This is just a fluffy-type short story before I move onto the angst in "Heart's Desire," which I WILL be updating shortly. This story will probably be only two, maybe three chapters in length. Couldn't resist having Tricky make a return appearance to Britin for the holiday - hope you enjoy it.:) I will be posting the rest very shortly.
DISCLAIMER: QAF and its characters are the sole property of Cowlip Productions and Showtime; no copyright infringement is intended.
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Brian returns home, hoping for a little private time with his favorite blond - only to discover ANOTHER blond there as well...
Two Days Before Easter Sunday
Brian sighed in relief as he approached Britin, feeling like the weight of the world was finally lifting from his shoulders. This past week at Kinnetik had been total hell; on Monday, one major client had threatened to take his lucrative business elsewhere when one of his art interns had fucked up a storyboard by misspelling the client's company name, while he and Ted had wound up having to sit down with the IRS yesterday to go over a tax return for Kinnetik from two years ago that was being audited. Fortunately, all the paperwork was found to be in order, but due to his CPA misclassifying a business expense as a charitable donation instead the IRS had slapped Kinnetik with a hefty fine as a result. And last but not least, the heavy rains of a few days ago had caused a major leak in the conference room afterward, leading to a plumber robbing him blind when he was presented with his repair bill this morning. All in all, this week had been one that he was more than happy to forget.
He let out a deep breath as he turned into the gracefully curving driveway of his and Justin's home. As much as he never would have thought he would be comfortable living in the country, he could almost feel his blood pressure lowering as he continued up the drive toward the garage located around the side of the house. As he pushed the remote to open the garage door, he smiled as he noticed Justin's smaller SUV parked inside; he had been hoping his partner would be home from his trip to Columbus. When Justin had first told him that he had an art show in Ohio of all places, Brian thought he had been joking; nothing happened in a vanilla town like Columbus, did it? Turns out, however, that a wealthy art patron who had ties to the city had left a multi-million dollar endowment in exchange for a state-of-the-art cultural center being built, and Justin had been specially invited to display some of his work for the grand opening last night, along with several other up-and-coming artists throughout the Midwest. It was actually a great honor for his partner to be acknowledged in that way, and it had filled Brian with pride over Justin's continuing achievements, but he was extremely relieved to know that Justin was back home now because he was in need of some much-needed TLC at the moment – the 'special' kind that only his lover could provide for him.
He pulled into the space next to Justin's and turned off the 'Vette's motor, reaching over to the passenger seat to grab his suitcase before opening the door and emerging into the coolness of the three-car garage. The thick, insulated walls of the space belied the early April warmth outside; after a surprisingly mild winter, the spring was shaping up to be just as atypical – the forecast called for temperatures in the low '80's through the weekend, just the perfect weather for a long horseback ride with Justin into the hills surrounding their home. It had taken a while for his partner to become comfortable riding the smaller of the two horses they had acquired soon after moving in, but once Justin had become accustomed to riding him, he had become quite adept at it; he had the perfect lithe body for balancing adroitly on top of the stallion. He smiled to himself, thinking about the double meaning of Justin's talent at 'riding stallions' as he turned the door handle leading into the kitchen and prepared to greet his partner with a big, wet, sloppy, tongue-filled kiss.
As soon as he opened the door, however, he found himself greeted unexpectedly with a different sort of wet, sloppy kiss. "What the fuck?" he muttered as a too-familiar, golden-haired, furry beast wearing rabbit ears launched himself enthusiastically at him like a missile; Brian tried frantically to grab onto the door handle in an attempt to brace himself but it was too little, too late. His shoes slid on the polished marble floor and he fell to the ground as Tricky placed his paws on top of Brian's chest and began to lick his face vigorously; his tail was wagging so rapidly that Brian could feel the dog's entire 130-lb. body shaking along with it like a mini, kibble-scented earthquake.
"Cujo!" Brian growled in irritated surprise; this was not the blond he had been expecting to greet. "Get off me, you flea motel!" He tried to huff out an angry breath, but he was finding it hard to use his lungs at the moment; it felt like an anvil was lying on his chest. He averted his head to the side as Cujo landed a long tonguing right on his lips and he wiped his mouth with his suit sleeve, feeling suddenly like Lucy in Peanuts as she flayed her arms and shouted in disgust about "dog germs - yech!" There was no doubt that THIS fur mountain had to have them in spades.
"Justin!" he sputtered out as he finally managed to gain a modicum of air when Tricky shifted his body just enough for him to re-inflate his lungs. "Justin, get in here! Shit!" He braced his hands on either side of the massive head to try and prevent his love-struck suitor from washing his entire face with drool and spit, but he was having difficulty preventing it; the dog was just too damn strong.
"Brian?" he finally heard his partner call out from the other room; he heard footsteps rushing into the kitchen as a familiar, excited voice shrieked out a few seconds later, "Daddy!"
Brian lay there immobile and imprisoned as Tricky continued to ravage his thousand-dollar suit while he greeted him joyously; he thought he detected a definite titter coming from his partner before he heard Justin ask quietly, "Would you two like to be alone, Brian?"
"Aaarrgggh!" Brian growled. "I'd like for you to remove this shaggy carpet from me before I get asphyxiated!"
"Tricky IS already fixed, Daddy," Gus supplied helpfully as he gazed down at his father in confusion.
Justin burst out laughing as Brian scowled up at him indignantly. "Get him off me, Justin!"
