Chapter Text
The courtroom chatter fell into a hush as the bailiff stood in front of the bench. She gave a stern look as she swerved her gaze across the sea of observers. Justin cowered further down into his seat at the very back near the door. Brian reached over and took his hand in his own. With a squeeze, he quietly reassured the younger man that he was safe.
“All rise for the Honorable Judge Hawkins.”
Justin looked at Brian, who shrugged. The two then half-stood and didn’t even address the judge personally. Brian could tell Justin was trying his best not to have a panic attack right there in front of everyone. So, he moved his hand from Justin’s and up the man’s neck with a gentle squeeze.
This was the moment of reckoning. They were about to hear the judge’s decision regarding the punishment for Chris Hobbs, Tony Calvert, and Sam O’Neil. Brian didn’t know if he was excited or terrified, or both. But throughout the trial, he’d been observing Judge Hawkins, and he got the feeling that the man wasn’t too keen on the LGBT community. Brian knew Justin needed to listen to the verdict for himself in order to believe it, but Brian wished he didn’t so they wouldn’t have to be here.
“After reviewing the facts of the case, I can see no other way forward than to hand down the following ruling. If Hobbs, Calvert, and O’Neil could all rise,” the judge cleared his throat and waited for the men to stand.
Brian watched the judge’s body language, and even before his next words, he knew they were going to get off. He held his breath and tightly grabbed Justin’s hand.
“You three young men clearly regret your actions on that night back in April. It was an unfortunate event that resulted from a few too many drinks and being accosted unnecessarily by a young man of the gay persuasion. Being as Mr. O’Neil owns an upstanding business and has never been in trouble before I am inclined to hand down a sentencing of 6 months probation and 500 hours of community service. As for Hobbs and Calvert, your boss, the Mayor, has vouched for you in his testimony. Therefore, I see no reason to give you more than 500 hours of community service.”
At that, the judge turned his eyes toward Brian and Justin’s position in the back of the courtroom. He didn’t say anything more, but Brian could see the disdain in his eyes. He could also feel Justin’s grip on him increase as if it would hold him down to earth.
“NO! Justin almost died!” Debbie suddenly stood up and screamed at the judge. “THEY TRIED TO MURDER HIM!”
Justin turned to Brian, tears in his eyes. His words were barely audible, “Can we just go?”
The two of them didn’t say a word as Brian gently led Justin out of the courthouse and to his Jeep. The plan had initially been for Justin to spend his day with Emmett while Brian returned to work after the verdict, but considering Justin could barely breathe, he knew this was going to be different. Brian didn’t waste any energy worrying if his next words were the right move or not.
“Why don’t you come spend the day with me at my office?” Brian reached across the console as he drove and placed his hand in Justin’s.
Justin didn’t respond, but Brian figured as long as he wasn’t arguing they were in the clear. As they drove across town, Brian worried about what this verdict would do to the small steps Justin had made recently with his trust in others and his ability to be out in public. Justin had mentioned to him recently that he felt the attackers would get off, but Brian knew Justin was just trying to pretend as though the worst wouldn’t bother him. Considering the young man was currently curled on himself, leaning against the Jeep window, and refusing to acknowledge Brian, he knew they were in for an extremely rough road ahead.
Sure enough, they got to Brian’s office and Justin refused to get out of the Jeep. Brian didn’t push. Instead, he sat silently, waiting for Justin to give him direction on what he wanted. But, after ten minutes, the young man was still leaning against the car door, refusing to speak or even recognize Brian was waiting for him.
“Justin,” Brian whispered, trying his best to keep the frustration out of his voice. “I have a meeting with one of our biggest clients in about 15 minutes. I figured you could wait in my office, but that requires leaving the Jeep.”
“Fuck off,” Justin muttered, not even lifting his head from where it rested on the glass.
Brian knew the kid was just trying to work through all his emotions surrounding what they’d just witnessed, but it didn’t stop his temper from flaring momentarily.
“Fine. Sit out here. I’ve got a job I need to get to anyway. You know, to pay for the shit you benefit from?” Brian turned off the Jeep and jumped out of the vehicle. Then having a momentary change of heart, added, “If you change your mind, our offices are on the third floor.”
