Some time later in the early morning Brian awoke to the soft whines of the baby. Opening his eyes, he listened to see if Gus would return to sleep and soon realized that that was probably the last thing on the infant’s mind. As the cries became louder, he felt Justin stur besides him and soon his eyes were open as well and he slowly sat up. Quickly, Brian’s arms went around him and his lips went to his ear.
"It’s all right," he whispered. "I’ll get him."
Justin sleepily leaned into him as he kissed his temple.
"Go back to sleep."
Sighing, the younger man resettled into the sheets as Brian reached for his blue, silk robe and climbed out of bed. Padding over to his son, Brian blinked a few times to clear his eyes.
"Hey Sonny-boy," he whispered as he reached for the crying baby. "What’s the matter?"
Pulling Gus’ heated little body to his chest, Brian walked towards the kitchen as he gently ran one hand up and down the tiny back.
"You hungry?" he questioned. "Huh?"
As Gus’ crying continued, Brian heated up another milk pouch and attempted to quiet him by whispering and gently caressing him. When the bottle was ready he sat back in the same chair and holding Gus in the crook of his arm, guided the bottle to his mouth. Eagerly, Gus wrapped his lips around it and suckled from it as Brian simply stared at the tiny creature in his arms. Unable to fully return to sleep without Brian beside him, Justin sat up and bed and silently watched as if in a trace as the strong hands held the infant. So incredibly beautiful it was so him that something that had the ability do to so much harm was equally capable to love and protect a creature that was wholly unable to defend itself. It was that knowledge that also gave Justin a great sense of security when it came to himself. From the very beginning when he had found him outside of Babylon Justin was fully aware that he was no physical match for Brian. The fact that he knew that Brian would never harm him, physically harm him, filled him with an indescribable pleasure. He never felt safer then when he was with him, protected in his arms.
After watching him for a few more moments, Justin leaned back and turned onto his belly closing his eyes. He soon became drowsy again and moaned softly when he felt Brian’s weight eventually return to bed. Feeling one of those intimate hands come to rest at his shoulder blade, Justin snuggled deeper into his pillow as Brian rested his cheek against his back. The warm breath lovingly teased and soothed his skin as he fell back into sleep.
Waking before his lover the next morning, Justin decided to let Brian sleep as long as he was able and carefully disentangled their bodies before slipping on his soft pajamas in the drawer moving quietly to the kitchen to start the coffee. Casting a quick glance at Gus who was sleeping soundly with his right index and middle finger in his mouth, Justin walked into the kitchen and prepared the blend he’d bought for Brian a few days ago. When the coffee was percolating, he reached into his bag and retrieved his assigned novel, Candide, and continued to read. Justin was so interested in the satiric style of Voltaire that he didn’t hear Brian as he walked towards him.
"Good book?" he asked as he bent for a kiss.
"Very," Justin answered as he pulled away. "I made you coffee."
Looking to the coffee maker, Brian smiled.
"You take such good care of me," he said bringing their noses together.
"Tell me about it," Justin answered smugly. "What would you do without me?"
"Live longer."
Justin smiled and kissed him before Brian moved to pour himself a cup of coffee, taking a long satisfying drink.
"You want some?"
"Please, I’m much too young to need caffeine."
Brian raised an eyebrow at him.
"Ah, so you chug down all those sodas because . . ."
Caught in his mistake, Justin was unable to say anything in response and resorted to sticking his tongue out at him. Slowly Brian came closer.
"Do that again."
There was a mixture of both curiosity and puzzlement on Justin’s face but he did as Brian asked and was a little taken back but nevertheless excited when the older man leaned in and sucked his tongue into his mouth. The taste of the coffee was warm and pleasing on Brian’s lips and Justin yielded as he felt the arms came around him and pull him closer. Brian set his mug down and put his hand on the back of his lover’s neck while his other hand slowly ran down his chest.
"Hmm, so I did well last night," Justin said. "I didn’t wake Gus."
"Yeah . . ."
"Don’t you think I deserve a reward?"
"Okay, if you insist, you can make me breakfast."
