"Just one more glass, Sunshine."

Brian stood in front of Justin holding a 16 ounce glass of water. Justin stared at Brian like he was the devil.

"No more!" he cried. "I've already had 5 glasses today! If I never see another glass of water, it'll be too soon!

"Don't you want the baby's first portrait to be perfect? He or she has half my genes. The baby will want to look his or her best!"

Justin groaned. Loudly. But he took the glass and drank it down. For a moment, his eyes contained an almost imperceptibly naughty glint. Justin sighed and said, "Pour me another, will you? If we're gonna do this, we might as well do it right."

Brian nodded in approval. Finally, the boy was starting to see things his way. He poured another tall glass of ice cold Evian and handed it to Justin.

Justin stepped closer to Brian and lifted it, as though to drink it, but, at the last moment, he lifted it a foot higher and turned it upside down, emptying the contents right onto Brian's head. Justin had a broad smirk plastered on his face. Brian stared at the boy, his eyes open wide in shock. But his eyes darkened in anger when Justin waggled his eyebrows.

Brian shook his head and laughed maniacally.

Justin thought it best to take his leave at this point and ran across the living room, hoping to keep 10 feet of space between them, well, until 'Brian cooled off.' Justin chuckled at the thought.

Brian declared evenly, "You'd better run! I'm wearing my only Armani suit from this season! Now, after the baby comes, you'll have to explain to him or her why daddy wore an Armani from last season to the first sonogram!"

Justin threw his head back in laughter. Only Brian would worry about such things.

He replied, laughter still bubbling up through his voice, "The baby's not going to come out of the womb a label queen. He or she will need a few years of being warped by you for that."

Brian scoffed as he started chasing Justin, "I talk to the baby about fashion all the time, and babies can hear while they're in the womb!"

Justin stopped running. He asked incredulously, "You do?"

Brian turned away. This was not something he'd meant to admit. He said, as nonchalantly as he could manage, "Sometimes, at night or during one of your many cat naps, when you have me trapped, cuddling me…"

Brian shuddered visibly and Justin laughed. The boy knew quite well how much Brian liked cuddling despite his claims to the contrary.

"…I can't sleep…and I talk to the baby."

Justin suddenly had the urge to cry. That was so damn sweet! He hated to tell Brian that his efforts were in vain, but he couldn't keep it from him.

Justin said softly, "Brian, the baby's ears won't be developed enough to hear for another 8 weeks or so."

Brian shot back defensively, "Studies have shown that babies can sense vibrations long before they can hear. So I just talk very close to your abdomen. Between your genes and mine, our baby's going to be a fucking genius! I have no doubt that the baby can understand me!"

Justin was crying now. He moaned, "You are so fucking amazing! You've actually been reading research studies on fetal development?"

Brian started to reply, "Well…I," but he was silenced by the small blond, who had launched himself into Brian's arms, apparently from across the room, and was holding him tight, even though the man was soaking wet.

Despite his sobbing, Justin managed to squeak out, "I love you so fucking much, Brian Kinney!"

Brian didn't say anything in response, but he held the boy tighter and kissed his cheek. Suddenly, Justin desperately needed to taste Brian. He slid down the man's body until he was on his knees and, then, said, playfully, "Let me help you get these wet clothes off."

He freed Brian's cock from the confines of his very new Armani suit and deep throated it immediately.

"Fucking Christ, Justin!"

Justin smiled around Brian's cock and started bobbing his head up and down, taking Brian's shaft in and out of his mouth as he sucked on it hard and trailed his tongue along its length. Brian started panting and closed his eyes, his face the picture of rapture. After a few minutes, Justin pulled back and dipped the tip of his tongue into Brian's slit a few times, eliciting a deep moan from both he and Brian (Justin's cock swelled as he tasted Brian's precum). Then, he licked around the head and began sucking on it.

Brian threaded his fingers through Justin's silky blond hair and tried to push his cock deeper. Justin giggled and relaxed, letting Brian fuck his mouth. As Brian did so, the boy pulled out his own throbbing erection, wiped his precum all over the shaft, and started pumping it in time with Brian's thrusts. Justin started moaning as his pleasure crescendoed, and the vibrations sent Brian closer to the edge. He licked his lips and thrust faster in and out of Justin's hot wet mouth. Moments later, Brian's cum erupted into Justin's mouth, which pushed the boy over the edge.