Brian then slammed his door and left Justin to himself. He would come and check on him after his meeting with Remson. Today was not going well at all. Brian knew his making partner didn’t prevent Vance from putting him on notice if he fucked up this meeting with the client. Brian had no idea what the pharmaceutical company wanted from the firm for their latest campaign, but he was sure it would take every creative bone in his body to make it happen. Remson was one of Vanguard’s biggest clients, and Vance had a personal stake in ensuring they were always happy, which was sometimes extremely difficult.
Brian approached his office and was greeted by Cynthia, who handed him a few pink slips indicating people who had called while he was out.
“Brown Athletics called, asking when they were going to get the mockup for their new campaign. Leo made sure to emphasize that he could easily go back to their old marketing firm at the snap of a finger.” Cynthia relayed, “As if you aren’t aware of the volatility of certain clients.”
Brian simply nodded, acknowledging that he had heard her. “Anything else?”
“Yes, Michael called multiple times but said he’d catch you later. And your mother called, but I told her that you’d call her back when hell froze over.”
Brian smiled at his assistant, “Cyn, what would I do without you?”
“Get fired.” Cynthia shrugged with a smirk and went back to her desk. Brian was almost fully in his office when she added, “Oh, and Gardner wants to see you.”
“Fuck.” Brian muttered under his breath, not sure what his partner could possibly want from him moments before they’d be in a meeting together.
Brian turned back around and headed down the hall toward Gardner’s office. His assistant let him through without a fuss. The man was on the phone when Brian first opened the door, but he lifted his hand up and motioned for Brian to enter and close the door behind him. Brian tried to wrack his brain for any kind of misstep he could’ve taken in the last few months, but he came up empty. He’d gone out of his way recently to travel for a client and spent longer hours at the office to ensure all their current clients’ campaigns continued without any hiccups. All of this despite wanting to be home with Justin, helping him to recover.
Gardner hung up the phone and gave Brian a tight-lipped smile. “Kinney. Do you know why I’ve asked you here today?”
Brian raised his eyebrows and frowned, “Not a clue, Vance. What’s up?”
“What’s up is you’re just now coming into the office, and it’s almost noon. We have a very important meeting with Remson in a few moments, and I’ve heard nothing from you about how prepared we are. Finally, you seem to feel that being a partner means you can do as you please.”
Brian’s blood started to boil. All of these issues were easily explained away without Vance trying to humiliate him.
“Because we are both partners at this firm, I’m going to let this behavior slide this time. But, in the future, Vance ,” Brian made sure to emphasize his name, “I’d appreciate it if you only bother me if my work is actually suffering. Don’t worry about Remson unless this meeting today concludes with them unhappy. It’s my account. Let me handle it without you breathing down my neck.”
Brian took a deep breath and stood up, “As for today, I told you last week I wouldn’t be in until late today because it was the day I needed to be in court for the sentencing. You know, the assholes who almost killed my…” Brian paused, not sure what word to use for Justin, “My partner.” He finished a lump in his throat.
Gardner gave him a look that teetered between annoyance and disdain for everything Brian had just said.
“Regardless, a court case is not a valid reason to miss work.” Vance was clearly trying to teach Brian something, a lesson that was unnecessary.
“I never take time off, so consider it sick leave,” Brian stated before he stalked out of Gardner Vance’s office. He wasn’t going to let the man walk all over him. There was no harm in what Brian had done today, none at all. Vance was just trying to assert his dominance now that he and Brian were equals.
Brian made it back to his office with just enough time to grab his notes for Remson and then turn back around to head toward the conference room. He didn’t even have time to stop and release his pressure valve with Cynthia. So, instead, he angrily swept his arm across his desk, scattering everything to the floor. It helped, and without a second glance, he left the mess as an after-this-meeting kind of problem.
The meeting with Remson went as well as Brian could’ve hoped. They were intent on doing a rebranding for one of their erectile dysfunction drugs. Brian already had a few ideas in mind by the time they adjourned until their next meeting the following week. He felt that Remson left pretty happy, or at least as happy as they could be, considering Brian isn’t a mind reader and couldn’t have possibly come to the initial planning meeting with idea mockups. But, one look toward Vance and he knew the man wasn’t happy. Fuck him .
Brian pinched the bridge of his nose as the Remson representatives left the room. He knew Vance had some choice words to say, and Brian really wasn’t in the mood, but he also wasn’t in the mood to rock the boat any more than it already was.
“Good job keeping the client mullified today,” Vance stated before walking out of the room without another word.
