Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction

Two weeks later.


Life at Debbie’s was forcibly pleasant for the two lovers.  They struggled not to chafe under Debbie’s hovering presence.  Not to mention, they had both grown used to having space for themselves, even in the small apartment, and they didn’t have that at Debbie’s.  Whenever they got annoyed with one another they didn’t have a place to retreat to without getting the vivacious red-head involved – which neither of them wanted.


They were over courteous to each other which ruffled their feathers and made it difficult for them to spend time together.  The fact that they had to share a tiny, twin sized bed every night didn’t help.  Though Justin enjoyed laying close to him, and Brian didn’t even mind indulging him every once in a while, having to do it every night grated on both of them.


Currently, Justin was struggling to get into his uniform for Peppino’s in the small room while Brian sat on the bed working on his laptop.  The room itself was cramped with things their friends had given to them to help them restart from the fire.  As he was trying to tie his tie, Justin leaned over Brian’s shoulder and looked at what he was searching on the computer.  Brian immediately closed the lid and shot a sour glance to Justin.


“Do you mind?”  He asked stiffly and Justin chuckled a bit.


“What?  Were you watching porn?”  He asked playfully and gently jostled Brian’s shoulder.  The brunet stiffened and glared off in the distance so Justin didn’t see him.


“No.  Forget it.”  Brian said and set the laptop aside.  “Aren’t you going yet?”  He snapped and Justin sighed heavily.


“Yeah.”  Was all Justin said before grabbing his server apron and heading towards the door.  He glanced back at Brian and frowned slightly.  “Everything’s going to be fine.”  He assured and leaned over to press a kiss against Brian’s cheek, right on the edge of his lips.  Brian didn’t move, and made no attempt to return the sentiment.  He didn’t know how Justin could continue to be so optimistic when everything in their life continued to go wrong.


Justin quietly grabbed the keys from the dresser and left the room, leaving Brian to brood by himself.  Once he was alone, Brian opened the laptop back up and continued reading an email that he hadn’t wanted Justin to see.  It was a rejection letter for another job he had applied for.


His inbox was full of them.




Justin was trying not to let Brian’s poor attitude get to him.  Starting his shift off in a bad mood was not something he wanted to do – it always made him get worse tips and that wasn’t something they could afford right now.  So, as he walked into the restaurant, he forced a smile upon his face and greeted his co-workers with a bright attitude.  He walked all the way to the back where he finished getting ready and clocked in.  He ran his hands through his hair once to calm himself before hitting the floor.  Then, he did a quick scan of his section to make sure that all of his tables were clean and ready to go.  As he did this, a familiar figure caught his attention.  It was the older woman who had recently lost her husband.  She was back in the restaurant and sipping a soup.


He remembered what she had told him about her large home, and how she no longer had anyone to help her take care of it.  Suddenly, an idea popped in his head.


He made a beeline for her, accidentally bumping into one of his coworkers.  After helping the man catch some glasses he was carrying on a tray before they fell, Justin apologized and finished closing the distance between himself and the woman.  “Hi.”  He greeted as he hovered around her table.


The woman looked a little surprised that someone had spoken to her, and slowly raised her tired eyes up at him.  Immediately they brightened with recognition.  “Oh, Justin Dear.  Hello.  How are you?”  She asked kindly, reaching out a hand to touch his arm.


“Well, I’m doing alright.  Except, my apartment burned down.”  He said awkwardly, not used to talking about his problems with strangers.


“Oh no!”  She exclaimed dramatically.  “Are you alright?”  She demanded, tugging Justin down to sit across from her.  He glanced over to his section to make sure he hadn’t been sat, and when he saw that he hadn’t he relaxed in the chair.


“I suppose.  My partner and I are staying with a friend right now.  But we are looking for something better.”  He explained and then shrugged a little.  “That’s why I was glad I saw you…I remember you saying you needed help caring for your home.  My partner and I would be willing to work for you for room and board.  If you haven’t hired anyone, that is.”  He said, wondering if he was being too forward.


However, she practically jumped up in her seat at the idea.  She pulled her hand back to clap lightly.  “Yes, yes!  I need help.  It’s been weeks since my house has been tended too.  I just don’t know how.  And you are such a sweet dear.  I would trust you in my home.  Especially with you and your partner in such dire straights.”  She said and placed a hand over her heart.  “Oh this is such a relief.  I thought I’d have to sink so low as to have one of those illegals do my yard work.”  She murmured conspiratorially.


