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Emmett showed up first thing in the morning, along with a surprise guest. Justin didn’t ask any questions since right now he was worried about him and Brian. 

 

“Ted called last night. I told him everything,” Emmett tells Justin.

 

“I’m just trying to figure out how the news found out,” Justin tells him, looking at the man behind Emmett.

 

“I was keeping my own secret. It’s why I understood about you and Brian. This is Drew.” Emmett tells Justin.

 

“Weirdly enough, I know who Drew is,” Justin tells him, laughing for the first time since he read the article as he shook Drew’s hand.

 

“What has Brian said?” Emmett asked.

 

“I didn’t want to wake him up with this, but it’s what we didn’t want to happen.” Justin tells him.

 

Brian, having woken up alone in bed, went searching for Justin. He walked in the kitchen to see Justin and Emmett looking serious. The fact that Drew Boyd was standing in his kitchen caught him off guard more. Justin looked up at him and Brian saw Justin looking stressed, which was unusual for him.

 

“What’s going on?” Brian asked.

 

“Michael was texting as usual and normally I just turn off your phone, but…” Justin tells him, pushing the phone to him.

 

Brian looked at the screaming text then opened the link. Reading through the article it wasn’t bad, but eventually, this would get worse. Now he only had to wonder how they finally figured it out.

 

“How do you want to handle this?” Brian asked Justin.

 

“For now we should be able to avoid it. It’s why the house was bought through a trust that my friend Daphne helped set up to keep our names off the deed. My mom and Molly already know not to comment. Emmett told Ted last night. We need to call Mel and Lindsay so they know, if Michael hasn’t already done it for us. They need to prepare Gus for some of the things he might read that won’t be something he would understand about our relationship. Beyond that, I haven’t thought of how to handle it.” Justin tells him.

 

“We both knew we couldn’t hide this forever. Right now I want to know how someone found out.” Brian tells him.

 

“I know this doesn’t help, but if it had to come out this was the best time for it. We both agreed after last night to take time out of the public eye. So unless they figure out you live here you don’t have to answer to anyone.” Emmett says, trying to help.

 

“Unfortunately for them, it’s going to be about sensationalizing why they kept it private. We all know what happens here, a source close to the couple will end up spewing shit whether they know anything or not. Then it’s all about people who you might have pissed off saying shit to get back at you for ten minutes of fame. It won’t matter that like any normal couple they didn’t think their private life was anyone’s business, just that the public thinks they have the right to know about it.” Drew told them.

 

“I can live with people knowing I married Justin. It was never about hiding him, it was about protecting him from this shit.” Brian tells them, as his phone starts going off again. “Fucking Michael called Deb.”

 

“He showed up at my house last night demanding to know where you were. Drew ended up kicking him out.” Emmett tells him.

 

“Which leads us to you,” Brian tells him, wanting time to think.

 

“We’ve been sort of doing what you two did, without the marriage,” Emmett admitted.

 

“Is that why you helped us?” Justin asked, not angry Drew and Emmett wanted the same thing he helped Brian and Justin do.

 

“Drew isn’t out. And like Brian, I wanted us to be together without the shit it would do to Drew’s career and life,” Emmett told him.

 

“It wouldn’t hurt my career at all. Actually, it’s most likely going to get people more interested in my work because of Brian. Which is something I never wanted.” Justin tells them.

 

“Your art speaks for itself and you know it,” Brian tells him, wrapping his arms around the blond.

 

“What do you two want to do?” Emmett asked.

 

“Tell Ted we want him to be the one who makes the statement confirming the truth. And that anyone giving an interview about us needs to make sure they stick to the truth. After that, I want to know who leaked this.” Brian tells Emmett.