Brian stood there in confusion. Vance had given him a look that would kill not five minutes ago, and now he was praising him. The fuck?! Brian desperately needed a drink, but he still had at least seven hours of work left in his day to make up for the time he missed this morning. So, instead, he trudged back to his office, slumped behind his desk, and closed his eyes in the hopes of fighting off a migraine that was tickling at the edges of his brain.
A moment later, Cynthia came in, dimmed his lights, and handed him a glass of water with a couple of migraine pills.
“Here, something tells me today has been shit already, and it’s only 12:30.” Cynthia accompanies her kindness with words of understanding. “I mean, you didn’t even notice the young man sleeping on your couch when you came in.”
She motioned behind her, and Brian looked over. Sure enough, there on his couch was the rumpled, sleeping form of Justin. He bit back the smile that wanted to cross his face at the knowledge that Justin didn’t completely hate him.
“When…” Brian started before pausing, unable to find the right words.
“A minute after you trashed your office and went to the Remson meeting. He straightened things up for you, by the way. Even though I told him to leave it.” Cynthia gave Brian a knowing look.
“Don’t,” Brian warned.
“I’m just saying. It’s obvious you care about him. So, why are you busting your ass here every night instead of being with him ?”
“Because,” Brian sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again, “If I don’t bust my ass, Vance will find some reason to fire me. I can’t lose my job.”
“You’re a partner here. Fuck him.” Cynthia smirked at her slight joke.
“Which means I have to work twice as hard, not less.” Brian bit his lip, “Thanks for letting him into my office.”
“I know you say you can’t lose this job, but what about him? Can you bear to lose him?” Cynthia gave him a questioning look and then gracefully exited his office.
Left alone in his office with Justin, Brian allowed himself to smile at the younger man. He hated that Cynthia was right. The thought of Justin not being around was something Brian didn’t want to think about ever becoming a reality. But, at the back of his mind, he knew there was a good chance that if Brian’s inability to form attachments didn’t eventually get to Justin, their difference in sexual needs probably would.
Brian wanted to talk with Justin about his sexuality and how they could work together with Brian’s insatiable need for physical release. However, his irrational fear of people leaving him forced him to take pause. If he started to put to word his insecurities Justin would see he wasn’t as confident about them as he presented and would definitely look for companionship elsewhere. No, he would have to shelve that conversation for another day — a day far, far into the future.
Two days later, Brian was getting ready for work, and Justin was still in bed. As Brian worked to tie his tie, he trudged over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He gently pulled the blankets back and ran his fingers through Justin’s hair. As he did so, Justin winced in his sleep and grunted uncomfortably. That’s when Brian noticed the blond’s hand twitching before it seized up in a sort of claw.
“Justin,” Brian urged the young man by shaking his shoulder. “Come on. It’s time to get up. We have to do your hand stretches.”
Justin opened his eyes enough to throw a glare Brian’s way before saying, “fuck off.”
Brian bit his lip. He didn’t want to be more aggressive with the young man because he deserved to dictate his own coping method, but if Justin ever wanted to draw like he used to again, he needed to keep up with his PT and OT.
With a final sigh, Brian stood up and added. “Okay. Let your hand wither and die. No skin off my back. In fact, I’ll save money on all the therapy you won’t be doing anymore.”
Michael and Emmett hated it when Brian approached people that way. But he knew Justin needed to feel like Brian wasn’t put out by his condition. Brian understood because he was the same way. Relying on someone felt good initially but soon became guilt the longer you required assistance.
He left the loft without ensuring Justin got out of bed. He knew that if Justin didn’t go to his mental health therapist today, the doctor would call and inquire about his headspace. So, the older man was determined to get things done for Remson before that call inevitably came. Before going to the office, Brian made a pit stop at Liberty Diner for a coffee and muffin. He didn’t often eat heavy carbs like that early in the day, but he already knew today would be long and stressful.
Emmett sat at the counter, eating his usual donut with a fork. Brian shook his head at the younger man as he sat beside him.
“Honeycutt, you do realize no one here is going to take away your sugar coma?” Brian flipped a coffee mug over and quietly signaled for Debbie to come over.
Debbie approached a moment later, “Hey, Bri. How’s Justin doing? He was supposed to work yesterday but didn’t show up.”
Brian looked between the expectant gazes of his friend and surrogate mother. How much should he share about Justin’s current headspace?
