Christmas Day – Mid-Evening

"What are they doing in there?" Lindsey asked from her position on the couch. "You think we should go check on them?" She and Brian were the only ones currently in the parlor; Mel had gone upstairs a short while ago to give JR a bath, and the remaining guests had departed back toward Pittsburgh a few hours ago to celebrate privately with their own families and other loved ones.

The sounds of shrieks, laughter and giggles were pouring out from the kitchen where Justin and Gus had gone in search of some more hot chocolate. They had been gone much longer than needed to grab another refill, however, and now they had apparently found something much more hysterical to entertain themselves with; they were chortling so loudly, hiccups and snorts could be clearly heard in addition to the peals of laughter.

Brian adamantly shook his head. "If you think I'm going in there, forget it," he told her flatly. "I've seen Justin in action in the kitchen while in the throes of what he thinks is his latest culinary masterpiece – it's not a pretty sight. He might be able to cook decent enough, but by the time he gets done, the fucking kitchen's a disaster area. I'll stay right here, thank you very much." He flinched and jumped slightly, though, as he heard what sounded like a pot banging on the floor, followed by even more laughter and giggling. "See? I rest my case. I think someone's had just a little too much eggnog," he added as Lindsey rose from her position on the couch. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you," he warned as his voice rose.

Lindsey grinned as she began to walk out of the room. "I'll make sure to take the rum away from him if I have to, but from the sound of things, a certain little boy's going to be a real pain getting to bed if I don't go in there soon, thanks to Justin."

"Well, I'll make you a deal – you work on putting your boy to bed and I'll do the same with mine," he called after Lindsey, who rolled her eyes and shook her head before she turned to walk down the hallway. Brian grinned – he had no idea what his partner was up to, but he didn't mind one bit if Lindsey wanted to be the point person and find out. If her intervention meant that he and his partner could retire to their bedroom shortly, he was all in favor of it. He wanted to cook up a little more quality time of his own with his sexy llittle elf.

"Look out, Mommy!" he heard Gus shout as Lindsey shrieked, startled, as something else clattered to the floor.

"Gus! You scared me half to death!" he heard her say. "And, Justin, you're worse than HE is!" Another round of laughter ensued from both males immediately following Lindsey's rather indignant comment. Whatever they were doing, it didn't sound like either one was taking it very seriously...

What in the hell? Despite his better judgement, Brian's curiosity got the better of him as he rose from his leather recliner and walked down the hallway. As he reached the archway, he was met with his son shouting, "Duck, Daddy, he's armed!" He wasn't fast enough, however as a large, fat marshmallow hit him square in the cheek and bounced off him onto the floor before he had a chance to react; as both his son and his partner giggled loudly at his look of disgust, he looked down and saw at least a couple dozen more marshmallows littering the wooden floor, looking like large, misshapen indoor snowballs.

"Justin!" Brian chided his partner, trying with difficulty to look stern as another "bullet" hit him in the head but failing miserably; it was just too damn hard to be mad at a son who was having the time of his life and his partner, whose face was lit up with a combination of glee and mischief. Brian, like everyone else, had always known Justin had the most wonderful smile of anyone he had ever met – he hadn't received his nickname lightly from Debbie – but at that moment, he realized he had forgotten just how radiant and mesmerizing that smile could be, because Justin was almost glowing from happiness.

It made Brian's heart jump in its intensity as he asked, "Sunshine, would you care to explain this innocent slaughter of marshmallows all over the kitchen?" He glanced around and noticed some had landed on top of the stove, the counter, and the kitchen table, in addition to the floor. Both Justin and Gus were holding large, stainless steel pot lids, apparently using them as shields from the fluffy bullets that had been furiously lobbed back and forth between them. In their other hands they each held a large bag of marshmallows, only partially full now with "ammunition."

Justin shrugged. "Gus wanted a snowball fight, so we improvised," he explained as if it were the most obvious explanation in the world.

Gus nodded in agreement solemnly, saying, "Yeah, Daddy, Emp-or-ized," having no idea whatsoever what Justin meant by that, but deciding it was best to side with his sparring partner at the moment.

Brian looked over at Lindsey for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing. Lindsey shook her head in amusement. "Well, Gus, I'm afraid your snowball fight with Justin is over for tonight," she announced to her son, who immediately began to pout in protest as his face clouded over with disappointment. He had decided that this activity with Justin had been the greatest fun he had had since they had arrived; it was even better than his gifts from Santa.