 

Deb tried Brian again as Michael was holding court with everyone at the diner. She wasn’t sure what the truth was at this moment, she only knew that her son wasn’t helping the situation. If Brian really did get married, she knew why he didn’t announce it. She’d been there when they discovered Gus, and she hated all the shit they were making up about Mel, Lindsay, and Brian. So while it hurt Deb a little that he didn’t tell her, she couldn’t fault him for wanting to protect the man he loved from it. Deb wanted it to be true, because out of all her lost boys, he was the one who needed to be loved. And no matter what her son came up with, Brian wasn’t a fool or tricked into this by Justin Taylor. Because one thing all of them knew about Brian was unless he wanted to do something there was nothing to make him do it. Her issue now was wanting to slap her son into next week for once again using Brian to make people pay attention to him. 

 

She still remembered the day Brian and Emmett came to her worried about the record label not wanting Michael in the band. Deb listened to both of them, as they felt guilty about what they’d have to do to get signed. She wouldn’t let either of them lose the opportunity they’d waited for, just because her son didn’t work hard to get the same opportunity they did. Deb had ears, and Michael wasn’t horrible, but he didn’t try to get better, and for that, she told them both to do what was best for them. They never told Michael that Deb was the reason they agreed to sign without him. Instead, they gave him a job, and now she wished they hadn’t. 

 

Deb went back to the office to try to get ahold of Brian again. When that didn’t work she called Ted, who answered right away. She walked out into the back alley so no one heard the conversation. She forgot about Michael while listening to Ted and told him to tell Brian she was happy for him, and that when he was ready for her to meet Justin, to call her. She stood there letting go of any hurt because she was just happy that Brian had apparently found someone to love him. 

 

Kiki rolled her eyes as Michael ran is mouth now that his mother couldn’t stop him. Kiki let him because he deserved anything that happened to him after this. 

 

“If he really got married he would have told me about it. Hopefully, he’s dealing with this Justin Taylor trying to get publicity at his expense.” Michael announced to everyone.

 

“From what I read the guy didn’t need Brian’s help,” Kiki muttered.

 

Kiki wasn’t sure how to stop Michael after Deb walked off. He seemed to want everyone to know things about his supposed best friend, and without Deb there nothing would stop him. From years of knowing Brian, Kiki knew he wouldn’t appreciate Michael’s way of defending him. 

 

“Please, he’s some struggling artist who thinks being a trick meant Brian owed him,” Michael said, hearing Kiki.

 

“When was that?” A guy asked.

 

“Michael shut up,” Kiki tells him when she saw the guy was recording everything.

 

“People need to know the truth, and trust me, my best friend will agree with me. Why don’t you go do your job, since this has nothing to do with you.” Michael tells Kiki, then, happy to fill everyone in, continued on. “I was with Brian the night he met Justin. All night Brian kept trying to get away from him, but the guy didn’t take the hint. Finally, Brian gave him what he was asking for and then stayed with me to get the guy to leave him alone. Brian ended up telling me to tell Justin that fucking in the bathroom didn’t mean anything to him. I felt bad but did what Brian asked, the way Brian expects me to do for him after tricking. I thought I’d gotten through to Justin, but I didn’t since I ended up having to spend the whole night making sure the guy didn’t stalk Brian anywhere else. I didn’t realize the guy had a screw loose, but that’s the only thing I can think since he’s claiming they got married now.” Michael continued, enjoying how he was sort of a hero in his story.

 

“So you’ve never seen them together, other than when they had a tryst in the bathroom?” The guy asked.

 

“Nope. And trust me, I would know since I arranged some of the wild nights Brian wanted, and he was happy to indulge himself. Although I have a feeling the a real story will be Emmett, since I found Emmett and one of the Ironmen, shall we say, not talking about football.” Michael said, thinking Brian would appreciate that he was taking the heat off of him.

 

Michael barely let himself feel bad about throwing Emmett to the wolves. Emmett left Michael out when Brian went places, and it wasn’t like Michael made up what he saw, so Emmett really couldn’t blame him. Deb was horrified hearing the last part, knowing the guy Michael was running his mouth to was a reporter.

