Justin's 'flowery' admirer is finally revealed. What other surprises will await them?

Justin jumped slightly as the door closed behind him, almost as if a gust of wind had caught it. He apprehensively surveyed the familiar surroundings. Everything seemed normal in the alcove area that served as a compact break room, consisting of a miniature fridge and a microwave; a small, round table with two chairs sat nearby with a coffeemaker that did double duty as a hot water maker for tea. Nothing seemed remiss or out of place, and not a sound could be heard except for the soft ticking of the clock over the tiny sink. The door leading to his rear studio was presently closed, making him wary. He had hoped at least that it would be partially open, providing him with a glimpse of who was waiting inside before he was detected. But it was firmly closed. Was the guy trying to hide on purpose?

He paused, wondering if he had lost his mind by even agreeing to meet this man. But he was tired of this game; tired of the constant worrying about who this person was, and what he wanted from him. He had no idea why Sylvia trusted this guy so much, but she had said that she knew him and that he had nothing to worry about. "Easy for YOU to say," he muttered softly as he studied the closed door. He wished for once that he could be Superman with x-ray vision, so he could see who was on the other side. But this wasn't Metropolis, and he was certainly no Superman or even JT. Taking a deep breath of resolve, then, he walked quietly over to the door and turned the knob, the cold metal sending a chill through his body. Or was it due to the unknown person waiting for him? Trying to be as quiet as he could - and thankful that there was no creaking noise or any other indication to his visitor of his appearance - he licked his lips nervously before opening the door slightly and peeking inside.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the studio was how the sun was presently flooding the room with the last rays of sunlight; that was one of the features of his makeshift studio that he particularly appreciated. That thought was immediately banished from his mind, however, as he observed a tall man standing near the window with his back to him. He could see him turn slightly as he opened the door and left it open for his own security; apparently he hadn't been as quiet as he had thought. But as his brain registered at last who it was, his apprehension vanished like dandelions blowing in the wind, and his heart soared into the hemisphere; he would know that man anywhere, even in an inky, visionless cave.

"Brian?" he whispered as his lover turned all the way around and smiled at him softly; he was clutching a dozen yellow tulips in his hands as he gazed back at him. Justin blinked. Please don't let this be a mirage...

"Hey, Sunshine," the man murmured then, and Justin knew then that it was not his imagination. No, his partner was here in the flesh. And what glorious flesh it was. Even dressed in casual clothes of a leather jacket, black shirt, and well-worn jeans, Justin was unable to take his eyes off him, even though thoughts of killing him were presently running through his mind, also, now that his mysterious suitor had finally been revealed to him. Brian rolled his tongue into his cheek as he asked, "You didn't forget me...did you?"

Justin huffed as he walked toward him. "Yeah, I forgot you the instant we stopped talking this morning." He paused. "And don't Sunshine me, you asshole! Why didn't you just TELL me you were here when I talked with you? AND asked you to come see me?"

"Now what would have been the fun in that?" Brian replied with a crooked grin. He shrugged. "I was in Chicago, and you were logistically located between there and the Pitts."

"I see. So I'm some sort of convenience now?" his partner groused.

"Come on, Justin; you know better than that," Brian protested. "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that..."

"I know what you meant," Justin assured him, his voice a little more conciliatory, noticing a look of relief appear on Brian's face. "So just when did you plan this trip?"

"About the same time Cynthia made my flight arrangements last week," he admitted. "You didn't really think I would miss a chance to come and see you, did you?" he asked, his eyes boring into his lover's as he reached his free hand out toward him. But Justin moved back to stay just out of reach. "Justin..."

His partner scowled over at him as Brian lifted his eyebrows in reaction with a sort of 'who...me?" look and he sighed in resignation; he never was good at staying mad at his partner for long, especially when he used that certain tone of voice to say his name, and stared over at him with that 'little boy lost' expression. "I should kill you, you know," he muttered as he shook his head in disbelief, still finding it hard to comprehend that Brian was actually standing a few feet away from him - and that this avowed detester of romanticism had been sending him flowers all week long. He exhaled a deep breath as Brian curled his lips under with a smile, an endearing quality that he knew Justin couldn't resist. His partner surmised he had won this round. Damn the man. "...But I think I'll wait until after we've had our makeup sex to do that."

Brian smiled broadly then, realizing he had been forgiven. "Smart man," he agreed solemnly. More emboldened now - and sure his partner wouldn't make good on his threat to cause him bodily harm - he moved even closer until he was a hairsbreadth away, tentatively holding out the tulips toward him. "This is my last flower delivery - tulips."

