Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

My apologies for the delay in getting this next chapter up. Unfortunately, I am still dealing with health issues and it means that I haven't really been up to writing very much. I'm hoping that I'll be more up to writing as time goes on, but I do want say that I can't guarantee a posting schedule at this point due to these lingering issues. But, I did want to say I haven't abandoned the fic and I do plan to continue to work on it as time allows. Also, this chapter is not beta'd as mine are MIA at the moment and I really wanted to get this out asap. Please do forgive an errors and feel free to point any out. Again, sorry for the long delay in getting this out and I hope you enjoy this next installment. It is very flashback heavy, but people were wanting some history on Justin and Brian's relationship. And thank you for your continued support.


April 5 (Part Two)


Justin looked around with a dumbfounded expression, his eyes wide as he spun in a little circle, taking in the entrance of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and its surrounding area. Brian's insistence on him taking his allergy meds made so much more sense now. And hadn't that been a fight? Even with knowing that the meds were safe for Sunbeam, he hadn't wanted to take them if he could avoid it at all possible.


But Brian had just handed him a bottle of water and imperiously demanded that he take them this morning despite Justin's arguments against it. And it was a good thing that Justin had finally conceded no matter how reluctantly. And the delicious round of morning sex that he'd gotten as reward had more than made up for it.


...


"What are those?" Justin asked, staring at the hand that Brian had thrust in his direction; it held his regular prenatal vitamins in it, along with two other little white pills that shouldn't have been there. He looked up and arched a brow.


"Your allergy pills," Brian stated blandly, although he could tell that Brian was a little annoyed that he had noticed the extra pills. He held out a bottle of water in his other hand. Justin looked back down at the pills and snorted; did he honestly think that Justin wouldn't notice them? "You need to take them."


"Uh…no, I don't," Justin scoffed, grabbing the vitamins and bottle of water, but leaving the allergy meds in Brian's hand. "I told you before that I'm not taking any medication unless it's absolutely necessary while I'm carrying Sunbeam."


Brian huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose before grabbing Justin's hand and placing the two pills into the palm of it and pressing them firmly into it.


"Just take the damned things, will you?" Brian groused, hands on his hips as he stared Justin as if he were mentally willing Justin to concede without argument. Well, tough shit.


"Why?" Justin asked, eyeing his husband suspiciously.


There had to be more to this; and damned if Justin was just going to swallow down two pills without a damned explanation for it. He didn't care how annoyed Brian got.


"Because you're going to need them," Brian explained with all the patience of a toddler in a toy store. And if Justin hadn't been so suspicious of his motives, he might have laughed at his disgruntled posture and the unhappy moue that reminded him of Gus when he hadn't gotten his way at that same age. "And I'm not going to listen to you whine about being all snotty and sneezy today."


"Why do I need them?" Justin demanded once again, his lips pursing when Brian sighed again, acting put upon by his questions. It was a tactic he was familiar with and one he was not pandering to today – make a big enough stink and Justin usually backed down.


"Justin, do you trust me?" Brian asked, arching a single brow.


Oh, asshole; so unfair. Now, if he didn't let it go, Brian would think that he still had issues with trusting him; and after their recent blow up that was the last thing Justin needed. They were still trying to smooth things over between them after the whole Simon debacle. And judging by the glint in his eye, the bastard knew it as well.


"Of course, I trust you; you asshole," Justin huffed, crossing his arms over his chest; Brian smirked, already well aware that he'd won. He was so going to pay for this at a later date. "What kind of question is that?"


"Then take the damned pills and stop asking questions you know I won't answer right now," Brian said, walking over to the chaise lounge and continuing to pack their bags as they planned to head straight for their loft as soon as they were done with…whatever Brian had planned for the two of them. And speaking of that…


"So, this has to do with the surprise?" Justin probed delicately, hoping for at least a small hint of what Brian had planned. But his husband was all too aware of his own tactics and just shot a baleful look over his shoulder.


"Justin." Brian stated implacably and then looked pointedly at the pills in his hand.


