Anything Goes – Part 17:

Brotherly Love

 

 

Dropping his briefcase on the desk, Brian shed his coat.  He had one goal at the moment…downing as much alcohol as he could possibly get his hands on.  He had survived a shitty day and even a shittier conversation with his sister and now he wanted to forget it all.

 

“Hey.”

 

He jumped, startled by his lover’s greeting.  Turning around he saw Justin coming out of the bedroom.  “I thought you said you were busy tonight,” Brian said when Justin kissed him hello.

 

“We finished early,” Justin replied, loosening Brian’s tie and starting on the buttons of the man’s shirt.

 

“What are you doing?” Brian asked, when he noticed his shirt slipping off his shoulders.

 

He was greeted by a mischievous grin of his lover.  “I’d think you of all people would recognize what I’m doing,” Justin replied, dropping the shirt on the floor.

 

Brian’s eyebrow quirked up in an arch.  “That’s a two-hundred dollar shirt.”

 

But Justin didn’t seem to hear him or care, because he was already in process of unzipping the Armani pants.  Dropping them down on the floor as well, Justin slowly walked around Brian, tracing his hand across the lean body.  “God, you’re so tense.  Tough day at work?” he murmured as he caressed Brian’s back. 

 

“You have no idea.”  Brian closed his eyes, letting the gentle touch of his lover erase the stress of the day.  This was definitely better than any amount of alcohol or drugs.  Opening his eyes, he found that Justin was once again standing in front of him.  

 

“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” Justin asked, at the same time as his tongue traced  Brian’s long neck and collarbone. 

 

“No,” Brian was able to utter as he looked down at his boyfriend.

 

“Want me to make it better?” 

 

He could hear the lust in Justin’s voice, see desire in his eyes.  He never got tired of seeing that look.  Instead of a reply, Brian leaned down, capturing the pink luscious lips.  “Yes,” he breathed against the teen’s soft skin. 

 

Justin’s lips curved into a smile as he lowered himself down to the floor, taking his lover’s erect penis in his mouth. 

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

A little over two hours later, after yet another round of lovemaking, the two men lay sprawled on the bed.  

 

Turning his head, Justin smiled at Brian.  “That was amazing,” he said.

 

Brian smirked.  “I wouldn’t mind coming home to a greeting like that every day.”

 

Justin snickered.  “Have me tied to the bed and available at all hours?”

 

“Hmmm, not a bad idea,” Brian replied, tongue in cheek.  He definitely liked the sound of that.  Nothing relieved stress better than a hot little ass and a talented beautiful mouth.

 

Justin stuck his tongue out before shifting to a sitting position and searching the floor for his pants. 

 

“Where the hell are you going?” Brian asked, less than thrilled with Justin moving out of his embrace and leaving the bed.

 

“Hungry,” Justin threw over his shoulder as he headed to the kitchen. 

 

Of course, that did not come as a surprise.  Brian was shocked that the teen hadn’t stopped once during fucking to stuff his stomach yet.  Groaning, he rose from the bed as well, following the smell of food nuking in the microwave.  Grabbing one of the stools, he sat down and watched the teen rummage around the kitchen, making a salad and putting the leftovers from the night before on the plates. 

 

“It’s still early.  We could go out if you want,” Justin said, putting the plate in front of him.

 

Brian glanced at the timer on the microwave.  It wasn’t even ten yet, but all he wanted was to finish eating and get back in bed, his blonde slave boy in tow.  “It’s Tuesday.  Pretty slow,” he replied, taking a bite out of the leftover steak.

 

Justin nodded and busied himself with stuffing his mouth with food, glancing at Brian in between chewing and swallowing.  “So, you wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

 

Brian looked up, surprised by Justin’s question.  “Nothing.”

 

Justin rolled his eyes, obviously expecting the man’s response.  “So, there’s absolutely no reason why you looked like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders when you came home?”

 

He had to hand it to Justin, the kid knew him too damn well.  Brian also knew that if Justin wanted to know what was wrong, he’d dig and dig until he got the information he wanted.  So, to make it easier on both of them, something that was an entirely new concept to Brian, he decided to just tell his boyfriend what was going on and hopefully salvage the remainder of the evening for more pleasant activities.  Putting the fork down, he pushed the plate away.  “Clair called me today.”

