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

Okay first off, I wanted to apologize for my disappearance to those who aren't on the boards and thus still have no idea why I disappeared. Unfortunately, I unexpectedly had technical issues that didn't get resolved until last Friday. But I am back and still working on this story.

Secondly, for those who did see the message - sorry, but it took me an additional week to get stuff into the computer. I really wanted to post last Sunday, but what an you do.

Third, I have recently checked my schedule and this story will now be posting on Sundays and Wednesdays as I'm really busy at this point in time. I would love to do it more often, but at this time, I can't commit to more than that and still work on my other stuff.

Fourth, this part is unbeta'd as my betas went to bed before I was done; hopefully I'll have the beta'd version up tomorrow.

And finally, as always, thanks for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy the story. 


 

April 4 (Part Two)

Brian stifled another yawn and blinked in an effort to keep his sight from blurring around the edges; he glanced over at his couch and again debated taking a cat nap, but then shook his head and turned back to the pile on his desk. He had too much to do before he and Justin left for New York and would have plenty of time to catch on the sleep he was lacking this coming weekend.

Pinching the bridge of his nose as another wave of fatigue washed over him, he groaned aloud and cursed Justin's penchant for midnight snacking. Whenever his husband gave into a craving in the middle of the night, it always spelled bad things for Brian. Namely, Brian was awakened an hour or so later by a groaning Justin in the throes of indigestion. You would have thought that Justin would have learned not to eat after midnight by now; but he mulishly persisted, claiming the baby wanted what it wanted, when it wanted it and he was not one to deny his Sunbeam.

Irritating, indulgent brat.

And since it was nearly half past four before Justin fell asleep again, and Brian had to be awake in about thirty minutes anyways, he'd said fuck it, got up and decided to get ready for work. He could always use an extra half-hour of quiet, busy time in the empty office before everyone else came in and shot to it hell. Well, empty of everyone except for his apparently sadistic assistant, who decided to come in early and scare the living shit out of him. Yasmeen either knew him far too well or Justin told her he was going to in early.

Either way, he'd nearly jumped out of his skin when she came blowing in at six, a veritable whirlwind of efficiency and cheer, with an extra large latte and a breakfast sandwich for him. And then proceeded to threaten his balls if he didn't eat every last crumb, because 'one can't live on fucking coffee alone.' Her words.

One of these days, people were going to remember that he was the boss around here. Until then, his life was ruled by meddlesome twats and interfering women.

.

Brian leaned his head against the desk and was regretting his life choices at the moment. Staying awake and working while his husband was snuggled safe and warm in their loft bed seemed like a good idea at the time; but now, falling down tired due to the brat's bitching and moaning half the night, he wished he'd just stayed put for an additional hour or two. He really could use the sleep.

Justin was so paying for his lack of sleep tonight.

Closing his eyes, he briefly thought about giving up and going over to his couch to catch a nap. After all, it wasn't like he actually needed to be here. He could have taken the entire day off and slept in; there was nothing pressing that needed to be done before they left. He just hated leaving things open-ended before leaving for the weekend, much to Justin's everlasting annoyance some days.

And since he was the only one in the office at this time, (well, except for his IT people; but he was pretty sure they never left their tech cave, so they didn't count), no one would walk in and see him snoozing. Sighing, Brian just laid there and had just about talked himself into giving into the pull of sleep when a loud and cheerful voice sounded from the end of his desk just as a cardboard cup was slammed down near his ear.

"Good morning, Boss man!" Yasmeen sang, a smirk pasted onto her face as Brian snapped back into his chair, his hand covering his thundering heart. Sadistic bitch. "Here. An extra-large skinny latte with soy milk and a double-smoked bacon, cheddar and egg breakfast croissant. And you will eat it; and none of this bitching about the carbs and fat or Sunbeam won't have to worry about any younger siblings."

"Jesus fuck, woman," Brian groused, his breaths shallow and ragged as he tried to get his heart rate back under control. "Must you sneak up on me like that all the time?"

"If you weren't half-asleep at your desk," Yasmeen snickered, looking anything but sympathetic to his plight; why had he hired her again? Oh, that's right, he hadn't. Cynthia had, pronouncing that he needed a minder that he couldn't scare off in less than a week. Had he mentioned he was surrounded by meddlesome twats and interfering women? "You would have heard me coming. It's not like I was trying to be quiet."

"Yeah, yeah," Brian grumbled, glaring at his unimpressed personal assistant as he grabbed his coffee and took a long swallow. And then he closed his eyes in bliss as the sweet, caffeinated nectar of the Gods slid down his throat. God, he needed that. He opened his eyes and arched a brow as he watched Yasmeen add a stack of files to his desk. "What the hell are you doing here this early?"

