The two men finally get a chance to clear the air. What will their conversation lead to in the future? Conclusion/Epilogue.

Justin's POV

When I first laid eyes on Brian fifteen minutes ago, I was stunned. I knew he lived in lavish surroundings - and that it, too, was a penthouse - but out of all the penthouses that must surround Central Park, how in the hell did I get so lucky that it would be his? Or was lucky even the right word? My eyes had latched onto his as soon as I had seen him, and my heart had reeled in reaction. As I stared into his eyes, it was then that I knew for certain just how deeply I had fallen for him - and how much he had affected me from the first moment we had met. I had thought I was finally beginning to get over him and move on - until I saw him standing there in one of his cookie-cutter shirts and sharply creased pair of pants. Even now, he was still the most incredible-looking man I had ever seen.

He looked just as shocked as I no doubt did; testimony to the fact that he had no idea I would be here, either. And when he walked over to me - and I could smell the same, tantalizing, expensive cologne that he had worn that night we had made love - I became almost dizzy as the memory washed over me like some alluring siren call. I was determined, though, that despite his plea to talk that I would not be taken advantage of or misled; not after the pain I had felt after that night.

Still, when he asked me to join him over on the couch so we could talk - his voice at once mesmerizing as well as pleading - I couldn't say no. No, I couldn't resist, because I knew that deep down I wanted another chance with him. I wanted to give him another chance. At least I wanted to hear what he had to say. To know why he had done what he had done, and acted the way that he had. The fact that he had put that ball cap on his head - and had kissed me in front of everyone - was a good and promising start. But that was ALL it was - a start.

I held up my hand as we faced each other on the couch, signaling to him that I needed to say my piece first. "Before you say anything...I want you to know that I am not going to be some experiment regarding your sexuality, Brian. I'm not some litmus test you can use, and then just toss away."

Brian's eyes narrowed, and I thought I saw anger there. "Is that what you thought that night was? Me, just experimenting out of curiosity? Do you?" He pressed, my eyes staring unblinkingly into his.

I peered back at me for several seconds before, at last, I shook my head; I thought I saw relief on his face as I whispered hoarsely, "No."

"Surely you know it was more than that." My pulse raced as he reached over and laid his palm against my cheek. "A lot more." He paused as his fingers slowly stroked my face, making my body tingle. "Don't you know that?" he asked, suddenly sounding vulnerable.

How much of my heart could I expose? I wondered as he continued to stare into my eyes; I was swimming in so many emotions, the depths of which I had never experienced before. How much was I willing to reveal to him? "I...I'm hoping it was," I finally admitted as he nodded.

"Do you know I went over to your apartment after that night? More times than I can remember."

My mouth hung open in shock. I had had no idea. "You did?"

He nodded at me. "Your neighbors and I got to know each other well, at least from a distance...and not in a good way. I think I learned some expletives even I wasn't aware of." He paused. "Why didn't you ever answer your door?"

I averted my gaze as I explained, "I didn't spend a lot of time at my place...after what happened. Reggie and I stayed somewhere else." I didn't tell him that every time I looked at my bed after that night, I couldn't stop thinking about him lying there with me, his arms wrapped around me like a comforting cocoon, and how empty it had felt afterward.

"Your friend Daphne's?" Brian probed. I thought I heard something odd in the tone of his voice as he asked me. Curiosity? Jealousy? Fear? Was he afraid that I had sought comfort elsewhere? In a way, that had been true; at least for that one, unfortunate slip up with Derrick. But I had made sure I didn't use that type of pain therapy again after that one time.

I shook my head, noticing Brian looking away as if he were afraid of the answer. "I was painting most of the time," I explained softly, as he lifted his gaze to peer at me silently. "I share a studio near Hell's Kitchen with some other artists. It's got a shitty bathroom, and a cot over in the corner for when one of us goes on a painting spree and doesn't want to stop. We artists can be a little...manic/obsessive sometimes," I told him wryly. I know I was like that whenever I got upset or stressed...and on a scale of one to ten, this one had rated at least a twenty.