“He’s fine. He’s coping.” Brian shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. “Could I get a blueberry muffin?”
“Isn’t it a bit early for carbs like that?” Emmett looked at him incredulously.
Brian rolled his eyes. “If you must know, Vance has been all over my ass about this new pharmaceutical account, and with Justin and his therapy, things have been…” Then he shrugged and reached for the muffin, shoving a piece of it into his mouth.
“You know, Brian. We’re here to help if you can’t handle Justin.” Debbie cut in. Brian knew she meant well, but still, his temper flared.
“I’m fine! He’s fine. He just needs a few days. You would too if the law basically denied the attack that almost killed you even happened.” Brian threw down a few bills, picked up the remainder of his muffin, and stalked out of the diner.
The moment he made it to his office, Cynthia was there with a harried look on her face. She told Brian that Vance had been looking for him. Brian groaned and told Cynthia to ring Vance and tell him to come to Brian’s office for a change.
Moments later, his partner was standing in front of Brian’s desk, making things extremely awkward. Brian motioned for the man to take a seat, but he refused. So, Brian stood up, went over to his bar cart, and offered the man a drink, which he did accept.
“So, what can I do for you?” Brian asked, trying to hide the annoyance he felt having to steer the conversation that he didn’t even ask for.
“You know how you managed to sign Brown Athletics?” Vance anxiously tugged on his hands.
“Yes…” Brian gave the older man a quizzical brow. “And?”
“Well, Leo Brown called me last night to let me know he isn’t happy with the current speed at which his new campaign is being designed and then put out to the public. I tried to smooth things over, but he insisted on meeting with ‘That Brian Kinney’ face to face.” Vance started to bite his lip.
“When is he coming here?” Brian asked, mentally clocking his schedule for the week, hoping to find an empty slot to squeeze Leo Brown into.
“He’s not.” Vance paused, and once Brian caught his eye, he finished, “You are going to Chicago to meet with him. Your flight leaves in 4 hours.”
“Gardner!” Brian put his glass down. “This is completely unreasonable. I need more time than that to pack. And what about the Remson campaign? Couldn’t you convince Leo Brown to come here?”
“You’re staff has fumbled the ball with Brown Athletics and you want us to ask Leo Brown to come here in order to smooth it over?” Vance gave him a hard look, “Do whatever it takes to make sure your ass is on that plane at 1 pm.”
He moved to leave Brian’s office, “As for Remson, I gave the account to Derek. This way, you can focus on Brown Athletics.”
The minute his office door closed behind Vance’s retreating form, Brian downed the rest of his drink and threw the glass across the room, watching as it shattered upon hitting the wall. He gave out a “FUCK” for good measure, too. With a sigh, he gathered up his things once more and left his office. As he passed Cynthia’s desk, she gave him a sympathetic smile. This trip was putting a major wrench into his current life situation. Justin wasn’t in a good place to be left on his own for at least 2 days straight. He didn’t want to ask Debbie because he didn’t have the energy to deal with her questions.
As he drove back to his loft to quickly pack a bag and get back over to the airport, Brian called the person he’d never admit to trusting if asked point blank but would kill for, Emmett Honeycutt.
“Hey, Em. I need a favor.” Brian greeted his friend the moment the man picked up the line. “Can you meet me at my loft right now?”
“Aren’t you at work?” Emmett asked, then caught himself and gasped, “Did something happen to Justin?”
“No, and no. I just need you to come over, please.” Brian parked his jeep and got out.
“Sure. I will be there shortly. I gotta catch a cab.” Emmett responded.
“Whatever. Just get here. I’m on a time crunch.” Brian sighed before hanging up the phone.
Entering the apartment was weird. He usually wasn’t home during this hour on a Thursday. He could hear the shower running, which he took as a good sign. It meant that Justin had actually gotten out of bed. Maybe the kid would go to his mental health appointment this afternoon. Brian went to his closet and pulled out his overnight suitcase and started to put items into it. The more he packed, the angrier he got at Vance.
His boss knew that he was dealing with some stuff here at home. He knew that Brian didn’t want to travel right now. And instead of going in Brian’s stead, he had insisted the brunet uproot his established routine with no notice.
Just as the shower turned off, there was a knock at the door. Brian crossed the loft and slid open the door to let Emmett inside. The younger man looked at Brian’s harried demeanor and immediately switched over to his Auntie Em persona. Brian let Emmett fuss over him for a few minutes, knowing his longtime friend needed to feel like he was helping before he cut the man off.