Justin could smell the scent of the yellow bulbs as he cocked an eyebrow upward in question. "Tulips?" He wrinkled his nose as he suddenly sneezed. "At the risk of sounding ungrateful, they don't smell all that great."

"I didn't buy these because of the smell." He walked even closer.

"I kind of figured that," Justin replied dryly. "It's because they're sunshiny yellow," he quipped, emphasizing the 'sunshiny yellow' part. He had seen enough yellow in the past week to last a lifetime.

But to his surprise, Brian shook his head. "Not exactly."

"Then why?" he asked. "Run out of any more blue and yellow flower combinations?"

"No." Brian rolled his eyes. "Do I have to explain it to you...Sunshine?" He quipped. "Maybe you're not as smart as I thought." Justin smacked him on the chest as he repeated slowly, "Tulips," elongating the two syllables. But Justin simply looked at him as if he had some speech impediment. "As in two lips - the mouth I can't ever seem to stop kissing."

Justin's heart threatened to explode over that statement, but he furrowed his brow in suspicion, checking Brian's pupils for any dilation; he did not see anything outwardly remiss, though. "Are you sick?" he asked, placing the palm of his right hand against Brian's forehead. "I don't think you're hot."

"Very funny. And, hey, you used to say that I was hot."

Justin snorted. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!" he retorted, earning a crooked grin in return. He sighed. "Well, if you're not sick, then you must high."

Brian paused, feeling a little awkward as he thought of another time when he had acted much like this; the day he had proposed to the love of his life at Britin, and the day he had told him he had bought a grandiose house 'for his prince.' He wasn't very comfortable with such overt expressions, much less stating them out loud, but he was slowly adapting - all due to this man standing in front of him. He took a deep breath and let it out before replying quietly, "Only high on you," as Justin blushed deeply in reaction.

"Brian..." he whispered, his eyes watering. "That's...that's about the most ro..."

"Don't you dare say it!" he warned him as his lover grinned. Brian shook his head slightly as he stared into his partner's glistening, blue eyes. "Damn, I've missed you so much," he growled before he dropped the flowers onto the slightly scuffed wooden floor and pulled Justin into his arms, capturing the soft lips with his own as they began to kiss hungrily. The little, breathy sounds Justin was making as they kissed was like music to Brian's ears as he wrapped his arms tightly around the slender body to pull him even closer, sliding his hands under the hem of Justin's shirt to feel the smooth expanse of warm skin underneath.

He moaned slightly at the initial body-to-body contact, inhaling the familiar scent of his partner's shampoo, soap, and just him; the scent that he could never get enough of. "Justin," he whispered as they finally broke apart; placing his hands on either side of his partner's face, he lightly brushed his thumbs across Justin's cheeks before Justin began to nuzzle his neck with licks and slight nips of his skin, right where Brian was the most sensitive. Only HE knew this was one of his most sensitive erogenous zones. As Brian's desire flared, his eyes searched the room urgently as his body went on full alert - knowing there was no way he could wait to have him until they reached his hotel suite. Remembering the airbed nestled snugly against the far wall, he blessed his partner's inventiveness as he whispered hoarsely, "bed," while Justin continued to pepper his neck and collar bone with kisses, his lips warm and soft. "Fuck, Justin! No time," he said a little more urgently as his lover ignored him, his hands reaching between them to shrug Brian's jacket from his shoulders before he began to unbutton his shirt. "Justin, stop!" he said a little louder, gripping the wandering hands with his own.

Finally, Justin reluctantly pulled back to gaze into his partner's darkened eyes, flushing at the deep color indicating Brian's passion, and feeling so powerful knowing that he had put it there. He nodded in understanding as Brian pecked him on the lips before he began to determinedly walk him back toward the airbed, both men hurriedly removing clothes as they went and leaving a scattered pile on the floor of pants, shirts, briefs, and socks, until they were fully naked by the time the back of Justin's legs bumped into the bed.

Pressing Justin down onto the mattress as they continued to kiss, Brian draped himself over the smaller body as he rose up on his elbows to stare into the deep blue eyes. "Condom," he said urgently, realizing his pants had been discarded several yards away.

Justin giggled. "Sorry, I don't have any hiding in my body cavities."

Brian groaned as his lover mischievously grabbed ahold of his now fully hard cock and gave it a playful squeeze.

"Justin! Fuck! Are you trying to kill me here?" he pulled his partner's hand away as he hurriedly rose from the bed, rushing over to snatch his pants up off the floor, just long enough to grab several condoms and a small tube of lube. He was back and looming over his lover in record time as he threw all but one of the condoms down onto the airbed and tore the package open. Taking just a few seconds to retrieve the latex, he slid it down his cock, slathering some of the lube onto his shaft and then preparing Justin with his fingers.