"And that's what you were doing all those times I tried to reach you?" he asked me quietly. "Painting?"

I nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes. It's what I do...when I want to forget about my pain."

I observed Brian swallowing hard. "I'm sorry that I was the cause of that," he murmured. "More sorry than you'll ever know."

I didn't make any effort to refute his statement; after all, what would be the point? He reached over to lightly brush the pads of his fingers across my lips; it was such a simple motion - but caused my entire body to shiver. No man had ever made me feel such strong emotions, and made my body react so strongly, just with a mere touch. It was almost frightening in its intensity.

"Justin...I know I have a lot to learn. I'm not saying there wouldn't be...difficulties or hurdles we would have to address. Not to mention Claire. While my nephew is quite sane, you've already gotten a taste of what it would be like to be consistently exposed to my sister. She means well, but..."

"I've already had that pleasure," I reminded him with a half-smile.

His eyes widened. "That's right! She knew you! How?"

"She and I have been having some interesting conversations at the PFLAG meetings I help oversee once a week."

I thought Brian was going to keel over in shock. "What!? Why in the hell would she be at a PFLAG meeting? She wouldn't be caught dead there!"

"Well, it's at night," I explained. "And she doesn't actually go inside the church where it's held. We sit outside on the steps and talk." I thought about all the conversations we had had, and I agreed. Claire was well-intentioned. Misinformed in some ways, and worried about her son. But she had a good heart and cared about her son, or she wouldn't have been there in the first place.

"I still can't believe it," he murmured, shaking his head. "But if she wasn't there because of me, then why...?" The reason became apparent to him after he remembered what she had said. "She was there because she thought Brad was gay."

I nodded my head as he chuckled.

"Well, it appears she had the wrong family member," he replied dryly.

"Yeah," I told him. "But she was really trying to help understand him. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have done that."

"No," he agreed. "Believe me. For my sister, that was a major undertaking." His shook his head in amazement. "She might just come around after all," he decided. He studied me then, and I could tell he wanted to say more.

"What?"

He gazed into my eyes for a few moments before asking quietly, "So where does this leave us, Justin? Our relationship?"

Deciding to take some initiative, I hesitated for a few moments before reaching over to grasp his hand in mine, again startled by how that made me feel, just touching him. "Where do you want it to lead us?"

Brian waited a few seconds before answering me. "Honestly? I'm not entirely sure," he told me. I felt a little nervous then, until he added softly, "But I'm sure I would definitely like to find out. Wouldn't you?"

My heart finally risking to hope, I replied, "Yeah. I think I would."

He smiled back at me in obvious relief as nodded. "One more question."

"What?"

"Just how many ball caps DO you have?"

I grinned at last. "More than enough for us to share."

He nodded. "Good. I think I could get used to them as a fashion accessory," he informed me as he yanked the Yankees cap off his head and placed it on mine before leaning in to kiss me again. It was a tender kiss. But also one that spoke of promise and hope.

Epilogue - Christmas Eve - Justin's Apartment - Brian's POV

"I still can't believe that you're here."

I smiled in reaction, slowly stroking Justin's soft hair with my fingers. He was presently lying sideways with his head in my lap and not a stitch of clothing on, which was perfectly fine with me. The flickers of the flame made intriguing patterns on his skin, which I found fascinating. We were lounging in front of the fireplace in Justin's modest living room, my back propped up against the couch on the plush oval rug that dominated the rather small space. Justin had told me that it was the only luxury he had permitted himself when it had come to furnishing his apartment, and at the moment I was eternally grateful, because it felt heavenly to sit here, savoring the feel of Justin next to me. How I could have ever thought I could be this happy and feel this content with some woman was so foreign to me, now that I had met him. Our attraction for each other continued to be somewhere out in the stratosphere and beyond explosive since we had reunited, but I also had come to realize that I was falling in love with this amazing, passionate, and talented young man. I hadn't yet told Justin that, however. I wasn't sure why. But after we had finally gotten back together, I found that I wanted to take things a little more slowly so as not to fuck anything up again. This was much too important to me. "What? You were expecting Kris Kringle instead?" I teased him.

