Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

The boys are back!  Let the drama begin!:)

 

Allegheny International Airport – Next Day

 

“Daddy!  Jus’n!”  It was the excited shriek that could have no doubt been heard throughout the entire airport terminal as heads turned at the sound of a child crying out in joy.  Gus made a frantic bee line toward the two men walking out of the airport’s security area, their overhead baggage slung across their shoulders.  Justin’s eyes lit up when he recognized Gus, who came rushing up to greet them like some brunet windstorm; Brian instantly dropped his bag to the floor and knelt down to scoop the little boy up into his arms to give him a bruising hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

 

“Hey, Sonny Boy!” Brian cried out in delight as he pulled back from his son and gave him a tender smile.  He stood up with Gus in his arms to face Justin.  “I think he’s grown a couple of inches since we saw him.”

 

Justin laughed softly, knowing that probably wasn’t the case, but he was so happy to see Gus he didn’t care.  “Hey, Buddy!” Justin replied with a big smile, leaning over to plant a quick kiss on the little boy’s cheek.  “We’re so glad to see you!  Where’re your mommies?”

 

“They didn’t come,” was the unexpected reply.

 

Justin and Brian both frowned as they looked at each other.  “They didn’t come?” Brian repeated.  As Gus nodded, he asked, “Then how did you get here?”

 

“Papaw and Mamaw,” he said simply, pointing one little hand over toward the opposite wall where Brian’s maternal grandparents were standing.  Brian smiled at them in acknowledgment, not sure if he was more surprised to see them there or more surprised that Gus felt comfortable enough calling them by their new names.

 

The older couple smiled at Brian and Justin as they walked up to greet them.  The two newlyweds nodded at them in return as Brian gently lowered Gus to the ground to shake Sean’s hand.  “Sean,” he said, studying the older couple.  His grandfather was dressed casually in a sage green knit golf shirt and beige khakis, while Kathy was sporting a two-piece, dusty-rose knit pants suit.  As usual, even outfitted in less formal dress, both were neatly attired and groomed impeccably. 

 

Brian turned to his grandmother with a tender smile; he had quickly become fond of the elegant, petite woman who had almost instantly adopted and accepted him as her only grandchild. “Kathy.  This is a surprise.  We thought Mel and Lindsey would be coming to get us.”

 

“Hello, Sean, Kathy,” Justin greeted them, also.  He gave Sean a brief handshake before reaching over to give Kathy a small hug and kiss on the cheek.  He had felt quite comfortable with the couple practically from the minute he had met them.  They had seemed so down-to-earth and friendly, especially considering he had just appeared out of nowhere on their doorstep that day.  Once he had explained why he was there, he had been so grateful that they had been immediately open to a grown-up, previously unknown grandson entering their lives as well as a great-grandson; they had told Justin that while they were devout Catholics and really didn’t understand the gay lifestyle, they still weren’t judgmental of either of them and had been quite welcoming to the idea of getting to know a new part of their family; in fact, they had been downright delighted to learn about both Brian and Gus after losing their only daughter several years ago to a drunk driver.  For all those reasons, he would always be grateful to them.  “It’s good to see you again,” he told them sincerely.

 

Justin watched, pleased, as Brian allowed Kathy to grasp his upper arms and pull in down for a kiss on his cheek; he knew that Brian could be hesitant about these types of public displays, especially with people he didn’t know very well, but Brian seemed to have bonded quickly with his grandparents.  It was almost as if he was making up for lost time when he was younger and never received the affection that he had no doubt been craving from his adopted family. 

 

“You both look so good, so rested,” Kathy told them, observing how relaxed and at ease they both seemed.  “Did you have a good honeymoon?” Despite the two men’s unorthodox relationship, she still couldn’t deny how much in love they were; all you had to do was look at the expressions on their faces when they looked at each other and their eyes that almost sparkled when the other man was around to realize how deeply they felt for each other.  She had been impressed with Justin from the moment she and Sean had met him; they had been impressed by his courage, his conviction, and his resolve to find Brian’s true family and to protect him from further pain should they denounce his lifestyle and refuse to acknowledge him.  Justin had never tried to hide any of the details from them regarding Brian’s sexual orientation, and while they didn’t quite understand it, they had been enormously grateful as well as thrilled to discover that a part of their deceased daughter lived on inside their grandson and great-grandson.  