The comment struck Justin as odd, but he merely nodded and forced a smile.  “Thank you, thank you so much, Beatrice.”  He said, going so far as to stand and give her a hug. 


Finally things were beginning to look up for them.




“She’ll let us live in her house, Brian. Isn’t that great?  We would have plenty of space; which we clearly need.”  He added as he paced in Debbie’s living room.  Brian was sitting on the armchair and watching him intently.  He gave a reluctant nod of agreement.  They needed space from each other, and he wanted to get out from Debbie’s watchful eyes as soon as possible.  In fact, they wouldn’t even be having this conversation in the living room if Debbie wasn’t at the diner working.


“I can see why you think this is a good idea.”  Brian said calmly and laced his fingers together.


“Oh, and you don’t?”  Justin asked, pausing in his celebratory pacing to eye Brian.  Brian held his hands up defensively.


“I just don’t think we should agree immediately.  You barely know this woman, Justin.”  He pointed out as he leaned his elbows over his knees.


“So?  She’s an eighty year old woman.  It’s not like she’s going to kill us in her sleep.  If anything she should be afraid of us doing that to her.”  Justin responded as he placed his hands on hips.  Brian shrugged and didn’t answer right away.  Instead, he shook his head a bit and let his gaze fall on the floor.


Justin let him think for a moment before walking over to the armchair and sitting on the edge.  He put one hand around Brian’s shoulder and used his other to run his fingers through Brian’s thick hair.  “Brian…I know that this is hard.  But I really feel like this is a good idea.  If we don’t take her offer we are going to be stuck here.  And we’re one bad glance away from tearing each other apart.  Excuse me because I’m about to sound sappy but…I don’t want to jeopardize what we have.  We’ve gotten to a place where we’re both good with this and if we stay here I think that’s going to go away.”  He said as he rested both of his hands on Brian’s shoulders and massaged them a bit.


Brian hung his head down and shook it a bit.  “You’re right.”  Brian agreed as he suddenly leaned back in the armchair.   He looped one arm back behind Justin as he sat precariously on the edge, and tugged him so he slid into the chair, onto his lap.  “One of us is going to say something we don’t mean if we stay here.”  He agreed and ran his hands down under Justin’s button up shirt.  “And we have to leave to get away from Deb.  Meddling old hag.”  He muttered the last part with clear affection in his voice, but the fact remained that they did better by themselves when no one interfered with their relationship.


Justin turned so he was straddling Brian and wrapped his arms around his neck. He then bent down and pressed their foreheads together.  “The house is in West Virginia, but it’s only half an hour outside of Pittsburgh.  I’ll quit Peppino’s and the diner, but we’ll still be close enough to see everyone.  It won’t be so bad, Bri.  I promise.  And, when we get everything back together we can leave.  It’s not permanent.”  He assured before dropping a soft, whisper of a kiss on Brian’s lips.


Brian rested his hands beneath Justin’s shirt, on his sides, and nodded.  Justin was trying so hard to make things work out for them, which was good because the further they sank the more and more hope he lost; one of them had to keep it together.  He was just waiting for something to go wrong at this woman’s house.  Things didn’t just happen for them.  They worked hard to get some kind of life together and then it was stolen from them.  That’s what happened to them.


Soon, Justin began grinding on against him and they ended up fucking right on the armchair.  They were still naked and cooling down when Debbie walked in the door.  Brian couldn’t feel an ounce of shame no matter how hard she yelled about cum stains on her furniture.  It went a long way toward cheering him up.




“This should be enough clothes.”  Justin said as he and Brian finished picking up some to replace the ones they had lost in the fire.  Up until that point they’d been wearing borrowed clothes from their friends.  Justin had used the last of his tips to get enough clothes and supplies for the both of them; toothbrushes, deodorant and the like.  When they finished they carried the bags to the ‘vette and started driving out to West Virginia.


“So what did your dick of a boss say when you quit?”  Brian asked, one hand on the wheel and one casually resting on his thigh.