Finally, Justin pulled the bunny impersonator by his collar to release Brian from his captivity as his partner took another deep breath to restore some air into his lungs.
"Gus, why don't you take Tricky outside in the backyard for a while, okay?" Justin suggested.
Brian struggled to sit up as Gus nodded. "Okay, Papa," he told him. "We can work on our new trick to show Daddy."
Justin smiled. "Good idea; in fact, you can take over for your father, then, because he never gets a chance to work on any of his own tricks anymore," he told him as he grinned over at Brian impishly. "Your dad and I will join you in a little while, okay? I think he needs to relax a little first."
"Okay. Come on, Tricky!" Gus called out to his dog as he patted his jeans leg and ran toward the French doors leading out to the patio; fortunately for Brian the dog was more excited at the moment at the prospect of being let outside than continuing his tongue washing as Justin let go of his collar and the dog scampered over to join his master. A few seconds later, the boy and dog hurricane rushed outside as Brian let out a huge sigh of relief at the blessed silence.
Justin squatted down next to his partner and eyed him sympathetically as he brushed some hair back from his partner's eyes. "Hard day at work, dear?" he asked in falsetto as Brian scowled at him.
"What do YOU think?" Brian growled. "And just where did Gus and Peter Cottontail come from? I was under the impression we would be going to Debbie's to see them Sunday for Easter instead." While he always looked forward to spending time with his son, he wasn't too delighted that it came as a package deal now, even though over the past several months he had come to accept the fact that his son and Tricky were practically bonded at the hip; where one went, the other did as well. That was why Mel and Lindsay had been relegated to driving down from Toronto rather than flying. He had been looking forward to seeing his son again on Sunday, but he had also been hoping in the meantime, though, to spend some quality, private time with his partner this weekend before the circus came marching back into town.
"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing," Justin explained as he helped Brian to his feet. "Mel called right after you left today and asked if we could take care of Gus early. She said Lindsay broke her foot last night after she tripped on a hole out front in the sidewalk. She'll be fine," he reassured him as Brian opened his mouth to ask. "But Mel said she'll be out of action for at least a couple of weeks or more, and Gus really was looking forward to going on an Easter egg hunt tomorrow. I told her that we could arrange for him to hunt eggs here at Britin, since Debbie doesn't have much of a yard to hide them in. I offered to let Gus and Tricky stay with us this weekend and then we could take them back to Deb's on Sunday in time for dinner."
Brian sighed as Justin helped him take off his jacket and he pulled the tail of his shirt out of his pants; he was suddenly feeling an urgent need to get out of his constrictive - and now saliva-covered - clothes.
"You don't mind, do you?" Justin asked softly as he took hold of Brian's wrist; he supposed he should have cleared it with Brian first, but he knew how much his partner cherished the time he could spend with Gus, so he assumed it wouldn't be a problem.
Brian let out a long breath before he shook his head. "No, you know I don't," he said as he gazed into Justin's eyes, feeling all the pressure of the past week slowly dissipating, despite their unexpected company. "It's just been a hell of a week," he added. He curled his lips under as he admitted, "I was planning on spending some time alone with you beforehand, though."
Justin flushed at the thought of how Brian had been looking forward to being alone with him. "I guess this does change things, then."
Brian smiled at him wryly. "Just a bit." He glanced over at the back doors to see his son and Tricky happily romping back and forth in the fenced-in part of the yard. At least the weather was conducive to them being outside. "You think they'll be okay for a few minutes alone? You did say that I needed to relax first."
Justin smirked. "You're the only person I know that can make the word relax sound so dirty." Brian curled his lips under playfully as Justin glanced over at Gus who now had Tricky sitting up, no doubt preparing to coach him on his latest talent. "Well, he did say he had a new trick he was trying to teach Tricky, so I imagine that will take at least a few minutes. And he can get the back doors open pretty easily, I noticed, if he wants to come back in."
Brian slid his arms around Justin's slender waist, pulling their bodies closer together as he leaned down to whisper huskily in Justin's ear, "Well, I know some other blond who has a whole bag of tricks to make ME relax. Why don't you pull one out of your magic hat right now and help refresh my memory?"
Justin laughed at the cheesy statement as he pulled back to look into Brian's twinkling eyes; he reached down to squeeze Brian's cock through his suit pants, hearing an involuntary soft moan as he told him, "Well, let's go upstairs to the bedroom and I'll see what I can pull out."
Twenty Minutes Later
Justin stood at the upstairs bedroom window gazing out onto the backyard below, dressed once more in a pair of loose-fitting chinos in deference to Gus's presence for the weekend. He leaned back into Brian's embrace as he felt his arms sliding around his waist from behind just before his lover nuzzled his neck, his cheek tenderly rubbing against his.
Placing his hands on top of Brian's, he watched with a gentle smile as Gus instructed Tricky in his newest stunt: taking the curved handle of an Easter basket in his mouth as he trotted around the yard with it proudly. He chuckled softly as he watched Gus trying to catch up with the dog, who was apparently taking an inordinate amount of glee out of keeping the basket away from him. Somehow he had a feeling that the rambunctious animal hadn't quite gotten the entire operation down pat just yet, because Gus seemed a little perturbed with Tricky's attempts at evasion.
