Eye of the Beholder

By Rena

Prologue

It was a little after noon. Brian was at school and Jack was at work. Claire had been married and gone for almost six months and Joan had nothing to do but sit around the house all day. She decided that she needed to clean and decided to start in Brian's room. She wasn't sure what drew her to start in her son's room, but she felt it was in desperate need of cleaning. His room was actually immaculate, especially for that of a teenage boy. She started looking around his room doing more snooping than cleaning.

Before long she came across some magazines hidden under his bed. She thought, at first, that they were like the magazines any other boy hid under his bed. Pictures of half naked women, sometimes even naked women, adorning each page. Her eyes grew wide as she looked through and saw not women, but men. She thought perhaps it was a mistake, but every magazine was filled with pictures of naked men.

She was heading out the door to throw them away when Jack came into the house. He had never come home before six in all the time they had been married and there he was, standing in the doorway at now half past one. She froze, the magazines in her hand. He walked over and looked at them.

"What's this?" He asked angrily, taking one from her hand and looking through it.

"Nothing." She said.

"This yours?" He asked. His eyes bored into her and she sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Claire's stash?" The man asked, once again Joan shook her head. "Well, they sure as hell ain't mine!" Jack yelled.

"They're Brian's." She said softly.

"What?"

"I said, they're Brian's."

"What would he be doing with these?"

"I don't know." Joan said honestly. Jack took the magazines from his wife and stormed upstairs. It was two hours later when Brian came in the door. He threw his backpack down in the hall as he usually did, then started to head up the stairs to his room. When he got to the door of his room he stopped in his tracks. There was his dad, sitting on his bed, his stash beside him. Brian's heart began to pound.

"Your mother tells me these are yours." Jack said ominously. There was no mistaking the anger in his tone. Brian swallowed hard.

"Yeah." Was all he could manage.

"What the fuck are you doing with this kind of magazine?" Jack roared as he stood up. Brian stood his ground, though he said nothing. "Huh? What are you doing with pictures of naked men? Are you some kind of fucking fairy?" Brian had finally had enough. He already admitted that the magazines were his; there was no point in denying it now. At least this way he could stop hiding who he was around his family.

"Yes!" He replied louder than originally planned. Jack's eyes went wide as he looked at his son.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I'm a fucking fairy. I'm a faggot, a fudge packer, a cock sucker. I love dick. I love to get fucked by dick. I love sucking dick. And I am fucking good at it too!" Brian was yelling now. He smirked at the pale, shocked look on his father's face.

"No son of mine is a fucking fairy." Jack insisted.

"Then I guess I'm not your son because I’m gay, dad. Face it. Jack Kinney's only son is a fucking faggot!" Jack made his way over to Brian, pushing him out of the way. Brian hit the opposite wall of the hall, coughing slightly at the force of the impact. Jack stalked down the stairs and headed out into the garage. Joan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he would be gone for a while.

As Jack looked around the garage, he saw what he was looking for. There was no way he was going to have a faggot son, he'd make sure of that. He grabbed the object of his desire and made sure it was ready.

"Sonny boy, get your ass in here!" Jack called from the garage door. He then moved a few feet away from the door and off to the side. Brian would not be able to see him until it was too late. Before long, Brian appeared in the doorway, looking around. Just as he turned his gaze on his father, the man decided to strike. Jack let loose, throwing the contents of the bucket onto his son. He had been in the process of changing the oil in the car.

Brian was surprised enough that he didn’t have time to close his eyes before getting hit full in the face with the thick black liquid. He screamed as it burned his eyes and tripped on the steps leading down into the garage. He tried in vein to wipe the fluid from his eyes. Jack then came over and started kicking Brian. Jack kicked his son anywhere he could find an opening. After a while, Brian stopped struggling. Jack moved over and grabbed the gas can and started pouring the liquid over his son, soaking his clothes.

Joan heard the screaming from the living room and went to investigate. She got to the garage door just as Jack was getting ready to light a match. She wasn't sure what was going on until she saw Brian lying on the ground, soaking wet. The smell of gasoline was unmistakable. Joan's eyes went very wide as she realized what her husband was about to do. She ran full tilt into the man, tackling him backwards. Never in her life had she ever done anything to defy her husband, but she refused to let him kill her son. As they fell backwards, Jack hit his head on the fender of the car and was rendered unconscious, leaving a huge dent in the car. Joan managed to get up and run inside, calling the police and an ambulance.

Jack was just starting to wake up as the police arrived. They took him into custody. Since Brian was seventeen years old, they were able to charge Jack with something other than child abuse, making the charge attempted murder. Brain was loaded into the ambulance and hauled off. Joan followed in her car.

It seemed like she had been in the waiting room for hours. She continued to ask about her son but no one would tell her anything. All she knew was that he was not on the top of the priority list. They had removed his gasoline soaked clothing, but that was it. She was growing angrier as the time went by. Finally, she went to the nurse's station.

"Excuse me."

"Yes ma'am." The nurse said.

"I've been here for almost four hours and I have yet to hear anything about my son. Can you please page someone or something?" The nurse started to look through the files on her desk, an impatient expression adorning her face. She looked back at Joan.

"The doctor will be with you shortly. If you'll just have a seat."

"I will not have a seat. I was told the doctor would be with me shortly three hours ago. I want to know what is going on with my son!"

"Are you Mrs. Kinney?" A voice came from her left side. She turned and saw a relatively young man in a white lab coat. She could only assume he was the doctor.

"Yes, I am."

"I'm Dr. O'Reilly."

"How is my son?" Joan asked. The doctor nodded and looked at the chart.

"Were you aware that some of the fluid got into his eyes?" He looked back up at Joan and she shook her head.

"Is that a problem?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so. It appears that the chemical that got into his eyes caused some serious damage." The doctor said. Her face went pale at hearing that.

"What kind of damage?"

"I'm afraid your son is now blind."

"Is there anything you can do?" The doctor shook his head and sighed.

"Unfortunately, the condition is permanent." Joan simply nodded and the doctor walked off. She wandered around the hospital until she found the little chapel. She walked in and took a seat on one of the pews. After a few minutes, she knelt and put her clasped hands on the back of the pew in front of her, resting her forehead on her hands. Before long, tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"This is all my fault." She said between sobs. The guilt that spread through her was overwhelming. If she had just stayed out of her son's room, none of this would have happened.

Brian walked into the building, accompanied by his Seeing Eye dog, Topper. The security guard in the lobby was about to say something, but then noticed the harness on the dog and the sunglasses Brian was wearing and stayed quiet about the dog.

"Can I help you?" He asked. It was then that Brian turned his attention to the general direction of the front desk. He had his portfolio slung over his shoulder and was wearing a very nice suit.

"Yes, I'm here to see Mr. Ryder." Topper started to move toward the front desk, Brian moving along behind him.

"He's on the tenth floor. Do you need help getting up there?" Brian thought about making a snide remark, then thought better of it. He might be seeing this man on a regular basis and needed to be on good terms with him.

"Yes, please." Brian smiled. The security guard headed over to the bank of elevators and Topper followed him. The security guard pushed the button and an elevator soon appeared. Once Brian and Topper were inside, he reached in and pushed the button for the tenth floor.

"There's two seconds between floors so make sure you get to twenty before you get off."

"Thanks."

"No problem." The security guard moved out of the way and soon the elevator was on its way up. Brian counted slowly to twenty, then heard the door come open. Topper started to walk out and Brian followed. Soon, Topper stopped in front of the receptionist.

"Can I help you, sir?" The young woman asked. She was wearing so much perfume that Brian was starting to get a headache.

"I'm here to see Mr. Ryder." Brian once again tried to remain civil.

"And you are?"

"Brian Kinney." There was a pause and he knew that she had to be at least slightly thrown off. He hid the smirk that threatened to appear.

"Oh, yes. Mr. Kinney. Um.....just a moment." Brian heard as she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Mr. Kinney is here. Yes, of course." She hung up the phone. "You can go on in."

"Um.......where is his office?" Brian tried to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Oh, yes, of course. Um......just a moment." Brian heard her get up and walk off, after a few minutes Brian caught the scent of cologne. He smiled; it was a wonderful cologne that he had always loved.

"Mr. Kinney, if you could follow me, please." The young man said. Brian smiled and nodded and Topper started to follow the man. They walked for a few minutes before Brian was introduced to yet another secretary.

"Angela, this is Mr. Kinney." The young man said.

"Oh....uh....thanks, John." Angela said. She had a soft voice and wore an intoxicating perfume in just the right amount. If Brian were straight he'd actually be attracted. Brian heard her pick up the phone and talk into it softly, though he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. The young man walked off and Brian was instructed to take a seat. Topper led him over to the chairs and Brian took a seat. Angela got up and went to the office door. She knocked softly, then went in.

"Brian Kinney is here to see you." She said. Ryder looked up at her, then nodded.

"Send him in." He then looked back at the files on his desk. Angela went out and showed Brian in. Marty Ryder was expecting a young, brilliant man who was pretty much fresh out of college. What he was not excepting was a blind man. He tried to keep the shock out of his tone as he spoke.

"So....Brian, is it?"

"Yes, sir." Brian said as he came over and took a seat across from Marty. Topper obediently lay at his feet. Brian took his portfolio and handed it across to Mr. Ryder. Marty took the portfolio and started looking through it. He was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

"This is really quite good." Ryder said and Brian smiled.

"Thank you." Brian said modestly. He was good and he knew it, but there was no point in being arrogant yet.

"There is something I have to ask you, and I hope you don't get offended."

"How can a blind man work in advertising?" Brian asked for him.

"Um.....yes."

"I have people that help with the visual stuff. The ideas are all in here," He touched his temple. "I just need help making them into a proposal. I tell the people what I want and they make it happen. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but as you can see, it does work."

"So.....do you have a specific staff that you would need hired along with you?"

"Not necessarily. I do have a couple of people that have worked with me before and it would be easy for them to work with me again, but it's not required." Ryder nodded as he looked through the portfolio again.

"What are their names?"

"The people that have worked with me?"

"Yes."

"Cynthia Monroe and Thomas Jacobson."

"Are they available to start when you start?" Brian was a little thrown at that question. So far every company he had talked to had turned him down. He wasn't really expecting to get himself hired, let alone his friends with him.

"Um......as far as I know. I'll have to double check."

"You do that. If they can start Monday, you're all hired. I like what I see here, Brian. This is great work. I think you can go far in this business regardless of your disability. But.....I do have one more question?"

"Okay."

"Have you always been blind?" Brian shook his head.

"Happened when I was seventeen."

"That would explain how you can tell them what you want."

"Yes. I can still remember what colors looked like, things like that."

"Well......I'm looking forward to working with you." Brian heard the chair move as the man stood. He stood as well and held out his hand. Ryder took it and shook it.

"I really appreciate this chance, sir. Most people aren't willing to work with me."

"Well, like I said. I like what I see. You've got some great ideas. I'm willing to give you a chance to prove yourself."

"You won't regret it, sir. I promise." Brian smiled. Topper stood and Brian took hold of the harness, gathering his portfolio before leaving the office, and then the building. When he got back to the apartment, Cynthia was sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Guess what?" Brian said as he came in. He put his portfolio down on the floor near the door and knelt down, taking the harness off of Topper. The dog licked his face, then went into the kitchen to get some water.

"What?" Cynthia asked as Brian joined her on the couch. "Did you get the job?"

"We got the job." Brian said with a smile.

"You mean.......he wants to hire me and Tommy too?" She asked. Brian nodded.

"I told him you guys have been helping me and he wants people that know how to work with me. He wants to know if we can all start on Monday."

"Of course we can. Holy shit! I knew being friends with you would have its advantages." She said with a smirk, poking Brian in the ribs with her elbow and laughing.

"You mean besides getting the handicapped parking spaces?" Brian asked and they both laughed.

"Just think......come Monday morning you and Tommy and I will all be employed at Ryder agency." Cynthia smiled.

"And they said a blind man couldn't work in advertising. Well......fuck 'em all." Once again they both laughed, deciding that night to go out and celebrate their recent employment.

Brian was fast approaching his thirtieth birthday and he did not like it one bit. Thirty was over the hill as far as he was concerned. Though he wasn't the stud he had been in high school before his asshole father decided to try to set him on fire, he still managed to get his fair share of men. Even being blind he still managed to get laid often enough to make him happy.

"Brian, you're going to be late if you don't hurry up." Joan called from the stairs. Brian was starting to regret allowing his mother to move in with him. Though it was helpful to have her around for cooking and cleaning and various other jobs that Topper couldn't do, it was annoying that she still felt guilty about what happened. She never said anything about it, but Brian could tell that the guilt was there. He wondered if this hadn't happened would he be as close to her as he was.

"I know that, mom." He called, feeling like he was in high school again. After getting into his suit, he draped his tie around his neck and made his way downstairs. Joan walked up and tied the tie for him, kissing his cheek when she was done, then headed into the kitchen. Brian followed, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Anything in particular you want for breakfast?"

"Just coffee."

"You really need to eat something."

"I have a breakfast meeting."

"Oh okay." She got a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him, making sure to set it down so that he could hear where she had placed the cup. Brian reached for the sugar and poured some in, then stirred his coffee. He took a sip and almost spit it out.

"Mom......."

"What?" She asked.

"Why did I just put salt in my coffee?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. She looked at him, then looked at the center of the table.

"Brian.....I'm sorry." She came over and took his cup, pouring him a fresh cup of coffee, then grabbed the sugar bowl and placed it next to his mug.

"Thanks." He said with a smile. Just then, the clock chimed that it was eight.

"Well, I have to get going. I might be late."

"Call me when you're on your way home."

"Okay. Later, mom. Topper, come on!" Brian stood and made his way to the door. Topper, already adorned with harness, appeared at his side. Brian took hold of the harness, grabbed his briefcase from its usual place, then headed out the door.

When he got to the office, Cynthia and Tommy were both waiting. Topper took his usual place in the corner and Brian took his seat, removed his sunglasses and slipped them into his inside jacket pocket.

"So, what have we got today?"

"Well," Cynthia started "First, you get to meet with the Calvin Klein people. The meeting is in half an hour. After that, Marty wants to introduce you to the new art director."

"Another new art director? I hope this one sticks around for a while. It's hard having to get to know people every couple of months or so."

"You're telling me." Tommy agreed.

"It would help if you wouldn't try to run them out." Cynthia commented.

"Okay, everything set up for the presentation?" Brian asked, ignoring Cynthia.

"Yes it is. I'll be up there with you to work with the visual aid." Cynthia answered.

"And you said we have a half an hour?"

"Yes we do." Tommy replied.

"Good, can one of you get me something to eat?"

"Will do, boss." Cynthia said with a smirk as she got up and left. Tommy looked at Brian.

"You nervous?"

"Have I ever been nervous before?"

"This is a major account."

"And I can get it. All I have to do is answer the same old questions that everybody asks. Of course, I know what people think. They think that you guys do all the work and I get the credit for it." He sighed slightly.

"Yeah, but who gives a shit what they think, we know the truth, that's what matters, right?"

"I'd like to get credit for being something other than an equal opportunity statistic."

"You do. You're the one that gets all the awards. If they thought you didn't do any of the work, Cyn and I would get the awards. Besides, do you think Ryder would keep you around for seven years if he thought that Cyn and I were doing all the work?"

"No, I don't think he would." Brian smiled. "Thanks, Tommy. You always know how to cheer me up."

"Yeah, well. What are friends for?"

After the meeting, Brian made his way into his office and took a seat. He rested his head on his desk, a headache slowly forming in the front of his head. Topper came over and rested his head on Brian's thigh. Brian smiled and scratched behind Topper's ears, though he did not lift his head. Cynthia came in with a glass of water and two Tylenol. Brian sat up and Cynthia placed the glass in his hand, he then took the Tylenol and rested his head on his desk again.

"Is there any way you can put off that meeting with the new art director until my headache goes away?" He asked. Cynthia looked at her watch.

"I might be able to. Let me see." She went out to her desk and stopped when she saw someone approaching. He was young and blonde and gorgeous. She smiled.

"Can I help you?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm Justin Taylor, the new art director. I came to see Mr. Kinney."

"Mr. Kinney's got a terrible headache at the moment, would it be possible for you to come back later?"

"I'm afraid I've got a busy schedule today."

"Just a moment." She kept the smile on her face until she turned her back to him, then walked into the office. "He's here and he says he can't wait." Brian sighed heavily and sat up.

"Okay, send him in." He ran his fingers through his hair and faced in the general direction of the doorway. Cynthia went out to her desk.

"He says you can go on in." She was smiling once again. Justin nodded and headed into the office.

"Hello. I'm Justin Taylor, the new art director." He walked over to the desk and held out his hand, a little perturbed when Kinney didn't take it. That's when Justin got a good look at him. While his face was pointed at Justin, his eyes were unfocused. He wasn't actually looking at Justin. That was when Justin noticed the dog.

"You're.......you're blind." He said, a little shocked.

"How very perceptive. What was your first clue, the blank stare in your general direction, or the seeing eye dog?" Brian smirked.

"I......um......I didn't mean......"

"Is he being snippy again?" Cynthia asked as she walked in.

"I’m not being snippy, I'm having fun with him." Brian smirked. Cynthia walked over to Justin and whispered in his ear.

"Unfortunately sarcasm is his finest feature."

"I heard that." Brian said with a laugh.

"You could hear a pin drop a mile away." She quipped and they both laughed.

"I wouldn't say sarcasm is his finest feature." Justin commented softly.

"You know, I've been told that my c....."

"Justin.......how would you like a cup of coffee?" Cynthia interrupted and Brian just laughed.

"Actually, I need to get going. It was very nice to meet you Mr. Kinney." Justin said.

"Please, call me Brian. And the dog is Topper."

"Why did you name him Topper?" Justin asked. Before Brian could say anything, Cynthia cut in.

"You really don't want to know." She smirked and once again Brian laughed. Justin walked out of the office with Cynthia, who shut Brian's office door behind her.

"How does he do it?" Justin asked.

"Do what?"

"His job."

"Well, Brian comes up with the ideas, tells us what he wants it to look like, then Tommy and I do all the work that he can't."

"That's cool that Ryder is allowing it."

"He's the only one that would hire Brian. And, I can tell you, all those companies that turned Brian down because he's blind have been eating their hearts out ever since." They both smiled.

"Well, it's nice to meet you.....uh......"

"Cynthia." She said holding out her hand. He took it and rather than shaking it, he bowed at the waist and kissed her hand causing Cynthia to blush.

"Nice to meet you, Cynthia. I guess we'll be working together a lot."

"I guess we will." She smiled and Justin turned and walked off. Cynthia sighed and walked into Brian's office.

"So?" He asked.

"Gay." She said, a little sadly.

"I knew hanging around with me would improve your gaydar." He smirked.

"I'm glad you find it amusing." She sulked.

"Oh, come on, Cyn. You have a perfectly good guy that wants you, and would do anything for you, and you keep saying no."

"Oh? Who's that?"

"Tommy."

"Tommy is not interested in me."

"Jesus, and they say I'm the one that's blind."

"Whatever."

"He was wearing great cologne, wasn't he?"

"Tommy?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No, Justin. Why would I be even slightly interested in Tommy?"

"We.......I really wish you would warn me before switching topics of conversation."

"What's the fun in that?" Brian said with a smirk. Cynthia threw a couch pillow at him. Topper had returned to the corner and was trying to ignore what he had come to understand was the normal behavior of the humans in his life. Brian got hit in the face with the pillow, then managed to find it and throw it in what he thought was Cynthia's general direction.

"You really should stop trying to throw things at me, Brian." Cynthia laughed.

"How far off was I this time?"

"About four feet."

"Closer than last time." He smiled.

"And at least you didn't break anything this time." Cynthia laughed when Brian grimaced.

