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VICE VERSA - CHAPTER EIGHT
Justin studies the work of art propped on Missy's child-sized easel. Trying to decipher exactly what it is, he points to a particularly pleasing blob in the bottom corner. "This is a pretty color."
"I like purple." Missy fidgets with her clothes and tugs at her smock, code for being tired and wanting to quit for the day. "I done now, Daddy."
"Okay, but remember you have to rinse out your brush first?" Justin walks her over to the sink in his studio and turns on the water, helping her drain the last traces of violet from the bristles. "So tomorrow's the big day, you know. Are you ready to be the best little flower girl in the whole wide world?"
Missy looks up at her daddy with the saddest eyes he's ever seen. "I not have any flowers."
Justin shuts off the water and lays her brush out to dry. "Emmett has your bouquet all ready for you. What's the matter, honey? Did you forget what you're going to do again?"
Shaking her head yes, Missy's eyes cloud up with tears.
"Come and sit with me." Justin unsnaps Missy's smock in the back and takes it off of her. Then he carries her to his easy chair in the corner and settles her into his lap for the same talk he, Daphne, and Brian have given her numerous times before. "You're going to walk down the aisle in front of Brian and me and sprinkle the flower petals from your basket onto the floor. When you get to the front of the hall, you'll sit with Grandma Jen, Aunt Molly, Grandma Dorothy, and Grandpa Roy and be real quiet while the minister performs the ceremony. It'll be over before you know it, and then the big party will start. You can do that, right?"
Missy's still frowning when Brian comes in and sits in the other chair.
"Hey."
"Hey. How's it going in here? The princess doesn't look very happy."
Justin kisses Missy's cheek. "We just had the talk. Again."
Brian smiles at her. "We'll remind you what to do right before the wedding starts, okay, sweetie?" He looks at Justin, holding his eyes with his own. "Are you nervous? About tomorrow?"
"No. Are you?"
"No."
"That's good." Justin reaches out for Brian's hand. "'Cause Missy's jittery enough for both of us."
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Brian's roused out of a deep sleep by Justin's tongue tickling his rim and dipping in and out of his hole. Gradually stirring, he parts his legs and murmurs into his pillow. "I was dreaming it was our wedding day and you were licking my ass before you fucked me awake."
Justin coats his early morning hard-on with lube and works its swelled up head through Brian's first ring of muscle. "Happy to make your dreams come true. Especially on our wedding day." He glides the rest of the way in with one push, pumping slowly at first and then quickening his pace when Brian raises his hips off the bed and starts to rear backward on every thrust. Soon jamming the head of his cock into Brian's prostate over and over, he feels the tug in his balls. Slamming Brian's ass for the last time, Justin memorizes the vivid hues darting around behind his eyelids while his dick explodes. "Fuck, Brian! I fucking love fucking you every fucking morning!"
"Good thing that's your job."
Collapsing onto Brian, Justin leaves soft little kisses up and down his back. He sighs and lays his chin on Brian's shoulder. "Remember the zillions of condoms we went through the first year?"
"I heard Trojan went out of business when we started fucking raw. What made you think of condoms?"
"I don't know." Justin rolls off of Brian and lies beside him, peering into his eyes. "I guess because every time I slip my bare cock inside you, I fall a little more in love with you. I just wanted to tell you that."
Struggling to corral his emotions into a manageable lot, Brian takes Justin in his arms. "The first time I fucked you without a condom, I cried."
"You never looked more beautiful to me." Justin's hand snakes in between them and grasps Brian's rigid cock. He jerks him a few times and then crawls down to take him into his mouth. Deep-throating Brian's oozing dick, Justin sucks him to the verge of eruption several times before he finally drinks every drop of come out of his body.
Brian shudders through his pleasure, hardly believing they'll be married before the end of the day. "I love you, Justin. I choose to love you every day for the rest of my life."
Hoping he never wakes from this dream, Justin inches back up to Brian's face. "We need to shower and shave. We have a wedding to get to!"
