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

The wedding rehearsal...Justin nearly finds out about the patent and Brian makes an unexpected declaration.

 

 

Justin

 

When they got into the car, they decided to stop at a phone store next to the shopping mall to get Brian a new phone. Brian touched Justin nonstop- either holding his hand or putting an arm around him. They left the store and Justin drove them to a crummy little strip mall, refusing to tell Brian where they were headed. “Don’t let the exterior fool you,” the blonde said, pointing at the sign. You could see a man on a horse carrying a Mexican flag on it.

“Three Amigos has the best Mexican food I’ve ever eaten. And they make great margaritas too.”

“You don’t have to sell me on it. That’s my job, remember? Let’s go get a table.”

Fifteen minutes later, their orders were in and Justin had already polished off one margarita. They had fallen back into their lightheartedness from earlier when Justin's phone rang. “It’s probably my mother making sure I haven’t run off again,” he said, faking a smile. But when he saw the name on the screen, his smile fell. Why was Ethan calling him again?

“Is it your mother?”

Justin silenced the ringer and stuffed it back into his pocket.

“It doesn’t matter. You were just telling me a story. Go on.”

Brian studied the blonde for a moment and Justin wondered if he suspected something, but after a few seconds Brian resumed his story. They had finished their lunch and were sharing fried ice cream when Brian pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. He set his spoon on the table. “It’s Ted. I better take it.”

“Sure. Of course,” Justin said, but he wasn’t prepared for him to leave the table and go outside.

Why couldn't he talk to Ted in front of him? After about fifteen minutes, Brian slid into his seat, not looking much happier than Justin.

“Everything okay with Ted?” Justin asked.

Brian scowled, but tried to force a smile. “Fine. Nothing important. Ted just had a personal problem.”

He was obviously hiding something from him, but what business was it of his?

 

Brian

 

Brian signed the check and left the restaurant, then started to pace the sidewalk as he waited for Justin. Ted’s phone call had left him conflicted. He played it over again in his head, hoping for a better resolution.

Brian had told Ted about Craig’s password and the suspicious email. He remembered Ted’s words: “He’s right. The password works on everything….everything but his personal email account. Is there any way you can quiz him to see if he knows of any alternate passwords?”

“No. That one was a fluke, and even if I could work it into a normal conversation, I suspect he wouldn't know. He said it was the password his father used for everything...so we’re screwed.”

“Slow down there,” Ted said. “We may have struck out there, but that doesn’t mean I came up empty-handed.”

It turned out that Ted had already made more progress in Craig Taylor's office. “I think you’re right about Craig Taylor being a part of this, Bri.”

Brian’s heart sank. He had hoped to be wrong, even though the email seemed like pretty substantial evidence. “Why would you say that?”

“It seems like Craig has been siphoning money off the company. Thousands of dollars.”

“That’s no surprise. They spent fifty-six grand on a wedding Justin didn’t even want.”

“However, you can’t break up with Taylor's son tonight.”

A disarming mixture of relief and dismay washed trough Brian. “Why not?”

“Because the partner’s son is showing up for the wedding tomorrow. I saw a photo of him in the partner’s office with his fiancé”

“Is that supposed to mean something? Do I really care who’s on the guest list?” Brian was still trying to decide whether postponing his inevitable breakup was a good thing or not.

“His fiancé is Blake. The guy I slept with the night the plans disappeared.”

“Holy shit.”

“Exactly.” Ted sounded smug. It was a monumental find. Of course, Ted was the one who’d lost the plans to Blake in the first place.

“If the partner’s son stole the plans, how does Craig Taylor come into play?”

“Craig’s been taking so much money from the company that the firm needs this patent to survive just like we do.”

“Shit. That’s the proof we need.” This should have made Brian happy, but all it did was make him nauseated.

“Yep. Let’s face it, it’s their firm or ours, and they didn’t play fair, so which one do you pick, Brian?”

“You know damn well which one I pick, Theodore.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Brian murmured. “But all of this is to say that we need to be around tomorrow. I’m going to corner Blake and get him to admit he stole the plans.”

“How in God’s name do you propose to do that?”

“I can do it, just convince Taylor's son to keep the charade going.”

“The god damn wedding is tomorrow, Ted.”

“I heard. Look, I have to go. I’ll see you at the rehearsal.”

The conversation had sucked something out of Brian and he’d taken it out on Justin, who didn’t deserve any of this. Not his cheating ex-fiancé, and especially not Brian and the havoc he brought with him.

