The moon was full in the sky, giving the grounds an eerie, ghostly silver look that made Brian shudder. He squinted into the shadowed patches under the trees but he couldn't see any sign of the kid. He felt like he'd been walking forever when he finally saw the kid huddled up on a stone bench near a huge pond. Or perhaps that should be lake. Brian walked over in silence and sat down. His presence made Justin jump.

"Shit," he hissed, rubbing his arms with his hands. "I didn't see you."

"Hmm," Brian nodded. "What the fuck are you doing out here? You're fucking freezing."

"I-I acted like a st-stupid kid," Justin stammered, shivering violently. "I sh-shouldn't l-let him g-get t-to me." Then after a second or two, he leant down and picked up some gravel from around the bench. "D-did you kn-know there was a p-pond?" He asked, throwing a couple of stones into the water and disturbing the reflection of the moon on the surface, with perfect circular ripples.

"No," Brian shook his head just as one of Justin's arms came into contact with Brian's hand causing him to jump violently.

"Jesus Christ," Brian said, putting his hand to Justin's frozen skin. It was rough with Goosebumps and icy cold. "Here," he said, slipping his jacket off his shoulders and putting it around Justin before dragging him close. He rubbed his hands up and down Justin's arms, desperately trying to warm him up as the bitter night air began to bite at his own skin. "And don't worry about how you acted. You're eighteen. Eighteen year olds are allowed to slam doors … once in a while," he added firmly. "But don't make it a habit."

Justin nodded against Brian's chest.

"I'm s-sorry. Michael j-just got t-to me. I th-think it was the l-last st-straw."

"Last straw of what?"

"N-nothing."

Brian just raised an eyebrow questioningly as he pushed the kid away a little so he could look into those blue eyes and hopefully force the truth. It worked.

"Everything," Justin sighed, putting his head back on Brian's chest. "I'm s-scared, Brian. I'm scared the p-police will c-come and t-take you away. I'm scared my d-dad will g-get me. I'm scared of the f-fact you guys carry around g-guns c-constantly. I'm scared of never s-seeing my mum again."

And suddenly the kid was crying heavily into Brian's shirt. He could feel salty tears soaking through his shirt but he didn't worry about it, he just pulled the kid closer because he didn't know what else to do. He wasn't good with emotions, Emmett would be much better than him at this but he was the one who'd decided to go after the kid and now it was his responsibility to comfort him or at least try to.

"Don't think about it," he whispered. "Don't think about the police, I told you they're not your problem, they're mine. Your dad won't get anywhere near you as long as I'm around and you're bound to miss your mum but don't worry. She'll be fine. And Mikey …" Brian sighed heavily. "Michael doesn't hate you. He just…"

"He's in l-love with you," Justin finished for him, sniffing a little. Brian frowned. "Emmett t-told me."

"Hmm, did he?" Brian asked and Justin couldn't help feel that he might have got Emmett into trouble.

"B-but I-I g-guess I knew anyway," Justin added quickly. "I-it's obvious r-really." Justin shivered again as a particularly sharp breeze blew over them.

"Come on," Brian said, pulling the kid to his feet. "Let's get you inside."

"W-wait," Justin stammered, holding up a piece of paper in his hand that had been rolled into a cylinder. "H-happy b-birthday," he whispered. "I was going to g-give it to you at dinner b-but …." He trailed off looking somewhat embarrassed. "H-here."

Brian took the paper and unrolled it. It was unbelievable, a perfect likeness, like looking at himself in the mirror. It was just the top of his shoulders and his head but it was perfect. He looked stern in the picture but his eyes seemed kind and gentle and Brian realized that this was how Justin saw him, this beautiful creature who was both harsh and kind and he decided he liked being looked at like this. It was better that being feared or being despised. This was different, it was real.

"It's excellent," Brian smiled and looked at Justin to see the kid beaming back at him.

"R-really?"

"Really," Brian nodded. "Now, come on. Let's get you inside and warm you up," he grinned wolfishly and Justin had no doubt as to what Brian had in mind to warm them up.