Justin grimaced. "Okay...you so just ruined THAT romantic moment." He rose to sit beside me, snuggling closer to my side as I slid my arm around his waist and pulled him closer to me, his warm hand coming to rest, palm down, on my chest.

I chuckled. "Well, let me try and make it up to you, then," I murmured, leaning my head down to give Justin a kiss. He moved then to straddle me, cradling my head in his hands as we deepened the kiss before I had to break it off after several seconds, leaving us both panting breathlessly and my heart rapping furiously against my chest.

"I can't believe what you do to me," I replied softly in amazement as Justin blushed. "To think I could have had this a long time ago."

Justin stared deeply into my eyes. "I'm relieved that you didn't," was his surprising answer as I frowned before he explained. "Because it would have been with someone else, and I would have maybe never met you then."

I smiled with a nod, pleased at the thought, as I stroked Justin's bare shoulder. "Then I'm glad I waited," I told him simply. I took a deep breath as I gazed into his face and smirked. "And now, little elf..." Justin snorted as I smiled at his reaction. "While you're sitting in my lap, it's time for you to let Santa here deliver his gift to you." I was definitely ready for another round with THIS particularly voracious sprite, but I suddenly felt way overdressed for that particular activity.

Before I could make good on my promise, however, Justin grinned impishly as he pulled back to sit up a little straighter and gave my cock a squeeze through my lightweight silk pajamas. They had been a Christmas gift from him, since Justin knew I wasn't quite comfortable enough to parade around nude yet, even though to my chagrin he didn't seem to mind walking around in HIS birthday suit quite frequently. In fact, the little exhibitionist seemed to derive great pleasure in tormenting me with his little show as much as possible, at least when we were here in his apartment. It was a little more difficult, however, with Debbie underfoot at my penthouse, but she had turned out to be one of the biggest supporters of our relationship, telling me 'it was about fucking time.' It wasn't so much that she had figured out beforehand that I was gay; all she knew was that I was happy now; happier than I had ever been before, and she now she knew the reason why. She had told me that a 'happy Brian was an easier-to-live-with Brian,' whatever the hell that had meant.

In the weeks since my birthday, we had feverishly been trying to make up for lost time, and I had found out just how insatiable I was when it came to having sex with Justin; so much so that I discovered I could more than match Justin in the stamina department, almost as if I were trying to compensate for all the time I had missed before.

Amazingly, even my sister had come around. While she still did not quite understand how I could be physically attracted to another man, she had become fond of Justin by now, mainly as a result of their talks at the PFLAG meetings, and she could tell how content I was with him. So in the end she decided that our relationship was a good thing. We had even - heaven forbid - been out to dinner with her, Brad, and Daphne, and the world hadn't come to an end.

Speaking of Daphne, she initially had been skeptical of my intentions, worried that I might be using Justin as some sort of sexual experiment. But I had been determined to prove to her that my feelings for Justin were real, and that this was no temporary thrill. My and Daphne's relationship was still in the infant stages, so to speak, but Justin had told me that even she was beginning to believe that my feelings for him were genuine. I knew that was important, too, because I sensed how crucial her friendship was to Justin, so it was important to me, also. I had to give her credit for her loyalty to him.

Another good thing had resulted from that day as well. It had served as enough of an impetus for Brad to ask his new boss out, and ever since then he and Daphne had been inseparable to the point where they recently had moved in together. In fact, everything was going so well lately that I almost feared something would happen to damage it. I knew my fear was groundless, but I couldn't help being afraid nonetheless, because this meant too much to me.

Justin's stroking of my cock brought me back to focusing on him as I shivered at the sensations he was producing. "Hey! I thought I was in control here! Santa's the one who's in charge at the North Pole, remember?" I teased him. But it was debatable just who WAS in charge at the moment, and I had to admit that I didn't mind a 'take-charge' Justin at all.