"But, Mommy, I'm having fun! Can't we play some more, please?" The big, brown eyes widened in just the right expression that normally got Gus – and his father – anything they wanted, but not this time.

"No, Sweetie, no more tonight. It's getting late and it's past your bedtime. Say goodnight to your Dad and Justin and you'll see them in the morning, okay?"

"Puh-lease, Mommy?" Gus continued to beseech her as he stood there with his armor and his ammunition. "Just a little longer?"

Lindsey smiled but it wasn't going to work this time. Besides, she knew Brian well enough to know that he was craving a little bedtime of his own with the man he had seen far too little of in the past few months. "No, Gus, no more tonight. Now help Justin clean this up so I can give you your bath and get you ready for bed. Your Momma and JR are already upstairs waiting for us."

"It's okay, Lindsey," Justin told her, interrupting. "I'll take care of cleaning it up; I don't mind – really." He looked a little sheepishly at her as he admitted, "It was mainly my idea anyway."

Brian snorted softly. "And that's surprising how?" he asked, as Justin threw one more marshmallow at him; Brian adroitly caught it in his hand and quickly lobbed it right back at him. Justin was so surprised he forgot to raise his metal "shield" and he was hit square in the chest as Brian chuckled at his accurate aim.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking around the war zone. "This is a mess."

Justin smiled. "Yeah, we worked hard to get it looking this way, too," he quipped. "Yeah, you go ahead – it won't take that long."

"Come on, Gus," Lindsey said authoritatively in her best don't argue with Mommy voice. She held out her hand for her son, who reluctantly placed his pot lid and bag of marshmallows down on the kitchen table and took his mother's hand. Before they were able to leave the kitchen, however, he broke out of Lindsey's grasp to unexpectedly run back to Justin, who knelt down to accept the little boy's hug as his petite hands wrapped themselves around Justin's neck.

"Night, Jus'n," Gus said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you came home to visit."

Justin sniffled a little and swallowed the lump in his throat as he answered, "I'm glad I did too, Buddy. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" he added, forcing a carefree smile on his face as Gus broke their hug and nodded. He didn't want to think about how quickly the time would come that he would have to return to New York City.

Brian watched the scene between his son and his partner with bittersweet emotions. He always marveled at the easygoing, close relationship the two had always had from that first moment when Justin had helped named him, but he also knew that soon, the two would be parting ways and worse of all, Justin would be leaving him again and heading back to New York. He was grateful when his son hurried over to him, also, to receive a hug and give him a kiss; for just a moment, it helped him forget that fact and lightened his burden just a little.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sonny Boy, and we'll go for that sleigh ride, okay?" he promised.

Gus' eyes lit up as he remembered what his father had promised him earlier. "Yay!" he shouted, as he ran back to his mother and took her hand willingly now, excited to get to bed so he could wake up and go on his exciting adventure. He actually began to pull his mother along for a few seconds until he hesitated and turned around. "Daddy? Would you come up and read me a story before I go to bed?"

"Sweetie, your Daddy needs to help Justin clean up. Your mama or I can read you a story instead, okay?" Of course, Lindsey was well aware that Brian had another activity in mind with Justin in additional to housekeeping detail and he was undoubtedly anxious to retire for the night himself.

"Please, Daddy?" Gus pleaded, turning his expressive, brown, puppy-dog eyes on his father as he turned on the full effect. "You know just how to read me my favorite story."

Justin smiled at the little boy, so like Brian when it came to getting what he wanted; both knew just what sort of look and tone of voice to take to persuade another person to do exactly what they wished, and he could tell it was working once more as he watched Brian seeming to hesitate.

He looked over a Justin a little apologetically as he turned back to Gus and said, "Where the Wild Things Are again?" As Gus bobbed his head vigorously and smiled, he shook his head in amazement; his son's copy of that book should have disintegrated from overuse by now. Of course, he could practically recite it by heart anyway, as many times as he had been asked to read it. "Okay, Sonny Boy," he agreed. "I'll be up in a few minutes after your bath."

"Thanks, Daddy!" the little boy cried as he happily took his mother's hand once more and they quickly disappeared out of sight, leaving the two partners finally alone once again.