"Fine," Justin huffed; he popped the pills into his mouth and swallowed them down with some of the water, grimacing as one of the vitamins almost lodged in his throat. He took another swallow of water to help it down and then set the bottle aside with a warning glare. "But this better be worth it."


"It will be," Brian said, a smirk firmly planted on his face now that he'd gotten his way; again. Really, one of these days Justin was going to find a way to resist the asshole.


Maybe.


Brian finished packing Justin's backpack, closed it and set it next to their suitcase. And damn, Justin wished that he'd paid better attention to what he'd been packing in that one. It might have given him a hint as to where they were going. That was likely why Brian had distracted him with the pills in the first place. Sneaky bastard.


"And if it's not, I'll make up for it later," Brian drawled as he slowly prowled towards Justin.


Licking his lips, Justin watched his husband's approach, his dick already twitching in anticipation as, while the blow job was great, it wasn't nearly enough. It was never enough when it came to Brian and the asshole used it to his full advantage. Sliding his eyes slowly over his husband's body, Justin licked his lips once more as they caught on the very obvious erection Brian was sporting and he flicked his eyes back up to meet hazel ones.


"You'll make it up to me now," Justin demanded, bring another sexy smirk to his husband's lips. "I'm in desperate need of your cock in my ass."


"Such the demanding little twat," Brian purred as he pushed Justin down on the bed and hovered over him, his hands already untying the belt to his robe. "It's lucky for you that my dick has a fondness for said ass and fucking you is hardly a hardship.


...


Definitely well worth conceding the point; but he digressed.


Justin turned back to his husband, a smile quickly flowing over his lips as he stared at Brian with open surprise and pleasure.


Brian, for his part, just stared back, his lips rolled under, and that damned sweet, earnest look in his eyes that got to Justin every time. Justin turned back to garden entrance, and surprised didn't even begin to cover what he was feeling; especially as he knew that Brian absolutely hated coming to the gardens. He always ended up restless and bored and there was only one other time that he'd gone of his own initiative.


"What?" Justin asked faintly, looking back and forth, first to his husband, then to the garden entrance, and then back to Brian, trying to make sense of the situation.


"I remembered how much you loved the Botanical Gardens when the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom," Brian shrugged, his cheeks once again pink and his tongue firmly tucked into his cheek. "Sadly, it's too early for the festival since, as we both know; they hold that at the end of the month, but I thought you might want to at least come here and have brunch at the café; and then maybe spend a couple of hours sketching."


"Brian…" Justin trailed off and just stared at him, his grin broadening until it was nearly splitting his face in joy; and then he bounced over and wrapped the ridiculously romantic man in his arms and gave him a firm kiss on the lips.


"So, what do you think?" Brian asked as he pulled away, looking over at the gardens with only the faintest hint of disdain. In fact, no one would ever see it outside of Justin, but he did appreciate that Brian was trying to hide it from him. "Good surprise?"


Biting his lower lip, Justin looked back over at the entrance, and couldn't help but remember the first, and he thought at the time, the last time Brian joined him here. It too had been an unexpected visit, with Justin having left Brian working at their loft that morning to go to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens Cherry Blossom Festival, something he had gone to every year since moving to New York.


It was exactly the kind of event that Brian loathed and Justin would have never dreamed of seeing him there; which is why he'd been stunned to see Brian standing near his favorite café when he went there to have lunch.


...


"I can't believe that you're actually here," Justin said, staring at his lover in amazement, his eyes widening further when Brian shrugged and actually blushed.


"You said you'd be here," Brian stated simply as he looked anywhere, but at Justin. He was still uncomfortable with his feelings and admitting them out loud; which made them all the more precious to Justin. "And I got bored at the loft and figured, why not?"


Justin huffed a laugh; that was a typical Brian reaction – using humor and sarcasm to deflect from the squishy feelings he so hated to admit out loud.


"Because you hate these things?" Justin asked rhetorically; he arched a brow and was surprised when Brian blushed once more. Wow. Two blushes in less than two minutes; that had to be a record for him.