"Of course, the problem could be solved if you would stop throwing things at me." Brian replied. Just then, Brian heard the door open and smelled what was unmistakably the cologne worn by Marty Ryder. "Hey, Marty." Brian smiled.

"You know, it really creeps me when you do that."

"Why? Because I figure out from your cheap cologne that it's you? Or maybe the fact that you are one of three people that come in without knocking, one of which is right here and the other is getting my lunch?"

"Very funny. So......did you meet Justin?"

"Yes, I did."

"And what did you think?"

"Well.......he's a nice enough kid. How old is he?"

"Twenty six."

"Ah, good. Not too young. He'll learn how to deal with me quickly I hope."

"You know that you're the reason we keep going through art directors, right?"

"It's not my fault you hire complete idiots."

"Well, hopefully Justin will work out because he's anything but an idiot." Ryder then shut the door on his way out.

"Yeah, I hope he works out." Brian said. Cynthia did not like his tone of voice.

"You're not going to try to run him out, are you?"

"No, I'm just going to make him work for his continued employment."

"Well, don't go too hard on him. I mean......he's really nice. It might be to your advantage to let him stick around."

"We'll see." Brian said with a smirk and Cynthia sighed. Even as long as she had known Brian, he never ceased to amaze her.

Brian and Cynthia were going over some of the notes for the new campaign. They still had a few days until this campaign needed to be ready. Brian was also putting the finishing touches on the presentation he would have to give the next morning. They’d been working for about an hour when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." He said. He heard the door open, and he heard someone walk in, but whoever it was wasn't talking.

"Um.....we have a problem." Justin said finally.

"And that is?" Brian asked.

"You know that meeting you have in the morning?" Brian closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding.

"What about it?"

"The art work's been totally fucked. The guy that I put in charge of it just seriously screwed everything. I'm going to have to start all over."

"And that could take how long?"

"If I stay up all night I can have it ready by ten." Brian took another deep breath, trying to stay calm.

"That is a problem considering the meeting it at nine." Brian almost shouted the last word. Cynthia reached across the desk and took Brian's hand, trying to help him stay calm.

"There's no way you could have it ready in time?" She asked.

"The only way I could get it done in time was if I had somebody to talk to while I worked."

"What?" Brian and Cynthia asked simultaneously.

"I work faster when I have someone to talk to. I stay awake better. As it is, I have to stay here and work by myself."

"Why not get the fucker that screwed things up?" Brian asked.

"I kind of fired him." Justin said sheepishly.

"Well, the first good news so far." Brian sighed, then took another deep breath.

"Come to my place." He said finally. Justin and Cynthia both stared at him.

"Huh?"

"Come to my place. You and I can talk while you work. I am not staying here because I told my mom I would be home on time for once. So show up at my place as soon as you can. Cynthia, give him the address."

"You live with your mom?" Justin asked with a smirk.

"She lives with me. Helps around the house with stuff that you need eyes to do."

"Okay." Justin said. Brian nodded and Cynthia got up to give Justin Brian's address. They both left the office for a minute; Cynthia shut the door behind her.

"You know.....I'd consider myself lucky if I were you." She said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. The last art director that was in charge when something like this happened ran out of the building crying."

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope. The fact that he's willing to let you come to his place means that he actually likes you."

"Should I be honored?"

"Extremely." Cynthia said with a smile as she handed over the piece of paper. Justin simply nodded and went back to his office.

Justin finally arrived at Brian's house at about seven thirty. He'd left work late and then got lost three times on the way to the house, luckily finding his way back on track without any problems. He had everything he would need to work on the campaign with him. He managed to ring the doorbell and then waited. When the door opened, he was slightly surprised to see that Brian answered the door, and he did not have Topper with him.

"Hey." Brian said with a smile.

"Hi." Justin replied. Brian moved aside and Justin walked in. "How'd you know it was me?" Justin had to ask.

"I wasn't expecting anybody else."

"Oh."

"Okay. Let's go into the living room. From what mom tells me, that's where the best light is." Brian shut the door behind Justin and then started making his way down the hall to the left. Justin followed. He kept a careful eye on every one of Brian's movements. Brian motioned over to the couch, much to Justin's amazement. "Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"Um.....beer if you have it." Justin said. Brian nodded and headed into the kitchen. A moment later he came out of the kitchen carrying two beers. He set one down on the coffee table, then opened the other one.

"Mind if I turn on some music? I can't stand to not have a little soft background noise."

"That's fine." Justin said. He watched as Brian got up and walked across the room to the stereo, turned it on, then came back. He was amazed at the confidence with which Brian moved. "How do you do that?" He asked finally.

"Do what?"

"Move around without help? It's almost like you can see where you're going."

"In a way I can. I've lived in this house for five years now. Everything has stayed in the exact same place so I know my way around without even thinking about it. It's pretty simple."

"That's cool."

"Oh, you wanna know a funny joke to play on a blind man?"

"What's that?" Justin asked, a little wary.

"Move the furniture." Brian said with a laugh. Justin couldn't help but laugh too.

"It amazes me that you have such a sense of humor about this."

"If I don't laugh, I'd probably cry, and I have much better things to do with my time. Besides, you shouldn't laugh at anything if you can't laugh at yourself." He said with a grin and Justin laughed. It wasn't long before Justin got to work. They got comfortable and Justin started talking about everything. After a while, the beers needed to be replaced.

"I'll get them." Justin offered.

"You don't know where anything is." Brian said with a smile, then got up to go get them. While Brian was in the kitchen, Justin stood up and stretched. He walked around a little bit, then slipped his shoes off. He didn't even think about where he left them as he resumed his seat to work on the artwork. He was so busy concentrating on the work that he didn't notice Brian come out of the kitchen until he heard a thud, and the sound of two bottles hitting the carpeted floor.

"Fuck!" Brian yelled. Justin looked over to where Brian was and saw that he had fallen. Not only had he fallen, he had tripped. And what he tripped over was Justin's shoes.

"Brian, I'm so sorry!" Justin said as he got up and went to help the man.

"What was that?" Brian asked as he dusted himself off.

"It was my shoes. I'm so sorry. I should have moved them out of the way. I'm sorry."

"Justin......it's okay. While you're right, you should have moved them, it's fine. Nothing's hurt but my pride and I think I can live with that particular pain for one evening. Now, you can pay me back by finding the beers." Justin nodded and picked the two beers up, setting them on the coffee table. He moved his shoes out of the way before resuming his seat on the couch.

"I really am sorry."

"Saying that you're sorry a million times will not change the fact that it happened, Justin. Forget about it, okay?" Brian smiled and Justin sighed with relief. Brian continued to talk as Justin worked. As Justin had said, having someone to talk to helped him work faster. It was six in the morning when he put the finishing touches on the last bit of artwork.

"Done, four hours ahead of schedule." Justin said with a smile.

"That's great." Brian said with a yawn. "Now I can go get an hour's worth of sleep before I have to get up."

"I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I've worked on no sleep before. This is a no brainer campaign; I can do it on practically no sleep." He smiled.

"Should I take them with me or leave them with you?"

"Take them with you. Between my briefcase and Topper I won't be able to carry it."

"Where is Topper anyway?"

"Out in the back yard. I didn't want him jumping all over you."

"He never jumps on me at the office."

"That's because at the office he's on the clock." Brian smirked.

"On the clock?" Justin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Topper is just like any other dog. He's playful and cheery and just a great dog to have around. But once that harness goes on, he's all business. He's a very well trained dog. He knows the difference between in the harness and out of it. He even saved my life once."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We were about to start crossing the street. He looked and there were no cars and so we started across, then, when we were just about to step off the curb, he froze. I wasn't sure what was going on, but he did stop, so I stopped too and right when I stopped, a car whizzed by. If he hadn't stopped then both of us would have gotten hit because the guy was going way faster than the speed limit."

"Guess it's a good thing he was there, huh?"

"Yeah. That's why I never go outside the house without him."

"Well, I better get going if I'm going to get any rest."

"Don't worry about coming in on time. I'll tell Ryder what happened. You get as much sleep as you need, okay?" Once again Brian smiled.

"Thanks." Justin replied. "But......what about the artwork?"

"I'll have Cynthia come by and pick it up before she comes into work. I think you're on the way from her place to the office."

"Okay, I'll expect her to come by then."

"Okay." Brian got up and led Justin to the door. "I guess I'll see you later." He said with a smirk and Justin laughed.

"Yeah, see you." Then Justin left. He was still amazed at how easily Brian could move around without being able to see anything.

Daphne made her way up the stairs to Justin's apartment. They were going to go to a movie together. She knocked on the door and heard no reply. She checked her watch and knew that Justin was supposed to be home by then. Besides, his car was parked outside. She waited a couple of minutes, then knocked again.

"Fuck!" came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a loud thud. After about five minutes, the door finally opened. Daphne tried not to laugh as Justin was standing in front of her with a blindfold on.

"Kinkiness get out of hand?" She asked with a smirk.

"Fuck you." Justin replied. He did, however, step aside for her to come in. Once the door was shut, he moved around, trying to find the couch and succeeding only in running into it.

"Justin........what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see what it's like to be blind."

"Um........why?"

"One of the top ad execs at the firm is blind."

"A blind ad man? That explains a lot." She chuckled.

"Shut up. He's one of the best. He comes up with the ideas and his staff makes it possible. They do the stuff he can't."

"But.......why this sudden interest in blindness? You've been working there for like.....six months."

"I went over to his house the other day to work on a campaign that he had to deliver the next morning. He was walking around his house without any problem. It was almost like he could see."

"That's cool. It's also common. Blind people usually know their way around their own house." Justin sighed and sat down on the couch, after finally removing the blindfold.

"I know, but it was so interesting watching him. Although.......I took my shoes off and didn't think to move them to the side and he tripped over them. God, I still feel awful about that."

"He didn't get hurt, did he?"

"No. But I still feel bad."

"So......is this interest in blindness purely academic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me what he looks like." She said. Justin gave her a curious look, but obliged nonetheless.

"Well, he's tall, about six foot three. He's got this chestnut colored hair that shines when the light hits it just right. He's got these beautiful hazel eyes, even though he covers them with sunglasses most of the time. And a totally amazing body."

"That's what I thought." Daphne said with a smirk.

"What?"

"You're hot for him."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Justin.......listen to how you just described him." She repeated his description word for word, even matching his tone and expression.

"Did I really say it like that?" He asked. She nodded and he sighed.

"You're lost for him, Justin. Is he gay?"

"Yeah. That much I know for sure."

"Okay then. I say, go for it."

"You mean, ask him out?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Maybe because technically he's my boss."

"That can be over looked, Justin. Besides, if you make the first move, he can't get in trouble. So.....make the first move." She smiled.

"You really think I should?"

"Most definitely. Who knows? He might just turn out to be Mr. Right."

"I always thought Mr. Right would be able to see me."

"This is better, Justin. He's not blinded by how gorgeous you are. No pun intended."

"Oh great." Justin laughed.

"Think of it this way then, okay? If he wants to fuck you, it won't be because you have a nice ass, or a gorgeous face, it'll be because he's attracted to your mind, and your personality. Because he's attracted to the real you."

"That is better." Justin said with a smile.

”Of course it is. I'm always right." They both shared a laugh before heading to the movie.

Brian had been sitting in the house all day and he was tired of it. He put his book down and got up from the couch. He walked over to where he generally kept Topper's harness and picked it up.

"Topper, come here boy." Brian called. A few minutes later the dog came running and almost tackled him. Brian laughed and scratched behind his ears, causing the dog to lick his face. "Okay, boy, calm down." Once Topper was on all fours again, Brian put the harness on him. Joan came downstairs to get something to drink.

"Going somewhere?" She asked.

"Just for a walk. I need to get out of the house."

"Okay, but be sure to take a jacket, it's a little cold outside." She walked over and kissed his cheek, then headed into the kitchen. Brian stepped outside long enough to test the weather, then grabbed a sweater.

"It's not cold enough for a jacket." He told Topper as he pulled the sweater on. Once he was ready, he grabbed the harness and he and Topper set off. At times like these, when Brian really just wanted to get out of the house, he let Topper lead the way, not really caring where they went and knowing the dog would get him back home when he said to.

They had been walking along for about an hour when Brian felt something cold and wet hit his hand. It was at that moment that he heard thunder rumble overhead. He sighed heavily.

"Come on, Topper. Time to go home." The dog obediently turned and headed back home. They had gotten all of ten feet when it suddenly started raining. Because they were actually in the suburbs, and Brian had left his cell phone at home, there was no way to call a cab, or flag one down, so Brian was stuck walking home. By the time he got in the door, both he and Topper were completely soaked. Brian took the harness off Topper and he moved in front of the fireplace. Sometime while he was gone, Joan had started a fire. Brian tried to make it upstairs without being noticed, but he failed.

"My goodness, Brian! You're soaked. I told you to take a jacket."

"I d....d...d.....didn't think it was th...th...th...that cold out there." Brian answered. He was shivering so bad it was causing him to stutter.

"Get up to your room right this minute and get out of those clothes." She demanded. Brian just nodded and headed up to his room, stripping out of his wet clothes. Before he could pull anything on, Joan came into the room and went straight to the bathroom that was attached.

"Mom....." While Brian was not usually a modest man, being seen naked by his mother still bothered him.

"Oh, come on. It's nothing I haven't seen before." He just sighed and sat down on the bed. She ran him a hot bath. While he waited for the tub to fill, he noticed a tickle at the back of his throat. He began to clear his throat but it soon turned into a cough.

"I knew it; you've gone and gotten sick." She said as she came out of the bathroom and pulled him to his feet, practically pushing him into the bathtub.

"I'm not sick." Brian protested, though he coughed again.

"We'll see." She said. Even though Brian protested, Joan helped him with his bath, having switched into seriously overprotective mother mode. She helped him out of the bath and let him dry off as she went to make some soup. Brian went digging through his drawers until he found his sweats. He wore them so infrequently that he often forgot where they were kept. Once he was dressed he climbed into bed. Joan came into the room with the soup and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Mom, I'm fine."

"You should still eat something."

"Okay, fine. But you are not going to feed me. I can feed myself."

"Fine." She said as she set the tray in his lap. He picked up the spoon, got a spoonful of soup and started to move it toward his mouth, stopping half way.

"What is it?"

"Tomato." Brian nodded and tested the temperature of the soup before eating. Once he was done, Joan gathered up the tray. "Now, get some sleep. Maybe you'll have a chance to fight off whatever it is that you're coming down with."

"I am not sick." Brian protested once again, though he was snuggling under the covers to do as instructed. Joan came over and kissed his forehead after setting the tray down on the dresser.

"Get some sleep." She smiled and touched his cheek. He returned the smile. She then gathered everything and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Joan was awakened in the middle of the night. She wasn't quite sure what had woken her up, but she felt an intense urge to go check on Brian. When she got a few feet away from his door, she understood what had woken her up. Ever since Brian was a small child, Joan would always wake up in the middle of the night if he were sick. No matter how quiet he was, there was some kind of connection between them that made it impossible for her to sleep if her son was ill for any reason. As she neared his door, she heard him coughing. They were deep, horrible, hacking coughs and she sighed. She knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

"Brian?" She said as she poked her head in. He was sitting up in bed, a tissue in his hand. He looked up at the sound of her voice. "You okay?" All Brian could do was shake his head as he was hit by another round of coughing. Joan moved over and sat beside him on the bed. She reached up and touched his forehead, almost pulling her hand back immediately.

"Brian, you're burning up." She went into the bathroom and got a thermometer. It was the kind that you put in your ear, which was advantageous given that Brian's coughing would have prevented him from holding one in his mouth. When she took his temperature, her eyes went wide. "I'm taking you to the hospital." She insisted.

"That bad?" He finally managed to say between coughs.

"You sound like you're trying to cough up a lung and you've got a temperature of one hundred and three. What do you think?" Brian simply nodded. He stayed in bed while Joan got dressed, then he let her lead him down to the car.

They had been sitting in the emergency room for about two hours when someone finally took them to an exam room. By that time Brian's fever had risen to almost one hundred and five. They gave him some Tylenol to bring the fever down, then ran some tests to see what the problem was. The doctor left Joan and Brian in the exam room. Brian managed to fall asleep, though he was still coughing every now and then. Joan sat there, looking at her son with a concerned expression. She hoped it wasn't too serious.

"Mrs. Kinney?" The doctor came into the room about an hour later.

"Yes."

"It appears your son has contracted pneumonia." He answered. Joan put a hand over her mouth.

"Oh my."

"Don't worry. His case isn't as severe as it could be. I'm going to prescribe him some antibiotics and he can go home once all the paperwork is taken care of. He needs to stay in bed and drink plenty of fluids. If his fever spikes again, don't hesitate to bring him back in." Joan nodded. The doctor handed her two pieces of paper with the prescriptions on them, then left. Once the paperwork was filled out, Joan put Brian in the car and headed home. She managed to find a twenty-four hour pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled, then helped Brian into bed.

"I'm sorry." Brian said softly as Joan started to leave his room. She thought he was asleep. She made her way back over to his bed and took a seat, moving his bangs back from his forehead before leaning down to kiss it. He was still a little warm, but at least the fever had gone down.

"Don't be, Brian. You couldn't have known it was going to start raining. And it wasn't really all that cold out there when you left." He simply nodded and rolled over and went back to sleep. Joan waited until she was sure he wouldn't wake up, then went to her own room, though she couldn't get back to sleep.

The next day, Joan was in the kitchen making some lunch when the phone rang. She wiped her hands off on the dishtowel before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Um.....hello.....is Brian there?"

"Who's calling?"

"This is Justin. I work with Brian."

"Oh yes. He's home, but he's not feeling very well at the moment."

"I heard he called in sick."

"Yes, he did. He managed to come down with pneumonia." She sighed.

"Is he okay?" There was no missing the concern in the man's voice.

"The doctor says he should be fine as long as he gets plenty of rest."

"Oh......um......can I talk to him?"

"Yes, but just for a minute." She then put the phone down and went upstairs. She knocked on Brian's door and stuck her head in.

"What is it?" Brian asked as he sat up. He'd been in the middle of a nap.

"There's someone on the phone for you."

"Okay, thanks." Brian started to reach for the phone.

"Try to keep it to ten minutes, you need to sleep."

"Yes, mom." Brian picked up the phone. Joan shut the door behind her as she went downstairs. Both men waited until they heard the click of the other phone before either started talking.

"Hey." Justin said.

"Hey."

"How you feeling?"

"Like I'm back in Jr. High." He then imitated his mother's voice. "Be sure and keep it to ten minutes" They both laughed.

"She just wants to make sure you get better." Justin said.

"Yeah, I know." Brian sighed. "So.....was there a reason for the call?"

"Yeah, we were supposed to have a meeting this morning, remember?"

"Oh yeah.....I completely forgot about that. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. That's how I found out you're sick, by the way. I went to your office for the meeting and Cynthia told me."

"Well, at least she's good for something." He said with a laugh, which then turned into a horrible cough. Justin couldn't help but worry.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked.

"Other than trying to cough up a lung every few minutes, I'm fine. They've got me on all kinds of drugs to help clear it up."

"That's good." About then they heard the phone click indicating that Joan had picked up.

"Brian, you need your rest." She then hung up the phone. Brian sighed heavily.

"Guess I better get going. I have lots of homework to do." He said sarcastically, making Justin laugh.

"Any idea when you'll be back to work?"

"Doctor says I'm stuck in bed until this clears up. Could be a couple of weeks."

"Well......I'll see you whenever. I hope you get better soon. You've only been gone one day and the place is already a disaster." Justin chuckled and Brian laughed, and again the laugh turned into a cough.

"You gotta stop making me do that." Brian said.

"I'm sorry." Justin replied softly.