His gaze moved then over to the location of where their original stable once stood; he could just see the corner of what was left of his former studio's spot. What had been his remodeled, cozy and airy artistic hideaway was presently just a flattened, bare hole in the ground, the charred remains from the fire a few months ago having long been cleared and taken away. Justin had been forced to move his studio temporarily up to the top floor of the house, which was actually a lot more spacious, but it lacked the intimacy and charm of his former workspace. He sighed softly, unaware he was even doing it as Brian's hands tightened slightly around his body protectively.
Brian frowned slightly at the change in Justin's demeanor as he linked his hands with his. It always amazed him that no matter how much Justin painted, his hands were always surprisingly soft and always so warm, so very warm, to his touch. Unlike his own skin, which was stretched taut over his muscles, Justin's body, while trim and slender, wasn't as muscular; it was and always had been more curved and softer. It was one of the things he adored about him, along with so many other incalculable details. "What is it?" he asked softly against Justin's cheek in concern. As far as he knew, ever since they had overcome their differences at Christmas, Justin had seemed quite happy here at Britin.
"Nothing," Justin murmured back in response, silently chiding himself for being so melancholy. The space he was painting in upstairs had to be at least twice as large as his former converted studio, but out back it had been his own private space, his sanctuary where he could focus on his work and become lost in his creation. Upstairs it felt almost overwhelming in its largeness and it had an almost clinical feeling to it; there was none of the charm and ambiance that his former studio had had. It wasn't, though, as if he were relegated to some hovel somewhere; all of a sudden he realized how selfish he felt. He turned around in Brian's arms to bestow a smile on him. "It's nothing, really," he reassured him as Brian brought their clasped hands up against his chest and slowly caressed them as he gazed down into Justin's eyes.
"Bullshit," Brian said flatly, unconvinced; he knew every nuance of Justin's expressions and the tone of his voice by now to know he was outright lying to him for some reason. "Try again, Sunshine; although you don't look too 'sunshiny' to me at the moment."
"Gus…" Justin attempted to protest as he tried to remove his hands from Brian's grip, not as concerned with Gus's safety at the moment as his being so transparent and childish.
But Brian merely gripped them even more firmly as he shook his head. "You just saw Gus and he's fine, Justin; now out with it."
Justin sighed again, knowing he was caught; Brian wouldn't stop pushing until he confessed. "I…I just miss my studio space."
Brian let go of Justin's hands to slide his own around the slender back and pull him a little closer as he peered down into the sheepish and embarrassed blue orbs. "You just miss the smell of manure in the morning," he teased him. His face softened, however, as he noticed his joke didn't get the desired effect as he asked his lover more softly, "Justin, you have the entire top floor set up for your studio; why in the world would you miss that old stable space out back?"
Justin struggled to explain; he wasn't sure even HE knew how to make sense of it. "It's…It's just not the same, Brian," he told him. "It was…unique. It had a certain character and charm. It was separate from the house and was my own private place where I could put my shit wherever I wanted to and know that no one else would bother it and it would be right there the next time I returned. It was the first real space I had that I could call my own; it had good bones and the best light in the afternoon." Back in New York, Justin had made use of the space offered to him by his agent, but this had been his first true art studio that he had ever owned, and he had quickly realized how much he missed it once he had been forced to relocate upstairs after the fire.
Brian felt his heart flutter at the mention of his ex-partner's old studio; that was one of the reasons why he had decided to tolerate Tricky a little more now than before, even though the dog still drove him fucking crazy. If it hadn't been for that mangy mutt needing to go outside that night, he might have never realized that both his son and Justin were in mortal danger. He had almost lost Justin that night, and any mention of his former studio always made him a little queasy over what could have been.
"I know it doesn't make sense," he heard Justin admit.
Brian let out a ragged breath, forcing himself to turn his attention away from that awful night as he leaned down to nudge Justin's nose against his, finding that it made him a little calmer just feeling his warm skin against his face. "Yes, it does…it makes perfect sense when it comes to you," he told him softly as he pulled back to look into Justin's eyes, those eyes that he could become lost in in a heartbeat. Justin always had been the sentimental type, so much more so than he was, even though he had changed somewhat over the years. Whether due to his partner's influence or not, he had finally reached the point where even he could appreciate tradition and permanence, and he knew that studio had meant a lot to Justin. What Justin didn't know, though, was that he had every intention of having it rebuilt as a surprise to him. He just had to find the right time to do it; it would have to be during a period when Justin was gone out of town on one of his art ventures. For now, though, he would have to act like nothing remotely resembling that was in the works or it would spoil everything.
Justin smiled up at Brian in gratitude that he understood; it was a little scary sometimes that he knew him so well, but it also filled him with a feeling of being so loved that his partner went to all that trouble to do that. "I'm that transparent, am I?" he murmured softly as he gazed into Brian's face.
Brian's mouth curled upward. "Only to me, Picasso," he told him in reassurance as he leaned down to kiss the soft lips. He would have loved to resume Round No. 2 with his lover, but he knew Gus would be searching for them soon – along with his shaggy companion. Sure enough, he had no sooner pulled back from Justin than he could hear the rapid pitter-patter of human and canine feet scampering up the steps.
A few seconds later, Tricky came bounding into Brian and Justin's bedroom, a medium-sized, light brown basket clutched in his mouth by the rounded, arched handle. Tail wagging vigorously, the oversized bunny impersonator trotted directly up to Brian and dropped the basket at his feet; it wobbled slightly and threatened to tip over, but at the last minute it righted itself and miraculously remained upright. Brian jumped as Tricky let out a deep, booming bark of excitement over his accomplishment.