 

Justin also put his fork down, frowning.  “Did she bitch about your mom again?”

 

“No,” Brian shook his head.  “She’s getting married again.”

 

“Oh,” was Justin’s reply. 

 

Brian considered leaving it at that, but he knew that sooner or later Justin would find out the rest.  “Our uncle was supposed to walk her down the aisle, but he had a stroke or some other shit like that, so she…”  He paused, seeing an amused, almost stunned look on Justin’s face.  “What?”

 

“Is that why you were upset?  You told her ‘no’ and she bitched?”

 

Brian sighed, throwing his napkin on the counter.  “Worse.”

 

“What could be worse?”  Justin stared at him, waiting for the answer, but Brian just looked at him.  It didn’t take long before the teen realized what Brian was trying to explain to him.  His eyes widened as he tried his best to bite back the laughter.  “You said ‘yes’?”

 

Ignoring the amused look on his boyfriend’s face, Brian turned his attention to the plate that he deserted a few minutes before. 

 

“Oh, my God, you did.  You said ‘yes’,” Justin exclaimed, chuckling.  “Do you know what that means?”

 

“I’ll have to get dressed and spend a few hours in a room full of my drunken relatives and people I’ve never met and wouldn’t want to in my entire life?”

 

“You’re going to walk down the aisle,” Justin snickered, moving away in time for Brian’s napkin to miss his head. 

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

“Brian, have you seen my grey sweater?” Justin called out from the bedroom.

 

Brian, who was peacefully sipping his morning coffee, rolled his eyes wondering how Justin hadn’t lost his head yet.  The kid was probably the most disorganized person he’d ever known.  “You’re gonna be late,” he replied instead.

 

He heard a few ‘shits’ and ‘fucks’ and a few minutes later his boyfriend finally made his way out of the bedroom, fully dressed.  Ignoring Brian’s smirk, Justin took the bagel out of the toaster.

 

“Your bagel’s burnt,” Brian commented.

 

Spreading a generous amount of cream cheese over it, Justin took a bite.  “It tastes better that way,” he said in between chewing.

 

Brian bit back a chuckle as he watched Justin inhale half of the bagel.  It was moments like these that reminded him how young his lover really was. 

 

They both heard a horn honking outside

 

“That’s Nick.”  Giving Brian a quick kiss and stuffing the other half of the bagel in his mouth, Justin grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.

 

Brian snickered, shaking his head at him.  After the door closed shut and the loft was quiet once again, the ad exec picked up his cup of coffee, waiting for Justin to come rushing back because he forgot something, as he usually did on mornings like this.

 

He smirked when he heard a knock on the door.  Putting the cup in the sink, he walked over to the door, sliding it open.  “What did you forget…”  Brian’s voice trailed off when instead of his lover he came face-to-face with the woman he hadn’t seen in months.  “Mom.”

 

“Hello, Brian,” the woman said dryly.  “Can I come in?”

 

Even though he had seen his mother after his coming out to her fiasco, this was the first time the woman was in his loft since the day she met Justin.  Opening the door wider, he showed her in.

 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, shutting the door once again.

 

“Clair said that she asked you to walk her down the aisle,” she replied.

 

“Yeah, so?”  He wanted this conversation to be over as soon as possible.  This was not the way he wanted to start his day. 

 

“I think that’s very kind of you,” his mother said.

 

Brian eyed her wearily.  “I’m sure you didn’t come all the way across town just to tell me how kind I am,” he said, knowing his mother too well.  There was always a reason for anything the woman did.  “What do you want?”

 

If she was taken aback by Brian’s directness, she didn’t show it.  “I just wanted to know if you were bringing anybody to the wedding.”

 

Brian suspected as much.  “You mean, you wanted to make sure that I wasn’t planning on embarrassing you in front of Clair’s new family by bringing my lover.”

Joannie’s expression hadn’t changed.  “Are you?”

 

Brian hadn’t even thought of that.  He still wasn’t sure how exactly Clair was able to talk him into it.  And his only plan of action was walking her down the aisle, turning her over to the poor sucker that was marrying her, and get the hell out of there as soon as he could break free.  Subjecting Justin to his drunken Kinney clan hadn’t even crossed his mind.  Not until now.  “And what if I am?”

