A/N, Ok, I literally did not expect anybody to read this when I uploaded the first chapter but it appears people are, which means I'm going to finish it. I have to admit though, I'm really not sure where I'm headed with it and so I'm just going to keep writing and hope it ends up alright. The next story I post will be more thought out than this I assure you. I hope you like this chapter, again I'm sorry it's short.

Justin listened to the sound of Ted's car pulling away. Emmett had given up trying to get him into the car once Brian had turned up, and just gotten in the back seat himself. Justin and Brian still hadn't said a word to one another. Justin was standing stock still with his eyes wide open like a deer in headlights. Brian smirked.

"Todd always did have shit E."

Justin just looked at him, but when Brian took a few steps toward him, Justin took a few steps back. Brian frowned. "C'mere."

"I'm gonna go to the diner." Justin ran a hand through his hair, brushing his short blonde fringe back for a moment, before turning and walking. Away from Liberty Avenue.

"Wrong way, Sunshine." Justin stopped where he was when he heard Brian call out to him. He knew some of the drug had worn off by now, but he still wanted to touch the sky and so he thought maybe he would at least let Brian escort him to the diner. No use getting himself lost. If he was lost there wouldn't be a Brian not to want. So he couldn't tell himself he didn't want Brian. Which meant he would want Brian? Did want Brian? Justin felt dizzy, and before he knew it Brian's hand was lightly pressing against the small of his back and they were walking toward the diner together.

Brian didn't bother to make conversation with Justin as they were walking. He simply watched Justin as Justin watched the world.

His face had rounded off a little. His cheekbones less prominant, but Brian could see it wasn't from weight gain - just little changes that had happened as he grew up. He was wearing a white jacket. Leather, Brian noted proudly, though it wasn't to his taste. His bleached denim jeans hugged his ass perfectly, and Brian thought he looked more delicious then he ever had before.

The main change in Justin wasn't his looks though. Brian could see from the second Justin basically ignored him in the Diner that day that Justin was different. It was something in his voice, something in his eyes, in the way he walked. Confidence poured out of him. And not in the 'I know I'm hot' cocky way it had been before. This Justin had more confidence in himself as a person. Brian wanted to see just how much these little differences had changed Justin, and he wanted to test what he could expect from him. And - though he would never admit it aloud, because of course everybody wants Brian Kinney - Brian wanted to see if Justin still wanted him, because right now, as Justin manouvered his hand from Brian's hesitant grip for the second time, it wasn't looking good.

"Brian! It's still a shock to the system seeing your face 'round these parts!" Debbie's smile faultered a little when she saw who had followed into the diner behind him. "And Sunshine! How are you honey?"

Justin let Debbie pull him into a hug and watched as Brian kissed her on the cheek. Justin was coming down faster than usual and he felt like shit. He sat down in the nearest booth and continued to watch Brian as he finished talking to Debbie, and sat himself across from Justin.

"You want some food?" Justin shook his head in response.

"Justin."

"Brian."

"So are you... Are you seeing anybody?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Justin." Brian said again, this time more exasperated than before.

"Brian." Was Justin's still infuriating response. The irritation in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Brian, who stood up again and began to walk to the door.

"I'm giving you a lift home." Justin decided that for now, it would be easier not to argue with Brian. He was certain his head, at least, would appreciate it the following morning. He too stood, gave Debbie a small smile, and followed Brian out of the diner.

Debbie watched as the door shut behind the two men and wondered why they'd even bothered coming in if they were planning on leaving not three minutes later, without even ordering anything. She shook her head and went back to serving her customers. She never had understood those two.

"Turn right here, Brian."

"Not Debbie's?"

Justin couldn't help but smirk. Did Brian not know how long he was gone? Did he expect time to stand still in Pittsburgh while he was off gallavanting around New York?

"I'm turning 23 next week Brian. I'm not a child anymore."

The rest of the car journey was silent apart from the quietely muttered directions to Justin's apartment. The air was thick with things unsaid and Justin let out a sigh. Brian thought that Justin shouldn't know how to sigh like that. It was the sigh of a man so bored of the world beating him down he just gives up fighting it. Brian knew it was his fault. Of course it was.

Brian pulled over to the curb where Justin told him to stop and turned to look at Justin. Justin's blue eyes met hazel ones and in that moment they were limitless. Neither of the two men were able to form a coherent thought. All that was there was each other.

Their faces were just inches away when Justin felt Brian's warm breath against his mouth. It was like a bucket of cold water. He pulled away and got out of the car, needing to put as much space as he possibly between him and Brian. Before walking into his apartment building he turned to look at Brian through his unwound, driver's side window.

"You're back, ok. I get it. I understand. But know this, the heat between us may not have gone but I promise you the man I was has. You want to be my friend? Ok. You want to fuck me? I'm sure we can work something out, but Brian I can't have you looking at me like you did in the car just now. I can't have you getting all pissy and jealous when someone else wants me, and you can in no way dictate to me what I can and cannot do, because when you go there, there is no going back and I don't want to want you like I did before. I can't want you like I did before, because I have been down that road before, I know that feeling. Like I need you." Justin's face was red, his eyes intense and his nostril's flared. It was time Brian saw him as the man he is, not the boy he was. He turned and walked into his building before Brian could say or do anything that would melt his resolve.

Justin told himself that if he was going to let Brian back in, he would be running the show. He's not the twink in the tight red sweater who was crying on Brian's shoulder the night before he left, begging him not to go. That wasn't him any more. That wasn't who he was.

He told himself this before taking a deep breath, and pushing his head furthur into his pillow, waiting for his tears to dry.