Chapter 8, lots of mushy love and a small argument that quickly turns into mushy love lol. Hope you enjoy this final chapter before the epilogue… Thank you for all the reviews and favorites!

Justin was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. Brian smirked, wondering how his husband still managed to look so freaking hot, even in a pair of sweat pants and an old tee-shirt, though that old tee-shirt was form fitting and clung to Justin in all the right places, and the way that the sweatpants hung on Justin's hips, made Brian unsure that he could continue to let the blonde work much longer. The couple (Justin) had decided to throw a small get together, and the two of them (Justin) had invited only 11 people, the people closest to them. Justin started to breeze past Brian, but Brian grabbed his wrist, pulling him close. Justin let out a soft cry of surprise, but couldn't help but smile at his captor.

"Anything I can do for you, Mr. Kinney, I am completely bored…" Brian rolled his eyes at Justin's sarcasam, and kissed Justin intensely, pulling away a few seconds later, leaving a slightly drunk looking Justin behind. "What was that for?" Justin asked, when he regained his mind. Brian kissed him again, this time lightly, before smiling softly,

"Because I thought you needed to be reminded how sexy you are." Justin grinned and grabbed the back of Brian's neck and pulled him into a searing kiss that, led to Justin being backing into a wall and their tongue battling passionately.

"I love you," Justin breathed into the kiss, not expecting a reply, there had been a time that he wouldn't dare say that to Brian in a moment like this, for nothing had turned the brunette off faster than those three words. But now it caused Brian to grunt softly and tug at Justin's hair a little bit rougher, in what Justin had come to know as one of Brian's ways of saying, "I love you too." It wasn't long until Brian tried to get Justin's shirt off but the blonde quickly put his hands against Brian's chest and pushed him away. "No, I have a thousand things to do before they get here, and being fucked by you isn't on the list until after they all leave." Justin teased, kissing him once again before pulling away and heading back to running around like a devoted housewife. God, he loved that man, Brian could barely think straight when he was around. They had been home for 2 weeks and Justin had gained another 5 pounds, Brian was very happy to know that his partner was once again eating like a linebacker, and still sexy as hell. Though Brian knew that if Justin weighed 300 pounds, he would still love him just as much, it wasn't about looks so much anymore. However, Brian still didn't eat carbs after 7, expect on very rare occasions, usually when he was eating it off Justin's body, and he still went to the gym five times, well he would once he got more of his strength back; but his love for Justin and self-worth for himself, no longer had anything to do with their physical appearance.

"Can I do anything to help?" Brian asked, feeling guilty when Justin had to blow his long hair out of his eyes because his hands were too full to do it. Justin hadn't cut his hair, due to the fact that Brian admitted his like of its length, so it was now jaw length, with a few bangs hanging down.

"No, thanks baby, but I think I got it, I'd have to explain what to do and that would take longer than me just doing it myself." Justin explained, putting 4 pots on the counter,

"Yes, because I have never cooked before." Brian stated sarcastically, glancing at the list of what Justin was going to prepare. "Ooh gumbo, my favorite, how did I get so lucky?" he asked, hugging Justin from behind, kissing his cheek softly. Justin smiled at the action,

"You walked up to me under the lamp post that night," he claimed, smirking playfully.

"Well it's a good thing it was me and not some boring, sentimental, fuck who doesn't know how you make you feel as good as I do." Justin moaned at Brian's words and turned around his arms,

"You are the sexiest man alive, Brian Kinney and you just wait until I have you alone tonight, and you are going to find out the meaning of the word pleasure." Justin promised, once again kissing him until they were both a little dizzy. "But seriously, I have to cook this and then get in the shower and get ready, so if you don't mind…" he turned around and Brian took a couple steps back, leaning on the counter.

"I thought gumbo tasted better the second day," Brian said, motioning to the list.

"It does, which is why the gumbo is in the fridge downstairs and this is the cornbread and flan that is going to go with it." Justin explained, as he prepared the items,

"What the hell is flan?" Brian asked, loving the way Justin's ass looked in those pants.