Justin burst out laughing at the sight; after what they had just been discussing it was a welcome intrusion to him, but he wasn't sure if Brian felt quite the same way. To his credit, though, his partner wisely chose to overlook his ardent admirer and address his attention toward his boisterous son, who came bounding in right after Tricky.
"Daddy! Papa!" he cried out proudly as he came rushing up to them. "Did you see him? I learned him a new trick!"
"Taught, Sonny Boy," Brian gently corrected him with a smile as he reached down to sweep Gus up into his arms; before he could do so, though, Tricky managed to get in a couple of licks to his face as Brian shrunk back in distasteful surprise; he glared at Justin who had snickered in reaction as he stood back up and held Gus by his butt as his son's arms wound themselves around his neck. Brian couldn't stay irritated at Tricky for long, though; all he had to do was look at his son's radiantly happy face and his own scowl quickly disappeared to be replaced by a look of tenderness. "You taught him a new trick." He looked down at the basket that Tricky had so deftly dropped at his feet to ask his son, "Is that what you've been trying to teach him, Sonny Boy?"
His son bobbed his head up and down as he beamed. "He brought it all the way in from the backyard," he eagerly reported. "Isn't he wonderful, Daddy?" He glanced down at the dog, who was now sitting near his father's feet; all it took was one look at him and Tricky's tail once more began to wag briskly back and forth.
"Yeah," Brian deadpanned at he looked down at his tormentor. "He's just peachy." He exchanged a look of barely-disguised tolerance with his partner over his predicament. "And just what he is going to DO with that basket, Gus?" he asked curiously as he turned his attention back to his son, almost afraid to find out.
"He's going on the Easter egg hunt with me, Daddy," the boy explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "He's a 'treiver," he added helpfully. "That means he likes to pick things up."
"Your father enjoyed doing that, too, when he was younger," Justin wisecracked as Brian gave him a dirty look.
"Gus, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for dogs to eat eggs," Brian told him. "Besides, that dog would eat the shell and all; something tells me that anyone who would likely eat his own feces does not have discerning taste buds."
Gus frowned at the unfamiliar term. "Daddy, what kind of food is feces?"
"Well, Sonny Boy, let me tell you. Basically it's just a bunch of sh…"
"Brian," Justin sternly admonished him with flashing eyes.
Brian shrugged. "He asked me," he explained. He cleared his throat. "Let's just say that dogs tend to want to eat things that aren't healthy for them, and I'm afraid Cujo here would make a pig out of himself if he ate too many eggs. I think they could give him gas, too."
Gus's face brightened as a thought occurred to him. "You're always saying that we need more gas, Daddy," he pointed out. "So Tricky could help you out with that."
Justin covered his mouth with his hand in amusement briefly before saying, "Yeah, Brian, we can always use more gas with the high cost of fuel. I think you should let Tricky help Gus with his hunt. We can hide some treats for him to hunt while Gus finds the eggs."
Brian gently placed Gus back down on the ground and placed his hands on his hips as he told Justin, "Well, unless your taste buds have changed, Sunshine, we don't have any dog treats for a canine Easter Egg hunt," he pointed out.
Justin looked at him sheepishly as he admitted, "Actually, we do. When Mel called to ask if we could watch Gus and Tricky this weekend, I went to the grocery store earlier today and bought some supplies. After all, dogs can get an upset stomach or even diarrhea if you don't consistently feed them the same type of dog food."
"Oh, joy," Brian deadpanned sarcastically. "Thanks for the information, Dog Whisperer." He brushed his hand through his hair as he told Justin, "Well, before the Easter Bunny arrives tomorrow, I'm going to go hop in the shower." He looked at Justin hopefully. "Are you feeling dirty, too, Sunshine?"
Justin blushed at the overt seductive tone in Brian's voice that went straight to his cock. "Uh…Well…I guess I do have a few minutes before I need to start dinner," he said as Brian smiled in anticipation. He looked over at Gus to say, "How about you go wash up down the hall for dinner, Buddy? I think you might have just enough time to play with your train set before we eat." Brian had purchased Gus an outrageously expensive model train set for last Christmas when he had come to visit, erecting it in the spare bedroom down the hall on top of an old, wooden antique banquet table that the former owners had left in the dining room downstairs when they had moved out. The damn train set was so extensive that it took up the entire top of the rectangular, 10-foot-long table, but it had provided Gus with hours and hours of enjoyment. He wouldn't admit it to Gus, but Brian had actually been spending a lot of time enjoying it, too, although he seemed to derive perverse pleasure out of staging intentional train wrecks between the two locomotives that belonged with the set. Justin figured it harkened back to his old chemistry club days when he threatened to blow up his high school.
"Yay!" Gus shouted out in glee. "Come on, Boy!" he shouted at Tricky as he turned to rush out of the room. "Don't forget your basket!" he commanded as the dog hurried to follow him and promptly forgot to pick his basket up. To his credit, however, as soon as Gus mentioned the word basket he pirouetted around and snatched the basket back up by the handle and trotted out of the room, close on Gus's heels.
Brian breathed out a sigh of relief as the two-team tornado left the room. "Fuck," he muttered. "I'm going to be damaged beyond repair before Sonny Boy and his new stunt dog leave."
