Sickness & Health, Good Times & Bad

Post 513, Justin spent 18 months in NYC before coming back to Pittsburgh 6 months ago. Justin & Brian's relationship remained intact during the NYC sojourn. I do not own the characters just the situations.

Chapter 26

It was pretty typical Saturday morning at the Taylor-Kinney home. Justin slept in while Brian headed downstairs to make coffee. He enjoyed his first cup, black with 4 sugars, with some dry rye toast and a glass of guava juice. When he was done with his breakfast Brian prepared his second cup of coffee, fixed a mug of coffee for Justin, cream and no sugar, and headed back to the bedroom.

Brian put Justin's coffee on the night table and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. "Coffee delivery Sunshine. Rise and Shine."

Justin pulled the sheet off his face and sat up. He grabbed the coffee and took a big sip. "Thanks Brian, you are the best."

"I know that, tell me something I don't know."

"You can be very annoying first thing in the morning."

Brian just laughed.

Once they finished their coffee, Brian and Justin took a long, leisurely shower that included mutual blow jobs. Once they were dressed they headed down to the kitchen. John and Peter were just finishing breakfast. Good mornings were exchanged.

John stood up to take his plate to the dishwasher. "You guys want some scrambled eggs"

Justin was mildly shocked when Brian replied. "That sounds good Kiddo."

Justin looked at Brian who just shrugged. Peter got up from the table started to make toast and pour juice for his uncles. Brian leaned into Justin. "It makes the kids happy to make us breakfast. I guess a few egg yolks won't kill me."

Justin smiled and gave Brian's thigh a squeeze. Justin was a little surprised and extremely pleased that Brian was allowing his nephews to make them a breakfast that Brian would ordinarily not have eaten.

Brian and Justin were eating their breakfast when Alice came through the patio doors. "Good morning. I baked some cookies for Peter to take on his picnic."

Peter hurried over to say thank you and give her a hug. John offered to cook her some breakfast but Alice said she was not as late a sleeper as some people, giving Brian & Justin a quick look, and had already had her breakfast. She told Peter to have fun on the picnic and departed.

John looked over at Brian. "Are you really going to play some soccer with me today Uncle Brian?"

"Sure Kiddo. I said that I would. You have to remember that I'm a little rusty. It's been a few years since I've even touched a soccer ball. Except to kick it around a little with Gus."

John smiled. "There a guy from soccer practice that invited me over to his house today. I told him you were going to give me some pointers and asked if he wanted to come over here. He said his Dad could drop him off if we could take him home."

The look of horror on Brian's face made Justin laugh. "Kiddo I just told you how rusty I am. I don't want this kid thinking I am some kind of soccer guru."

"He doesn't think that. I just thought he could come over here and hang out. We could kick the ball around for a while and then maybe go in the pool."

Brian shook his head. "You can have your friend over but don't complain to me if my lack of soccer skills embarrasses you."

John headed upstairs to call his friend and a few minutes later the house phone rang. Justin answered and it was Greg O'Brien, his son Patrick was John's soccer friend. Justin did his best to assure Greg that he and Brian were trustworthy. He guessed it worked because Greg said he would drop his son off around 1 PM.

John was delighted and Brian was still a little apprehensive about 2 teenagers evaluating his soccer playing. Once they were alone Justin gave him a kiss and told him it would all be OK.

Brian smirked and said "Doubtful" which made Justin laugh.

The Gardners picked up Peter who had spent the morning swinging between manic happiness and apprehension about how to act on a picnic. Peter told Justin he had never been on a picnic. Justin told him that he had been on lots of picnics and there were no set requirements and that Peter should relax and he would have lots of fun.

When Justin went back to the kitchen Brian was just ending a call on his cell with an annoyed look on his face.

"You don't look so happy. Who was on the phone?"

"Fucking Lindsay! She and her bitch wife are concerned about Gus visiting while the nephews are living here. She said she wanted to be sure Gus still had his room here. I can't fucking believe her. I told Gus his room was waiting for him when I talked to him. He was really excited about staying here with us."

Justin put his arm around his partner. "You know, you have the worst luck with the women in your life. If Lindsay and Melanie try to interfere with Gus's visit I will personally kill them and I know my mother will help me. Mother Taylor often raves about how good you are to "those girls" and how badly they treat you."

Brian chuckled. "Nice to know at least one female is on my side."

"I know it's hard but don't let them get to you. I'm sure it will all work out once they get here and have a chance to meet John and Peter."

Brian shook his head. "I hope so Sunshine. By the way, Lindsay also told me they are getting here on Friday instead of Sunday. I guess they want some extra time to check us out."

"Brian don't forget they can't get along without the money you send them. Debbie is always saying how tight money is with them, as well as saying Michael wishes he had extra money to send them. I know you don't want to hurt Gus by not giving them money but if they try to keep him from visiting, you have to let them know it is not acceptable."

"I didn't know pit bulls were blonde?"

Justin swatted Brian's arm and told him he was going upstairs to change into painting clothes.

The doorbell rang as Justin came downstairs in his paint covered clothes. He opened the door and found Patrick O'Brien standing there with his father.