"I had a feeling you would be in," Yasmeen shrugged as she added yet another stack of folders to the precarious stack. Fuck his life.

Brian narrowed his eyes further as he continued sipping his latte and, again, had to wonder if she was there because she just knew him that well, or if his interfering twat of a husband had called her last night and told her that he'd be in at six-ish this morning. And then, he decided he didn't really want to know because it made his life easier just to accept that it was filled with people who thought he couldn't shit without assistance.

"Late night?" Yasmeen teased, shaking him out of his reverie.

"Don't I wish…" Brian muttered, and then sighed when Yasmeen shot him a questioning look. "Well, yes, just not in the way you're implying."

"Is everything okay?" Yasmeen asked, staring at him in concern, all levity gone.

"You mean other than my idiot husband eating things he shouldn't and giving himself heartburn?" Brian bitched, grabbing his sandwich and taking a bite as he knew that she really would twist his balls into a knot if he didn't eat it. "Everything is fine."

"Oh no," Yasmeen said, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she had heard more than one horror story when it came to Justin's midnight munchies and the very painful aftermath. "Do I want to know what he was craving last night?"

"What do you think?" Brian asked caustically, rolling his eyes as he remembered watching in horror as his husband scarf the last of his concoction down last night.

"Twinkies?" Yasmeen hazarded a guess, snorting when Brian nodded and rolled his eyes once more. Justin and his fucking Twinkies were going to be the death of him.

"Worse," Brian groaned, rubbing a hand over his face as he recalled Justin's treat of choice; that had Emmett written all over it. "The twat managed to track down Twinkie Ice Cream of all things; and where the fuck he found that I have no idea."

"Twinkie Ice Cream?" Yasmeen asked, giving him a weird look; Brian held his hands in front of his chest in supplication and gave her an 'I-have-no-fucking-idea' look in return.

"Yup," Brian said, popping the P at then end; and then he paused as he finished off his sandwich. Wiping his fingers on a napkin, he sighed and took a swig of his coffee before continuing with a pained grimace. "Ate the whole fucking gallon in one day."

"Ouch…" Yasmeen winced, obviously remembering that dairy and Justin hadn't been friends throughout his pregnancy; the much needed milk products often upset his stomach, leading to cramping and belching. Not that it stopped the twat from eating one of his favorite treats; he stubbornly persisted despite the agony it caused.

"Of course," Brian groused, shuddering as he remembered what his idiotic husband had paired the ice cream with last night. "It also didn't help that he decided to follow the last of it with a Thai curry chaser at about two this morning."

"Sooooo….I'm guessing he wasn't very happy last night," Yasmeen said, understating the result of Justin's midnight binge eating by a long shot.

"To say the least…" Brian huffed; he finished off his coffee and tossed the cup into the garbage as he shook his head. "Fucking twat…he is going to be the end of me yet."

"But what a way to go," Yasmeen quipped, smirking again as she headed towards the door. Brain sent her a sarcastic grin and pointed to the door.

"Get the fuck out of my office," he commanded, once again wondering why the fuck he put with any of them as she just chuckled and sauntered out the door.

.

Shaking his head, Brian looked longingly at the couch once more and then turned back to the boards he'd been studying for the past ten minutes with a frown. They were close, but not quite where he wanted them. There was just something about the color combination and it didn't work for him. Pulling the file up on his computer, he played with it a bit until the purple was closer to what he wanted; but then the scatter wasn't right.

Sighing, he made a few more tweaks until he was satisfied with it and then he sent it off to his art department. He then picked up the phone and dialed Murph's extension so that he could give verbal instructions as well, even as he was marking them on the boards themselves. He'd learned a long time ago to produce his changes in triplicate so that no one could say that they hadn't gotten his instructions. A leftover from his Vangard days.

"Murph," said the man in question as he picked up his line.

"Murph," Brian said as he looked over the file and boards once again; just to make sure there weren't any more changes needed. "It's Brian. I was looking over the boards for Nebula Cosmetics and want the following changes made. Bring the background purple up a couple of shades, and shift it so that the blue undertones are more prominent. Think more of a royal purple instead of eggplant. And change the gold to silver. We're supposed to be evoking a galaxy feel. Also, change the font to Georgia and bump it up to…let's see, make it twenty-point font. Once that's done, bring that to me mounted, with one cell per board on black, twenty-by-thirty foam core. Got that?"

