Chapt 10

	Brian opened his eyes slowly the next morning, immediately gazing over at his sleeping lover.  Justin was breathing softly, his chest rising in a constant rhythm.  Brian’s fingertips lightly caressed the smooth skin on his forearm, working his way across the boy’s pale chest.  Justin continued to sleep, unaware of the adoring eyes of his older lover.  In the solitude of his loft, Brian could admit that Justin was special.  There was no need to hide his fascination with Justin’s lean body and soft blonde hair.  Nobody could question his motives and the only opinion that mattered was of the boy beneath him.  Life would be so much easier if he could just shut out everyone else.  Justin turned a little in his sleep, reaching out with one arm in Brian’s direction.  Brian almost chuckled at the absurdity of the situation.  It was only a week ago that the boy couldn’t stand to have someone rub up against him on the street and now he desired physical contact even in his sleep.  Brian moved himself within reach, relaxing into Justin’s embrace. He could have sworn he heard a contented sigh escape past Justin’s lips.
	It wasn’t long before Justin’s eyelashes began to flutter and his tired gaze rested on Brian.  He gave a sleepy smile and burrowed in closer to the warm body beside him.  Brian’s arm wrapped around to hold him in place.

	“Did you sleep well, Sunshine?”

	Justin nodded his head shyly and answered just above a whisper.

	“Best I’ve slept in months.”

	Brian smiled, his hand rubbing in small circles over Justin’s stomach.  Justin covered his hand with his own, locking their fingers together before speaking.

	“Do you think maybe now is a good time to talk?”

	Brian wanted to say no and prolong “that” conversation as long as possible, maybe until after breakfast or after work or tonight before Woody’s or never.  Instead he found himself saying, “OK”.

	Justin visibly relaxed with the knowledge that Brian was willing to discuss their relationship, if that was the proper term for what they had.

	“Do you want to go first?” Justin asked timidly.

	Brian shook his head vigorously.

	“No, why don’t you tell me what it is you want from me, from this thing between us and then I’ll let you know what parts I can handle.”

	It was the best way for him to gauge Justin’s true intentions while figuring out how much he would have to give and to what extent.  It felt like he was approaching some sort of a firing squad.

	“I’m not sure what you expect me to say.  I don’t want flowers or violin music, moonlit walks on the beach or poems filled with words of love.”

	“Then what do you want?” Brian interrupted.

	“I’m getting there.  I want someone to look at me and see someone that matters.  I want to be a part of his life, and be introduced to all of his family and friends.  I want them to know that we mean something to each other, that in some way I stand out amongst all of the other men in his bed.  I don’t need monogamy but I also don’t want to be last on the list of potential pick-ups for the night.  Also maybe a little forewarning so I don’t walk in on anything.  It’s one thing to know you’re doing it, it’s another to see it in the flesh.”

	“What if you’re involved and it’s a threesome?” Brian asked with a twinkle in his eye.  Justin let out a little chuckle as he continued.

	“There’s always room to negotiate in the future when I’m not such a pansy around other people.”

	“You’re not a pansy.”

	“Maybe not to you but…  Let’s not talk about that now.  I just want to feel like I’m a part of something, something special that possibly means the same to me as it does to him.  That’s all.  No secret formulas or rules to follow, just an understanding that what we have is worth protecting.”

	Justin averted his eyes away from Brian’s and stared intently at their clasped hands, as if the moment he looked away they would never touch again.  He let out a deep breath, he had obviously been holding, and patiently waited for Brian’s response.

	“God, you don’t say much of anything for months and look at all the words that come tumbling out the moment you do.  It’s like you were stock piling them, just waiting for the perfect moment to attack.  I guess I’m an obvious target.”

	“I’m sorry,” Justin whispered self-consciously, missing Brian’s humor.  Brian’s palm cupped his chin so their eyes met again.

	“Don’t be sorry.  I didn’t mean it to sound negative.  I might be a selfish bastard but I like that you share something with me that you don’t with anyone else.  It’s sorta like I have you all to myself, even when we’re in a room filled with other people.  It’s not a one-way street either.  You bring something out of me that I didn’t even know existed. Sometimes that scares the crap out of me and other times it just feels right. Does that make any sense?”