 

Justin smiled as he looked over at Brian.  “We had a wonderful honeymoon!” he practically gushed as Brian merely smirked at his overly-enthusiastic reaction.  “It was indescribable; you wouldn’t believe the places we stayed in!  And all the surprises that Brian managed to spring on me.  I took all kinds of photos while we were gone – I can’t wait to show them to you!”

 

Kathy nodded with a smile.  “I’d love to see them; maybe you and Brian can come over for dinner soon and you can show them to us; Gus, too, of course,” she added, reaching over to ruffle her great grandson’s hair briefly as Gus smiled up at her.

 

“Be careful what you wish for, Kathy,” Brian warned her as he placed a hand on Justin’s shoulder.  “We might be there all night long if he does.  When he says he took a lot of pictures, that is a vast understatement.”

 

Justin glared at him in mock annoyance.  “Some people have no appreciation for art.”

 

Brian snorted.  “Yes, I do,” he argued, “But who said anything about art?  All you have to do is point and shoot, Justin. And boy, did you; I mean with the camera," he quipped, laughing softly at his off-color joke.

 

Justin blushed in embarrassment before smacking him lightly on the stomach as Kathy and Sean looked at them in amusement; Gus, who was more than used to their bantering by now, turned his own attention to gaze at one of the nearby windows curiously as a large jumbo jet came taxiing up to one of the gates, watching in fascination as it loomed ever larger and larger.  He tugged on his father’s sleeve.  “Daddy, can I ride one of those?” he asked eagerly, his big brown eyes large and expressive as he looked up at his father hopefully.

 

Brian smiled down at him tenderly.  “Not today, Sonny Boy,” he said softly.  “Besides, you’ve ridden on a jet before, remember?”

 

Gus nodded.  “But I want to go for another ride.”

 

Brian laughed as the rest of the group smiled.  “We will – someday.  But not today.”  He added as he noticed the slight pout appear on his son’s lips, “But Justin and I brought you something back from our trip, just like I promised we would.”

 

He watched as Gus’ eyes lit up in eager anticipation, disappointment over not going for a ride quickly discarded.  “What is it?” he asked excitedly.  “Let me see!”

 

“You’ll have to wait until we get our luggage and I can open up my bag to get it out, Sonny Boy,” he told his son.  “It’ll just take a little while, though.”  He glanced back over at his grandparents, remembering his initial question.  “How did you wind up with Gus?”  Frankly, while he wasn’t worried about that fact he was still somewhat surprised; he didn’t think Mel and Lindsey would be comfortable enough with virtual strangers to leave Gus with the two of them, even if they WERE his great grandparents.

 

Kathy looked a little sheepish as she admitted to him, “I hope you don’t mind, but I got their phone number from them at your reception, and after you and Justin left on your trip, I called them up and asked the two of them if they would come over to our house so we could all get to know each other better.  I told them we would love to see our great-grandson again, and mentioned that Sean wanted to take Gus back out on his boat for another fishing trip.  I also told them you had said it would be okay.”

 

Sean nodded as he added, “I hope you don’t mind; it’s just we didn’t even know we had other family until a few months ago, so I guess we’re eager to make up for lost time.  We had a wonderful time with them – Kathy entertained the two ladies with a lunch out on the back patio that day, while ‘us men’ went back out to do some more fishing.”

 

Gus jumped up and down, pulling again on his father’s sleeve to get his attention once more.  “I caught another BIG one, too, Daddy!” Gus told him, his face aglow in pleasure.  “And Papaw cooked it up and we ate it!”  He sounded so proud of that fact as he practically crowed in excitement. 

 

“Wow!  That’s great, Buddy!” Brian praised him as his son beamed at the statement.  “You’re a regular fisherman now.”

 

As he looked at the happy expression on his son’s face, and then over at the older couple who had taken such an interest in both of them, Brian was stunned; not that he minded them taking the initiative to get to know his son’s mothers better.  He wasn’t even all that surprised that somehow they had persuaded the two women to let them bring Gus to the airport to meet them here; he had a feeling his grandparents could be quite persuasive when they wanted to be.  He was more amazed that he actually had family that cared enough to want to do all that; it was certainly a major departure from what he was normally used to. 