Justin grinned as we stared deeply into each other's eyes. "And what a pole it is," he replied huskily as he continued to work his hand up and down my shaft. Holy shit. I could feel the wetness in my pajamas, and my dick quickly hardening in painful response as I reached down to hurriedly capture the roaming hand with my wrist before I totally embarrassed myself. This was NOT how I wanted to come; I had something much more intense and pleasurable in mind.

"Hey! My 'pole' has other plans for you, young man," I told him sternly; I smiled as Justin squeaked when I used my greater strength to quickly push him down onto the rug so I was lying on top of him now, my hands gripping his above his head. I took advantage of his relative helplessness to steal a kiss from his soft lips, noticing he didn't mind that in the least.

"Now I have you right where I want you," I told him playfully as he licked his lips and smiled up at me, his expression so beguiling and trusting. Grinning triumphantly back at him, my eyes darkened at the sight before me as my smile faded into something much more intense, almost overwhelming. "Fuck, you are so damn beautiful," I couldn't help whispering as his pale skin flushed in reaction. I loved watching how his body transformed in response to what I did or said; it was such a heady, powerful feeling, one that filled me with such emotion. My eyes slowly traveled down the slim, nude form lying at my command, feeling Justin's cock lying proudly erect between us. "Justin..." I whispered, hearing my voice break slightly. At that moment, I didn't think my heart could feel any fuller, or I could ever be any happier than I was right now. Could I say it? DARE I say it? But good idea or not, I knew I couldn't help it escaping from my lips. Now that I finally realized who - and what - I really was, it was important to me that he knew everything now.

"Hmm...?" He responded, leaning up with his head to kiss my lips encouragingly before he lay still again beneath me, waiting for me to reply. "Brian?" he whispered curiously.

I took a deep breath, not sure what his reaction would be, but knowing I had to say it regardless; I couldn't keep it inside any longer. He frowned slightly; I could tell he was beginning to become a little worried by my hesitation. Just say it, you coward. "I...I think I'm falling in love with you."

The slowly spreading smile Justin gave me soon turned into a blinding one, causing me to smile back at him as my heart filled with joy over his next words. "I don't think I'm falling in love with you...I know I am."

"Justin..." Whatever words I was going to say after that were promptly forgotten as I let my body and my lips do my talking instead.

Six Months Later...Central Park - Justin's POV

My fingers intertwined firmly with Brian's, I smiled as I stole a glance at my lover as we walked Reggie and Mrs. Kinney around the park, stopping occasionally for one or both of them to take a good sniff at a tree, bush, or flower. The less formal attire that Brian had taken to wearing these past few weeks - a pair of jeans (quality made and quite expensive, of course; after all, Brian had his standards), a long-sleeved, soft cotton shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up, and a pair of casual Gucci loafers - looked quite dashing on him...and very sexy, too, I had to admit. He was even gracious about the ball caps I gifted him with from time to time, even though he still thought the idea of a grown man wearing one was a bit silly. But just the fact that he undoubtedly did it for me anyway made my heart fill to capacity.

We arrived at our customary bench and tied both dogs to their respective bench legs as we sat down together, our thighs touching, even though there was plenty of navigating room; enough for three or even four. But we never sat any farther apart now. And when we DID sit there on our bench, we held hands. Always. I silently marveled at how far our relationship had come since that first day we had met, not voicing it aloud, however, sensing that Brian really didn't want a big deal made of it. But to me, it WAS a big deal. And I knew how much courage - and love for me - it had taken him to arrive at this point in our lives.

"Beautiful day today," Brian commented.

I nodded, his grip on my hand tightening slightly as we sat there congenially, enjoying the spring warmth, and the sounds and sights of Central Park. I smiled, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by my lover.

"What?" he asked softly. "You seem to be in a good mood this morning."

I nodded. "I am."

"Any particular reason?"