Brian surveyed the carnage around the kitchen and whistled. "Only you could turn our kitchen into an indoor winter wonderland," he quipped, shaking his head. He noticed Justin was still holding his bag of ammunition as held out his hand, palm up. "Hand it over, Sunshine."

Justin shook his head, his eyes alit with mischief. "No – don't want to."

"Justin….."

"No." He clutched the open bag to his chest as if it were precious gold and shook his head.

Brian rolled his eyes, just now realizing there were currently THREE children in the house. And Lindsey called him Peter Pan… "Just what are planning to do with those, Little Boy?"

"I thought I'd have a marshmallow roast upstairs in the fireplace." He looked over at his partner innocently. "Why? Did you have something else in mind in our bedroom?"

Brian snorted. "Oh, no…..that's just what I was thinking, too; you read my mind. I always look forward to ingesting two millions grams of carbs before bedtime; you know that."

Justin smiled, the tip of his tongue coming out playfully as he licked his lower lip. "Well, that's too bad," he said, slowly swaggering toward his partner until he was only a few feet away from the brunet. "If you had decided to join me, I was going to take hold of your stick," he huskily whispered, pulling a plump, sugary morsel out of his bag and holding it up in front of the other man, "and have you thrust it inside until it was scalding hot and you couldn't stand it anymore."

Brian was squirming; was it getting hot in here all of a sudden? All he knew was his temperature was going up along with a certain part of his anatomy at his partner's sexy tone of voice. "Oh?" he whispered, tongue in cheek. "And then what would you do?"

Justin grinned wickedly; gotcha. "Then afterward, when it was all sticky, you'd be begging me to eat yours just before I stuck my own in."

"Is that right?" he responded casually, reaching subconsciously to tug on his suddenly too-tight collar. "Well, I suppose in that case I could make an exception to my no-carb-after-seven rule. Besides, I think I can figure out a way to work it off before the night's over."

"Good – I hate to eat alone." Brian watched entranced as his partner ever so slowly raised the confection to his mouth with his elegant, pale fingers and proceeded to hollow out his lips as he sucked on it for several seconds before slowly pushing it all the way into his mouth. Swallowing it after a few more seconds, he licked his lips. "Mmmm….that was a nice appetizer – can't wait for the best part later, though, once it heats up."

Brian's breath hitched in his throat as he stood there staring at his partner's face; he was unable to move from his spot as he concentrated on watching Justin's cranberry-colored lips weave their magic on him.

"Why don't you go read Gus his story while I finish cleaning up?" he said, adding with a suggestive whisper, "I'll go stoke the fire so it'll be all hot and blazing when you get there." He leaned over with the intention of placing a brief kiss on Brian's lips, hestitating just for a second to gaze into the intense, hazel eyes before touching his lips to his own; the brunet could taste the sweet, sticky substance on Justin's lips as they kissed, and couldn't help taking a swipe around the plump lips with his tongue before reluctantly pulling back and taking a breath to compose himself.

He cleared his throat. "Good idea, Sunshine. I'll meet you in the bedroom in a few minutes. And don't forget the marshmallows."

Justin stood there for a few seconds, smiling back smugly at his lover, before turning around to begin cleaning up his mess.

"I'll eat you up, I love you so," Brian said to his son gruffly in a deep voice, doing his best to sound like a big, bad monster; he reached over and tickled the little boy in the waist as Gus giggled in response.

"Brian, please!" he heard Mel shouting crossly from the adjoining room. "We're trying to get him to sleep‼"

Brian sighed, trying diligently not to let the irritation show on his face for his son's sake; what was wrong with reading his son a bedtime story? He released his grip on his son, however, and softly said, "Time to go to bed now, Sonny Boy." He began to rise from the bed just before his son reached out a little hand to stop him. He was expecting Gus to remind him about the sleigh ride he had promised him tomorrow, but he surprised him.

"Daddy, is Jus'n going back to New York soon?" He peered intently into his father's eyes as he thought he noticed a cloud of sadness appear there.

"Yeah, Gus," Brian whispered softly, looking down at his hands in his lap. "He's only visiting for a while; he has work to do there."

"But doesn't he live here?"

Brian looked up to gaze into the eyes so much like his own. "Well…..not right now he doesn't. He needs to be away for a while so he can paint."

"But Jus'n has a place to paint here, too, Daddy. You told me I couldn't go upstairs in the attic because that's where he paints," he pointed out.

