Justin looked at the clock. Five, six, seven o'clock came and went, and there was still no sign of Brian. He felt so sorry for his husband, because for the past few weeks, work had been hectic. For some reason, Kinnetik's clients all wanted new campaigns at the same time, and a lot of new clients were signing on too, thanks to the satisfaction of the current ones. Justin was assisting a friend in an art class for students at a special needs school, so he couldn't help out as much as he wanted to.

Brian was sitting at his desk. He rubbed his face, trying to get rid of the weariness overwhelming him, before he had to drive home. Looking up when his door opened, he saw Cynthia come in with a cup of steaming coffee and snacks.

Cynthia smiled as she put the food and hot beverage down in front of him. "Here…" she urged him, "drink this and eat the oat cookies, because if you fall asleep on the drive home, Justin will have my ass in a basket and Debbie will bury me in it. Then, get out of here and do NOT come back until Wednesday at the earliest. I know you are the boss, blah, blah, blah, but if you dare come back before then, I'll assault you with lady problems and straight sex."

Brian tried his best not to laugh. He really loved his second in command, the way she bantered with him, as well as her rare work ethic and loyalty. With a smirk, he therefore capitulated, "Only because I don't want my ears to bleed from the thought of hearing about lady bits and bobs. Thank you, Cynthia."

Giving her boss her best cheeky grin, Cynthia got up from perching on the corner of the desk. "See that you do, and drive home safely. You really did brilliantly these past few weeks. I'm proud of you."

Saluting her with his cup, Brian replied, "Same to you." He took a gulp and enunciated, "Have a great weekend."

Watching her leave the office, Brian shook his head, thinking he was lucky to have her not only as a colleague but also as a friend.

Taking his cup to the small sink in his office, he rinsed and dried it before placing it in a cupboard. Moving to his desk, he grabbed his briefcase and coat before walking out his office.

Justin picked up the phone on the third ring. "Yeah?"

Mel smiled at the greeting. "Hi, Justin! Is everything set for later?"

Justin grinned, "Yeah, it's all ready. Thank you for agreeing, Mel. I think Brian really needs this."

Sighing, Mel nodded, "I agree. The other day when he visited Gus, he fell asleep while playing a mixed game of trains and tea party with him and Jenny. Luckily, I came into the room before Jenny could put some makeup on him. I actually felt sorry for him. He really put in a lot of hard work, and not the 'hard' you normally think of when you mention Brian Kinney."

Laughing, Justin replied, "Yeah..." He was about to say more, but he heard Brian's car in the driveway. "Mel, Brian just got home. I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Sure. See you later." Mel responded, before disconnecting the call.

Brian parked in the garage. As he turned off the engine, he rested his head on the steering wheel, letting a deep breath out. He stayed there for a moment, before making his way inside the house.

As soon as he walked through the door, he was greeted by his Sunshine. "Welcome home Brian." Justin smiled at him and enveloped him in his arms.

Holding Justin tight, Brian inhaled his scent, "I missed you."

Smiling into his shoulder, Justin replied, "Missed you too." He hugged him some more before leaning back. "Cynthia rang, by the way. She told me to keep you chained to the bed until Tuesday night. You're not allowed back until Wednesday."

Pulling back so that he could look into Justin's amused eyes, Brian grinned, "Oh, she did, didn't she? What do you plan on doing with me all chained up for that long?"

Putting on his best thinking face, Justin replied, "I think that I could come up with a few ideas but first things first. Go get out of those clothes," Justin demanded as he slipped off Brian's jacket, placing a kiss on his neck. "Why don't you take a hot and relaxing shower, and I'll have dinner ready when you get down." Brian was about to respond, but Justin didn't let him. "I don't want to hear about the 'no carbs after seven' bullshit. You need to eat, so you're gonna eat. Got it?"

Placing a kiss on those plump lips, Brian agreed, "Yes, dear, got it. Though, are you going to join me in this shower? I need help washing my back."

Justin responding by kissing Brian once more, before purring mischievously, "I'd love to help wash your back."