"Brian," Justin panted as something occurred to him. "Sylvia." Normally he didn't mind being a bit of an exhibitionist with Brian - it was hot in a way to risk being detected - but at the same time, he wasn't sure Sylvia would be too thrilled with walking into his studio and finding him and Brian bare naked and fucking. He moaned as he felt first one finger, and then another slide into his tight opening. "Uhhh..."

"It's okay, Sunshine," Brian grunted as he slipped another finger in. "She's told me she was closing up shop and leaving early. We're here alone."

Justin's eyes widened in surprise, whimpering as Brian began to finger fuck him in earnest; he pressed down to heighten his pleasure. "In that case...God, fuck me!" he demanded.

Brian chuckled. "That's more like it." He slid his fingers out as his lover grunted in disappointment; but he knew within seconds his reaction would be quite different. His legs folded underneath him, he rose up just enough to line his cock up before pressing partially inside, Justin's legs rising to hook behind his back.

Justin winced slightly at the initial intrusion; by now, he knew it was to be expected, but the burn was still a little uncomfortable. He stared deeply into Brian's eyes, now almost inky black with lust, knowing that soon his body would be overwhelmed with pleasure instead.

"Always so tight," Brian marveled breathlessly as he pressed in deeply, all the way until they were skin against skin. "So good..." He paused to dip down and kiss Justin's lips greedily.

"Brian, move," Justin quietly commanded urgently a few seconds later as they broke off their kiss. Brian nodded, pulling back out almost all the way before thrusting forcefully back in, balls deep, as Justin moaned and called out his name again. "More. I want more," Justin demanded huskily, his fingers digging into the firm flesh of Brian's biceps.

Issuing some sort of guttural growl, Brian then began a steady rhythm, pushing in and pushing out of his partner's body in their long-time, familiar dance of love. Frequently leaning down to kiss, the two knew each motion now by heart, and the perfect way to rock and flex their bodies to provide each with the ultimate in pleasure.

"Close..." Justin managed to whisper as Brian sped up his motion. "God..." he groaned, squeezing his eyes closed; his fingers gripping Brian's skin fiercely. He could feel his body tightening up like a coiling snake as he reached down with one hand to grip his cock and begin to stroke it in rhythm with Brian's movements, feeling one of Brian's hands reach down and place his hand over his to join in. It only took a few moments more before Justin erupted, spilling into both their hands and all over their bodies. He clenched his muscles hard around his lover as Brian groaned out Justin's name and pumped a few more times before he, too, climaxed, collapsing, spent and sweaty, on top of his partner. He lay there as Justin slowly stroked the sweaty skin of his back, his head nestled in the crook of Justin's neck.

Slowly, after a short time, he lifted his head to gaze into Justin's face, beaded with sweat from their exertion. Justin sleepily stared into his eyes and rewarded him with a loving smile as he reached to tenderly brush some sweaty hair away from his face, just cherishing the feeling of his partner's warm body cushioned under his. This - this was where he belonged, where he felt safest and loved; here in Justin's arms.

Reluctantly, he finally pulled out to tie the condom off, hearing Justin sigh in disappointment. "If I could stay inside you forever, I would," he whispered in his ear before flopping over onto his back. Tossing the condom into a nearby garbage by the side of his bed, he rose to walk over to the small sink, waiting just long enough for the water to heat up before grabbing a cloth nearby to wet it and return to the bed. Justin's eyes never left his as he proceeded to gently clean him off, his chest still heaving until his breathing slowly returned to normal from its previous orgasmic high. His body was flushed with a faint shade of pink, and his lips were bruised from all their kisses. His hair lay askew on top of the pillow, and a fine sheen of sweat was painted on his skin as he gazed up at his lover through lazily blinking eyes, causing Brian's heart to flutter in his chest. He thought Justin had never looked more beautiful.

"What?" Brian asked softly as he discarded the cloth into the garbage can, noticing the intense look on Justin's face.

Justin shook his head in reassurance as Brian reached to intertwine his fingers with his on the mattress as he lay on his back next to him. "Nothing. I...just can't believe you're here. I thought this would be a shitty day, but all of a sudden it's just the opposite. If you only knew," he added mysteriously as Brian arched an eyebrow in question. He smiled before admitting, "Do you know I almost attacked Sylvia's husband?"

Brian laughed. "Philippe? The French guy? He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"You remember him?" Justin harrumphed. "Figures YOU would."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Brian groused. "I'm in advertising, remember? It's my job to remember names and faces."