"Ah…Poor baby," Justin cooed as he placed his hands on Brian's upper arms. "Don't worry, Dad; I'll protect you from that nasty old blond and his lethal basket."
Brian curled his lips under and slid his arms around Justin's waist as he replied huskily, "He's not the only blond who has a lethal basket. Why don't you bring yours with you right now and put it to good use?"
Justin guffawed at the awful joke. "Well, since you put it so romantically…"
Brian grinned in triumph as the two came together for a deep kiss, both of them getting lost in the sensations generated by the clash of lips and tongues. It would be several seconds later before the two breathless lovers finally broke apart and headed off to the shower for some much-needed 'reacquainting.'
The Next Morning – Day before Easter
Brian slowly roused from his slumber as the sun intruded through the partially-closed drapes of his and Justin's master suite. His eyes still closed, he blindly reached over with his left hand to grope for Justin beside him, only to come up with air and a cold bed. Unaccustomed to not feeling his lover beside him when he woke up – Justin normally being the late riser – he opened his eyes to confirm that his partner was nowhere to be found. Disappointed that he was apparently not going to be participating in a morning fuck fest with his lover, he sighed as he slowly sat up and pulled the thin, navy-blue sateen sheet from his body to arise from the bed to saunter toward the adjoining bathroom.
Dressed casually a few minutes later in a pair of dark blue jeans, Gucci loafers and a long-sleeved, black cotton shirt, Brian ambled down the hallway, faintly making out the sounds of conversation from the floor below. He smiled, quickly ascertaining exactly where his partner had run off to as he padded down the steps and stopped cautiously on the downstairs landing, afraid to make too much noise for fear that their other visitor would be poised for his latest attack. He breathed a sigh of relief as no such accosting was forthcoming as he walked down the polished hardwood hallway toward the sound of voices coming from the kitchen.
He stopped in amusement as he reached the archway leading into the kitchen, finding Gus standing on their wooden stepstool with a slotted spoon in his hand, an egg perched vicariously on top, as he shakily managed to place the colored oval object into a partially empty egg carton on the counter. "Advancing your art, Sunshine?" Brian drawled as he observed Justin using a small, slender paintbrush to apply swirls and other intricate designs onto some of the dried, colored eggs as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to Gus.
Justin grinned. "Well, I DO have a reputation to uphold, you know," he commented as he turned to look as his partner; even with tousled, wet hair Brian had that almost 'fresh-fucked' look and was incredibly sexy to him. He flushed at the knowing look Brian gave him; the damn man could almost read his mind some times, although he knew it didn't help that he could normally tell how he was feeling simply by looking at his face. When it came to Brian he always did have a hard time pasting a neutral sort of look on his face so he wasn't so obvious.
Brian looked around with a little trepidation before he asked, "Where's the Cadbury Bunny?"
Gus frowned as Justin clarified who he meant; the little boy's face broke out into a smile as he told his father that he was outside 'doing his business.'
Brian wrinkled up his face as he walked into the kitchen, at least feeling safe to wander about freely at the moment until his tormentor returned. "Justin, remind me to call the Turd Patrol when Cujo goes back to Toronto."
"Eww, Daddy," Gus protested as Justin laughed. "He's not THAT bad!"
Brian walked up to give Gus a kiss on the cheek from the side. "It's not the quantity, Gus, it's the size."
Justin grinned. "Now that's the man I know and love," he retorted. "Always emphasizing size first."
Gus eyed him curiously, not really understanding what his father and his papa were talking about as Brian leaned down to give Justin a quick kiss on the lips. "You got it, Sunshine; otherwise you wouldn't have caught my eye in the first place."
"But Papa's kind of short, Daddy," Gus protested in confusion.
Brian grinned broadly. "Not where it counts, Sonny Boy," he told his son as Justin blushed. He smacked Justin on the ass for emphasis, making his partner wonder if he was referring to his cock or his ass before his brow furrowed as he realized the mess his two favorite boys were making. There were paint smears on the counter, along with cotton balls, icing tubes, construction paper and candy pieces lying everywhere nearby; even Gus's hands were dyed a distinct shade of bright green, his favorite color. Upstairs in his bedroom, Gus had green everything – green dinosaurs, green bedspread, green curtains, even a John Deere bed in the shape of a green and yellow tractor. It seems his color of choice had been transferred downstairs and was now threatening to overtake their gourmet kitchen, though. He sighed as he surveyed the damage. "Justin…"
Sensing what he was about to say, Justin quickly replied, "It's all water-based paint, Dad. It'll all wipe off with soap and a little water."
Still not quite convinced, Brian eyed the miniature cotton balls and frowned. "What are those for?"
"Papa's making egg sheep," Gus told him proudly, reaching over to grab one of the completed ones that Justin had already made.
Brian had to smile at Justin's creative use for Easter eggs – his partner had fashioned some sheep out of cotton, construction paper and what appeared to be brown pipe cleaners, along with a host of other animals.
"You have a regular barnyard there, Sonny Boy," Brian told him with a smile as Gus beamed back at him, clearly proud of his menagerie. Brian looked over at Justin with an appreciative, loving smile. "It certainly pays to have an artist in the family; no run-of-the-mill eggs with crayon markings in THIS house." Justin smiled back at him as he pointed out, "You do realize though, that all those fancy eggs you're helping to decorate will likely turn out to be egg salad later, don't you? That's an awful lot of work to go to just to end up in the garbage later."