"It's okay. I was just joking. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later." Justin said, then hung up. Brian hung up the phone and snuggled back up under the blanket, falling asleep almost immediately.

Joan was sitting at the kitchen table, going through the bills. When she first moved in with Brian, he had gotten a joint account with her so that she could pay the bills for him. It amazed her that he trusted her enough to give her access to his money and she did everything that she could to maintain that trust. The bills were always paid on time and in just the right amount and she never spent money that she did not have his permission to spend.

She was looking through the bills when Brian came into the kitchen. It had been almost two weeks since he was first diagnosed with pneumonia and he was showing marked improvement. The doctor even said that he could go back to work starting Monday. Brian walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. He leaned down and started digging around. After a couple of minutes, he held up a drink can.

"Mom, what's this?"

"Pepsi." She responded. He nodded and put it back, then held up another one.

"This?"

"Coke." Once again he nodded and put it back before holding up another one.

"This one?"

"Minute Maid Orange." She answered. He stood up and looked in her general direction.

"What the fuck are we doing with Minute Maid Orange?"

"You asked me for it a couple of weeks ago."

"When I first got sick?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered and Brian nodded.

"That explains it." He said, then he went back to digging through the fridge. Before long he held up another can. "What's this?"

"Pepsi again."

"Regular, or diet."

"If it was diet I would have said diet."

"Geesh, no reason to get snippy." He then put the can back.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you?" Once again Brian stood and looked in her general direction.

"Where's the fun in that?" He asked with a smirk.

"And what exactly would you do if I wasn't here to tell you what was what?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'd just drink whatever I grabbed first." He said, sticking out his tongue at her. Joan couldn't help but laugh because he looked all of ten years old when he did that.

"Why don't you do that now?" She questioned.

"Because I want to make you feel useful." He replied.

"More like you want to annoy me."

"That too." He said with a laugh and Joan just rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm trying to pay the bills here so I would appreciate it if you wouldn't bother me."

"How much this time around?" Brian asked as he made his way over to the kitchen table where Joan was sitting. He had grabbed a can of Coke, opened it and took a drink. Joan flipped through the bills.

"Electric is eight five. Water is twelve. Cable is forty-five. Internet is fifty. House payment is, of course, six hundred eighty seven. Phone bill is ninety five because you keep making those long distance calls to your sister and talking for hours on end."

"How do I know that you're not just spouting numbers out to me?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Don't you trust me?"

"Not really." Brian said with a laugh.

"Then why am I doing this?"

"Because last time I checked, bills don't come in Braille." Joan sighed and Brian could tell she was not amused at all. "Mom....I'm just joking. If I didn't trust you I wouldn't have given you access to my money." She reached across the table and took his hand.

"I know. I just......I don't understand why you trust me so much."

"Maybe because you kept what happened to me from being a lot more serious than it was." Brian said softly, his voice sincere.

"It wouldn't have happened if......"

"If what? If you hadn't gone into my room? Mom, come on. We've talked about this. This is not your fault. You did not tell him to throw oil in my face. You did not tell him to pour gasoline all over me. You did not convince him to try to kill me because I'm gay. That was entirely him. So as much as you would like to blame yourself for this, you are the only person that blames you. This was his fault, not yours, okay?"

"I still feel responsible." She said softly. Brian squeezed her hand.

"Think about it this way, mom. If you hadn't stopped dad, I could be dead now. If he had been able to light that match......God only knows what could have happened. He could have blown up the whole house for all we know. At the very least, mom, you saved my life." He smiled reassuringly at her. Brian could not see the tears rolling down his mother's cheeks, but he did feel them against his own cheek when she came around the table and hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you too, mom." He said with a smile before kissing her cheek.

Brian was awakened by something cold and wet touching his cheek. When he was fully awake he realized that Topper was licking his face. He laughed, reaching up to scratch the dog behind the ears. When Topper finally stopped, Brian reached over and hit the button on his clock, the mechanical voice announcing that it was eight in the morning.

"Why did you wake me up at eight on a Saturday?" Brian groaned. Topper practically ran out of the room. Brian rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but was once again awakened, this time by something dropping into the bed with him. When he found the object he discovered that it was Topper's favorite ball. Brian sighed.

"You're not gonna let me go back to sleep, are you?" He asked and Topper barked. Brian laughed. "Well, you're going to have to wait until I get showered and dressed. Think you can handle that?" Topper barked again. Brian leaned down and kissed his forehead before going to take a shower. Once he was dressed, Brian grabbed the ball off the bed and started downstairs.

"Come on, boy." Brian stopped in the kitchen long enough to grab a glass of juice before heading out into the backyard. He made his way over to the table and chairs that were set up outside and took a seat before throwing the ball. Topper barked cheerfully before going to get it. Brian knew that the house was on his right side so he did his best to throw to the left so that he wouldn't break a window. Before long, the ball was dropped in his lap. Brian laughed and threw it again.

"You know why I love playing fetch with you so much, boy?" He asked Topper after about the sixth throw. The dog simply barked, wanting him to throw the ball again. "Playing fetch with you is helping me perfect my aim. Pretty soon when I throw something at Cynthia, I'll actually be able to hit her." He laughed and threw the ball; Topper went running after it, bringing it back in no time.

Joan had woken up and made her way into the kitchen to make some coffee. She smiled when she looked out the patio doors and saw Brian and Topper playing fetch. She was glad that Brian had the dog to help him when he left the house, but also because he was a good friend. There had been more than once that she had gone in to wake Brian and he was lying there snuggled up to the dog. She sometimes worried about Brian's loneliness, but at least with Topper he wasn't too lonely. After a few minutes, Brian and Topper came back into the house.

"Hey mom."

"Morning." She said. Once her location had been establish, Brian made his way over and kissed her cheek.

"Sleep well?" This was their usual morning routine on the weekends.

"Yes. You?" She poured him a cup of coffee as he took a seat at the table.

"I was sleeping great until somebody decided I needed to be up at eight in the morning." Topper barked and Brian and Joan both laughed.

"Do you have any plans for today?" She asked as she set the cup of coffee down in front of him, making sure that sugar was on the table instead of salt.

"Well......I was going to go to Liberty Avenue. I haven't talked to Debbie for a while."

"I've never understood why you still talk to her." Joan shook her head.

"Just because her son's a total prick doesn't mean I can't talk to her. She's still nice." He smirked. "And she gives me free food." He laughed.

"You know you pay for it anyway."

"Yeah, I know. But it's nice of her to offer. Was there any particular reason you asked if I had plans?"

"No. I was just curious. If you're going to be out I might go see a movie or something."

"That would be good. It's been a while since you actually got out of the house without me in tow."

"Exactly. So......how long do you think you'll be gone?" She asked. Brian shrugged.

"Depends on how much food she tries to shove down my throat." He smiled.

"Well, call me before you come home, okay? I'll have the cell with me."

"Okay." Brian finished his coffee and got up to go change. "Can you harness Topper while I change clothes?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." He once again kissed her cheek before making his way upstairs. He went digging through his closet looking for something to wear, deciding on a pair of black jeans and a black sweater. Once he was ready to go, he went back downstairs. He grabbed his keys and phone off the table in the hall and stuffed them into various pockets.

"Topper, come on." He called. In no time Topper was at his side. Brian took hold of the harness and they headed out the door. Though they were considered in the suburbs, they weren't very far from Liberty Avenue. It only took about a half an hour to get there walking at a leisurely pace. They were walking down the street when Topper suddenly started to pull away from Brian.

"Topper, calm down." Brian said. He was starting to worry because Topper usually obeyed when he was in the harness. The next thing Brian knew, Topper took off running. Brian managed to catch his balance, having almost fallen over when Topper took off.

"Topper! What are you doing? Get back here!" He called as he tried to make his way down the street. The next thing Brian knew there was the sound of screeching tires and then a yelp. He was still trying to make his way toward the street. As he got a little closer he could hear the sound of a small child crying over the voices of various people. One of the voices said something about the dog saving a child's life. Brian froze where he stood.

What Brian hadn't seen was a little three-year-old boy wonder away from his mothers and start to walk out into the street. Topper had seen the child, and the impending danger, and had run out into the street, pushing the child back out of the way. He was, however, unable to get out of the way himself. The two women that were his mothers were holding him and trying to comfort him, looking around for the dog's owner.

Brian stood on the opposite corner of the street. He reached out and touched someone's arm. The person turned to look at him.

"Yes?" A male voice asked.

"Are......are they any cars coming?" Brian asked. The man was about to make a snide comment when something hit him.

"That your dog?" The man asked. Brian nodded. The man looked both ways, then shook his head before realizing he'd have to voice his answer. "No, there aren't any cars."

"Thanks." Brian said. He found the edge of the curb and got down on his hands and knees as he made his way out to the street. His hand soon touched fur and he sighed. When he found the harness, he froze again. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the street, pulling Topper into his lap. He gently stroked the dog's fur, rocking back and forth slightly.

"It's okay, boy. It's gonna be okay." He kept whispering over and over again. His hand soon came in contact with something wet and he knew that it was Topper's blood. That didn't stop him from trying to encourage the dog.

The two women stood on the corner and watched as the man slowly made his way out to the dog. One of them was still trying to get their son to calm down as the other walked out to the man sitting in the middle of the street.

"Sir?" She asked as she moved forward. He looked up in her general direction and she saw tears rolling down his cheeks from under his sunglasses.

"Yes?" His voice shaking as he said the simple word.

"We need to get your dog to the hospital." She said softly. Brian nodded, though he hugged Topper to him. After a few minutes, she helped him stand, then she gently picked up the dog and they headed to her car. They rushed to the emergency animal hospital and the dog was taken back immediately. They all sat in the waiting room.

"I'm Melanie, and this is my partner Lindsay, and our son Abraham." One of them said finally. Brian just nodded, bowing his head.

"I'm really sorry this happened." Lindsay said. Brian just shrugged. When it was obvious that Brian wasn't going to say anything, they decided to just sit quietly. Abraham walked over and hugged Brian's knee. Brian smiled slightly, reaching down and rubbing the boy's back. A couple of minutes later, the veterinarian came out.

"Mr. Kinney?" Brian lifted his head in the general direction of the voice.

"Yes." The Vet came over and sat down beside Brian.

"I'm sorry. We weren't able to save him." The doctor said. Lindsay and Melanie both sighed, Lindsay putting a hand over her mouth.

"So you're telling me my dog is dead?" Brian was managing to stay completely calm.

"I'm afraid so, yes." The Vet said. Brian just nodded. The Vet put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry." He stood. Once again Brian just nodded and the man walked off. They sat there in silence for several minutes.

"I'm so sorry." Lindsay said finally. Brian looked in her general direction.

"That doesn't bring my dog back, now does it?" He asked through clenched teeth. The anger was building and he wasn't going to hold back. "How can you be so fucking irresponsible?"

"What?" Melanie asked.

"You should really keep a better eye on your son. He shouldn't be allowed to just run out into the street like that."

"You have no right......" Lindsay started.

"I have every right! Think about this. If I hadn't been where I was, when I was it would be your son that's dead now instead of my dog!" Brian stood and made his way out of the office, leaning against the building by the door. He pulled out his cell phone and turned it on.

"Call home." He said with a shaking voice. Tears were starting to fall down his cheeks again.

"Hello?" Joan asked as she answered.

"Mom...." Brian couldn't keep his voice from cracking.

"Brian.....what is it?"

"Can you come get me?"

"Where are you?"

"Daniel Street Animal Hospital." He replied and that cut off her next question, which would have been where Topper was.

"Okay, I'll be right there." She hung up, grabbed her keys and left. When she got there, Brian was sitting outside on the ground, hugging his knees and crying. She made her way over and sat beside him.

"What happened?" She asked.

"This kid walked out into the street. There was a car coming. Topper took off and pushed the kid out of the way....." He trailed off as the tears started flowing even harder. He didn't need to continue; Joan could put two and two together. Topper was dead. Joan put her arms around Brian and kissed his temple.

"He's a hero, Brian." She said softly. Brian simply nodded. After a few minutes she managed to coax him to his feet and into the car. Once they got home, Brian went straight to his room, stripped to his underwear and curled up in a little ball under the covers. Joan sighed heavily, then went to call about getting Brian another dog.

Monday morning, Justin headed to Brian's office to go over the layouts for the latest campaign. He noticed that the office was dark. He also noticed that Cynthia was nowhere to be found. He decided to wait for a few minutes. Before long, Cynthia and Tommy came walking up.

"Hello, Justin." Tommy said.

"Hey. Um.......is Brian here?"

"No, he called out sick." Cynthia said. Justin automatically began to worry. It had been a couple of months since the bout of pneumonia, but it was still a possibility.

"Oh......okay. Um.......thanks." Justin said. He went to his office, grabbed his jacket and his keys, then headed to Brian's. He knew immediately that something was wrong when Joan answered the door.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Justin. We talked on the phone a while back. Is Brian okay?"

"He's just a little distraught."

"Oh....um......what happened?"

"Topper was hit by a car Saturday."

"Oh no...." Justin said. Joan nodded. "I......can I see him?"

"Yes, of course. Maybe you could cheer him up." She smiled and let Justin in. "He's in his room right now. Upstairs turn right, second door on the left." Justin nodded and headed up. He lightly knocked on the door.

"I said I'm not hungry." Brian's voice came through the door. Justin opened it and poked his head in.

"That's good because I didn't bring any food." Brian sat up in bed.

"Justin......what are you doing here?" It was obvious that Brian had been crying.

"I came to see how you're doing. I thought you were sick, but this is worse." He said as he made his way into the room and took a seat on the edge of Brian's bed. He thought at first that Brian might protest, but he didn't. Justin heard something coming from the other side of the room and turned to see what it was. The TV was on and The Fox and The Hound was playing. Justin smiled, then looked back at Brian.

"That's a cute movie." He said. Brian just nodded, sniffling.

"It's my favorite." He wouldn't usually have admitted that, but he felt no need to hide it since Justin knew he was "watching" the movie.

"Trying to cheer up?" Justin asked and Brian shook his head. Justin was more than a little confused.

"You ever seen the movie?" Brian asked.

"Yes." Justin replied.

"Then you know that the two main characters are Todd and Copper, right?"

"Right."

"Well.......when I was having to pick a name for my dog, I wanted to name him something from the movie. It is my favorite movie after all. But I couldn't decide whether to name him Todd or Copper. So I just combined the two names and came up with Topper. It was either that or Codd and Topper sounds much better." Brian smiled slightly and Justin laughed.

"Topper was definitely the better choice." He agreed, then Brian sighed.

"Now I have to get a new dog." He sniffled again. Justin reached over and took his hand.

"How long have you had Topper?"

"This particular dog I've had for about four years. He was actually Topper III."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Dogs can only be effective Seeing Eye dogs for about a six-year span. After that, they're just too old. My first dog was retired early because he started to get senile, but I had him for about four years. The next one lasted five years. Then came Topper III. And now I get Topper IV."

"I'm sure this dog will be just as good as Topper III." Justin said with a smile.

"Topper III was the best." Brian sniffled. Justin grabbed a tissue and wiped Brian's eyes for him. They sat in silence through the rest of the movie, tears rolling down Brian's cheeks by the end. Justin once again grabbed a tissue and dried Brian's cheeks for him.

"Maybe you should get some sleep." Justin suggested. Brian was emotionally drained and completely exhausted. He simply nodded and lay down. Justin pulled the blankets up to his chin, then went over and turned the TV off before heading back downstairs. "He's asleep." Justin answered Joan's unasked question. He sighed heavily.

"This is really hard on him." Joan said.

"I can only imagine. I know how I felt when my dog died back when I was thirteen, and he was just a pet. Topper was much more important to Brian. I can tell he's totally heartbroken."

"And all because two women couldn't keep their child under control." Joan sighed. Justin simply nodded.

"Well......I better get going. Sorry I couldn't cheer him up."

"As close as he was to that dog, I don't think anything could have, but I appreciate the effort." Joan said with a smile. Justin nodded, then left.

Brian had woken up and showered and was getting ready to shave when Joan came in to make sure he was awake. Joan came into the room and made her way into the bathroom when she did not see him in bed. She saw that he was about to shave and started to reach for the electric razor in his hand.

"Here, let me do that for you." She said.

"I can do it, mom." Brian said with a smile.

"You can?" She asked incredulously. Brian simply nodded, then started to shave. He would feel along the various parts of his face before and after running the razor over it. Joan stood back and watched in amazement as he shaved himself. She just shook her head and sighed. "I'll be downstairs." She then left.

Before long, Brian was dressed and downstairs, tie draped over his neck. She smirked as she came over and tied his tie for him, then kissed his cheek before going back into the kitchen. Brian made his way over to the kitchen table and took a seat.

"Brian, are you sure you want to go in to work by yourself today?" She asked a little concerned.

"I will eventually have to get back out there on my own, mom. I mean......that's why we've got the new Topper."

"But.......she's so young."

"Mom......they wouldn't have given her to me if she wasn't trustworthy. I'll be fine, okay? Stop worrying." Joan simply sighed and gave Brian his cup of coffee. After two cups of coffee and a piece of toast, Brian went to work. He arrived right on time, then made his way up to his office, walking past Cynthia without a word. Cynthia followed him into his office.

"I see you got a new dog."

"Yup." Was all Brian said as he took a seat and removed his sunglasses, sticking them in his jacket pocket.

"This one Topper also?"

"Yup."

"He's a cutie."

"She."

"They gave you a female dog?"

"Yup."

"You're rather monosyllabic today."

"Yup." They both laughed. "There is one thing that you and my dog have in common, though, Cynthia."

"Oh? What's that?"

"You're both bitches." Brian replied with a smirk and Cynthia stuck her tongue out at him. "Real mature Cyn."

"Wait a minute...” Brian laughed.

"I'm really blind, I just figured you were either sticking out your tongue or flipping me off." They both laughed again.

"Well, Justin said something about a meeting this afternoon. And Tommy should be here in about fifteen minutes, then we can start going over the Hendrick campaign."

"Hendrick?" Brian asked. It had been more than a week since they worked on the campaign.

"Yeah, you know. Hendrick Motor Sports? NASCAR? More specifically Jeff Gordon?"

"Oh yeah.......that." Brian sighed. "I will never understand the appeal of watching cars go around a track." Cynthia laughed.

"It doesn't matter; you just have to make them want it even more. The meeting is tomorrow."

"Thanks ever so much." Brian smirked.

"I'll let you get to work." Cynthia then closed the office door on her way out.

It was around twelve thirty when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Brian said as he put the tape recorder away.

"You eaten yet?" Justin asked as he poked his head in the door.

"Not yet."

"Wanna go get something to eat?"

"Actually, I was going to go take a walk. Tops here needs some fresh air. She's still kind of young and not used to being cooped up inside all day long."

"That's cool. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." Brian smiled as he stood. He slipped his sunglasses back on before making his way over to Topper and grabbing the harness. Justin took Brian's other arm and they headed out of the building and down to a park nearby. Justin bought them a couple of hot dogs while Brian found a bench and took a seat. He took the harness off Topper and let her run around while he and Justin ate.

"I think it's so interesting that they can go from being a regular dog to being all business just because of that harness." Justin said.

"It's all in the training. She's doing well so far. I had a friend that had a dog that was very unreliable. Ended up almost getting her killed. Luckily Tops is a well trained dog."

"I'm glad." Justin was silent for a minute. "But......if they're trained to be good Seeing Eye dogs in the harness, why did Topper take off?"

"Let me ask you this, Justin. If you were leading me down the street and you saw a little kid about to get hit by a car, would you continue to lead me down the street and let the kid get hit?"

"No." Justin answered.

"While Topper's primary job was to be my eyes, he was also trained in protection. That’s why he ran off."