“Debbie or Roger?”  Justin asked playfully and earned a light smack on his arm for it.  They both chuckled briefly before Justin shrugged and spoke a little more seriously.  “He said it was highly irresponsible of me and that he wouldn’t consider hiring me back or offering a good reference if I did it.”  Justin spoke as if he didn’t care, but Brian could tell that he did.


“Well, you won’t need one anyways.”  Brian said dismissively, but the comment struck Justin as odd, and somewhat hurtful.


He turned to face the brunet and eyed him a little.  “What do you mean?”  He asked tightly.


Brian shrugged.  “Nothing.  Just that you won’t need him for a reference.”


“Why not?”  Justin asked and even shifted so more of him was facing Brian, in a semi-aggressive stance.  “Because I’m not ever going to get a real job?”  He asked defensively.


“God, Princess, will you calm down?”  Brian asked, casting him a withering glance.  “I just meant that his opinion is crap.  Also, you are going to be an artist.  Any agent you get isn’t to call up some shitty restaurant manager you worked for years before.  All they care about is your art, and your name.  Branding is everything, Sunshine.”  Brian assured as he turned off the highway and onto the side roads, following the printed out directions to the manor.


“I guess.”  Justin admitted reluctantly.  However, he doubted that he’d ever reach a point in his life where an agent would represent him.  All he could really hope for is that his art becomes famous after he is dead.


He turned back to look at the passing scenery, distantly thinking about how lovely the area was.  It was lightly forested with tall trees whose leaves were still changing color.  It made him smile a little until one of the house numbers caught his attention.  “There!  Brian, it’s here.”  He pointed excitedly and looked past the wrought iron gate connected to the brick wall surrounding the property.


Brian slowed the car and backed up a little so he could turn into the short drive before the gate.  They both eyed the sides but could see no intercom.  “Here.”  Justin suggested and got out of the car to push it open.  Brian drove through and Justin closed it up behind him before getting back into the car.  Then, they rode up the long drive to the manor situated in the middle of the property.  The pavement was lined with tall, elegant trees and Justin already knew that he was going to enjoy staying here.


Brian finished driving up until they reached a circular bend in front of the house.  He pulled to a stop and the tired crunched to a halt on the gravel pavement.  They glanced at each other and each took a deep breath before getting out of the car.  They only had a bag each, so they grabbed their things before stepping up to the front door.  Brian gave a firm knock on it.


“This place is beautiful.”  Justin commented as he reached out to touch the tender vines that trailed up the side of the house.


“Yeah, I guess.”  Brian murmured, clearly less enthused.  Justin just reached out and patted his arm in support.  They remained standing there together for a few moments, long enough for Brian to knock again.  Afterwards, it only took a few more seconds for it to open.


At first, Beatrice eyed them suspiciously over a pair of glasses that Justin had never seen her wear before.  Then, recognition lit her eyes and she smiled at him brightly.  “Oh Justin, Dear!  Come in, come in.”  She said, waving them both into the entryway.  “You must be Justin’s partner.”  She said as she looked up at Brian.


“Yeah.”  Brian answered stiffly but then Justin elbowed him in the side and flashed her a bright smile.


“This is Brian.”  Justin introduced and motioned to him.  “Brian, this is Beatrice.”  He finished and then looked back to the woman.  “Thank you again for this.  You have no idea how much we appreciate it.”  Justin simpered as he offered her a hug.


“Of course.  Besides, I really need the help.  I’m just not able to do the things I used to.”  She admitted sadly.  “And with my husband gone…Well, there’s just so much that needs doing around this place.”  She finished with a wistful sigh and a sad smile. 


Justin and Brian exchanged awkward glances to each other.  Justin then smiled and stepped forward.  “Why don’t you show us around?”  He asked and Beatrice nodded swiftly.


“Oh yes, of course, of course.”  She said and motioned for them to follow her.


As Justin walked through the main floor he couldn’t help but smile.  The manor was beautiful, and if he could ever own a house of his own, he’d want it to be exactly like this.  The house felt old, but looked modern.  Dark, smooth wood made up the walls, which were covered with tasteful pieces of art.  The manor itself was sprawling, with one room leading into another, and another.


