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

So, I was going to do two today (now yesterday), but I ended up plotting on this story with my beta for most of the day, just squaring away details and taking care of potential plot holes. So, I only have one for you. I'll do two tomorrow (now later today) and that will have me all caught up on the outline.

Also, this is dedicated to SandiD; Happy Belated Birthday! I hope this is everything you hoped for in a 'March 16' vignette. :)


 

March 16

Brian leaned back in his chair, tired and on edge due to the night before; but he also hadn't wanted to refuse Mother Taylor's invitation for brunch. He knew that she'd want a chance to talk to Justin about the show, as she'd only been there for an hour before she'd become ill and had to leave.

Something that now concerned him greatly given the events from the night before. He could easily see the stalker wanting Mother Taylor out of commission if he were planning to do…whatever it was he'd planned to do. Brian didn't even want to consider of the possibilities right now; he'd had enough nightmares last night.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched Justin and Mother Taylor talk, the both of them looking less than their best. Justin, he knew, had spent the entire night having vivid nightmares about something happening to Sunbeam because Kellie hadn't caught the guy spiking his drink. (And he swore that when they finally caught this guy, he would find a way to get to him and beat the shit out of him for that alone). And Mother Taylor was still likely feeling the effects of whatever made her ill last night.

Maybe he'd talk to her about going to get a check up just to rule out any tampering; he might be giving into his paranoia again, but better safe than sorry.

"Is everything okay, dear," Mother Taylor asked, frowning in concern as she noted the bruises under Justin's eyes.

Justin held up one finger as he finished his, surprisingly normal, French toast. Well, normal for him anyway. The Toffee-Apple-Cheesecake French Toast with Caramel Syrup was still loaded down with what had to be a half-pound of sugar; but at least it didn't have wasabi or some other weird shit like that on it. Justin set down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"I'm fine," Justin said, glaring at Brian when he snorted. "I'm just tired. I feel like I've been running around for days due to the opening; and then last night, I didn't sleep well because I couldn't get comfortable."

Jen looked skeptical at that, but didn't push.

"Haven't you gotten one of those specialty pillows for pregnant people?" Molly piped up, garnering everyone's surprised looks. Molly shrugged. "What? One of my friend's older brothers had one and swore by it."

"Not yet," Justin hedged; Brian arched a brow; because although he knew Justin had said that to placate his mother, there was also a ring of truth in his voice. "I've just been using extra pillows so far; but I might have to break down and buy one soon, as I seem to get bigger every day and I can't seem to find a comfortable position to lie in."

Brian sighed; of course, the little twat hadn't done anything.

"You should have told me," Brian said, exasperated that Justin hadn't said anything about his discomfort before now. "We could have gone shopping for one today."

Justin just stared at him as if he'd grown another head; and okay, Brian got that. Justin hated shopping with a passion on a good day; there was no way in hell that he'd ever want to do it when he'd barely gotten any sleep the night before.

"Today, I just want to relax," Justin said, finishing up the last bit of his French toast; and then he forlornly stared at Brian's plate. Brian sighed and shoved his leftover omelet over to him. Christ, his appetite was a thing of disgust and awe. Justin fell on it immediately, a bright grin on his face. "I'm far too tired to go shopping with you."

"You make it sound like it's a hardship," Brian huffed; so he liked to go shopping and could get lost in his favorite stores for hours on end. He was allowed at least one stereotypical gay trait considering he'd pretty much shunted the rest aside. Justin rolled his eyes.

"Brian," Justin said, rolling his eyes again when Brian crossed his arms over his chest. "If shopping was an Olympic event, you would not only win the gold, but you'd also close out the entire category. There is a reason I refuse to go shopping with you."

"He does have a point, dear," Mother Taylor laughed, serving Justin yet another helping of French toast that she'd conveniently had warming in the oven, who fell on it with delight much everyone's amusement. Brian shook his head and gave up. "There aren't many that can keep up with you when you're in shopping mode."

"I can," Molly stated with a smug smile; Justin snorted, likely in response to the utter horror that Brian felt at the thought of going shopping with a teenage girl. "I have no problem keeping up with Brian."