"Oh." Justin answered. They sat there talking for several minutes while Brian let Topper run around the park. Justin noticed a blind woman coming up the way but decided to pay no attention to her. When she got along side them, she stopped and seemed to be listening for a moment. Brian kept talking, though Justin looked at her.

"Brian?" The woman asked. Brian stopped talking and looked in her general direction.

"Jenni?" Brian asked.

"Oh my gosh, it is you, isn't it?" Brian smiled.

"Yup, it's me. How are you?"

"I'm fine. My goodness it's been years."

"Yes, it has. I think......almost eleven to be exact, wasn't it?"

"That's about right."

"So.......what have you been up to?"

"I'm getting married." Jenni said with a huge grin. Justin remained quiet, letting the friends catch up.

"That's great. He a nice guy?"

"Oh, he's wonderful. Rich too, and handsome, or so I've been told." Brian and Jenni shared a laugh.

"He better be treating you right."

"He is. He adores me." She said. Brian laughed.

"That's fantastic. I'm happy for you."

"So, what about you?" Jenni asked. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No." Brian sighed.

"Really? I always thought that you and Mikey would get together. It was obvious that you loved him, what happened?"

"It was never like that. He was more like a brother than anything. But......he turned out to be an asshole anyway."

"Really?" Jenni asked, a concerned tone to her voice.

"Yeah......he didn't like the fact that I'm blind so he started working his way out of my life. I haven't talked to him in about 12 years and I honestly don't think I ever will again." Once again Brian sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Brian. I know how much he meant to you." Jenni said. Justin watched as Brian's shoulders seemed to straighten.

"Doesn't matter. He obviously wasn't a real friend." That seemed to help Brian remember something. "Speaking of real friends, Jenni, this is my friend Justin Taylor. He's been kind of quiet over there, just eaves dropping I guess." They both laughed and Justin blushed.

"Sorry."

"That's okay; it's easy to eaves drop on blind people." Jenni said, holding out her hand. Justin took the offered hand and shook it.

"Justin, this is Jenni Carson. She taught me how to be blind." Brian smirked and Jenni laughed.

"I wouldn't say that much."

"What do you mean?" Justin asked.

"I was Brian's tutor at the Pittsburgh School for the Blind. Teaches blind people how to be independent. Things like that."

"Yeah, when you get there you have these regular classes with ten or fifteen students, but then they pair you up with mentors for the extra help that one on one provides."

"Yeah, Brian and I spent a great deal of time alone together."

"It was a lot of fun."

"Especially when you got me into bed." Jenni quipped. Justin smirked as Brian blushed.

"You fucked her?" Justin asked.

"He said he'd never been with a woman before and I asked him how he knew he didn't like it and he said he didn't know. So the next thing I know, I'm waking up with him still in bed beside me after the most amazing sex I had ever had in my entire life."

"You say that every time but I know you don't mean it." Brian commented.

"I do too. It was wonderful; unfortunately for me there would be no repeat performance." She smirked.

"You didn't like it?" Justin asked Brian.

"Well......it wasn't that I didn't like it.......it's just that........when you're fucking a woman and imagining she's a man, you know that you're not straight."

"You imagined I was a man?" She asked amused.

"Well, I had to imagine something since I don't know what you look like." By this time Justin was positively rolling.

"I'm sorry, this is too funny."

"You know, Brian, you're lucky I know the difference between love and sex, otherwise you never would have been able to lose contact with me."

"I honestly wish I hadn't." Brian replied.

"Here." She said as she pulled something out of her pocket. She handed Brian and Justin her business card. It was printed as well as in Braille. Brian "read" the card and smiled.

"A lawyer, huh?"

"Yup. You know.......I think I've cornered the market in blind clients. They seem to want a lawyer that knows what they're going through."

"That's understandable. Got room for one more client? Just in case, of course."

"Of course, Brian. For you, anything. Just give me a call if you ever need anything."

"I will. Thanks."

"A blind ad exec and now a blind lawyer? What's next?" Justin asked.

"Blind ad exec?" Jenni asked.

"Yeah, I got a degree in marketing with that scholarship I got. I have a special team that helps me with the visual stuff. I come up with the ideas and they do everything else."

"I'm glad that you have such an accommodating boss."

"He knows a good idea man when he sees one." Brian smiled.

"I'm the art director at the agency where Brian works." Justin said and Jenni nodded.

"That's great. I bet you work with Brian a lot, huh?"

"Almost every day. That's how we became friends."

"No, how we became friends was when you came to visit me when my dog died." Brian reached over and found Justin's hand, squeezing it gently.

"Your dog died?" Jenni asked.

"Kid ran out into the street, Topper ran to go save him and got hit by a car."

"Oh Brian, I'm so sorry." Jenni said softly.

"The worst part about it was the fact that I felt so helpless. I mean......there I was stranded. I had to practically crawl to the curb, then once I got told that there were no cars coming, I actually did crawl out to where Topper was." Justin had never thought about that when Brian told him the story. Once Topper ran off, Brian had been completely alone with no one to guide him. Anything could have happened.

"Did you get a new dog?" Jenni asked.

"Yeah, I'm letting her have some time to run around."

"That's good. Well, Bri. I gotta get going. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay." Brian replied. "Now that I've got your number I’ll be annoying." They both laughed.

"I'm looking forward to it." She said before walking off. Brian pushed a button on his watch, the little voice announcing that it was almost two.

"I think we better get going back to the office." Brian commented.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Tops! Come on girl, time to go!" Brian called. Obediently the dog made her way over to where Brian was. He deftly strapped the harness back on, then stood, taking a hold of the handle. Justin took Brian's other arm and they walked back to the office together.

Justin sat on the couch that evening thinking about what Brian had said. He was contemplating ordering a pizza when there was a knock on his door. He answered it to find Daphne standing on the other side, take out bag in hand.

"You read my mind." He said with a smile and Daphne laughed. Justin moved aside and Daphne entered, taking the food into the kitchen and setting the table before dishing what looked like Italian onto the plates. Justin took a seat and started eating, hungrier than he thought. They ate in silence for several minutes before Daphne said anything.

"So?"

"So what?"

"So.....have you made your move yet?" She asked excitedly, then frowned when Justin shook his head.

"I can't."

"Why not? And don't give me that he's my boss bullshit."

"He introduced me as his friend today."

"And? What's the problem?"

"The problem is that he said this guy Mikey that he used to be friends with in high school obviously wasn't his real friend. Then he said 'Speaking of real friends, this is Justin Taylor.' Do you know what that means?" Justin sighed, as did Daphne.

"It means that you're close friends and that means you can't fuck him."

"I was thinking more along the lines of him not being interested in anything more than friendship." They both sighed again.

"Do you think he's in a relationship?" She asked finally.

"No. Cynthia says that he's never had a real relationship. He's had a couple of fuck buddies, but that's it. Nothing more serious."

"Then maybe you should make your move anyway."

"And risk ruining a good friendship?"

"Justin.........if he's as good a friend as you seem to think he is, he won't let it bother things."

"Maybe you're right." Justin sighed and rested his head on the table. "But if things get fucked up, it's your fault."

Justin decided to flirt first. He'd let Brian know he was attracted, but in a subtle way and see if Brian picked up on it. His only problem was that most of the flirty things he could come up with to do required that the other person be able to see him. He had been trying for weeks to come up with something. He'd even attempted some of the ones that Brian would have to see him for them to really be effective. He was in Brian's office working on one of the newest campaigns when he had finally had enough. He threw down his pencil and made a frustrated noise.

"What?" Brian said as he looked in Justin's direction.

"Do you have any idea how seriously infuriating it is trying to flirt with a blind man?" He asked. Brian smirked.

"You've been trying to flirt with me?"

"Yes, I have. It obviously hasn't worked since you can't see me." Justin was almost pouting.

"Would you like lessons on how to flirt with a blind man?" Brian was trying to keep from laughing out loud. Justin sat there for a moment.

"Um.......sure." He said finally.

"First, bring me a pencil." Brian said. Justin was seriously confused but he did as asked. He placed the pencil in Brian's hand. "Now, ask for the pencil."

"May I have the pencil?" Justin asked.

"Now, when you take the pencil, let your fingers linger just a bit longer than they should touching mine." Brian said as he held out the pencil. When Justin's fingers brushed his he felt a jolt of electricity run through his body. It was the first real skin on skin contact the two of them had had. Since Brian couldn't see his face Justin let a smile touch his lips.

"Like that?" He asked. Brian nodded.

"Another hint is when you're talking to me, lean in really close so I can smell your cologne." He smiled. Justin rested his hands on the desk and leaned forward so that his face was just inches from Brian's. Brian took a deep breath and instantly felt the crotch of his pants get a little tighter.

"Like this?" Justin questioned.

"Yeah." Brian cleared his throat. "You can also use your tone of voice. When you ask for something, say it low and seductive." Brian lowered his voice and threw sensuality into his tone. "Would you like something to drink?" He asked. Justin closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh as Brian's voice washed over him. His cock hardening in seconds.

"You mean......like this." Justin put on his most seductive tone. He smiled when Brian almost visibly shivered.

"Yeah, like that." He cleared his throat once again. He reached up and found Justin's cheeks with his hands. He moved his hands until his thumbs were caressing Justin's full lips. Justin closed his eyes and reveled in the sensation. "Then you can lean in for a kiss. Though it'd be easier for you since you can actually see my lips." With that Brian leaned forward, touching his lips to Justin's. It was a brief kiss, lasting only a second, but it was enough to send a jolt through both men, hardening their already stiff dicks. Brian pulled back first and smiled; letting his hands drop from Justin's cheeks. He tried to act as if he hadn't been affected, wishing for the first time that Justin were the one that couldn't see.

"So.......how's the layout coming?" He asked as casually as possible.

"Huh?" Justin asked. He was still caught in the moment when Brian's lips touched his.

"The layout?" Brian asked. Justin shook his head to clear it, then sighed. He'd read more into everything than was there. He felt stupid.

"It's coming great. I better get back to it." Justin moved to his safe spot on the couch all the way on the other side of the office from Brian. Brian tried to keep the smirk off his face. Justin had played right into his hand. Now he only hoped that he hadn't given up completely. Brian still had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted Justin at first, but once his lips touched Justin's he knew he had to have him and that was all there was to it.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Joan asked as Brian made his way into the kitchen after work. He was smiling from ear to ear, a slight spring in his step.

"Nothing." He almost sang and Joan stopped what she was doing.

"Nothing my ass. Who is he?" She asked.

"Who is who?" Brian tried to play innocent.

"The guy that's got you all happy. I've seen that look before, Brian. Not on you, necessarily, but I've seen it. So who is he?" Brian sighed, defeated. His mother knew him too well.

"You remember Justin?" He asked, the name causing his smile to broaden a little.

"That blonde boy you work with?"

"Yeah, that's him. But he's not a boy. He's only four years younger than me, mom."

"Okay, okay. So he's the one that's got you practically walking on air?" She asked. Brian simply nodded. "You do realize that this could cause problems at work, right?"

"Like how?" He asked. He honestly hadn't thought about it.

"What happens if you break up? You still have to work together. Can you do that? Can you put a break up behind you to continue a working relationship?"

"Jesus, mom. We haven't even started dating yet and you've already got us broken up." He sighed

"I'm just thinking ahead, Brian. You have no idea whether or not this will work out."

"Mom.....I have always been able to leave my personal life at the office door. I think I can handle it."

"But can he?"

"You know what? I'm starting to regret telling you." He stood and started to leave the kitchen.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Brian."

"You just don't want anyone else in my life but you!" Brian almost shouted before storming up to his room and slamming the door. Joan stood there in stunned silence.

It had been a week since Brian's lesson in flirting with a blind man and there had been no mention of it between the two of them. Justin was afraid that he was reading too much into things while Brian was afraid that he had scared Justin away. They were in the middle of a meeting with Cynthia and Tommy at the moment, both looking a little uncomfortable. It was obvious to both Cynthia and Tommy that neither was paying attention to what was going on. Cynthia made this fact especially clear.

"And aliens are attacking the building as we speak; we're going to be made into slaves for their master race." Tommy smirked when neither Brian, nor Justin reacted in any way. Cynthia was finally fed up. "Oh will you two just fuck and get it over with?" She practically yelled. Both men faced her immediately.

"What?" Justin asked.

"Look, it's obvious you're at least physically attracted to each other, though I'm sure Brian's attraction is a little deeper than that. I know what happened with the little flirting lesson, by the way, Brian. That was not fair at all. You need to just find a secluded spot and fuck and either get it out of your system or get together afterward but I know for a fact that it's been at least a year since the last time Brian got laid."

"Cynthia!" Brian protested, though he blushed furiously. Justin's only response was to burst into laughter; soon they were all laughing with him. When the laughter died down, Justin was looking at Brian.

"And this is when we make our exit." Tommy said as he grabbed Cynthia's arm and practically dragged her out of the room. They both smirked when they heard the familiar click of the door being locked.

Justin made his way over to Brian's desk, moving slowly, untying his tie. He was suddenly thankful that he had left his jacket in his office. He was also thankful of the fact that Brian's office had only one window. The blinds stayed closed most of the time, since Brian didn't need to see out the window.

"You know, she could be right." He said in a low, seductive tone that Brian's twitching cock did not miss.

"Yeah. She usually is." He swallowed hard. Soon Justin was straddling his lap, his hands automatically going to the younger man's waist. Justin smiled as he felt the slight bulge in Brian's pants. He wiggled his hips and almost laughed when the bulge grew. Justin leaned forward, his lips almost touching Brian's ear.

"Has it really been a year?" Justin whispered before taking Brian's earlobe into his mouth. Brian moaned softly.

"One year......three months......two weeks and......five days." His voice was husky with passion as he answered.

"That is far too long." Justin said as he slid Brian's jacket off. The older man leaned forward so Justin could remove it. He didn't say a word when he heard the Armani jacket hit the floor. Justin undid his tie, then slipped it off. He also let that fall to the floor. As he slowly unbuttoned Brian's shirt, he kissed each exposed piece of flesh. Brian leaned his head back and moaned loudly, unable to control it. Justin stopped to pay careful attention to each nipple before kissing his way further down. When he undid the button and zipper on Brian's pants, the older man lifted his hips, allowing Justin to slip them off. Brian sat there in his chair, totally naked, his already sweaty skin sticking to the leather chair.

"God, you're gorgeous." Justin breathed as he started to slowly undress himself. Brian smiled sadly.

"I'm sure you are too." He said with a slight sigh. Justin took a seat on Brian's lap, now totally naked. They're twin stiffies rubbing against each other. Justin leaned in and kissed Brian passionately, tongues fighting for space in each other's mouths. As they kissed, Brian reached down and found the control on the chair that helped it recline almost all the way back. Justin broke the kiss and smirked.

"I knew I liked this chair." He said before kissing Brian again. They continued to kiss for several minutes, the kisses growing in intensity before Justin pulled back and whispered. "Fuck me!" Brian wrapped his arms around Justin, lifting him up and onto the desk. He paused for a minute. "What?" Justin asked.

"Where are my pants?" Justin was a little confused, but he got up long enough to locate Brian's pants, handing them to him. Brian fished around in his pockets before coming up with a condom and a small packet of lube. Justin smirked as he got back into position.

"You never know when you're gonna need it." Brian said with a smirk as he spread the lube onto his fingers. He slowly worked first one, then two fingers into Justin's hole, the younger man leaning his head off the edge of the desk and moaning. After only a few minutes of working his fingers in and out, he couldn't take it any longer. Brian removed his fingers and, with a little help, guided his dick to Justin's waiting hole.

"Oh Brian." Justin moaned. Brian then thrust into Justin, going up to the hilt in one stroke. Both men gasped in pleasure at the sensation. After a few moments to allow adjustment, Brian began to thrust. His thrusts became hurried way too soon and before he knew it, he threw his head back.

"God JUSTIN!" He yelled as he came. Justin had been jerking off while Brian fucked him and he too came soon afterwards. Brian collapsed onto Justin, panting heavily. When they were finally able to catch their breath, Brian moved his face in the direction of the door.

"Cynthia, Tommy, get back to work! Show's over!" He yelled. He knew his friends well enough by now. Both of them, having been standing outside the door listening in the entire time, blushed furiously before taking off. Brian used his thumbs to once again locate Justin's lips before leaning down and kissing him again. They moved and began to get dressed.

"So......what now?" Justin asked as he was pulling on his socks.

"We can either forget this happened, or we can make an attempt at a relationship." Brian replied as he zipped up his pants.

"I'd like to make an attempt at a relationship." Justin said softly. Brian smiled.

"So would I." They came together in a quick kiss before going back to getting dressed. Justin was positively beaming when he went back to his office. Brian couldn't wipe the smile off his face.

Justin went to meet Daphne at Woody's as they did every Wednesday night. He went straight from work, deciding to go home and change later. What Justin didn't realize is that he still had an ear-to-ear grin plastered on his face. Daphne chuckled when he sat down with her.

"Somebody got laid."

"Huh?" Justin asked.

"You're grinning like the cat that ate the canary."

"So?"

"So, the last time you had a smile like that was the last time you got laid. And Jesus, it had to be during business ours."

"In Brian's office." He admitted as he turned bright red.

"You fucked Brian?"

"He fucked me." Justin took a sip of his drink.

"So....."

"So what?"

"So how was he?"

"God, Daph......he's huge! Felt like I was being ripped in two. But it was so good." Justin sighed dreamily. Daphne laughed.

"Was it just a one time, get it out of your system kind of fuck?"

"Nope, he wants to have a relationship."

"Well, that's good. Guess a first date is in order, huh?"

"Yeah." Justin's smile suddenly faded.

"What?"

"I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, all my first date ideas require sight. Going to the movies, going to a museum."

"Brian would definitely not enjoy that." Daphne sighed. They thought for a minute. "You're going to take him to dinner, right?"

"Yeah. But what do we do after that?"

"Um.......maybe you just plan dinner and then ask him what he wants to do afterwards. I mean.......technically he's taking you out."

"Not really. I'm the one that said I wanted a relationship first. Then he said he agreed. So.......technically I'm the one that's asking him out. And it wouldn't be good for me to ask him what he wants to do."

"I say ask him to dinner. That covers it."

"So I just ask him to dinner? That's it?"

"Yeah, then if he wants to do anything else, it's up to him." Justin thought about it for a minute.

"That's not a bad idea." He smiled and they finished their drinks.

When Friday night rolled around, Justin went to pick Brian up. He’d decided to take Brian to this little known Vietnamese restaurant just off Liberty Avenue. Brian looked especially hot in a loose fitting burgundy shirt and matching, almost skin tight pants. Justin helped him into his car and then headed to the restaurant.

"So where are we going?" Brian asked.

"Ever had Vietnamese?"

"No."

"Well, you will tonight." Justin smiled.

"Sounds interesting." They approached the restaurant from the other side, rather than the Liberty Avenue side. When they got out of the car, there was loud music coming from the street. "What's all that racket?" Brian asked. Justin went to check it out.

"Looks like there's some kind of carnival going on." He said when he came back.

"Wanna check it out when we're done eating?" Brian questioned with a smirk.

"Sure." Justin smiled and took Brian's arm, leading him into the restaurant.

"Topper's going to think I'm abandoning her."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the second time in as many days that I've gone somewhere without her."

"You went somewhere else without her?"

"I had to go to the doctor yesterday and I don't take her with me when I go."

"Everything okay?" Justin was obviously concerned.

"Yeah, just my usual check up." Brian smiled and Justin nodded. They were seated almost immediately.

"You want me to order for you? I come here all the time so I know what's pretty good."

"That'll work." Brian started feeling around the table. "Um.......where's the fork?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that. They don't have forks. Only chopsticks."

"Justin......I don't know how to use chopsticks."

