The Collins Family Crisis (Part 1)
Music from Les Miserables blared through David's apartment. It was a Friday night and David agreed to have a musical movie night with Bryan, after much convincing. Despite his indifference towards the genre, David was quite content with the outcome of his evening, mostly because it resulted with Bryan curled up in his lap, head on David's chest, humming along to the show tunes. Bryan was so enamoured by the movie he barely noticed when David began playing with his hair. David loved it when Bryan let him touch his hair (which wasn't very often).
"I just don't get it," David said suddenly, "why do they have to sing everything?"
"Shhh!" Bryan shushed him, "It's a musical, David. M-U-S-I-C-al. It's in the title, get over it!"
They sat in silence, listening to Hugh Jackman's vibrato, when suddenly Bryan's phone began to ring.
"Uh oh. Pause it." Bryan demanded, reaching for his phone.
"Thank God." David said, grabbing the remote. He quickly changed his remark when he received a glare from Bryan. "I mean, oh darn."
He smiled cheesily which did get a chuckle from Bryan. Finally, Bryan turned his attention to his ringing phone and the smile melted from his face.
"What's wrong, Sweetie?" David asked, concerned. Bryan stared at his phone for a second and then, as if snapping out of a daze he looked at David.
"It... It's my mother..." He said, his voice almost breaking.
"Oh..." David replied, not sure what to say. "Are you going to... pick up?"
"I don't know." Bryan said staring back at the phone. Then, making a split second decision, he answered the call and put the phone up to his ear.
"Mom? Hi." Bryan said, getting up from the couch. He walked into the kitchen, leaving David alone on the couch. David tried not to eavesdrop on the conversation so instead he pet his dog, Smelly, talking to him softly.
"Oh my god..." He heard Bryan say. Suddenly, a crash came from the kitchen. David got up and rushed to the kitchen. Bryan's phone was on the ground, the screen smashed indicating he had just dropped it. A voice could be heard coming from the other end of the line, calling Bryan's name. David stared in shock at the phone and then up at his boyfriend, which shocked him even more.
Bryan was holding onto the counter with a very strong grip, his arms shaking, one hand covering his mouth and tears brimming in his eyes. David was struck with a bolt of panic.
"Bryan, honey what's wrong? What happened?" David asked softly. Bryan just shook his head, tears now spilling down his cheeks.
David picked the phone up of the ground, but before he could do anything Bryan cried out.
"Hang up! Just hang it up!"
David stood, frozen in shock. He'd never seen Bryan like this before.
"Okay, okay!" He said calmly and hung up the phone. Almost immediately Bryan began to sob. David set the phone on the counter and rushed to his boyfriend, wrapping him up in a hug and pulling his head into the comfort of his shoulder. Bryan's body shook with sobs. David rubbed his boyfriend's back soothingly, trying to calm him down. Meanwhile, fear was creeping into his own stomach. After a few minutes David finally decided to speak.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked quietly. Bryan just shook his head, which was still hidden in David's shirt.
"Should we go back to the couch?" David tried. After a few seconds hesitation, Bryan nodded. Together they walked back to the couch and snuggled up again, Bryan still shaking. They finished the movie, though neither on of them paid any attention to it.
Suddenly, near the very end of the movie Bryan spoke.
"My Dad's dead..." He said, voice cracking. David sat in shock.
"Oh my God, Bry... I... I'm so sorry..." He didn't know what else to say, so he just hugged his boyfriend even tighter as a new wave of sobs struck his body. They stayed like that for hours. And that's how Bryan fell asleep: wrapped in David's embrace.
•••
Bryan stared at himself in the mirror. He never liked black, it didn't suit him at all. The only time he ever wore this much black was for funerals and well... Bryan clawed at his tie, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. Tears began to well in his eyes, but before he could break down again a knock came on the bathroom door.
"Bry? Are you almost ready?" David called.
Bryan cleared his throat.
"Yeah," he called, trying not to let his voice break. "just a second!"
Suddenly the bathroom door opened. Bryan hastily wiped the tears off his cheeks.
"David! I said I'd be right out!" He said, slightly defensive.
"I know," David replied "I just wanted to see if I could help... Or something."
"I am a grown man David. I know how to tie a tie... in six different ways!" Bryan joked half-heartedly.
"Clearly you've forgotten." David said with a smirk and reached up to fix Bryan's tie.
"What?" Bryan asked looking down.
"It's fine," David said "let me..."
They stood in silence as David fixed his tie.
"You never did look good in black." David said quietly. Bryan smiled.
"I thought the same thing." He said. David looked up and smiled. He gathered his beautiful boyfriend in a hug and Bryan let himself break down in his lovers arms once more.
