm roll through him. Nobody ever made him come like Brian did.

"That was great," Justin said with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Just great? I must be losing my touch," Brian smirked.

"Awesome! Stupendous!"

"That's better," Brian chuckled kissing Justin's rosy lips.

"I … I have a present for you," Justin said hesitantly.

"A present? This is the only present I need," Brian joked, giving Justin's cock a little tug. He could feel it grow in his hand. Justin was so easy. That was only one of the million things he loved about the little twat.

"This is extra," Justin giggled feeling himself wanting Brian again … already. "My cock and ass are always yours."

"You know just the right thing to say to me, you sweet talker." Justin giggled again. "So what's this other present?"

"I have tickets for 'Spamalot' tomorrow night."

"Spamalot? The show? How did you get those? I've heard they're sold out for years."

"It's one of the perks of being here with Sidney. Someone he knows had the tickets and can't go. He offered them to me because he's away this weekend."

"Do you think we can spare the time?" Brian asked.

"Hm, I thought if you fucked me all night tonight, we could sleep in for most of the day tomorrow and then we could go to Spamalot for the evening."

"And I could fuck all night after the show?"

"Definitely."

"Sounds like a plan to me. But we better get started right now, because I have a certain quota of fucks that have to be filled. Otherwise, I can't be responsible for what I might do when I'm deprived of release all week."

Justin rolled onto his lover finding Brian's lips and locking his own with them. They kissed for a long time tongues flitting in and out and down each other's throats. Justin felt Brian's hands grasp the globes of his ass and he moaned into the kiss. Their hard cocks were crushed between them but they needed much more than that.

Brian reached for a condom as Justin slid to the side taking Brian's dick into his mouth. With a groan Brian flopped back on the bed letting Justin work his magic. Soon he was on the verge and he gently pushed Justin away wanting to come inside his lover.

"Let me," Justin said softly plucking the condom from Brian's hand. He slid it the length of Brian's cock and then coated it with lube. He threw his leg over Brian's torso so that he straddled the man. "This is for you for being the perfect partner."

Brian snorted. "Them's fightin' words, partner. Nobody but you would think I was perfect."

"But isn't that all that matters?" Justin asked as he slowly impaled himself on Brian's dick which the man held upright for him. With a final puff of air from his lungs Justin took him all in, coming to rest on Brian's groin. He sat there for a minute staring into Brian's eyes. "You are perfect, you know," he said solemnly.

"I don't think this is the right moment to debate my degree of perfection."

"There is no degree of perfection. Either you're perfect or you're not."

"Yes, Professor Taylor, now get to work."

Justin rose up until he felt the head of Brian's dick trapped inside him. He began to sit down rotating his hips as he did and clenching his hole on and off. Brian let out a mighty groan. Justin grinned and did the same thing again. He was going to give his lover the ride of his life. And that's exactly what he proceeded to do.

When he finally let Brian come, he was covered in sweat and panting himself. Brian pulled him down on top of him and whispered, "You're the one who's perfect."

"You could be right," Justin giggled. He loved to hear Brian say things like that to him.

They slept until two in the afternoon, got up and dressed, went for a light dinner and then to Spamalot. They laughed their asses off and fucked the rest of the weekend away. Nothing could have been more perfect including the two of them.

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"John, John! You home?" Bobby ran into the cottage shouting his partner's name.

"Yes, baby, in the bedroom."

"I found one."

"That's nice, honey. Wait, what did you find?"

"Her! The one!"

"What? Who? Neo?"

"What? No, no, the surrogate. I found one!" Bobby ran straight into John's arms. John lifted him and swung him around the room.

"Tell me. I want details."

"She was the last on Melanie's list. I had hesitated calling her at first because of her age but then I decided what the hell. She's still in Pittsburgh and is willing to meet with us. I can set up an appointment with her within the week. With any luck we can be pregnant by Thanksgiving."

"Yes!" John yelled out and fisted the air in triumph. "Bobby, let's not say anything just yet. I don't want to get my mother's hopes up for nothing."

"I agree. There's a lot that can go wrong. Let's get through the meeting first."

"Agreed. Bobby, would it be too presumptuous to do a little celebrating now?"

"Depends what you have in mind, Mr. Anderson-Morrison."

"I can think of a few things, Mr. Morrison-Anderson."

"Then I say, let the celebrating begin!"

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