"I'll teach you." He said with a smile. Just then the waiter came up. "We'll have two number fifteens, hold the fish sauce, and two cokes." The waiter nodded and left. Justin looked at Brian who was fiddling with the chopsticks. He couldn't help but smirk. "Here, give them to me." Brian held them out. Justin took them and looked at Brian. "You're right handed, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, so give me your right hand." Brian did and Justin positioned the chopsticks in Brian's hand. "Now you use your index finger to manipulate them. I'd show you but......well......" Brian smiled.

"You mean like this?" He started moving the chopsticks. Scissoring them in the air. Justin smiled proudly.

"Yeah, just like that." Though Brian seemed able to use the chopsticks in the air, when it came to actually eating, it was a different story. No matter how hard Brian tried he just couldn't get the food to his mouth before he dropped it. Justin could tell that he was about to start throwing things. He moved over so that he was sitting next to Brian, then took the chopsticks out of his hand. "Here." Justin got some of the food and brought it to Brian's lips, touching them so Brian would know what was happening.

"Thanks." Brian said after swallowing the mouthful. Justin spent the rest of the dinner rather happily feeding Brian. After one bite Justin noticed a bit of sauce on Brian's lip. Before Brian could make a move to wipe it away, Justin leaned in and licked it off his lip, this action initiating a rather passionate kiss. When they broke apart, both were panting slightly.

"I think we need to eat here again." Brian said with a smirk. Justin couldn't help but laugh. Once the check was paid, Justin took Brian's hand and started to lead him out of the restaurant. Brian used his other hand to hold onto Justin's arm for added support. They decided to leave the car parked at the restaurant since Liberty Avenue wasn't that far away.

The carnival was still in full swing when they got there. There was a Ferris wheel and various other rides as well as several games. Apparently it was some kind of fundraiser. Justin bought some tickets so that they could ride the Ferris wheel, even though Brian couldn't enjoy the view of Pittsburgh from the top. As they walked, Brian kept asking Justin to describe what they had passed.

"What's that?" He asked for about the hundredth time.

"Looks like one of those games where you toss the ball into a cup."

"What do you win?"

"Well.......there's this adorable teddy bear that's about as big as I am." Justin raised an eyebrow at the smile on Brian's face.

"I wanna try it."

"Brian......."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun." Brian urged. Justin smiled and nodded.

"Okay, come on." Justin led him over to the booth and paid for the three balls. He snickered at the look the booth attendant gave him when he handed one of the balls to Brian.

"How far back am I?"

"I'd say about two feet." Brian nodded, then tossed the ball. Amazingly it went into a cup on the first try. Both Justin and the attendant stared at Brian in shock.

"How'd you do that?" The attendant asked.

"It's easy. I wasn't really trying." Brian said with a smirk.

"Well, you can have any of the prizes you want."

"Justin, you pick." Brian smiled. Justin picked the teddy bear and had an interesting time leading Brian along while carrying the bear.

"How am I going to explain that my blind boyfriend won this for me?" Justin asked and Brian laughed.

"I think you might want to go put it in the car, Justin."

"Think you'll be okay while I do that?" Justin sounded a little worried.

"Just find me a place out of the way and I'll be good." Justin nodded and moved him over to stand next to one of the booths. Brian put a hand on the wall of the booth and Justin went back to the car. He moved as quickly as he could, returning to Brian in a matter of minutes. "That was fast." Brian smiled.

"Didn't want to leave you out here too long. I mean......you might run away on me." They both laughed. Justin looked around and smiled. "Brian, look. It's a fortune teller." Brian sighed.

"Please don’t tell me you believe in that shit."

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun." Justin said. Brian just rolled his eyes, though Justin couldn't see it behind the sunglasses.

"Okay." He said finally and Justin smiled. They went over and Justin took a seat first. The sign above the booth said Mysterious Marilyn.

"So, what'll it be boys? Palms, Tarot, Ouiji?"

"How about palms?" Justin said and she nodded. She took his right hand and spread it out, reading the lines very carefully.

"Oh, I see here your love line is very long. And.......it looks as if you've already met your one true love." She glanced up at Brian. Justin was too busy studying the lines of his hand to notice. Marilyn looked at the lines again. "I have a bit of advice for you, sweetie."

"What's that?"

"Those who mean well can often cause problems if you let them. I suggest you follow your heart and disregard their wishes." Justin looked confused for a minute, then nodded.

"Okay, Bri. Your turn." Justin got up.

"No."

"I see you're not a believer." Marilyn said.

"Gee, how could you tell?" Brian's voice was thick with sarcasm.

"Come on, Brian. Please?" Justin was practically begging. Brian sighed and let Justin maneuver him into the seat. Marilyn took his hand and started looking at it. Her head shot up and she looked at Brian a minute, then she looked down again.

"Well, I can see you haven't had the most pleasant life. Your father was a drunk. Often mistreated you told you that you weren't wanted. And it seems that he......" Before she could continue, Brian pulled his hand away.

"I thought you were going to read my future, I already know my past." Marilyn looked at Brian and realized that she had crossed the line.

"You're right, I'm sorry." She said. Justin looked at Brian a minute, curiosity almost getting the best of him, but he kept his mouth shut. Marilyn looked at Brian's hand again. "It seems you too have found love. But......it appears that discord is in your future."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently........there's going to be a fight with your mother over this love of yours." Brian scoffed.

"I haven't fought with my mother in ten years."

"Well, believe what you will, sweetie, but I see problems in your future." Brian once again pulled his hand away. Justin paid Marilyn, then helped Brian stand up. They started to walk through the carnival again, making their way to the Ferris wheel. Brian held onto Justin as he felt the car starting to go up.

"What's it look like?" He asked.

"It's beautiful. There are lights as far as you can see. It's like a black blanket with little twinkling lights all over it." Justin answered. Brian smiled, but sighed.

"Wish I could see it." He said sadly, resting his head on Justin's shoulder.

"Me too." Justin said, kissing the top of Brian's head. Once they were back on the ground, Justin led Brian to the car and drove him home. He walked Brian up to the door and kissed his cheek. "I had a great time tonight."

"Me too." Brian said with a smile. They stood there in silence for a minute before Justin leaned in and kissed Brian on the lips. Brian's arms went around Justin and they kissed for several minutes, until the door opened and Joan cleared her throat. Brian and Justin both blushed.

"I'll see you later, Brian. And.....thanks for the teddy bear."

"Anytime, Justin. Later." Brian then went into the house. Joan smirked as she followed him.

"So, you seem to be hitting it off with him." She said.

"Yeah, he's great." Brian smiled.

"Plan to see him again?"

"Yeah."

"You should have him over for dinner sometime. I'd really like to get to know him."

"I don't want to scare him away." Brian said with a laugh.

"Very funny." There was no humor in her voice.

"Oh, come on, mom. You know I'm joking." He kissed her cheek.

"I know, sweetie." She sighed. "Brian......does he make you happy?"

"Mom, it was the first date."

"Okay, okay. I'll back off. I just don't want to see you get hurt." Brian once again kissed her cheek.

"I won't mom. Don't worry." He smiled, then tried to cover a yawn.

"You should get some sleep, Brian. You have that early meeting tomorrow." Brian nodded and headed upstairs.

"Night mom." He said before going into his room.

"Night Brian." She said with a sigh. Joan went into the kitchen and started cleaning; all the while hoping that Brian was right.

Brian and Justin had been dating for all of three weeks. Cynthia couldn't help but smile as she watched the two of them together. It was common knowledge at the office that they were both gay so they saw no point in hiding their relationship. They didn't flaunt it, however.

"Isn't that sweet?" She asked as she and Tommy watched Brian and Justin steal a quick kiss while they thought no one was looking.

"Sickening is more like it." Tommy rolled his eyes.

"You're just jealous." Cynthia insisted.

"Of what?"

"Of the fact that Brian is in a relationship and you aren't."

"That's a bunch of bull and you know it." Tommy said. Cynthia just rolled her eyes and went back to work.

"What time tonight?" Justin asked as he sat down on the edge of Brian's desk.

"Around seven. My mom's flight is at six, but I need time to take a shower and change before you come over." He smiled. Justin laughed.

"I really feel like I'm back in high school again." Justin said. Brian laughed as well.

"I know. Having to wait for my mom to go out of town. Luckily she's not coming back until Wednesday so you can stay the whole weekend if you want.

"Or I could stay until we have to be at work Wednesday morning." He said with a smirk as he leaned down and kissed Brian.

"That could work too." Brian smiled.

"Unfortunately I have a meeting with my staff in exactly....." He grabbed Brian's wrist and pushed the button on the side, the little mechanical voice telling him the time. "Ten minutes so I better get going."

"Why don't you use your own watch?" Brian asked with a smile.

"Because your watch is so cool." Justin said. Brian laughed.

"It'll soon lose its novelty, trust me."

"Whatever. I'll see you later." He kissed Brian's cheek then left the office. When Justin was back in his office, his phone rang.

"Taylor."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure." He smiled as he heard Brian's voice.

"Can you rent a movie on the way over?" That threw Justin for a minute.

"Um.....Brian.......how does a blind man watch a movie?"

"Easy, he gets a sighted man to tell him what's going on when there's no dialogue." Brian laughed and Justin rolled his eyes.

"Anything in particular?"

"You decide. I'm up for anything."

"Okay, see you later."

"Later."

That evening Brian was just stepping out of the shower when the doorbell rang. He sighed heavily and went to answer the door wearing only a towel.

"Um......I guess I'm early." Justin said with a smirk.

"My last meeting ran late." Brian moved so Justin could come in. Justin kissed his cheek as he passed. He went into the living room and Brian followed.

"I got Brotherhood of the Wolf. I hope you don't mind. I heard it's a really good movie and I wanted to check it out."

"That's fine. Go ahead and put it in. I'm gonna go get dressed." He then made his way upstairs. Justin went and put the movie into the DVD player, got it all set up, then went into the kitchen to make some popcorn.

"Justin?" He heard Brian's voice from the living room.

"I'm in the kitchen."

"I'm gonna start the movie."

"Okay." Justin continued to make the popcorn. A couple of minutes later, he heard Brian's voice again.

"Justin?"

"Yes, Brian."

"Can you come here a minute?"

"Sure." Justin poured the finished popcorn into a bowl and went into the living room. When he got within sight of the TV he saw what the problem was. The movie was in French with subtitles. "Oh Brian.......I'm so sorry. I didn't know it had subtitles." He came over and sat down next to Brian on the couch.

"That's okay. Start reading."

"What?"

"Start reading." Brian had a serious expression on his face. Justin made a face, but since the choice in movie was his doing, he started reading the subtitles out loud to Brian. After about fifteen minutes, Brian put a finger on Justin's lips.

"Shhhh, I can't hear what they're saying." Justin was thoroughly confused. Brian still had a finger on Justin's lips and he laughed when he felt the change in Justin's expression.

"What?" Justin asked.

"I was just messing with you, Justin. I speak French fluently. It was actually one of my two minors in college."

"Why you little......" Justin said with a laugh. By the time the movie was over, they were sitting sideways on the couch, Justin between Brian's legs leaning back against his chest. Brian had his arms wrapped around Justin's waist and they were holding hands. Justin started to move when the movie finished, but Brian wouldn't let him up.

"It'll shut off by itself." He said softly, his mouth very close to Justin's ear. He smiled when the younger man shivered.

"This is nice." Justin said with a contented sigh.

"Yeah, it is." Brian agreed. He kissed Justin's ear lightly. Justin moved his head so he could kiss Brian's cheek.

"Brian?" Justin said softly.

"Yeah."

"Is it too early in the relationship to say I love you?" The question caught Brian only slightly off guard. His heart started pounding, but in a good way. He'd had the urge all evening to utter the three little words to the blonde, but he just couldn't work up the nerve.

"Do you think it's too early?" Brian asked seriously.

"No." Justin answered honestly.

"Then I guess it's not too early." Brian smiled. Justin twisted his upper body so that he could take Brian's face in his hands.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you, Justin." Brian replied. They came together in a lingering kiss that seemed to last an eternity.

They were both lying on the bed naked. They'd spent all of the previous night and most of the next day in bed, taking full advantage of the fact that they were the only ones in the house. As much noise as they made, Brian was surprised no one had called the police. They'd been lying there quietly when suddenly Brian spoke.

"Justin.......what is sex like for you?" He asked matter of factly. The directness of the question made Justin laugh.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, sex is different for you than it is for me."

"Why do you say that?" Justin rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his elbow so he could look at Brian. He reached out and put a hand on the older man's chest, drawing small circles with his index finger.

"Because it is. I mean.......when you lose one sense, the others take over. Because I can't see, my taste and touch and smell and hearing kicked into over drive. So......I'm a lot more sensitive to the more physical aspects of sex, I guess. Like your hand, right now. I can feel every last millimeter of your hand on my skin where as you might only feel the pressure points where my hand is actually in contact with you."

"That's an interesting way of putting it." Justin hadn't ever really thought about how it would be different for Brian.

"And when you moan, it does a lot more to me. I mean........I can only go by my imagination as to what you look like. And to be honest, I don't even really know what you look like."

"How can you know?" Justin asked with a raised eyebrow. His confusion grew a little when Brian sat up. Justin did as well and Brian grabbed his shoulders, pulling him a little closer.

"Like this." Brian said with a smile as his hands moved to Justin's face. He started to feel every inch of Justin's face, taking in the contours, feeling his cheekbones and his lips and his eyes. Justin closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling of Brian's hands on him.

"What color are your eyes?" Brian asked.

"Blue." Justin said. Brian made a face.

"Could you be a little more specific than just blue?"

"I've been told that ice blue is a good description." Brian nodded as he continued to feel Justin's face, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair.

"And your hair?"

"Light blonde. In the summer it's almost white." Once again Brian nodded.

"Your skin?"

"Pale. I've been told I look like a porcelain doll."

"Your lips?"

"Daphne says they're kind of strawberry colored." Brian smiled, his hands dropping to Justin's shoulders.

"My God, you are beautiful." He leaned in and kissed Justin's lips lightly. Luckily the blonde hadn't moved his head from the position it was in when Brian was touching him. Justin looked at Brian for a minute as something hit him. The detail that Brian had asked for made the younger man curious.

"Brian.......you haven't always been blind, have you?" He instantly regretting the question as Brian's body tensed. "I'm.......I'm sorry."

"No.......it's okay." Brian sighed. "No, I haven't always been blind. Happened when I was seventeen."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Okay." Justin said softly. It obviously caused Brian a great deal of pain. Justin decided to take Brian's mind off of it. He leaned forward and kissed Brian tenderly, the other man smiling. "I have an idea." Justin said.

"What's that?"

"Why don't you show me what sex is like for you?" Justin suggested. Brian laughed.

"And how exactly do I do that?" He asked.

"Where do you keep your ties?" Justin asked and suddenly Brian understood.

"They're on a hanger in the closet." Justin got up and selected one of the ties, then came over and sat down on the bed. He tied it around his head making sure that he couldn't see, then he lay down on his back.

"Okay." Justin said. Brian located the young man's head and felt that the blindfold was in place, then smiled. He started slowly moving his hands down Justin's neck, over his chest and down to his hips. Brian straddled Justin, sitting down on his thighs. He ran his hands over every inch of Justin's torso. Justin's breathing became faster, a low moan escaping his lips and causing Brian's cock to twitch. Brain's hands once again found Justin's neck and he leaned down, kissing ever so lightly.

He started doing that all over Justin's body. Each touch burned, intensified by the lack of sight. Justin arched his back as Brian's mouth came in contact with one of his nipples. His hands continued down Justin's sides before stopping and gently stroking his hips. Brian's mouth then started following his hands.

Justin moaned loudly as Brian's hand came in contact with his swollen shaft. His back arched again as Brian moved down, his tongue running the entire length of his cock before Brian took it completely into his mouth. He paid careful attention to each and every millimeter of Justin's erection.

"Oh, Brian!" Justin's hand went to the back of Brian's head, grabbing a handful of hair as the head of his dick hit the back of Brian's throat. He moaned louder still as Brian swallowed several times, his throat muscles constricting around the tip. It wasn't long before Justin was shooting his load down Brian's throat. After Brian sucked him dry he slowly kissed his way back up to Justin's mouth where they came together in a heated kiss. Brian smiled as he rolled onto his back next to Justin.

"That has got to be the best blow job I have ever had in my life." Justin said when he was finally able to catch his breath. Brian laughed.

"Just think.........for me it's like that every time."

"That's good to know." Justin said softly before he started kissing his way down to Brian's groin, the older man moaning loudly.

Brian and Justin were sitting on the couch watching TV. It was Saturday night and they were once again staying in. They were sitting side-by-side, hands clasped together.

"Justin, could you get me a glass of water?"

"You know where everything is better than I do."

"But....."

"But what?"

"My mom would get it for me."

"Brian......do you do anything by yourself?" Justin looked at the older man.

"I get dressed by myself. I go to the bathroom by myself."

"You know what I mean."

"My mom does pretty much everything else."

"Have you always lived with your mom?"

"No."

"And who did things for you before she moved in?"

"Cynthia or Tommy."

"So you've always had someone else to do things for you?"

"Pretty much." Brian shrugged and Justin sighed.

"Do you know where the glasses are?"

"Yeah. They're in the cabinet next to the sink."

"And you know which faucet is hot and which one is cold?"

"Left is hot, right is cold."

"Then get your own glass of water."

"But......"

"Why do you let your mom do all this stuff for you? I mean......she ties your tie for you, she ties your shoes for you, she gets you water.......from what I've seen she does just about everything for you."

"It makes her feel helpful."

"And how does it make you feel? Helpless? Brian, what would you do if something happened and your mom wasn't around anymore? You know she's not going to be around forever."

"Well.......I was kind of hoping you would......."

"No. I am not going to be your personal servant, Brian. I'll be your boyfriend but there is a limit to what I will do for you. If you want a glass of water, get it yourself." Justin crossed his arms over his chest. Brian sighed and got up, went into the kitchen and got his own glass of water. He stayed in the kitchen until he was done and then went back into the living room.

Brian was sitting at the island in the kitchen while Justin made dinner. It was Sunday night and Brian was feeling only a little guilty about skipping church that morning. He usually went with his mother every Sunday but since she wasn't there he didn't feel the need to go. He didn't really like going to church, he just figured it was the least he could do for his mother.

"Is there anything you're allergic too that I should know about?"

"Strawberries." Brian commented.

"You're allergic to strawberries?"

"Yup."

"You miss out on a lot being allergic to strawberries."

"I know." Brian sighed. "Of course, I miss out on a lot more being blind." He smirked. Justin looked at him, then smiled.

"So, do you like fettuccini alfredo?"

"Is the pope catholic?" Brian asked with a raised eyebrow and Justin laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes." Justin started mixing the sauce. A few minutes into it the phone rang. Without even thinking about it Justin went to answer the phone. Brian was so used to his mom answering that he never made a move to get it. After a few seconds of conversation, Justin looked at Brian. "Can you turn the heat off under the sauce?"

"Um....." Brian stood and started making his way around the island, their conversation from the night before still running through his mind.

"The stove is directly in front of you. It's the third knob from the right; turn it all the way to the left." Justin then went back to the conversation on the phone. Brian did as instructed. He found the stove, then turned the third knob from the right all the way to the left. He smiled to himself as he went around to resume his seat. "Do you know where the plates and utensils are?"

"Yeah." Brian answered.

"Can you set the table?"

"I can try." Brian went back into the kitchen and found the cabinet with the plates, getting two of them and making his way over to the table. He then went back and got some forks and put them beside the plates. Next he went back and got two wine goblets, also setting them by the plates.

"Thanks Daph, your timing couldn't have been better." Justin whispered into the phone. He hated to trick Brian but he wanted to see how much Brian could do on his own.