Brian paused and waited as Murph muttered his instructions back to him under his breath, his pen audibly scratching in the background. "Bring the purple up a couple of shades; royal purple, silver scatter rather than gold, Georgia twenty-point font. One cell per board on twenty-by-thirty foam core."

"Yes," Brian said, nodding his head in agreement despite knowing the other man couldn't see him over the phone line.

"Got it," Murph said, his pen clattering to the desk over the line. "Anything else?"

"Once you have the changes made," Brian said, making a note of the changes on his computer and saving a copy to his files to check the boards against. "Bring the boards to my office as soon as possible; I want to go over the Amoré Dolce Gelato account."

"Will do," Murph chirped, making Brian roll his eyes; what was it with all the fucking cheerful people today? It was almost like they couldn't wait to get rid of him for the weekend. "I should be able to meet up with you in about an hour or so?"

"That will do," Brian said, hanging up the phone without a goodbye. And then he pressed the intercom on his desk, linking him to his assistant. "Yasmeen?"

"Yes," Yasmeen greeted absently, the muted clacking of keys coming over the intercom.

"Could you please send Murph in when he gets here?" Brian asked, grabbing yet another stack of folders that seemed to mysteriously multiply each time he left the office.

"Shouldn't you be leaving soon?" Yasmeen pointedly asked, the long-suffering sigh in her voice instantly putting Brian on alert.

"Our flight isn't until three," Brian stated, staring at the stack of folders on his desk suspiciously, now convinced that the devious women in his life were just giving him busy work to keep him out of their hair. "Plus, I have to wait until Justin comes back from the house since he dropped me off. Can you just please send in Murph when he gets here?"

"Sure thing, Boss man," Yasmeen chirped; Brian clenched his teeth and grimaced, the moniker grating on his nerves. He hadn't said anything earlier as he'd been far too tired to deal with it then, but this was so not happening.

"No," Brian groused, knowing exactly who Yasmeen had picked up the habit from and he needed to nip this in the bud now. "No; this isn't a thing that is happening. It's bad enough that Ted and Cynthia call me that; don't you start too."

"As you wish, Boss man," Yasmeen replied, undeterred; Brian could just hear the smirk in her voice as she signed off of the intercom.

"I'm going to kill Schmidt," Brian grumbled, rolling his eyes as he once again set to work, trying to whittle away at the growing tower of files on his desk. No fucking respect.

Brian sighed and managed to get about forty-five minutes of uninterrupted work done before the chief instigator, a.k.a. Cynthia, walked into his office. Brian looked up and arched a brow as she came to a standstill in front of his desk, tapping her toe with her hands on her hips. Oh, fuck. What the fuck did he do now?

"Brian…" Cynthia said in a measured tone; which told Brian that she was praying for patience. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what exactly that he'd done to put her into one of these moods. As far as he was aware, other than shouting at an artist or two when they couldn't fucking figure out the teal meant teal and not sea fucking foam green, he'd been pretty well behaved. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm working?" Brian said, his tone lilting a touch in the end, making it more of a question than the statement he'd intended. He couldn't help staring at her as if she'd grown a second head as he thought it was pretty fucking obvious what he was doing.

"I thought you were leaving for New York today?" Cynthia demanded, pinching the bridge of her nose. Brian blew out a breath and sat back in his chair.

"We are," Brian stated mildly, still wondering what the fuck had crawled up her ass this time. Seriously, she needed to go out and get laid; and soon. Before he ended up killing his greatest asset outside of Justin. "But our flight isn't until three and I wanted to finish up a few details before leaving for the weekend."

"We could have done all of…this by ourselves," Cynthia said, gesturing to his covered desk with a single finger; once again confirming that Yasmeen had been giving him busy work to keep him out of hers and the art department's hair.

When the fuck had he lost control of his own damned company?

"I know," Brian said in an equally measured tone and fought the urge to roll his eyes; something he had been doing a lot of today. "But you know I'd be worried…"

"The entire point to this weekend is that it's supposed to be stress free," Cynthia unnecessarily pointed out; as if he wasn't well aware of why he and Justin were leaving Pittsburgh behind for the weekend. "Now leave."

"I can't leave," Brian huffed and really did roll his eyes at her demand this time.

"And why not?" Cynthia demanded as if he were her wayward child instead of her boss; seriously, what was it with him and bossy, fucking women in his life?

"Because Justin dropped me off and I'm waiting for him to come back and pick me up," Brian said as he resigned himself to this conversation. "And since I have to wait for Justin, what better use of my time is there?"