“Honeycutt. Could you stop for a moment? I need you to focus.” Brian looked over his shoulder but couldn’t see Justin yet, which meant the blond was still in the bathroom.
“I have to travel to Chicago this afternoon. I won’t be gone more than 2 days, but if it runs longer than that, I’ll call to let you know.” Brian placed a hand on Emmett’s shoulder and gave him a serious look.
“One, don’t call me Honeycutt. And two, why do you need me to watch the loft?” Emmett’s look of confusion painted every feature on his face.
“He doesn’t. He’s asking you to babysit me.” Justin’s voice was suddenly right beside him, and Brian steeled his expression before turning to him.
“You were in the shower.” Brian shrugged as a way of explaining his lack of collaboration on this with Justin.
“And you didn’t want me to know you were asking someone to babysit me. I’m fine. You can go away without me freaking out.” Justin tried to argue with Brian, but the subtle insecurity in his eyes told Brian the opposite.
“Don’t think of it as babysitting.” Emmett stepped forward and wrapped Justin up in his arms despite the younger man being naked except for a towel. “Think of it as a sleepover.”
Brian pulled Justin away from Emmett and into the bedroom. Once they were alone, Brian turned Justin to face him and looked intensely into the young man’s eyes.
“Please. Just do this for me.” Brian’s voice was barely above a whisper. He knew by the look on Justin’s face that the blond understood how hard it was for Brian to admit this vulnerability. “I’d feel better knowing you aren’t alone.”
Justin still refused to agree. Instead, he glared at Brian and huffed before stepping completely away from the older man.
“I’m not made of glass! I won’t break the moment you aren’t around.”
“I know.” Brian sighed. Then, against his better judgment, he stepped into Justin’s space once more. This time, he wrapped the blond up into a tight hug. “I also know you still have nightmares that can be pretty intense. I don’t want you to be alone.”
When Justin continued to hesitate, Brian dropped the final hammer. “It’s either Emmett stays here with you, or I pack you up and ship you off to your mom’s.”
That got Justin’s attention. “Fine. Emmett can babysit me.”
Brian kissed Justin on the lips. “I’ll be back by Saturday, I promise.” Then he pulled away and finished up packing.
As he put his clothes into his bag, he could feel Justin’s eyes tracking him. There was a small comfort that settled into his chest, knowing that Justin didn’t want him to leave any more than he wanted to. The blond quietly got dressed and then sat down on the bed to watch Brian’s movements. This would be a test of how good Justin’s mental health actually was. The last time Brian left for a few days, Justin had stayed with Debbie and Vic. This time, Justin would essentially be on his own. Emmett wasn’t going to hover, and he had his own life to keep. His purpose was just to be sure Justin wasn’t alone at night.
Brian grabbed his packed bag and walked back toward the loft door. Justin followed him, and they both paused in the front area where Emmett was patiently waiting.
“Thanks, Em. You don’t have to change any of your plans, just be here at night. Okay?” Brian placed a hand on Emmett’s shoulder as the Southerner nodded in understanding.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got all eyes on Justin.” Emmett responded enthusiastically.
Justin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Brian’s waist, preventing him from leaving. Brian dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around Justin’s back to complete the embrace. He closed his eyes and breathed in Justin’s scent. He whispered reassurance to the younger man.
“If I’m going to be later than Saturday, I will call.” He gazed into Justin’s eyes until the young man nodded.
“I’ll call every night to check in,” Brian concluded before he kissed Justin once more and stepped away from him.
There was a heaviness in his chest as he climbed into the car service he’d ordered to take him to the airport. A feeling in his gut told him he shouldn’t be leaving town. That Justin wasn’t in a good place for that. But, his logical ‘I need to keep my job’ side won out, crushing his anxiety down so low he could ignore it.
The next morning, Brian sat across from Leo Brown in his conference room and listened as the man lodged his formal complaints. Brian nodded along, and once Leo was done speaking, he responded.
“I apologize for the delay on your campaign. I’m usually much more on top of things than this. I’ve just had a lot on my plate between work and home. I wasn’t aware that my team hadn’t gotten your revisions back to you yet. Let’s work this out.” Brian gave Leo Brown his most genuine smile before grabbing at the phone on the table.