Hand in hand, they headed up the stairs and to the bathroom, shedding clothes on their way. They engaged in a round of passionate love, leaving them breathless, but with matching smiles on their faces. When they finally stepped out of the shower, their stomachs growled loudly.

Laughing, Brian dried Justin's hair. He knew that Justin could do it himself but for some reason, the brunet loved doing it. The look on his partner's face showed him that the simple act of tenderness meant the world to him.

Once they were both dry, they put on their heated robes from the warming rack and made their way to the kitchen.

As soon as they got there, Justin turned to Brian. "Go sit on the couch and watch TV for a bit. This will only take a few minutes, since everything's ready to throw into the wok."

Brian pulled Justin in for another kiss before shaking his head. "Nope. I'm gonna sit at the breakfast bar and watch the master at work. You can tell me how you make my favourite dinner."

Resting his head on Brian's shoulder for a moment, Justin smiled. When he leaned back, he intoned, "Okay. Pour yourself a drink and I'll cook and explain. You can pretend that I'm Martha Stewart, and the Snoop Dog has the day off or something".

That sent Brian off into a laughing fit that Justin thought wouldn't end.

While heating up the wok, Justin shook his head, giggling, "I didn't think it was that funny."

Wiping the tears that fell from laughing himself silly, Brian drawled with a smirk, "Martha, tell me what you are doing…"

Shaking his head, Justin began, "First, I prepare all the ingredients: diced chicken fillets, peppers, chopped spring onion, and garlic. I put the chicken into a bowl with some soy sauce and the chopped-up garlic and let them marinate for a few minutes. While that is happening, I cook the rice. When I'm satisfied that the chicken is ready, I heat the wok, spraying it lightly with a low-calorie spray, throw in the chicken mixture and sauce, and stir fry. I only add the peppers at the end. Once it's done, I serve the dish on a bed of rice and sprinkle it with spring onions. You can also serve it with a chinese curry sauce if you prefer."

Listening to Justin explain how to cook the dinner made Brian's stomach growl more and his mouth water. "It sounds great. If I don't eat it soon, my stomach will jump out and eat you, by the way."

Justin chuckled, "Your stomach can rest; it's ready now. Would you like curry on it or have it as it is?"

Licking his lips, Brian shook his head. "As it is, is perfect."

Justin placed their meal on the counter and took a seat on a bar stool facing his partner. Not a word was spoken as they ate, the only sounds resonating through the kitchen being their appreciative moans.

After they finished, plates were cleared away, washed, and dried. They sat and watched TV for a short while, just half-comedies that took them out of themselves.

Justin saw that Brian kept nodding on and off, so he suggested the brunet go to bed. To his surprise, his husband acceded and was fast asleep by nine-thirty. Justin was very happy with this, because it meant that his plan to surprise Brian could finally begin. He quickly typed a message on his phone to Mel, before joining his partner in their bed.

Five minutes later, Mel descended the stairs of her house and headed for the coat rack. Turning to look at her son, she walked to him and helped him put on his jacket. "You're excited about your dad's surprise?"

Gus nodded, a broad smile on his face. "This will be so much fun! Daddy said that dad works really hard and is sad to be so tired when he comes to see us. That's not his fault, though. Dad is the best dad ever! Even when he works a lot, he takes the time to visit us."

Mel was amazed by Gus's reasoning. At such a young age, he already understood a lot of things. "You're right, Gus. Your dad always takes the time to visit even when he is crazy busy at work."

Gus glanced up the stairs and sighed, "I'm sad that Jenny can't come because of her cold. She really wanted to come."

Fixing his hat on the boy's head, Mel replied, "I know, but she did make him a lovely picture. So maybe next week when she is better, she can go with you and make him lunch or something."

Gus's face lit up. "That's a brilliant idea! Thank you, Momma." he exclaimed and gave her a hug.

Straightening up, Mel picked up the weekend bag for Gus, grabbing his hand. "Let's get moving and drive to your dads' house, okay?"