Now, as he waited for Justin to join him, Brian wrestled with his conscience. The way he saw it, he had three options: One, tell Justin everything now. Two, break up with him at the rehearsal dinner like they’d originally planned to protect him. Or three, follow through with Ted’s crazy plan. But what would happen then?

Justin seemed to study his face as he stepped out of the restaurant, probably trying to judge Brian’s temperament. Justin's brow was lowered with worry and cautiousness. Brian vowed to make this as easy on the blonde as possible. So he followed his gut, which meant recapturing their earlier happiness.

Brian closed the distance between them and pulled Justin into his arms, kissing him with abandon, his deep fear of losing him fueling his passion.

Justin's hands clutched at his chest, trying to pull him closer, as Brian’s arm tightened around the blonde's back and his other hand nestled the nape of the other man’s neck. Brian could feel Justin's pulse racing and the knowledge of how he affected him only turned him on more. Brian lifted his head, pleased to see Justin was just as breathless as he was.

“I was irritated with Ted and I took it out on you. I didn’t mean to,” Brian said, caressing Justin's neck.

“Brian, it’s okay.”

“It’s not, but I will try my best not to be an ass for the rest of the day.”

“Until tonight,” Justin said.

“Let’s go get ready for the wedding rehearsal.”

“You mean our breakup.”

Brian didn’t answer. He’d lied to Justin enough. He didn’t feel like lying anymore.

Hours later, Brian was frustrated for so many reasons. He and Justin hadn’t counted on how badly Friday rush hour traffic would delay their drive to Justin's parent's house.

“We have booked a hotel room for Brian,” Jennifer announced after greeting them. “It’s the night before your wedding, after all.”

Justin opened his mouth to protest, but he didn’t say anything. He just turned to look up at him, tears in his eyes.

“Justin, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not, Brian.”

Then it hit him. Justin was upset that he was leaving. Period. Relief seeped through him. While he was grateful for the confirmation that Justin wanted more with him, he hated to see him this upset.

He pulled Justin into his arms. “It’s okay,” he whispered in the blonde's ear as he stroked the back of Justin's head. “It’s okay.”

Justin clung to him, and in that moment Brian wanted nothing more than to run away with him. But he couldn't, as much as it killed him. His employees were in trouble because of someone else’s wrongdoing, and they needed his help. “Jennifer,” he said over the top of Justin’s head. She looked at them with a questioning, worried expression. “It’s fine. I’ll pack up before we leave, and I’ll have Ted take me to the hotel later.”

“Ted’s welcome to stay here tonight, or he can stay with you if you’d like,” Jennifer said.

Ted stood next to the sofa, watching the scene unfold. Brian cast a glance toward his friend, who gave him a short shake of his head. They hadn’t found the original plans, so Ted probably wanted to search the basement. Maybe they could find proof enough to convince their investor to hang tight.

“No, it’s okay. I’m going to be anxious and nervous. Ted won’t get any sleep if he stays with me.”

Gram had been standing to the side watching. “I’ll go with him.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Mother, you can’t stay with Brian at the hotel.”

“He promised to help me with my research on nudist colonies in Belize. He hasn’t done it yet.”

Brian couldn't help but grin.

“I bet he’d feel less anxious about the wedding if I kept him company. We could have a yoga session. It does wonders for stress.”

Brian was pretty sure he’d be anxious about something else.

“What do you have to feel nervous about, Brian?” Molly asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Having second thoughts about marrying Justin?”

Brian’s anger surged, but he tried to control it. This was Justin's sister, after all, he needed to play nice for as long as possible. “When you get married, Molly, we’ll talk.”

He pulled Justin upstairs to his room so he could pack. Justin had settled down some, but Brian could tell the blonde was still fluttering with nervous energy. “We need to figure out how you’re going to break up with me.”

Wrapping his arm around the smaller man, Brian tugged Justin to him.

“Maybe we can put it off.”

Justin pulled free. “How can we put it off? The wedding is tomorrow. We have to break up, Brian.”

Brian hesitated, worried about pushing Justin, especially since the blonde was already distraught. “What if we don’t?”

Justin froze. “What does that mean?”

Brian pulled him to the bed and sat down beside him, holding his hand.

“Look, the wedding is paid for whether we get married or not, right?”

Justin shook his head in confusion. “Well...yeah, but...”

“Wait,” Brian said, a little more desperately than he would have liked. “Just hear me out, okay?”

“Okay.” Justin looked uncertain.

“What if we don’t break up tonight?” Brian’s brain scrambled to come up with a plan. He knew he needed one, but he had yet to think of anything that might actually work. “What if I break up with you before the wedding?”

“You’re going to ditch me at the altar?” Justin asked in dismay. “Do you have any idea how humiliating that would be?”