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"Missy, hold still. Let me buckle your shoe." Daphne crouches down by her daughter's foot, trying not to wrinkle her long satin dress. "There's Emmett with your bouquet. Don't forget to say thank you when he gives it to you."
"Oh, my God, Daphne! Mauve is your color!" Emmett waits for her to stand back up and gives her a hug. Then he smiles at Missy. "Look at you! You're the prettiest flower girl I've ever seen!" Handing her the all-important prop, he shows her how to get the loose petals from the bottom of the basket and drop them as she walks down the aisle.
Missy takes one look at the bouquet and beams from ear to ear. "Thank you!"
Emmett glances at the large clock on the wall. "Ten minutes till showtime!" he announces, flitting off to perform the next item on his checklist. This wedding needs to come off without a hitch.
Daphne tucks an errant curl into Missy's ponytail and kisses the top of her head. "I should get up to the front of the hall now. Please be good for Daddy and Brian."
"I be good."
"Justin, you look so cool in that suit and tie!" Daphne hugs him around the neck on her way out of the dressing room. "You know what it reminds me of?"
"St. fucking James!" they say together, laughing through one more hug.
"Oh, shit! The rings!" Brian grabs the velvet boxes out of the inside pocket of his jacket. "Emmett! Can you get these up to Michael? I forgot to give them to him!"
Appearing at Brian's side, Emmett does his level best to stay calm. "Daphne's going. She can take them. Let me catch her . . . Daphne?!"
Brian quits primping in the full-length mirror and sidles up to Justin. "Is it too late for me to have a quick smoke?" he asks, the look on Justin's face squelching that idea.
"The minister's taking his place. Let's have a wedding!" Emmett takes ahold of Missy's hand and leads her toward the door. "Brian? Justin? Let's go!"
The Versace-clad grooms share their last kiss as unmarried men before Brian crooks his arm and Justin slips his hand through the opening. Following Emmett and Missy to the back of the golden gardenia-scented hall, neither is more sure of any decision he's ever made.
"Daddy?" Missy's little voice pierces the quiet just as Emmett's about to cue the string quartet and send her down the aisle.
"What?" Justin and Brian answer at the same time.
"I the flower girl!" She lifts her bouquet up high, just in case either of them has missed it.
"Aww . . ." A low rumble of subdued laughter reverberates from among the seated guests as they twist around to see, "She's so adorable!" and "They're so handsome!" and "Everything's so gorgeous!" wafting through the air.
Other than thirteen-year-old Molly getting up to collect her niece when she can't quite remember what happens after the long walk in front of her daddies, the marriage of Mr. Brian Kinney and Mr. Justin Taylor begins beautifully. As previously decided, the short ceremony consists of reciting the vows, exchanging the rings, and the minister's joyous pronouncement that Brian and Justin are now man and . . . man.
The sloppy kiss that follows elicits cheers and applause from their family and friends, punctuated by Debbie's distinct approval, which begins as a polite cackle and evolves into a hearty wolf call. Brian's fingertips comb Justin's silky hair out of his eyes when they finally separate, Justin unable to keep from blushing.
Within fifteen minutes of their stroll down the aisle, the newlyweds walk hand in hand through a rainfall of confetti, leading the migration to the reception room next door. More or less mobbed by hugging well-wishers, each wraps an arm behind the other's waist, standing glued together as they receive an outpouring of love.
Emmett oversees the wait staff's serving of champagne and hors d'oeuvres, signaling the live deejay to start spinning records a few minutes later. Unplanned is the first dance for the grooms and their mothers, but he orchestrates it on the spot, nudging first Jennifer and then Debbie to get out there with their sons.
When Justin makes it back into Brian's arms, he knows as well as he knows his own name the first thing Brian will whisper in his ear.
"I need to fuck you. You look really hot."
Well, fifty percent of it, anyway! "This is our wedding reception, Brian. We're the guests of honor."
"So?"
"Point taken."