"Point," Brian conceded with no small amount of embarrassment; and then he shrugged once more and gave Justin that sweet smile that made his heart flutter. It was so rare and he cherished every one of them. "But you love them; and well…I wanted to be with you. Thus, I am here. I'm surprised you're not curled up in a little ball, a sneezing, snotty mess. I thought you were allergic to flowers."


"To some, yes," Justin said, dropping it for now as he could tell that Brian really didn't want to dwell on his sudden appearance. "And for those, I am so doped up on antihistamines, it isn't funny. But the cherry blossoms aren't so bad, and the garden is far too beautiful to miss when they're in bloom. Plus, I want to get pictures as I have an idea for a series of pastels I want to do featuring cherry blossoms."


"Ever the artist," Brian gently mocked, snickering when Justin gave him the hairy eyeball. "So, where do you want to start?"


"Where everyone starts," Justin said, returning the favor. "At the beginning. Duh!"


"Smart ass," Brian huffed, and then wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pressed a kiss against his temple.


"You love me anyways," Justin joked, knowing that it was true, but wanting to keep things light in deference to Brian's earlier discomfort.


"I do," Brian said quietly, making Justin look up at him, his heart stuttering at the sincerity in his eyes; and he barely held back a small gasp as Brian pulled him in his arms and repeated the words with even more fervor. "I do."


Justin did gasp then and made a small noise of happiness as he broke out into a wide grin; it reminded him of the first time that Brian had told him that he loved him, the two of them standing on the street, covered in soot after the bombing. And Justin couldn't help but be overwhelmed by this man and the feelings he evoked.


He launched up onto his tiptoes and pressed his lips against Brian's, instantly getting lost in the feel and taste of him as Brian deepened the kiss. God, how he loved Brian's kisses; had from the very first one that had set his soul on fire and left his world spinning precariously on its axis. That hadn't changed all these years later.


Pulling back, he grinned up at his lover once more, excited to be sharing this moment with him, even if he knew that Brian was likely to be bored as hell. Brian smiled that sweet, small smile once more and Justin couldn't help pressing another soft kiss to his lips, just happy to be spending time with him. And then he pulled away and linked his arm with Brian's, dragging him towards the café.


"But, first we must lunch," Justin stated happily.


"Of course, we must," Brian snorted, a teasing smile on his lips. "Why do you think I met you here? I know you far too well, Sunshine."


...


Justin would never forget that day; it had been perfect with the two of them having lunch at the Yellow Magnolia Canteen. The food had been wonderful with Brian having the Tomato Lentil soup and a Chicken Salad Sandwich with mixed greens; and Justin had gone with the Corn and Green Chile Chowder and Chicken Fingers.


After lunch, they'd then walked around the Gardens for two hours, focusing heavily on the cherry blossoms, so that Justin could take some pictures for reference. He'd recently seen some Japanese art featuring cherry blossoms and it had sparked his muse. (And quite lucratively as well, although he had taken a more abstract view on his art.)


But Justin could tell after two hours that Brian was growing bored with walking around, and found a nice quiet spot that they could sit. He pulled out a soft blue throw and laid it on the ground, and then grabbed his sketch book and pencils, eager to put down some ideas before he lost them; and then he sat down, watching in amusement as Brian pulled a book from somewhere and laid down to read.


And there they had spent another quiet two hours as Justin feverishly sketched out the rough ideas of his planned pieces, until finally his hand grew tired and he had to quit.


...


Justin closed his sketchbook, set it aside and then flopped down on his back on the blanket, closing his eyes to the sun filtering through the branches of the tree they were sitting under. He turned his head and cracked an eye, and watched Brian as he continued to read with a small smile on his face. He had gotten up at some point and moved to lean his back against the tree, his legs crossed in front of him.


Scooting over, Justin plopped his head in Brian lap and then grinned at his lover when he looked down at him with an arched brow. Brian smirked and then back to reading his book, but he did drop one hand down into his lap and started carding his fingers through Justin's hair. Sighing in contentment, Justin closed his eyes, and he thought that he even might have dozed off at once point, until he felt something hit his chest.