Justin sighed as he related what had happened with the flowers. "It's NOT funny, Brian!" he growled a minute later when his partner burst out laughing. "It's YOUR fault in the first place!"

Brian placed his hand on his lover's hip as he turned on his side to face him. "So you're saying you didn't want the flowers?" he asked softly.

"Well, not when I thought it was some overzealous patron stalking me," Justin explained. "Although making YOU jealous might have been worth it," he added with a crooked grin.

His lover huffed with an obligatory I don't DO jealous sound. But both of them knew that was a lie merely to maintain his 'image.' Brian snorted as if in disbelief. "You mean I did all that rom...uh, soppy shit for nothing?"

Justin smiled as he gazed into his eyes. "No," he told him softly. "Now that I know they were from you...that means the world to me." He paused as Brian averted his eyes as if he were embarrassed. He dreaded asking his next question, but he needed to know, even though he knew the old, familiar pain would flare up again - the pain he always felt whenever they were separated. He took a deep breath, slowly drawing circles on Brian's shoulder. "When...do you have to leave?" he finally asked quietly.

Brian slowly lifted his eyes to peer over at him. "In a few days," he told him quietly. He, too, detested that moment when they said goodbye. He had detested it ever since they had first said their goodbyes in his loft before Justin had left to come here. And he would always hate it whenever they had to say it. Damn it.

Justin nodded, fighting to blink back the tears that threatened to develop. He would not do that to Brian. He knew that he felt just as awful about their goodbyes as he did. Not for the first time, he briefly wondered the sense of coming here at all; of remaining here where he couldn't be with the man he loved on a more regular basis. But he knew - at least for now - that this was where he needed to be. And as the head of one of the most successful advertising agencies in Pittsburgh, he knew that Brian was where he needed to be, also. That didn't make it any less painful, though. The only thing that continued to sustain him was the knowledge that one day, one wonderful day, the two of them would finally be together permanently again. He had no doubt of that. "Well, we'd better make the most of it, then, hadn't we?" he finally replied, choosing to enjoy their moments now, instead of looking into the future when Brian would be leaving him again. "I trust you came well prepared."

Brian smirked, relieved that Justin hadn't spoken aloud the very thoughts that he was currently feeling, and loving him all the more for knowing it would only make him feel even worse when they DID have to say goodbye. "Well, give me a little time, and I'll show you just how prepared I am," he told him.

Justin blushed. "I'll be looking forward to that. Sure you brought enough?"

Brian replied truthfully, "When it comes to visiting YOU, there's probably never enough. But I have more in my luggage."

Justin chuckled wryly. "My own personal Boy Scout."

Brian grinned. "Always prepared; that's me."

Justin reached over to brush some hair out of his lover's eyes, gazing thoughtfully into his face. He knew Brian hated such sentimentality, but he couldn't help saying the words anyway. "I love you, you know," he murmured, as he lightly traced the brunet's strong jaw with the pads of his fingers as if he were memorizing him all over again. Brian seemed like some vulnerable little boy to him sometimes, and he was always in awe that such a strong, proud, and outwardly confident man could also be so unsure of himself at times when it came to love. But he also knew that this man was one of the most generous and loving men he knew; only those who didn't know him so intimately would never realize that. But it wasn't important; HE knew, and that was all that mattered.

Brian caught the slim fingers and brought them up to his mouth, lightly kissing the knuckles. Continuing to grasp Justin's hand in his, he stared silently at him for several seconds as if he, too, were memorizing every beautiful feature before he simply stated, "Me, too."

Justin nodded as he, too, turned on his side to face him, scooting closer to press his body into Brian's, and placing his left hand palm down on his lover's chest as Brian wrapped his arm around him. Legs tangling together, the couple slowly drifted off to sleep.

Six Months Later...

"Some things never change."

"Hey; say that one more time, and I'll quit bringing you tokens of appreciation."

Sylvia grinned as Justin held out the familiar, brown bag from the local deli. "No, you won't. I have you too well-trained."

He harrumphed. "What AM I? A trained monkey?" he groused good-naturedly.

She laughed. "Well, you're an adorable trained monkey."

Justin rolled his eyes as he handed the bag over to her. "Thanks...I think."

She grinned, emitting an appreciative 'mmm' sound as she unwrapped the pastrami sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "You know, I'm going to miss this," she commented as soon as she swallowed. "And you."

Justin smiled. "You, too," she told her sincerely. "I would never have gotten as far as I have without all your help." He reached over to bestow a quick peck on her cheek.

"Well, don't you forget that I get first dibs on ALL your paintings, fella."

He laughed. "You won't LET me forget. Let's see - that's how many times now? Seven, eight?"

