"What's the matter?"

"Gus, what's wrong?"

Brian and Justin stood in the doorway of Gus's new room, both looking disheveled and tired, even though their eyes were as wide as saucers. They had both awoken to the sound of the little boy's high pitched scream and all but ran to reach the young one, the worst case scenarios running through their heads all the while.

Gus stared up at his Daddy as well as his Justin and sniffled, his fists rubbing the tears out of his eyes. He so wanted to be a big boy for the older men, but he was so afraid. "I had a...bad dream," the six-year-old managed to whimper.

Justin hopped on the little twin bed beside Gus and put a comforting arm around him, while Brian was content to stand at the foot of the bed, watching his lover and his son work through the problem. "Want to tell me what it was about?" Justin asked him, pulling Gus's head onto his shoulder as he rocked him gently from side to side.

Gus nodded and hiccuped as the sobs began to subside. "Yeah," he said weakly. He waited until he could speak clearly again and wrapped his arms tightly around his Justin. "I...dreamed that there were dinosaurs."

Justin tried not to smile. "Dinosaurs?" He said, in mock horror.

Gus nodded emphatically, his eyes going wide as he confirmed what he had originally said. "Yeah! And they were big big and had pointy teeth and they growled like daddy does when he gets mad sometimes."

Justin snuck an amused glance at Brian, who was rolling his eyes as Justin had predicted.

"Did they scare you?"

Gus looked up at his Justin and shook his head quickly. He stuck out his chest and his little chin jutted out with typical Kinney defiance. "Of course not," he replied seriously. "Only a baby would be scared by dinosaurs! I'm not a baby!"

Brian tried desperately not to laugh at the indignant child. "So...what were you screaming bloody murder for, sonny boy?"

All of Gus's bluster disappeared as he remembered his original reason for being upset. "When they roared...it was so loud it woke me up!"

"So the roaring scared you?" Justin was working desperately to figure it all out, but Gus had just said he hadn't been scared by the dream.

"No. It was DARK!"

Finally it dawned on the men. "Gus," his father began.

Justin looked down at the sleepy boy. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

Gus turned his head into Justin's side and nodded. Finally it made sense! They had only recently added the room onto the loft for Gus and since he was used to sleeping on a pallet in the living room, he was accustomed to the lights that shone in from the street outside. Justin was sure Gus probably had a nightlight at home as well. They would have to invest in a nightlight first thing the next day.

"That's okay kiddo. I used to be afraid of the dark too."

Justin smirked at Brian. "Is that why you keep the blue lights on all the time?"

Brian shook his head. "Kiss. my. ass. Taylor."

"Daddy! That's not nice! Say you're sorry," Gus demanded of his father.

"I'm sorry," Brian said flatly to appease the boy. "Twat," he mouthed to his lover.

Justin thought for a moment, a memory nagging in the back of his head. Oh yes... "You know, there's really no need to be afraid of the dark, Gus."

"But it's scary. Monster's live in the dark! They can jump out and grab me if there's not a light on!"

"The monsters won't get you Gus. We got rid of the monsters a long time ago," Justin and Brian shared a meaningful look before the younger man could go on. "So...you don't have to worry about them. But think of all the great things that the dark brings you!"

Gus looked as though he were losing interest. Justin had to work fast. "Like...Santa!"

Oh boy, did that have Gus's attention! "What about Santa?!" He asked excitedly.

"Well, if it never got dark, then Santa would never ever come," he explained, shaking his head sadly.

Gus frowned. No Santa? That would definitely not be cool! "What else?"

Justin thought for a second, trying to recall the song. "Crickets. You couldn't have crickets chirping. Or frogs croaking," he added. "And there would be no fireflies to catch."

"Yeah, ‘cause you can only see ‘em real good to catch them when it's dark!"

"That's right. And...you would never be able to see the stars or the moon... You couldn't watch drive-in movies!"

"What's a drive-in movie?" The child asked.

Brian took this as his cue to help. Justin's knowledge of drive-ins were based one hundred percent on what he saw in old movies. "They are big movie screens outside that you can watch from your car."

"Whoa!" Gus said in amazement. "Can we go to a drive-in, dad?"

"They don't really have too many of those anymore, sonny boy."

Gus was crestfallen though, as it was with children his age, the mood didn't last long. The next thing the men knew, Gus was laying back in his bed, his head cradled in the thick fluffy pillow and his blankets tucked in around him as he began to count off more things that one might do in the dark. "Couldn't use a flashlight! And. And. Oh - you couldn't go trick-or-treating. And..." Soon, the boy had exhausted himself and was again dozing.

Justin and Brian tip-toed out of the room, leaving his door cracked and the kitchen light on in case he should wake up and become frightened again. Then the two walked hand-in-hand to their bedroom.

As they held one another, Brian whispered softly, "You're so good with him."

"So are you," Justin replied automatically. Brian was always downing his own parenting skills. It was simply from lack of good example when he was growing up, that kept him from being truly confident in his own ability. Justin couldn't allow the negativity though.

Brian shook his head. "But not like you."

"No. But different isn't necessarily better. He loves you."

"I know."

"I love you too."

"I know."

Justin smirked. "So conceited."

Brian let the remark pass. "How did you come up with that?"

"What? The examples? Or the idea to make him see that good things happen in the dark?"

"The idea? Both? Whatever."

"Ah. Well, to be honest, I didn't come up with any of it."

"No?"

"Nope. It's a song. A muppet's song."

Brian laughed. "A muppet's song? Justin, how old are you?"

"Watch it old man! I'm still young enough to like the muppets!" Justin rolled Brian onto his back in one smooth movement and straddled him. "Mol used to watch Muppet Babies religiously. That's where the song came from. It was drilled into my head."

"Yeah. Suuuuuure," Brian said, teasing his lover. "Blame it on your sister. Ya muppet loving loser."

"Fuck you!" Justin laughed, leaning down to capture Brian's mouth in a playful kiss.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Brian said breathlessly, once Justin had pulled away for air.

As Justin began to shed his clothing, Brian smiled. "What was the song?" He asked, ready to tease his young lover further.

Justin grinned brightly and began to sing. "Goooo-ooood thiiiiiiings...happen...in the dark..."

Brian chuckled quietly and leered at his partner. "I like it. Keep singing," he suggested, reaching over to the wall next to the bed and flipping the switch to the blue neon lights over their bed. Bathing them in darkness.

***

When you notice the daylight start to fade
(in the dark)
That's no reason to ever be afraid
Why don't you take, take my advice
Night time can be oh so nice
Good things happen in the dark

(In the dark)
Without the dark there'd be no gifts from Santa's sleigh
(in the dark)
There'd be no moonbeams
No cricket serenade.

You know that life would not be groovy
There would be no drive in movies
Good things happen in the dark
(budda ba budda ba)

So sing a song of fireflies
And thank the stars above
'Cause darkness brings so many things
So many things to love
(many things to love)

(Goo-od things)
So don't you worry about those shadows on the wall
(happen in the dark)
You can make them into anything at all
(Good things)

And you will be happy as a lark
If you just remember this remark
Good things happen in the dark