Perceptive little tyke, Brian thought ruefully. "Yeah, he does," he admitted. "But it's just not the same."

"Why, Daddy?" Gus pressed. "Don't you want Jus'n to stay home?"

Brian sighed, brushing his hand through his hair as he tried to explain in terms his little boy would understand; hell, he was having trouble understanding it, too. "Of course I do, Sonny Boy, more than anything," he admitted softly, thinking how wonderful it had been these past few days having his partner home again. "It's just that New York's a bigger city than Pittsburgh; there's more people who live there that can see his art so he has a better chance of selling it and making money if he lives there."

"Is that what makes Jus'n happy, Daddy? Making money?"

Brian pondered that question; did it? "Well, no, not exactly, Gus," he told his son honestly. "It's not the money that makes him happy; it's the fact that other people see his art and like it."

"I like his art a lot, Daddy," his son pointed out. "Doesn't that count?"

Brian smiled back tenderly. "Of course it does, Sonny Boy; that means the most to Justin. But if he lives in New York, he can make a lot of other people happy, too." He realized silently that at least one person wasn't happy with their separation, though - HIM.

"He doesn't look happy, Daddy," Gus replied perceptively.

Brian frowned. "He doesn't? He looked pretty happy when you two were in the kitchen a little while ago." In fact, from the sound of things, Justin had sounded deliriously happy, as if he was in an eggnog-induced stupor. He had looked happy when the two of them had taken their ride around the grounds in the sleigh, and he had looked happy when he had seen the horses. Why in the world would his son think otherwise?

"When he doesn't think anyone's looking, Daddy, he looks sad. Really sad; like he doesn't want to go back. Like I feel when I have to leave and go back home with Mommy and Mama."

"You don't like it in Canada, Sonny Boy?"

Gus pursed his lips in thought. "It's okay. But I like being here, too, with you and Jus'n. If I can't stay here forever with you, couldn't you and Jus'n move up there? Maybe that would make him happy."

Brian twisted his mouth regretfully, moved by his son's concern for both him and his partner. "No, Gus, I'm sorry, Buddy. Daddy's work is really important here so he needs to be close by. But maybe someday I can open an office up there so I can see you more often, okay? And you can come down here to visit me anytime you want; you'll have spring break and the summer so we can a lot of time together. And Justin and I can come up there, too."

"But Jus'n can't come with you if he's living in New York," the little boy pointed out reasonably.

Brian answered softly, his voice tinged with sadness. "No, Gus, he can't. At least not all the time." He leaned over and placed a brief kiss on his son's cheek before he stood up, gazing down at the thoughtful eyes of his son. "We'll talk it about some more later; it's time for bed now, Buddy. Good Night; I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Gus looked into his father's eyes; right now they looked sad, too, just like Justin's did. "Okay," he answered in resignation, nodding slightly as he slowly slid down to lie prone on the bed, resting his dark-haired head on the pillow as he gazed up to look back at his father.

Brian reached over to the nightstand to retrieve Gus' favorite stuffed animal, a panda bear named Oreo. As the little boy clutched the animal to his chest, Brian looked at his son tenderly for a few seconds before smiling at him wistfully and turning off the nightstand lamp, leaving the room bathed in a soft glow from the nearby nightlight plugged into the wall. "Good night, Gus. Mommy and Mama are in the next room if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. Will you give Jus'n a goodnight kiss for me?"

Any other time, that question would have received a somewhat more amused response from Brian; for some reason, though, right now all he could feel was regret and dread for the future as he softly replied, "You bet. Good Night, Buddy."

As he slowly left the door ajar and proceeded down the hallway to the master bedroom, he couldn't help thinking about what Gus had said; was Justin unhappy about having to go back to New York? Was it just possible that perhaps his partner wanted the same thing he did – to stay here? He knew Justin couldn't just up and drop everything he had already begun; but was it just possible that perhaps his partner would be willing and even wanted to finish up what he needed to do and come back to Britin to stay? Was it even fair to ask that of him? But if somehow Gus was right, maybe that was what Justin secretly wanted, too. Feeling slightly hopeful for the first time in ages, he slowly approached the bedroom he and his partner shared, hearing the familiar crackle of the fireplace filtering through the slightly-open door as he pondered that possibility. He was resolved once more to discuss that question with Justin before he was due to depart, but for tonight, he wanted to just indulge in the luxury of having the man he cherished back in his arms where he belonged so he could made love with him all night long.