Startled, Justin opened his eyes and stared with no little confusion at the black velvet box sitting in the middle of his chest. He frowned and then looked up at Brian, who had rolled his lips under and was watching him with some apprehension, but Justin's muddled mind couldn't figure out just why until he looked at the box once more.


And then it clicked.


"What is…?"Justin stammered, staring at the jeweler's box with wide eyes. He knew this box; he'd seen it numerous times before he'd left for New York and then he'd never seen it again. He'd been crushed when he couldn't find the rings the next time he'd visited and had assumed that Brian had returned them. But now, if this was the same box…he looked back at Brian. "Are these what I think they are?"


"Open it and find out," Brian said in lieu of answering; not that Justin had really expected one, but still…


Justin cautiously picked up the box and opened it, his breath catching, and his eyes tearing, as he stared at the rings Brian had purchased so long ago when he'd first asked Justin to marry him. Before New York came calling and Justin and he had decided that they didn't need rings or papers to show how much they loved each other. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Justin looked back up at his lover.


"Brian…?" he asked hesitantly, wondering what this all meant and why they were here.


"I couldn't get rid of them," Brian huffed, glancing away for a brief moment, but not before Justin could see a small flash of pain flit through them. "I know that we both said that we didn't need rings or vows, but…I couldn't let them go."


"I…" Justin swallowed thickly when his voice choked up; he cleared his throat and whispered in a low, husky voice. "I wouldn't have wanted you to either despite what we said; I can't believe you still have them. Why…?"


"Because I still want it, Justin," Brian said, his eyes bright and glassy as they stared down at him. He cleared his throat and looked away to gather his thoughts and then looked back before continuing in a hoarse voice. "You were right – we don't need all the trappings, the rings and vows; and a piece of paper isn't necessary to show the world that we want to be together; that we belong together. But I still want the dream."


Justin flicked his eyes down to the rings, glinting in the pale sunlight and felt his throat constrict, and his chest began to ache; not from pain or hurt, but with a painful sense of awareness and wonder as Brian continued his entreaty.


"I want to go to bed with you every night and wake up to your face every morning. I want to see your clothing stacked next to my clothing in my closet; and your drawers in my drawers. I want to look across the room and think, 'he's mine and no one else can touch him.' I want to feel you, and only you, when we're fucking. I want to see you rounded with my child, knowing that it would be the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. And I want to be so tied to you that we won't know where you end and I begin."


Justin's breath hitched and his eyes flew back to Brian's, completely overwhelmed by the words that he had spoken. Brian stared back at him with a calm that Justin didn't feel; his eyes were bright and sure; his mouth was curved in that sweet, shy smile that made Justin want to drop everything and conquer the world for him. And no matter how much Justin searched, he couldn't find even the tiniest pinprick of uncertainty or fear in his expression; which just had Justin tearing up again.


"You can have all those things now," Justin said, his heart fluttering wildly in his chest; was this truly happening? "Why the rings?"


'Why now?' his mind couldn't help demanding.


"Because in that vision, that daydream, I had of you," Brian said with a soft smile. "Across the room, rounded with my child, talking to some asshole that doesn't have a fucking chance in the world; I saw you with my ring on your finger, glinting in the low light, as you told yet another hopeful to fuck off. And I liked the idea of you wearing my ring, announcing to the world that you are mine, and mine alone."


Justin could barely breathe; this was completely unexpected. He'd thought that after nearly three years, and when he couldn't find the rings, that Brian had decided marriage wasn't for them after all. But, obviously, he had been so very fucking wrong in that assessment that it wasn't funny. Brian had just been waiting.


Waiting for Justin to find and live his dream. Waiting for Justin to become an established artist; and, hopefully, to become the darling of the art world. Waiting for Justin to have his chance and make his mark on the world. Just waiting on Justin period to be ready for that next step, to join their lives together; and that realization was overwhelming.


Rolling his lips under, Justin stared at his lover for a several long moments, his heart thundering in his chest and then he smirked.