Justin laughed and grabbed the front of his robe.
"Come here," he nearly growled as he walked back to the bathroom.
Managing a final deep drink of his coffee, Brian loyally followed Justin into the bathroom with his young lover nearly plastered to his body and mouth. As the water was turned on, Justin had removed Brian’s robe and had him naked before him. The loose pants and shirt that Justin had thrown on presented no obstacle and Bran soon had him in the same state. Under the steady pressure of the water they kissed and caressed one another as they moved the soap over the other’s body. Justin loved the feeling of the warm water slipping into his mouth as he kissed Brian's lips. Brian smiled and craned his neck back as Justin stood up on his tiptoes and massaged the lavender scented shampoo into his saturated locks. Brian’s entire body was at the command of Justin’s talented fingers that stopped their movement and then worked to rise it out. When the water ran clear through his hair again, Brian reciprocated the action. Finally, when everything was done, Justin reached to shut off the water but was stopped by Brian’s hand on is own that proceeded to pull him closer.
"Where you goin’?" he asked. "Playtime’s not over yet."
Justin smiled and gave into the sinfully inviting lips.
"We really shouldn’t," he said softly. "We can’t hear Gus."
Brian growled against his mouth but pulled away after he quickly kissed him again.
"You owe me one," he said with a sly grin.
Justin nodded in agreement and after turning off the water stepped quickly out of the shower behind Brian, wrapping a large towel around him as he did. After drying off, Justin picked out a dark blue pair of jeans and a red sweater from one of his drawers in the dresser. Deciding that it was in his best interest to let Brian dress alone, he walked over to the crib and peered down at Gus who was gazing up at him with sleepy eyes.
"Good morning Smerf," Justin said as he reached for him. "How did you sleep?"
"I’d say pretty well after he was done screaming," Brian said walking over. "Hey Sonny-boy . . . Jesus, now I do know what he was doing all night."
It was then that Justin also noticed that quite rank smell emitting from the baby.
"I’ll change him," he said. "Now, you own me one."
Nodding his head, Brian looked thoughtful.
"When are we going to find the time for all this ‘owed sex’?" he asked.
"Oh I’m sure we’ll manage," Justin said walking to the portable changing table they’d placed near the rear window.
"Can you make some breakfast?"
"Sure," Brian shrugged. "Pop-Tarts and peanut butter coming up."
Around noon, the two dressed Gus in a fluffy sweater and pants complete with the latest beanie hat that Lindsay insisted he have because they made him look "so adorable". Opting to just hold him rather than mess around with the cumbersome stroller, the two made their way to the elevator with Gus sitting happily on Brian's arm. They then slowly began their walk down to the nearby park but before they reached the entrance a man and woman looking extremely out of place walked passed them. Almost before it happened, Brian could hear the dense whisper.
"Fags."
Even before the older man had time to react, Justin whirled around.
"Excuse me," he said in a stern and angry tone. "What did you say?"
Calmly the offending man turned to face him and Brian noticed that the woman beside him was looking rather nervous.
"Nothin’" the man answered.
"No, no," Justin continued taking one step closer to him. "I’m pretty sure I heard something. What did you say?"
Brian, while extremely alerted to the possible danger and that his infant son was directly in its path, had a smile to himself. Here was his slender 18-year-old lover who rose no more than 5 feet 8 inches off the ground standing against a somewhat built man in his mid early thirties who towered over him. Sometimes it amazed him at the amount of courage Justin had. As the man came closer and glared down into his face, Justin failed to lose any of his confidence.
"I said ‘fags’," he then repeated.
Nodding once, Justin went on.
"That’s what I thought you said."
"Then why’d you ask me to repeat it?"
"Thomas," the woman said pulling at his arm. "Let’s go."
"Because I want you to apologize."
The man snorted in disbelief.
"Yeah, that’ll happen," he said. "If you don’t want to hear it, don’t go outside with your boyfriend looking like the fuckin’ Brady Bunch."
Turning, the man began to walk away but before Justin could say anything else, Brian rushed to his side and carefully but briskly handed Gus over to him motioning with his hands for him to stay still. Quickly, Brian jumped in front of the pair and prevented them from moving on.