	Justin nodded his head in agreement.  It was more than he had expected to hear.

	“I’m not the boyfriend type, never will be so you might need to think about that.  I can’t see myself in a committed relationship but I can promise you that there won’t be anyone else as a constant part of my life.  Is that even remotely enough?”

	“As long as it’s coming from you, yeah it is.”

	Brian had to admit it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be and took the opportunity to celebrate with a pretty heavy make out session.  Serious discussion was tabled for the rest of the morning, so Brian could actually make it to work on time.  He had promised Justin to meet him for lunch near the office and suggested inviting Hunter and Michael as well.  He was shocked the young hustler hadn’t been pounding down his door this morning.

	Justin was in for his own surprise when he entered a quiet, seemingly empty apartment.  Michael and Ben had both gone to work and Hunter was obviously taking his schoolwork quite seriously with a day of cutting class.  Oh right, no school because of some teacher conference day.  Hunter must have sensed his presence, and woke up shortly after Justin had entered the room.  Their eyes met and Justin tensed, waiting for the interrogation.

	“Everything all worked out?” Hunter asked casually.

	“Yeah, I’m good.  We’re good.”

	“Good to hear, now I’m off to help Michael with some inventory.  I’ll catch you later.”

	“That’s it?” Justin was incredulous.  He was sure Hunter would have called out the cops or stayed up all night worrying.  This sort of reaction was completely unexpected.

	“Yeah, that’s it.  You want to stop by later and get a late lunch?”

	“You’re not gonna reprimand me and demand where I was last night?  What about my safety roaming the streets alone?”

	“You weren’t alone.  You had Brian.”

	“I left alone.  How do you know Brian was even looking for me?  Or if we hooked up?”

	Hunter maintained his cool as he answered, “I knew Brian would find you.  No doubt he’d keep looking until he did.  And once he did, you’d be safe.  Brian would never let anything bad happen to you.  He cares too much, even if he won’t admit it.  Plus, Billy called and let me know after Brian picked you up.”

	Justin couldn’t help but laugh at that.  They were all still looking out for him.  Apparently, he was no longer a complete invalid and was trusted to make some decisions on his own.  It was good to know that his choice of a lover was not only accepted but also approved of.  It wouldn’t have made a difference if they didn’t but the hustlers were his family and he didn’t want to lose anyone else in his life.
	The boys continued to chat about all sorts of random shit.  Hunter showed up at the comic store just in time to grab Michael for lunch.  They headed out together and arrived right when Brian was stepping out the door.  Neither of them had told Michael about any of the recent developments between Justin and Brian.  Justin was curious to see how Brian would react to the situation.
	Brian approached Michael first with a quick peck on the lips, then a nod of his head in Hunter’s direction, before pulling Justin into a tight embrace and lingering kiss.  Their foreheads pressed together, breathing in each other’s air.

	“Hey Sunshine.”

	“Hi Bri.”

	Their simple greetings were filled with affection.  Michael stood in shock, as Hunter grinned ear to ear.

	“Brian, you got something you want to share?” Michael questioned.

	Michael’s voice shook Brian from his thoughts.

	“Oh sorry, Mikey.  I believe you know Justin.  Justin, this is my best friend Michael.  Better make nice Mikey, you’ll be seeing a lot of young Justin in the future.”

	“Yeah, I know.  He lives with me.”  Michael was completely dumbfounded.

	“I meant you’ll be seeing a lot of him with me.”

	“And what exactly does that mean?” Michael and Hunter asked at almost the same time.  Justin watched Brian intently, waiting to hear his response.

	“It means we’re sorta together.  I mean in a non-defined, unconventional way,” Brian stated in almost a whisper.

	“Could you repeat that?  I’m not sure if I heard you correctly,” Michael pushed.

	“I damn well know you heard me.”

	“Come on, I’m getting old.  Just say it a little bit louder.”

	Brian yelled out into the street, “Justin Taylor and I are together.  Anybody got a problem with that?”

	“I sure as hell do,” a steely voice responded from behind.  All three men whipped around to face the stranger.  Justin was the first to respond.

	“Oh shit, hello Dad.”