Of course, it wasn't that easy. As soon as they opened the door to the house, Emmett was there fussing around Justin like a fly around horseshit.

"Oh baby. Are you okay? You're freezing. Get a warm shower now before you catch Pneumonia."

Ted had very little to say on the evening's events, though Ted seldom had much to say about anything and Justin figured that was one of the reason's Brian liked him so much. Michael also kept his mouth firmly shut. He was receiving evil, warning glares from Emmett and Justin couldn't help wonder if Emmett had said something after Brian had left. Either way, Michael didn't have one single comment to make as Brian rushed the kid shivering and shaking up the stairs and into their giant bathroom. Luckily, Brian always had a way of making things heat up.

They were laying sated under the warm duvet with the heating turned up to full blast when Justin started giggling, saying something about if he closed his eyes he felt like he was in a warm tropical place. Brian smiled a little but the thick, heavy, post-fuck tiredness was dragging him out of the chatty mode. He was on that vulnerable line between wake and sleep.

"I didn't find the tennis courts," Justin babbled from about a foot away.

"Mm," Brian mumbled because that was all he could manage now.

"I was looking for them. I've been trying to spot them ever since we arrived but I still don't know where they are."

"Do you play tennis?" Brian asked, he was tired that even his lips were barely opening and the question came out as a soft, whispered murmured. The answer was a loud snort and a giggle.

"No! Do I look like the kind of person who can play tennis?"

"No," Brian conceded, his words still dripping with exhaustion. "But you didn't look like the kind of person who could draw either so…."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Justin smiled rolling on to his stomach so that he could prop himself up on his elbows and look at the older man.

"Please," Brian scorned, his eyes sliding open a little so he could look up to see the younger man's face. "You're eighteen. There's virtually nothing to learn about you."

"Fine," the kid replied huffily. "But I bet there's a lot I don't know about you."

"Too much," Brian confirmed lazily.

"What does that mean?"

"It means 'don't ask'."

"But I'm curious," Justin whined.

"You're nosey," Brian corrected.

"Okay, nosey," he conceded. "Just answer one question."

"One?" Brian opened one eye fully to see a flushed, excited look on the kids face.

"Yeah," Justin nodded.

"Okay, one question," Brian conceded, not because he was willing to give out information about himself or his past to this kid but because he was interested to know what question the kid would choose.

"Right," Justin nodded thoughtfully. He seemed to think hard for a second before deciding on, "did you play sport?"

Brian looked at the other man and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I let you ask me any question in the world and that is what you went for?"

Justin shrugged. "I don't want to know your deepest darkest secrets," he said truthfully. "I just wanna know what your favourite TV show is? How you did in school, whether or not you played sports."

Brian looked puzzled for a moment as something strange washed over him. He felt normal, like not everyone was out to get him or had a secret agenda. He felt like he could lie in bed with Justin and just talk; not plot, not plan, not fuck, just talk. So he answered the question.

"I played soccer in high school."

Justin smiled, "really?"

"Yeah, I was good at it too."

"I'm sure you were," Justin chuckled.

"The coach said I could have gotten a scholarship to college but I think he was more impressed with my ball skills in the changing room showers than my ball skills on the pitch."

Justin's eyebrows shot up and he chucked a little as he said, "you fucked your gym teacher?"

His fingers were running lightly over Brian's chest now. It was as if the kid couldn't bear to not have some kind of contact with him at all times but Brian didn't mind.

"I didn't fuck my gym teacher," Brian smirked. "He was straight … but he used to let me suck him off."

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen the first time," Brian smiled at the memory. "Seventeen the last time, it was right after that that he got arrested."

"Fourteen is really young."

Brian nodded thoughtfully, "but I wanted him," then he smirked, "and he loved it."

"I'm sure he did," Justin grinned back. "So what happened after he got arrested?"

"I thought I said only one question," Brian frowned causing Justin to roll his eyes. "That must be at least three."