 

His mother’s eyes grew wide.  “You cannot possibly consider bringing…that…that…boy…”

 

“Justin, mom.  His name is Justin.  And he’s not a boy, trust me,” he smirked.  Even though the blonde had a tendency to regress to an age of ten from time to time, he was more of a man than most men Brian knew. 

 

“You cannot possibly consider bringing him to the wedding.”

 

“The invitation said that I can bring whoever I want,” Brian replied.  “And unless Clair can find somebody else to walk her down the aisle before Saturday, Justin’s coming with me.” 

 

The shocked expression on his mother’s face was definitely worth a few hundred bucks he was going to spend on Justin’s tux. 

 

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

Justin was already home when Brian came back from work, carrying in two plastic bags on hangers.  Throwing them down on the back of the couch, he kissed his lover, who was working on a drawing, hello.

 

“What’s this?” Justin asked, motioning to the couch. 

 

“Our tuxes,” Brian replied on his way up to the bedroom to change.  “You wanna order Thai?”

 

When he didn’t get a reply, Brian peeked out of the bedroom, noticing immediately the shocked look on his lover’s face.  “What?”

 

“What…what did you say?” Justin stammered.

 

“I asked if you wanted to order Thai,” Brian repeated.

 

Justin shook his head.  “No, before that.  You’re taking me with you?”

 

“Yeah, so?”

 

Justin rose from the chair, moving closer to him.  “To your sister’s wedding?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Where your whole family is going to be, including your mother?” the teen clarified.

 

“Again, yes,” Brian responded.

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?  I mean, Clair’s wedding might not be the right time to come out to your whole family,” Justin rationalized.

 

Brian sighed exasperatedly.  “I’m not making any big announcements.  I’m just taking my lover to my sister’s wedding,” he explained before going back into the bedroom and changing out of his work clothes.  Of course, it wasn’t as simple as that.  By taking Justin to the wedding, Brian was not only making a statement to his whole family, but also to Justin.  And Justin was smart enough to realize that. 

 

Brian hoped the discussion would end there, but, of course, Justin had other ideas.  A few minutes later Brian was in the process of pulling his jeans on when Justin showed up at the top of the stairs.  Brian waited for Justin to say whatever was on his mind, but the teen just watched him get dressed quietly.  “What?” Brian asked, turning to his lover.

 

“I just…You said that Clair’s fiancé’s family is loaded.  In fact, if I remember correctly, you used the words huge pockets and conservative snubs more than once.”

 

“So?”

 

“So, they don’t sound exactly like the type of people who would march in Pride parades and smile when they see two fags walking hand-in-hand,” Justin explained.

 

Brian shrugged.  “Well, that’s their problem, not mine,” he threw casually over his shoulder, while walking past Justin and down the stairs, heading to the kitchen.

 

When he got there, Brian opened the fridge, took out a bottle of Guava juice and poured it into a glass, painfully aware of a pair of blue eyes following his every move.  He took a deep breath when he saw Justin follow him into the kitchen.

 

“I think maybe you should go alone,” Justin said.

 

Brian put the glass of juice down and stared at his lover, surprised to hear that.  “You’re telling me to hide who I am?  You’re the last person I expected to hear that from.”  Justin was the bravest person he had ever met.  He figured out who he was and he didn’t care who knew it or not, no matter what the consequences were. 

 

“That’s not what I’m saying.  But there’s a reason why your family doesn’t know you’re gay,” Justin argued.  “I’m just not sure coming out to them is the right thing to do.”

 

“You came out to your family,” Brian countered.  He knew he was a coward.  He told his dad when it was too late and the only reason his mother found out was because she had a really bad timing.  If she hadn’t walked in on them that day, Brian was sure she would have still been living in the happy land of oblivion.

 

“That was different.”

 

“How?”

 

Justin took a step closer to him, wrapping his arms around Brian’s waist.  “I had nothing to lose.”

 

They both knew it was a lie.  Justin lost more in less than a year than most people lose in a lifetime.  Taking Justin’s face in his hands, Brian leaned in for a kiss.  He knew that Justin wasn’t afraid of walking into a room full of people who hated them.  He had done it all through his senior year in high school.  He did it that night, not knowing that a few hours later his life would be changed forever.  What amazed Brian was the fact that, knowing Justin, even if the teen was aware of the danger of “flaunting” his lifestyle in front of his classmates, he still wouldn’t have changed a thing. 

