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 BRIAN


Robert and I were standing in the empty conference room after finishing the meeting. We were going out for a drink before heading home. Justin called to let me know that he was taking Hunter and Shelby around before they flew back. Hunter had the keys to our house and to the loft, understanding that his job was to insure everything was taken care of in Pittsburgh until we came back. I pulled him aside and let him know that no one was to be invited to the house, but it was up to him who came to the loft. He understood the trust Justin and I were placing on him.


Robert is one of those clients who likes to know the people he works with, but wasn't intrusive about it. He constantly talks about his kids and wife, and was proud of the fact they still loved each other as much now as the day they met. I could tell he was curious about Justin and me, but hadn't felt the need to ask. It didn’t bother me when he finally did.


“How long have you been with Justin?” Robert asked.


“Eleven years, we met right before he finished high school.” I tell him.


“Why wait so long to get married?” He asked.


“We were going to get married six years ago, but canceled because he had an opportunity to start his career. We agreed to get married when he could come home for good.” I tell him.


“I can understand wanting to let him do what was good for his career, but it sounds like you two already knew what you wanted.” He tells me.


“Justin’s stubborn, and wanted to do it on his own. He knew if we went through with the wedding, I’d want to support him while he lived in New York. It took everything in me not to buy him an apartment. I think in a way, he wanted to prove to himself that he could do it on his own. It’s something we had a hard time with, because when we met, he felt like he was relying on me to support us. Which he never needed me for, he worked at a diner, created a comic, and even went to Hollywood to work on the art for the film. He’s worked harder than anyone I know, but never saw it that way. He bought our apartment in New York as soon as his career took off. It took time, but we’re both finally in a place where our careers allowed us to be in the same place.” I tell him.


“He did well, a lot of artists never make it as far as Justin has. Julie said the reason she loves his work is because he leaves it up to the viewer to interpret what they see. She did wonder what the series of five meant to Justin.” He tells me.


“It’s his interpretation of our relationship in the first five years. He didn’t want to paint us in it because he told me that each painting was as if we’d left the scene, and that was what was left behind. He’s planning to retire the paintings and send them home.” I tell him.


“Is that why they were never for sale?” He asks.


“They were too personal for him to sell.” I tell him.


“It must be nice to have an artist for a husband, you get paintings, while the rest of us settle for pictures.” He jokes.


“Trust me, Justin takes pictures as if he couldn’t paint them better. I have a feeling when we have kids there won’t be a minute of their lives not caught on film.” I tell him.


“Kids age you and keep you young at the same time. Julie and I thought we wanted a dozen, but the three we have changed our minds.” He tells me.


“Justin and I have a son with friends, but this time we wanted to have children who lived with us. We’re waiting to find out if we’re going to be fathers.” I tell him.


“Hopefully one day I’ll meet your children. After what I’ve seen so far on this campaign, it tells me that you and I have a future together. Don’t be surprised if you start hearing from other businesses here and abroad. Kinnetik is making a name for itself globally.” He tells me.


“I set out to do that so I could be where Justin needs to be.” I tell him, paying the check.


JUSTIN


I made sure Hunter left with a credit card, so he could purchase what he needed for work and if he just wanted to take Shelby out once in awhile. I remember those days and want my assistant to be happy when I put him through seven day work weeks. Hunter balked at first at the pay, but he understood that there would be times when we wouldn’t be home for a couple of weeks, which meant his life would be put on hold for mine. He had more questions than Rachel ever asked in the time she worked for me.


“I get that when you have shows that I’ll be busy, but what do I do when your home and not working?” He asks.


“You and Rachel are going to be working closely, keeping my schedule, but when I’m home I do a lot of other things that I’ll need you to help with. Rage is probably the easiest, because you just deliver the finished boards to Michael, he takes it from there. When I paint, I like people around me so I can talk through anything when I’m having problems. Feel free to offer opinions if you want, it helps me when I’m working to see it through your eyes. You also have to stay in contact with Cynthia, because I work on things for Kinnetik when I have time, and she syncs Brian’s schedule to mine when I need to be somewhere, or he wants me for parties or in a meeting, which you’ll be attending with us. You can bring Shelby to anything but the meetings at Kinnetik, but only because of confidentiality. You are never to talk about what you see or hear in those meetings. If asked by anyone about me or Brian at shows or parties, you don’t answer anything unless it’s something you’ve cleared with Cynthia, Rachel, or us.” I tell him.


“Do people ask about you a lot?” Hunter asks.


“Most of the time they want to know about the bashing, which I don’t talk about.” I tell him.


“Why not?” Shelby asks.


“I don’t remember any of it, and don’t know the answers. I also don’t want to have my art lauded because I managed to relearn everything. The art I did before the bashing isn’t the art you see now, because my views on the world are different. The bashing changed the way I produce, but not it’s not the only thing about me.” I tell him.


“The family really doesn’t talk about it much.” Hunter tells Shelby.


“I don’t want to it to be remembered that way. I want to remember it the way Brian told me, before it happened.” I tell them, smiling at what that night really meant to Brian and me.


“Ben called and said that Lindsay wasn’t thrilled that you offered me the job. He was pissed but wouldn’t tell me why, I’m curious as to why me and not her?’ He asks.


“It’s because you’ll listen when I tell you to do something and she can’t. Lindsay has a her own ideas on how my career is supposed to be, and it’s not what I want. Her intentions are good, but it’s a life that she dreamed of, and can only see it her way. I want to still be able to be friends with her, but can’t see it happening if I end up firing her. Hunter, you see art in ways that even the artists sometimes don’t. We’ve spent enough time together at shows that you impressed me with how you saw it. Don’t let Lindsay or anyone else tell you they could do your job better, if you have questions come to Rachel, Brian, or me, we’ve been running my career for years.” I tell him.