"You always have been a possessive bastard," Justin huffed, adding some desperately needed lightness to the moment. Otherwise, he just might cry and Brian would never let him live that down. "No matter how many times you've tried to deny it over the years."


"Well if people would stop touching my things…" Brian bitched playfully; and then he sobered, not one to be deterred when he really wanted something. "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, yes; I don't need the rings and vows, but I want them. And I think that deep down, you want them too."


A watery smile spread across Justin's face; yes, this was truly happening and he couldn't be happier for it. This had been all that he'd wanted as that young, naive seventeen-year-old; one that refused to take no for an answer and had been determined to make this closed-off, complicated man love him as much he loved Brian.


"So, Justin Taylor," Brian said, taking one of the rings out of the box. "Make me the happiest man on the planet and marry me; for real this time."


"Yes," Justin whispered; and then his smile brightened as Brian slid the ring onto his finger. He stared it for a moment and then he rose, looked Brian straight in the eye and repeated. "Yes, Brian Kinney; I will marry you." He pressed a soft kiss to his lover's lips and mumbled against them once again. "I will marry you."


Brian laughed softly into his mouth, a thing of pure joy as he deepened the kiss, and Justin's heart nearly exploded at the surge of pure love and joy that rushed through him as they sealed it with a deep kiss. God, could he be any happier than in this moment?


"Good," Brian murmured when they finally broke apart; and then he kissed the tip of Justin's nose before nuzzling his against it. "No take-backs this time."


"I wouldn't dream of it," Justin murmured, and then laughed, unable to contain the joy flooding through his body. He leaned his forehead against Brian's, all of his focus on the weight of the ring on his finger, and wondered how could life get any better than this.


...


Justin grinned at the memory; and then he turned to Brian and threw himself into his arms, peppering his mouth with light kisses. Brian rolled his eyes, but endured Justin's exuberant display of affection with all the aplomb of a man used to his partner's need to be 'moist and lesbionic' in his words.


"You ridiculously romantic man," Justin teased; and then he tipped his head back and stared at his husband knowingly. This was exactly what the two of them needed after the past harrowing weeks – a reminder of what they were fighting for. "You don't fool me any." Brian flushed at being caught out and looked away; but then smiled and shrugged as Justin cupped his cheek and turned him to face him. "I love it. You know that I always try to get here at least once a year. I can't believe I forgot about it this year."


"We have been very busy with…things, Sunshine," Brian said, his smile going grim.


"Yeah," Justin softly said, his own smile dimming at the reminder of…everything. Startling when Brian cursed under his breath, Justin attempted to shove the unhappy thoughts away and smiled weakly at his husband in attempt to reassure him. An attempt that failed based on the frown on his face. Brian sighed, pulled him close and pressed his lips to Justin's brow.


"No more dark thoughts," he murmured; and then he pressed another kiss to Justin's temple. "That's back in Pittsburgh and we have a brunch to get to." Justin turned and arched a brow. "As soon as we agreed to come up here, I made a reservation for Yellow Magnolia Café. I know how much you love their weekend brunch menu."


"Like I said," Justin teased. "Ridiculously romantic." He leaned up and kissed Brian softly on the mouth. "Thank you."


"Anytime, Sunshine," Brian smirked, looking ridiculously pleased with himself.


"So when do we eat?" Justin asked, his mouth watering and nearly bouncing on the tips of his toes as he thought about brunch. "I'm starving!"


"Well there's a surprise," Brian said dryly; and then snickered and yelped when Justin jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. "Hey, watch it twat!" Brian huffed and rubbed his side with a mock glare. Justin smiled serenely and then yelped in surprise when Brian reeled him in and pressed a firm kiss to his lips. "You're in luck; our reservations are in ten minutes. Come on, twat; let's go feed the beast before it decides to consume us all."


"Oh, I can't wait for their biscuits with the salted molasses butter…" Justin chirped, licking his lips as he thought of all the yummy things he was about to eat. "Those are the things dreams are made of…oh! And the French toast. Definitely need the French toast…or do I want the frittata? Oh, or maybe the lamb…decisions, decisions."