Cum spurted violently out of his cock, as he swallowed Brian's cum greedily. Justin licked the man clean and, then, leaned back on his arms, heaving a contented sigh. Suddenly, Brian lifted the boy into his arms and carried him into the bathroom.

He chuckled. "I doubt the doctor will want to touch your abdomen if it's all crusty with your cum."

Justin wrinkled his nose and agreed. "Probably not."

***************

Brian and Justin were sitting in the doctor's office staring at a black and white image on a monitor, or, more specifically, at a fuzzy white elliptical blob moving around within a larger black sphere.

Brian couldn't help but feel awed. He looked back and forth between the monitor and Justin's naked lower abdomen. Its center now rose about an inch above the surrounding area. Brian'd had the urge to rub it ever since it had appeared a few days ago, but he'd managed to refrain so far. That seemed to be the ultimate in lesbianic behavior. He exclaimed, "The baby's moving so much! Fluttering, really. Can you feel that, Sunshine?"

"No." Justin shook his head in wonder, a huge smile on his face.

The doctor pointed out the head and the body, and Brian and Justin tilted their heads to the right and, then, the left desperately trying to make some sense of the image. But to no avail.

The doctor asked if they wanted to hear the heartbeat. They replied, "Yes" in unison and, then, looked at each other and laughed when they realized what they'd done. Suddenly, the room was filled with rumbling, somewhat muffled ba-booms coupled with whooshing sounds.

Justin giggled, "It sure sounds windy in there!"

The doctor explained that that was the sound of nutrients traveling to the baby through the placenta. Then he stated that the baby's heartbeat was 165 beats per minute.

Brian asked urgently, his voice tinged with fear, "Is that normal? An adult's heartbeat is usually somewhere between 60 and 100, right?"

The doctor replied, "It is a little high, but still well within the range for this stage of development. Fetal heart rates tend to increase up to almost 200 beats per minute at 10 weeks, but, then, start slowing down, eventually falling to as low as 120. Excuse me."

The doctor left the room, and the nurse, who Brian and Justin had barely noticed until now, said, "You're probably having a girl."

Justin asked excitedly, "How do you know?"

She replied, "Well, the doctor would dismiss this observation with a snort, declaring that there's no scientific proof, but, in the 20 years I've been a nurse, I've noticed a trend. Girl babies tend to have faster heartbeats. Since your baby's heartbeat is at the high end of the spectrum for 9 weeks, you're probably having a girl."

Softly, Justin repeated, "A girl," and smiled. Brian just frowned. The nurse smiled at the boy and left the room.

Brian asked, "You don't believe her, do you?"

Justin shot him a confused look. "Why wouldn't I?"

Brian retorted, "She said it herself…there's no scientific proof."

Justin harrumphed. "So what. There will always be cases that don't fit the mold. They probably skew the overall results. A general trend observed over 20 years is pretty convincing to me."

Brian rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

That in no way diminished Justin's million-watt smile as he starting thinking about girl's names.

***************

Brian and Justin were at Lindsay and Mel's. They'd just finished eating "some completely tasteless chicken dish Lindsay had cooked," Brian had thought wryly after taking a bite, and, now, they were drinking coffee. Well, everyone except Justin. As luck would have it, Lindsay had nothing but wine and coffee. She didn't even have milk. So Justin was forced to drink water. He raised the glass to his lips and took a small sip, shooting daggers at Brian. Brian couldn't help but chuckle. Then, Mel received an urgent call from some client, and Brian went outside to smoke. Lindsay smiled, trying not to show just how excited she was to have the boy all to herself.

She began tentatively, "You must be scared."

Justin tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Of what?"

Brian had gone out for a smoke, but hurried, hotboxing it, because he wasn't comfortable leaving Justin alone with his baby-crazed friend. He returned just in time to hear her reply, as he stood in the hallway.

"Well, you're eighteen and pregnant, and there are no guarantees with Brian. He's never been good with commitment. He may want to be in the baby's life, you know, because of his past, but there's nothing saying he'll always want to be in yours."

Justin stared at Lindsay in shock. Brian had the urge to bust into the dining room and bite her head off, but he wondered how Justin would handle himself, what the boy would do when Brian's past was mentioned, or, rather, thrown in his face. This was bound to happen a lot. Brian wouldn't always be around to deflect meddlers, well-meaning or not.