 

He shook his head in response.  “No,” he said softly with an almost shy smile.  “No, I don’t mind at all.  In fact….I think it’s great.”  He looked over at Justin, who nodded in agreement, enormously pleased at how well Brian and his maternal grandparents were bonding.  It was what he had been hoping would happen from the first moment he had seen them. 

 

His grandparents nodded in relief; they were hoping that would be Brian’s reaction but they hadn’t been sure.  “We’re glad,” Kathy told him.  “Why don’t we go get your luggage then?  Our car’s right outside in the parking lot.  I imagine you’re both hungry; I know how little they feed you on the plane now, and you both look way too skinny.  If you want, we can stop on the way back to your house and catch some lunch.”

 

“Yay!” Gus immediately expressed his excitement over that idea as Brian laughed.

 

“Well, I’m not that hungry myself, but I can see I’m outnumbered; Gus definitely is a ‘yes’ vote and I don’t even have to ask Justin if he wants to do it.”  He was immediately met by another smack to his arm this time as the older couple looked at them in amusement.

 

A few minutes later, luggage retrieved and Gus wedged in between his two ‘dads,’ happily playing in the backseat of his great grandparents’ car with his new sheep farm play set, the group headed out of the airport and south toward Britin with a promise issued to stop at the nearest family restaurant for lunch.

 


 

Three Hours Later – Britin

 

Brian leaned into the car’s open rear window.  “I’ll see you next week, Buddy, okay?”  Gus dropped a plastic silo he was holding to scoot over toward his father and give him a hug.  Brian gave a short grunt as he gave him a firm squeeze in return and a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing him and smiling back at him. 

 

Gus held out his arms toward Justin as the blond beamed at the nonverbal request.  “Bye, Gus,” he said softly with a wistful smile as he, too, walked over and reached down to give the little boy a hug.  Gus planted a somewhat sloppy kiss on his cheek as he pulled back to stare into his angelic face; he always loved spending time with Brian’s son and was always a little nostalgic when he had to say goodbye to him.  He still remembered the day several years ago when he and Daphne had been asked to babysit JR for Michael and Ben; it had turned out pretty awful when she had gotten ill later, but he could still recall Daphne asking him if he would like to have a child of his own one day as they had stared down in wonder at the beautiful human being staring up at them, so innocent and helpless.  When he whispered to her that he had thought about it, she couldn’t have had any idea just how much he had yearned for one.  When Gus was younger, especially, and when JR was still just a newborn, he would hold each one in his arms and feel this sense of completeness and awe.  The way they felt, the way they looked at you with such unconditional love, even the way they had this unique baby smell, made him feel things he had never felt before.  Over the years, especially as he and Brian had become closer and eventually decided to get married, those feelings had intensified, and now that they were in a financially stable relationship and committed to each other, it seemed like it might be a good time to broach Brian with the idea.  But for some reason, he still held back.

 

Brian had definitely changed over the years and wasn’t as prone to holding back his feelings for him any longer – the occasional I love you’s he uttered aloud no longer seemed to give him a look that resembled indigestion like they did before – but he still was reluctant to bring the subject up, despite his wish to.  He knew Brian was a wonderful father to Gus, despite his initial intention to just be a sperm donor for him.  He also knew how Brian seemed almost transformed when he was around him; it was like he was an entirely different person.  But he also knew that Brian balked at conventionality and tradition; it had been a huge step just to get him to agree to go through with their marriage.  Taking it another tumultuous level further and asking Brian if they could bring a child into their lives?  That was too much to ask of him just yet, maybe forever. For now, then, he was content to let things evolve as they were.  He had Brian and Gus for his family, in addition to his mom and Molly, and Brian now had the real family he had always deserved; for him that was enough at the moment.

 

As the car drove away with the occupants waving back at them, Brian returned the motion until they reached the end of the drive; as it disappeared from view, he glanced over at Justin, who was noticeably quiet.  His eyes were still directed toward the departing vehicle but he didn’t quite seem to be focused on anything in particular.  “Justin?”

 

Brian leaned over after a few seconds and waved his hand in front of the blond’s face. 

 

“Huh?”  Justin blinked and turned to Brian with a strange look on his face.  “Did you say something?”