Brian waits until several couples and small groups start to fill the parquet dance floor before he hauls his husband off to the nearest men's room, their partying guests tactfully feigning ignorance of their disappearance.
Only Missy sees fit to state the obvious. She looks up at Daphne, wide-eyed and concerned. "Where my daddies went?"
"Daddies?" Daphne stalls for time, scrambling to come up with something. "They, um, have to get more ice for the drinks."
Michael groans and rolls his eyes at her. "Ice?!" he mouths, laughing harder than anyone else within earshot.
Daphne shrugs, raising her arms outward. "She caught me off guard!"
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"You brought lube to our wedding?!"
"I was horny when we were leaving the house." Brian drops the travel-size bottle back into his pocket after he spreads a generous glob between Justin's cheeks, pinning him face-first against the bathroom wall in the appropriately named Rainbow Gardens Wedding and Reception Hall.
Touting itself as hosting many a diverse union in the Southern Hills area, they make sure to christen it with their own special brand of diversity. With suit pants lowered just below their hips, Brian's palms cover the back of Justin's hands on the wall above their heads, the silver wedding bands on their left ring fingers tapping together over and over again.
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"Brian, Missy's school is on line two."
"Thanks, Cynthia." Brian sets the latest contraption he's supposed to be selling down on his desk, frowning at it. "Can you get ahold of these people and find out what the fuck this thing does?" He presses line two. "Brian Kinney."
"Hello, Mr. Kinney," the secretary at Southern Hills Elementary School starts. "Neither of Melissa's parents was available, and I see you're listed as-"
"Justin and Daphne are out of town. Is Missy all right?"
"Well, she's gotten into some trouble on the playground again. Mrs. Connelly sent her to the principal's office, and Mr. Samson wants her to take the rest of the day off to calm down. Can you pick her up?"
Brian flips on the speaker phone and paces back and forth in front of his office window. "Are you telling me that my daughter is being suspended from kindergarten? Because of a scuffle on the playground?" He pinches the bridge of his nose. "What did you say your name was? What kind of a school are you running over there?"
"I'm only Mr. Samson's secretary, Mr. Kinney. As for the suspension policy, if you'll refer to the handbook that was mailed out on-"
"Save it. I'm on my way. Tell Missy to sit tight." Disconnecting the call, Brian curses under his breath and grabs his jacket from the hook in the corner. He didn't have anything better to do that afternoon than to speak to the principal of Southern Hills, right? He stops at Cynthia's desk on his way out. "Hold the fort down. Missy's in troub-"
"I heard. The speaker phone's pretty loud." Cynthia flicks a puff of lint from his shirt, sending him off into the wilds of elementary education. "Don't say something you'll regret later."
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"I'm Brian Kinney. I was called to come and get Melissa Taylor."
"Dad!" Missy jumps off the bench where she's sat stewing for the last twenty minutes as soon as she sees Brian walk into her school's office. "It wasn't my fault! David and Bobby were calling you and Daddy faggots again, and I'm just so tired of it. They had it coming! I can't help it if they're wimps!"
"Whoa! Slow down. What happened?" Brian bends to hug Missy just as Mr. Samson appears in front of them.
"Mr. Kinney? If you and Melissa will come in please." The principal ushers them into his private quarters and gestures to the chairs facing his desk. "I'm sorry to involve you in this matter, but Melissa's natural parents couldn't be reached, and I guess you are . . .?"
"I married her father two years ago. I'm her other father. What's going on, Mr. Samson?"
Settling into his desk chair, he gets right to the point. "I'm afraid we can't tolerate physical violence of any kind on this campus. When Melissa resorted to kicking and punching two other students on the playground, we had to step in and take action. I hope you understand." Mr. Samson glares at Missy before he continues. "I think if she goes home today, we can resume again tomorrow with a clean slate. Assuming she understands that she can't-"
"Stand up for herself? Defend her fathers to name-calling classmates?" Hearing Cynthia's warning in his head, Brian stops himself right there.
"Well, you have to admit, having two fathers is . . . rare. Most children don't understand. The boys involved were only . . ."