Cynthia huffed and then sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk; they stared at each other for several long moments and Brian could almost feel her mentally willing him to leave. And he couldn't help wondering if he shouldn't be offended that everyone was doing their damnedest to force him out of the office; all he needed now was for Ted to show up and attempt to kick him out as well. Not that it'd work.

"How is Justin?" Cynthia finally asked with a bright smile on her face.

And that was a smile that terrified Brian on the best of days as he usually saw it just before Cynthia told him something or talked him into doing something he really did not like or want to do. But in this case, it related to Justin. Cynthia had always thought of Justin as the brother she'd never had since she was the firstborn of three girls. And Justin made everyone smile no matter how worried, stressed or angry they were that day.

After all, he was a great example of Justin's charm; no matter how irritated, how frustrated or how enraged he felt on any given day, all Justin had to do was flash that bright Sunshine grin and it all melted away. Something the conniving little twat had used to his advantage on more than one occasion.

"He's better," Brian said, deliberately misunderstanding her true question as he'd heard the undertones and he so did not want to discuss Blaine now. Or ever if could've gotten away with it; but that was a pipe dream. "The cold is pretty much gone."

"That's not what I meant," Cynthia said, casting him a chastising look; one that Brian easily, and blatantly, ignored having been on the other end of it more times than he could count over the years. "How is he dealing with…everything?"

"He's stressed," Brian conceded with a sigh. He ran a hand over his head and then scrubbed at the back of his neck. "We're both stressed; which is to be expected."

"Do you know why this guy…" Cynthia trailed off, obviously not certain how to put her question into words; but Brian got the gist of it.

"Has fixated on Justin?" Brian inquired with a stiff smile; he rubbed a hand wearily over his face before jumping in. "Who knows why he's fixated. Who really knows why anyone does this? According to what the detective was told, this guy believes that I interfered with his and Justin's relationship for some reason. But, Justin swears that he's never had any kind of intimate relationship with him. Plus, the only other relationship of note that Justin has had in the past was with the fiddler, and it's definitely not him."

"It couldn't be a former trick?" Cynthia asked delicately; Brian smirked at her obvious reluctance to bring up his and Justin's past open relationship; but shit was what it was. "It's not like you guys ever paid much attention to them."

"No." Brian said with a certainty that he didn't really feel. Cynthia arched a single brow, making Brian sigh, shake his and expound. "Not that I can discern. Even when we tricked alone, after that first year, Justin would send me a picture of his intended target and vice versa; that is, if we weren't together at the time. And I'll admit, he vaguely reminds me of someone, but not a former trick. He's not really either of our types."

"Maybe he's just a fan," Cynthia suggested with a shrug. "A sick fan that he met at one of his shows; he acknowledged him in some small way and they built up this fantasy world in their head surrounding Justin."

"That almost terrifies me more than it being someone we know," Brian admitted quietly, deliberately looking away from Cynthia's sympathetic look. While Cynthia might be one of the few people Brian confided in, he still didn't feel all that comfortable showing his more vulnerable side to anyone but Justin, his Sonny Boy and Jenny. "Because; someone like that…there would be no rational reason…"

"Brian," Cynthia sighed, garnering his attention once more when she paused in thoughtful silence. "People like this aren't rational. I personally know of this woman who was stalked by some guy she worked with; it went on for about a year before he was caught. And when he was finally apprehended, and he was asked how he knew her, it came out that the reason he fixated on her was that she'd smiled at him at a work meeting. That was it. They'd never interacted on a personal level outside of staff meetings."

"And that's what terrifies me," Brian stated, pointing a finger. "This guy could be anyone; and no one at the same time. Luckily, we have a face to go with the threat now. That will make it harder for him to get near Justin. But we still have more questions than answers and seemingly no resolution on the horizon. And I don't like the feelings that evokes."

They fell into silence for a few moments, each of them lost in thought; Brian's likely a bit more scattered and panicked given the topic. He'd always hated feeling helpless and leaving matters in other people's hands and this entire situation had him on edge. And then Cynthia took a deep breath and refocused her attention on Brian.

"Maybe you should think about taking some time away," she suggested; Brian arched a brow as he thought he was doing that with this coming weekend. "I mean, get away altogether for a while; if not from Pittsburgh, then from the office." She paused and bit her lower lip. "I know that you planned on taking a couple of months off after Sunbeam is born; but maybe you should think about taking that last month off as well. Spend some time with Justin just enjoying the pregnancy away from it all."