"I didn’t hear an apology," he said.
"Well that’s because I didn’t say one," he said angrily. "Now get the fuck out of the way."
When Brian refused to move the man got right up in his face. However, the offender had lost some of the confidence that he had with Justin because unlike the young blond, Brian was trimmed with muscle and met his eyes evenly. Again when the man tried to move, Brian went with him and stopped him.
"I’m not kidding man," he said sternly. "Get the fuck out of the way."
There was a very uneasy silence between the two of them until Brian suddenly rushed at that man, causing him to leap back quite a distance. Keeping his eyes locked on him, Brian walked back towards Justin as the couple walked away, the woman nagging in the man’s ear. When he looked down into Justin’s eyes he saw something of a mixture between anger and disappointment, only not directed at him. Kissing his temple, Brian urged Justin to continue walking. Justin handed Gus back over to Brian who took him with an almost relieved sigh, as if he thought the child had vanished. Chatting lightly, the two men continued their walk with Gus cooing happily in his father’s arms.
After returning from outside, Brian went to put Gus down for his nap and was extremely happy to discover that after no more than five seconds of fussing he settled down and was soon asleep. Justin was sitting on the sofa staring ahead into the nothingness. His eyes were looking passed the large glass window and into another dimension. Moving to him, Brian lowered himself onto the couch and rested his head in Justin’s lap. Feeling the small fingers begin to move through his scalp he closed his eyes.
"Last year in school I had this teacher," Justin began in a low voice. "He was telling a story about taking a class in sexual studies but was highly disappointed when he learned that the only people who took the class were himself and a bunch of faggots."
Brian slowly opened his eyes and silently listened as his lover continued.
"He talked about how his professor would always give him ‘Bs’ because he was gay and wanted him but he didn’t want him back. So when he got a ‘B’ as a final grade he called up the professor and told him that he was coming over with a baseball bat to sodomize him."
Justin stopped for a moment as if he lacked the strength to go on.
"He thought it was so funny. He said, ‘I could just image him prancing around his house thinking I was coming to get him’. He thought it was so fuckin’ funny. No one in the class thought anything of it."
Brian sighed loudly and reached for one of Justin’s hands, kissed it, and held it against his heartbeat, as he turned to look into his young man’s eyes.
"No one cares," Justin added. "No one understands. No one wants to."
"Well fuck them," Brian said reaching a hand up to toy with a blond strand. "They don’t deserve to understand."
The two shared a look before Brian leaned up and kissed him softly on the mouth. It wasn’t long before their familiar passion had been rekindled and they became a single mass of naked, sighing flesh. They made love on the couch and afterwards, tangled in his arms and legs, Justin let himself go to the feeling of Brian’s warm body and the sound of his accelerated heartbeat as he drifted off into a light sleep.
When the warm feeling vanished, Justin awoke and realized that he was alone. Looking around he spotted Brian changing Gus’ diaper and outfit. Justin smiled and wrapped the blanket that Brian had covered him with tight around his body as he got up and started to dress. It was the sudden commotion that alerted Brian that he was awake.
"Hey," he said flashing him a quick smile. "I didn’t mean to wake you but somebody decided it would be fun to spill daddy’s water all over himself."
Justin laughed as he walked towards him.
"It’s okay," he said.
Brian kept his eyes on his as the younger man kissed Gus with a dramatic smack earning a giggle of joy from the baby. Then looking to Brian he gave him the same gift.
"What no squeal of delight?" Justin asked sarcastically when they pulled back.
"Well maybe if you’re good you can make me squeal later," Brian said with a playful smirk.
Justin’s mind immediately imagined it. He worshipped the times when Brian would totally submit to him, let him take control. The first time he’d been so nervous but when he began to make love to him everything seemed to fall into place. God, to have Brian slowly undulating underneath him; to hear the soft moans; to kiss his back as he brought him over. Fabulous. Kissing him again, Justin pulled back and struggled to keep the smile of anticipation off his face.
"How about I make you dinner?" he offered.