"Repeating the hateful expressions they've learned at home? Harassing my daughter unnecessarily?" Brian stands up and helps Missy out of the adult-sized chair she'd sunk into. "I'll take Missy home now, Mr. Samson. Justin, Daphne, and I will decide if she'll be returning to your . . . campus," he goes with for the sake of Missy's five-year-old ears.
Mr. Samson takes a deep breath and rises also. "Melissa's a brilliant student, Mr. Kinney. We'd hate to lose her. I didn't mean to suggest that we can't try to curb the . . . uh . . ."
"Homophobic taunting that spills from the mouths of children these days? We'll be in touch." Brian holds Missy's hand and leads her out of Mr. Samson's office, but not before she shoots her principal a look that can only come from a child who's loved, nurtured, and understood at home.
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"So how much trouble am I in?" Missy looks at Brian while he leans into the passenger side of his Vette and buckles the seat belt across her lap.
"Did you try to talk to them first?"
"Yeah! I've explained it to them lots of times, just like you and Daddy told me to. They just wouldn't shut up! Bobby Miller is so gross. I hate him!"
Suppressing a prideful smile, Brian walks around to the driver's side and gets in. "I think we should go visit Aunt Molly. What time is it?"
Missy studies the Hannah Montana wristwatch her parents bought her three months earlier when she'd learned how to tell time. "It's two-thirty. Are you gonna tell Mommy and Daddy?" Kicking her legs idly, she twists a lock of hair around her finger.
"Sure, we have to tell them. You know it's never okay to kick and punch. But you're not in trouble for refusing to be talked to like that or for defending our family."
"I'm hungry, Dad."
"I'm kind of hungry, too. I bet Grandma Jen has something good for us to eat."
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Fifteen-year-old Molly Taylor peeks out of her bedroom window when she hears Brian's car pull into the driveway. "I'll call you back later, Allie," she tells her friend on the phone. "My brother-in-law and my niece are here."
"Hey, Mollusk. How's it going?" Brian gives Molly a peck on the forehead when she opens the door. "Missy and I thought we'd come over to say hi. Mother Taylor home?"
"Not yet. She had to show a house at two. Are Justin and Daphne still in New York?"
"Yeah. They'll be back tonight." Brian catches Missy when she tries to make a mad dash into the den where the video games are, telling her they're all going to sit in the living room and talk. He gets comfortable in the corner chair while she climbs onto the sofa next to Molly. "Daphne decided to stay here at Pitt Med, but they said Columbia's tour was really cool."
"That's good." Molly smooths Missy's hair back away from her face and starts to weave it into a braid. "Mom's been freaking out about you guys moving to New York if Daphne chose Columbia."
Brian laughs. "She's probably worrying herself silly." Then he nods at his daughter. "So Missy ran into a problem at school today. Why don't you tell Aunt Molly what happened, Missy?"
"These icky boys in my class. They tease me all the time. I hate 'em!"
"Icky boys?" Molly takes the barrette out of her own hair and clips it on the end of Missy's braid. "What do they tease you about?"
"Daddy and Dad." Missy folds her arms across her chest with a loud huff.
"Oh, that kind of teasing." Molly glances at Brian, beginning to understand why he brought Missy over to see her. Then she holds Missy's hand. "The boys used to tease me, too. I think I was in fifth grade. Even some of the girls did it. I didn't like it either."
Missy peers up at her aunt. "Did you have a daddy and a dad, too?"
"No. But your daddy is my brother, remember? When the kids in my class found out Justin was gay, some of them said mean things to me."
"Did you kick them?"
Molly looks back at Brian in mock horror, watching him shake his head up and down and try not to smile. "Missy, you can't kick them! You have to talk to them."
"Yeah, after I punched them, I shoulda left them there crying. Can I see my braid now?"
Reaching for her purse on the coffee table, Molly gets a little mirror out and gives it to Missy. "I bet you got in trouble with your teacher for physical violence. Schools don't like that very much."