They made their way out to the car as quietly as possible, so that they wouldn't wake up Jenny or Lindsay, who also had a cold.

Gus spent all his time in the car telling fun stories about his dads. "Once, we were in the park, and dad was almost got stuck on the swing." He chuckles. "Then, daddy got chased by a Canada goose because the goose wanted Daddy's sandwich. Daddy was running everywhere yelling, 'Help me, Brian! Help me!' and dad just kept laughing again and again. But then, he helped him or Daddy's legs would have given out." Gus giggled hysterically as he finished the story.

Mel was laughing so much that tears of laughter fell from her eyes. She was thankful that they would arrive soon at Brian and Justin's house, or she would have been obliged to pull over in the middle of nowhere. "That's really funny; I wish I had seen that. Do you have any other stories?"

Gus nodded, chuckling, "Lots. I remember a day when dad was walking down the path and a man who was running bumped into him by accident. Dad fell in the water fountain and all his clothes were soaked." He remembered, chucking. "Dad was really mad, but it was hilarious! Then another time, we were in a shop and went in the girls' section by accident, and a girl asked daddy which bra would go better with her dress. Jenny fell on the floor from laughing herself silly. She said that Uncle Justin's face became as red as the girl's bra."

Melanie shook her head as she tried to picture the scene. "I wish it had been filmed so we could watch it lots of times."

Gus bobbed his head up and down vigorously. "Yes!"

Mel reached the gates of Britin. She entered the security code, before moving the car forward and up the driveway.

Justin's phone lit up on the nightstand, vibrating slightly. Peering at the screen, the blond discovered that their surprise guest had arrived, and slipped out of bed, leaving a heavily sleeping Brian. He quietly exited their bedroom and made his way down the stairs, heading for the door.

"Hi guys!" he greeted them as soon as he opened the door, kneeling down to give Gus a hug. Looking over at Mel, he gave her a broad smile. "Thank you so much for bringing Gus over so late. It was the only way that I could think of to surprise Brian tomorrow morning."

Handing over the bag, Mel responded, "It's not a problem. In fact, I think it's a great idea." Glancing at the stairs, she commented, "I hope he is going to cut down his hours at the office. It's not healthy to work so much."

Nodding, Justin reassured her, "Cynthia forbade him to come back before Wednesday, or she will have his ass."

Mel laughed. "She really knows how to handle him."

Justin chuckled, agreeing, "Yeah, she really does."

Mel gestured toward the car. "I'd better get home to the cold twins. You have a great time and…" She gazed down at her son. "I can't wait to hear how it goes. You will tell me all about it, okay?"

"Sure, Momma," Gus once again bobbed his head up and down.

"Oh and Justin…" Mel called out mischievously. "Watch out for those Canada geese," she cautioned, laughing when Justin blushed furiously. She then hugged them both before getting into the car and heading home.

Turning to Gus, Justin accused, "You told her that story, huh?"

Gus giggled quietly, "Yeah, it was funny."

Hugging the boy, Justin laughed, "It was. So are you hungry, or would you prefer to go to bed? You also have snacks and drinks in your room."

Smiling at his daddy, Gus replied, "I'm not hungry; I'm okay just going to bed. That way, time will go by faster until I can surprise dad."

Taking off Gus' coat and hat, Justin praised, "That's a great idea; let's go to bed then."

Tucking Gus in his bed a few minutes later, Justin placed a kiss on his forehead, "Sleep well, Gus."

Hugging his daddy, Gus kissed his cheek, "Sweet dreams, Daddy. I love you."

Tears pricked the back of Justin's eyes at hearing those words from Gus. "Love you too, Gus. Sweet dreams."

When he left the boy's room a minute later, Justin heard soft snores coming from the child. He fell asleep just as fast as Brian did.

Going back to the master bedroom, Justin slipped back in beside his partner. He wrapped an arm around his husband's sleeping form and placed a kiss on his shoulder, whispering, "Love you," before drifting off to sleep.