InsaneJournal

24. Full Length Fic: Elements of Transition
Title: Elements of Transition
Author: testdog65
Theme: Season 4
Notes: A gapfiller for the time after 405 where Justin and Cody confront Chris Hobbs. Many thanks to vlredreign for the beta!



The sound of the loft door sliding open rouses Brian from a place that isn't sleep. He feels the tension drain from his muscles as footsteps resonate across the hardwood and up the steps. The whisper of fabric against skin before it lands in a heap by the side of the bed is the last sound he hears until cool air invades the warmth of the sheets as they're lifted and Justin slides in.

Brian hasn't left any lights on, and the nighttime glow from the windows offers only a gradation of shadowy lines as Justin settles in beside him. He thinks maybe there won't be any words, just the almost-silence of breathing as it deepens into the stillness of sleep. But Brian knows better than to expect an unbroken rest, and he wonders how long it will be tonight before the dreams stir the ugliness of nonexistent memories and Justin is awake again, breath quick and skin damp with the perspiration of fear.

"Late night," Brian mutters, surprising himself with the sound of his words.

"Yeah. Sorry if I woke you." Justin's voice is quiet and strong in the darkness that surrounds them. Brian doesn't respond in the long pause that follows until he's sure that Justin won't offer more.

"You and Cody have a good time?" He doesn't try to hide the sarcasm. He expects a retort from Justin in response, but instead all he gets is an exhale. Brian thinks about pushing for details, finding out exactly where they went and what they did. Who they fought. But he knows that the details carry their own brand of justification, and he's not about to promote that agenda.

And so he waits, letting the quiet of the loft fill in the spaces of the conversation they're not having.

*****

Brian feels the warmth on his face even before his mind registers it as morning. Blinking back the brightness, he throws an arm over his eyes to shield them from the harsh glow coming through the windows. He takes a deep breath and waits to feel the familiar fatigue that follows a sleep interrupted by Justin's fitful tossing and ever-present dreams.

But he waits in vain, and he's not sure now if he's the one who's dreaming. But as dreams go, this one's pretty normal. Too normal. There's the echo of early morning traffic on the street below, the slide of soft sheets against his skin and the sound of Justin's breath, deep and even as he remains lost in a sleep that reminds Brian of a time before proms and baseball bats and pink-hued wardrobes.

Brian turns on his side and raises a hand to Justin's face. Slowly he lets a finger trail over a cheek rough with stubble too light in color to be visible. Justin opens his eyes at the touch, looks directly at Brian and smiles. And in that instant, the dream that Brian refused to let go of becomes the reality of morning.