Brian woke up in the morning earlier than he had expected. Gus was still snoring softly on the air mattress in the next room and his rhythmic breathing filled Brian with a sense of well-being. Not that he had a late night; he made it home just after midnight to relieve the babysitter. He had really only gone to Babylon for a chance to dance with his fair haired angel and the memory still vividly played in his head when he shut his eyes.
Brian was in his office when the doorman texted him around eleven that the passes had been used. He had them printed specifically for Justin so he would know it was him. He made his way downstairs to the dance floor and circulated through the club until he caught sight of Eric, looking horribly uncomfortable, clinging to the bar. Brian watched from across the room waiting for Justin to return to Eric but chuckled at observing Eric's behavior while he waited. Eric was one of those men who was just too inhibited to truly appreciate the depth of their sexuality. He was wholesome and the poster child for "gay is the new normal" campaigns the GLC was always producing. Brian watched in amusement as was approached by a few power tops, likely looking for fresh virgin meat, but they all took Eric's polite dismissal without incident. The poor kid just screamed "kindergarten teacher looking for husband to live in suburbs" which was typically too much trouble for a man simply looking to get blown in the backroom.
Brian had nearly given up hope for his dance when he spotted Justin stumbling back over to Eric. He looked to be just a shade past tipsy and was now shirtless and covered in a layer of sweat. His pale skin glistened when a few sparkles of glitter caught the light just right. Justin gave a sidelong look of appreciation to his most recent dance partner, a small statured, pretty-boy type that Brian didn't recognize, as he walked by. Brian approached him quickly, fearing his window was closing, but he wasn't fast enough to catch him alone. By the time he was near enough to touch him, Liam and Josh had also rejoined their group and the four men formed a huddled circle speaking loudly over the music, smiling and laughing. Brian had been hesitant about asking Justin for a dance in front of his friends but there was no time to get him alone now; he took a deep breath and tapped his shoulder and placed his hand on Justin's hip as he whispered loudly into his ear from behind him and guided him to the dance floor. The song that was playing was Beyoncé's Partition and the overly sexual lyrics about fucking in the back of a limo did little to contain their urges to grope each other under the guise of dancing. Their dance was amazing but touching Justin again, seeing him smile, and feeling him push his body against Brian as they moved, was fucking fantastic. It took everything Brian had to wish him a goodnight and announce he had to get home to his son. Brian took it as a good sign that Justin seemed disappointed when he said he had to leave.
One of the many helpful things that Eric had revealed to Brian about Justin was that he did not subscribe to the antiquated, stereotypical, dominant or submissive roles Brian was accustomed too. He was looking for a true partner, an equal, in every way including in the bedroom. A need Brian had under-appreciated given their age difference and Justin's proclivity, and considerable talent, for bottoming. He had simply assumed that Justin would respond to his normal predatory, domineering approach he used to lure men in for mind-blowing sex. Justin had already revealed to him that he liked to switch it up in bed and considered versatility important in a long term relationship, so Brian had begun mentally preparing for meeting his need there. It was outside the bedroom where he wasn't so confident. Brian had never let another man lead him, even letting Justin help him out of the car that first night of Babylon was off-putting and the gesture refused. He had actually planned to let Justin take the lead when they danced but it just felt unnatural and since he was taller and admittedly a weaker dancer than Justin, he just hadn't been able to let that happen and feel confident enough about it that it would come off genuine. Thankfully Justin didn't seem to mind but Brian considered after he left Babylon how much he would have to adjust his own style and leave his comfort zone to make sure Justin felt like a true partner if this was going to work.
Brian laid in bed for a long while considering his options for a proper, pre-planned date venue with Justin. He hadn't really considered a date with the no sex clause attached; it was sort of a joke at the time. However, he surmised that if he planned the date correctly it would be Justin instigating the physical activity afterwards anyways. After all, their sexual chemistry was smoking hot and Justin's body language while they danced was an undeniable confession that that particular desire was still mutual. Brian found his thoughts too frequently straying to places they might be able to easily fuck, which then led to thoughts about how he would fuck him if given the chance. All these thoughts were enough to put his semi-erect cock at full mast and distract him entirely from planning a sex-free date. This was definitely going to be harder than he thought. Brian mindlessly slipped his hand into his briefs and worked his fist over his cock in a few leisurely strokes before the realization that he was too close to a sleeping Gus to allow his release to happen while lying in bed. He moved to the shower so he could properly address the problem.