"Damn straight I won't," she quipped. "Got everything packed?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I really didn't have all that much, once I sold the furnishings to the new guy moving in. He was more than happy to take the furniture off my hands - just so he didn't have to lug anything up five flights of stairs."

She grinned. "That would definitely be an incentive." She paused. "Sure you don't want to let Brian know that this isn't just going to be a short trip home?"

Justin sighed. "Sylvia..."

"I know, I know. It's a surprise. But..." She hesitated.

Justin frowned. "What? You don't think he'll like my surprise?"

"Of course I do," she assured him. "Are you kidding me? The man is crazy in love with you."

Justin blushed, pleased that someone else could see it as easily as he did. "And..?"

"I know you two love each other. And I know how badly you miss him when he's not here, or you're not there. And I know how proud he is of you; anyone who sees how he looks at you can readily see that.

"But...?"

"But that's why I'm also wondering if he'll think you're making a mistake coming back home, and not being here in the biggest art capital of the world." She paused before admitting, "And I'm selfish. I don't want anyone else representing you. I want to be a part of your success, Justin, no matter where you are."

Justin initially opened his mouth to protest, but remained silent for now, conceding that she might have a point. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about that. He remembered all too well that one night they had spent at the loft before their now-cancelled wedding. The night that Brian had insisted he was avoiding heading to New York out of fear. The night that he had retorted in turn that fear had nothing to do with his decision. But in retrospect, he knew that Brian had been right, at least partially. While the idea of traveling to New York City to pursue his passion had been extremely exciting to consider, it had also scared the shit out of him. At the time, New York City had seemed like a gigantic hub of activity, some nameless metropolitan hive that might swallow him whole. After all, it hadn't been TOO long before that that he had been scared of even walking down a street in the Pitts.

But he had finally accepted Brian's challenge - had finally stretched his capabilities and pushed down his apprehension- and he HAD come here, with no certain expectations, but with a lot of hopes and dreams. And to a certain extent, a lot of them had been fulfilled. He was finally attracting some notice among the art critics, and had developed a small but loyal and avid following of his works, so much so that he had decided a few months ago to cut back on his hours at the museum's gift shop to devote more time to his work here in the studio. And yes, he could stay here, and possibly grow both in popularity as well as raise his name recognition even more. But in this day and age, technology was almost an instant transport to another place, anywhere in the world. And he had finally decided that his biggest passion - and his heart - lay hundreds of miles away in Pittsburgh. It was a risk, he knew, to go back there and continue to work toward his dream; at least THIS dream. But ultimately he had decided it was worth it for what he would gain.

"You will be," he assured her as he returned to the present. "I'll be back here anytime it's necessary. But I'm just...I'm ready to go home, Sylvia. Go home to an amazing house. And go home to an amazing man."

She nodded in understanding. "I know how much you miss him. If I were separated that much from Philippe..."

Justin smiled. "Well, Philippe might actually be happy to see me go," he replied dryly, remembering his and Philippe's misunderstanding over the flowers several months ago.

Sylvia chuckled. "Well, he might be safer, anyway." She eyed her young friend affectionately as she reached over to squeeze his shoulder. "When are you leaving for the airport?" she asked, resigned to her fate. She watched as Justin's eyes sparkled, and his face lit up at the prospect; it was then that she knew this was the right decision for him.

"In about an hour," he told her. "I just came to say goodbye."

"And you can hardly wait, too," she commented with a smile.

He nodded. "Yeah. My stomach is tied up in knots just at the prospect. But it's a good feeling," he assured her as she nodded. It had been a month since he had seen Brian, had felt his arms surrounding him, had felt his lips upon his; a month since he had smelled his masculine, unique scent, and been taken to the mind-blowing height of passion that only Brian could deliver. But soon he would never be without his partner again.

"I'm going to miss you, Justin Taylor," she declared as she impulsively pulled him forward into a firm embrace. "And Brian is a very lucky man," she whispered in his ear before pulling back.

"I'm the lucky one," Justin affirmed with a smile.

"Anytime two people can find their soulmates, they're both lucky."

Justin nodded. "I'd better go. But call me if you need me, and I'll be here." He turned to head toward the door, stopping for a moment to turn around. "Sylvia?"

"Yes?"

"Don't call me for at least a month, though."

Sylvia chuckled, knowing what he meant. The two lovers would want to get 'reacquainted' again. "I promise," she told him. "Take care, Honey."

He nodded, and with a smile opened the door and disappeared. Sylvia stood there for a short while, feeling like a breath of spring had just departed, before she walked around the counter and sat down to commence with her work for the day, knowing things would never quite be the same.