She continued, "I mean, weren't you just a trick, at first? Brian probably thought it a great misfortune that he'd managed to impregnate such a young boy, and a one-night stand at that, the day he met you."

"Wow," Brian thought. "That's way over the top for Lindsay, no matter how pissed or jealous."

Justin was appalled at what little regard Lindsay was showing a person who had supposedly been her longtime friend. He dared not acknowledge it, but Lindsay had also managed to unsettle him. It had not occurred to him to seriously question Brian's motives or honesty because he'd seemed honest to a fault. But the way Lindsay framed the situation made him nervous and defensive.

He retorted, "I think Brian would want to be in the baby's life simply because he loves her, not because he feels he ought to be."

"Score one for Sunshine," Brian thought, unable to keep himself from smiling.

Lindsay smiled. "Her?"

Justin snapped, "What I call my child is no concern of yours!"

"Make that two," Brian thought.

"This is not going as planned," Lindsay thought. "I'd better change tactics and quickly."

"This is not going as planned," Justin thought. "I'd better try to be nicer. Not bite her head off. If she's Brian's friend, surely she isn't the monster she seems."

Lindsay smiled and said, "So…Brian said that you were accepted to PIFA. You must be very proud. That's quite an achievement."

Still on edge, Justin could only manage to sound confused. But he supposed that was better than pissed off. "Uh…yeah."

She asked, "So are you an artist or a musician?"

Justin wasn't sure he wanted to give her any personal details, but he figured it would be rude not to answer.

He replied hesitantly, "An artist. I paint and draw."

"Ah! I'm an art teacher. Maybe I could look at your work sometime."

"Uh. Sure."

"Yeah," he thought, "When hell freezes over."

"So…have you decided what you're going to do about school?"

Justin answered warily, "What do you mean?"

Lindsay drawled and forced back a smile, "Well, you'd probably have the baby around final exam time. Is it wise to start before the baby's born, especially since you don't know what Brian will want by then? He may realize that he's not cut out to be a boyfriend. What would you do then?"

Justin paled, a pained look in his eyes.

Lindsay continued, trying her best to sound genuinely concerned, "I'm only saying this to help you. I love Brian, but he's never been willing or able to commit to anyone. Perhaps it would be better to postpone school and save up for a rainy day."

Brian clenched his jaw, but didn't move.

Justin's eyes lost focus. He wondered how he would survive and support a child if he spent all his money on tuition.

Lindsay, sensing that she'd finally scored a hit, soldiered on. "It'd be a terrible shame if having this baby meant that you could never go to school…"

Brian was about to intervene, but Justin responded quickly.

Justin's eyes darkened as he snapped, "What the hell are you suggesting? That I kill Brian's child because she might inconvenience me?"

Brian thought, "I don't think that's what she means at all, Sunshine."

Justin paused, thinking, and, then, slowly raised his eyes to meet hers as what she was actually hinting at dawned on him.

He laughed bitterly. "Of course that's not what you're suggesting. You're suggesting that I give the baby away, aren't you? Let me guess…You and Mel would be the perfect choice for adoptive parents… You couldn't get Brian to give you a child, so, now, you want to take the child he gave me? You are unfuckingbelievable!"

Brian beamed proudly. He thought, "Of course Justin is too smart not to see through that bullshit!"

Lindsay inwardly cursed herself. She'd pushed too far too fast. She replied weakly, "I was only trying to help."

Brian walked into the dining room. Justin drew in his breath sharply, fearing that Brian had only heard the last thing he'd said and would misunderstand. Lindsay, on the other hand, smiled, certain that Brian, not realizing what was going on, would rise to her defense. They had been friends for many years, after all.

They were both wrong.

"Come on, Sunshine. Let's blow this pop stand."

Justin, still nervous, but eager to leave, nearly jumped out of his chair.

As they were about to depart, Brian turned to a baffled Lindsay and hissed, "You'll never get your hands on our kid, so don't bother trying."

Then, Brian smiled at Justin, took his hand, and pulled him out of the room.

Justin flashed a fuming Lindsay his patented million-watt smile and allowed himself to be led outside.

Despite the fact that her initial plan had failed in the extreme, Lindsay didn't intend to give up. She wouldn't allow the boy to keep the baby that was rightfully hers.