“Hello, Tyler. I’ve got Leo Brown here with me, and he’s wondering where his revised mockups are. They were supposed to be done two days ago. Is there anything I can do to hurry this along?” Brian looked up at Leo as they both listened to Tyler scrambling on his end.
“Sorry, Mr. Kinney. I thought we sent that to you on Friday last week, but now I see that it simply got buried here on my desk.”
“Well, fax it over to Leo Brown’s office immediately. If you need assistance with that, you can borrow Cynthia. She’ll know where to send it.” Brian rubbed his temple and hung up the phone.
He looked at Leo Brown and said, “I take full responsibility for your project slipping through the cracks. The buck stops with me, and I failed to follow up.”
“Brian, I like you. You’ve got balls and a passion for advertising that Gardner Vance lacks. I asked you to come here because I needed to see for myself that you’re okay.” Brown responded, a kindness to his voice that Brian had never heard from him. “Mistakes happen. I’m not going to leave Vanguard.”
“You aren’t?” Brian stumbled. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had Vance simply oversold the severity of the situation? Or had Leo Brown pulled on Vance’s leg in order to get Brian here in person?
“There is no one I trust more with my campaigns than you.” Leo Brown cleared his throat, “Now, let’s go get some lunch, and when we get back, we can go over the mockups.”
When Brian got back to his loft late on Saturday, he found Emmett sitting on his couch watching an old romance film on a very low volume. The lamp beside him was on a low setting, and the loft was otherwise quiet. He strode over toward the bedroom and saw the lumpy form of Justin sleeping.
“How’d everything go?” Emmett stood up, turning off the TV.
“Fine. Turns out, Leo Brown just wanted some face time with me so he played it up for Vance so that I’d have no choice but to travel.” Brian shrugged and then rubbed his hands down his face. “Didn’t help that I totally dropped the ball and caused this whole situation.”
“You’ve been juggling a lot.” Emmett smiled gently and squeezed Brian’s arm. “Now that you are back, I’m going to go spend my evening with George. He’s been talking about taking us on a trip around the world.”
“How is he?” Brian reluctantly asked. He didn’t want to know about George, but Emmett had done him this huge favor, so he felt he owed his friend the least bit of respect.
“He’s good. His ex-wife is still giving him some trouble about his whole ‘being gay’ thing.” Emmett sighed and put air quotes around the last words.
Brian chuckled. He glanced toward his bed once more, “How was he?”
Emmett’s face faltered. His smile from talking about George fell away, and he nervously glanced in the same direction. He wrung his hands and bit his bottom lip before finally responding.
“He barely left the bed. I wasn’t here all the time, but I could always tell he’d stayed in bed the whole day.”
“Did he go to his therapy appointment on Thursday or Friday?” Brian bit his lip. He knew he’d told Justin on Thursday morning that he didn’t care either way, but he did. Justin needed to keep up his therapy if he ever hoped to move forward.
Emmett shook his head without a word.
“Fuck.” Brian swore under his breath.
Emmett stepped forward and placed a hand on Brian’s shoulder, “I know you said you can handle it, but I’m worried about him. He barely left the bed the whole time you were gone. That’s not normal.”
“I meant to call him each night I was gone, but I only managed it once. He seemed fine when we talked, but I know he’s good at hiding that from me when I’m not standing in front of him.” Brian sighed and let his shoulders sag. “I just don’t know how to get him to care.”
“Maybe you aren’t the one that will get him there. Maybe he needs someone else.” Emmett shrugged. “I’ll come by tomorrow and take him with me to the farmer’s market.”
Brian nodded and smiled at Emmett as he left the loft without a second glance.
Once Emmett was gone, Brian walked toward the bathroom, somewhat undressing along the way. He toed his shoes off by his bedroom alcove and waited until he was in the bathroom to completely pull off his shirt and pants. He climbed into the shower and released a sigh as the warm water ran over him, untying the knots in his very tense muscles.
A moment later, he heard the door to the shower open but didn’t turn around. He knew it was Justin, so he waited for the younger man to make physical contact with him. Sure enough, Justin soon got to work running the bar of soap along Brian’s back. Brian let his worries about Justin’s mental health fall away as his body responded to his partner’s touch.
“I missed you,” Justin whispered before turning Brian’s body around and placing a kiss on the older man’s neck. “Emmett was here, but it’s not the same.”