"Are you trying to get me killed by my husband?" Brian stared at his COO utterly dumbfounded. While the idea of staying home with Justin for the month leading up to Sunbeam's birth was appealing on some levels, he knew that Justin would see it as babysitting and throw a shit fit. "Justin…"

"Would likely be much more open to it than you think," Cynthia said, talking over Brian's protests. Brian snapped his mouth shut and just stared at his friend as she continued. "Yeah, he might put up a token fight in the beginning. But, even with the nursery done, there is still a lot of prep you need to do for Sunbeam, and I think he'd love the help."

Brian opened his mouth to tell her what a terrible idea this was, but then he stopped, closed his mouth and sat back with a noncommittal hum. The idea did have merit. And if he spun it right, he could even have Justin believing it was his idea from the beginning. Plus, knowing he was right there, in the house if there were any more issues would definitely make him feel better. He hated knowing that if something went wrong, he was at the very least a thirty-minute drive away from his husband.

"And if we need you," Cynthia continued, warming up to her subject. "You can always be teleconferenced in from Britin or even come in for that day. Ted, Murph and I have this; we managed to run the office without a hitch while you were setting up the New York satellite. And if it makes you feel better, I'm certain that Tony from the New York office wouldn't mind coming down here early. He's always bitching about summer in New York; not that Pittsburgh is any better."

"And this has nothing to do with him being in your bed earlier," Brian teased, knowing that the two of them had a friends with benefits arrangement for when they weren't in a relationship. Although, lately, he'd gotten the feeling it was growing more serious.

"That's just a nice side benefit," Cynthia smirked, laughing when Brian shot her a disgruntled look. The last thing he wanted to do was think about breeder sex; even if she was one of his dearest friends. The very thought made his dick soft. But that was neither here nor there. Cynthia gave his a serious look as she rose. "Just think about it."

"I…" Brian started to respond, but was cut off with a flushed and breathless Emmett hurried through the door. He arched a brow and waited until the other man got his breath back and then frowned when he immediately demanded.

"You need to leave now."

"What is it with you people and ordering me to leave today?" Brian groused, looking between a winded Emmett and a smirking Cynthia.

"In their case?" Emmett snorted, his hands on his knees as he looked up at Brian. "It's likely because you're driving them insane with your constant micro-managing. You know they've got this. Me? It's the phone call that I just received."

"Please tell me he didn't…" Brian began, a scowl firmly on his face as Emmett smirked and nodded, knowing that Brian had caught on immediately.

"Come in early?" Emmett finished the thought with an irritated look. There was only one person that could put that expression on Emmett's face and Brian prayed he didn't see Mikey before he left, otherwise he was liable to kill him. "Yes he did; he wanted surprise all of us. No guesses needed as to where he's headed first."

"Fuck my life," Brian muttered under his breath; he stood and began to gather up his things and then cursed again when he remembered he was supposed to be meeting Murph in a few minutes and couldn't bolt as much as he wanted to. He turned to Emmett and arched a brow. "Justin…"

"Is waiting by the back door with the SUV still running and ready to leave for the airport," Emmett said with a calculating grin. "Unless you want Blake to drive you so that you don't have to leave it behind in long term parking."

"God, I love that man," Brian professed with a heartfelt sigh; but then reality crashed again as he looked at the clock over his door with annoyance. "But fuck; I have a meeting with Murph in a few minutes and…"

"I will be taking it over," Cynthia said in a no-nonsense tone as she started gathering his things for him. "Just email me all of the details for the meeting and what you want done with the Amoré Dolce Gelato account after you get into the car."

And Brian really shouldn't have been surprised that Cynthia was already in the know as to what account he and Murph were consulting on this morning, but he was. He really should know better given that Cynthia held the heartbeat of this company and often knew things even before he did much to his annoyance some days.

"But…" Brian protested and then held up his hands in surrender when Cynthia glared at him. "Fine; let me just gather my things." Brian turned to Emmett, who was leaning against the door jamb, still looking annoyed. "Do we know when Michael will be here?"

"Ben called Deb and told her that he flew out this morning," Emmett huffed. "His flight should be landing soon and then he was planning to make his way here once he dropped off his bag at Deb's; he was making noises about wanting to stay at the loft."

"Like fuck is that happening," Brian snorted, grabbing his coat and briefcase. "Let's go." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, dialing a familiar number as he strode out the door. "Hey, Sonny Boy; yeah, Em just stopped by to tell us about his 'surprise' visit. Why he told your Grandmom Deb and expected it to stay a secret, I have no idea; but I am glad for that bonehead move. I just wanted to let you know that Jus and I are leaving for the airport now and that we won't be home until late Sunday night. If you need anything, call the other phone – you know which one I'm talking about – as Jus and I will be turning our phones off. Let your sister know as well as I don't have time to call her. I'll call you later tonight and let you know when we get to Aunt Daphne's and Uncle Liam's. I love you too, Sonny Boy. I'll talk to you later."

