Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction

 

 

“Are you ready yet?” Evan popped his head in the bathroom.

Brian glared at him through the mirror, concentrating on not cutting his chin while shaving. “Do I look ready to you?”

“I left you in the shower to rinse off. It took you half an hour to do it,” Evan said, incredulously.

Brian rolled his eyes, refusing to admit even to himself that after shower sex with Evan, his thoughts had drifted to the meeting they had scheduled for today. He couldn’t help but think of the memories of Justin, which led to a self-love session.

“I’ll see you at the office. I have to prepare for the meeting with Janet.”

“Sure. See you at the office.”

Brian closed his eyes, sighing loudly. He wasn’t sure what he and Evan were doing, but to stay out of trouble with the law, Brian had accepted his new life.

It hadn’t been terrible to fall back in bed with his old friend, but it was just sex. If his younger self had been deluded into believing that was love, he knew better now.

All Brian could think at the moment was having Justin back in his life and not being allowed to have him. He had made up his mind that Justin was worth risking his freedom, but Evan was never to know about it. Keeping secrets from his husband was not something Brian wanted, but if Evan didn’t know, he wouldn’t be an accomplice if Brian and Justin's affair ever was discovered.

Brian was stepping into his loafers when his phone buzzed in his coat.

“What, Evan?”

“Stop and grab some coffee on your way in.”

“That’s what Cynthia is there for, or that new kid. What’s his name? Shane.”

“Cynthia is the scariest woman I’ve ever met, so no thanks. And Mark is helping me set up the meeting room.”

“Tall Americano with soy milk?” Brian asked, accepting his fate.

“You know it, hon.”

“Call me that again, and I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Brian hissed, but Evan had hung up. “Asshole!”

The drive to work was slow due to the morning rush. Brian parked behind Evan’s Merc, blocking his path if he wanted to leave before him. It would serve him right.

Brian walked to the coffee shop on the corner, greeting the barista by name. He had been a regular ever since the shop opened. He even helped them with promoting their coffee flavors.

“Hey, Danny! A tall Americano with soy milk, feel free to spit in it, and a tall latte with almond milk.”

“Trouble in paradise?” Danny joked.

For anyone outside their circle, Brian and Evan were the regular newlyweds.

“That’s how I express my love for him,” Brian said, fighting amusement.

While Danny prepared their drinks, a new customer stopped next to Brian, ordering a macchiato. Brian recognized Justin's voice, and turned to face him. Justin was tapping his foot impatiently, checking the time on his phone, and chewing on his lips.

“Tardiness is not accepted at Kinnetik,” Brian said casually.

Justin jumped, looking his way with large, blue eyes. Brian wanted to drag him to the nearest toilet and get reacquainted with those plush lips.

“Fuck, Brian.”

Brian licked his lips, still staring into Justin's eyes. “We could fuck.”

Justin choked on his spit. “I swear, I didn’t mean to be late. But everything’s been against me today.”

“Rough night?”

Justin looked away, his cheeks reddening. Brian restrained from asking, probing, checking on what or who Justin had done.

“Here you go, Brian!” Danny placed the hot drinks in front of him. They were already on the carrying tray.

“Thanks!” Brian pushed his drinks closer to Justin, waiting for his coffee to be done as well, so they could head into work together.

“You still own Babylon?” Justin asked suddenly.

“Last time I checked, yes.”

“I’m asking because I know your strict policy about underage kids. Has anything changed?”

“Tom is off for a week. The new guy is not as strict. I’ve noticed it too.” Brian nodded.

Justin finally got his drink, and they left. “I could tell he was young, but I didn’t really care. That is until we got outside and I asked him if he was okay to walk, because I was in the process of getting a car. He said he couldn’t wait to get his license. I didn’t give it much thought. He could have been a late bloomer. I know people who are way older than me and don’t have a driving license.”

“Okay, if that wasn’t trigger enough for how wet behind the ears he was, then what gave it away?”

“No hair,” Justin said seriously, shuddering. “He was fucking fourteen years old, Brian! In a nightclub filled with pervs and drugs and alcohol.”

“Then he’s lucky he went home with you and not some perv.” Brian laughed.

“I took him home, and told him to come back to Babylon when he was old enough.”

“Very responsible of you,” Brian admired.

“Imagine how badly I slept after such a terrible night. Then this morning, Daphne woke me up, but I decided to snooze. I startled awake when the front door slammed after her. There was no coffee in the house, because she’s doing a cleanse.” Justin rolled his eyes. “And I was halfway to Kinnetik when I realized I still had on my pajamas.”

Brian laughed loudly, opening the door of his company, gesturing for Justin to step inside. Justin whistled loudly.

“Some things have changed since you last saw it.”

“Some? I barely recognize anything. I like the new color scheme.” Justin stopped in front of a wall with the logo. He touched the wall, cocking his head. “I could have sworn this was applied on the wall. 3D painting is daring and difficult.”

“Good to hear you’re impressed. The artist tore a huge hole in our bank account with this mural.”

“I take no less than five hundred grand for something like this.”

“Close enough to what this guy wanted. It’s refreshing to hear you’re not selling yourself cheap.”

“After my last experience in New York, I won’t take a penny less than what I think the painting is worth.” Justin dropped his hand from the wall, facing Brian. “I’ll tell you when you have the time.”

“I’m curious what made you come home. Maybe lunch together?”

“If you have the time, sure.”

Brian nodded, already clearing out two hours for lunch with Justin. The world could crumble, and he wouldn’t care. Evan could take care of it.

“Let me walk you to Theodore’s new office.”

“Does he know?”

“If Evan didn’t tell him, then no. It’ll be interesting when the others find out you’re back and working for me.”