"It's a custard, and stop looking at my ass, you aren't getting any right now," Justin declared but he wiggled it just enough to drive Brian crazy.

"You're mean," Brian said, but he couldn't hold back a grin as he kissed Justin's cheek lightly and headed upstairs to get ready.

3 hours later Justin was wearing a pair of jeans, that Brian swore were just to torture him, and a nice button up blue shirt that caused his eyes to be practically sapphire, his hair was gelled back stylishly without appearing to have been really fixed. He looked like an angel and Brian couldn't wait for this night to be over so he could have Justin all to himself.

"Dad, stop looking at Pops like you are going to have sex with him in the middle of dinner." Gus's voice brought him out of his Justin fueled fantasy and he turned slowly to his son. "You are undressing him with your eyes," Gus stated the obvious.

"How would you know?" Brian challenged but Gus just grinned,

"Because that is how you always look at him and I asked Hunter what you were doing and that's what he said." Brian sighed, perceptive little shit his son was,

"So what if I am, he's my husband I can look at him anyway I want," Brian lips curved upward slightly, but Gus laughed,

"Not when it means scaring me for life." Brian laughed at his son's precociousness and playfully ruffled his hair. Gus rolled his eyes, but grinned, wrapping his arm around Brian's waist for half a hug before running off to do something more interesting. Justin looked up and caught Brian looking at him and he smiled, that was when Brian screamed how much he loved Justin. When there were 8 other people in the room and the only one Brian had any interest in was Justin.

There were three people left to arrive, Ted, Blake, and Cynthia, and a doorbell chiming through the house, broke their stare and alerted them to their friends' arrival. On his way to the door, Justin grabbed Brian's hand and kissed him quickly on the lips before turning away.

"Would you run into the kitchen, Dear, and check if the gumbo needs stirring? I'm heating it up," Justin teased in a "housewife"voice.

"That's not all you heat up, Darling," Brian replied, smacking Justin's amazing butt as he walked past him. Justin turned back and winked and Brian once again reveled in his good fortune that it was him that Justin had fallen in love with, and was still in love with. He, of course, obeyed and headed into the kitchen. There were two large pots of gumbo on their large stove and Brian knew that Justin made way too much for just their friends. Brian quickly realized that Justin had made extra because he knew how much Brian loved it and they would be happy to eat off of it for a few days after. They were bubbling contently, but Brian stirred them anyway, just to be on the safe side. However a cool breeze hit him and he was surprised to find the front kitchen window wide open. Though, on such a nice September day he assumed Justin had opened it to let, what he called, inspiration; Brian called it bugs and air. He went to close it when a suprising, troubling sight stopped him. The design of the house was so that when one was in the kitchen, looking out the window, they could see what was going on at the front door.

Justin opened the door with a welcoming smile, a smile that was wiped right off his face, when he realized who it was. He quickly shut the front door, pushing himself and the unwelcome guest out onto the steps, unknowingly giving Brian the perfect view and audio position.

"I thought the last time I saw you I told you that you were not welcome near us or our home," Justin growled in a way that took Brian aback.

"I told you, I am his mother, I love him," Joan said stiffly and not even Gus would have been fooled with her falseness.

"And I told you, I am his husband and you are full of shit," Justin replied and Brian almost grinned in pride at Justin's boldness. "If you loved him you wouldn't have walked out of that hospital room that day, you wouldn't have told him he was going to hell, you wouldn't come visit, only when you need-" Justin cut himself off, his breath hitching, though only Brian would have noticed, it was hardly detectable, but Brian saw it. "You need money." He stated in disgust and Brian shut his eyes, swallowing hard, praying in a God he didn't believe that his mother would deny Justin's accusation. There was no answer, and both men took that as a yes, and Brian, though he would deny it if ever asked, blinked away tears that sprung to his eyes. "You bitch," Justin hissed and for a moment, Brian thought Justin was going to hit her, but instead he sighed, "How much?" Joan and Brian stared at the blonde, matching looks of shock.