Justin shrugged. "It's okay," he told him as he looked over at Gus's radiant-looking face. "It's worth it," he said softly. "He's worth it." His heart had felt so full ever since that day at Thanksgiving that Gus had indicated he wanted to start calling him Papa. Now every time that name rolled off his tongue so easily as if it were the most natural thing in the world it made Justin's heart soar. He couldn't love Gus more if he was his own biological child, anyway; ever since he had been born the day he and Brian had met for the first time, he had always felt a special bond to him. He was so grateful that that bond continued to this day, a relationship that had only grown stronger and deeper over the years.
"Sentimental twat," Brian whispered in his ear as he leaned down to kiss his cheek and hug his neck with his hand. He nuzzled his cheek with his lovingly for a moment before he pulled back, inhaling the sweet, familiar scent – a mixture of shampoo, after-shave, and just plain Justin. "Well, before Peter Cottontail comes bounding back in, I'm going to grab some coffee and check my e-mails – in the study – alone – with the door SHUT. Carry on, boys!"
Justin grinned as Brian poured himself a large mug of coffee, grabbed the glass sugar dispenser and a spoon from the drawer and promptly walked out at a brisk pace, obviously afraid his biggest fan would be coming back into the house soon.
"Silly Daddy," Gus told Justin as he shook his head. "Doesn't he know the Easter Bunny brings me my candy? NOT Peter Cottontail."
Justin gingerly placed the newest member of Britin's animal menagerie down on a glass plate adorned with fake green grass – a green frog this time with beady-looking eyes that Gus had dyed himself – before he told Gus solemnly, "I'll make sure your father knows that, Buddy. You think you should go check on Tricky? He may want to come back in by now." He figured now was a good time since Brian had had enough time to safely squire himself away inside the study.
Gus nodded as Justin handed him a wet paper towel so he could clean off his green-colored hands before he jumped down off the stool and walked over to the double French back doors, finding Tricky waiting impatiently on the other side to get in. He was proudly holding up his Easter basket in his mouth by the handle, just as Gus had taught him.
"Good boy! "You're such a smart dog!" Gus praised him as he opened the door for Tricky to enter; the dog wagged his tail furiously at Gus's words as he came trotting into the kitchen, his nose sniffing the air enthusiastically as if he had detected the intoxicating scent of his favorite adult. Justin patted Tricky on the top of the head sympathetically as he walked up to him. "Sorry, Tricky," he told him. "Your idol has already made a quick getaway." The dog actually seemed disappointed as his tail drooped slightly in reaction; almost like a deflated balloon, he turned and walked over to plop down under the nearby kitchen table with a groan as if he were distinctly downtrodden, dropping the basket unceremoniously by his feet. A few seconds later, he lowered his head to the floor, peering his big, golden eyes sadly over at Gus and Justin as he lay there motionless.
Justin had to grin; it was as if Tricky knew Brian was trying to evade him. He actually felt sorry for the dog in a way, but he knew it was for the best; the farther away he and Brian remained from each other during Gus's stay, the better. That didn't mean, though, that he wouldn't spoil the dog just a little while he was there; after all, the dog had inadvertently saved his life and had been partly responsible for him and Brian making up afterward, which had been the most pleasurable part of it by far. He flushed just at the memory of Brian actually scooping him up in his strong, muscular arms and carrying him up the steps that night; Rhett Butler had nothing on his gorgeous and chivalrous partner.
"Don't worry, Boy," he murmured at him. "I'll make sure the Easter Bunny brings you plenty of goodies to hunt for tomorrow." Tricky briefly raised his head at the sound of Justin's voice, only to slowly lower it back down to the floor dejectedly as he realized Brian wasn't there with him; he let out another mournful sort of groan as he lay there, his luminous and expressive eyes staring over at him.
"I'm not the only drama queen," Justin remarked dryly as he grinned back at the dog. Although he couldn't blame him – he had the same sort of feeling himself whenever Brian was away on business or he had to go away himself because of his art. Feeling inexplicably sorry for him, Justin reached up on his tiptoes to open the top cabinet directly above him and grab one of the cellophane bags containing some jerky treats. At the sound of the bag's zipper being opened, Tricky's ears perked up as he quickly rose to his feet and trotted over to Justin's side, his melancholy over being separated Brian temporarily forgotten.
"Oh, I see we have something else in common; a good appetite for treats," Justin told him with a smile as he grinned over at Gus. "But you'll have to work for yours first." He held the bag out for Gus. "Here, Buddy."
Gus stepped up on the stool and took the bag from Justin; he reached in to pluck a strip from the bag and hold it out for his dog. "Sit!" he commanded as Tricky promptly sat down and looked up at him expectantly. "Speak!" Immediately a loud, rumbling bark erupted from his companion, making Justin jump slightly at the noise.
"Good Boy!" Gus praised him once more as he tossed the treat into the air and it was deftly caught; the dog took no more than two bites before he promptly swallowed it, licking his chops in appreciation as he gazed up at Gus eagerly for an encore.
"One more," Justin told him, not wanting to stuff him too much; the dog already looked like he had gained some more weight since the last time, even though he still appeared to be quite trim. Leave it to Brian's son to adopt a dog who turned out to be a mammoth. "Don't want to spoil his dinner later," he explained as Gus nodded.
"Okay, Tricky, shake hands!" The dog obediently held out one shaggy, giant paw toward Justin, who grasped it and gave it a hand-to-paw shake.