 

Brian smirked.  “Just checking to see if there was a brain still occupying your body; you zoned out on me there.  Anything wrong?”

 

Justin smiled a half-smile and shook his head, replying softly, “No….nothing’s wrong.  Let’s go on in.”  He stood there for a couple more seconds before turning to walk toward the front door.

 

Brian looked at him intently, knowing something was on his mind despite his protestations otherwise, but chose not to press it; there would be time later to find out what was bothering him.  “Yeah….okay,” he said, placing his hand around the slim waist and walking with Justin toward the door. 

 

Just before Justin could open it, however, Brian grabbed his wrist.  He turned to look at Brian in puzzlement.  “What is it?”

 

“I almost forgot something.”

 

“Forgot what?”

 

“The Kinney tradition,” Brian said, his eyes twinkling.

 

Justin eyed him warily.  “What Kinney tradition?”  That was news to him; he didn’t think Brian would want to carry on ANY Kinney tradition.

 

“This one.”  Justin emitted the cute little squeak he always made when he was surprised as Brian reached down and flung him over his shoulders, fireman style.  Holding firmly onto his legs, he smacked Justin’s ass firmly before growling in a husky tone of voice, “Carrying the husband over the threshold for his first post-honeymoon fuck.  Now open this damn door so we can get on with it.”

 

Justin laughed as Brian turned around long enough for him to enter their combination into the locking mechanism and open the door, his melancholy thoughts of before at least temporarily dismissed from his mind in exchange for anticipating much more pleasurable matters.

 


 

Later that Evening - Britin

 

“Brian?” 

 

After several seconds of pregnant silence, Justin looked up from his place on their black leather couch in the first-floor library; now that they were finally back home and alone, he was going through what seemed like mounds  of paper; he couldn’t believe how much snail mail they had received just in the relatively short time they had been gone.  Brian was going through his email on the laptop at his desk at the other side of the room and apparently was so absorbed in it, he hadn’t even heard him.

 

“We got some junk mail advertising penile implants – want me to hold onto it for you?”  He rolled his eyes when he was met once more with silence. 

 

“BRIAN.” He called his husband’s name even louder, now noticing him frowning in that look of his that clearly broadcast he was registering distinct disapproval of something.  “What is it?” he called out.  He sighed when he still didn’t get a response; whatever it was, Brian was definitely not happy about it.

 

He left the mass of now opened mail on the coffee table in front of the couch to walk over toward his husband to see what he was so engrossed in.  Only when he had come to within a few feet of him did Brian finally look up to acknowledge him, the anger written all over his face now.

 

“What?”  Justin pressed simply, walking around Brian’s desk to see; Brian swung his laptop around to reveal what image he had been staring at for the past several minutes that was causing so much consternation on his handsome face – the image that had made his blood pressure shoot up dramatically.  “Do you fucking believe this bullshit?”

 

Justin leaned down next to Brian to get a better look at what Brian was talking about; there, in living color, was a photo from their wedding reception – despite Brian’s wrath over the photo, Justin still found himself smiling in tender remembrance at the image of Brian’s father, Fin and his partner, Tony, holding each other in their arms as they danced together.  He remembered Tony telling him later how much that night had meant to him, because it was so rare that he and Fin could spend time together in public, not worrying about looking over their shoulders constantly as they wondered who was watching their every move; in fact, he said it had been the only time they had ever danced together in public, even though they loved to do it in the privacy of their home; before, they had always been too afraid of what others would think or the unfavorable publicity it might generate to try it.

 

His and Brian’s  wedding  and reception afterward had been wonderful; he knew that no matter what happened going forward, it would be one of if not THE best day of his life.  As he noticed the heading over the photo, though, he realized at once why Brian was so upset:  there in large type were the words Gubernatorial Candidate Attends Gay Son’s Wedding.  Underneath the photo and heading was a column written by a well-known, conservative columnist that started out with a sentence that read – Is this the type of man you want to lead our state?

 

“That son of a bitch!” Brian snarled.  “What fucking right does he have to publish that?”

 

Justin placed his hands on Brian’s rigid, tension-filled shoulders and sighed; they had been home what, five hours now?  And their state of bliss and happiness had promptly been removed and replaced by reality.  He squeezed the tight muscles under his grasp before saying, “As much I agree it’s bullshit, Brian, he has a right to his First-Amendment opinion, as idiotic as it may be.”