Justin glared at his husband halfheartedly when Brian just snorted, nodded and patted Justin on the head in an obviously placating manner that told Justin that the other man was merely humoring him again. But as long as it got him biscuits, Justin didn't care.


… … … … …


After brunch, they'd then walked around the Gardens for about an hour, once again focusing heavily on the cherry blossoms, so that Justin could take some pictures. And although photography had never really been a medium he'd gravitated towards, the blooms once again sparked Justin's muse and he wanted to use the photos in this multi-media art idea that he wanted to explore.


But as always, all good things must come to an end, and Justin could tell after that initial hour that Brian was growing bored with walking around; plus, Justin had grown tired himself, as he had often these days. And he decided to find a nice quiet spot, so that they could sit and rest for a bit; and was pleased when 'their spot' was unoccupied.


Leaning against the tree, Justin watched as Brian pulled out a soft blue throw and laid it on the ground; he then pulled out Justin's sketchbook and pencils and handed them to him with a knowing look. Justin grinned and then waited until Brian pulled out a book sat down and leaned against the tree before he too sat down. He scooted back between Brian's raised legs and leaned against his husband's chest, happy to sketch whatever captured his whimsy.


It wasn't too long however before his eyes were drooping and he'd once again drifted into a light doze. He listened to the rustle and scratch of paper as Brian turned the pages of his book, and the laughter and low murmur of conversation around them, nearly slipping into a full sleep when he felt something hit his chest.


Startled, Justin opened his eyes and stared with no little confusion at the black velvet box sitting on his chest. He frowned and then looked up at Brian, who had rolled his lips under and was watching him with some apprehension, but his muddled mind couldn't figure out just why until he looked at the box once more.


And then it clicked; and a feeling of déjà vu washed over him.


Picking up the box, Justin opened it and stared at the ring inside – a thin platinum band inlaid with several channel set princess-cut diamonds. It glittered and sparkled in the low sunlight and quite simply took Justin's breath away. But it also left him reeling in confusion as he couldn't figure out the occasion, as he damned well knew that he hadn't missed a significant anniversary or celebration.


"Brian?" Justin asked faintly, looking up at his husband nonplussed, a single brow arching as Brian merely smirked and then said the last thing expected.


"Marry me," Brian demanded; not asked, but demanded. Justin's other brow shot up to meet the other in his hairline as he stared at his husband incredulously. Brian's lips rolled under, as if he were fighting back a grin, but the look in his eyes remained sincere.


"Uh, pretty sure I did that already," Justin huffed dryly, wondering where his husband was going with this. "Unless that was some other tall, dark and handsome stud standing next to me at the altar and I've been living a lie for the past five years."


Brian snorted.


"Marry me again anyways," he demanded again, his eyes sparkling with humor.


Justin rolled his lips under and watched Brian for a long, drawn out moment, his mind whirling. They had tossed around the idea of renewing their vows on their fifth anniversary; but it had never gotten beyond the talking phase as real life had taken over, first with some huge ad campaign that Brian was working on, which took months to complete and then Justin found out that he was pregnant.


Between the two, the idea had then fell by the way side and Justin assumed that it just wasn't going to happen. And he'd been fine with that as he turned his focus onto Sunbeam and had gotten caught up with the whirlwind of becoming a father.


Humming to himself, Justin looked back down at the ring in the box, and then couldn't help glancing back at Brian with an impish grin.


"Okay." Justin said, smirking when Brian huffed in exasperation.


"Really? This again?" Brian demanded, and then huffed again when Justin just continued to grin and tease him with his responses.


"Let's do it," Justin snickered, yelping when his husband showed his displeasure by pinching him on the ass. He really needed to find another way of punishing Justin; he was tired of bruises on his ass.


"Say it!" Brian demanded, sending Justin into helpless laughter as he poked him in the sides, his fingers inadvertently dancing over Justin's ribs and tickling him.


"Yes," Justin chortled, his eyes sparkling with laughter.


"Yes, what?" Brian stopped torturing Justin and smiled that sweet, shy smile that melted Justin's heart every time. Justin cupped Brian's cheek and looked deeply in to his eyes with a matching smile.