 

“Thanks.” The guy stood up and left before Deb could stop him. 

 

Deb fumed as Kiki told her everything Michael said while she wasn’t there. It made it even worse seeing Michael standing there proud of himself, after screwing over both men after they helped him. She wasn’t going to add fuel to the fire, so she dragged her child by his ear into the kitchen, waiting for the cook to leave to kill Michael.

 

“I hope you’re happy screwing over your friends just so you can ride on their fame,” Deb told him.

 

“Brian needs someone to tell people the truth,” Michael tells her, not caring that it wasn’t the truth.

 

“By running your mouth you did exactly what he and Emmett asked us not to do. Do you think either of them is going to slap you on the back and thank you for what you did to both of them? In case you were too busy wishing the papers were reporting you are ‘Brian’s best friend’, you should have noticed what they did to Gus’s life.” Deb says, trying to get through to him.

 

“I’m sure it was so bad getting a huge house and servants for them.” Michael blows off.

 

“They got bodyguards Michael. Because the press turned their life into a nightmare. You need to get it in your head that your best friend needed you to be his friend. Emmett needed you to be the friend he’s been to you. Instead, Brian gets to deal with how to protect his husband, yes Michael, I said husband. While Emmett ends up caught in the middle because for some reason you wanted to hurt him, for whatever reason you came up with. Don’t be surprised when they both wash their hands of you for the shit that reporter is likely going to write because you ran your mouth.” Deb tells him, ashamed of Michael.

 

“Don’t believe Brian’s married just because someone printed it.” Michael tells her.

 

“I believe it because I talked to Ted, who is about to make a statement confirming it. So enjoy the fact that everyone is now going to know you really have no idea about Brian’s life. While Emmett figures out he should have left you out of his.” Deb tells him.

 

“Brian wouldn’t do something like this to me. He knows he owes me for what he and Emmett did to me. They kicked me out and fucking made me a towel boy while they got everything I helped them get. Then Emmett started acting like he was more important to Brian than I was.” Michael tells her.

 

“If anyone OWES you for what happened, it’s me. I told both of them to not to give up something they worked for, but you didn’t!” Deb shouted, angry.

 

“What?” Michael asked.

 

“They almost didn’t sign because of you. I wouldn’t let them ruin their chance when they had worked their ass off for it. You sat back, while both of them worked on songs together, got gigs, and had to pay other people to play the drums when you didn’t show up. I told them to do what was best for them.” Deb told him, not willing to lie about it anymore. 

 

“You just didn’t want me to succeed because you hated that you never did!” Michael sneered, hating her for ruining his life.

 

“You didn’t deserve to succeed by ruining their lives waiting for you to grow up,” Deb tells him.

 

“If I’m a failure, it’s because I learned it from you and Uncle…” The slap was loud enough that the diner became silent.

 

“Hate me all you want. But never, I repeat never, say a word about my brother, who was always there to support us when he could have ignored us. Vic loved you, even when you were ashamed of everything he and I did to keep you. Get out of this diner, out of the house you don’t appreciate, and find what being my son obviously denied you.” Deb tells him, walking away from him.

 

Michael walked towards the front, deciding to let Deb cool down before he tried to convince her he didn’t mean any of it. He was almost to the door when someone turned up the TV and he saw Ted in front of the cameras.

 

“I won’t be taking questions since as of right now my client asked me to only make a statement. Brian Kinney and Justin Taylor are married and have been for the last year. As to why they remained silent about it; they didn’t feel their personal life belonged to the public. Also, for now, they would like everyone to understand their silence is only because they both would like to enjoy being together with the end of Brian’s tour. I’d also warn anyone planning to give interviews discussing their life to make sure they don’t spin a tale that can’t be verified. I personally want to congratulate the couple, and hope they will have continued happiness for finding each other.” 

 

Ted left with questions flying. Michael left furious, dialing Brian’s number. 


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