Justin scrunched his nose. “Guess we’ll have dinner at Deb’s at some point, huh?”

“Now that it’s warm outside, we have the Saturday dinner at Mikey’s. They have this fancy grill.”

“Fancy,” Justin agreed.

Brian knocked once on Ted’s door, before opening it. His old friend was focused on his laptop, typing away.

“Morning. I’ve got a surprise.”

“Aw, Bri! You shouldn’t have. I already got my coffee.” Ted held his travel mug up.

Brian stepped inside, allowing Justin to follow him.

Ted stood up, nearly dropping his mug. After placing it carefully on his desk, he walked around it, hugging Justin tightly.

Justin hugged him back, smiling brightly. “Hi, Ted! How are you?”

“I-I I’m great! This is a surprise.” Ted looked between Justin and Brian. “Visiting?”

Justin caught Brian's eyes, then focused on Ted. “Staying.”

“Justin is interested in the opening we have in the art department. Since Peter left, maybe he could replace him as the Digital Illustrator?”

“That position was filled yesterday,” Ted answered with a sad smile.

“How is that possible? Both Evan and I have to agree to this shit. We both want Justin, since he conveniently ran into Evan the other day at the diner.”

“Remember when you gave me hiring power for all the new employees after the fiasco with Betty? Cynthia and I found a good replacement for Peter. He has ten years experience in the same position.” Ted shot Justin a sheepish look. “Not that you wouldn’t be great in any Art Department spot, but this guy has worked at Seattle Advertising. He followed his wife to Pittsburgh when her job relocated here.”

Justin touched Brian's elbow. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“But don’t despair.” Ted grinned widely. “Remember that position we’ve discussed a while ago?”

Brian cringed. “How drunk was I to discuss positions with you?”

“For Kinnetik, Brian.”

“Right. Of course.” Brian couldn’t believe he had immediately thought of sex, but with Justin so close, all he could think was sex. “You mean the one I never dared to try because it requires talent and a good eye? UX and UI Designer,” he told Justin.

“That sounds out of my league,” Justin said diplomatically.

“A user experience (UX) designer is responsible for creating the way in which a product will function, which involves mapping out the flow and functionality of each screen or page that a user will interact with to make it enjoyable and effective to use. The user interface (UI) designer the creates the look and feel of a product, which involves taking the mapped out user experience and designing the visual elements.”

“I know, Brian. This sounds like a new position made just for me from what I hear. When I talked to you at the diner, it sounded like I was just going to be another member of your Art Department. I don’t want special treatment.”

“Your talent will waste away if you’re just another member of the department, trust me,” Brian said seriously.

“We could try reopening the Image Manipulator job. We eliminated it last year when Nancy left,” Ted offered as a suggestion.

“What does that entail?” Justin asked.

“Image retouchers or manipulators are responsible for enhancing or changing the appearance of a photo or other digital image to suit a project’s requirements. They can combine different images add or remove backgrounds, change colors and more to create a completely new image,” Ted explained.

“The required skills are creativity, communication, software, and an eye for detail. You’re ideal for this job,” Brian added, placing the coffees on Ted’s desk. He added sugar in his, stirred with the straw, then took a long gulp. “We had to eliminate this position when Nancy left us. She could spot any mistake or colors used incorrectly from miles away. Since then, Peter worked as both an illustrator and manipulator. Now he’s gone as well.”

“Fine! If you think I can do this, I’ll take it.”

“One question, though,” Brian said, taking a step closer to Justin. “Are you absolutely sure? I know this has been your dream, but painting is your life.”

“I plan on taking commissions every now and then, but nothing big. I will let you know beforehand if it ever happens to interfere with my work. Though, for now, I need a break from painting.”

“We really need to do lunch.”

“Is that what kids call it these days?” Ted asked in a somewhat shaky voice, but with a warning undertone.

“Mind your own business, Schmidt.”

“Go to work, I’ll stay here to talk to Ted about what’s needed for my—”

“You start immediately.” Brian checked his smart watch, ignoring the missed calls from Evan. He had felt his phone buzzing, but getting Justin hired was more important. “There’s a meeting with the Art Department in fifteen minutes. My office is still in the same place.”

“I’ll be there.” Justin nodded.

“You’re still Schmidt the Shit.” Brian saluted his old friend with his coffee cup, grabbed the other one, then left.

In the office he shared with Evan, he found his husband rotating in his chair, talking on the phone. Brian placed the tall Americano on a coaster in front of Evan, going to his desk.

Evan made a show to blow him a kiss, before diving into his coffee, still talking on the phone.

Brian couldn’t figure out who was at the other end, but it sounded like a difficult client. He booted up his laptop, looking over the agenda for today. Bless Cynthia for always having it on his desk first thing every morning since they had worked for Ryder. Brian would have missed many deadlines if it weren’t for her meticulousness. She even reminded him about important meetings at least thirty minutes before they happened.

“Unbelievable,” Evan shouted, finally hanging up. “You had to lick Brown’s ass so deep, he wouldn’t accept anything but the best from us.”

Brian scoffed. Brown was one of his oldest accounts. He had risked a lot for Brown Athletics to be part of his portfolio.

“Peter had sent them various potential digital posters for their new campaign. It looks like he’s used to you visiting him and discussing them in person. He even talked to me like I was one of your minions!”

“Evan, not many of my clients know about the new development in my life. Especially not the ones outside the city.” Brian pushed aside the page with the agenda for today. “When does he want me there?”

“Do you do this for everyone outside the city, outside the state?”

“Just the old, important ones. Now tell me, when does he want me?”

“Next week.”

Brian had one week to convince Justin to join him on the trip. It would be their best alibi to get some time alone.

 

 

 

 

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