The kitchen was Justin’s favorite room, as it had top of the line appliances, ones that were very similar to those Brian had in his loft that he had to say goodbye to when this all started.  He was anxious to get back to making his elaborate meals.  He caught Brian’s eye as they walked through it and the brunet nudged him playfully and knowingly.  Justin smiled bashfully and grabbed Brian’s hand to give it one brief squeeze.


The tour continued upstairs, where Beatrice showed them the master bedroom, and then some spare bathrooms and closets.  Finally they got towards the back of the house and she motioned to two rooms on opposite sides of the hallway.  “Here are two guest rooms that you may sleep in.”  She said, smiling between the two of them.  “And don’t worry, they’re both the same size, and have the same furniture.  They were for my grandchildren.  When they came to visit.”  She finished with a hint of longing.


Justin turned and looked at Brian shocked, as if the man would have some answers for him.  Brian just motioned for him to explain as this it was his fault there were there.  “I’m sorry, Beatrice but…Brian and I won’t be needing two bedrooms.”


She blinked a few times and looked at him as if she couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Why wouldn’t you?”  She asked, slowly shaking her head.


Justin realized then that she didn’t know they were gay.  She must have mistaken partners for business partners.  He felt uncomfortable, not that he was ashamed of who he was – because that was never the case - but because he didn’t know how she would react and neither of them could afford to lose this job.  “Beatrice…”  He said slowly as he scratched the back of his neck.  “I thought you understood that Brian and I…”  He waved his hand between himself and his partner.  “We aren’t business partners.  We’re life partners.  We’re – We’re gay.”  He said and then grabbed Brian’s hand for emphasis.  He knew Brian would normally detest such a display, but Brian was a proud man, particularly of his sexuality, and he would stand proudly by Justin.


Beatrice’s expression went from confused to disgusted in a matter of milliseconds.  Justin tightened his hold on Brian’s hand and stood up a bit straighter, refusing to be ashamed for who or how he loved.


“This is ridiculous.  Sinners, in my home.”  Beatrice shoved past them and started walking down the stairs.  “Get out!  I mean it.  I can’t stand to allow such debase sinners to stay in my house.”  Her voice quivered with her stubborn conviction.


Brian sighed and let go of Justin’s hand to pressed his hand against his face in frustration.  Justin glanced up at him and could see defeat written in every hard line in Brian’s body.  He felt guilty, knowing that his misunderstanding with Beatrice was causing this.  Determined, he wasn’t going to let another thing knock Brian down.  They would get settled, and Brian would make Kinnetik work.  It might not be soon, but it would happen; nothing could keep his lover down.


“Wait.”  He demanded and moved himself so he was standing in front of her.  “Please.”  He added when she looked even more offended.


Beatrice put her hands on his hips and somehow managed to look down her nose at him, even though he was taller than her.  He ignored it and sighed.  “Listen, you know what a bind me and Brian are in.  I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear enough about our situation, but is it really the Christian thing to do to throw us out onto the street?  We have nowhere to go.”  He emphasized, even though it wasn’t totally true.  They could go back to Debbie's if it was necessary, but Justin only wanted to do that as a last resort.


Beatrice’s lips pursed and she rolled her eyes to show what she thought of his argument, but Justin wouldn’t be defeated so easily.  He cast another look at his partner who was now leaning against a wall, silently watching.  “We’re hard workers, both of us.  You need the help.”  He said, trying a different tactic.  “This place is huge and how do you think you’re going to manage it yourself?  You already told me at Peppino’s that you were overwhelmed without your husband.”  He reminded and could see her shift just a bit.


Realizing that he was on the right track, Justin barreled on.  “All we need is room and board.  You don’t have to pay us.”  He said and ignored Brian’s immediately huff of protest.  He knew right now was not the time to get picky about finances.


All three of them were silent for a few, long moments, before Justin quietly added, “How much longer do you think you can handle this place on your own?”


Beatrice looked around the hallway and then shook her head.  “Fine.”  She snapped as him as she let her arms drop.  “But I will not be having two sinners living under my roof.  You can stay in the guest house.”  She spoke with finality.


Justin smiled with relief and nodded swiftly.  “That’s fine.”  He said and looked at Brian.  Oddly enough, he couldn’t tell what the man was thinking by the expression on his face, but he hoped he would be ok with this.


