After Justin's declaration, Mark had dragged Mikey off. But an hour later, he had called Brian. He barely said hi before launching into the third degree. "So was that kid serious when he said he was your boyfriend?"

Brian sighed. "Yes."

"Brian-Fucking-Kinney has a boyfriend?"

"So it would seem."

"I thought you said relationships were bullshit."

"I did."

"So what's changed?"

What could Brian say? That he had been lonely in New York? That he liked having someone he could talk to, whose company he enjoyed? That he liked having someone in his daily life who cared about him? No. All three might be true, but they would make him seem pathetic. And Brian Kinney was not pathetic.

"Work."

"What?"

Brian clenched a fist. He hated to admit defeat, weakness, or lack of ability in anything, any aspect of life, but this explanation was the least humiliating and had the added benefit of being true. It wasn't the whole truth, but at least it wasn't a lie.

"Brian?"

What had Brian always said? It's not lying if they make you lie. Mikey's desperate need to see Brian as a manwhore who'd never settle down (because, otherwise, he'd be angry and hurt that Brian hadn't chosen him) certainly qualified. Still Brian had always held himself to a higher truth standard. Deep down, whatever he said, he thought that people who lied to make their lives more convenient were weak. He could tolerate weakness in others. Not himself. Not usually.

"Brian? Are you still there?"

Brian thought back to his conversation with Justin earlier. Justin and Daphne's relationship had suffered when Daphne's crush had been brought to bear on it. It would have been worse if Daphne were a selfish person. As it was, Justin and Daphne had almost ruined their friendship. And Mikey wasn't the type to sacrifice for another's happiness. Whatever he said about giving and giving and giving to Brian was bullshit. Mikey liked being Brian's wingman. It was, after all, the closest he would ever come to being involved in Brian's sex life. On some unconscious level, he knew that. And Mikey's being the only man Brian truly cared for gave Mikey a perverse pleasure. Perverse because it was totally unhealthy.

"Brian?"

"I'm here."

"What were you saying about work?"

Brian closed his eyes. "Work makes it impossible for me to trick the way I used to."

"No! You can do what us mere mortals could never even dream of doing."

Brian's chest felt hollow. He didn't know who would suffer more from the shattering of Brian-Fucking-Kinney, the legend. Brian had always liked being Mikey's hero. He'd needed to be Mikey's hero. Fuck it. Time to 'man up.' Even if he was no longer a sex god in Mikey's eyes, he'd still be an advertising dynamo. Right. Yeah. And conquering New York took a lot of hard work. Sacrifice. Mikey would understand. Right. Yeah. "I simply don't have the time. I work sixteen-hour days. Sometimes longer. If I'm going to make partner in an international firm, the best in the ad business, I need to make sacrifices. I'm not working for a two-bit operation anymore. My work is seen and honored by the entire world. Having a boyfriend is convenient." Brian almost added that having a boyfriend was temporary. But he couldn't bring himself to utter the words. Mikey would probably assume that anyway.

"Oh…wow, yeah. I never thought about what you had to do to be so successful. I have the coolest best friend."

Brian smiled softly. But for some reason his chest still ached.

While Brian had been on the phone with Mikey, Justin had been out in the hall on the phone with Daphne. He was grinning so hard it hurt a little. "So…I introduced myself to Brian's best friend as his boyfriend!"

"Oh my God! What happened? Please tell me he didn't correct you?!"

"No!"

"What?"

"No!"

"OH MY GOD!"

Justin actually giggled. "Yeah, I know! I totally expected him to deny it. You should have seen the look on his best friend's face. He looked horrified."

"So you were right, huh? You must be his first boyfriend."

"Yeah." Justin leaned his forehead against the wall. Suddenly he felt like the superhero Mikey considered Brian to be. Like he could leap tall buildings in a single bound or fly around the world in a matter of seconds (Superman was the only superhero Justin knew anything about. He thought comic books were kind of silly, but he'd seen the Superman movies as a kid).

"So what's the best friend like?"

Justin grimaced. He didn't like Mikey. He couldn't exactly say why. Mikey just creeped him out. Mikey seemed to feel the same way about Justin. When Justin had held out his hand for Mikey to shake, he'd looked at it like it was something filthy. Like Justin had been part of the Donner party and the hand he had extended been used to cook and eat human flesh.

"Justin?"

Justin had actually taken sick pleasure in informing Mikey that Brian was his boyfriend. He'd gathered from all that Brian had said about Mikey that he had a crush on Brian, even now, eighteen years after they'd met, when Mikey was dating other people, but seeing it was disturbing. What made it even worse was Brian's clear discomfort. For the first few minutes it was like Brian had forgotten he existed. But he wasn't one to allow someone, not even Brian, to make him feel insignificant, invisible.

"Justin?"

He hadn't hidden while still in Pittsburgh…not after being ostracized, not even after the death threats. Everyone had wanted him to simply disappear, and he'd refused. Granted, he still had some social anxiety problems, particularly in crowds, but he hadn't let that stop him from living. Then again, he hadn't been in it alone. Daphne always seemed to be there when he needed her. Singing him that goofy rendition of Feliz Navidad (Philippe la-di-dah).

He had eventually gone to New York with Daphne, but he didn't consider that a retreat. If the best art school had been in Pittsburgh, he would have stayed. Even if Daphne had left. He'd been determined to shoot as high as possible, despite his financial problems, despite his gimp hand. Course, part of his strength and motivation had been his crush on his mystery man. He deserved no less than the best. The best Justin could possibly be. And of course, Justin no longer harbored a secret hope that he'd one day see his mystery man again. It hadn't happened in two years…and then he'd met Brian. And Brian was even better than his mystery man. And he was very much in Justin's life, rather than just his head.

"Justin!"

"What, oh sorry…I was just thinking…"

"About?"

"How much I hate the best friend."

"Ah. Why?"

"I don't know…even though they're just friends, I feel like I have to compete with him…and he's kind of a jerk."

"Is he secretly in love with Brian?"

"There's nothing secret about it. Brian seems to know. I think he likes it, too. And fuck, if looks could kill, I'd be so dead. Mikey despises me."

"I feel kind of sad for him."

"What, why?"

"If he's been harboring feelings for Brian the whole time they've been friends…you and I both know how insane that is. And I thought you were pathetic…"

"Gee, Daph, tell me how you really feel!"

"Seriously…fantasizing about a guy you knew for exactly one day for two years…that's pitiful…but this Mikey person…he's even sadder…didn't believe that was possible…"

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'm sad, pathetic, pitiful, et cetera, et cetera."

"Are you nervous about the party?"

Justin sighed and slumped down (sliding down the wall and plopping down on his ass). "Yeah…it was hard enough meeting Mikey. The restaurant was so crowded. But Brian…he was so sweet. He spent most of dinner stroking my wrist. He didn't even stop when Mikey showed up. Course…he didn't introduce me at all, let alone as his boyfriend, but he was probably just surprised."

"I still can't believe you introduced yourself, and as his boyfriend. I'm so proud of you. Nobody puts Baby in the corner!"

Justin giggled. Then he smiled softly and breathed, "Yeah…"

"So call me tomorrow and I'll sing for you…"

"It's okay."

"Seriously. I'll be home all day writing that stupid paper on Yeats's "When you are old." God, he was a passive aggressive fuck. And that ego…as if any woman would die alone and lonely because she wasn't interested in him. What a dick!"

Justin hated to admit it, but just knowing Daphne and her goofy song were but a phone call away made him much less anxious about the party. Not for the first time, he realized how lucky he was to have a best friend like Daphne.

TBC…