I turned my head to peer over at him and smiled even more. "Yeah. As a matter of fact, there is."

He smiled back at me. "Care to share?"

I leaned in closer as Brian did the same; as our lips met, there was no hesitation on his part as we kissed for several seconds before a sharp bark from Reggie made us pull back. He was pulling on his leash, straining to chase a squirrel that had had the nerve to venture too close to what he perceived as his own private territory.

"Reggie! It's okay, Boy," I told him in my 'stop barking' voice, and he did as I asked after a couple more yips, issuing a brief sort of grunt before he lay down beside Mrs. Kinney, his bug eyes gazing up at me.

"Don't give me that look, either," I told him. "You're not running off-leash until we get to the dog park." I laughed as that remark was met with a sort of disappointed groan as if he could actually understand what I was saying.

Brian and I exchanged a grin between us, making me remember his question from earlier. "To answer your question, I'm happy because it's a wonderful spring day...and I'm enjoying it with the man I love."

"I can't think of a better reason to see you smile. Well...maybe one," he told me mysteriously.

I eyed him curiously. "What?" I probed. "What are you talking about? Tell me."

Brian grinned; he seemed to be enjoying my curiosity. "The reason's in my jeans pocket," he told me with a smirk. "Come and get it."

My face flushed as I felt the heat bloom all over my face. "Brian," I laughed. "Can you be any more obvious?"

He smirked. "Not that," he told me. "I have something else in there. Go fish."

I couldn't help giggling. "Okay, I'll bite," I decided. I let go of Brian's hand to slide my own inside the pants pocket nearest to me, but I came up empty.

"Other pocket," Brian told me, clearly enjoying himself.

I rolled my eyes, but decided that two could play this game as I very slowly slid my hand over the bulge in Brian's jeans, taking a moment to give his crotch a squeeze and making him grunt as he squirmed. Grinning at him smugly, I was forced to twist my body to half lie on top of his as I snaked my hand down his other pocket and felt a hard, flat object. A credit card? Driver's License? I pulled it out, holding it up as I recognized it as a key card - the type you would normally use for a hotel room. My eyes widened as I sat back heavily next to my lover and stared at the object in my hands, trying to wrap my head around the possible significance, but trying desperately not to jump to conclusions. "Brian?" I finally whispered, as I lifted my gaze to look into his eyes.

He appeared a little flustered, or maybe even uncertain, as he softly instructed me, "Read what it says."

My heart felt like it was about to burst right out of my chest as I looked down at the writing, and I felt like I was about to stop breathing, too, as I read what it said:

You already have the key to my heart...

The writing was in Brian's familiar scrawl, along with a very rudimentary drawing of a heart. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed over at him. "Brian..."

He smiled at me gently. "Read the back," he encouraged me, as I flipped it over, noticing more handwritten words there:

So here's one to my place. Welcome home.

He had struck through the word 'my,' and replaced it with the word 'our,' right next to another drawing, this time of a house.

I gasped audibly then over the ramifications, causing both Reggie and Mrs. Kinney to peer up at me curiously, no doubt wondering if they had missed something important. That would definitely be an understatement, I decided, if this was what I thought it was. The writing on the key card was almost amateurish in nature, but it didn't matter. The message was still loud and clear...at least I hoped it was.

"I know the artwork is not up to your standards," I heard him say quietly as I continued to gaze at it in wonder. "But it'll still work on the elevator that goes up to my penthouse...and it'll get you in the door, too. You're the only other person who has one." He laughed softly then. "Even Claire doesn't have one. Definitely NOT Claire. Debbie has the okay to be buzzed up by the concierge, but only with my prior approval first. And Brad; well, he probably wouldn't need one now, anyway, not with him and Daphne..." His voice trailed off nervously as he pushed some hair back from his eyes. "Uh...Help me out here, Justin."

"You're giving me a key card to your penthouse, so I can come and go whenever I want?" I asked, not willing to read anymore into it. But I soon learned I didn't have to.