"Good," Justin grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he looked over at Brian. "Then next time you can go with him; it will save me hours of boredom." Brian scowled, his eyes promising all manner of payback for throwing him under the bus, so to speak. Justin smirked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pee. Again. I'll be so glad when this shit is over."

Justin hefted himself out of the chair and then walked down the hall to the guest bathroom. Mother Taylor watched him walk away, a frown on her face the entire time; and then she turned to Brian once Justin had entered the bathroom and closed the door. He sighed when he noted the determined look on her face; he should have known this was coming.

"Now, what actually happened?" Mother Taylor asked in a no-nonsense tone.

"What do you mean?" Brian hedged, knowing he'd never get away with it, but needing a moment to decide on how much he could tell her.

"Please Brian," Mother Taylor said, tapping her fingers on the table, while Molly looked back and forth between them. "I know my son; and I know when he's lying."

Brian rolled his lips between his teeth and silently cursed; this really put him between a rock and a hard place. while he really wanted to fill Mother Taylor in on all the details; he'd already been cautioned against saying too much.

It was an active investigation, and he really wasn't certain what he was allowed to disclose and what could potentially get him into hot water. Something that he hadn't even thought of when he'd told Emmett and Ted about Blaine. It was only when Justin questioned him later that night on whether or not he should fill Daphne in on the new stuff that that he'd even considered the fact that they could get in trouble for giving out information. So he was doubly cautious now.

"Something happened at the opening after you and Tucker left," Brian said carefully, trying to give just enough information to sate Mother Taylor's curiosity without going into the details. "We think that the stalker struck again; but we aren't sure. We're waiting on word from the detective in charge as there are only suspicions at this point."

"What happened?" Molly asked, displaying the same insatiable curiosity that her brother had had when he was the same age. Hell, it was the same insatiable curiosity that he still displayed to this day.

"I honestly can't talk about it right now," Brian said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture when both women frowned. "Not until we have viable proof; and then, maybe not even then. I was told to keep things quiet, and to only tell Justin as it affected him directly. I could ask Carl, and find out what information would be okay to disclose; but don't hold your breath. The more people that know, the more chances of it getting out."

"So he's worried about that," Mother Taylor said, nodding and then looking away as she coughed into her hand. And Brian once again thought about asking her to go get checked by her doctor, but didn't know how to say it without giving things away.

"He had nightmares all night," Brian said, rubbing his hand over his face, deeply tired himself as every time Justin jolted awake, it jarred Brian into full wakefulness as well. "I fucking hate this; I feel so useless; and every time we think we might get something on this guy, it all falls apart."

"He'll slip up soon enough," Mother Taylor said, sounding absolutely certain of it; Brian hoped that she was right. "He's making himself far too visible these days; he's bound to mess up eventually and then you'll get him."

"I hope so," Brian muttered mostly to himself. "Because at the rate we're going, I'm ready to bundle Justin up and stuff him into a tower in the middle of nowhere a la Rapunzel."

"Oh, he'd love that," Molly snorted, her eyes gleaming; and then she leaned forward and pleaded. "Please do try; I love when Justin queens out. It's funny as shit."

"Are you kidding?" Brian snorted, looking at the mischievous brat that was far too like her brother for anyone's peace of mind. He pitied the man she ended up marrying one day; or woman for that matter. From what he'd heard, she was definitely of the gender doesn't matter persuasion. Craig had been so thrilled to find that out. "I like my balls right where they are – firmly attached to my body."

"Language," Mother Taylor mildly, scrunching her nose up at their little exchange. "There is no reason to be crude." And then she smirked. "Even if it is true."

They all laughed until Justin came out of the bathroom, still looking completely exhausted; and Brian vowed to take him to the loft immediately after brunch so that he could rest while Brian took care of the little matter that was Deb. He still wasn't happy that she'd pressured Justin into issuing those last minute invitations to Mikey and Ben. And while he loved her, he was no longer going to tolerate her meddling.

Finishing off his coffee, Brian leaned over and pressed a kiss against Justin's temple as he sat down, garnering a soft smile before he attacked his food once again. Brian shook his head; he would never understand that boy's appetite.