Brian hadn’t thought about it that way. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “Okay, what if we do get through with the wedding? It’s already paid for. Everyone might as well get their chicken dinners.”

“But then we’ll be married!” Justin closed his eyes and sighed. “Brian, this is crazy.”

“I know.”

“I don’t understand why we don’t just break up tonight...”

Brian pulled Justin into his arms. “Do you really want to end this in a few hours?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“No, it’s not. It is the point. Do you want to break up? Yes or no?”

Justin released a heavy breath and looked down. “No.”

Brian kissed him hard, then pulled back, surprised at his own building excitement. “I don’t want to either. So let’s not.”

Justin shook his head again. “So you’re suggesting that we go through with the wedding?”

“Justin, I...maybe we’re supposed to do this.”

“But...” Brian could tell the blonde wasn’t sold yet, but he’d planted the seed and hadn’t outright dismissed the idea. In fact, Justin had been more receptive than Brian had expected.

“Don’t decide yet. Just think about it.”

“But I don’t have time to think about it.”

“You do. You have at least a couple of hours.” Brian searched Justin's eyes. “I know it doesn’t sound long, but just go with your gut, okay? You’ll know whether you want to go through with it or not.”

“And if I decide I want you to break up with me tonight?”

Brian searched Justin's face and took a deep breath.

“Then...we’ll do it.”

 

Justin

 

“Jus?” Daphne asked as he took his place beside his father. Daphne and Molly were getting ready to practice their walk down the aisle. “Care to join us at the rehearsal? You’re obviously a million miles away.”

Justin's mouth opened as if to say something, then he took a deep breath and dropped his father's arm. He took several steps into the center of the lawn, clasping his hands in front of him, his face paler than usual. “Actually, there’s something I have to tell you.” Justin lifted his gaze to Brian, who stood at the end of the imaginary aisle with Ted, next to the sidewalk that led to the gardens.

Brian’s eyes widened, and he shook his head slowly.

Justin glanced down at his hands. “I...this...”

Brian’s heart seized in his chest. How could he stop him? Should he even stop him? This wasn’t some game they were playing, after all. Brian was screwing with Justin's life. But truth to be told, his business issues aside, Brian knew he wasn’t ready to lose this man. He was certain he’d never find anyone like Justin again. He didn’t even want to try.

Daphne rushed toward Justin and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I think Justin’s got some pre-wedding jitters. We all know how this marching down the aisle thing works. How about we just skip it and go to dinner?”

Brian made a few steps toward Justin and pulled him close, lowering his voice to a whisper. “It’s up to you, Justin. Either I walk away, or we keep going. I just want you to be happy. What will make you happy?”

A soft smile lifted Justin's mouth. “You make me happy, Brian. I’ve never been happier than I’m with you.”

Brian felt relief flooding through him and kissed the blonde.

Justin wrapped his arms around the taller man’s neck, clinging to him and kissing him back.

The crowd of friends and family alike broke into applause and a round of “Woots,” undoubtedly led by Daphne.

“Well,” Jennifer said with a smile. “Let’s finish the rehearsal.”

“Maybe I can stay with you at the hotel tonight,” Justin murmured against Brian’s lips.

“I don’t know.” Brian grinned. “Gram’s promised to make my last night as a bachelor a memorable experience.”

Justin laughed, a sound that Brian tried to bottle into a memory.

The others were already seated when they entered the room, but no one seemed surprised they were coming in late. They probably figured Justin and Brian had had some spat before the rehearsal and needed to iron things out. There were three tables. One was for Justin's parents and aunts and uncles; the second was for his cousins, Molly and Gram; and they were seated at the third, with Ted and Daphne.

 

Brian

 

During dessert, Brian leaned over and gave Justin a kiss. “I need to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

Justin gave him a wry smile. “Okay, but no guarantees your cheesecake will still be here when you return.”

“I guess I’ll take my chances.” When Brian reached the doorway, he looked back to see Justin’s fork hovering over his dessert plate and had to grin. Shaking his head, he made the short trip to the men’s room. After he was finished and emerged from the restroom, he wasn’t surprised to see Molly waiting for him in the hall.

“Molly,” he sighed.

“Douchebag.”

He raised an eyebrow. He shouldn’t enjoy riling her up so much when she clearly had Justin's best interest at heart.

“I need to talk to you in private.”

Brian considered blowing her off, but if he had any hope of a future with Justin, Molly was part of the package. “Okay.”

Molly led the way out the front door and sat down on a nearby concrete bench. Brian realized she had brought her bag with her. “Sit down. Let’s take a look at what I have here.”