"Nice meeting you," Justin teased him as he shook it a couple of times before releasing it. He watched as Gus lofted the second treat into the air and Tricky once more caught it in mid-flight before he gobbled it up in no time.
Gus gave the bag back to Justin as he held his hands up to say, "That's all, Cujo." Justin laughed at the nickname as he placed the bag back into the cupboard. Tricky remained rooted to his spot for a few moments until he was sure that was all he was getting before he finally turned and trotted over to the end of the kitchen next to the door leading out to the garage; a few seconds later, the rigorous lapping of water could be heard as Tricky took a long drink from his water bowl before picking up his tennis ball lying nearby and trotting over to place it down at Gus's feet.
"Looks like somebody wants to play," Justin said with a smile. "You go on; I'll clean up here and put the eggs in the fridge until tomorrow when we do the Easter egg hunt."
Justin helped Gus down from the stool as the little boy scampered off toward the back doors, Tricky close on his heels; the basket temporarily forgotten until it was needed tomorrow. Taking a few minutes to restore the kitchen back to its normal appearance, Justin wiped his hands off on a blue, terry-cloth kitchen towel nearby before walking down the hallway in search of his elusive partner.
Quietly opening up the study door, Justin slipped inside, noticing his partner bent over the laptop at his massive, oak desk; it was such a different piece of furniture from Brian's sleek, glass and chrome desk at Kinnetik, but here at Britin it fit in perfectly. At the soft closing of the door, Brian looked up from the screen, his face softening at Justin's appearance. "Where's the other blond?" he asked dryly as he craned his neck around his partner's body cautiously.
"Don't worry," Justin reassured him. "He wanted to play with his tennis ball, so I sent him and Gus outside." He walked up and sat on the edge of Brian's desk, facing him. "He wasn't the only blond who wanted to play with a ball."
Brian's eyebrows rose as something else rose along with them. "Oh, is that right?"
Justin's lips turned into a playful grin as his eyes shone mischievously. He leaned over the desk until he was mere inches away from Brian's face as he whispered in a low voice, "Yeah. I haven't played with MY favorite ball in, oh, at least several hours now."
Brian's smile widened as he replied, "Well, that's quite a coincidence, because I haven't played with my favorite ball in several hours, either."
"Balls," Justin corrected him helpfully.
"Little shit," he muttered as he accepted a gentle kiss from his lover. Just as Justin pulled back to break the kiss, Brian reached around his neck and promptly smashed their lips together once more, his tongue pushing forcefully between the slightly parted lips to press its way inside. Justin moaned softly at the sensation as he accepted the intrusion readily, his hands cupping Brian's face firmly as their kiss deepened. Brian held onto Justin's shoulders firmly as he established dominance, letting his lover know in no uncertain terms just how much he wanted to 'play ball.'
Finally after several seconds, he released Justin's lips with a decided pop, noting with satisfaction the swollen appearance and flushed skin on his partner's face. He stood up as Justin scooted off the side of the desk, taking Justin's hand in his to tug him toward the study's door. He paused before opening it, turning to Justin to advise, "Let's make a run for it before Cujo tracks us down," as he peered his head out into the hall, noting with satisfaction that all appeared quiet. Grasping Justin's hand tightly, he flung the door open wide and quickly began rushing toward the steps, his partner trying frantically to keep up with Brian's longer strides.
Just as they reached the steps, however, they could hear the distinctive sound of the two back doors being opened and footsteps clattering on the hardwood floor in the kitchen. "Quick!" Brian hissed. "Run for your life!" In true noble fashion, he began to take the steps two at a time, leaving Justin far in the figurative dust as he tried to keep up with him. A few seconds later, the thundering of what sounded like hooves sounded behind them as a hairy, golden flash rushed past Justin on the stairs, almost knocking him over as Tricky boisterously ran up the remaining steps seemingly without any effort, gaining quickly on Brian who barely made it to the landing before his greatest fan promptly knocked him over onto his back.
"Ooomph!" Brian sputtered out through his lungs as Tricky sat down on top of him, his tail wagging so hard his entire body was undulating atop Brian's and making it feel like Mt. Vesuius erupting on his chest; the lime green tennis ball in his mouth was quickly discarded before the bunny-eared dog began to lick Brian's face vigorously, the thump, thump, thump of the ball sounding as it bounced, step by step, down the stairs. Justin caught the drool-coated ball in his hand nimbly as he bent down to scoop it up and jogged up the remaining steps, seeing Brian lying prone on his back, his arms flung out beside him in captivity. He was twisting his head from side to side as he tried unsuccessfully to avoid Tricky's adulation.
"Get him off me!" Brian choked out, incredulous that he had once more been subjected to canine tag team wrestling. "This damn dog must weigh a ton. What are they feeding him – elephant chow?" He took his hands and tried to forcefully remove the dog's furry body from atop his, but it was no use.
Justin merely stood there in amusement, the ball in his hand as he loomed over his partner. "Brian, I told you before – if you and Tricky want to be alone…" He looked behind him to see Gus hurrying up the steps now. "Gus and I can find something else to do…"
"Don't you dare!" Brian managed to hiss out indignantly, his face red with irritation. "Get…This…Dog…OFF…ME!"
Justin once more took hold of the dog's collar and firmly but gently pulled him off Brian, leaving his partner to wonder why Justin could handle him but he couldn't. Still holding onto him, Justin said to Gus, "Buddy, can you go get Tricky's leash from your bedroom for me?"