The conversation flowed around him again, with Justin and Mother Taylor discussing the better points of the evening until Justin paused and turned to frown at his sister. Molly just looked up with an innocent smile, still merrily humming a familiar tune that Brian couldn't place under her breath.

"Why on Earth are you humming the song from Tangled?" Justin asked, watching his giggling sister with no little amount of confusion.

Brian face palmed, desperately trying not to laugh at his bratty sister-in-law as he finally placed the tune to the song When Will My Life Begin from Disney's retelling of Rapunzel. Mother Taylor wasn't so lucky; or maybe she just wasn't so circumspect, as she outright laughed at a grinning Molly and a confused Justin. In the meantime, Justin stared at them all as if they'd lost their minds; and then, deciding he didn't want to know, began eating his French toast once again.

God, save him from bratty Taylors; especially ones that share his name.

… … … … …

Brian pulled up at Deb's house and groaned when he saw Mikey and Ben's car parked just a couple of places down. Fuck; he hadn't even thought of the possibility that those two might be here despite the fact that it was the Saturday before their departure. He really should've been paying more attention; but frankly, he'd firmly placed both of them out of his mind after his confrontation with Michael.

He'd had far more important things to worry about than to deal with; and the moment Justin had landed in the hospital at Michael's hands, he'd become a non-entity.

Sighing, he briefly considered just driving away and coming back when he didn't have to deal Captain Loudmouth and his trusty sidekick The Weak-Willed Wonder. He just didn't have the patience and he knew, even with Lucille's deft handling last night, Michael was going to somehow think that all is okay and he had re-admittance into Kinneyland.

But just as he was about to say fuck it and pull away, the door opened and Michael and Ben walked out of it and started down the path. And like fuck was he going to let them think they had the power to drive him away.

Opening his door, Brian climbed out of the SUV, ignoring the way Michael halted on the sidewalk. he shut and locked it with the fob; and then skirted the SUV. He nodded to Ben, but didn't say anything, nor did he acknowledge Michael in anyway as he passed. And all seemed to be well, until he got about half way up the path. And that's when he heard Ben impatiently call out to Michael, and that he registered footsteps behind him. Brian groaned internally, but he didn't turn around; not even when they'd caught up to and passed him.

That's when luck ended and Michael stepped into his path, blocking him

Sighing, Brian had no choice at that point, but to come to an immediate halt unless he wanted to barrel right into the pain in the ass. And while he'd dearly love to keep going and knock Michael onto his ass; he knew it wouldn't be worth the resulting headache. He'd learned that lesson years ago, when not one person had stepped up and asked him why he'd hit Michael at the munchers' party.

He rolled his lips between his teeth and internally debated the likelihood that he'd be able to walk around Michael without the idiot putting a hand on him; and then, ruling the odds as being against his favor, he crossed his arms over his chest and arched a brow, hoping that Mikey would just spit it out already and let him get on with his day.

"We're leaving tomorrow," Michael blurted out, twisting the cuffs of his jacket.

And really? That was all that he'd wanted to say to him? No greeting? No apology; weak as it would have been. Just a statement of the obvious, and information Brian couldn't give one fuck about.

Fucking typical Mikey.

"Good for you," Brian shrugged, not even bothering to act like he cared. "I hope you enjoy…where were you going again?" He paused to cock his head to the side as if thinking about it; and then gave an unconcerned shrug when it failed to come to him. "Oh well, it doesn't really matter in the end."

Looking away, Brian started to walk again, but Michael wouldn't budge; instead he continued to walk backwards and block Brian's path. Something that irritated Brian to no end. Really, this was not the way to get Brian to talk to him. All it was doing was annoying him, and he was this close to picking Mikey up and tossing him aside.

"We're going to be gone for about five months," Michael tried again; obviously trying to get a reaction, and thinking that Brian cared for some reason; and this? This was exactly why he hadn't wanted Michael to come to the opening. He always assumed far too much.

"I know," Brian said in an unconcerned voice;and this time, he walked around Michael, not even bothering to look at him as he answered. "Ben filled us in."