Beatrice started walking away, apparently to lead them out the back where the guest house was.  Justin and Brian lingered several paces behind her.  Justin looked up at him, trying to glean some insight into what the man was thinking.  Brian rolled his lips into his mouth and then wrapped his arms around Justin’s shoulders.  Relieved, Justin looked forward.




“Maybe we should have let her kick us out.”  Brian groused in frustration as they worked at clearing out the horse’s stalls.


“Brian…”  Justin warned, not really in any mood to put up with him.


“We are literally shoveling shit.  We’re better than this.  I’m better than this.”  Brian added with a scowl as he heaved a shovel full of horse manure into a wheel barrel.


“It’s just temporary.  This is all buildup from when no one was working on maintaining it.  It won’t be this bad again.”  Justin stated, trying to remain optimistic.  In response, Brian rolled his eyes at him, but at least he continued working.  Justin’s hands were starting to blister, but he didn’t murmur a word of dissension, lest he contribute to Brian’s increasingly poor attitude.  He just silently worked, and hoped that they would be finished soon.


The tasks they had been given for their first day of work were meant to humiliate them; at least, that’s what Justin suspected.  Not only were they to shovel out the barn, but they were supposed to fix the radiator that heated the manor.  However, the only way to do that was in a small crawl space in the basement.  Justin knew that he would have to be the one to do it, as Brian’s shoulders were too wide, and he was already dreading what he would find down there.


Not to mention the guest house, if it could be called that, was more a shack than a small home.  There was a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small living area.  The walls were thin with age and it was drafty.  Justin worried about getting it ready for the first storm of winter, but knew that if they didn’t appease Beatrice they wouldn’t even have a shack to sleep in.  They would have to finish all of her tasks before they could even think about making their new home livable.


They finished shoveling out the stalls in silence, and when they were done Brian wheeled out the pile on the wheel barrel and Justin led the three horses back into their stalls.  The sun was already set by the time they finished.  They ate a light dinner, as Justin wasn’t inclined to cook, and showered together, and then collapsed onto the bed.


Regardless of how tired they were, both men had trouble getting to sleep.




The Next Day.


Justin was scowling as he glared at the crawl space he had to go into.  The day had already started poorly with Brian and him getting into an argument, had only gotten worse when Justin had burned their breakfast, and was topped off by some derogatory remarks from Beatrice.  After Brian got to work moving some of Beatrice’s husband’s things into the attic, Justin went down into the basement by himself.


He coughed a few times and covered his mouth as he had to move through dust covered cobwebs.  While the rest of the manor looked regal, the basement looked decrepit and archaic.  He waved away a cobweb as he walked deeper and pushed aside several boxes and a dresser.  He eventually found the crawlspace and shuddered a little.  He lifted up the lid and peered through.  He reached into his back pocket where he had stashed a flashlight.


 He flipped it on and pointed it through the hole, revealing a dirt covered, spider ridden, crawl space just about the same width apart as him.  He shuddered slightly and cringed.  He then pulled himself up into it.  He held the flashlight up in one hand and slowly crawled forward with the other.  “Oh god…”  He moaned as he began crawling through.  He kept his head ducked down as he shimmied though the small opening, but he could still feel webs hitting his face and covering his mouth.


When he got through to the other side he squirmed and swiftly tried brushing everything off of himself.  When he was free from the webs and dirt, he looked around and saw he was in a small cubby like area.  Beatrice explained that it was in such an odd place because of the various extensions put on the house.


‘At least I cleared everything out on the way in here.’  Justin thought to himself sardonically.  He walked up to the heater and began looking around it.  He really had no experience in this.  He scowled and tilted his head to peer at one side of it.  Seeing nothing out of the ordinary he tilted his head to the other side to inspect it as well.  Still nothing.


He lifted up the lid and coughed as smoke rose up to greet him.  Justin shut his eyes and waved a hand in front of his face as he grimaced.  He shined the light into the furnace and peered around inside.  He then walked to the side and pulled down a lever to turn it on.  There was a low rumble as the furnace tried to roar to life, however, instead of a fire blazing up, it only let out even more smoke.


Justin coughed again and wiped at his face, getting his hand covered in black grime.  He wiped it on his pants, knowing that his clothes were going to be a lost cause anyways, and then focused on the furnace again.  “Ok, tell me your secrets.”