 

“Not that,” Brian, told him, swiveling around in his chair to look up at Justin with his darkened eyes flashing; his pupils were rapidly moving from side to side, signifying he was very agitated.  “The photo – Justin, that’s from our reception!  Someone WE invited to be a guest of ours wound up taking that picture!  What kind of friend DOES that?”  He proceeded to let forth with a litany of muttered curses as Justin continued to knead his shoulders softly.

 

“Obviously someone who doesn’t give a shit about ethical behavior and was looking to make some fast bucks out of it,” Justin told him quietly from behind.  He leaned down to nuzzle his cheek against Brian, feeling how hot and flushed his skin was, before he walked around to stand in front of him and look down into his storm-tossed eyes.  “Brian…..we both knew this was going to happen from the moment Fin announced he was running for governor, and as soon as he came out he was an automatic target for all the right-wing homophobes.  None of this should really be a big surprise, unfortunately.”

 

Brian closed his laptop in disgust as he looked up at Justin and shook his head angrily.  “That doesn’t make it right, Justin.” He brushed a hand through his hair in frustration as he stood up to face his husband, who placed his hands around Brian’s neck and idly played with the soft auburn hair at his nape. 

“This is part of the reason why I didn’t want to get too closely involved with my father,” Brian divulged.  “His running for governor is going to put us in the spotlight, too, which means that our privacy is going to be compromised just like his has been, whether we want it to be or not.”  He stared down into the soft blue eyes.  “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” he asked.  He slid his arms around Justin’s upper back to pull him closer toward his own body.  “I remember how fucked up you were after your bashing.  What happens if the media starts hounding you wherever you go?” 

 

Now that made more sense, Justin thought.  Brian normally didn’t give a shit about what other people thought about him; simply having some persistent, obnoxious media hanging around him wouldn’t faze him at all.  But thinking that HE would be bothered by it would.  “Brian, that was a long time ago,” he reminded him, even though it still evoked thoughts of unease in him.  “I’ve been to tons of events since then that were attended by hundreds of people and even marched in the Pride Parade afterward without any problems. I’d rather not have our privacy invaded, but I can handle it.  The genie’s already out of the bottle – it’s too late to shove it back in now.”

 

“I’d like to shove something up this fucker’s ass,” Brian growled as he stared over at the smug-looking, pudgy face of the so-called journalist.  He sighed.  “But I guess you’re right – it’s too late to go hide under a rock now; in fact, I refuse to do that.  That doesn’t mean I’m going to go out and be some cheerleader for Fin’s campaign, though.”

 

Justin stared up at him intently before asking, “Are you sorry I found him, Brian?”

 

“Fin, you mean?”

 

Justin nodded.  “Yeah….I can tell both you and Gus are fond of Sean and Kathy, but you almost seem resentful of having to deal with Fin.  Are you sorry that I found out about him?”  He suddenly felt that perhaps he had been presumptuous in feeling that Brian would appreciate the chance to get to know his real family; he supposed he had always thought that anybody would have been better than the parents his husband had actually been stuck with.  Was this just a different form of torment for him, though?  Had it been fair to practically force Brian to be pushed into the glare of Fin’s campaign without him having any say so in it? 

 

Brian considered that question carefully; Justin always did have a way of getting right to the crux of the matter; that must have been what was troubling him earlier.  Was he sorry?  Did he regret being introduced to a father he didn’t even know he had?  Did he resent it?  As he stared into the anxious-looking eyes of the man he loved and trusted more than anyone else in the world – the man he now recognized as his best friend and soul mate – he shook his head.  “No,” he said quietly, lightly stroking Justin’s back in an attempt to reassure him.  “I’m not sorry, Justin.”  He saw a flicker of relief cross the beautiful face as he added, “Although I’d be lying if I said I’m looking forward to all the disruption his campaign is going to cause in our personal lives.”  He sighed.  “At least the security company should have the grounds and house wiring complete by tomorrow; no one will be able to get in here without our knowledge or permission after that.”  His expression softened as he gazed into Justin’s eyes.  “I wouldn’t want anything to ever happen to Gus…..or you.” The process had actually begun before they had left for their honeymoon, but protecting the entire grounds had wound up being quite a bit more complicated – as well as expensive – than everyone had realized.  To make sure his son and his husband were always safe, however, Brian would pay any price.