"Yes," he whispered, licking his lips nervously when Brian's eyes grew glassy. He leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against his husband's lips, murmuring softly against them. "Yes, I will marry you. I will marry you."


Brian sighed and deepened the kiss, and Justin lost himself in it, completely forgetting where they were as his heart raced and his toes curled. And then he reluctantly pulled back as a giggle broke through his haze. Blinking, Justin looked up and blushed when he found to teenage girls watching them and whispering to each other; and then, realizing they were caught, they giggled again and ran off. Shaking his head, he turned to Brian and gave him a dry smile.


"Again." Justin continued, making Brian huff for a third time.


"What can I say?" Brian smirked. "The best things in life are worth repeating. I was planning to do this at the end of the month, on the anniversary of when I asked, but I thought it would be better now, while we were in New York."


Right back to where their second chance started, was left unsaid. Justin bit back on a grin. And they said that Brian didn't have a romantic bone in his body. If they only knew.


"Especially after everything…" Brian said, trailing off when Justin frowned at the reminder. He cleared his throat and then gestured to the ring box. "There are fourteen diamonds, one for each year that we have been together; or will have been together by Gus' birthday. I figured that we could add a diamond for each year we're together until the ring is full and then after that I'll have to find another way to adorn you."


"Sap." Justin accused mildly, although he was secretly tickled at his husband's gesture.


"You take that back," Brian huffed, poking Justin in the side.


"Nope," Justin said a touch more gleefully than he should. "You are a complete and utter sap." He pressed a soft kiss to Brian's mouth. "But you're my sap."


"If you ever tell anyone…" Brian threatened halfheartedly.


"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know," Justin snorted, dismissing Brian's threat with a flick of his hand as he picked up the ring and studied it closely. "Balls in a knot…blah, blah, blah."


"You say that like you don't believe me," Brian drawled, one brow arched.


"It's kind of hard to take it seriously when you've heard it as often as I have over the years without reprisal," Justin snorted again. "You're getting soft in your advancing age."


Brian scoffed and pinched Justin again.


"Ow! Meanie!" Justin yelped, rubbing his hand over his sore ass.


"I'll have you know that there is nothing soft about me, Sunshine," Brian purred, drawing a small shiver of desire out of Justin. "As you well know from this morning."


"Well, I don't know," Justin said, laughter coating his voice; he tipped his head thoughtfully to the side and tapped a finger to his lips, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I seem to be very forgetful these days. I think you might need to remind me…Oh!"


Justin yelped as Brian huffed and quickly rose up from his sitting position, but not before he'd gently moved Justin to the side. Justin then watched in bewilderment as Brian single-mindedly packed the blanket and all of their things back into Justin's backpack as swiftly as possible. He chewed on his lower lip, wondering if he'd pushed the man to far, when Brian held out his hands; cautiously placing his hand into his husband's, Justin squawked when Brian tugged him up and then quickly started dragging him towards the entrance of the Botanical Gardens.


"Brian, what are you doing?" Justin asked in exasperation, his breath growing sort as they made their way through the gardens. He wasn't nearly as light on his feet these days, as Brian well knew, and he couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed with the pace.


But Brian just shook his head and continued walking for a few more minutes, Justin behind him and grumbling under his breath before Brian came to an abrupt halt. Trying to catch his breath, Justin watched in bemusement as Brian grabbed the back pack that had been hastily slung on one arm, slid his arms through the straps and secured it to his back. Arching a brow, Justin shook his head and stared at Brian, completely nonplussed as Brian strode over to him, scooped him up into his arms bridal style and started walking swiftly towards the exit.


"Brian! I can walk, you know," he squawked, his cheeks burning as he noted the stares, cheers and leers from the people surrounding them.


"Faster this way," Brian grunted, shifting Justin a bit in his arms for a better grip; Justin snorted and roll his eyes at his husband's antics. "We need to get back to the loft, and quickly; so you can put your money where your mouth is; my reputation is at stake."

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