Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Thank you Shauna Fletcher for beta reading!

Chapter 6

Justin stirred silently, his face scrunching up slightly as he was disturbed from his pleasant dream. His eyelids flickered open slowly, and he stared up at the slightly murky colour of the ceiling. For a moment, confusion filled him – his mind had not quite caught up to recent events, only knowing that the sight before him wasn't familiar. It took a few moments for the memory of the night before to come together.

It had been late by the time he and Brian had finally become too exhausted to continue their energetic activities. They were collapsed on the rumpled duvet cover, their bodies curving towards each other so their arms and legs were intertwined, and their foreheads rested together. It was comfortable, and somewhat more intimate than Brian was used to, but he loved every moment of it.

He had glanced out of the corner of his eye at the heavily breathing blond, taking everything, from the glistening sheen of sweat over his skin that formed the illusion that he was glowing, to the small swipes of his tongue across his swollen lips, in. The kid was beautiful; there was no doubt about that. And he looks even better in my bed, he claimed.

"Stay," the one word escaped him automatically. He allowed himself a moment of surprise, a moment to wonder what the hell was happening to him, before he ultimately gave over to the obvious knowledge that it was what he wanted.

Justin looked at him with barely concealed surprise and hope. "What?"

"Stay," he repeated, "stay here with me, just for tonight."

An uncertain expression crossed the young face and he bit his bottom lip. Oh, he wanted to say yes. More than anything, he wanted to agree and spend the rest of the night pressed against the wonderful man beside him, comfortable and safe in his bed. He wished he could be that care-free. But he had to think, had to be sure that this was the right decision. It would have to be worth the risk, worth the consequences that would surely follow.

One glance at the hopeful look on the brunet's face was enough for him to make his decision.

A hesitant smile crossed his face and he mumbled his answer: "I…I want to stay…"

This was probably the best night's sleep I've had in a long time, Justin mused to himself. He turned his head to his bed partner's. Brian was still fast asleep, looking so peaceful and innocent that Justin almost couldn't place him with the powerful and confident lover that he actually was. Carefully, not wanting to disturb his slumber, Justin slid as skilfully as he could out from beneath the brunet's tanned arm. He sat up slowly and, inch by inch, pulled the Egyptian cotton back over his body.

He stopped sharply when a hand closed around his wrist, and he glanced over his shoulder. Brian was peering up at him, seemingly wide awake despite the deep slumber he appeared to be in before. He arched an eyebrow questioningly, his smirk teasing.

"Sneaking away, are you Sunshine?" he mocked, his voice deep and husky from sleep.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Justin admitted bashfully, "I was just going to the bathroom…"

"And here I thought you were going to take the walk of shame," Brian retorted, amused.

"There's no shame in my walk," the blond answered with a shy smile.

"No, but you may be limping," he joked, releasing the grip on the boy's wrist and rolling onto his back. "I'll let you go before you wet my bed. That would definitely put a damper on my morning plans."

The hot stare he raked over Justin's bare body was enough to convey exactly what plans he had in mind. The blond flushed and nodded both eager and embarrassed, as he quickly stood up and disappeared behind the bathroom door. Brian chuckled to himself, amused.

His cell phone rang, interrupting his delicious thoughts. He frowned deeply and debated ignoring it. He checked the caller ID and concern consumed him at the name 'Josie' blinking up at him. He flipped open the device and held it to his ear.

"Talk to me," he ordered.

"Um, Boss…we have a slight problem…" Josie laughed nervously.

"What kind of problem?"

"Uh, let's say that we should have called in the Cleaners when we had the chance," she replied.

A shiver of dread ran up his spine. "What. Happened?" he emphasised each word firmly, his voice monotone and deadly, leaving no room to disobey.

"Out of fear that you can and will shoot the messenger, I'd suggest just turning to channel 4. Like, right now."

Brian stood up quickly, not even bothering to shield his nudity, and made his way into the living room. Using the remote, he turned on the television and found the news on channel four. For a brief moment, it was as if something had tightened its grip around his chest, leaving him winded and restricted.

"…the bodies were found by three teenagers late last night in one of the abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Little is currently known about what transpired here to lead to the deaths of these two men, but the police have confirmed the possibility of some kind of gang violence being the ultimate cause. Whatever the reason may be, I assume it's safe to assure that our hearts are with the victim's families…"

"Shit…" Brian cursed, his hand clenching tightly around the remote.

"Yeah, that's what I said when I saw it this morning," Josie replied dryly, "I thought Franklin was supposed to deal with Bob and Brad, to specifically avoid this kind of situation."

"He was," Brian answered. He ran his hand over his face in frustration and sighed deeply, "Does everyone else know?"

"Well, if they don't, they will soon enough," Josie answered.

"Call them anyway. We have to sort this out before more people get involved," Brian stated. He glanced towards the bedroom doorway to see Justin resting against the frame, peering at him curiously. He turned back to the television screen and lowered his voice, "Call the others – I'll try and get to the office as soon as possible. Pull everything you can find about Franklin Rodrigo – his bank details, family records, anything you can find – and put out an APB. Maybe something happened, or maybe he's been playing rat all a long. Either way, I want him in the cells, alive, understand?"

"Crystal," Josie accepted the orders. She paused thoughtfully and her voice softened, "Don't worry Brian. We'll get to the bottom of this."

He breathed out heavily. "We better. See you in a few."

Click.

Justin waited a few seconds before he took a hesitant step closer to the clearly agitated brunet. "…Is everything alright?" he glanced towards the television screen and scan read the announcement of 'bodies found by teenagers'. "D-did you know those men?"

Brian forced a small smile. "To an extent," He looked apologetic, "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to leave for work earlier than I had planned."

"You work on a Sunday?" Justin questioned surprised.

"Yeah, well, work never ends for the man in charge. Something has come up – it's really important and I have to go deal with it. I'll make it up to you, I swear." He promised.

"It's fine, really," the blond assured, waving his hands as if to brush off the remorseful words, "I understand, it's your job."

Brian shot him a grateful look and made strides into the bedroom. He grabbed the slightly wrinkled jeans from the day before that had lain useless at the foot of the bed since they had returned to the loft that afternoon, and quickly wrestled into the fabric.

"I will make it up to you," he repeated firmly, "How about I take you for dinner tomorrow night? I could meet you outside your school, have you home before mummy and daddy even realise you're gone."

Somehow Justin doubted that, but he couldn't turn down a dinner date with the gorgeous man that had captured his attention so fully. He nodded, smiling slightly, and tugged on his boxer shorts. "That sounds nice. I…I'd like that."

Brian grinned. "Excellent. I'll see you tomorrow then." He opened the drawer in his bedside table, rummaging around the content before pulling something from its depths. He turned to present one gold key in the blond's direction. "I have to leave now, so I trust you to lock the door behind you and set the alarm, which I know you've already memorised," he added mockingly, causing the blond to blush. He hadn't realised the brunet had noticed him staring. He rested the key on the surface. "Keep the key," he told him before stealing one last searing kiss and disappearing out the door.

Justin watched the door slide shut behind the older man, eyes wide with shock, confusion, disbelief, hope, a little disappointment, and a touch of happiness. His attention drew back to the bedside table, where the key to the loft now sat.

Did…Brian just leave me his key…?