"Don't you care?" Michael demanded in a choked voice; and Brian couldn't help rolling his eyes at the 'tears' he heard in his former friend's voice; ones that he didn't believe for a second because he knew far too well that Michael could turn them on and off at a drop of a hat. It was a weapon he'd wielded for years and Brian wasn't going to fall for his act anymore.

"Not really," Brian shrugged as he reached the stairs, hoping that would be enough to send Michael whining back to his husband. And speaking of Ben, where the fuck was he? Did he not care that his husband was close to getting creamed if he didn't go away?

"Brian…" Michael whined, latching onto this arm; and that did draw a reaction from Brian, but not the one Michael likely had wanted. Brian whirled around and jerked his arm away, glaring heatedly at Michael for good measure as the other man stumbled a few steps back.

"Michael, I've already said all that I intend to say to you," Brian stated tightly, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought the urge to hit the idiot. He was just barely holding onto the reins of his temper as it was, and Michael wasn't helping any. "Now, if you'll excuse me; I need to talk to your mother, so I can get back to my husband."

Huffing, Brian spun on his heel, and took a few steps, just wanting to get this meeting with Deb fucking over with; but it didn't look like that was in the cards as Michael doggedly dashed around him. And seriously, what the fuck was it going to take to get through to the little asshole that Brian didn't want to talk to him?

Michael stood on the steps, defiantly blocking Brian's way. His lips quivered as he stared at Brian, tears once again welling in his eyes; and Brian was certain that it was this exact look that had won his mother over, prompting her to cave to his whims once more and finding a way for the little asshole to wheedle his way back into Brian's life. Fucking pathetic.

What Michael hadn't counted on was that Brian was completely unmoved by the act. Michael may have been his best friend at one time;and Brian may have once loved him dearly, but that friendship had waned over the years. It had started when he'd said that Justin should have been left for dead, grew weaker when he'd said all those hateful things the last time Justin and he had broken up and had completely withered away when Justin was hospitalized. He felt nothing for the man in front of him.

"Why?" Michael asked in a hurt and bewildered voice.

"Why what, Michael?" Brian sighed; although, he was pretty sure he knew where this was going; and while he didn't want to go over it fucking again, maybe he needed to in order for Michael to finally realize he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with Brian. "You need to be a little more specific."

"Why him?" Michael demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Brian rolled his eyes at the move, his patience thinning with every petulant gesture.

"Opposed to what?" Brian asked a little belligerently; but fuck it. If Michael thought he was going to get away with this attitude, he had another think coming. "You? Other people?"

"Just why him?" Michael huffed; and really, this wasn't the best way to approach Brian if he wanted information. Luckily for Michael, Brian was more than willing to put him in his place once and for all, so he didn't mind answering this question.

"Why not him? He's everything I have ever wanted and never knew I needed in my life," Brian said without hesitation, ignoring the way Michael swallowed harshly at those words. "He challenges me every day. He has no problem calling me on my shit and telling me to fuck off when I deserve it. He sees the person beneath the facade. He doesn't want anything from me other than my love and support. Why wouldn't I want him?"

Michael shook his head in denial, but remained otherwise silent; and Brian couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Ben, who was likely not that far behind him, listening to every word. But it was only a hint of remorse; Ben had caused his own problems by not having the balls to stand up to Michael all those years ago and demanding that he be put first.

Like Justin had with Brian.

"Michael," Brian said a bit impatiently, staring at this man that he barely recognized these days; and frankly, one he didn't care to know further. He had been done, and over, with this shit weeks ago. "Even if Justin hadn't been in my life, it was never going to be you. Ever. "

Brian paused and stared at Michael, who looked like he was about to cry; but Brian barreled on without remorse.

"You took something that I said as an untried, clueless teenager and blew it up in your mind until it became more important than it really was – the words of a stupid ass kid who didn't believe that he'd live to see the age of thirty, let alone be an old queen in Palm Springs. I just said it to make you feel better; because I knew that if I had ever told you the truth, you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Brian compressed his lips and arched a brow, waiting to see if Michael was going to respond. But Michael just stood there, shaking and taking deep, shuddery breaths as if he were trying desperately not to cry for real this time. And when it became obvious that he wasn't going to say anything, Brian decided to drive it home so there could never be any mistaking in how he felt.