 

“I have nothing to lose,” Brian whispered, covering his boyfriend’s lips with his once again.

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

A couple of days later Justin was still struggling with Brian’s decision to bring him as his date.  He didn’t expect Brian’s mother to start swinging baseball bats at them, but he knew it wouldn’t be the happiest family moment.  But Brian wanted him there – to make sure he didn’t get too drunk or stayed at the reception longer than he had to, he said. 

 

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”

 

Brian’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.  Looking up from the book he was reading for class, Justin shook his head.  “No, the eight thirty class was cancelled for today.  I don’t have to be in school ‘till eleven.”

 

“So, you’re playing hooky?” Brian smirked as he put his coat on, getting ready to leave for work.

 

Justin responded with a smile, grinning wider when Brian kissed him good-bye. 

 

An hour later when he himself started getting ready for school, Justin heard a knock on the door.  Surprised to have visitors this early in the day, Justin opened the door.  His surprise grew deeper when he found Brian’s mother on the other side of it. 

 

“Mrs. Kinney,” he said when he recovered from the shock.  “Hello.”

 

“Hello,” the woman replied, staring at him.

 

“Justin,” he offered, figuring that remembering his name from their one encounter a year ago was the last thing on the woman’s mind.

 

“Yes, I remember,” she said as she walked past him.

 

“Uhm…Brian’s at work right now.  But I could tell him that…”

 

“I’m here to talk to you,” she said.

 

“Me?” he asked, his confusion growing.  “About what?”

 

The woman cleared her throat before speaking up.  “I understand Brian’s taking you to the wedding.”

 

Suddenly, he knew exactly why she had come to talk to him.  And why suddenly Brian was so eager to tell the whole world and his family that he was gay.  “He is.”

 

“I know Brian believes that he’s untouchable.  Nothing concerns him.  He doesn’t even care that what you two are doing is a sin.  But…”

 

Even though he was less than happy with how Brian handled the whole situation, Justin felt the anger rise up in him.  “No offense, Mrs. Kinney, but what gives you the right to come into my home and preach to me about sin?”

 

The woman’s eyes widened.  “Your home?”

 

“Yes, mine and Brian’s,” Justin replied.  Even though he did on occasion feel like he was living off Brian, his lover insisted this was his home as well.  And in this instance Justin and Brian and their relationship were being attacked by someone who didn’t know them at all.  And Justin had to protect it.  Protect them.  Protect THEIR home from her.

 

He could see that she was trying hard to keep from saying whatever was on her mind, taken aback by Justin’s straightforwardness.  “There will be a lot of important people at the wedding.  People who could make Brian’s professional life quite difficult.”

 

Justin’s eyes widened in astonishment.  He didn’t have words for what this woman…this mother…was telling him.  He just stared at her in disbelief.  “You would do that to your own son?”

 

“No, I wouldn’t.  But they might.  If they knew…what…he is.  I’m just trying to protect him.”

 

Justin let out a nervous chuckle in spite of himself.  Joannie Kinney trying to protect Brian.  What a fucking joke. 

 

“But Brian refuses to see reason.  So, I was hoping you would understand,” the woman said.

 

Justin nodded.  He understood, alright.  All too well.  He didn’t move from his spot until he heard the door close behind her, slumping tiredly on the kitchen counter once she was gone. 

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

A week later Justin still wasn’t sure if he made the right decision.  But Brian’s mother made herself perfectly clear and Justin knew that his going to the wedding would have consequences for Brian’s career.  And no matter how much he wanted to go with Brian or how badly he wanted to tell Joannie and others like her to go fuck themselves, he would not for any reason jeopardize Brian’s future.  The ad exec had worked too damn hard to get where he was now.  And Justin knew how much it all meant to Brian.

 

So, even though he knew that his plan would probably backfire on him, he was set on taking what he believed to be the right course of action. 

 

When he heard the door open, Justin knew that the time for indecision had run out. 

 

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Brian asked, coming over to where Justin was working on the computer and tossing his keys on the desk.  “The wedding’s in two hours.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Justin put down the stylus he used to draw on the computer and turned to his lover.  “I’m not going.”