"I- he-" Joan studdered before deflating slightly, "10,500." Brian shook his head, thinking that Justin would deny her, and tell her to get the fuck off their property.

"If I give you 20,000, will you promise me that you will never come here again, that you will never go to Kinnetic, that you will never approach him, me, or our friends and family every again?" Once again Brian and Joan gave Justin's look in surprise, but Justin just calmly returned her a composed look, waiting.

"Are you going to tell him?" Joan asked, Justin glared at her,

"That is my business, now take your pick, 20,000 and leaving us alone, or I call the cops, and don't think I won't do it," Justin dared. Joan pausing, weighting her options and the little boy in Brian begged her silently to be the mother that she always should have been and demand to speak to him; but she would never be the mother she should.

"20,000" Joan said softly, and Justin scowled in annoyance and loathing,

"Stay here, I'll be right back," Justin bit and headed inside. Brian considered stopping Justin, but there was a desk near the front door with their checks in it. A couple of seconds later, Justin reexited the house and shoved a check to Joan, she looked at it, and quickly looked back up at Justin,

"This is in your name, not Brian's." Brian's eyes widened at the knowledge that Justin used one of his own checks to pay Joan.

"I make more than enough money as an artist, you don't deserve to have his money," Justin replied. Brian shook his head, she sure as hell didn't deserve to have Justin's if she didn't deserve Brian's. "Now get off our property and NEVER come back," and in that moment Brian told himself that he would never piss Justin off enough to get kicked out of the house, because he had the feeling he'd fall onto the ground, a blithering mess if Justin ever used that tone on him. But obviously Joan had never heard Justin speak to people he loved, and she seem unfazed.

"Goodbye Justin," Joan said as she headed off the stoop, leaving a still glowering blonde behind. Once she had left the driveway, Justin turned back to the house and his eyes fell on the kitchen window and his husband's face stared back at him, an unreadable expression on his face, even to Justin.

"Brian…" He breathed but Brian just turned away and vanished out of view. "Brian!" Justin cried, coming in the house, Brian was standing just out of the kitchen, his eyes boring into his husband.

"Why did you do that?" Brian asked, loudly enough for their friends to grow silent. "How could you?" Brian voice seemed angry, but there was something in his voice that Justin alone recognized as shame. Lindsay said "Brian," warningly but Justin wasn't bothered and explained,

"I wasn't going to stand for it anymore, one of us had to do it," Justin replied as they forgot their guests.

"It shouldn't have been you," Brian said and headed up the stairs, knowing Justin followed.

"We'll be right back," Justin followed quickly, and for the first time their friends knew they weren't sneaking away for a quickie, they were in a rare argument, or at least what appeared to be an argument. Brian was standing over the nightstand when Justin entered the room and he turned and handed Justin a check. "What's this?" He asked, his eyebrows raised until he read the amount, $20,000. "Brian, no, I am not taking this," Brian could hear the hurt in Justin's voice as he pushed the check back into his hand.

"She is my mother, it's not your job to take care of me and my problems." At these words, Brian saw Justin eyes flash with something that was a mixture of anger and pain.

"I kind of thought that was part if the job of a partner, to look after each other," Justin claimed, a sting to his voice, but Brian knew most of that was hurt feelings.

"That's been a one sided thing lately, don't you think?" Brian asked, straitening up the nightstand, just to have something to do with his hands. Justin sighed and walked over to Brian, throwing the check uninterestedly on the drawer and taking Brian's hands in his, pulling him to a sitting position on the bed.

"You spent the first 5 years of this relationship taking care of me, Brian, I think two months of sitting next to a hospital bed, hardly makes up for that." Justin said, kissing Brian's hand lightly, knowing being taken care of was still hard for Brian, his pride still kept him from receiving help when he needed it at times.

"I didn't take care of you, I paid for shit," Brian bit, but Justin knew it wasn't directed at him, but rather at Brian, himself.

"Brian, what about when I was bashed?"

"I freaked out just as often as you," Brian countered.