"It was always going to be Justin," he said, shaking his head when Michael looked as if he were going to protest. No way; he wasn't going to let him cling to his delusions any longer.

"I knew that there was something different about him from that very first morning. For the first time ever, I actually wanted to spend more time with someone; and that scared the fuck out of me. Do you honestly think that if I hadn't wanted Justin around that I wouldn't have found a way to get rid of him? You know me; you know what a dick I was back then. That I never sent Justin packing, but always kept him close to me, even when we were fighting, even when we were broken up, should have told you that eventually he'd be the one I changed all my rules for."

Michael shook his head, his lips in a tight white line; his eyes glittered with unshed tears as he stared at Brian; and the hissed when Brian just watched him with an unreadable expression. "I just don't understand why you would want to be with someone that walked away from…"

"Everything you wanted?" Brian quipped, cutting the diatribe off with a mirthless laugh.

Michael looked away; and Brian knew that he'd hit the nail on the head. Jesus fuck; he was so fucking tired of beating his head against this particular brick wall. It was fucking ridiculous just how often this topic came up. Most people only needed to be told no once; why the fuck couldn't Michael get it through his thick fucking head that he was interested!?

Fuck his life.

"I wouldn't have wanted him if he'd stayed, Michael," Brian said, a wry smile tugging at his lips as Michael just stared at him in disbelief.

And he wouldn't have. He'd admired Justin for walking out; respected the fact that Justin had seen that he wasn't getting what he needed and he walked away to find it; even if he'd later realized that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It took balls to walk away both times; and certainly more than Brian had back then.

"We were both a mess after the bashing," Brian said with a sad smile. "And neither of us could give each other what the other needed. We couldn't hear or read each other anymore. And he needed to walk away to figure out what it was he really wanted. Did it hurt? Fuck, yeah. Did I want him to stay? Again, yes. I loved him; even if I wouldn't admit it. But, he needed to find himself again. And so did I."

Brian took a deep breath; thinking of that time with Ethan still hurt. God, he'd wanted so desperately to tell Justin how he felt about him. He'd wanted to beg Justin to stay with him, to not leave him. But he also knew that neither of them had been in the right head space then and they would have eventually destroyed each other, and the love that they'd shared, if he'd tried to keep Justin from leaving.

They'd both needed the time apart to become comfortable in their own skins once more and to truly understand what they'd wanted and needed from each other.

"But I always knew that he was going to come back to me," Brian said softly, his eyes misting over a bit. "I saw it in his eyes every time we met up. And that is why he stayed in my life when we both could have easily walked away without a backwards glance. He didn't have to stay at the diner. He could have easily gotten another job where we didn't run into each other on a daily basis. I could have ignored him. But we both, consciously or subconsciously, chose to stay in each other's life. It was always going to be us in the end."

Brian stared at Michael, hoping that this time it sunk in; and even if it hadn't, it wasn't his concern. He had his life with Justin and Sunbeam, and that was all that he needed.

"Goodbye, Michael," Brian said, turning on his heel to walk away; but he did add one last parting shot. "Do us all a favor; take your husband, go to Washington, and don't ever come back. Any good will between us ended the day you put my husband – the love of my life – and my child in the hospital."

And then Brian turned on his heel and walked away, nodding to Ben once again as he passed. He'd deal with Deb another time, when Michael was safely away and across the country. For now, he had a Sunshine and a Sunbeam to get home to.

 

Chapter End Notes:

 

 

I realized when I went back to check my links that I forgot a few links on some of the pictures. One of the sites I post on won’t allow links, so I usually add them after editing. So, I went back onto March 13 and added them in. I’ll also list them here, along with the other pieces I chose for ‘Justin’s artwork’ but didn’t get used.

 

A Quiet Place by Joanne Last

Summer Walk by Joanne Last

Mist by Kasia Kaldowski

Allegro by Joanne Last

Almost There by Joanne Last

Ridgeway Bowland Falls by Norma Stephenson

Untitled by Norma Stephenson

 

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