Meant to Be

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"Where'd you say we were going again?"

"To the diner, it's a restaurant I go to a lot. My best friend Michael's mom works there. She's gonna love you."

"Is Michael gonna be there?"

Brian knew that his friends were not too pleased with him lately. Having gone away to Europe, or so they all thought, so abruptly, then making his presence pretty much non-existent since he'd been back.

He was also a little worried about what their reaction would be to Justin and their relationship…mentally noting that he didn't even stumble on the thought of the 'r' word pleased Brian. He was especially worried how Mikey would take it. But fuck it, and fuck them if they couldn't be happy for him. Happy that he'd finally found something good.

Shrugging, Brian answered, "Not sure. Maybe."

Justin nodded. He wasn't too sure if he was ready to meet this Michael. Brian had told him a lot about the man and it seemed to him that he was a rather unintelligent, immature pain in the ass…and not in a positive, life affirming kind of way.

"When am I gonna get to meet Gus, and Lindsay and Melanie. I can't wait to see your son."

"They won't be back from Florida until next week. They've gone to visit Mel's mother…she's trying to soak up as much bitchiness as she can before heading back to us," Brian said sarcastically.

"Hmph?" Justin knew that Brian and Melanie didn't get along, but he wanted to meet her, see what it was all about. It sounded to him like Brian and his nemesis were rather alike…he couldn't wait to find out.

Pulling up in front of the diner, Justin scanned the crowd as he climbed out of the Jeep. "Wow, this is Liberty Avenue, isn't it?"

"Can't pull nothing over on you, can I, Sunshine?"

Justin blushed slightly at the endearment then said, "I've never been here before."

Brian stopped abruptly and turned toward the younger man. "You did say you were gay, didn't you?" he asked, mockingly.

The blond grinned and swatted his lover's stomach lightly, moving swiftly along side of him when Brian began to walk, his smaller hand enclosed firmly inside of Brian's larger one.

"I'm baaaacckkkk," Brian called out eerily as he moved with Justin toward his usual booth, earning a gum-snapping "Hmph," from Debbie and an elated "Brian," from his fan club…Michael.

"Brian, you're here. God, I didn't think that you were ever gonna grace us with your presence again, poor little us. And who is this precious angel? Don't tell me he's with you?"

"Why it's lovely to see you too, Emmett. And this here is Justin. Justin, that's Emmett, Ted, Ben and Michael."

Justin smiled, receiving an assortment of greetings, all warm and welcoming…except one.

"Brian, who the hell is THAT?" Michael asked, his finger pointing weakly toward Justin, like if it got too close he might catch something.

"THIS, Mikey, is Justin. My boyfriend."

"WHAT?" came the united shout from around the table.

"What the fuck are you talking about. You don't do boyfriends. You don't."

"Well, I guess that someone's being spreading false rumors about me because obviously, I do."

"Hmph, now if I could only get you to say those words in front of a priest," Justin joked sweetly as Brian grinned.

"Oh, I like him already. Come, baby, sit by me."

Brian grabbed Justin possessively, pulling him down beside him in the next booth, shooting Emmett a warning stare, which the flamboyant man just laughed at.

"What's this I hear about a boyfriend? And you, God, you're about the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Justin…Debbie."

"Nice to meet you, Debbie," Justin said, a bright smile accompanying his words.

"Fuck, you're like a little ray of sunshine."

Blushing, Justin said, "That's what Brian calls me."

All eyes focused on Brian who dismissively shrugged it off, pulling a menu up in front of his face.

"Sunshine, my ass," Michael grumbled, then smiled falsely when Brian glared at him.

Noticing a rift forming quickly, Debbie asked the boys what they wanted to eat and scribbled down their orders.

"So, where did you and Brian meet?"

Knowing that Brian wanted to keep his little visit to The Spa a secret, Justin answered, "Um, at a book store."

"A book store?"

"Hmph, who knew that Brian could read?" Ted asked, smiling as Brian flipped him the bird.

"Yeah, I was there getting some books for school and Brian was buying, something or other."

"Oh, school, where do you go?" Michael asked, not really interested in the man but desperately wanting to find out his age. He looked pretty young…way too young if you asked him.

"I'm starting PIFA next week. I can't wait."

"Baby, that's great. You must be really talented to be able to get in there," Emmett said, impressed.

