Justin walked up the three steps of Mel and Lindsey's porch. Thinking about then the day before had him wanting to visit them and the children.

"Justin!" Lindsey exclaimed when she opened the door. She pulled the man into her arms, hugging him tightly. "Where have you been?"

"Linds," he gasped.

"Oh, sorry," she said and released him. "Come in."

Justin smiled and followed her into the house.

"Mel!" Lindsey called. "Come see who's here!"

Mel came down the stairs and broke into a grin. "Justin," she said and hugged him. "Are you okay? Where have you been? We missed you. Why did you take off?"

Justin couldn't help smiling a little. "I'm fine," he lied.

"Sit down," Lindsey said and gently pushed him onto the couch.

"Jus'in!"

Justin grinned as the dark haired five-year-old rushed into the room. He scooped the boy into a hug. He'd missed Gus.

"Where have you been, Cutie?" Mel asked as she picked up Jenny-Rebecca as the baby crawled away from her toys.

He sighed and began telling them the same things he'd been telling everyone, just leaving out the part about being positive. Thankfully, talk quickly moved away from him and to their family.

"Play cars with me, Jus'in?" Gus asked after a little while and Justin smiled brightly.

"Of course," he said instantly and got on the floor with the boy.

For the next hour he played with Gus, forgetting everything else in his life.

"You have to come over for dinner this weekend," Lindsey insisted when he got ready to leave.

"I will," he promised and accepted a kiss on the cheek from each lesbian.

He smiled a little as he walked for the bus stop. The past hour had been the first in a very long time that he felt like normal, could be happy.

Justin stood nervously in front of the door to the loft. He wasn't sure how to do this, be around Brian again. What was he supposed to talk about? To do?

He blew out a breath and knocked.

Brian answered the door in jeans and a black wife-beater. Damn, he looked good. Of course, he always looked good no matter what he was or was not wearing.

Brian frowned at the blond as they stood in the doorway. "What's the matter?"

Justin shrugged. "Nothing," he said.

Brian didn't believe him, but gestured him inside.

Justin walked into the loft and something inside of him relaxed a little. The loft always felt like home, a safe haven.

"I ordered pizza," Brian said as he watched Justin glance around the room. He wondered what the man was thinking, but didn't ask. That would too lesbianonic.

He was rewarded with a smile when Justin turned around. It was not his Sunshine smile, but it was a real smile.

"Linds said you came by," he said casually as he put the pizza box on the coffee table.

Justin smiled. "Gus has gotten so big." He set his messenger bag on one of the barstools and accepted a beer when Brian held one out.

They sat down on the couch and Justin suddenly laughed.

"What?"

"Pizza and beer," he pointed out. "All we need now is a ball game and we'd be a couple of breeders."

Brian laughed. "We're not breeders so we better find something better to watch."

"Brad Pitt?"

"Patrick Swayze."

"That old man?" Justin asked in fake disapproval.

"He is not old, you little twat," Brian said with a scowl. "Now give me the remote so I can put a movie on."

Justin grinned, happy with their easy banter. "I guess I can watch him," he teased as he stood up. The stupid remote was on the plush chair. "He may be aged, but he is still hot." He flashed a bright grin at Brian. "Good thing I like hot older men."

"Twat," Brian laughed and threw one of the pillows from the couch at the blond.

Justin just laughed and plopped back down on the couch.

Brian smiled happily at him. The younger man was acting perfectly normal, just the way he had before. He always enjoyed their joking. Of course, he always enjoyed just about all of the time they spent together.

"How's the art coming?" Brian asked after sometime. They'd already discussed Gus and Kinnetik.

Justin took a long drink of his second beer. He shouldn't really be drinking since he was taking 'anti-crazy' pills, but it wasn't like he drank often.

"It's not," he admitted slowly.

"Why?" Brian asked in surprise. Art was Justin's main passion. He'd once said he could stop eating before he stopped drawing (and with his appetite that was saying something).

"Lack of inspiration," he said flexing his bad hand. "Trouble with my hand."

"What's wrong with your hand?" He asked with a frown. "You got almost all the strength back in it."

"That was before," Justin said softly. "Now, I have a lot of trouble with it."

"Is it the meds?"

He shrugged. "The meds, the disease, the stress," he said. "I don't know and it doesn't really matter. I do know I tend to have more trouble when I get stress or upset."

"Your hand is in tune with your emotions?" Brian asked with a laugh before thinking.

"Fuck you," Justin snapped.

"Sorry," he said instantly.

"Sorry is bullshit, remember?" Justin said throwing his own words back at him.

"Okay, how about I was being my usual smartass self?"

Justin smiled a little. "I'll accept that," he said then looked at his hand. "I think it's just the stress and nerves that cause it when I'm upset. Doc says that since the injury was from a brain injury that my emotions cause the nerves in that part of my brain to react and so my hand reacts."

Brian nodded and didn't delve any farther into it. He knew how much Justin hated talking about his injury. He had the feeling he was going to be the same way about being positive.

He let the subject drop and they turned their attention back to the movie.

"I should be heading back," Justin finally said standing up. The evening had been really nice, comfortable, normal.

"You don't have to," Brian told him, but he knew Justin wouldn't stay.

Justin gave him a little smile as he carefully slung his bag over his shoulder. "I know," he said calmly.

Brian pulled the younger man into him and kissed him. He'd been dying to since the moment he walked into the loft. He held Justin to him, delving his tongue into his mouth, pleased when Justin moaned.

Justin wrapped his arms around Brian, pressing against him. He pressed tighter to the man when Brian slid his hands down to hold his ass, squeezing it. God, he loved Brian's hands. Okay, he loved everything about Brian.

He finally pulled away after a minute, panting for air.

Brian grinned at him as he always had, knowing the effect he had on him.

"I should really go," he said after a long second. If he stayed and allowed Brian to touch him again, they would end up in the bed.

"Do you need a ride back?"

Justin shook his head. "I'll be fine," he assured him.

Brian nodded, not really wanting to let him leave alone, but knowing he had to. Justin wanted to be independent, didn't want Brian telling him what to do.

"I'll see you later," Justin said and quickly pressed a kiss to Brian's lips.

"You can bet on it," he said as he opened the door.

Justin gave him a smile. It wasn't a bright happy smile, not his sunshine smile, but it was getting closer.

"Night," Justin said and hurried out of the loft.

Brian watched as he got in the elevator and it descended before going back into the loft.