Justin moaned when the distinctive whirl of the coffee grinder woke him too early from his alcohol-induced slumber. The smell of French roast and the inevitable tension-ending chat session with Daphne lured him out of bed. He stumbled towards the hallway still in white briefs with a small stain on the front; the remnant of copious fluid his cock was leaking last night during his dance with Brian. Justin stripped them off with a whimsical giggle remembering how fucking hot the dance with Brian was and put on a clean pair of shorts. His phone lit up with an unchecked text message from Mark that just said "looks like a pretty wild dinner with a friend" which Justin failed to understand until he noticed the Facebook notifications from pictures that had been posted by Liam from last night. Justin vaguely remembered Liam taking pictures at Babylon but one touch on the notification and he was treated to a series of incredibly risqué pictures of himself dancing with Brian and a slew of other men, shirtless. Mark had clearly seen Liam's pictures of Justin given the content of his last text message. The photos with ass-grabbing and grinding probably made Justin's explanation of having dinner plans with a friend look like a bold face lie and for Justin to remember why he hated Facebook to begin with.
He shuffled into the kitchen and was greeted with a cup of coffee in his favorite mug by a smiling Daphne. It was suspicious. "What's up?" he asked.
"Nothing, um, I'm sorry about last night." She apologized without offering up an explanation.
"Okay, but its Eric you owe the apology to. You can tell him tonight." Justin smirked.
"Tonight?"
"Yeah, Daniel and Michelle's rehearsal dinner… Eric is my plus one."
Daphne crinkled her face in a mixture of surprise and disappointment. "You're bringing a date to my brother's dinner?"
"Yeah, Daniel told me I could bring someone. I figured you would be busy with family stuff and I didn't want to be alone."
"But I'm not even in the wedding. I thought we would be hanging out, now I will feel like a third wheel."
Justin shook his head with a shrug and took his coffee back to his bedroom. He could see Daph working up into one of her moods again and he wanted nothing to ruin his day. He finally had a few hours to concentrate on painting and nothing was going to deter him. He needed to get all his emotions out on canvas before they consumed him.
Daphne was still sulking a bit when her phone rang. It was Daniel, which she would have loved to ignore but given the importance of the day, she answered. After reminding her for the umpteenth time about being nice to Michelle, he asked her if she was bringing a date to the dinner tonight or to the wedding; they needed final headcounts.
God, no okay I'm not bringing a date! Get off my back about it.
Fuck Daph, what the hell is your problem? I don't give a shit either way, I just need the number.
Well everyone is getting on my nerves about the fact that I don't date.
Whatever, sis, I will see you tonight.
Daniel hung up abruptly on his sister, frustrated and nervous. He realized that she did not like Michelle but her opinion on the matter wasn't all the relevant to him. Michelle was the love of his life and he attributed Daphne's attitude to childish jealousy and to Justin. Marcus and Daniel were well aware of Daphne's feelings for her best friend, not that either of them would be brave enough to confront her on it. They both knew that would be signing up for a suicide mission. Still he did wish Daphne would meet a good man who would love her back. Justin was a good guy but even as a shy twelve year old it was obvious Justin was more interested in catching Marcus naked when spending the night with Daphne. Daniel had even made a comment to his mom about how Daphne was getting a bit old to have a male friend spend the night and he recalled his mom laughing and saying "Oh honey, that Justin is as queer as a three dollar bill."
Daniel made his way into the bedroom where Michelle was getting ready. "Hey honey" she smiled as she put on her make-up. "Did you talk to your sister?"
"Hey" he offered kissing the top of her head. "Yeah, she's not bringing anyone."
"What?" she cried. "But that will mess up the seating arrangement because Justin is bringing Eric."
Daniel did not want Michelle to be unhappy but he had no interest in seating arrangements. "Well your brother is single. Can you just move them together?"