By the time Justin took a break for lunch he hadn’t made any headway on figuring out what was wrong with the furnace.  However, he was hungry and so made his way back through the crawl space and up the stairs. The house had grown significantly colder and a quick look out a window told him why.


Snow was falling heavily, as it typically did in the first storm of winter.  He scowled, wondering what this would mean for him and Brian, but then went into the kitchen to find something to eat.  He quickly washed off his hands and face before tugging open the fridge to find something quick inside.


“Any luck?”  Brian asked suddenly showing up behind him.  Justin jumped and spun, placing a hand over his chest.


“Shit, you gave me a heart attack.”  Justin said as he chuckled.


Brian smiled a little as he closed the distance between then.  He grabbed the edge of Justin’s once white shirt between his thumb and pointer finger and rose his eyebrows in question.  “It looks like you’ve lost the battle.”


“You have no idea.”  Justin muttered as he turned back to the fridge and pulled out an apple.


“Oh I can imagine.”  Justin could hear the smirk on Brian’s lips and rolled his eyes.  He then heard the sink start to run and was gently turned around.  “Here.”  Brian said softly as he began wiping some of the grim off Justin’s face.


“I have to go back down.  I didn’t really accomplish anything yet, and with this storm -.”


Brian hushed him by placing a couple of fingers over his lips.  He then went back to work at cleaning Justin off.  Every few wipes he would turn back and run the rag through the water again, ring it out, and then gently dab at another part of Justin’s face.  By the time Brian was finished with his ministrations, Justin’s face and neck were clean and he felt significantly better.


“Thanks.”  He said in an almost whisper when Brian stepped back.  Brian just nodded at him before bending to capture his lips in a soft kiss.


Justin was amazed at this behavior.  It was so unlike Brian and he couldn’t fathom where it was coming from.  Brian was being overly solicitous, tender, and even loving.  When Justin knew that the man was chaffing at their new living conditions he couldn’t imagine what was causing him to act like this.


As quickly as he began wondering, he decided it didn’t matter.  This easy-going Brian was easy to get along with, so Justin soaked as much of it in as possible before they had to part ways again.  Justin, back to the furnace, and Brian back to the attic.


Going through the crawl space wasn’t nearly as difficult as it was the first time and Justin reached the other opening quickly.  He approached the furnace with a determined look on his face.  “You’re not going to beat me again.”




Later That Night.


Justin rushed through the snow to the guest house as quickly as he could.  He was shivering and clutching his arms around himself as tightly as he could manage.  When he shut the door behind him it closed with a loud bang and he turned back, surprised as how hard it was blowing outside.  “Shit…”  He said, as soon as he realized that it wasn’t any warmer in the guest house.


He walked to the bathroom, stripping out of his grime covered clothes, and swiftly turned on the shower.  It took a long time for the water to warm up, and by the time that it did Brian entered the small shack as well.  His partner didn’t hesitate in joining him in the shower, but their washing was quick and efficient without even a hint of foreplay.  Both men were simply too exhausted.


When they got out, the cold hit Justin like a ton of bricks and his body clenched up immediately.  Brian was swift to act, grabbing towels and wrapping them around him, ignoring his own coldness.  Justin flashed him an appreciative smile, but was still shivering too much to get any words out.  He watched as Brian took care of himself next and then they walked to the bed.


Justin insisted that they wear clothes, simply because he was afraid they would get hypothermia if they didn’t wear layers.  Brian didn’t argue and they dressed quickly before sliding beneath the only blanket in the shack.  Justin shivered in the cold bed and shimmied over to Brian, wrapping his arms tightly around him as he did so.  Brian reciprocated, and Justin cold feel light shakes wracking Brian’s body as well.


They clung onto each other all night long, shivering and chattering their teeth.  The storm howled outside, seeming to get stronger and stronger with each passing hour.  Eventually, Justin fell into a light and restless sleep, listening to the wind and snow slam against their thin walls.


When he woke he was sore from shaking all night long and he found Brian curled tightly around him, almost protectively.  He looked at their limbs, tangled together so closely even he felt constricted.  “Bri?”  He asked, his voice cracking just a bit in as he was still waking up.