"I guess."

"Justin, don't be modest. He's the best fucking artist around. You should see some of his work…especially the nudes…of me…now those are masterpieces."

"I'm sure honey. Did you get him to embellish a lot or did you just figure a magnifying glass could accompany the finished piece?" Debbie asked with a smile, earning a round of laughs from the men in the booth.

"I'll have you know that I have never had a complaint in THAT department. All nine inches of me were depicted perfectly. Now, Ted, if you ever want Justin to do a portrait, you're gonna have to let him take SOME liberties, at least let him give the impression that you actually HAVE a dick."

Ted just nodded and smiled, mouthing a 'fuck you too' as the gang laughed.

"So you're what, sixteen, seventeen?" Michael asked.

"Eighteen, actually," Justin replied, his shoulders squared.

"Isn't that kinda young, Brian? There's gotta be, what, almost twelve years between you?" Michael prodded, knowing how much his best friend hated to be reminded of his age.

"Yeah, well, Justin's the most mature person I know."

Justin beamed at Brian's comment.

"Hmph. Sadly, that's not saying very much," Deb added, looking over the group of men before her then walking away to place their orders.

"Do you have a dorm on campus?" Ben asked.

"Nope, I'm still at home. I figured it was easier than bugging my parents and all. They're pretty good though. Not too strict. Let me do my thing."

"Yeah, well, I'll bet it beats having to worry about rent and food and…" Michael whined, quickly shutting up when Brian cut him a glare.

"I'm sure when you're a famous artiste you'll have more than enough to worry about," Emmett added, shooting Michael one of his own 'not-too-pleased' looks.

Silently, Brian thanked Emmett with a nod, happy to have at least one member of his so-called family supporting him.

"Yeah, well, I just hope to make a living, that's all. My parents, well, mainly my dad wanted me to go to Dartmouth, but I couldn't handle the whole business thing. Not for me."

"Dartmouth, eh? Wow, you must be really smart?" Ted asked, rather impressed by the young man now.

Justin shrugged and smiled as Debbie brought over their food. "Thanks, this looks great."

"Enjoy, honey. It's nice to see someone with a healthy appetite," she said, looking down at Brian.

"Oh, he has a healthy appetite alright. Especially for…"

"Brian!" came Justin and Debbie's warning in unison, to which Brian tried his best innocent look and just smiled as he bit into his turkey sandwich.

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"Your friends seem nice, especially Emmett. He's so out there, but so genuine, you know?"

"Yeah, he's one of a kind alright, but he's a good friend."

"Good, I'm glad. And Debbie, whoa, at first I wasn't sure what the hell SHE was, but she's sweet. Motherly."

"She is. She was always there when my own mother wasn't."

"Ben seems nice, kinda quiet. And Ted, well, uh, he's kinda…"

"Boring…old…plain…tired…creepy…I COULD go on."

Justin laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure you could."

"And Michael?" Brian asked, his eyes avoiding looking at Justin.

"He's, he seems…"

Brian turned, now facing his lover, meeting his eyes. "He's really not bad, Justin. He's just…jealous. He's always had this idea of what we could be, and now he sees that what could be is happening…just not with him. He'll come around. Just give it time."

Justin nodded, his fingers trailing through Brian's soft hair, brushing it gently off of his forehead. He knew that he'd do anything for the man he loved, and if giving Michael a chance was all he asked, he would do it.

"Now, about us," Brian said seriously, pursing his lips and furrowing his brows.

"Yes," Justin returned with a giggle, loving when his man got all business-like.

"I have an idea I wanted to run by you. And I'll understand if you don't like it…or don't want it…or decide that it's not the right time…or too…"

"Brian!"

"Right, sorry. Okay, here it is. Now don't stop me 'till I'm done, okay?

Justin nodded and waited for Brian to continue.

"So, here's the thing. I know you don't mind living at home, but I'm sure your parents are getting kind of tired of you taking off and then not showing up for days at a time. Uh, so, I was wondering, actually hoping, that maybe, now that school's about to start, and I have all this room, and money's not really a factor, because I make more than enough for both of us, and…"

Again, "Brian!"

The older man blushed, and Justin found it incredibly arousing.

"Ah, right," Brian said, taking a deep breath. "So, I wanted to know if you'd like to move in here…with me."

Justin was floored.

And quiet.

And still.