 

Brian, who was on his way to the bedroom, stopped cold in his tracks.  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

 

“I’m not going to the wedding,” Justin repeated calmly.

 

Narrowing his eyes, Brian studied Justin’s face carefully, trying to figure out if it was some sort of a joke.  “I thought we talked about it.”

 

“No.  YOU talked about it.”

 

“Justin…”

 

“I told you I wasn’t comfortable with it,” Justin cut him off.  “But you’re…you  and you do what you want,” he said, rising from his chair.  “It’s not like you really want me there anyway.”

 

“That’s not true,” Brian said defensively.

 

“Come on, Brian, the only reason you want me to go is so you can prove something to your mother.  I mean, what’s a better way to show her just how much you don’t give a shit about what she thinks about your life than by throwing it in her face.  By throwing me in her face.”

 

“That’s not why…”

 

“Bullshit,” Justin cut him off again.  “You’re using me to prove to your mother that you don’t need her approval.  The problem is that you do.  And I’m not gonna be just some…thing you use to hurt her.”  With that said Justin walked over to the couch and picked up his jacket.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Out,” Justin replied, putting his jacket on.  “You need a date?  Call Lindsay.  Call Michael for all I care.  I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to be your designated bullshit takers for the day.  I’m taking the day off.”

 

Justin almost winced at the hurt look on his lover’s face.  But he knew it was the right thing to do.  Throwing one last glance in Brian’s direction, he left.

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

“It’s beautiful.”

 

Brian rolled his eyes at Lindsay’s gushing comment, as the two of them made their way through the banquet hall. 

 

“Too bad Justin couldn’t make it,” she said.  “I’m sure he would have loved it.”

 

Brian sneered.  “Sitting through a boring ceremony and eating disgustingly expensive food?  Yeah, sure, he would have loved it,” he snickered.  “He was definitely smart to get out of that.”  Brian turned away, hoping Lindsay didn’t notice the hint of bitterness in his voice.  Yes, Justin was right…partly…about Brian’s reasons for taking him to the wedding.  But after the first knee-jerk reaction to spite his mother had passed Brian realized that he wanted Justin with him…if only to show everybody else that they had the right to be together.  So, even though he wouldn’t admit it, the teen’s rant earlier had hurt him deeply.

 

“I can’t believe Clair’s getting married again,” he said.  “I mean, who in their right mind would go through that shit twice?”

 

Lindsay smiled.  “Well, my sister got one up on yours.”

 

“Jesus…heteros,” he shook his head.

 

“I still can’t believe I proposed to Mel at Lynette’s wedding,” Lindsay said.

 

Brian just nodded, having heard the story more times than he could count.

 

“Wouldn’t it have been funny if Justin was here and you proposed to him at YOUR sister’s wedding?”

 

Brian looked at her, snorting a laugh.  “I’m here to walk Clair down the aisle, not to give my mother a heart attack.”  Just then he saw his mother walk through the big heavy doors leading to the main room, heading toward them.  “Although, we probably wouldn’t have to call anybody regarding the funeral,” he joked.  “Since everybody she knows is here.”

 

“Brian,” Joannie said when she got closer.  “You’re late.  The wedding’s about to start.”

 

Exhaling sharply, Brian turned to his mother.  “Mom, you remember Lindsay,” he made the introduction.

 

“Oh, yes,” Joannie shook Lindsay’s hand.

 

“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Kinney,” Lindsay said, smiling at the woman. 

 

Brian’s mother managed a smile.  “Well, we should go.  We’re paying the minister by the hour,” she said, leading them into an adjacent room.

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

Surprisingly, walking Clair down the aisle wasn’t as bad as he imagined it to be.  His part over fairly quickly, Brian made himself comfortable in the corner of the room, tuning out the rest of the ceremony.

 

Finally, it was time for the reception and Brian couldn’t believe how relieved he was to find his way over to his assigned table, although he suspected it had a lot to do with the bottle of wine waiting for him when he got there.

 

About an hour later, feeling the last ounces of his restraint slip away, Brian went out into the hall, in search of a smoking area.  Finding a somewhat excluded area, he lit a joint and inhaled, filling his lungs with smoke.

 

“Oh, Brian, there you are.”

 

Cursing under his breath, he stubbed the joint against the wall and turned to his mother.