 

Justin flushed with happiness over that heartfelt statement; of course, any time Brian issued those types of words that his soul seemed to crave, it always made him feel so special and so loved.  He constantly marveled at how Brian had become more at ease about saying things like that, but he would never stop growing tired of hearing them.  “You did promise to get to know your father better when we got back,” he pointed out softly.

 

Brian smirked.  “Little twat – you have the memory of an elephant.” 

 

Justin smiled before his face sobered a little.  “Yeah….except for one time.”  It still bothered him enormously that he couldn’t remember the prom; it must have been a glorious, magical evening – until Hobbs had made sure he would never remember it.  But at least he and Brian had their wedding and reception to remember now – he would never forget that……

 

“Hey,” Brian whispered softly as Justin lifted his eyes to look at him and smiled in reassurance.  “I did promise to do that,” he said, trying to divert Justin from what he knew was an unpleasant memory, “And I will.”  He reached over with one hand to close his laptop.  “Now what do you say we go for a horseback ride on Samson and Willful before it gets too dark?  Then when we get back, we can fulfill one of your items on the “Honey Do” list and you can ride ME in the stables.”

 

Justin grinned as the two came together for a brief but passionate kiss.  Taking his hand, Brian led them out of the house from the back patio toward the stalls, their impending difficulties at least temporarily forgotten.

 


 

Next Morning – 8:30 a.m.

 

A half-awake Brian reached across Justin’s stomach to jab the top of their clock radio to try and get the alarm to stop sounding; he didn’t have to go into work until mid-morning and didn’t even remember setting the alarm last night.  As he flopped down onto his back, he let out a sigh of relief as silence reigned once more.  A few seconds later, though, the cacophonic, obtrusive noise started up again for some reason.  “Shit!” he growled.  He wasn’t going to try and climb over Mount Taylor-Kinney again, however, even though it wasn’t exactly an unpleasant experience.

 

“Justin,” Brian commanded as he gave the tousled, sleepy blond next to him a nudge; he received a slight grunt of acknowledgement in response.  “Justin!” He said a little louder, pushing the blond’s shoulder firmly. “Turn the alarm off.”  He wasn’t sure if Justin was still paying attention – he could sleep through practically anything  and his eyes were firmly closed – but after a couple of seconds, he saw one pale hand reach over and blindly reach out for the top of the alarm clock until he found the off button and pressed it.  Justin let out a soft huff of relief as the noise stopped; he turned a little and snuggled deeper into the satin sheets framing the pillow-top, king-size bed, flinging one arm over toward Brian to land on the brunet’s cock like some heat-seeking missile.

 

Brian smirked; even half-asleep Justin had good aim.  He suddenly came up with a way to make Justin come alive a little more; now that HE was awake, there was no sense in wasting a little extra time before he had to get ready for work.  He was about to reach down and cup Justin’s hand around his cock to get things started when the noise suddenly commenced again and it finally registered in his brain:  it wasn’t the alarm clock going off after all, it was their doorbell downstairs.  Someone wasn’t merely pressing it once and waiting politely for someone to answer it, either; they were practically laying on it permanently for several seconds before stopping and then starting up again soon afterward.

 

“Fuck!” Brian was royally pissed now, not only because of someone having had the audacity to visit at this early time of day, but also because he was about to be deprived of one of his greatest pleasures in life.  Huffing in anger, he gently removed Justin’s hand from his body and rose gingerly from the bed so he wouldn’t disturb him, thinking if he opened the door and found some fucking reporter there, the person who had had the nerve to intrude upon their privacy would be the focus of a major news story tonight – Gubernatorial Candidate’s Gay Son Beats the Living Shit out of Nosy Reporter.

 

Hurriedly pulling on the pair of jeans he had worn last night for their horseback ride, he trudged down the steps barefoot and roughly slid the deadbolt back to fling the door open; at that instant, he realized there was perhaps one other person he dreaded seeing even more than a reporter......There, standing in front of him with a newspaper folded in her hand, was his ‘former’ sister, Claire.

 

Chapter End Notes:


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