He smiled at me almost shyly then as he rolled his lips under briefly. "No, you amazing idiot! I'm asking you to move in with me! You...and Reggie there. That is, if he's neutered. He IS neutered...right? Just the thought of a cross between those two breeds makes me shudder."

It took me a few moments to actually answer Brian's last question, because I was still trying to digest the rest of what he had said. "Yes...of course, he's neutered!"

Brian began to babble now as he continued, "Well, don't worry; Mrs. Kinney here won't be getting knocked up any time soon anyway. I'll get her fixed. But I read that you have to wait until they're about six months old before you can take them to the vet and get them neutered, and she's finally past that point..."

I laughed. "It's not neutered, Brian; it's spayed for females. Brian..."

"Oh...spayed. Well, as long as old Reggie here has been neutered, we'll be fine anyway. Not sure what we'll do with all your furniture, though, but at least you don't have a lot. Can you sublet your place, by the way? That might be the best solution..."

"I think so, but Brian..."

Brian nodded as he prattled on, which was so uncharacteristic of him. "Well, that's good. A lot of places out in the boroughs won't let you do that, so it's good that you live close to Central Park, because that area's always in demand..."

I took a deep breath. "Brian, will you please shut the fuck up!? You won't let me get a word in edgewise!"

Finally, Brian paused, taking a deep breath of his own and letting it out. "I know," he told me quietly, his voice a lot slower now. He peered into my eyes as he admitted, "Because if I do, I'm afraid you'll say no. You AREN'T going to say no, are you?" he asked me softly. He half-smiled. "I think Mrs. Kinney would be very disappointed if you did." He paused. "Her owner would be, too."

"Brian, this is a big step..." I began.

He sighed at me. "Justin, we're practically together all the time now, anyway, and it would make things much easier. Besides, I'd have a built-in dog walker for when Debbie's not available."

I laughed. "So it's finally out in the open! Now I know why you want me to move in."

His face became serious. "You know that's not the reason."

I gazed into his eyes. "Well, if you would let me answer, maybe you'll find out if I want to or not." I looked down at the card in my hands. At once a relatively simple thing...but something that held great significance in its symbolism. I thought about how far we had come since that first day we had met in the park, and on this very same bench. "You know, we should probably have this bench dedicated to us with a plaque," I told him with a grin. "We practically own it now, anyway. No one would dare sit on it during our allotted time. I wonder if gold, silver, or bronze would look better against the wood, though?"

"Justin...you're killing me here!"

I smiled then as I peered into his anxious face as my heart overflowed with happiness...just before I launched myself into his lap. "Of course I'll move in with you!" I squealed with joy, as his arms wound tightly around my back. The tears flowed freely down my face as I hugged him back, feeling so safe, secure, protected, and loved in his arms.

"Thank God," I heard him murmur against my ear as we stayed that way for a long time, oblivious to everyone and everything else. We didn't care if anyone gawked at us or disapproved of what we were doing. For that moment in time, we were lost in our own, little world.

Finally we pulled back, and I noticed we both had goofy smiles on our faces.

Brian let out a huge sigh of relief. "Well, Mrs. Kinney and I are glad that's settled," he told me with a grin, lightly brushing my lower lip with his index finger. He looked down at the large-eared, white princess, who peered back up at him inquisitively with her huge, dark eyes. "Aren't we, Mrs. Kinney?" he asked the dog, who cocked her head sideways as she attempted to understand what all the hoopla was about. She finally lay back down with a sort of quiet groan, as if she had decided it was nothing significant. How wrong she was...!

I laughed. "Yeah, I can tell she's overwhelmed with excitement at the thought," I told my lover dryly. "So..." Brian raised his eyebrows questioningly. "When can Reggie and I move in?" I asked him.

Brian leaned in to kiss me first before he whispered against my lips, "How about yesterday?"

I returned the kiss before replying with a smile, "Sounds about right."

A/N: Thank you to those who read this story, and especially commented. It is greatly appreciated.