 

“Clair wants you to say a few words.  To give a toast,” Joannie said.

 

Brian snorted.  That would be the day.  Him standing in front of all these phony people he had never even met and had no intention of ever seeing again and speak loudly about how much he loved his sister and how great it was that she found some stupid-ass fuck to marry her.  “Oh, no, I was only supposed to walk her down the aisle.  I did that.  As far as I’m concerned, my job is done.”

 

“You’re her brother.  It’s a tradition to say a toast,” his mother insisted.  “What would everybody think if you don’t?”

 

Brian sneered at his mother, not at all surprised by her comment.  She was always more concerned with what other people thought, the image everybody else had of their family.  Didn’t matter that in reality their house was a pathway to hell, as long as other people believed they were the epitome of a perfect family.  “That all of this is just a fucking farce?  And they’d be right.”

 

“Brian,” she gave him a stern look. 

 

He sighed.  “Far be it for me to not follow a tradition,” he gave in.  Somehow his sister, mother, and the rest of the women in his life always had a way of making him do things he did not want to do.  Throwing the remainder of the joint in the trashcan, he stood up straight, straightening his jacket. 

 

“I’m glad you decided to bring Lindsay,” his mother said as they began making their way back into the banquet hall.  “I was hoping at least one of you would see reason.”

 

Stopping cold in his tracks, Brian stared at his mother.  “One of us?  What are you talking about?”

 

“Oh, I thought…I guess he didn’t tell you.”

 

“He?  You mean Justin?”

 

“Yes.  I came to see him last week,” she informed him.

 

Suddenly everything was becoming crystal clear.  “What did you say to him?”

 

She looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

 

“Mom!  What did you say to him?” he demanded again, more forcefully this time.

 

“I…just said that Daniel knows a lot of important people who would be here tonight and who could create problems for you if you were to come together.”

 

Taking a step back, Brian stared at his mother in disbelief.  He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised by anything his mother said or did, or by the fact that her words hurt him.  But he never expected her to hurt Justin.

 

Justin’s reaction made complete sense now.  He should have known that something had to be seriously wrong to scare Justin into hiding who he was, and suggesting Brian do the same.  This was the same kid who invited his male lover to his prom, for fuck’s sake.  The only reason Justin would hold back would be if he were trying to protect Brian, which was exactly the case here.

 

The only thing Brian wanted right now was to get as far away from his mother and her righteous speeches and the hate he felt surrounding him.  “You are unbelievable,” was the last thing he said to the woman.  Leaving her standing there, he returned to the main hall, stopping only long enough to collect Lindsay.  Grabbing her hand, he pulled his friend through the banquet hall toward the exit.

 

“Brian, what’s going on?” the confused woman asked him.

 

“The tour into hetero-land is over,” he replied through his teeth.

 

They were almost out the door when Brian’s eyes fell on the stage where the band was playing.

 

Releasing Lindsay’s hand, Brian moved through the tables, picking up a glass of champagne from one of the waiters, and, then making his way through the crowd on the dance floor, he climbed the steps onto the stage.

 

The music stopped, all eyes fixed on him now.

 

“Since I know that most of you have been staring at me all night instead of the bride, I thought I'd introduce myself,” he began, staring back out into the crowd.  “I'm Clair's brother, Brian.  I was told I had to say something. I’ve never really been one for honoring traditions.  For the most part I refuse to even acknowledge them, but this one…”  He snickered.  “I just couldn’t resist. Because as far as traditions go, this one’s pretty damn laughable.”  Brian chuckled. 

 

When he saw his mother standing in the doorway he cleared his throat.  “Now from what I understand, I’m supposed to toast the happy couple and wish them the best of luck and all that other shit.  And that’s exactly what it is really.  Shit.”  He could hear a few gasps in the crowd, but most of them were still looking at him in amusement, probably assuming that he was just drunk like the rest of them.  “Not that this isn’t a great wedding, Clair. They just keep getting better and better each time.”  He bit back the laughter at his sister’s shocked expression.  “I’m sure Justin would have loved it.  He has a real appreciation for all this romantic crap.  The pretty flowers.  The decorations.  And the food, of course.  You know how those young boys love the food.”  There were a few chuckles in the crowd.  At least somebody knew what it was like to live with a teenage boy. 