"And then there was Pride, you can't say anything about that, that was all you," Justin said stubbornly. Brian looked at his partner who smiled softly, "And then there was when my dad said that I could come home as long as I acted straight and never talked about myself, and you let me come home with you. And then there was the time I stupidly left you and you still paid for my college tuition."

"I told you, that was because we had a deal," Brian said softly.

"And then when I left for New York, you called me every day to make sure I ate, and slept enough. And then when you visited you would massage my hand until I could use it again. And then that day, in the park, you stepped full in front of me, shielding me from them," Justin leaned in to kiss Brian lightly but tenderly. "And those are just a few ways that you have taken care of me. Let me return the favor." He pleaded but Brian shook his head,

"You have taken care of me and saved me, more than you will ever know, Jus." Justin pulled away, looking at Brian, whose eyes remained fixated on the rug. "You cooked for me, even when I was fucking tricks just a few feet away in the bed, you cleaned up after me, even though I had a cleaning lady, that time when I was such an asshole to Michael, on his 30th birthday, you were the only one that stayed behind and helped me clean up. And I know that was because you and Michael hated each other, but it was like for the first time, someone saw that I was hurting too. And then there were all the times that I was in a bad mood and you would let me fuck you until I felt better," at this, Justin chuckled,

"I think I was getting as much out of that as you were." Brian smiled softly, and knew he would always be the luckier one in the relationship.

"And I don't even have to mention my cancer or all the times you would just know I needed you, and you'd come home and hold me, without a word and know that was all I needed. And then you saved me from completely fucking myself and all the gay community over with Stockwell." Justin's face scrunched in the adorable way that Brian had come to love and he said,

"How did I do that? I thought that was them closing Babylon's back room?" Brian laughed at his husband's blindness to his own amazingness.

"No, you knew I didn't want you posting those posters, but you didn't care, and you did what you knew was right, and it was your bravery that helped me to see what a fucker I had been," Justin grabbed the back of Brian's head and pulled into a scorching kiss that lasted nearly 5 minutes, before Justin pulled away gasping,

"The gumbo!" he cried, jumping to his feet, Brian smirked but before Justin opened the door he turned back. "I have an idea," Brian looked up at him, waiting, "How about we continue to take care of each other, but we quit keeping count of who does what. Let's just do it." Brian smiled lovingly and kissed Justin once again, this time more gently.

"You always were a smart one, Mr. Kinney," Justin beamed and wrapped his arms around Brian's waist, laying his head on his shoulder.

"You aren't mad at me for sending your mom away are you?" Justin asked nervously, but Brian raised an eyebrow,

"Are you kidding me, that was the sexiest thing you've done in the last hour," Justin giggled happily and Brian took another kiss. "I am so glad I have you to take care of me, and get rid of things I can't." Brian murmured and Justin realized once again that Brian told him 'I love you' all the time, it was just not with those three words. It was with smacks on the butt and passionate kisses, and wanting to be able to take care of him in the same way Justin had taken care of him.

"Mmmhmm, and I always will be, and you better be here to take care of me too," Justin said, playfully stern. Brian rolled his lips and smiled softly and nodded,

"Always, Sunshine, always."

The couple headed down the stairs, their arms linked behind the other,

"Thank goodness," Emmett breathed, pulling their attention away from each other. "I thought Debbie was going to have a heart attack," they all looked at Debbie who was glaring at Brian.

"What did you do to him?" the redhead asked harshly, but Justin just squeezed him with the arm was wrapped around Brian's waist.

"He was just being his usually self," at first people murmured in recognition but it didn't take them long to realize that was meant to be a compliment and Justin was looking at Brian like he was the best thing in the world, though Brian was looking like Justin, just like that too. "Ok," Justin said, breaking the surprised silence, finding Cynthia, Ted and Blake, everyone was there. "If the gumbo hasn't burned, let's eat," Everyone spoke agreeably, and as they all headed into the dinner room, Brian held Justin back once more and he turned his head with his hand to face him and he kissed him gently.

"I love you," Brian whispered and Justin smiled,

"I know."

This is the end! Well other than the epilogue, which will be soon