“I wanted to ask something, but I don’t know if it’s okay in front of Shelby.” He tells me.


“As long as Shelby knows not to discuss it, ask away.” I tell him.


“I understand.” Shelby tells us.


“Rachel said there will be times when I need to help you leave the room, and to do it in a way that no one realizes what I’m doing. How do you want me to do that?” He asks.


“If Brian isn’t there, then just come and whisper something as if you need me. The reason is, that sometimes too many strange people around spikes my anxiety levels, and I just need to a break from it. You can tell if you need to do it when you see me massaging my hand, it’s something I do when I need to get away.” I tell him.


I took Hunter and Shelby to catch their flight, letting him know to call if there are any problems at home. Hunter assured me that he’s spent years dealing with the gang, and could handle Lindsay if she tried to bother him. On my way back to the house we rented I called Michael, to let him know his baby was coming home.


“Ben and I are going to Tibet.” He tells me.


“Did he finally tell you where that is?” I laugh.


“Yes smart ass, I was just kidding when I asked.” He tells me.


“You know, if you would look up something other than porn, you could have found out.” I tell him.


“I stopped looking up porn when I ran across you and Brian’s. I went blind seeing your white ass.” He jokes.


“Make sure Lindsay doesn’t give Hunter a hard time.” I tell him, changing the subject, wondering if there was really any out there. I think I’ll check.


“Mel showed up and pretty much told her to stop making excuses and be the artist that she wants to be. I managed to calm down, but I didn’t like the way she made it sound like Hunter would embarrass you.” He tells me.


“Michael, artists are a breed of crazy people, Hunter will fit right in. There is nothing Hunter could do that they haven’t. I have a feeling it will be interesting to see what Hunter can do.” I tell him.


“She doesn’t get that Hunter can read people in away none of us can, it comes from his life on the streets.” He tells me.


“You don’t have to tell me that, but maybe explain it to Lindsay. Remember she hasn’t been around to see Hunter grow up.” I tell him.


I hung up, telling him it was fine if he and Ben came to visit on their way. He tried to thank me for the money, but I told him, without him there wouldn’t have been Rage. We might have separated the comic, but it didn’t change that we created it all together. Zephyr’s adventures were a  moderate success, but only because Michael played it safe, in a way we never did with Rage. I had plans to get Ken laid more when I got back. Michael still blushes when he sees some of the things we created.


HUNTER


Shelby fell asleep while my brain was still trying to absorb that Justin wanted me. Rachel told me Cynthia suggested me, but that Justin seemed really happy with the idea of having me around. When I first started attending the shows with the family, I didn’t really want to go. I only went because Justin seemed to want me there. He kept making me walk with him and tell him what I saw. It was hard, because I felt like I’d say something wrong. Only it seemed like it didn’t matter what I said. Justin said that art is what the viewer wants to see, not what the artist intended. It made it easier for me to tell him the emotions. I remember sitting in front of two small paintings of a women, in the first she was wasted away from drugs, and then in the second she was blooming when she cleaned up her act. Justin came over and quietly asked what it made me feel. I told him it was my dream for years that the second one would happen to my mother. It made me go see if anything had changed, it did, she died from an overdose. Brian showed up at my dorm and took me to lunch, saying Justin worried about how seeing that would affect me. It was the first time I realized that Justin thought about me as more than Michael’s annoying son.


Brian let me tell him, I didn’t want to tell Michael and Ben, because they would be show up thinking I needed them to coddle me. Brian didn’t do that, he just shrugged and said that I had a family who loved me enough to make up for what my mother couldn’t do. Then asked if I wanted him and Justin to buy her a headstone. It was when I found out Brian cared about me, because he knew already that my mother passed away. He told me that unless I asked, he didn’t see any reason to tell me. I never really understood Brian, because he always seemed closed off, unless you were Michael or Justin. He told me I wasn’t the only one who wished for parents who gave a shit, but it didn’t mean we didn’t wait to see if they’d change. I shouldn’t let that she was too weak to see what she had, affect the man I would become.


I took what he told me and stopped letting things like HIV stop me from being the person my Dads, Brian, and Justin seemed to see. When it came time to pick a field I honestly picked Business Management because I liked the idea of one day owning my own business. Michael and Brian did it and even though they were different business, it made them happy. Justin told me that if what he wanted to do happened, that there was a chance to advance into a new job. In a way, Justin is an industry of his own, and I’m getting in on the ground floor.


“What are you thinking?” Shelby asks.


“That my life is just beginning, and I already have more than I could ever believe I would.” I tell him, kissing his forehead.


“I’m so jealous, but at the same time excited for you.” He tells me.


“You’re going to be with me on this ride. I want us to see everything and do anything you ever wanted. You know Justin wants to see your work.” I tell him.


“He’s going to think it’s horrible.” He tells me.


“It’s not horrible, you're letting a bunch of people who teach tell you that. I love your work, but you keep trying to paint what people want.” I tell him.


“Justin told me that I need to give myself to my art. He offered to let me draw some of his panels for Rage. He said it would help me branch out until I found me.” He tells me.


“Whatever you do, don’t tell my Dad, he’ll pester you to death to find out what Justin’s up to. Oh God, I just realized what Justin did to me.” I tell him groaning.



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