"Fine," Justin said, "don't tell me."

It was quiet for a couple of moments, the only movement was Justin's fingers dancing along Brian's ribs and then Brian said "the case went to court," and Justin was all ears again. "There were three of us that he'd supposedly taken advantage of but I was the only one who actually showed up in court. They were trying him for rape and using his authority to get what he wanted but I told him I was compliant, more than compliant and the old fagot got off with statutory rape. He lost his job obviously but he only had a fourteen year sentence. It would probably have been less if I'd been some cheerleader with big tits but he was facing life at the beginning of it all. The fat fuck got off lightly thanks to me."

"My hero," Justin smiled.

"It was a pretty big case," Brian continued, "the news followed it. You know how much breeders love a teacher/student sex scandal and a queer sex scandal was like Christmas come early for the Republicans."

"I bet."

It was quiet then and when Justin looked into Brian's face, he could see the older man's expression was strained and his eyes were unfocused as he stared blankly at a point on the ceiling. He was thinking about something, something unpleasant but Justin didn't know what the hell it could be.

"That night," Brian said, in a strange, distant almost wooden voice, "I got back to my parents house pretty late. I opened the door and Jack was stood there with this look on his face. I'd never seen him so angry. He grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt and he got right in my face and said, 'I saw your little performance on TV, sonny boy. Have you got something you want to tell your old man, you fucking fairy?' His breath stank of whiskey, he was drunk out of his mind and he was furious. His eyes were black and hollow, completely cold and full of hate. That's when I realized he was going to kill me."

Justin nearly gasped but he managed to hold it in. He was sure that any noise now would break the spell, stop Brian from talking and he didn't want that, he just kept still and kept quiet and Brian kept retelling his past.

"He slammed me against a wall and I hit my head so hard I nearly passed out maybe it would have been better if I had. He let me fall to the floor and kicked me. I curled into a ball, begged him to stop but he just kept kicking. I even grabbed onto his leg hoping it would make him stop but he just slammed my back against the wall. The last thing I remembered before I passed out was my mom stood watching as she downed another glass of wine."

Justin could feel the tears starting to well up inside him but he didn't think Brian was finished yet, so he pushed them away and listened.

"When I woke up," Brian said, he was speaking so softly now that Justin had to lean in to hear him, "I was alone in hospital. The doctors told me I was brought in by my sister but she'd gone now and she never came back to visit. She was a bitch but I probably owe her my life. It'd gotten away with two cracked ribs, concussion, a black eye, a twisted ankle and a broken nose." Suddenly, he looked at Justin and smiled weakly, "You asked once why I wheeze a little when I breath and Mikey told you I had a deviated septum."Justin nodded, he remembered.

"Well that's how it happened," Brian said softly. "A kick in the face from my old man." Then he forced a smile, "it's amazing I managed to stay this hot."

"Oh Brian," Justin sobbed suddenly, putting his head on Brian's chest and holding him close. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Brian soothed, running his hand down Justin's back. "It was a long time ago."

"But I…" Justin stopped. There was nothing he could say that would help in this situation and the thought of Brian being nearly killed by his father only reminded him of his own father and soon he was crying even harder. And it was so fucked up because Brian was the one comforting him when it was supposed to be the other way around.

"I'm sorry," Justin sobbed. "It's just … it reminds me of my dad and how he was going to," Justin paused and then whispered quietly, "kill me."

"And my dad tried to kill me."

"So you ran away," Justin sniffed, "and became a criminal."

"And you ran away with a dangerous gang."

"Our dads have a lot to answer for," Justin said with a watery smile.

"They certainly do," Brian agreed and then he kissed the younger man and it was different from all their kisses before. This wasn't leading anywhere. This wasn't because it was the only way to get close before clothes were shed. This wasn't because there were no other options. This was just … because.

When Brian pulled back, he slipped his arms around Justin's waist and held him close. The kid rested his head on Brian's chest and that was how they stayed until the sun told them it was time to wake up.