Michelle took a look at the notepad with the seating arrangement. "Tom was supposed to sit with the wedding party but I will just move Daphne to that table. I guess she will be fine since Marcus will be there with his date. I feel like I should have asked her to be a bridesmaid anyway so this is just as well."
Daniel nodded, grateful that the crisis was averted. Tom was about Daphne's age, single and straight. Maybe he could convince Michelle to play a little matchmaking between their siblings. It might be difficult considering Michelle wasn't exactly Daphne's biggest fan.
Brian left the loft with Gus on his way to the park before he had to get him to the airport to meet Ben. Ben, as luck had it was in town to see his doctor, and was flying back with Gus to Toronto. Gus was clutching his football and wearing a Polamalu jersey his grandfather had bought him yesterday. Brian had never played football and it was probably his least favorite of all sports. Even Drew couldn't convince him it was an interesting game but the munchers clearly encouraged Gus' passion and so Brian was forced to indulge it but he brought a soccer ball along just in case.
Brian escorted Gus into the elevator and balanced the luggage Gus had brought with the picnic he had packed, all pre-packaged foods from the local deli. When the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, he knew without looking it was Justin who would be waiting on the other side. It was unnerving how he could feel the man's presence without seeing him.
He lifted opened the door to let Justin in but before either of them could get in a word edgewise, Gus gasped loudly. Justin cringed as he considered that their last encounter might have Brian's son forever associating him with bad language but then Gus screamed, "Dad look, Number 43, he has the same one" while pulling on his jersey.
Justin looked down to see what jersey he had pulled on this morning. They basically served as smocks for his purpose and he rarely considered the team or the number as anything of relevance. "Yeah, looks like it" Brian said, "I guess you're a football fan as well?"
Justin smiled at Gus and gave Brian a roll of his eyes to convey he didn't have any interest in the sport. "I'm painting today; this is what I wear when I don't care if it gets ruined. My dad buys them for me, I have a million." Justin explained.
"Hi Gus" Justin offered his hand squatting down to Gus's eye level, "I'm Justin. It's nice to meet you. I hope you have a great day playing football. Maybe I will see you soon?" he added, looking to Brian for a sign that their date might be sooner rather than later.
"I'm going home today" Gus said remorsefully, "but you can come play with us. My dad isn't very good anyway."
"Hey" Brian objected, "You don't know if I'm good, we've never played."
"Mama warned me you weren't very good" Gus explained with a little giggle. "Do you play football Justin?"
"I'm afraid I won't be very good either and I would love to but I need to paint today."
"Oh, I love to paint" Gus said, "Can we do that instead Dad?"
Brian's eyes met Justin's and he was torn. He could use this moment to manipulate Justin into spending more time with him or he could be respectful of Justin's time and art. Justin was torn as well but he could see the excitement in Gus' eyes and he did love teaching art to kids. "You know what? If your dad doesn't mind, I have some art boxes for kids in my apartment and we can go to the park and draw. I just need to grab some supplies from my studio on the way. It's been a while since I sketched. What do you think about that?"
Gus nodded enthusiastically and pulled on Brian's hand for permission, "You sure?" Brian asked feeling relieved that Justin had offered but a bit guilty about taking him away from his plans.
"Sure, I love kids and I would much rather draw than play football. Do you mind? I don't want to intrude."
"Not at all" Brian confirmed with a wide smile. "Why don't you grab what you need and meet me and Gus in the garage."
By the time they left the studio and found a parking at the park, Brian knew Justin better without barely getting a word out. Gus was quite the interrogator and had covered a wide arrange of topics that he felt were important. They now knew that Justin loved cats but was allergic so never had any himself, didn't particularly care for peas even though his mom made him eat them, and that Justin never played any sports. The last tidbit was the source of great controversy for Gus. Then when they got out of the car, Gus surprised Justin by grabbing his hand while they crossed the street still immersed in conversation, leaving Brian to carry the bulk of the day's supplies on his own.
Once Brian caught up to them, Gus was already pulling the art supply box out of Brian's hands and Justin was helping spread out the blanket. "Your son is quite the character" Justin remarked.