Greg extended his hand which Justin shook. "Hi I'm Greg O'Brien, Patrick's Dad. I think we're a little early, sorry about that. This is quite some house."

"I'm Justin Taylor, John's Uncle." John came into the entrance hall as Patrick came into the house.

"My wife and I are taking our younger son out for the day. What time do you think you will be bringing Patrick home, we don't want to miss you?"

"Saturday is usually a cookout day for us. We are going to grill some pork chops for dinner and we have plenty so it would be great for Patrick to stay and eat with us and we'll bring him home around 7."

Greg smiled. "Are you sure you have enough? You don't know how much Patrick can eat."

"I have some idea from watching John and his brother chow down."

"Okay then we'll expect Patrick around 7. Thanks. Behave yourself Patrick."

John and Patrick headed outside, after giving Brian a little more encouragement Justin went upstairs to his studio.

It was a beautiful summer day with little humidity and a gentle breeze blowing so Justin had all the studio windows open.

He could hear Brian and the boys talking and laughing. Justin loved hearing Brian laughing and enjoying himself. Brian was giving John & Patrick some soccer tips as they played. Brian's calm, relaxed instructions reminded Justin of Brian explaining gay sex to a very nervous, very excited, very thrilled 17 year old twink. Justin thought about that fabulous night he waited under the street light, outside Babylon, and how he loved Brian at first sight.

Justin smiled as he painted. He was inspired by the beautiful day, and the happy noise from the fun Brian and the boys were having and his memories of meeting Brian. When he stepped back from the canvas Justin was delighted by the painting. It seemed to him to have the happiness he was feeling but also the motion of the soccer game and the beauty of the day.

Justin added a few touches but when he felt the twinge in his hand he stepped back and decided the painting was perfect. He headed downstairs to find Brian resting on a lounger and the boys enjoying the pool.

Justin sat in a chair next to Brian. "Sounded like the soccer playing went well."

Brian answered with a big smile on his face. "I was surprised at how much fun we had. A lot of stuff really came back to me. How did the painting go?"

"It went great! I could hear you guys laughing and having fun and it was inspiring. When you were explaining things to John and Patrick it reminded me of the night we met. You were so patient with them like you were with me that night."

Brian smiled. "It wasn't exactly the same kind of instruction Sunshine."

"Well I am really pleased with the painting and you'll be happy to know I stopped at the first little twinge in my hand."

Brian took Justin's hand and started to massage it which brought a full watt sunshine smile to the blonde's face. "I do love you Mr Kinney."

Brian chuckled "And I soooooooo adore you Sunshine."

Justin knew that Brian wanted him to think he was joking but Justin wasn't so sure Brian didn't actually mean what he was saying.

Justin and Brian were still talking together when John and Patrick got out of the pool. "Can we have a snack and something to drink?"

Brian nodded. "Have whatever you want in the kitchen but don't spoil your appetite for dinner."

Brian decided he wanted to have a look at Justin's latest art work so they went inside. John and Patrick were each having a slice of cake and a glass of milk. John looked up at his uncles. "What's up?"

"Uncle Justin was painting while we were kicking around the soccer ball and I'm going to take a look at his latest creation."

"Can Patrick and I come look at it?"

Justin smiled. "You guys and Uncle Brian were my inspiration so come on and take a look if you want."

They all went up the back stairs to the studio. Brian stood with his hands on Justin's shoulders to admire the painting. John and Patrick stood to the side observing it.

Patrick turned to Justin. "Did we really inspire you to paint this?"

Justin smiled. "Yes, you guys having fun playing soccer and the beautiful weather today."

Patrick looked at the bright soft pastel colors that covered the canvas. "I can see the blue sky and the lawn and there are three figures in there that almost look like they are moving. Are those figures us?"

"You have a good eye. I'm flattered that you can see all that. I must have done a good job capturing this afternoon."

Patrick blushed. "Well you really told us what to look for and once you did that I could see everything that you talked about. That is pretty cool!"

John was pleased that his new friend seemed to be enjoying his visit. When he looked at the painting he could also see the things that Uncle Justin and Patrick were talking about. Art was not something he had much exposure to but it was pretty interesting to be the inspiration for a painting.

When a very happy Peter arrived back home, Brian was starting the grill, John & Patrick were playing pool in the basement game room and Justin was preparing a salad for dinner. Peter helped cut up the salad fixings while telling Justin all about his afternoon and how much fun he had.

After a dinner of grilled pork chops & asparagus along with the salad, everyone loaded into Justin's SUV to take Patrick home after a stop for dessert at Dairy Queen. On the ride home from the O'Brien home Brian and Justin were amused by the nephews competing for which one had the most afternoon fun.

Sunday at the Taylor-Kinney home was a pretty quiet day. Peter & John decided it was a good day for a hike through the woods beyond the creek. Justin worked on the second PPG mural and Brian checked emails and prepared for his business trip the next day. He had planned visits to a couple existing customers in the Atlanta area on Monday afternoon as well as the presentation for a new prospect on Tuesday morning. He would be back home on Tuesday night.