Brian was worried.

"Justin?"

Nothing.

"Breathe, baby."

And he did, and Brian sighed with relief…and a little bit of fear.

"I know, it's too soon. God, I'm sorry. It's just that I love when you're here, and when you leave it feels so empty. So I thought…"

"Brian…Brian…yes, I'd love to move in here, with you."

"You-you would?"

"Yes, I would."

Jumping up off the couch, Brian grabbed his lover and pulled him up tightly against him, his long arms wrapping securely around him. "Thank you…thank you…"

"God, Brian, what are you thanking ME for? I should be the one thanking you."

"Thank you for being mine."

Pulling back to look deep into his lover's eyes, Justin gave Brian back his own words. "It was just meant to be."

Now all Justin had to do was figure out what to tell his parents.

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"Mom, Dad, I've decided that I want to experience some freedom now that I'm going to be starting…no." Taking a deep breath he tried again. "Dad, I know that you wanted other things for me, but I want you to know how much I appreciate your support. Letting me follow my dreams of becoming an artist means so much to me, but I think that there's something else you should know about me…"

Groaning, his hands coming up to cover his face, Justin knew that he wasn't ever going to get it right. Standing tall, he moved his hands and looked straight into the mirror.

"I can do this…I can…"

And with that he walked out of the bathroom and headed downstairs to face the firing squad…uh, his parents.

"Oh, Craig, I can't believe this…it seems that Mary Henson is engaged to Bobby Madgar…the wedding's set for June of next year. What a lovely couple. I'm sure their parents are so proud."

"I'm sure they are. Isn't Bobby in his last year at Harvard?"

"Yes, I believe so. And I know that Mary's due back soon from Stanton. Ahh, I'm sure they'll be very happy together."

Justin heard the news as he came down the stairs and felt his apprehension grow. He stood back against the stairwell wall and closed his eyes. He'd never have his name in the paper announcing his engagement…and he was pretty sure his father wouldn't be carrying on about him like that in regards to PIFA. No, he was a born disappointment, and now he was going to inflict even more pain on them. 'Fuck.'

"Justin, is that you lurking on the stairs?"

"Ah, yeah, Mom." 'Shit.'

"Well, come down here. Eavesdropping isn't nice. It's poor manners, and I KNOW that we raised you better than that," Jennifer reprimanded.

Taking a deep breath Justin pushed off the wall and headed toward his parents.

"Looking forward to school, son?"

"Yeah, Dad, can't wait."

"Good…good." Craig continued to read his section of the paper as Jennifer perused hers.

"Um, I kinda wanted to tell you guys something." Fuck, it was now or never. He knew that he could just tell them that he was moving in with a buddy, make it seem so innocent, but he was tired of pretending. Even if his name never appeared in the newspaper and even if his father never boasted about his son's education he knew that he was proud of who he was…and he wanted his parents to be proud of him too…for who he really was.

"What, dear?" Jennifer asked, putting the paper down.

"Dad?"

"Sorry, what is it?" Craig asked, folding the paper and setting it aside.

It was now or never.

Taking a deep breath he said, "I'm gay."

"What?"

"I don't...what?"

"I'm gay."

Craig's eyes met Jennifer's from across the room and both seemed a little shocked…but…

"Justin, maybe you just think…"

"It's possibly…"

"No, I know I am. I'm sure." Looking back and forth between his parents Justin waited, expecting more…something…

Shouts? Screams? Tears?

But nothing came.

Clearing his throat, Craig stood, moving toward his son and said, "Justin, I have to admit that while I'm not all that pleased, I'm not all that surprised either."

"Wh-what?" Now it was Justin's turn to be shocked.

"Honey, I guess we always suspected, but never really wanted to face up to it. Justin," Jennifer said, placing her hand on her son's shoulder, his eyes turning in her direction. "We love you, no matter what."

'FUCK!' bounced around inside Justin's head.

"You-you're not angry or upset or disappointed?"

Watching his parent's eyes meet and seeing a sort of understanding pass between them, they smiled and said, "No."

And at that moment Justin realized that he'd been so afraid to tell his parents the truth, worried that they'd either disown him or some other fate just as gruesome, that he'd underestimated the love that his parents had for him…and each other.

"Oh, and also, I'm moving out."

"WHAT?"

Okay, this time they didn't look so understanding.

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