Brian shifted above him, clearly awake, but he didn’t let him go.  Eventually, Justin felt Brian’s cold nose press against his neck and the man exhaled heavily.  “You were shivering all night long.”  Brian answered.  “I couldn’t get you warm enough to stop.”  The concern and fear Brian felt were prevalent in his voice.


Justin leaned back out of Brian’s arms so he could get a good look at his face.  Brian looked ragged and exhausted.  ‘He didn’t sleep.’  Justin realized, his heart swelling up immensely.  He squirmed his arm up between them and touched the heavy bags beneath Brian’s eyes.  Justin then tentatively tilted his head in and placed a soft kiss on Brian’s lips.  “I’m alright.”  He assured softly.


Brian nodded a little and then pressed loving kisses on Justin’s forehead, nose, and then lips.  Justin laughed a little and then laid his head back onto the pillow, gazing up at Brian above him.  “What’s gotten into you?”  He asked in a whisper and watched as Brian’s forehead furrowed together in confusion.


“What do you mean?”  He asked as he shifted so Justin was flat on his back.  He twirled a few strands of Justin’s hair between his fingers and smiled a little.


“This.  It’s…not like you.  Ever since we got here you’ve been different.  Gentler…Loving.”  Justin added the last bit with an obvious sense of hesitation.


At the insinuation that he was acting the part of doting partner, both of Brian’s eyebrows shot up.  Then, there was a brief flash of hurt on his face, which was quickly covered by indifference and arrogance.  Justin knew instantly he’d made a mistake at mentioning it and opened his mouth to try and take it back, but Brian was already rolling off of him.


“Well excuse fucking me.”  Brian muttered under his breath as he walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.


Justin sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.  “Way to go, Justin.”  He cursed himself.


He remained laying back in the bed and sighed heavily.  After a few moments he slowly rolled off of the bed and grabbed a change of clothes to throw on, making sure to layer up.  He couldn’t hear the storm raging any longer, but he knew there would be a thick layer of snow covering the ground and it was a long walk between the manor and the guest house.


The whole next day Brian more or less avoided him.  They ate lunch together, as they did the day before, but Brian didn’t say a word to him and didn’t even touch him.  Justin tried to make conversation a few times, but after receiving nothing in reply he got the hint that Brian didn’t want to talk to him.  By the end of their third day at the manor Justin had finished fixing the furnace and was extremely pleased with himself.  As he heard the furnace roar to life for the first time he couldn’t help but beam with pride.  He had wanted to share that with Brian, but as they cleaned up after a hard day in their small bathroom Brian still wouldn’t speak to him.  They went to bed not speaking and Justin knew that, had they still been in Pittsburgh, Brian would have left for Babylon hours earlier.


However, Justin continued to shiver that night so much that he couldn’t fall asleep.  Even with the fire blazing he couldn’t seem to get any warmth.  Suddenly, he felt Brian’s arms around him.  Justin flinched from surprise but said nothing, knowing better than to open his mouth again.


They remained that way for nearly an hour, but Justin still couldn’t get warm enough to fall asleep. Eventually he heard Brian curse behind him and suddenly tear away from the bed.  Thinking he had angered him somehow, Justin sat up and watched.  “I’m sorry.”  He murmured.


“Get up.”  Brian ordered in a tone that brokered no argument.


Scared that Brian was angry at him for making him lose another night of sleep, Justin was quick to comply.  He rolled out of the bed and wrapped his arms around his chest as he continued to shiver in the cold air.


Brian then, with a surprising amount of care, took Justin by the shoulders and directed him to stand off to the side.  Brian then grabbed the bed and braced himself.  With a strong heave he dragged it from the frame and pulled it to the floor.  He then brought it up to the fireplace where he placed it at a safe distance. 


Silently, he waved his hand to it as if displaying it.  Justin smiled a little at Brian’s solution and then walked to the mattress.  He slid into it and squirmed underneath the blanket.


“Other side.”  Brian said, using his foot to push Justin to the side closest the fire.  Justin shimmied over and left enough room for Brian as well.


Brian bent down and slid into the bed.  He shifted until he was flush against Justin’s back and wrapped his arms around him securely.  Justin was facing the fire, and had his arms tucked in underneath Brian’s.  He adjusted his head until it was resting just right on the crook of Brian’s arm.  He then let out a sigh of contentment and closed his eyes.