"How's that?" Brian asked as he stood by the table.

"Perfect." Justin came over and kissed him quickly, then went to get the pasta and the sauce. Brian was smiling proudly when Justin returned to the table.

"It's really perfect?"

"Yes, it is. I take it you've never set the table before?"

"Yet another thing my mom wouldn't let me do."

"I think you really need to have a talk with your mother, Brian. She's running your life. She's making you totally dependent on her so that you can never leave. It's not good."

"I'll talk to her about it." He nodded. The rest of dinner passed in relative silence.

Joan decided to get home early. She hated leaving Brian by himself for any length of time. The only reason she agreed was because Brian said that he would call Cynthia. She walked in the house around midnight. The entire house was dark so she decided Brian was asleep and tried to remain quiet. When she got to the top of the stairs she heard moans coming from Brian's room. Her heart began to pound. She dropped her bags and ran to Brian's room, throwing open the door.

"Brian?" She asked and was shocked to see Brian and the blonde boy he was seeing in a rather provocative position on the bed. Brian was lying on his back; the young man's head bobbing at his groin. Since it seemed that neither of them noticed her, she quickly but quietly shut the door, going to her room and trying to wipe the image from her mind. The next morning she was downstairs making breakfast when the young blonde came downstairs.

"Oh.....um.....Mrs. Kinney. When did you get home?"

"Early this morning." She answered coldly.

"Oh, well......welcome home." He didn't look her in the eye as he went to get a cup of the coffee she had made.

"Where's Brian?" She asked.

"He's still asleep."

"Don't you have to work?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"We both called in sick for today. We.....um.....weren't expecting you to be home yet."

"Have you been here all weekend?" She asked, slightly alarmed when the young man nodded. "I see." She turned back to the eggs she was making. Once breakfast was done and on the table, they sat and began eating. Joan looked at him for a moment.

"What?" He asked.

"I don't know if you've noticed but I am very protective of my son." She said matter of factly. Justin simply nodded. "I don't like to see him get hurt."

"I can imagine."

"Um.....Justin? Is that your name?"

"Yes."

"Well, Justin. Brian's physical well being is not my only concern. I don't want to see my son's heart get broken as it has in the past. He doesn't give his heart easily but when he does it's given over completely and he can get hurt very deeply, and I really don't want to see that happen. I want you to know, if you hurt my son, you will regret it."

"I'll take that into consideration." Justin nodded and got up to go get dressed. He gathered up his things quickly and quietly, not wanting to wake Brian. He then left without saying a word to Joan. When Brian woke up and found his bed empty, he started to worry a little.

"Justin?" He called out.

"He left." Joan said and Brian jumped.

"Shit......mom. When did you get home?"

"Earlier this morning. I....um.....walked in on you, but apparently neither of you noticed." Brian blushed slightly.

"You said Justin left?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"A couple of hours ago."

"He didn't wake me." Brian's brow furrowed in confusion. Joan didn't say anything. Brian picked up the phone.

"Justin." He said very clearly into the voice-activated phone. Brian had programmed Justin's cell phone into it after the second date.

"Hello." Justin said.

"Hey. Um.......why did you leave so fast this morning?"

"I remembered something I had to do."

"Will I see you later?"

"I don't know." Justin said. His voice was monotone.

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Look, Brian. I'm really busy. I'll call you, okay?" Justin hung up before Brian could answer. Brian sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" Joan asked.

"I think Justin's avoiding me."

"I'm sorry." Joan said, though inside she was thinking that she had known all along that the little blonde was only out to use her son.

It had been two weeks since Brian and Justin last spoke. There had been no phone calls, no visits, nothing. Justin was even trying to find excuses to get out of every meeting with Brian that he was supposed to attend. It was complete and total avoidance.

“Cyn, I’m going to the bathroom.” Brian said as he walked passed her desk.

“Just announce it to the world, boss.” Cynthia smirked.

“Why do I put up with you?” He asked, rolling his eyes. The two of them shared a chuckle before Brian went to the men’s room. He made his way up to the urinal and started to take a piss when he heard someone come into the restroom. He heard a couple of footsteps, then the person stopped for a minute, before continuing on. As the person got closer, Brian caught of whiff of a very familiar cologne and he sighed a little. It wasn’t until the person was right next to him that he caught the little twinge to the cologne that made it uniquely Justin. The other man took care of his business, zipped up, then moved over to wash his hands, never saying a word.

“I know you’re there and I know it’s you.” Brian said, causing Justin to jump. The blond said nothing, simply drying his hands and leaving the room. Brian sighed heavily, zipped up, washed his hands, then made his way back to his desk. Cynthia noticed that he looked a litter sadder than he did before going to the restroom. She followed him into his office and shut the door.

“Okay, what’s going on?” She asked.

“I ran into Justin in the restroom.” He admitted.

“And?” Her tone was hopeful.

“He never said a word. He came in, pissed and left. Even after I said something to him.”

“How do you know it was him?” Cynthia asked. Brian raised an eyebrow.

“The same way I know it’s you when you don’t say a word. I spent almost an entire weekend naked with the man; I think it’s safe to say I know him without him saying anything.” He sighed slightly. Cynthia nodded.

“Want me to run the Donaldson proofs down to the art department?” She asked. Brian nodded. Cynthia took the proofs and headed to the elevator. While she let Brian think she was doing her job, she was actually on a mission. She made her way down to the art department, dropped the proofs on one of the drafting tables, then went in search of Justin. Luckily he was in his office. She walked in and practically slammed the door shut.

“Excuse me?” Justin looked up at her. He could tell she was pissed.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Cynthia almost yelled.

“My problem?” Justin questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, your problem. Brian loves you, Justin, whether you believe that or not. And he doesn’t let people in easily. He’s been hurt a lot in his life and when he does let someone in, like you, it’s a big thing. And you’re just going to throw that away? Give him yet another reason to not let people get close to him? You’re a fucking asshole and I want to know why you did it!”

“I don’t see how this is any of your business.” Justin then looked back down at his work.

“It’s my business because Brian can hardly concentrate on his work; he’s missing you so much. He’s completely and utterly miserable and I won’t stand for seeing him like that when I know that it’s the other fucker’s fault!”

“Oh? And what if it were Brian’s fault?”

“Then I’d be up there yelling at him wanting to know what HIS fucking problem is. But this time it’s your fault and I fucking know it.”

“I really don’t see why I should tell you anything.” Justin said defiantly.

“Because if you don’t tell me I’ll have your balls so fast you won’t know what happened until you’re singing soprano for the Pittsburgh Opera.” She glared at him and Justin got a shiver down his spine. He could tell she was dead serious. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s complicated but it comes down to the fact that certain people think Brian would be better off without me.”

“Who?”

“That’s all I’m saying, Cynthia. Now I suggest you leave before I have you written up for insubordination. I can do that, you know?” He looked her in the eye.

“Fine. But at least talk to Brian. Okay? Tell HIM why it is you left. He’s thinking it’s his fault.” Her tone had softened greatly. Justin nodded and then went back to work as Cynthia left.

It had been three days since Cynthia’s little tirade and Justin still hadn’t come to talk to Brian. If anything, he was avoiding him more now than before. They were supposed to have a meeting to go over the completed Donaldson proofs and Justin yet again opted out of the meeting. This was the last straw for Brian. He got up, got Topper and headed down to the art department, going into Justin’s office. He could tell that the younger man was on the phone, but he didn’t really care.

“Hang up, now.” Brian demanded.

“Um….I’ll call you back.” Justin said before hanging up the phone. He looked at Brian a minute. “What can I do for you, Mr. Kinney?”

“Cut the 'Mr. Kinney' bullshit, Justin.”

“Alright, Brian.” Justin said softly. Brian made sure the door was shut before he continued.

“Look, I understand that our personal relationship may be over…” Brian had to stop himself, the last word cracking a little. He took a deep, shaky breath, letting it out slowly, then cleared his throat. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we are business associates and therefore have to remain professional. So stop acting like a scared little fucking faggot and get your act together or I will find a new art director, do I make myself clear?” Brian’s expression hardened with the last statement.

“Yes, sir.” Justin answered softly.

“Now then, I expect to see you in my office in half an hour for the Donaldson meeting. Do not be late.” With that, Brian turned and left before Justin could say a word. The blond sighed heavily and rested his head on his desk for a minute before banging it repeatedly. He had no idea how he was going to get through this meeting.

After the meeting with the Donaldson execs, Brian went to his office and sat down on the couch. He made sure that all the lights were turned off before lying down. For the first time in a very long time Brian just let his emotions go and started to sob uncontrollably. He thought that he could handle being in the same room with Justin. He thought that he could be professional and deal with it. He was learning, however, that was not the case. Even after just one meeting, he was hurting so much. Topper came over and rested her head on his thigh. Brian reached down and started to scratch behind her ears.

“At least I still got you, right girl?” Brian said with a sniffle, laughing slightly when Topper barked. Brian sat up, wiping at his eyes. After he was satisfied that the tears had stopped, he patted the couch and Topper jumped up. She lay down on the couch and rested her head in his lap. Brian leaned his head back against the back of the couch and absently stroked Topper’s fur.

It was a half an hour later before anyone was allowed back in Brian’s office. He was sitting behind his desk and as soon as Cynthia came in, she knew something was wrong. The one thing Brian never did was wear his sunglasses in the privacy of his own office, and yet there he was with them on.

“What’s going on?” She asked as she took a seat on the edge of his desk.

“Nothing.” Brian said without turning his head in her direction. Cynthia reached up and snatched the glasses off his face. “Hey!” He demanded, trying to reach for them. Cynthia tried not to smirk but she couldn’t help herself. It had always been so easy to keep things away from Brian. The smirk disappeared when she got a good look at him. His eyes were bloodshot and slightly puffy around the outside. That’s when she noticed the tell tale red marks from him blowing his nose repeatedly.

“You’ve been crying.” She said softly.

“I have not.” Brian tried to lie.

“Yes, Brian, you have. You’ve been crying. That little fucker still hasn’t talked to you, has he?” Cynthia demanded. Brian sighed heavily and shook his head. “I’m going to kill him!” Cynthia started to get up and Brian grabbed her arm. It made her jump a little because she wasn’t expecting him to know where she was well enough to do that.

“Don’t.” The word was filled with so much pain that Cynthia just wanted to hold Brian until the hurt went away. It made her heart just break for her long time friend.

“But Brian….”

“Cynthia, I mean it. This is between Justin and me. You stay out of it. I know that you love me, and that you want to take care of me, but there are times when I have problems you just can’t fix, okay?” He sniffled, trying to hold back more tears.

“Okay, Bri.” She said before leaning down and kissing the top of his head. She moved some hair out of his face.

“You need a haircut.” The comment made Brian laugh out loud for the first time in a while. “What?” She asked.

“That was just out of nowhere, that’s all. One minute we’re talking about my problems, the next you say I need a haircut.” He chuckled.

“I think that falls under the problems category, and it’s one that I can fix, too.” She smiled even though Brian couldn’t see it.

“Thanks, Cyn. I needed that.” He smiled at her and she gave him a quick hug.

“Glad I could help.”

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Brian was awakened by the warmth of the sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He could hear birds chirping in the tree next to the house. Brian got out of bed and opened the window, feeling the cool breeze. He closed his eyes for a minute and smiled, then sighed heavily, wishing he could see the beautiful day. He remembered in his mind’s eye the times that he’d woken up to the bluest of skies, the sunlight shining, the tiniest wisps of clouds. Sighing once again, he went to take a shower.

Once he was showered and shaved, he went to the closet and got dressed. He felt around for the various indicators of color that his mother had put on his clothing. A safety pin on the tag helped him select his bright blue t-shirt. A pin on the cuff helped him find a pair of blue jeans. He decided to go without shoes or socks since he didn’t really have anything to do. He noticed that the house was lacking the distinct odor of cooking as he made his way downstairs. When he got to the bottom step, he listened carefully.

“Mom?” There was no answer. He heard Topper panting over by where the answering machine was. He made his way over and knelt down beside the dog, giving her ears a good scratch. “Did mom leave me a message?” He asked, slightly surprised when the dog barked. Brian was only a little confused because he hadn’t heard the phone ring. He located the answering machine and hit play.

“Brian, sweetie, I have to go do some shopping. I decided to just let you sleep in. I know you haven’t been sleeping well lately. There’s some fruit in the refrigerator. I marked the bowl with a toothpick in the foil over it. None of the other bowls have toothpicks. I love you and I’ll be home soon.” And that was the end of the message. Brain smiled to himself as he made his way into the kitchen to get the bowl of fruit out. He reached into the fridge and felt around, accidentally stabbing himself with the toothpick. After determining there was no blood loss, he went about eating breakfast. He noticed that his mom had a fork in the bowl already. After he was done eating, he put the bowl and fork in the sink. That’s when Topper started whimpering over by the back door.

“You wanna go outside, girl?” He asked and she barked. Brian smiled and made his way over to the door, opening it. The cool breeze was tempting enough that he decided to follow her, easily locating the lawn chairs they kept set up in the exact same spot in the back yard. The grass was cool under his feet and Brian smiled, wiggling his toes a little before taking a seat. After a few minutes, Topper came over and placed something in Brian’s lap. A little bit of feeling around indicated that it was a ball. Topper wanted to play fetch. Brian smiled to himself and threw the ball. It made a whistling sound as it sailed through the air. Topper took off running and returned with the ball in no time. Brian threw the ball again, trying to aim for the exact same spot.

After playing for a while, Topper came over and rested her head on Brian’s lap, panting. He reached down and started to scratch her ears. They just sat there like that, enjoying the cool shade. Brian accidentally dozed off. Topper’s barking woke Brian a while later and he sat up, stretching. His stomach rumbled and he realized that he must have been asleep for a while to already be hungry again. Brian put a hand on Topper’s head.

“I bet you’re hungry, aren’t you girl?” He asked and she once again barked. Brian noticed that the only time she barked was when she’d been asked a question and he was thankful for that. One of his previous guide dogs barked quite a bit. He got up and made his way into the kitchen, locating Topper’s bowls. He found that both were almost empty, though he wasn’t quite sure where his mom kept the dog food. It took him about a half an hour of searching but he finally found it and refilled the food bowl, not without spilling some, then picked up the water bowl and refilled it as well.

Once Topper was fed and watered, he started to feel the need to be fed and watered himself and wondered where his mother had gotten to. He thought she would have been back by now. Starting to worry a little he walked over to the phone and picked it up.

“Mom’s cell.” He said clearly into the receiver and the phone automatically started dialing. It was just about to click over to the voicemail when Joan finally answered. There was a lot of noise in the background.

“Hello?” She was almost yelling.

“Mom, where are you?”

“I’m at the mall. There’s a sale and you need some new jeans. Those ones that you’re probably wearing right now are old and worn.”

“They’re comfortable, mom.”

“They need to be replaced.”

“You know what size to get, right?”

“Yes, dear, I do.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, Brian.”

“I’m hungry.” He almost pouted. Joan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, if you can’t wait until I get home there’s some peanut butter in the cabinet to the right of the sink. It’s on the bottom shelf, third jar from the left. You know where the bread and the knives are, right?”

“Yeah.” Brian said with a small sigh.

“You can live off peanut butter sandwiches until I get home, Brian. It won’t kill you.”

“Or you could just get home and forget about the new jeans.” He said, slightly hopeful.

“Nice try, but no. I’ll be home in a little bit.”

“Okay, later mom.” Brian sighed and they both hung up.

“Well, Topper. Looks like I get peanut butter.” He made a face before going to get what he needed to make the sandwich. Once Brian was done eating, he decided that, even though he’d been inside for only a short time, he needed to get outside again. It was just too beautiful a day and he wanted to enjoy as much of it as possible. He left his mom a note, trying to actually write it out on a piece of paper and hoping she could read it, then got some shoes on, put the harness on Topper and headed out in no particular direction.

“Hey, Brian.” Charlie, one of the neighbors, said.

“Hey, Charlie.” Brian said with a smile.

“Going for a walk?” The older man asked. Charlie had been living in the neighborhood when Joan and Brian moved in. He came over to help as soon as he noticed the guide dog and they became friends quickly. It turned out that one of Charlie’s sons was blind, having been born that way. He was a great help and a fun guy and Brian really liked him.

“Today’s too beautiful to stay inside.” Brian answered with a nod.

“I know what you mean. As much as I hate gardening, I’d rather work on my wife’s garden than stay cooped up on a day like this.” Charlie smiled and Brian laughed.

“Planting pansies?” Brian asked and Charlie smiled.

“Sure am. I guess I got a particularly fragrant batch.”

“Yeah. But it’s nice.”

“I saw your mom leave early this morning. Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, she’s just decided I need a new wardrobe, that’s all.” Brian rolled his eyes, though it couldn’t be seen behind the sunglasses. They shared a chuckle. “Well, Chuck, I better get going.” Brian smirked.

“I told you not to call me that, Brian. You know how it annoys me.”

“I know, but it’s so much fun. I’ll see you later.”

“Later, Brian.” Charlie said and Brian continued down the street. When Brian got to the corner, he decided that he was having a serious craving for some lemon bars. He called a cab and made his way to the diner. He had to have a little argument with the cab driver about Topper, but it was settled with an extra twenty and he was dropped of in front of the diner in no time. Brian paused for a minute before going in. He hadn’t actually been back to Liberty Avenue since the previous Topper had been hit by a car. He held a little tighter to the harness and made his way in.

“Brian!” Debbie squealed as he walked through the door. She made her way over and hugged him tightly, almost knocking him over. Brian smiled and hugged back after regaining his balance.

“Hey, Deb.”

“Sweetie, how have you been? I missed you. You haven’t been around in a while.”

“It’s been kind of hard to come down here.” He commented, his tone the slightest bit sad. Debbie nodded, having heard what happened. She took his arm and ushered him over to one of the booths. Topper lay down on the floor beside the booth, trying to stay out of the way.

“You look good.” She smiled.

“Thanks. So do you.” Brian smirked and Debbie laughed. It was a joke they’d shared for years.

“So, is this a social call or are you here to eat?”

“Here to eat, actually. But I just want some lemon bars.”

“You need to eat something…” She started and Brian held his hand up.

“I ate lunch at home, so don’t start.” His raised eyebrow could be seen over the top of his sunglasses.

“And what exactly did you have for lunch, mister?” She demanded.

“Three peanut butter sandwiches.”

“I didn’t think you were that fond of peanut butter.” Debbie said.

“I’m not, but mom went shopping so I was on my own for lunch.” He explained. Debbie nodded and stood.

“Two okay?” She asked.

“Two is perfect.” Brian smiled and Debbie went to get the lemon bars. She set the plate down in front of him and was about to say something when another customer came in.

“I’ll be right back, sweetie.” She said, giving him a quick kiss on the head before going to take care of the customers. It got busy shortly after that and Debbie wasn’t able to come back and talk to him for several minutes. Brian had just finished the lemon bars when he caught the faintest scent of familiar cologne. His heart started to beat a little faster, thinking it was Justin. The footfalls were all wrong though, and when the man got closer, he didn’t have that twinge that made it uniquely Justin. Brian sighed heavily and tried to keep the tears that threatened to fall at bay. Debbie noticed the change in Brian almost immediately.

“I’m taking five.” She called to one of the other waitresses before taking a seat with Brian. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” She asked, reaching across the table and taking his hand. Brain simply shook his head. A rebellious tear slid out from under the sunglasses, rolling down Brian’s cheek. “Tell me.” Her tone was soft and filled with concern. Debbie’d never really seen Brian cry before.

“I….well…..there was this guy…” Brian started. He took his sunglasses off and started to wipe at his eyes.

“Okay.” Debbie said, trying to be patient.