“I promise I won’t go away again without notice. It’s not fair to either of us.” Brian looked Justin up and down, clocking every little detail. Brian noticed that Justin looked wrecked, like his nerves were on fire and his anxiety was in overdrive.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Justin looked down and shuffled his feet.
“Justin.” Brian gently grabbed Justin’s chin and raised his head until the blond was looking at him, “I know you don’t trust anything right now, but please trust me on this.”
Justin just nodded but didn’t say anything. They continued to wash each other in silence. Brian was worried about Justin’s despondency, but his touches pushed those thoughts further and further from Brian’s mind the more time he spent in Justin’s embrace.
Much later, they were lying in bed, Brian with his hand in Justin’s hair, absentmindedly playing with it while the young blond nestled his head on Brian’s chest. As much as Brian played the aloof asshole, he really did worry about his friends and family. Justin’s mental health was concerning him to the point his thoughts wouldn’t leave him alone about it.
“Sunshine, promise me you’ll call your doctors on Monday and schedule a session with them. You missed both psych and the PT this week.” Brian whispered his voice gravelly with emotion he couldn’t let out. “Not to mention, I really think you should see your psychiatrist more than once a week.”
“I’m fine,” Justin murmured against Brian’s chest. “But I’ll call and reschedule on Monday.”
“Thank you,” Brian whispered. The two fell silent, and Brian continued to stroke Justin’s head until the younger man fell asleep, sending Brian into dreamland as well.
The next day, Emmett showed up at the loft just shy of 9:30. Brian was prepared for the Southerner to be early, but that didn’t mean he had to be excited about it. Sundays were his sleep-in til noon days, but here he was, letting his friend into his home before the sun had even reached its peak in the summer sky.
“Morning, Kinney.” Emmett smiled brightly at the brunet, a wicked twinkle in his eyes. “Mikey is coming with us to the market this morning. We are meeting him there. Do you wanna join?”
“I’d much rather slit my wrists. But you enjoy it to your heart's content, Honeycutt.” Brian smirked, lifted his coffee mug to his mouth, and glanced toward the bed. Justin was still sleeping.
“I’ll go wake him up,” Emmett whispered, leaning over to place his hand on Brian’s bicep. The older man glanced at Emmett’s hand as if the touch stung. Emmett quickly removed it and went after Justin.
Brian started to brew some more coffee. Over the past few months, he’d spent a lot of time with Justin and had learned exactly how the younger man likes his coffee. He is putting the finishing touches on it when he feels Justin’s presence enter the kitchen area. He turns slightly, without looking, and hands the mug over to the blond. Justin takes it with a noncommittal grunt.
Brian then looked at the man and saw that despite sleeping soundly all night, with no nightmares for once, Justin still looked as though he hadn’t slept at all. Brian reached out to cup the back of Justin’s neck in comfort, but the younger man brushed him off.
“Please don’t,” Justin muttered. He looked into Brian’s eyes, and what Brian saw reflected broke his heart. Justin had completely closed himself off. The usual sparkle in his eyes was gone.
A few minutes later, when Justin escaped to the bathroom to freshen up, Brian turned to Emmett. Concern laced his every feature, and his voice came out more desperate than he’d ever allowed it to be before.
“Em, you have to help him. Find a way to bring his sparkle back. Please.” Brian placed his hand on the Southerner’s shoulder.
“Don’t you worry. I know just the trick.” Emmett smiled at Brian and patted Brian’s hand with his own.
“Why does that worry me even more?” Brian gave Emmett a questioning look. “Please return him to me in one piece.”
“You know, you could just come with us and find out for yourself what we have in store.” Emmett winked at Brian.
Brian rolled his eyes and sighed. He’d known Emmett and his manipulative manner for almost a decade. And yet, he still managed to be surprised when he found himself looking down the barrel of spending his Sunday with his boyfriend, the Southerner, and his best friend doing god only knew what. All because Emmett knew that Brian would bother the fuck out of them the whole time they were gone if he didn’t go along. So, Brian opened his mouth to accept Emmett’s final offer.
Only Justin chose that moment to show up. “Em, relax. I don’t need Brian to tag along and babysit me.” He then turned to Brian and added, “We will be fine. I promise.”
Justin leaned over and kissed Brian on the lips. Then he turned around, dragged Emmett with him, and walked out of the loft entirely.
