Justin couldn't believe how much had changed in the span of one day. He and Ethan were history, he had been with another man, and he was, in fact, about to move in with that other man. Justin knew that he and Brian weren't creating a home together in the strictest sense. Brian had probably lived in the loft by himself for a long time, and he certainly seemed to have everything he could possibly need for the apartment. But still, Justin wanted to contribute something major, to make himself part of their space in a way that he had not attempted to do at Ethan's.

Back then, with Ethan, he had simply wanted to be as small and as invisible as possible, for he felt that he was intruding. He wanted Ethan to know that he wouldn't be too much trouble, that he wouldn't impose too much. At the time, the hurt of his friends and family's rejection was still fresh, and he felt grateful that any man was willing to welcome him into his life and home. That gratitude colored everything about their relationship. He was always trying not to be a bother, to make himself useful. With Brian, however, the situation was different. Justin had the wherewithal to live somewhere else and Brian knew it, yet he had still invited him to stay. Brian truly wanted Justin there. He wasn't doing Justin a favor. That was an incredible feeling, one that Justin had not experienced in a very long time.

So Justin decided as they were climbing the stairs to the loft that he'd offer to purchase a new bed for them. He would really like for them to have a bed that was just theirs, one in which Brian had not been with anyone else. Justin was so excited by the prospect that as soon as they walked into the loft, he started up his computer and plugged into Brian's Internet. Brian looked at him a little strangely, but he was smiling. This just fueled his excitement. First, he visited his bank's Web site. He needed to check his account so that he knew exactly how much he could spend. He had gotten himself so worked up that when he saw that Ethan had drained their account, that he had stolen everything Justin had saved, he couldn't stop the tears from falling. He covered his face with his hands, so Brian didn't see him crying. He was embarrassed, but he was just so disappointed that he couldn't stop himself.

While Justin was on the computer, Brian had set about emptying a couple of drawers and making room in the closet so that Justin had a place to put his clothes. When he was finished, he returned to the living room. He was shocked to find Justin's mood so drastically altered. He'd been so excited and happy just moments ago.

Brian knelt down in front of the blond, rubbing his thigh and asking, "Sunshine, what's wrong?"

Justin didn't answer. He just shook his head and cried harder. Brian's being so sweet just made him more miserable.

Brian was determined to discover the source of the blond's distress, so he turned the computer to see what Justin had been looking at. It turned out to be a list of transactions. At first, Brian didn't see the problem. But then, he saw that that morning, an hour ago, someone had withdrawn almost four thousand dollars from the account. Brian was livid. He decided then and there that this was simply not going to happen.

He whispered, "Justin, tell me what you wanted the money for."

Justin shook his head again.

Brian repeated, "Come on, Sunshine, tell me."

Justin moved his hands and wiped away his tears. Then, he took a deep breath and stammered, "A…A bed for us."

Brian offered, "But Sunshine, we already have a bed."

Justin shook his head. "No. I wanted to get us one that would just be ours. One only you and I have been together in."

Brian responded, "Ah."

Then he rolled his lips into his mouth, thinking. Clearly, this was important to Justin. Brian didn't want the blond to feel like a guest at the loft, as he must have felt in Ethan's apartment, given Justin's almost non-existent presence there. Brian was going to make Justin's wish a reality.

Brian stated, "Sunshine, I get how much this means to you."

Justin's eyes widened. "You do?"

Brian chuckled. He declared, "I told you that I'm perceptive when I want to be…and with you, I always seem to want to be."

Justin smiled brightly, which Brian took as a sign that he was doing the right thing.

He added, "I'm going to give you my credit card. I want you to pick out whatever bed you want and order it from a local store, one that does same-day delivery."

Justin interjected, "But…"

Brian kissed the blond to silence him and said, "Look, I know you wanted to pay for this yourself and that a certain soon-to-be-dead weasel wrecked that for you, at least temporarily. But, I'm going to get your money back from him, so whatever you spend, I'll just take out of the money I get from Ian and give you the rest. Okay?"

Justin whispered, "You're really going to get it back?"

Brian replied firmly, "Yep. So I'll go do that now…you pick out a bed and don't dillydally. I want to be fucking you in it as soon as possible. Okay?"

Justin giggled. "Okay."