Brian’s heart lept into his throat. What could she have there? She pulled out a folder and opened it.

There was a recent photo of him stapled to one side, a photo that had been in the newspaper two years ago, along with a small piece about Brian’s firm.

Molly smiled. “Shocked...Mr. Kinney?”

Brian froze, but he decided to remain calm. “You found my last name. I’m impressed,” he said mockingly.

Molly flipped through a stack of papers. “Does Justin know about any of that?”

Brian grabbed a page from the stack, his anger surfacing. “How did you get this stuff? It’s confidential.”

“I told you I’d find out everything.”

Brian tried to control his temper. “Is this a game to you?”

Molly looked up at him. “It seems to be a game for you.”

Brian shook his head, pointing to the restaurant. “Not this. Not him.”

Molly’s eyes were icy cold with rage now. “Yes, this. Especially this. You’re using my brother to gather information to steal our father's patent!”

Brian closed his eyes. Damn, she was clever for a sixteen-year old. He had to admit this.

“Steal his patent!” Brian hissed. “He stole my design!”

Molly shook her head, glaring at him. “No, Brian. Protest all you want. He filed the patent first. Dad taught me a lot about these things.” She took a step toward him. “You filed your patent, but it was a week to late. So now you’re here trying to steal information that will paint Dad and his firm in a bad light.”

“If you know so much about your father's business, then you also must know my firm will be dead by Monday morning if I don’t get proof my design was stolen. Several employees will lose their jobs.”

“Boohoo. They’ll find new ones.”

“These aren’t nameless people to me, Molly. They have families.”

“People lose their jobs all the time,” Molly said. “They’ll live.”

Brian narrowed his eyes. “You’re nothing like your brother, aren’t you? Maybe Justin would understand me.” .

“You were counting on that, weren’t you?” Molly said. “You studied him, found out he’d broken off his engagement. You bought the seat next to him on the plane so you could use him.”

Brian gaped at her. “No. No. That’s not true!”

Yes, it is! You purposely sat by him and played him like a freaking fiddle.” She frowned. “You took advantage of Justin's vulnerability and used him.”

Brian took a step back. What if she told Justin her twisted version of events? Justin would hate him. Despise him. Forever. Brian ran his hands through his hair. “I’m surprised you’re not inside right now, presenting your case to that room full of people. It seems to me you’d want to broadcast my imperfections to as many people as possible.”

Imperfections? This reaches far beyond imperfections.” Molly shook her head. “I actually care about Justin. I’m not telling anyone else but him. He’s been embarrassed enough over the last couple months.” She paused. “I think we can make a deal.”

Brian swallowed. “What kind of deal?”

The folder was still clutched in Molly’s grasp. “Slink away into the night and never speak to my brother again...then I won’t tell anyone.”

Brian released a short laugh. “That’s bullshit. You think that wouldn’t break his heart?”

“At least it would be more painless than to learn about your real intentions.” Molly sighed. “Okay, look, Dad has connections. Connections to find you another investor. If you leave Justin alone, I could help you save your business.”

Brian shook his head. “No. Not like this. I can’t just walk away from him. Not like this. Not when I’m in love with him.”

They both gasped at his declaration.

He was in love? Brian had never been in love. He never thought he was capable of being in love. But as impossible as it seemed, he loved Justin.

“You love him? Who are you trying to fool here?”

Brian released a deep breath. “Believe what you want. I don’t care. There’s no deal.”

One persistent thought ran through Brian’s head: He had to get to Justin before Molly did.

He turned around and headed to the table Justin was seated. He held out his throbbing hand toward the blonde. “Justin. Come with me,” he pleaded. Justin stood up and took one hesitant step toward him and paused for a moment. Molly blocked his path. Brian hoped she had realized how wrong she was with most of her assumptions, but her indecision faded, quickly replaced by cold determination. “Don’t do it, Justin. There are things you don’t know.”

“Justin,” Brian called to him, desperate.

Justin looked between the two of them, clearly confused. Then he looked at Molly, sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I...I have to go with Brian, Molly.”

Brian felt so relieved when Justin took his hand. He led the blonde outside and to the passenger’s seat of the car. Then he got into the driver’s seat and took off without a word, wanting to get the two of them as far from reality as possible. Nevertheless, he knew he only pulled the inevitable off. In a few hours, Justin would probably never talk to him again.

 

Chapter End Notes:

What do you think, will Justin break up with Brian after he finds out? Will Molly tell her brother her version or does she believe Brian meeting Justin was a coincidence?

Please let me know what you think and if you liked the chapter, have a great week! :)

 

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