"The other phone," Emmett immediately asked once Brian hung up.

"Yeah," Brian huffed, shooting Emmett a look that said, 'if anyone hears about this I will end you.' Emmett just held up his hands. "You likely have Justin's other line that he uses for 'work' if I'm right. That would be the other phone. We gave that one out selectively. And as it's Justin's 'work' phone, there was no reason for Mikey or Lindsay to have it."

"Smart move," Emmett agreed as they made their way out the back door and over to the SUV. "Have fun; don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Like that really limits us," Brian smirked; he briefly considered walking around to the driver's side and making Justin get into the passenger seat, but then decided that pissing his husband off with his over-protectiveness wouldn't be conducive to a fun-filled and relaxing weekend. So, he walked over to the open passenger-side door, nodding to Blake as he climbed in. "Blake."

"Brian," Blake nodded; and Brian couldn't help wondering where Luc was, but then figured he was likely with Ted or Deb.

"No need to drive us," Brian said, tossing his briefcase into the backseat. "We'll be getting in late on Sunday and it'll be easier for us to drive ourselves back to the loft."

"Sure thing," Blake smiled as he shut the door; he waved to Justin and then walked off, calling over his shoulder. "Have a good trip."

"Ready to get the fuck out of here?" Brian asked as he leaned over and kissed his husband, lingering just a little as he never could get enough of Justin's lips.

"You have no idea," Justin fervently said, a bright grin on his face as he pulled away, put the SUV in drive and headed down the road to the airport.

… … … … …

Brian carried both carry-on bags as Justin waddled ahead of him; not that he'd ever tell his husband that he was hitting the waddling stage. He liked his dick attached to his body, not unceremoniously cut off and shoved up his ass, thank you very much. Telling Justin that was just asking for trouble and he so didn't need that this weekend. As it was, he was just thankful that the flight from Pittsburgh to New York went smoothly and that Justin still seemed to be in a cheerful mood.

He had been worried that Justin would be uncomfortable even if they were sitting in first class, but Justin just chirped on about the weekend with no signs of discomfort or fatigue. Of course, that could have had more to do with seeing his favorite fag hag and nothing to do with his comfort; but Justin had never been shy about sharing his discomfort before, so Brian took that to mean that everything was copacetic.

Or that he'd hear about it later.

Either way, Justin was more than happy to be hurrying through the airport as fast as his feet would carry him and Brian was just happy to be out of Pittsburgh.

"Justy!" Daphne called as she ran full pelt towards them and then skidded to a halt in front of Justin, throwing her arms around his equally exuberant husband.

"Daph!" Justin shouted, garnering several curious onlookers that had Brian rolling his eyes as he walked past the two embracing friends and joined a more sedately walking Liam with a wide-eyed and babbling Kian in his arms.

"Oh, I've missed you!" Daphne exclaimed as she squeezed Justin until he was nearly blue; Brian rolled his eyes again and came to a standstill by Liam.

"It's been too long," Justin agreed as he pulled away; he tucked his arm through her arm and walked towards him and Liam.

"Hey, Liam," Brian greeted, and then he set the carry-ons down at his feet as Kian squealed and instantly reached out to Brian. He gently took the three-year-old in his arms and hugged him, laughing when he received a wet kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," Liam greeted, picking up the carry-ons and slinging them over his shoulders. "You'd think they hadn't seen each other in years, rather than a couple of weeks."

"Two weeks is too long when Justin is this close to the end of his pregnancy," Daphne huffed, disentangling herself from Justin and rushing towards Brian. "Things change so much." She took Kian out of his arms and handed him off to Justin. Not that the kid cared; he was equally happy to see Justin. "Here, take your Godson for a moment while I hug your gorgeous husband."

"You know," Liam drawled, casting Brian a mock disgruntled frown. "If I didn't know that she had absolutely no chance with you, I'd be worried about her very obvious infatuation. "

"It's the Kinney genes," Brian smirked as Daphne released him from her death hold. "I can't help it that the Doyle genes just can't hold a candle to us Kinneys. After all, look at my kid; he's the spitting image of me."

"Nice try, Cousin," Liam snorted as he wrapped a companionable arm around Brian's shoulders and gave a squeeze. "But we all know who the true looker in this family is; look at my beautiful wife and son. Do you honestly think you could do better?"