Gus nodded; before he left, though, he asked Brian, "Are you going to take him for a walk, Daddy?"
Justin guffawed as Brian sat up stiffly, feeling like a ton of bricks had just been removed from his chest. His breathing labored, he muttered under his breath, "Yeah…off a short pier."
"Brian," Justin warned him as he looked over at the little boy. "Maybe we can do that later, Gus. I need for you to go get the leash now, okay?"
Gus nodded once more. "Okay, Papa," he told him as he turned and dashed down the hall toward his room; thankfully he returned several seconds later with the much-desired item as Justin clipped it to the dog's collar and pulled him far enough away so Brian could finally rise slowly to his feet. He heard his partner groan in discomfort as he rubbed his lower back with his right hand.
"That dog should be classified as a weapon of mass destruction," he grumbled as he eyed him warily. He sighed in frustration; not only was the dog much too rambunctious and untrained to be inside the house, but he was always interfering greatly with his and Justin's normal fucking schedule. Going without fucking his partner for more than 12 hours at a time made him horny as hell and full of pent-up frustration, and this dog had succeeded in managing to spoil all of his best-laid plans - emphasis on the laid part...
Justin let out a heavy breath; his partner wasn't the only one who was feeling sorely neglected lately. Holding on tightly to Tricky's leash, he told Brian, "Why don't you go relax in the bedroom and I'll be in shortly? You can do some work on your laptop until I can join you."
Brian looked at him, unconvinced; the past couple of days had certainly not been what he had expected; why should now be any different? "Shortly?" he repeated, just to make sure he had heard him right. "How shortly?"
Justin shrugged. "I don't know – an hour maybe?" he offered. "Then we can work out in the Jacuzzi together," he added suggestively, leaving no room for misinterpretation. "I'll come and join you as soon as I can, I promise."
Brian glared over at his adversary, still doubtful that things would proceed the way that Justin was promising. "Our Jacuzzi only has room for two," he advised Tricky, who was staring up at him in what appeared to be a hopeful expression, even though he had no fucking idea how to interpret canine facial expressions. "Doggy paddling is NOT allowed in there."
"But Tricky likes to swim, Daddy," Gus pointed out. "He's a good swimmer. And you let Papa do it."
Brian frowned. "Do what, Sonny Boy?"
"Doggy style. The last time I was here I heard you tell him how hot he looked in the Jacuzzi when he did it doggy style. Why does HE get to do it but not Tricky?"
Justin turned beet red as Brian rubbed his hand over his face in awkwardness. He reminded himself to make sure his and Justin's bedroom was firmly shut the next time they discussed their sex lives when Gus was visiting.
"The water in the Jacuzzi is way too hot for dogs," he finally told the little boy when he thought of a reasonable explanation. "But you and Tricky are welcome to go swimming in the pool later this summer when it gets warmer out, okay?"
Justin exchanged a relieved look with Brian as Gus nodded, satisfied with that explanation apparently. He had to pull back on the leash as Tricky began to strain against him, noticing just how correct Brian had been; the dog was incredibly strong. It was all he could do to hold onto him as he told his partner, "Go on, Brian; I'll hold onto him until you can make your escape and then I'll be in as soon as I can."
"Good," Brian told him with the hint of a smile, noticing that Justin's face was still pink. "We can practice your dog paddling some more when you get there."
Justin's face turned a shade darker as he replied in embarrassment, "Brian…Go; you're not helping here."
Brian grinned evilly as he began to back away from the 'scene of the crime,' keeping his face toward Tricky to watch for any sudden moves. Once he had safely managed to place enough distance between him and the dog, he hastily turned and strode firmly toward his and Justin's bedroom, throwing out a quick "Don't forget what you promised!" at Justin before yanking the door open and then closing it behind him. Once the door was closed, Justin unhooked Tricky's leash at last and the dog shot off like a rocket toward the bedroom door, coming to a sliding, slippery halt directly in front of it where he proceeded to whine longingly for Brian and scratch on the door.
Justin could clearly hear Brian's exasperated voice through the door as he barked, "If you put one mark on that expensive door, Cujo, I'll throw you in the Jacuzzi myself! Amscray!"
Justin huffed out a weary breath; what day was it again? Oh, yeah…Saturday. Which meant they had one more day to go before he could finally take their furry zealot and Gus back to Deb's for Easter dinner. Perhaps there was something he could do to change that up just a little, though, he thought, because truth be told as much as he loved Gus dearly – and felt a certain amount of gratitude toward Tricky after he had helped save his life – he, too, had been looking forward to some private time with his partner.
"Come on, Gus," he urged the little boy. "Let's take Tricky out for a little more practice with his basket so he's ready for the Easter Egg hunt this afternoon, okay?"
Gus bounced lightly on his feet and clapped his hands in delight, looking forward to when he could explore the grounds of Britin as he searched for the eggs he and Justin had decorated, along with the other goodies that Justin had promised to hide for both him and Tricky. "Yay! Tricky!" he called out excitedly. "Let's go out, Boy! Go find your basket!"
The word 'out' had the desired effect on the dog as to Justin's relief he stood up and trotted back down the hall toward his master . He placed a hand on Gus's shoulder companionably as man, boy, and dog, walked down the hallway toward the steps, providing Brian at last with some temporary relief from his most zealous admirer.