"They called Dad. I had to go home."
Molly hugs Missy's shoulders. "The next time you get teased, tell the teacher which kids are doing it. Usually, they'll get in trouble for using slurs."
"Slurs?"
"The bad words. Like faggot. The boys in my class got extra homework for saying that word."
Extra homework for the icky boys? Missy's eyes light up. "Grandma!" she yells when Jennifer comes through the door. "Aunt Molly braided my hair!"
"Hi, honey!" Jennifer rushes over and picks her up, squeezing her tightly. "I'm so happy you're here." Putting her down again, she smiles at her son-in-law. "Hey, you!"
"Sell the house?" Brian stands up to give Jennifer a kiss.
"I think so. They said they liked it a lot. You two are staying for dinner, right?"
"Yeah!" Missy shouts. "Me and Dad are really hungry!"
"Dad and I," Brian corrects her. "We need to get to the airport by seven to pick up Justin and Daphne, but I guess we can stay and eat if you want us to."
"Can you make us macaroni and cheese, Grandma?" Missy hops around on one foot. "Pleeease?"
"I sure can, sweetie." Jennifer looks up at Brian, her features fraught with unease. "If Daphne transfers to Columbia Med School, will all of you be moving to New York?"
Brian grins and pats her arm. "Don't worry. Daph said she's staying here at Pitt Med. She just wanted to take Columbia's tour, and Justin went with her so he could check in with the New York galleries that do business with him."
"Thank God Molly and I don't have to relocate!" Jennifer exhales in relief. "Just let me change, then I'll start dinner."
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"Hey! How was your flight?" Brian takes Daphne's carry-on from Justin's arm and leaves him with just his own messenger bag, pulling his husband in for some much needed close contact.
"It was really good!" Daphne laughs, refreshed from her evening nap.
"That's because you slept with your head on my shoulder the whole way." Justin grins up at Brian. "I missed you. Forty-eight hours has never felt like such an eternity."
Daphne hugs Missy and then searches in her purse for her lip gloss and a stick of gum while Brian and Justin get reacquainted. They still haven't finished after she coats her lips and discards the gum wrapper in the nearest trash can. "Come on, you guys!"
Hoisting Missy up into his arms, Justin kisses her nose. "It's getting pretty late for you to be out. It's a school night."
Brian plants a quick kiss on Daphne's cheek and throws his arm around Justin's shoulders as they head down to baggage claim. "Maybe not."
"What?" Justin and Daphne ask at the same time, both of them skewing confused looks at Brian.
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"Mrs. Connelly's a very good teacher. We need to keep that in mind." Justin rubs his forehead in the passenger side of his Explorer while Brian changes lanes on the freeway. Exhausted after his whirlwind two-day trip, he tries to think with a clear head on the way home from the airport.
Daphne looks at her daughter strapped in beside her in the backseat. "Missy likes her, but she does complain about those boys all the time."
Growing increasingly drowsy, Missy listens to her parents discuss the day's events, not daring to interrupt them. She doesn't really want to change schools, but it's not her decision to make.
Brian smiles openly when he glimpses into the rearview mirror and finds that Missy's nodded off to sleep, no longer needing to stifle his pride in her bravery. "Molly made a big impression on her. Missy will probably think twice before she beats up those little brats again."
Justin turns around and takes stock of his feisty daughter, ringlets twisting down the sides of her face in slumber. "I had her reading before she went to kindergarten, but Mrs. Connelly has gotten her into the third grade reader. We'll keep her at Southern Hills for now. We can always reconsider if the situation gets worse." Grinning at Daphne, Justin sees equal parts of her and himself in Missy, yet he's in awe of her individuality. "Remember when we used to sit for hours with our hands on your stomach, just waiting for her to kick?"
Daphne laughs. "We were so young. We had no clue what we were in for."
"She knows she's loved. We must be doing something right." Brian pulls into their garage and turns the car off.
"It's easy." Justin feels the moisture pooling in his eyes. "We happened to get the best little girl in the world."
THE END