"You see that beautiful, pregnant blonde there?" Brian said, pointing to an exasperated Justin, who was rolling his eyes at their posturing. "He's been mine from the very first time he stepped foot on the Avenue. I was his first in everything; beat that."

"Are you two done with your pissing match so we can get out of here?" Daphne asked impatiently as she took her son back. "Or should I take my son and Justy and you two can find your own way home once you're done? I have food that needs supervision."

"Food?" Justin asked, instantly perking up; and this time it was Brian's turn to roll his eyes. Again. It seemed like he was doing an awful lot of that today.

"Oh, you said the magic words," Brian teased, dodging Justin's foot as he tried to kick Brian in the ankle. "It's been a whole two hours since he last ate."

"Bite me," Justin huffed, flushing when Brian grabbed him around the middle and dragged the blonde against him, front to back.

"Later," Brian murmured against his ear, and then nipped the lobe before setting him free. Daphne rolled her eyes and Liam smirked as he turned back to them.

"So, what's on the menu tonight?" Justin asked, literally salivating as he caught up to Daphne and headed towards the parking lot. "I'm starving."

"Of course, you are," Brian snorted, taking one of the carry-ons back from Liam and following in their wake.

"I got that slow-cooker pulled-pork recipe from Emmy Lou," Daphne said, snickering when Justin squealed in happiness. "So, I thought we'd have sliders topped with apple slaw tonight, some baked and seasoned sweet potato fries, and a green salad for those of us that insist on eating like birds."

"Just because some of us prefer to eat lightly at night," Brian huffed, knowing exactly who she was talking to without her needing to look over her shoulder at him. It was an argument they had every time he and Justin visited. "Is no reason to make fun."

"I don't know why you're bitching," Justin complained; something he'd taken to doing now that he'd outgrown his regular clothing and had been forced into maternity wear. "You haven't gained an ounce in all the years I've known you; unlike some of us."

"And that is all down to my eating habits," Brian said with a smug smile; and then he scowled at his husband. "And, please; if anyone has the right to bitch, it's me. The only weight you've gained since we've met is pregnancy weight. And we know that as soon as you pop Sunbeam out, you'll be back in your regular jeans in no time with your metabolism."

"Pop Sunbeam out?" Justin arched a brow at his choice of words.

"You know what I mean," Brian said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand.

"I still say you are far too skinny," Daphne complained, poking Brian in the side for emphasis. "I remember telling Justin that when I first saw you and he was going on and on about 'seeing the face of God.' Me, I like a little meat on my men."

Daphne smirked and leaned over to grab Liam's ass as he bent to open the hatch of their car, making his cousin yelp and glare at her over his shoulder. In truth, Liam was one of the few cousins he actually liked from Joanie's side of the family. Mostly because they thought along the same wavelength and Liam despised Joan as much as he did.

But that was an entirely different story for another night.

"Oh, there are plenty of inches on me," Brian smirked and wiggled his brows at a flushing Daphne. "They just all went to the most important part. Just ask Justin."

"Like I need to ask him," Daphne huffed, putting Kian into his car seat before going over to the front passenger side door and opening it. "I vividly recall just how bounteous it is due to all the times you've paraded around the loft naked."

"And on that disturbing note," Liam snickered as he closed the hatch and rounded the car to open the driver's side door. "I say we get out of this zoo and then head home."

"Awwww, Cous…don't be hating just because I'm gifted…" Brian teased, and then opened the door to help Justin into the backseat. He shut the door and then quickly climbed into the far back of the SUV. He didn't trust Liam not to leave without him just to be a dick.

"Fuck off," Liam shot back; and then he started the car and pulled away, cussing up a storm in Gaelic as he joined the rest of the traffic.

… … … … …

Brian awoke with a start, confused as to where he was; he rubbed his eyes and then blinked slowly as he looked around the unfamiliar room, wondering just where the hell Justin was, when it all came flooding back. Right. He was in New York at Daphne and Liam's apartment. That still didn't tell him where his wayward husband was.

Well that wasn't true, Brian could guess exactly where he was, he was just surprised that Justin was still out with his little fag hag gossiping since usually he went to bed much earlier than Brian did. He seemed perpetually tired these days.

Glancing over at the clock, he groaned when he saw that it read 2:25 in the morning and then flipped the comforter off of himself. He sat up, shaking the sleep haze from his head and then stood, grabbing the robe that was lying on a nearby chair. Time to go track Justin down and drag him to bed or he'd never get up on time later that day. Shuffling out the door, Brian walked down the hall towards the living room and then paused as Daphne's skeptical voice carried out of the room and into the hall.

"So this guy just turned himself in?" Daphne asked; and Brian could visualize the confused and doubtful look on her face as she said it.

