Brian's POV

Deb and Jen were talking to Justin. I kept looking over at Justin nervously, but I stayed where I was. Daphne was with them, making sure Deb and Jen played nice.

Then, I saw Mikey approaching me hesitantly, his head hanging down sheepishly.

I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into my arms. I hugged him tight and, then, let him go.

He began, "Brian…I…"

I interjected, "You don't need to say anything. Just be careful from now on, okay?"

Mikey replied, "Okay." Then, he added, "But I still need to say something."

I nodded slowly and waited.

He looked at me warily, as though on the lookout for signs that I was about to freak again. "I…well, Daphne, Ben, and I, we helped you and Justin get back together. I wanted to tell you because I need you to know that I know I've been a jerk…and I'm trying to make up for it."

I looked up quick as if struck. I asked sharply, "What do you mean, you helped us get back together?"

Mikey clenched and unclenched his fist nervously.

"Well…Ben helped me see how much Justin means to you and suggested that we get everyone together and hold an intervention!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. Mikey's voice held that excitement he usually reserves for describing the adventures of his comic book heroes.

Still uncomfortable and a little miffed (I hated it when people meddled in my affairs), I prodded, "Pray tell, what was this intervention for?"

He replied slowly, "Well…Ben noticed that there were things we knew that we hadn't told Justin, things he needed to know…"

"Like?" I was becoming increasingly agitated.

He answered hesitantly, "Well…like the fact that you glued that judge's ass to the toilet…that you visited Justin every night at the hospital after the bashing…"

My eyes widened in shock. I snapped, "How the fuck did you know about that?"

He responded defensively, "I didn't, not until Justin's mom told everybody."

I sighed. "So, Justin knows?"

Mikey admitted, "Yeah…that was the whole point."

I snapped, "What else?"

Mikey looked at me in confusion. "Huh?"

I retorted, "What else did you all tell him?"

Mikey thought a minute and, then, answered, "Mmm…that you bought that framed picture of you naked…that you came to Babylon looking for Justin as soon as you got home from Chicago…that you almost bought him flowers for his birthday…"

I was livid. "How the fuck did anyone know that?"

Mikey looked hurt. He replied defensively, "Mel happened to see you at the newsstand. She was headed there to buy Lindsay some art magazine."

I thought back to Justin and I's truth or dare game. When I asked him why he'd come back, he'd replied, "I missed you more than I could ever express in words, and our being apart seemed so wrong. Especially when I learned that you weren't handling my leaving too well."

I purred dangerously, "Mikey…how did Ben know what Justin means to me?"

Mikey couldn't even meet my gaze. He answered in a near whisper, "We saw the hustler leave the loft."

I froze. A few moments later, panicking, I stuttered, "Did you tell Justin?"

Mikey couldn't even speak. He just nodded, all the while looking at the floor and kicking one foot with the other.

I turned red and, then, paled. I was mortified. Had the little fucker come back to me out of pity? Was I a joke to him?

I bellowed, "Everyone, get the fuck out!"

They all looked surprised, though they shouldn't have been, given my earlier behavior, but they all left.

Quickly.

Justin was the most shocked of all. He approached me slowly, observing me closely, trying to locate the source of my anger.

I growled, "When did I become a fucking joke to you?"

Justin was stricken. He whispered, "What?"

I continued, still growling, "Am I so pathetic that I need your pity?"

Growing increasingly confused, Justin asked desperately, "What the hell are you talking about?"

I hissed, "You didn't come back to me because you love me. You came back because you pitied me. But I was fucking fine! I didn't need your pity! I don't need it!"

Crystal-blue eyes flashing, Justin snapped, "You were NOT fine!"

Then, more softly, he continued, "But I didn't come back out of pity. I didn't pity you. I never could."

I scoffed, "Yeah, what the fuck ever! Then why did you come back after Mikey told you about the hustler?"

Justin paled, but, then, his face flushed with anger.

He spat, "Did he happen to tell you what else I was told that night?"

I retorted, "Yeah. So what?"

Angrily, he repeated, "So what??"

I hissed, "When I asked why you came back, you said, 'Our being apart seemed so wrong. Especially when I learned that you weren't handling my leaving too well.' That's pretty cut and dry, isn't it?"

Justin replied evenly, "Of course, the hustler was part of the reason, but not the way you think. I told you that I left because I didn't think you loved me. The fact that you hired him, among the many other things everyone told me, just showed me that you did."

I looked at the floor for a moment. Then, I shook my head. I said roughly, " I can't do this."

I grabbed my coat and turned to leave, but I hadn't made it halfway to the door when I heard Justin move. Suddenly, he was kneeling on the floor, his head down. He grabbed my hand and rubbed it gently against his cheek.

He whispered, "Master, please. Give me what I need."

I responded, my voice breaking, "What is it that you need?"

Justin smiled and replied, "You're my Master. You already know what I need. You always do."

And I did. He needed me to love him and trust him enough to believe it when he said he loved me, too.

I was about to respond, but I stopped when I saw his face. The light was fading. He furrowed his brow and shook his head, as though trying to banish some dreadful thought. Then, he pulled me toward him by my waist and started unbuttoning and unzipping desperately. When he'd freed my cock, he immediately deepthroated it.

I moaned, "Fucking Christ!"

Then, I shook my head and pushed him off me, zipping up.

"No, please…" he pleaded.

I kneeled down beside him and turned his face toward mine with a finger. Softly, I asked, "Why did you suddenly have the urge to do that, Angel?"

Justin's eyes lit up when I called him by his sub name. He seemed so hopeful, so adorable, I wanted to kiss him everywhere and fuck him into tomorrow.

His eyes suddenly filling with tears, he replied helplessly, "I wanted to prove my love for you…"

I felt a terrible ache in my chest at those words. I pulled Justin into my arms and held him tight.

Sad and angry, I whispered, "What did that bastard do to you?"

Then, I pulled away and looked directly into Justin's eyes.

Firmly, I continued, "You never have to prove your love for me like that. Or at all. I love you, Angel, and I trust you completely. I believe you when you say that you love me."

Justin said brightly, "See, you do know what I need."

I looked down.

I explained, my voice low, "I was just…I didn't want you to know how low I had sunk after you…after you left…how pathetic I'd become…"

Justin interjected, "You could never be pathetic. It would only be pathetic if I hadn't missed you as much."

Brightly, he continued, "But I did. I dreamt of you every night we were apart. I'd wake up remembering the taste of your lips, the feeling of you being inside me…"

I couldn't hold back anymore. I breathed, "Angel," grabbed him roughly, and sent my lips crashing down onto his.