“And…..we started dating and things were going really great. I mean, I even told him that I love him, and I meant it. Hell, I mean it. I still love him.”

“But….”

“But….he just started avoiding me and I don’t know why. He won’t talk to me. He won’t even look at me. Cynthia told me.” Debbie was silent for a minute, a little confused.

“He’s the art director.” Brian explained and Debbie nodded in understanding. “The only time he’ll interact with me at all is if it has to do with business. He’s even taken to calling me ‘Mr. Kinney’ instead of Brian like he used to.” Brian sniffled and wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve. Debbie handed him a napkin, the whole time thinking I’m gonna kill the little fucker.

“And he gave no explanation why?” She asked.

“None at all.” Brian answered. “He said that he loved me, and then he just……stopped. I keep wondering what I did…”

“Brian, you stop right there. You didn’t do anything and you know it. This is obviously his problem and definitely his loss. You are a wonderful man and any guy would be lucky to have you.” She squeezed the hand she was holding. Brian sighed heavily.

“Then why can’t any man figure that out?” He asked before resting his head on the table. It broke Debbie’s heart to see Brian like this, and apparently Topper’s too. Debbie noticed the dog put her head in Brian’s lap in a comforting manner. She reached over and stroked his hair gently.

“You’ll find somebody, baby. I promise.” She kissed his head, then had to get back to work.

Brian and Joan had just finished dinner. It’d been about two weeks since her shopping trip and Brian was starting to do a little more around the house, but left the usual routine as it normally was. She started to feel the beginnings of a headache, though. Joan sat down for a few minutes.

“Mom, you okay?” Brian asked. He could tell she was moving differently than usual.

“Just a headache dear.” She smiled slightly, though he couldn’t see it.

“Why don’t you take something and go lie down? I can handle the dishes.” He smiled proudly, a slightly hopeful look accompanying the smile. Joan looked at Brian warily for a moment.

“Are you sure?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Positive.” Brian said. He got up and kissed her cheek and went over to finish the dishes. Joan watched him for a minute, smiling to herself when she realized he really could do it, then headed upstairs. She took a couple of Tylenol then lay down, falling asleep almost immediately.

When Brian woke up to his alarm blaring the next morning he was a little shocked that the house was completely quiet. Usually by then his mom was awake and making breakfast. There was no smell of food coming from the direction of the kitchen and there were no sounds of her moving around upstairs. He started to worry a little, then thought maybe she’d just gone out again. Brian went downstairs and checked the machine and there were no new messages. He thought a minute, then went out to the garage, thinking maybe she had just forgotten to leave him a message. When he bumped into the car, however, he began to panic.

“Mom?” He called as he started to search the house as best he could. He went from room to room trying to locate his mother but found nothing. The only place he hadn’t looked yet was her room. Maybe the medication she’d taken for her headache had caused her to sleep late. That had to be the explanation. He started to calm down a little as he made his way back up the stairs. When he opened the door to her room, his heart started pounding again. He didn’t hear anything. It was completely silent. Were she there he would have heard her breathing.

“Mama?” Brian’s voice sounded to him like it had when he was five. He felt like that scared five year old coming to find his mother after having a nightmare. He slowly made his way into the room and over to the bed. Brian jumped when his hand came in contact with something cold. He thought a moment and touched it again, realizing that it was his mother’s hand. She was ice cold even though the room was actually at a comfortable temperature. Brian shook her gently and received no response.

“Mama?” His voice was shaking slightly and filled with panic as he tried again. He reached up and touched her face, which was also cold. He moved his hand down to her neck and tried to find a pulse but found nothing. He then tried to find her heartbeat and still found nothing. Not only was there no heartbeat but there was no familiar rise and fall caused by her breathing. Tears started streaking down his cheeks as he reached for the phone.

“911. What’s your emergency?” The woman’s voice asked. Brian took a deep breath, but it was hard to form the words.

“My….I think my mom……I need help.”

“What exactly is the problem, sir?” She was trying to be patient.

“She’s not breathing. And I can’t find a pulse. I……” Brian started to sob uncontrollably. He couldn’t form a coherent sentence after that so the operator simply called an ambulance and sent them to the address which the computer brought up when the call came in.

Brian had been sitting in the waiting room at the hospital for almost three hours. He didn’t understand what was taking so long. He wanted one of the doctors to come out and tell him he was wrong. His mother was okay and she could go home soon. He wanted everything to be just fine. The part of his brain that was still grounded in reality kept him from being completely hopeful that everything would be okay.

Finally one of the doctors came over to talk to him. Brian didn’t really hear everything. After the doctor told him that his mother was dead, his brain shut down completely. He heard something about a stroke, or something like that, but he wasn’t really paying attention. His mother was actually gone. He’d taken for granted the fact that she was a mere mortal, somehow giving her mental immortality. He just relied on the fact that his mom would always be there.

“Is there anyone you’d like us to call?” The doctor asked. Brian thought for several minutes, but only one name came to mind. He pulled out his wallet and handed the man a card. The doctor read the card and nodded, heading off to call Justin Taylor.

Justin was more than a little shocked when he received a phone call from Allegheny General. He was actually on his way out the door to head to work when the phone rang. He’d considered not answering it but he was certainly glad he did. He sped through the streets getting to the hospital in record time. He barely took the time to put the car in park before literally running into the building and up to the nurse’s station.

“I’m looking for Brian Kinney.” He said while trying to catch his breath. He was a little surprised when the nurse pointed over in the direction of the waiting room. Justin turned to see Brian sitting in one of the chairs. He looked totally out of it though since the man was blind it was always hard to tell. Justin turned back to the nurse. “I was told that there was an emergency…..”

“Mr. Kinney’s mother passed away during the night last night. He asked that we call you.” She explained. Justin nodded and sighed before heading over to sit next to Brian. He moved quietly enough and Brian didn’t make any indication that he’d heard the other man approach. Justin reached out and took Brian’s hand in his. While the hand moved willingly it was obvious that the lights were on but nobody was home. Justin didn’t know what to do. He’d never dealt with someone in shock before and it was obvious that was Brian’s current condition. What had Justin thoroughly confused was the fact that Brian had the hospital call him rather than the older man’s sister.

“Brian, I’m going to go talk to the doctor real quick, okay? Then I’ll take you home.” Justin spoke slowly and deliberately, making sure every word was heard. He didn’t move from his chair until he received an almost imperceptible nod in response, then he went in search of the doctor.

“What can I do for you?” The doctor asked politely. He gave Justin a once over and Justin’s gaydar started beeping like mad. Perfect, he thought.

“I’m Brian Kinney’s partner and I was wondering if I could get specifics on my mother-in-law’s condition.” He smiled sweetly and made sure to look the doctor right in the eye. The man cleared his throat and nodded.

“Of course, if you’ll come with me please.” The doctor smiled and Justin followed him. They went to the nurse’s station and the doctor picked up a chart and started to look at it. “It appears that Mrs. Kinney suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during sleep. Because it went completely untreated for such a long period of time it caused irreparable damage that led to severe organ failure and eventually death.” He tried to sound as clinical as possible.

“Did she suffer at all?” Justin asked.

“If she suffered at all it was in the form of a severe head ache. But most likely she was asleep at the time of the occurrence and didn’t feel a thing.”

“Um…..thank you.” Justin said before heading back over to Brian and sitting down. He once again took the older man’s hand. “You poor thing.” He said as he kissed Brian’s cheek. There was still no response from him so Justin helped him stand, then led him to his car. He helped Brian get all buckled in before driving him home.

Justin called in to work stating that he was going to be out. He also called out for Brian. He explained the situation to Ryder and the man rather compassionately gave them both off as much time as they needed with pay. He understood that Brian would need help in the preparations and didn’t know that Brian’s sister would be willing and able to do so. Justin knew that the funeral arrangements needed to be made but he didn’t have the first clue what to do.

“Brian, sweetie, I need you to come back to me for a minute.” He talked soothingly to the older man, hoping to bring him back to reality long enough to find out what he needed. It took a few minutes of coaxing to finally get a response out of him. “I need to know where your sister’s phone number is so that I can let her know what happened.”

“Pick up the phone. Say Claire.” Brian’s voice was monotone. Justin hadn’t really thought that it was something as simple as that. He’d forgotten that Brian’s entire phone book was programmed into the voice-activated phone. Justin did as instructed and picked up the phone.

“Claire.” He tried to say as clearly as possible. The phone started ringing and it wasn’t long before Claire answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Yes….um…..is this Claire? Brian Kinney’s sister?” He asked awkwardly.

“Yes…….who is this?” There was a hint of suspicion in her voice.

“This is Justin Taylor. I’m a friend of Brian’s. I….well….Brian’s a little out of it right now.”

“Why? What happened?” Suspicion suddenly changed to concern.

“I’m afraid your mother passed away last night.”

“What…..”

“She had a stroke in her sleep and since it went untreated, it killed her. I’m sorry.” He truly meant the sentiment.

“But…….where’s Brian?”

“He’s sitting right here in the kitchen with me. He’s really out of it, Claire. I can barely get two words out of him.”

“Tell him that I’ll be right there.” She said and then the line went dead. Justin sighed and hung up the phone, then moved over beside Brian.

“Brian, Claire says she’s going to get here as fast as she can.” He put a hand on Brian’s arm. Brian nodded and seemed okay with that. “Maybe you should go lie down for a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay.” Brian said once again monotone. He stood and made his way upstairs, getting into bed and drifting off immediately.

When Brian woke up to the scent of something cooking downstairs, he was convinced that it had all been a horrible nightmare. His mother was perfectly fine and downstairs cooking him breakfast. That had to be it. He sighed, slightly relieved, then started to make his way downstairs to the kitchen. He walked in and took a seat at the table, then turned his head in the direction of the stove.

“So, what’s for breakfast?” He asked with a smile.

“Um….Brian……it’s almost one in the afternoon.” Justin said. That definitely wasn’t his mother’s voice. When he heard that voice the reality of what happened came crashing down on him and he started to shake as tears poured down his cheeks.

“No! NO!” Brian started to scream as he pounded his fists on the table. He couldn’t believe that his mother was really gone. She couldn’t be dead, she just couldn’t. Justin ran over and put his arms around Brian, holding him close. Brian started pounding his fists against the younger man’s chest as if he were somehow responsible for what happened. Justin just stood there and took it. He let Brian work out his anger and grief, even if it did hurt like hell.

“Shhhh, it’s gonna be okay, Brian.” He said soothingly when the older man finally calmed down a little. Brian rested his head against Justin’s chest and held him close as be continued to sob.

“How is it gonna be okay?! I don’t know where anything is! I can’t cook! I can’t clean! I can’t fucking take care of myself! My mom did all that! How the FUCK is everything gonna be okay?!” It was obvious to Justin that the anger was building again but by now Brian was too exhausted to actually put up a fight. He just sobbed until he could cry no more. When the crying calmed down to the occasional sniffle, Brian was still holding tight to Justin. Justin stroked Brian’s hair and just held on, giving Brian comfort in the only way he could.

“We’ll figure something out, Brian. Okay?” He asked softly. Brian simply nodded. Justin had no idea how they were going to get through this, but he knew that they would find a way somehow.

Claire arrived the next day and the funeral arrangements started. Brian had almost nothing to do with it as he was still out of it for the most part. Claire called the family and friends to let them know what happened while Justin arranged a classic Irish Catholic service. It was a couple of days later before everything was done and they were sitting there at the table going over one last time everything that would be needed for the wake.

“What about daddy?” Claire asked no one in particular.

“No.” They both jumped. It was the first word Brian had uttered all day.

“What do you mean, no?” Claire questioned.

“He’s in jail, that’s what I mean.” Brian replied.

“But sometimes they let them out…” She started. Justin decided to stay out of this conversation.

“I said no. He doesn’t deserve to be there. He’s a selfish uncaring asshole and he never really loved her anyway. He can find out after the funeral.” Brian said adamantly. It was clear to both that he would not be swayed on this.

“I guess I could…”

“I’ll tell him.” Brian’s voice carried a tone that could not be budged.

“But Brian…..you haven’t talked to Daddy since…”

“Since he did this to me?” Brian pointed to his eyes. “You think I don’t know that Claire? I don’t care that I haven’t talked to the man in almost fourteen years. I am going to be the one to tell him. That’s all there is to it.” He crossed his arms over his chest. Justin and Claire exchanged glances, then went back to the lists in front of them.

“What about the house?” Justin asked as he and Claire were going through Joan’s things. Most were being donated to charity but some were being tossed out or given to family.

“I guess that’s up to Brian really. I mean, it’s his house.” Claire said with a shrug. Justin hadn’t realized that the house was actually in Brian’s name. He nodded and they continued to go through Joan’s things.

“It’s really hard to believe she’s actually gone.” Claire said as she held up one of Joan’s sweaters. It still smelled of her mother’s perfume and tears came to her eyes. She tried hard to keep them at bay but a few rebellious tears slipped free.

“I really am sorry for your loss.”

“I understand that mom had something to do with you and Brian breaking up?” She asked without looking at Justin.

“Well, not really but…..hey wait a minute…..” Justin looked at her.

“Brian and I talk about everything, Justin. I recognized your name as soon as you said it. Brian called me in tears when you wouldn’t talk to him anymore. He was so upset. He thought he’d done something to drive you away. That he’d fucked up and that’s why you didn’t want to talk to him anymore.”

“It wasn’t him at all. It was…”

“Mom?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “There’s really no point in denying it. Mom has ruined more than one relationship for Brian.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. She was afraid that if Brian got into a relationship he wouldn’t need her anymore so she kept sabotaging them. That way he was forever alone and always needing her.” She sighed and continued to go through her mother’s things. “As much as I loved my mom, still love her, part of me is glad that she’s gone because now maybe Brian can have a meaningful relationship with someone that truly cares about him.” She gave Justin a sideways glance.

“Yeah, maybe.” Justin said, the whole time the wheels were turning in his head. Maybe he still had a chance with Brian. He couldn’t make his move now. Brian was too vulnerable and he would seem like an insensitive asshole. He had to wait until the time was right.

The funeral was in two days and everything was set. Brian decided to sell the house and Claire was helping him with that. The only problem was that they had no idea what Brian’s plans were once the house was sold. He’d made up his mind that he couldn’t live alone, but neither of them knew whether he would quit Ryder and move in with Claire, or would take Justin up on his offer to move in. The decision wouldn’t have to be made until the house was officially sold though.

Justin decided to take the free time he had to go work out. It had been at least a month since his last visit to a gym and he did have a membership at the company gym so he decided to make use of it. He was still a little sore from Brian’s outburst and hoped to work that off. After a rigorous work out that lasted about two hours, Justin decided to call it a day. He made his way into the showers and washed off quickly before heading to his locker.

As Justin walked up to his locker he noticed that Tommy was at the locker just across from his. He tried to ignore the other man. They weren’t that close and only really knew each other through Brian. Tommy turned to look at him a minute. Justin had his back to the other man for just a moment before he felt the eyes on him and turned to look at Tommy. Tommy’s eyes went wide when he saw the bruises covering Justin’s chest.

“Holy shit, Justin! What happened to you?!” He pointed to the blonde’s chest. Justin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, then turned back to his locker to get dressed.

“Nothing.” He answered.

“That’s not nothing. What the fuck happened?” Tommy insisted. The fact that this man that rarely said two words to him was suddenly taking such a concern in his life pissed Justin off to no end, but he decided to tell the man anyway because whether or not Justin liked him, he was Brian’s friend.

“Brian…”

“Brian hit you?” Tommy was obviously confused.

“It’s not what you think.”

“You don’t know what I think.” Tommy said and Justin turned to look at him.

“Look, in case you haven’t heard Brian’s mom died recently. He’s really upset about it. He had some anger he needed to get out and I just happened to get in the way. It was more grief than anything else but I let him get it out because he needed to. So if anything this is my fault because I didn’t stop him.”

“Getting hit is not your fault, Justin.”

“It’s not like he’s abusing me or anything, okay? I let him hit me. I’m not covering for him because he’s abusing me. After the life he’s led do you really think he’d be able to abuse anybody? This happened,” Justin indicated his chest. “Because the man I love is in a lot of pain and needed to work through it. So I honestly suggest you stay the fuck out of it before you say something that will make Brian feel worse than he already does. Right now his blindness is a gift because if he saw these bruises it would only make him feel guilty and that’s the last thing he needs right now.” Justin had to try very hard to keep his voice at a reasonable level. Tommy just looked at him for a minute, then nodded.

“Alright, man. I’ll stay out of it. And…..nobody told me that his mom died.” He suddenly felt a little out of the loop. “Although that does explain where Brian’s been the last few days.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you would have been one of the first to know. And could you please make sure Cynthia knows? The funeral is Saturday at noon at St Catherine’s.”

“Sure.” Tommy nodded, then finished gathering his things and walked off. Justin sighed heavily before continuing to get dressed.

It was about a week after the funeral and Justin was sitting with Brian at the small table in his apartment having breakfast. Brian had been quiet a lot since his mother’s death and Justin would have paid anything to get inside that head and find out what was going on. It was obvious that he was thinking. The question was, what was he thinking about? The house had been sold, furniture and all, but they still had three weeks before Brian had to move out.

It was decided that the apartment was not big enough for both of them so Justin was searching for a house that they would purchase together. Brian didn’t really want to leave Ryder and didn’t want to handle commuting across three states if he lived with Claire, so he agreed to live with Justin. He wasn’t quite sure where their relationship stood, but at the moment he was just happy the young man was talking to him again.

“Can you give me a ride?” Brian asked. Justin jumped slightly, not expecting to hear the man speak. He looked up from his food.

“Um…..sure. Where to?” Justin questioned.

“I think it’s about time I went and talked to my dad.” Brian commented almost casually. Justin’s face paled. He’d been trying to talk Brian out of talking to his father since the brunet decided he should be the one to go.

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” The blond asked.

“I have to tell him eventually, Justin.”

“Well….I mean…..why not let Claire do it?”

“And have her take even more time off work so that she can come up here just to spend a half an hour talking to my dad? If that much? No. I said I’m going to do it and I’m going to do it. If you won’t give me a ride I’ll catch a cab.” Brian got up and started to move away from the table. His movements were slow as he still didn’t know his way around yet.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll take you.” Justin said with a sigh. A little over an hour later he pulled up in front of the Pennsylvania State Penitentiary just outside Pittsburgh. Brian sat in the car for a moment. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, running his fingers through his hair.

“Here goes.” He said as he started to open the door.

“You want me to come with you?” Justin put a hand on Brian’s arm. Brian raised an eyebrow though it could barely be seen over his sunglasses.

“My dad hates me enough as it is, the last thing I need is to show up with my boyfriend.”

“Brian…”

“Yeah, Justin, I know. You’re not my boyfriend. I get it. Just…..wait out here, okay?” He sighed as he got out of the car and let Topper out of the back seat. With a firm grip on the harness he headed into the building. Justin sighed heavily as he watched the man walk away. It was obvious Brian was still hurt by Justin’s avoidance. He wondered what it would take to get Brian to understand that he really did care about him.

Brian was searched thoroughly before being let into the visitation room. He was forced to leave Topper with the guards, which made him mad. One of the guards led him to a chair where he’d be seated across from his father. Luckily they hadn’t let his father into the room yet. Brian really didn’t want Jack to see him being led around. Hopefully they would escort Jack out of the room before Brian left.

Brian’s heart started pounding when he heard the door open. He knew that Jack was being let in the room and he tried very hard not to let his fear show on the outside. He heard the clinking of the chains on Jack’s handcuffs. Brian could tell that two guards escorted the man in and only one left. They weren’t taking any chances. Especially since this wasn’t a typical visitation room with glass between inmate and visitor. It was simply a room with a table and chairs.