Reaching for him again, Brian kissed the corner of his mouth and watched as the teenager playful skipped away into the kitchen. Brian laughed under his breath and then picking Gus up, moved to the couch to give him his dinner.
"That smells good," Brian said walking up behind Justin as he stood facing the stove.
"It should, it is good," he agreed as he bent down to pull the sweetly marinated chicken out of the oven. "My grandmother used to make it for me from her secret recipe."
"She didn’t piss in this too did she?" Brian asked giving him a look.
"No," Justin answered with a little smile. "Different grandmother."
Taking a quick look at Gus who was happily sitting in his soft chair watching a cartoon, Brian and Justin fixed their plates and sat down at the counter on opposite sides. Brian declared that Granny’s recipe was indeed a success and the two enjoyed a soothing meal together. Once they were done, Brian took care of the dishes while Justin carefully walked over to Gus, who had fallen asleep in his chair, and settled him in his crib for the night. When the baby began to lightly fuss, he gently soothed him.
"Your mommies will be back tomorrow," he whispered. "Shh."
As if he could understand what the boy had said, Gus quieted down and allowed Justin to back away, right into Brian’s waiting arms that took hold of him and pushed him back onto their bed. Quickly shedding each other of their hindering clothes, Justin waiting as long as he could before he rolled on top of Brian and gave him a questioning and hopeful look. After a painfully long moment, the older man leaned up and kissed him, giving himself over. As swiftly as he could Justin prepared himself, never once taking his eyes from him. Pulling himself away from his mouth he slowly pushed inside and struggled to convince his body that not to die from the sensation. Although the feeling was irresistible, he managed to keep his eyes open so that he could observe the changes in Brian’s face. From slight tension and apprehension, to pain, to irrepressible pleasure and desire. Soon loosing his battle to move slowly, Justin increased their pace, loving the feeling of Brian following his suit beneath him. Every time he lowered his mouth to Brian’s he felt the older man try to devour him. Their mouths remained locked, previously only separated for need of air, until Justin pulled away and buried his face in Brian’s shoulder, gently biting the flesh there in an attempt to muffle his cries as he and Brian came concurrently in a blurry flash. Tingling with the feeling, Justin lay his body still atop Brian’s as he struggled to catch his breath. Under him, his partner exhaled loudly and kissed a bead a sweat from his jaw.
"I hope he wasn’t too much trouble," Lindsay said taking Gus from Brian’s embrace.
"No, no," Brian answered. "Daddy’s little angel."
Justin smiled at him before he offered to help the girls carry everything down to their car.
"Nah, we can make it," Melanie said. "But thank you sweetie."
"Any time," Justin said with a vibrant smile.
They all said their good-byes and Brian slid the door closed as the girls and his son left. Upon noticing the sudden somber look on Justin’s face, Brian questioned him on it.
"I miss him," he explained.
"He’s been gone four seconds."
"I can’t help it," Justin argued slipping his arms around Brian’s neck. "He’s adorable. A mini-you."
"God, is everyone after my sperm?"
Justin laughed as he brought their foreheads together.
"I love you, you know," he whispered.
"I know," Brian answered. "It’s pathetic."
Justin frowned and jabbed him quickly on both sides of his body with his index fingers. Brian yelled out and tried to pull back but Justin held fast to him. When the older man turned his back to him, Justin took hold of his shoulders and, jumping up, wrapped his legs around his waist and covered his eyes playfully. Despite his temporary blindness, added weight and laughter, Brian managed his way up the stairs before he flung Justin off of him and onto their soft bed. Falling on top of him, Brian tangled their feet and their fingers together and kissed him intimately. When he pulled back, Brian rested his head next to Justin’s on the pillow with their hands and feet still locked.
"So," Brian began softly as he fingered Justin’s hair. "Are we even yet, or do I still owe you one?"
"I think we’re even," Justin answered in a downhearted voice.
"Aw," Brian groaned with disappointment. "We’ll have to have Sonny-boy come over more often."
"I agree," Justin said as he leaned forward and captured Brian’s bottom lip between both of his.
The End