Brian didn’t know what to do with himself. Emmett coming round to collect Justin had put his entire typical Sunday routine in disarray. He would go back to bed and sleep, but he’d already downed a cup of coffee, and his brain was constantly thinking about what Justin was doing. Knowing that his plan was out the window, Brian walked over to his computer and turned it on. Might as well work on Brown’s campaign to get it back on track.
A few hours later, Brian is pulled out of the focus on his work by the sound of the door sliding open. He put the final touches on his notes about the current mock-up and turned toward the new arrivals. He gave a small smile as his eyes made contact with Justin. The blond seemed energized and was smiling. Soon after him, Emmett and Michael entered the loft. Michael was rambling on and on about some comic that Brian couldn’t discern from the context clues.
“Yes! And the secret identity could be something that signifies his most identifiable personality trait.” Michael walked past Justin and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge.
Brian stood up and lifted an eyebrow at Emmett, who shrugged. He walked over to Justin and cupped the back of the young man’s head as he pulled him in for a kiss. Justin melted into Brian’s touch and actively participated in what quickly turned into a passionate makeout session. After a bit, Brian pulled away, moved his hand from the back of Justin’s head, and wrapped his arm around the blond’s shoulder, moving his body to stand side-by-side.
“What is he going on about?” Brian whispered into Justin’s ear.
The blond grinned and shook his head, “Michael is convinced he and I could write a comic book together. I do the art while he writes the story.”
“Oh, that could be fun.” Brian shrugged and subtly tried to encourage Justin to agree to the venture.
“RAGE!” Michael suddenly exclaimed. Brian, Emmett, and Justin all stood there and stared at him.
“What are you angry about, baby,” Emmett asked, looking concerned.
“No, that could be our hero’s name!” Michael was so excited he was bouncing on the balls of his feet. “He could be this powerful executive by day, kind of like Bruce Wayne, and a vengeful vigilante by night.”
“But they’ve already done that with Batman.” Brian pointed out, referring to Michael’s Bruce Wayne comment.
“No, but Rage would be different. He’d be this sexy executive who has money but not enough to be above everyone else. He’s no millionaire. And he could come from humble beginnings, fighting for his position as an executive.” Michael was clearly so excited about his idea that Brian didn’t have the heart to tell him this sounded boring as hell.
“Okay, but what about him makes him worth caring about?” Emmett tried to help. Emmett wasn’t a fan of comic books, but he loved a good drama.
“Well, obviously, he’s openly gay!” Michael looked from person to person, not sure why no one understood his excitement about this.
“Obviously.” Brian and Justin share a smirk and roll their eyes at each other.
Michael stopped, grew really quiet, and started to play with the paper on the water bottle. Then, he looked up nervously at Justin.
“I actually had an idea, but if it's something that makes you uncomfortable…” Michael stopped talking and bit his bottom lip.
“Just spit it out, Mikey.” Brian sighed, his arm tightening around Justin’s shoulder as if protecting him. He knew what Michael was about to propose, but he wasn’t sure how Justin would take it.
“What if Rage saves the life of a gay teenager? I know you aren’t a teen, but making the comic book character a teen could make it more interesting. Not that getting queer bashed is interesting.” Michael started to ramble and lose focus on what he was trying to say.
“So,” Justin pulled himself closer to Brian’s side as he started to speak. “You want me to draw pictures for a comic that centers on a gay superhero vigilante who saves the life of a gay teen who’s been bashed?”
“Like I said, if it’s too hard…” Michael looked at Justin expectantly.
Brian prepared himself to redirect the conversation should Justin start to freak out. However, the young blond surprised him.
“And the reason that matters is because the act breaks the lock Rage has around his heart. Our intrepid hero falls in love with the young man.” Justin’s eyes suddenly lit up in a way Brian hadn’t seen since before he was bashed.
“Yes, and sends him on a trajectory for stepping in and helping with gay issues instead of just violently beating up any old criminals!” Michael was jumping around again.
“YES! He becomes the gay crusader! But we have to make sure he’s not the typical superhero. With a name like Rage, he has to be a darker hero who hides his true nature even when he’s living his non-superhero life.” Justin added.
Brian used his free hand to rub it across his mouth to hide the smile that threatened to grow. His eyes caught Emmett’s, and the two friends smiled at one another. If this was anything to go on, Justin would be back on track for working past his trauma in no time.
“I’m in.” Brian heard Justin reply to whatever Michael had said while Brian had zoned out.