Brian nodded, "I know. I worried about this sports obsession, I don't think he plays for the same reasons I did."
Justin beamed sensing he understood Brian's stuggle, "Why did you play?"
"To be with the hottest guys, of course" Brian grinned.
Justin laughed and helped Gus find the right supplies. Brian took his shoes off and since it was warm, removed his shirt, tanning himself while Justin and Gus drew. Brian so grew bored just watching and although he was not much of an artist; he took a few art classes in college to make his drawings identifiable. He picked up a paper and drew Justin while Justin gave Gus tips.
"Hey let me see" Justin insisted after noticing Brian was drawing. Brian clutched the pad to his chest and put his hand out to stop Justin from grabbing it.
"No way. It will look completely amateurish next to yours." Brian protested fighting off Justin's playful swipes.
Gus looked at Justin and gave a mischievous grin, "It's okay Justin, just tickle him and he will show you. It's what my mom always does."
Justin looked at Gus, then back at Brian whose eyes grew wide in panic before he got up and ran like a mad man in the park while Gus and Justin chased him down and jumped on top of him, tickling him and making him squirm under their fingertips.
"Okay, okay" Brian panted breathlessly, "Stop! Here! I give up."
He lifted the pad away and let Justin see his sketch. Justin looked it over blushing at the subject matter and gave a few honest critiques. "It's not bad. Your proportions are good, shading needs some work but you've clearly had some training."
Brian felt like he couldn't breathe with Justin still so close to him. Gus huffed seeing his dad's focus was back on Justin, "Dad I'm going to get my football now. Are you going to kiss him again?"
Brian turned to Gus and smiled, "Maybe I will or maybe I will just kiss you. What are you going to do about it?" he joked while attempting to grab Gus and kiss his cheek. Gus gave a disgusted shout and scampered back to their blanket to get his ball, leaving Brian lying flat on his back and Justin, lying beside him on his side, angled towards him, in an open field.
When Gus was out of earshot, Justin pulled Brian's chin around so they were eye-to-eye. "Maybe you should kiss me again?" he offered flirtatiously, running his hand up the side of Brian's flank.
"…or maybe you should kiss me?" Brian countered, shutting his eyes and letting Justin caress his face and move his lips to meet in one explosive, perfect kiss. A kiss that ended only by a scream of "watch out" a single moment before Brian and Justin were nailed in the head with Gus's football.
"FUCK! Ouch!" Brian exclaimed, rubbing his head and Justin's at the spot of impact. "Gus! You have to be more careful."
"Sorry Dad. Sorry Justin" Gus apologized running over to collect his ball.
Justin ran his hand over his scalp and let Gus know he was forgiven. The kiss had been more dizzying than the ball anyways. Justin stood up and helped Brian to his feet before heading back to the picnic area.
"I think I'm getting hungry" Gus said running ahead and tearing into the basket.
"You know, you are full of surprises Mr. Kinney and you are a great dad." Justin commented as they strolled behind Gus, his hand finding Brian's. He sighed relaxing when it wasn't refused.
Brian didn't have any words to describe the complexity of emotions that were flooding his body. He was far from a great dad but the fact that Justin thought he was meant the world to him.
It was almost four when Brian announced he needed to take Gus to the airport. Justin sighed, "Yeah I need to get home too. I have a dinner to go to."
"A dinner?" Brian asked, a twinge of jealousy shooting through him.
Justin smiled detecting Brian's concern, "Um, yeah Daphne's brother is getting married, tonights the rehearsal dinner."
"I see" Brian responded while packing up their belongings, "so I guess our sex-free date isn't going to happen tomorrow then?"
"This was sort of a sex-free date." Justin observed, whispering to avoid Gus' notice.
"No way Justin, I want a proper date." Brian remarked, "This wasn't even planned."
Justin laughed, "Brian, I meant now that we have had the sex-free date our next one doesn't need to be rated PG necessarily."
"No? Well does Sunday afternoon work for you?"
"Um, I usually paint on Sunday's but maybe around 3 or 4"
Brian nodded, "It's a date."