He’d never felt more warm in his entire life.




Over the next week, he and Brian managed to get settled into a pattern in the manor.  While they ignored Beatrice’s many, many, homophobic comments, they were able to focus on taking care of the place.  Justin primarily cared for Beatrice’s needs, such as cooking meals and caring for the house.  Meanwhile, Brian worked on the many renovations that were needed on the property; primarily in the guest house.


There was little he could do to make it more insulated and warm, but he hung up blankets he found in the house around the walls and made a stockpile of wood near the fireplace.  It was hard to do so the first few days after the storm, but once the snow finally melted he was able to get a good supply.


He also reinforced some weak wood in the barn for the horses.  While he did he was able to spend some time with the animals and found he actually liked them.  They were quiet, minded their own business, and didn’t care how foul is mood was.


At the end of their first week in the manor Brian was sitting at the kitchen table eating the dinner Justin had made when he heard the man coming down the stairs.  Having just delivered the dinner to Beatrice, Justin came down and sat across from him.  He grabbed his own plate and began eating.


“It’s good.”  Brian said suddenly and Justin looked up with a small smile.


“Thanks.”  He answered, enjoying the food as well.


Brian snickered then and shook his head.  “I didn’t mean your dinner.”  Brian said, but then motioned to the plate.  “But it is good.”  He assured, and Justin smiled at him, relieved.  It meant a lot to him that Brian enjoyed his food, ever since the very first time he’d cooked for him.


“No.  What I meant was being here.”  Brian motioned to the area around them.  “It isn’t so bad.  I mean, sure, I could do without the constant ‘fag’ and ‘sinner’ comments.  But really it isn’t that bad.  Not like I thought.”  He added the last part at the end, as if it was an afterthought.


Justin looked at him for a moment and then suddenly pushed away from the table.  He walked around it and pulled Brian up to his feet.  “Come here.”  He said and smiled at Brian’s amused and indulgent grin.  Justin wrapped his arms around Brian’s neck and began swaying as if they were at Babylon.


By the look in Brian’s eyes it was clear that he was catching on, so he joined in as well.  He leaned down and pressed his forehead against Justin’s and then laughed a little.  As they swayed he captured Justin’s lips in a deep and penetrating kiss.  Justin dug his hands into Brian’s thick hair and pressed his body as tightly against him as he could manage.


They were at it for several minutes before a slamming glass caught their attention.  Justin jumped and turned away, his heart pounding both from the surprise and the mind blowing kiss.  Beatrice was standing at the entrance of the kitchen with the look of indignant fury written across her face.


“I let you stay and work here.  But I won’t allow for you to sin in my home.”  She demanded angrily, then crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose up in the air.


“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.  Listen lady-.”  Brian started, breaking away from Justin and approaching her.


Justin suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm to stop his approach.  “Brian.”  He warned in a whisper.  Brian had his jaw jutted out as he always did when he was angry and his hands were clenched at his side.  Justin watched some kind of inner debate take place in Brian’s eyes, then he saw Brian turn and leave with relief.


He then turned to Beatrice and smiled sadly.  “Please…We’re trying to be considerate.  I guess a little more understanding needs to happen.  On both sides.”  He added the last part quickly, hoping to placate her.


Beatrice eyed him a little, then turned and left with a little shake of her head.  Justin just remained standing there and ran a hand over his face.  He then folded his arms over his chest and slowly followed after Brian back into the kitchen.  His partner was cleaning up the dishes and Justin smiled a little.


“We should head out soon.  It’s starting to fall again and we don’t want to have to trek through a foot of snow.”  Brian said without even lifting his head.  Justin nodded in agreement and closed the distance between them.


He walked up behind Brian and massaged his shoulders.  Brian was tense beneath his hands, but after a few moments of Justin’s ministrations he began loosening up.


“I’m going to kill that old hag if she calls us sinners one more time.”  Brian said, but this time it was with a little smile.  He wiped his hands on a towel and then turned back to Justin.  Justin leaned up and kissed his lips softly.


“We’ll show her.”  Justin promised.


They left the manor then, and held each other as they walked through the slowly falling snow.  After a quick shower, filled with plenty of heavy petting, they put the bed back down in front of the fireplace and slowly made love.

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