“Well, look at that, if it isn’t the fucking fairy. Finally grow a set and decide to come see your old man, eh?” Jack cackled. Brian wondered how well being in prison the last fourteen years had treated the man. He could imagine the thinning and graying hair, the wrinkles, the circles under his eyes. A smirk came to Brian’s face as he thought about the many things his fellow inmates had done to his father. “What’s so god damned funny?”

“You.” Brian admitted. “I’m sure you and I probably have a lot in common by now, right Jack?” The smirk spread. Brian heard the man growl and thought he heard some more movement from the other side of the table, but he also heard the footsteps the guard took toward them and knew that his father was being kept in check.

“You’re pretty tough with an armed guard here to protect you.”

“Now that I know that guard is actually armed.” Brian rolled his eyes.

“Don’t you get smart with me, boy.” Jack warned. Brian just scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Whatever, Jack.” He tried very hard to keep his pounding heart and the adrenaline rushing through his veins a personal secret. Being in the same room with Jack Kinney after all these years had him as scared as he’d been the first time his father had ever hit him. He tried to remain calm and not let that fear show because Jack Kinney fed on fear and used it to his advantage.

“I seriously doubt this is a social call, sonny boy. Why are you here?” Jack question. Brian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He tightened his grip on his upper arms to remain grounded as he spoke.

“Mom’s dead.”

“What?”

“Mom died.”

“When?” Jack asked. Brian was surprised that the man actually sounded hurt.

“About two weeks ago.” Brian answered.

“And you’re just now telling me this?” Anger was evident in the other man’s voice.

“I really didn’t think you’d care considering the way you treated her before you got put away.” Brian wasn’t surprised at all when Jack cleared his throat and the sarcasm returned.

“Never should have married her anyway.” He scoffed. Brian didn’t let anything show on the outside, though on the inside he was seething.

“That’s right. Jack Kinney never should have been a family man. If you hadn’t married mom then I wouldn't have been born and you wouldn’t be here for trying to kill me! Isn’t that right Jack?!” Brian’s attempts at staying calm were failing miserably.

“Damn right.” Jack said with a smirk that Brian couldn’t see. He was thoroughly enjoying the fact that he was getting to his son.

“Well, let me let you in on a little secret, Jack. I am the way I am because I was born this way. You know what that means? It means that the fact that I’m gay can be traced back to you and mom. And given the fact that Uncle Charlie is gay I think it’s safe to say that it can be traced back to you.”

“How dare you!”

“How dare I what, Jack?” Brian was smirking once again. “How many times have you taken it up the ass in here, Jack? And don’t tell me you haven’t because the way you are it’s either take it or die. And I seriously doubt you have the big hairy cajones to let them kill you. So tell me, Jack. How many guys have you let fuck you? Because I’m betting you loved every minute of it.” Brian’s smirk was soon wiped off his face as the guard didn’t react quickly enough and Jack managed to backhand Brian across the cheek. His head snapped to the side and he just sat there stunned for a moment.

“You’re nothing but a mistake, sonny boy. You never should have been born.”

“You should have gotten rid of me a long time ago, I know that already Jack. You’ve been telling me every day since I was fucking born.” Brian reached up and touched the spot on his cheek where Jack hit him. It was tender and he knew that there would be a bruise there soon and there was probably a red mark. Jack was practically dragged out of the room by the guards and Brian just sat there a moment before he too was escorted out.

Brian remained quiet the whole way home. Justin wanted to ask him so many questions, first and foremost being about the slowly forming bruise on his cheek. He respected the man’s silence, however, and knew that Brian would tell him all in good time. Once they were back at his place he helped Brian upstairs. They were both quiet for several minutes. Brian sat down on the couch and patted the seat beside him. Justin joined him almost immediately and Brian rested his head on the younger man’s shoulder. When Justin’s shirt started getting wet, he realized that Brian was crying. Justin reached up and started to stroke the older man’s hair with one hand, taking Brian’s hand in the other.

“Justin?”

“Yes, Brian.”

“Am……am I a mistake?” He asked shakily. Justin was a little confused at first, but he started to understand when he remembered the things that he’d heard about Brian’s father. Justin turned his head and kissed Brian’s forehead.

“No, baby. You’re not a mistake.” He whispered against the soft hair. Brian lifted his head a little and it almost looked like he was looking Justin right in the eye, having taken his sunglasses off upon entering the apartment.

“I need to hear that you love me.” Tears started pouring more quickly down Brian’s cheeks. “Whether you mean it or not, I need somebody to say it.” He reached up and started to wipe his eyes. Justin put his hands on Brian’s cheeks, being careful of the bruise, and held his face still for a moment.

“I love you, Brian. I always have and I always will. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.” The words were spoken softly, but with so much emotion. Brian wrapped his arms around Justin’s neck and rested his head on the younger man’s shoulder again as he started to sob, but this time it wasn’t grief or sadness that caused the tears.

As Brian was getting ready to leave for the day he heard his door open and smiled as the scent of Justin’s cologne drifted past his nostrils.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Justin sounded less than enthusiastic. Brian made his way over to his couch and sat down, feeling the couch shift as Justin sat beside him.

“What’s wrong?” Brian asked, reaching for the blonde’s hand. Justin quickly took his hand in his, lacing their fingers together.

“Ryder’s sending me on a business trip.” Justin answered.

“How long will you be gone?” Brian sounded slightly worried.

“Two weeks.” Justin sighed.

“But….”

“Don’t worry, Cynthia agreed to come over and make sure you’re okay. She won’t be spending the night, but she’ll make sure you have a ride to and from work, and she’ll make dinner for you.”

“That’s very good of her.” Brian said, letting some relief into his voice.

“I tried to get out of the trip, Bri, I really did. But I’m the only one that can go.”

“It’s okay, Justin. I understand. You gotta do what you gotta do. I’ll be okay.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss Justin’s cheek, ending up kissing the younger man’s nose. “Don’t move your head when I’m trying to kiss you.” He chuckled and Justin laughed.

“Sorry.”

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. I have to start packing right away.”

“I guess we better get home then, huh?”

“Yeah, guess so.” Justin sighed again. Brian called Topper over as Justin grabbed Brian’s briefcase.

“I really will be okay, Justin. Especially with Cynthia there to help out.” Brian smiled as Justin slipped an arm around his waist. Brian slipped the hand that wasn’t holding on to Topper’s harness around Justin’s shoulders.

“I know, baby. But that won’t keep me from worrying.”

Brian was sitting downstairs ready to go to work. Topper was at his side and they waited at the bottom of the stairs for Cynthia to arrive to take Brian to work. His stomach growled loudly as he waited. Justin had been gone for four days and Brian was starting to realize how dependant he was on other people. Just then there was a knock on the door. Brian got up and answered it.

“Hey, Brian, ready to go?”

“Yeah, but we need to stop and grab something to eat on the way.” He sounded less than happy.

“But…you rarely eat breakfast, except on the weekend.”

“And the rare occasion that I don’t eat dinner the night before.” Brian ground out obviously angry.

“But why didn’t you….” Her eyes went wide then and she gasped. “Oh Brian! I’m so sorry! I completely forgot! I just…I got asked out and…”

“Forget it. I just need something in my stomach now before I pass out.” Brian let Topper into Cynthia’s car, then got in himself. After buckling his seat belt he crossed his arms over his chest and was effectively pouting. Cynthia got in, buckled up and pulled out of the driveway.

“Why didn’t you order take out or something?”

“Kind of hard to do that when you can’t read the fucking menu. And they won’t stand there and read it to you over the phone, they don’t have time. Believe me, I tried.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I really am sorry Brian.” She said softly.

“Doesn’t change the fact that you forgot.” Brian huffed.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” She said.

“You won’t have to. I plan on doing something about this myself.”

”What do you mean?”

“I mean it’s about time I put all that shit I learned back when I was seventeen to good use. I’ve become way too dependent on other people and it’s time that changed.”

“Oh.” Was all she could manage, sighing heavily and feeling guilty for letting her best friend down.

As soon as Justin walked in the door he could tell that something was different about the house. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he knew there was something different. He was, however, extremely happy to be home. He couldn’t wait to see Brian. Justin went to set his bags down and caught the distinct aroma of food cooking coming from the kitchen. He could have sworn he’d told Cynthia that he’d be home tonight. Perhaps she had fixed dinner for the two of them and was going to leave as soon as he got there.

“Brian? Baby? I’m home.” Justin called out.

“In here.” Brian answered from the kitchen. Perhaps the older man was keeping Cynthia company as she cooked. Brian often loved to sit in the kitchen talking to Justin as he prepared their evening meal. It had become a ritual and it would make sense that he would continue to do it even in Justin’s absence. The blond was completely amazed to see an apron wearing Brian standing behind a stove, completely alone in the kitchen.

“Hey, Brian…” Justin said, still in shock.

“Hey, dinner’s almost ready. Can you set the table?” He smiled and Justin nodded before answering verbally and going to set the table.

“When did you start cooking?” Justin questioned as he put the plates and silverware down.

“I’ve known how to cook since I was fourteen; I just never did after….” He motioned with his hands to his eyes and Justin nodded.

“I was just wondering….”

“How I’m doing it?” Brian asked and Justin once again nodded before speaking.

“Yeah.” He said and Brian beamed, practically bursting with pride.

“Voice activated kitchen appliances and a Braille labeler for the foods.” He said.

“Voice activated appliances?” Justin asked.

“Yeah. The burners on the stove are voice activated, as well as the temperature and timer on the oven. The microwave is also voice activated as well as the food processor. See? Watch.” Brian walked over to the microwave and said “one minute, high temperature.” In a clear voice and the appliance came on, one minute later, it beeped signaling it was done.

“Wow, that’s great.” Justin sounded a little worried. “Um…. what brought this on? I mean…. before you were perfectly content to rely on me.”

“You won’t be around all the time, Justin. I can’t rely on you for everything. And the past couple of weeks proved that there would be times when I’ll be home by myself. Now if I could only get a voice activated car that would be great.” Brian chuckled and Justin laughed with him, but humorlessly.

“What about Cynthia?”

“I missed dinner one night because she had a date and forgot to come check on me. That’s when I realized that I had to start being able to do things on my own. Because not everyone that takes care of me is as reliable as you are.” He smiled a little sadly and Justin nodded. He moved over to the older man and wrapped his arms around him, kissing his chin.

“Well, I’m very proud of you, baby. And I can’t wait to taste what you’ve cooked up for dinner. It smells delicious.”

“Thanks. It’s just a simple fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken.”

“It’s more than that, baby.” Justin said in a soft voice.

“What do you mean?” Brian raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“It’s a real accomplishment.” Justin kissed Brian’s cheek and chuckled as Brian actually blushed.

Brian woke up early, a smile on his face from the minute he was fully awake. He couldn’t believe it had already been three years since he first met Justin. They’d been through so much in the time together but had only managed to get closer than ever before. Brian kissed Justin’s cheek before getting out of bed to go about his morning routine. After showering and shaving, he made his way down to the kitchen to start making breakfast.

Since Brian had asserted his independence the two of them started switching off days cooking. Today happened to be Brian’s day. He decided that he’d go with the easiest thing to make, bacon and eggs. Justin had taken the time to label the cabinets with a general idea of what they held. Brian searched until he found the label that read “pots and pans” in Braille and reached in, pulling out two frying pans. He then went to the fridge and pulled out the necessary bacon and eggs.

Not long after he started cooking the familiar sound of bare feet on linoleum accompanied the frying bacon. Moments later a slightly cold hand found it’s way to

the small of Brian’s back and wet lips kissed his cheek.

“Morning, baby.” Justin whispered in Brian’s ear before giving it a kiss. He chuckled as Brian shuddered.

“Morning, sunshine. Can you pour the juice, breakfast is almost ready.”

“Sure thing.” Justin smiled and went about getting the orange juice on the table. “Can you believe it’s been three years already?” He asked after a few minutes.

“No, I can’t really. Time’s just flown by.” Brian smiled before taking a bite of eggs.

“I’ve got a surprise for you, baby.” Justin said as he stood from the table.

“I thought we agreed we weren’t going to get each other gifts this year.” Brian protested.

“I got US a gift; I didn’t get you a gift.” Justin chuckled and Brian sighed.

“Semantics.” Brian said and Justin laughed. He walked over and slipped a CD into the player in the kitchen, then hit play. The kitchen was suddenly filled with the sound of waves crashing against the shore, seagulls and what sounded like steel drums. A smile grew on Brian’s face. “Is that what I think it is?” He asked.

“I got us a trip to Jamaica.” Justin came over to stand next to Brian. The older man stood and hugged Justin tight, kissing him passionately. “I take it you like the idea?” Justin asked with a laugh. Brian once again kissed him.

“Definitely. I’ve always wanted to go to Jamaica.” There was the tiniest hint of sadness in his voice, though. Justin took both Brian’s hands in his.

“I know you won’t be able to see everything, baby, but I plan on trying to help you see whatever I can. I’ll describe everything down to the last detail so you can picture it in your mind. I promise.” The words were spoken softly and tenderly.

“Thank you so much.” Brian said, his voice filled with emotion. “When do we leave?”

“This weekend.”

“That doesn’t give us much time to pack.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Justin said. Brian nodded and they came together in a kiss they lost themselves in, the remainder of breakfast totally forgotten.

They arrived at the hotel early in the morning, opting to catch up on some of the sleep they lost the night before having to be at the airport at 3am to go through all the security and the necessary procedures for Topper before they could get on the plane. Brian was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, not even bothering to take his shoes off. Justin smiled tiredly, removing Brian’s shoes, and his own, before climbing into bed and curling up with the older man.

They slept until the sunlight streaming in the window of their room could no longer be ignored and woke up together. Brian smiled as brightly as the sun shining in through the glass. Justin couldn’t keep a matching smile from his face as he reached up to stroke Brian’s cheek.

“You’re so beautiful.” The blonde said softly before kissing Brian’s lips. Brian sighed happily.

“This was the best idea you’ve ever had.” He kissed Justin once again before getting up and going into the bathroom

.

“I was thinking we could go swimming. There’s a pool downstairs. Or we can go out to the lagoon and just lay out on the beach.” Justin offered. Brian was quiet, the only sound coming from the bathroom being that of the flushing toilet.

“I think I want to go down to the lagoon.” Brian said as he emerged from the bathroom. Justin smiled and got up.

“I’ll get our swimsuits and arrange for a picnic lunch with the front desk.”

“Perfect.” Brian smiled. The day couldn’t have been better. It wasn’t too hot and wasn’t too cold. It was perfect. Brian could feel the sunlight heating up his skin and he loved it, though he did worry if Justin would burn or not. The younger man had said that he had fairly pale skin and Brian was sure that his skin would probably sunburn easily. He decided to keep his mouth shut though, fairly certain that the younger man would take the necessary precautions to keep that from happening.

They made their way down a winding path, having decided to leave Topper with one of the hotel staff so they could be completely alone. Justin had said on more than one occasion that having Topper in the room when they were making love creeped him out and it had killed the mood numerous times. And no matter how hard they tried, they simply couldn’t get Topper to stay in her bed every night. She got lonely easily and often wandered into their bedroom.

As they walked, Justin described everything he saw. He told Brian about the flowers and the trees and the lizards and anything that came into his view. Brian smiled as he tried to picture it all in his mind, creating a simulated tropical wonderland for only his eyes to see. He wished that he could get down what he saw on paper so that he could share it with Justin. Yet another setback to his blindness. But he knew that what Justin was seeing could rival what his imagination came up with.

When they finally came to a stop, Justin let go of Brian’s arm so that he could lie out the blanket. They weren’t quite ready for lunch so he set the picnic basket aside. Brian stood still and listened carefully. He heard the sounds of a breeze blowing through the trees, the waves washing up on the beach, the birds chirping. What he didn’t hear were the sounds of other people on the little beach with them.

He arched an eyebrow and turned in Justin’s general direction.

“We’re completely alone.” Justin said in a voice filled unmistakably with lust. Brian swallowed hard and his cock twitched in his pants.

“Completely?” He asked in a low growl.

“Completely.” Justin responded, his tone matching Brian’s. The older man started to slowly strip, wanting to put on a show for Justin. He removed his light linen shirt one button at a time, then slowly slipped it off his shoulders before throwing it aside. He then removed the matching pants, hoping that he was facing the right direction so that his ass was presented to Justin as he bent over to slide the pants off his feet. The last thing removed were his boxers, his hardened cock springing free before he threw them aside, then lay down on the blanket.

Justin licked his lips as his eyes traveled from the top of Brian’s head to the tip of his toes and back up to his glorious erection, stretched up so that it lay against his stomach. Brian propped himself up on his elbows and to anyone walking by it would have appeared that the man was staring out at the beautiful water.

“Tell me about the water.” Brian said softly, throwing Justin off a little. He smiled a little when he realized what Brian meant.

“Clear and blue. Almost teal really with the sunlight shining through it. White tips at the crest of the waves out off the shoreline. The further out it goes the deeper the blue gets until it’s the color of sapphires.” He slowly crawled so that he was on all fours over Brian’s prone body, his lips mere millimeters from Brian’s when he came to a stop.

“I can picture it. I bet it’s beautiful.”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you.” Justin said before capturing Brian’s lips in a kiss. He reached up and put a hand on the back of Brian’s head, running his fingers through the soft auburn hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue flicking out to touch Brian’s lower lip. Justin gasped slightly as Brian hungrily sucked his tongue into his mouth, sucking on it eagerly as if his life depended on it.

Brian’s hands started moving down the younger man’s sides. Justin had opted to not wear a shirt down to the lagoon and Brian smiled as his thumbs brushed over Justin’s nipples before making their way down. He broke the kiss when his hands encountered the blonde’s shorts, however.

“You are far too over dressed for this.” Brian smirked and Justin chuckled. He reached down and slowly wriggled out of his shorts. Brian lay back on the blanket as Justin spread his body out over him, their erections rubbing together as they kissed, both of them moaning at the contact. When the need for air became too great the kiss broke and their foreheads rested against each other.

“Justin?”

“Yes, Brian?” They were both panting slightly.

“Make love to me.” Brian said softly. Justin smiled and kissed Brian as he lifted the older man’s legs to his shoulders. They’d given up condoms several months ago after having been monogamous for a little over a year and both testing negative. Justin got himself into position, using precum as his lube as he slid just the head into Brian’s waiting hole. The older man moaned, gripping the blanket beneath him. Torturously, Justin slowly pushed until he was in to the hilt. Brian moved his legs down, wrapping them tightly around Justin’s waist as his hands moved up to pull the younger man down into a kiss. When Brian bucked his hips, Justin started thrusting, slowly at first but gaining momentum. Brian forced his tongue into Justin’s mouth, licking every possible surface.

It wasn’t long before both men were lost in the ecstasy of their shared orgasms, both screaming the others name. Streams of Brian’s cum shot into his hair and over his face, the last stream covering his chest and stomach before it was over and Justin collapsed on top of him.

Brian kept his arms wrapped around Justin, letting his legs fall to the blanket beneath him. Justin rested his head on Brian’s strong chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow down. They stayed like that, Brian holding Justin, until Justin’s dick softened to the point of slipping out of Brian. The older man groaned at the lack of contact but neither made a move other than Justin looking up at Brian and smiling.

“I love you.” He whispered softly.

“Love you too.” Brian answered. Justin rested his head on Brian’s chest again and was quiet for a minute before looking up once again.

“Brian?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Marry me.”

“What?” Brian wasn’t quite sure he’d heard that right.

“Will you marry me?” Justin asked again, now a little scared at the response he was going to get. Brian was quiet for several minutes and the longer the silence lasted, the more Justin began to panic until finally Brian spoke.

“Yes, I’ll marry you.” He smiled brightly and the two came together in a kiss filled with hopes and promises of a future together forever.