A week later Josh and Justin arrived in Los Angeles. They got rid of the car to save the money and checked in, in a hotel, promising each other they would start looking for a job and a place to live in the morning. At least Josh would start looking for a job; Justin would look for an apartment.

They felt safe in LA; they were far away from New York and under the impression they wouldn’t be bothered by Howard. Josh had called his mother on the way to inform her of the things that had happened. She’d been shocked her son had just packed up and left like that but she’d seen the love between the two when they’d visited her together all those months ago and she couldn’t be anything but happy for them. She prayed they’d be safe since LA was a big city, but then again so was New York and Josh had always took care of himself. He’d told her they would see each other soon before hanging up. He’d felt better after the call and Justin noticed it too, wishing he had someone he could call as well. Someone who cared about him, someone that he needed to let know that he was fine. He’d dismissed those ideas; Josh cared about him, so much that he’d left his own mother behind to start a new live with him.

What more could he ask for?

However instead of what Justin and Josh thought, Howard wasn’t going to give up this easily. It had been a week and still there was no sign of his son.

“What the hell you mean, you don’t have any leads?!” Howard yelled at the cop who had the nerve to tell him that he couldn’t find his son.

“Mr. Timberlake, please calm down,” the officer said calmly, he understood the reaction of people whose child was missing but he wasn’t going to defend himself. He actually had the idea that this kid didn’t want to found.

“We found the car they bought here in New York, in a little village outside of Kansas City. We assume they bought another car in that area but we can’t be sure. Thus far nobody recognized them, we have no leads where we should be looking for your son”

“I don’t care! You keep looking! I want my son back!” Howard yelled till he was red in the face.

“We passed on the missing posters to other police stations but I’m afraid we can only wait. It’s like finding a needle in a hey stack” Howard understood; they were going to close the case. They were given up on his son. He stared out in front of him, not hearing the police officer’s comforting speech. The police couldn’t help him anymore. He needed someone better, someone who would only be focused on his son. He needed a private investigator.

The money was soon disappearing. They didn’t mean to live at this hotel, it was just for a little while till they got a job and a place to live. But this was the second week they’d been living here and the money was starting to run out, on the car, gas, food and hotels along the way. And that’s when Justin decided to start looking for a job as well. They hadn’t been able to afford a place because every apartment demanded an advanced payment on the rent and they didn’t have the money for that. But if Justin would start working as well it would all work out. He knew Josh rather not wanted him to work but he couldn’t let Josh work for the both of them. He would talk to Josh when he got back.

“Josh?” Justin asked when Josh walked in the door with a bag of groceries.

“Yeah baby?” Josh replied setting the bag down on the small table before he kicked off his shoes and carefully placed himself on the bed. The bed looked like it could break any minute and they couldn’t have that of course so every time they made it a point to be careful.

“I’m going to go look for a job today, we can’t stay here” Justin said as he looked around, disgusted by the filthy wallpaper and rotten carpet.

“You?” Josh asked scoffing, “You never had a job in you’re life! I’ll work and…” Josh dismissed immediately, he rather had that Justin would go to school although they didn’t have the money for that yet he certainly did not want Justin to start working. Who would hire a fifteen year old anyway? Not only that, Justin had paid for everything thus far and Josh felt like now it was his turn to take care of them.

“No Josh! I’m not going to let you pay for me. I’ll take care of myself” Justin argued.

“Justin you have to go to school” Josh told him.

“No I can’t. I can’t let you work yourself to death to support your mother, yourself and me, not to mention the rent. School will have to wait” Justin stated simply.

“But Justin…”

“No Josh, I’m not going to argue with you on this one. I know you rather not have me working but I can’t sit by and let you do nothing but working. I can help so let me help” Justin told him, a tone in his voice that didn’t allow Josh to argue with him. Josh understood Justin had made up his mind and actually he was so proud of him.

“Ok” he said softly, easily.

“Ok?” Justin repeated a little taken aback it had gone so easily, sure of the fact Josh would fight him on this every step of the way.

“Ok” Josh repeated, “Thank you” he added with a smile to show Justin how proud he was and grateful as well.

Justin beamed, “Your welcome, so where do I start looking?”

“The paper” Josh told him, tossing him an old paper, he’d used to look for jobs. Justin caught it before sitting down next to Josh and together they began their search.

“Ohhh, I’m so fucking tired” Justin complained a couple of days later when he came back from his first day at work.

“You always curse like that?” Josh asked with a smile on his face he was in a teasing mood, he’d come back only a couple of hours earlier.

“Shut up Josh, I’m too tired to think” Justin retorted grumpy.

“Oh poor baby, come here” Josh fussed opening his arms for Justin and he happily threw himself at the older man, nuzzling in his embrace.

“Hard first day?” Josh asked gently.

“Uh-huh. I never knew how much people can complain about something. And such stupid things for that matter” he answered. After a couple of interviews Justin just today got hired at a local supermarket, bagging groceries. It wasn’t much but it was a job and it paid alright, not what Justin was used to but he lived.

“How am I supposed to know you don’t pack the bananas first” he said indignantly. Josh suppressed a giggle, Justin had a lot to learn he thought as he said,

“Baby, you put the soft items on top, the things that get squashed easily”

“Ooh” Justin said, staring off, finally understanding what that lady was talking about when he put her bananas first in the bag. Justin sighed tiredly, going almost limp in his lover’s arms.

“I don’t know how you managed to do this all these years” Justin said warily.

“I had no other choice” Josh said softly, brushing away the curls from his boyfriend’s forehead. Justin looked up sympathetically.

“I’m sorry” he told him earnestly, he hadn’t thought about it, hadn’t been thinking when that sentence left his mouth and he saw the hurt in his lover’s eyes.

“It’s ok” Josh told him with a small smile before he pressed their lips together.

“I love you Josh” Justin whispered in between kisses.

“I love you too” Josh said back before lowering his love on the bed, moving on top of him without breaking contact.

“I got a few hours before my next shift starts” Justin told him when they broke away for a second, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

“Naughty boy” Josh admonished with a smile.

“I know” Justin said innocently, nodding his head, “Teach me some manners”

“Gladly” Josh said his voice laced with lust before attacking his beautiful boyfriend with kisses and more….