His breath caught in his throat as he opened the door more fully and observed Justin sitting cross-legged on the thick area rug, dressed in only his pajama bottoms as he stared thoughtfully into the fire; his bag of marshmallows was resting by his side. Normally his partner wouldn't be so "overdressed," but with their visitors here for the holidays, he had apparently chosen to dress more conservatively, at least until Brian could join him. They both knew that it wouldn't take long, though, once Brian joined him for that situation to be quickly rectified.

The glow from the fire cast a shimmering halo around Justin's blond hair, making Brian's hands long to reach out and feather his fingers through the familiar, soft locks. Even after all this time being together, his partner could make him feel things he had never felt with anyone before. Just one smile from those sweet lips, the tone of his voice, his unique smell…..it was all still so captivating and oh so sexy. And when Justin gave him a smile that he reserved for only him, he made his insides go crazy with desire, just like he was doing right now as his partner turned his head and realized he was there.

"I was beginning to think I would have to start without you," his partner chided him. "My stick was getting cold."

Brian curled his lips under and smiled, closing the door firmly behind him as he walked over to sit down next to his partner. "I wouldn't want that to happen, Sunshine," he murmured, reaching over now to fulfill his previous desire as he slowly ran his hand through the golden hair before cradling the back of Justin's head to feather the soft hair at the nape. "Allow me to warm it up a little," he purred as he pulled his partner's head over for a deep kiss. Tongues and lips battled for supremacy for several minutes as they briefly took quick breaks long enough only to come up for a breath before re-angling their heads and crashing their mouths back together once more for another round. Moans of pleasure escaped from both men as their hands began their familiar roaming pattern over each others' bodies as they continued to kiss deeply.

"I think you have on way too many clothes for our weenie, uh, marshmallow roast," Justin observed as they finally broke apart from each other; he gasped out loud as Brian's hand snaked its way inside Justin's pajama bottom and gave the quickly-hardening cock a squeeze.

He grinned at his partner's reaction. "Well, your stick seems pretty warmed up now," he commented, rubbing his thumb back and forth over the leaking tip as Justin sighed in pleasure. "Mine's feeling kind of neglected now, though."

Justin's mouth twisted in an amused grin as he promptly pushed Brian down to lie on the rug. "Well, we'd better take care of that not-so-little problem right now," he declared, as he began to deftly unzip Brian's jeans; the brunet obligingly raised his ass to allow Justin to kneel beside him and slide his jeans and briefs down his long legs as the blond quickly pulled Brian's shoes off to remove the pieces of clothing completely.

It was a simple matter from there for Justin to quickly remove his own loose-fitting pajama bottoms before reaching down to begin unbuttoning Brian's shirt, taking a few moments to luxuriate in the feel of the taut, tanned skin with his palms when he couldn't help detouring briefly to lightly flick his fingers over each dusky-colored nub. While Justin lay between his partner's legs, he worshipped Brian's chest as their cocks brushed against each other; it was as if their bodies were charged with electricity, but it was a torture of the most exquisite kind.

The nearby fire, burning just as strongly as their desire, provided a welcome warmth on their skin as Justin removed Brian's shirt, and at last was able to focus his heated gaze completely on the body he adored and knew so well but would never grow tire of. He reached down to mimic Brian's actions of before as he firmly grasped the impressive, rock-hard cock and begin a slow trek up and down the shaft with his fingers as Brian moaned in pleasure at the loving but possessive touch.

Justin grinned as he reached over to the side with his free hand and retrieved a stick that he had already speared a marshmallow with; he angled it over the burning flames for several seconds as he continued to stroke Brian's cock adeptly with his other hand while waiting for the treat to quickly turn crispy and burned around the edges.

Brian watched warily as Justin pulled the stick back and dangled the burnt marshmallow over his chest; he was preparing to open his mouth to protest that he was not about to eat any of the sugar-laden concoction, but his refusal died on his lips as he watched Justin bite down on it instead, then lean down to meet Brian's lips. Brian found his lips rebelling with his head as they opened up to willingly meet Justin's for a hot kiss of a different kind; their first-ever marshmallow kiss. As he bit down on his part of the gooey treat, he decided it wasn't quite as erotic as their ice-cream kisses they had shared before when Justin had languidly licked off any errant drops, but then again, it wasn't half bad, either. He couldn't help participating in a little tongue dueling for several seconds before pulling back just enough to lick some of the sweet, sticky stuff off his lips.