"That's what it looks like," Justin sighed; and Brian felt a pang in his heart as he detected the strain and weariness in his husband's voice. It had been a rough few months for them both and Brian was more than a little frustrated with the lack of results. Justin really did not need all this stress; it wasn't good for him or the baby.

"But I thought he ran away from, Brian?" Daphne replied, her tone still skeptical. "Why would he turn himself in after going through so much trouble to hide his identity?"

"I don't know," Justin said; and Brian could just see the little shrug that accompanied it. It was both a blessing and a curse to know his husband so well.

"Justin," Daphne said, and then she paused as if searching for the right words. "Not that I'm unhappy that there was a break in the case by any means; but, just to play devil's advocate, are you certain that this guy is legit?"

Brian smirked at the question; that was his girl. Always looking at everything, and from every angle, questioning it in order to protect her Justy. This was why he'd wanted to come here for a visit; he knew that Daphne would force Justin to really think about everything and might even be able to shed a little light on the situation. She often saw things that neither of them did and they really needed that insight now.

"What do you mean?" Justin asked warily.

"I mean," Daphne paused once more; and Brian had to grin as he could just see her chewing on her lower lip as she always did when she was deep in thought. "Are you certain that this isn't some sort of red herring that's meant to throw you off the scent of the true stalker? Like I said before, he went through a great deal of trouble to keep his identity secret; that in, and of, itself is highly suspicious."

"Yes, I do believe he is telling the truth," Justin said with a certainty that, again; Brian himself didn't feel. Yes, he felt for Blaine; and if his back story was true, that was a fucking awful thing to deal with. But the fact remained that this is the guy that helped someone fuck with his husband and child. Brian wasn't so forgiving of his actions. "I can't go into why I do. The information is confidential as it's part of an ongoing case; but yes, I believe him."

"Another case…?" Daphne asked, obviously fishing for information; but of course Justin clammed up at that moment, making Daphne instantly suspicious based on her next comment. Was there any doubt why he loved this girl? She always had Justin's best interests in mind. "Justin...that doesn't sound very…"

"What Justin isn't saying is," Brian said, startling them both as he stepped into the room; better to nip this in the bud despite his own doubts. Daphne could be annoyingly persistent and they really couldn't release information on Blaine at this time. "There were mitigating circumstances for keeping on the down low. He has far too much to lose to be dicking us around."

Or at least he better not be; he would quite cheerfully kill Blaine if he found out otherwise. And he knew just who to call to help him hide the body.

"I thought you went to bed," Justin said, trying to smother a yawn.

"I did," Brian huffed, walking over to stand by his husband as he had no intentions of going back to bed without the twat. "But a certain someone promised that he would meet me there in an hour and he has yet to get his pretty, little bubble butt in there."

"Well, yeah," Justin said, staring at Brian blankly. "So?"

"Justin," Brian patiently explained, pointing at the clock on the DVD player. "It's 2:30 in the morning; well past that hour. I ended up falling asleep and just woke up to find my husband still twittering away with his bestie."

"Is it really?" Justin said, shooting a surprised look over at the DVD player. "Shit, I'm sorry; I didn't realize it had gotten so late. What time are we…"

"Don't worry about it," Brian dismissed his concerns, but did hold out his hand. "I figured you two would be up gabbing half the night. We don't have to leave until ten."

"Where are you going?" Daphne asked, instantly perking up with interest.

"He won't tell me," Justin pouted, looking up at Brian through a veil of lashes; likely hoping that it would break Brian's resolve. But he was on to the little brat and stood firm. "Said it would ruin the surprise."

"And that's the way it will remain," Brian snorted, knowing he was right when Justin stuck his tongue out at him. He pulled his husband off of the couch and pressed a kiss against his temple. "You'll just have to wait and see. And now, you two can talk more on Sunday. I'm stealing my husband away for the rest of the night; I'm sure yours would be happy to see you too. Say 'good night, Daphne.'"

"Good night, Daphne," Justin parroted, waving and snickering when Brian smacked him on the ass as he passed.

"Let's go twat," Brian groused as the headed down the hall to their room. "I don't want to hear you bitching when I wake you up in the morning."

"Well if you wake me up with a blow job…" Justin quipped and tossed a smirk over his shoulder as he walked down the hall and into the bedroom. "You'll definitely get no complaints from me."

"Twat." Brian complained as he entered behind Justin and quietly shut the bedroom door behind him; even as he joined his husband in bed, he couldn't help but think that it was a perfect way to wake his twat up in the morning.

 

You must login (register) to review.