 

“It’s so damn romantic, it almost makes me want to propose. You know, Linds, you were right,” he turned his attention to where he left Lindsay just moments before.  She was watching him with an amused look on her face.  “This is the perfect moment to do that.” He looked back out into the crowd.  “Stand in front of your family and friends and ask my…” Brian paused for a second, his eyes scanning the crowd for one person…his mother.  “My GAY LOVER…”  He could almost hear her gasp in shock across the room, “To spend the rest of his life with me.” 

 

He held Joannie’s gaze for what seemed like forever.  There were hundreds of shocked people staring at him, but the only one he cared about…the only reason he was standing here now…was his mother.

 

He took a deep breath, staring back out into the crowd.  “Of course, Justin would probably think I’d lost my fucking mind.  And he’d be right. He knows I would never do that.  Because, what’s the point, right?  It wouldn’t be legal.  Just some stupid romantic gesture that would probably get one of us killed.”  He winced at the memory of the bashing.  “I mean, if dancing with your boyfriend gets you bashed in the head, marrying him would at least get you a gunshot or two, don’t you think?”  This time he was the only one to laugh. 

 

Brian moved his eyes to find his sister’s frozen in shock face.  “But you don’t have to worry about it, Clair. You got your perfect little family now, the white picket fence, the impotent husband, and the next generation of homophobic assholes. You don’t need to worry about us fags interrupting your life. Or your wedding.”

 

There.  He had finally done it.  All his life he kept saying that he would never hide who he was.  Now it was finally true.  The whole world knew.  The whole world stared at him astounded.  And he had never felt lighter and more content than he did at that moment.  He raised the glass of champagne still clutched in his hand.  “Cheers,” he said before downing the contents of the glass.

 

Handing the now empty glass to the lead singer of the band, Brian jumped off the stage, quickly making his way back to where Lindsay was waiting. 

 

“You know, when I said you could propose, I wasn’t actually serious,” she said to him.

 

Brian’s mouth curving up at the corners, he grabbed her arm and moved both of them out of the room and the building.

 

When they finally reached the Jeep and settled inside, Brian finally let out a breath he wasn’t even aware he was holding.

 

“You ok?” Lindsay asked.

 

He nodded in response.

 

“I wish Justin could have seen it,” she said.

 

Brian turned to her, both of them suddenly bursting in laughter.  “Yeah, I should probably check if somebody taped the whole thing and buy it.”

 

“That would definitely make for good entertainment.”

 

Brian nodded.  “So, when did Justin call you?”  He now was sure that Justin planned for Lindsay to come with him.  Which would explain how she was ready to go with less than an hour notice.

 

“Uhm…two days ago,” she admitted apologetically.

 

Staring out of the window, Brian smiled.  “Of course.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Pressing his lips together, Brian put the Jeep into reverse, pulling out of the parking spot.  “I’ll drop you off at home.”

 

“Brian…”  She sounded worried.

 

“And then I’ll go find my GAY lover and punish him severely for even thinking of listening to my mother.”  He briefly glanced at her, smiling.

 

~~~***~~~***~~~

 

He found Justin on his first stop…Babylon.  The blonde was propped at the bar, nursing a bottle of beer.

 

“How was the wedding?” Justin asked after Brian ordered a drink.

 

“Horribly boring as predicted,” Brian replied.  “Although, it did have its moments.”

 

“Really?” Justin asked curiously.

 

“My toast surely made an impression,” Brian smirked, remembering the shocked looks on everybody’s faces.  “And I did have an interesting conversation with my mother.”  He watched carefully as Justin’s expression changed, his whole body tensing up.  “Learned some things.”

 

Justin put his beer down, turning to Brian.  “About what happened earlier…”

 

Brian smiled, placing his drink on the bar and taking Justin’s hand in his.  “You wanna dance?”

 

That was it.  There were no apologies.  No big drama moment.  No long, meaningless conversation.  Just him and Justin.  Together.  Doing what felt natural to them.  What felt right.  Being together.  There was no need to talk about this.  Brian knew what Justin did and Justin now knew that Brian knew.  The rest was of no importance to either of them. 

 

Justin smiled back, letting Brian pull him onto the dance floor.

 

 

Go to Part 18

 

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