Murmuring huskily, he informed his partner, "I think my own stick is plenty warmed up now." His breathing was coming in short pants as Justin continued to masterfully play his body to perfection; his partner knew just where to nip, lick, and caress him to make him crazy with want as he trailed the fingers on his free hand lightly down Brian's chest and then up his arm and back to his shoulders. He leaned down to nip at Brian's collarbone before his tongue flicked out to sooth the sting; the sensation of slight pain, followed by a very wet, hot and skillful tongue was driving Brian crazy as he reached up to grab Justin's roaming hand and growl, "I think the fire has been stoked more than sufficiently, Taylor."

Justin grinned smugly, observing Brian having difficulty completing an entire sentence at the moment. "Does that mean it's time to thrust your stick in now?" he asked.

"Damn straight it is," Brian rumbled huskily as he rolled them over and gazed down at the playful, twinkling eyes of his partner. As Justin smiled and wrapped his legs around Brian's waist, the brunet took a few seconds to stare into the deep blue eyes and his heart skipped a beat at the unabashed look of love he was receiving. He wondered if Justin could see the same sort of look reflecting in his own eyes just before he reached over for a small tube of lube always waiting at the ready nearby; the two of them had developed a fondness for making love in front of the fireplace on this thick rug as soon as Brian had purchased it and tonight was no exception.

As his cock pushed inside the first ring of muscle, he once more was grateful for their mutual decision to forego using condoms any longer as he felt the tight and hot walls snugly fitting around him. Thinking of how right Justin had been – damn, it was scalding hot inside – he pushed in even further until his balls were flush with the pale, sweaty skin and Justin was moaning in pleasure at the welcome, possessive intrusion. His blond head began to thrash from side to side at the sensations coursing through him as Brian grasped his thighs firmly, feeling the soft but firm skin rippling under him.

"Ahh," Justin moaned with each steady thrust as Brian pulled out slightly and then thrust back in a regular tempo; Brian could hear his partner's irregular breathing as he exhaled ragged pants of breath in time with his thrusts as he grunted with each effort to ram his cock back into his lover. "Justin," he whispered almost reverently as the two of them locked gazes full of both love and desire.

As Justin peered up into the hazel eyes darkened almost black with lust now, the veins in Brian's face bulged in concentration and effort as he continued to hammer in and out of his body; he could feel the strong hands grasping his legs so tightly, he knew there would be unintentional bruises there tomorrow; but he didn't care. At that moment, his senses were overtaking him as he heard Brian's continual moans of pleasure as he continued to stare up into the sweat-soaked face. His lover's look alone could take him over the edge, but when he whispered his name in that sexy tone of voice and he continued to relish in the wondrous tactile sensations of Brian's fully-enlarged, engorged cock sliding in and out of him, it was all too much. The joy of being with Brian again was tempered with the knowledge that it would soon end but for now, as Brian continued to expertly manipulate his body to perfection, he felt the familiar tightness overtaking him and he climaxed in a shuddering cry, seconds before Brian joined him as he uttered one deep, guttural shout of his own and fell, spent, on top of him.

Brian could feel their rapid, thumping heartbeats joined in identical harmony as he lay for several seconds on top of the soft, hot, sweaty skin of his partner; like he had that last night before Justin had left for New York, he indulged in remaining where he was for far longer than he probably should have as he rested his head in the crook of Justin's neck and shoulder, breathing in the familiar, perfect scent of his lover. Reluctantly, though, he eventually knew he had to disengage from their joining as he slowly rolled off him to lie next to the smaller, slender, still-panting body on the rug. As he turned on his side to watch Justin's chest still heaving with emotion, and his gaze raked over the sweaty, glistening body and passion-soaked hair of his lover against the background of the darker rug, he couldn't help thinking how very beautiful this man was, inside and out.

As they lay there a few minutes later, hands clasped together in companionable silence as a mutual expression of their devotion to each other, each man thought of their utmost wish – that they could be together all the time. How that would be accomplished, or who would be the first one to voice that wish aloud – was yet to be discovered.