After a dinner of Thai takeout, Brian and Justin retired to their room for some "quality time" together. John & Peter were pretty sure that meant their uncles were having sex before being apart for two days. They were mildly creeped out by those thoughts and completely correct.

Brian was up at the crack of dawn on Monday morning. He showered and dressed before lifting the pillow off Justin's head. He leaned down and gave Justin a quick kiss. "I'll miss you Sunshine."

Justin woke up sufficiently to give Brian a halfhearted smile and placed one hand in Brian's cheek. "I will really miss you studman. Make lots of money, be safe and come home to me as soon as you can."

"I'll do my best." With a parting smack on Justin's ass, Brian left the bedroom. His suitcase was sitting by the front door and a town car was idling in the driveway.

Brian would have breakfast in the airline club room at the airport before boarding his flight to Atlanta.

A couple of hours later Justin made it downstairs for breakfast. Alice had just finished making pancakes for John & Peter. She poured Justin a mug of coffee while he toasted a bagel.

Justin let her know that Lindsay, Melanie and the 2 kids would be arriving on Friday. He decided he would make Jambalaya for Friday dinner so Alice didn't need to plan anything.

Justin was just considering heading to the studio when his cell phone rang. He checked the display before answering. "Brian, what's wrong?"

"Nothing major Sunshine. One of the account execs needs a Kinnetik contract signed. We are on a quick schedule to get some ads completed. He thought I would be in the office today. Could you go into the office to sign a contract?"

"Sure, no problem. Are we sure the contract is okay?"

"Cynthia and Ted have both reviewed it and said it is just our standard contract. So no worries."

"I'll get dressed and head up to the city. I miss you."

"Later." "Later."

Justin shaved, showered and although he could not bring himself to wear a tie he did wear a sports coat. When he walked into the Kinnetik lobby the receptionist was surprised to see him. "Justin! Brian isn't in the office today."

Justin chuckled. "Yes I know. There's a contract that needs to be signed today."

When a still chuckling Justin got to Brian's office he was pleased that Carole was expecting him. He told her about the receptionist's reaction to seeing him. Carole was all apologies but Justin assured her that he thought the whole situation was funny.

Justin swiped his Kinnetik ID to unlock Brian's office door and went inside. He buzzed Cynthia to let her know he was in the office. A few minutes later Cynthia appeared with the contract that needed to be signed. Justin looked through it quickly and then signed both copies.

Cynthia took the contracts from Justin. "Thanks for coming in to sign these. If you have some time, one of our account execs is meeting with a client and he seems to think a visit from the famous Justin Taylor could help seal the deal."

Justin smiled. "Lead the way."

Justin went in the conference room where the account exec and new prospect were meeting. The prospect told Justin that his wife was a huge fan of his art work and had been to several of his shows, both here in Pittsburgh and in New York.

The prospect was happy with Kinnetik's presentation but he felt a loyalty to current ad agency and wanted to give them a chance to present to him.

Justin nodded. "At Kinnetik we certainly understand and appreciate loyalty. Personally I like to know what my "huge fans" look like so I can recognize if I meet them. Do you have a recent photo of your wife?"

Somewhat confused by the request the prospect did take a snapshot out of his wallet. "This was taken two months ago on our cruise through the Panama Canal."

Justin examined the photo and smiled. "I'm thinking you are more loyal to your wife then your current ad agency. If you truly think Kinnetik's presentation meets your advertising needs and you are willing to sign a two year contract today. I will do a quick pencil sketch of you wife and sign it along with your contract."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes Sir. As long as you believe our ad campaign will increase your business, I am serious."

After a few moments pause the prospect answered. "Okay, I'll sign."

Justin told the account exec to get Cynthia to draw up a two year contract while he went to the art department to get a pad and some pencils.

Justin returned to the conference room, propped up the photo and started to draw. The prospect watched fascinated to see his wife's image come to life on the pad of paper. The account exec and Cynthia came back in the conference room. While Cynthia went over the contract, Justin finished his sketch.

After the new customer signed the contracts, Justin signed both copies of the contract and his pencil sketch.

Once the very happy new customer left, Cynthia burst out laughing. "I cannot believe you did that! Brian will go crazy when he hears this."

Justin smiled. "I don't think Brian will be that surprised. I have been around him so long it was inevitable that some of his negotiations skills would rub off on me."

The account exec was very pleased with the signed contract and kept thanking Justin over and over until Cynthia told him to take the contract to Ted's office.

Before heading home Justin stopped by the Gallery to talk with Sidney. He stressed again that he wanted Sidney to do the searching for a new manager and just let Justin have a chance to meet them before the final decision was made. Justin also let Sidney know that it was no problem for Justin to have some art work to display with the new artist's show in September.

After the meeting with Sidney, Justin headed home.

Shortly after Justin got home his cell phone rang. It was a laughing excited Brian, who had heard the story of Justin getting the contract signed from Cynthia. Justin laughed along with him but he could tell how proud his partner was. They talked about Brian's day in Atlanta and about how they would miss each other.

Brian ended the call actually saying. "Sunshine, I am really proud of you and I really love you a lot."

As soon as he finished, before Justin could reply, Brian ended the call.