Author's Note: I need to thank all the usual suspects, but I need to give an extra special thanks to Jo for making me this totally awesome pic. I also need to thank Cookie/Alex for being my rock solid inspiration and the voice of Dirk Le Secre. Finally, to all my regular readers...you guys make it all worth the effort...thanks.
Chapter 26: The Fame of it All
Brian and Alex were about to head into the diner when they heard a very high pitched, "Yoohoo, wait up boys."
Brian looked and saw Miguel walking towards them. He shook his head and grinned. "Could you be any more of a queen, Miguel?"
Alex laughed out loud and gave Brian a pat on the shoulder. "Good one, big guy."
Miguel stopped in front of them, put his hands on his hips and declared, "I'll have you know that I'm the queenliest queen you'll ever meet."
"I'd have to disagree with your fine blond boy ass, because I already hold that title."
Brian was shocked at the familiar voice so close behind him, and turned to see Emmett standing there with a huge smile on his face.
"Just ask Brian and he'll tell you that I am top Queen around these parts." Emmett took a step closer and gave Brian's shoulder a little squeeze. "So, what are all you fine looking studs doing out this way so early in the day?"
Brian jerked around and stared at Emmett, feeling a little burn of apprehension curl in his gut. He wasn't sure what to expect and fidgeted, just a bit unsure how he should act.
Alex stuck his hand out. "Alex Glaser, and who might you be?"
Emmett grinned. "Well I might be the Queen of England if I'd been born a woman and in another country. Sadly, I'm just Emmett Honeycutt from Hazelhurst, Mississippi at your service, and I really mean that…any time, any place."
Alex laughed and shook his head. "You're alright in my book, Emmett Honeycutt from Hazelhurst, Mississippi."
Miguel was still standing with his hands on his hips watching the play of emotions crossing Brian's face like a kaleidoscope. He figured he'd give his friend a little time to compose himself, so he stepped forward holding his hand out as if expecting Emmett to kiss the back of it. "Miguel Barton, Queen extraordinaire. I believe I'm the one who is going to take your throne in this one horse town."
Emmett took Miguel's hand and brought it to his lips kissing gently before making a very elaborate, but elegant, bow. "By all means, give it your best shot, but I'm afraid it will still be my fine self gracing that throne at the end of the day."
Brian couldn't help it. He laughed out loud. It was too much watching Emmett and Miguel squaring off against each other like they were about to engage in a total queen out competition. "For fuck's sake! You're both the biggest queens I've ever had the misfortune to associate with, so cut it the fuck out. I need a at least one cup of coffee before I can even begin to deal with two queens."
Emmett linked his arm with Brian's and gently pulled the man into the Diner. "Then by all means, allow me to escort you to that first splendiferous cup of java."
Alex and Miguel linked arms rather comically and followed Brian and Emmett. "This is going to be fun," whispered Miguel.
Out of habit, Emmett led Brian toward the booth that had been the gang's table for as long as he could remember. It wasn't until he was about to stop that he noticed Brian was still walking heading towards the back of the Diner. Emmett kept pace with the brunette and slid into the seat behind Brian at what must now be the "new" in-crowd table. Miguel and Alex sat opposite Brian still laughing at some joke.
Deb walked up to the table with a big smile on her face and plopped a copy of the morning paper down. "Well if it isn't the famous artsy fartsy crowd."
Emmett saw the picture and squealed. "Oh my God! What does it say?"
Brian snatched up the paper and studied the picture with a soft groan before scanning the article. He read certain parts out loud while moving the paper so Alex couldn't grab it out of his hands. "The man of the hour, glass artist extraordinaire, Alex Glaser, stuns the art world yet again with an amazing kaleidoscope of vibrant, striking and iridescent pieces unlike anything seen before." Brian grins and looks over at Alex. "Awww, he's so special."
Alex made another lunge for the paper growling, "Give it to me!"
Brian pushed his tongue firmly into his cheek, raised an eyebrow and started reading in his best announcer voice, "This show of his latest work, appropriately named, Fusion, is just that…a fusion of senses which leaves the patron of the arts awestruck with its beauty."
Brian batted his eyelashes at Alex and blew him a kiss. "You just leave us all breathless."
Alex sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "You are so going to pay for this, big guy. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but when you least expect it, I'm going to get my revenge."
Brian chuckled softly and continued to read, "As varied as his multi-hued work was the mysterious entourage of companions that arrived with the artist. Rumors abound about the personal life of this elusive yet in-your-face out-and-proud artist. One can only speculate as to the relationship he has with this group of men. Is one of them that someone special? Or even more than one of them?" Brian groaned, "This Dirk Le Secre needs a life because no one could come up with that much bullshit to write all at once."
Miguel snatched the paper from Brian's hands and laid it out on the table. "Hey! We look fabulous!"
Alex leaned over to take a closer look at the picture and groaned, "I look like a fucking dork surrounded by a bunch of morons."
Brian gave Alex a deadly stare. "Just a minute, artist boy. I agree, you do look like a dork, but I look damn hot as always."
Emmett stared at the picture and gushed, "I give you credit, Miguel. I love that tie."
Miguel smiled brightly and winked at Emmett. "Well it takes a rather special person to pull off something that marvelous."
Brian snickered. "Marvelous, my ass. You looked like your tie was made from poor tiger's lost pelt."
Miguel flipped Brian off and snarked, "You wouldn't know fabulous if it bit you in your fine ass."
Alex pointed at Chris' picture and laughed. "Chris looks like he's about to jump my bones right in the middle of the show."
Miguel laughed, "Well Jake looks like he's got something rammed up his ass, which would be a very surprising turn of events."
Brian rolled his eyes and stated, "Well Justin looks fucking hot, but of course he and I would outshine the likes of you losers."
Emmett put his arm around Brian's shoulder. "You look happy."
Brian's eyes met Emmett's. "I am."
Ted walked into the Diner and spotted Emmett with Brian. He made his way back to the booth. "Hey, Boss, what's up?"
Brian slid over pulling Emmett with him. "Park it, Theodore. I'm about to buy all these losers breakfast, so I guess I can include you in the bunch."
"Be still my heart. Thanks, Boss. After all, it's not like you pay me enough to afford the fine cuisine this establishment offers."
Brian grinned at Ted. He really liked this more confident version much more than the sniveling weakling. "Watch it, Theodore. I don't have to pay you anything. I could fire your ass."
"I know, Boss. You fire me at least once a day as it is, so what's one more time today?"
Everyone at the table laughed including Brian, who reached around Emmett to give Ted a light smack on the back of the head.
Deb, who'd walked away when the boys had started fighting over the paper returned with her pad and pen in hand. "So, what'll it be, boys?"
Everyone placed their orders amid snarky comments and put downs, but no one was more surprised than Brian, when Ben walked up to the table. "Mind if I join you guys?"
Brian shrugged. "It's a free country, Professor."
Alex and Miguel slid over making room for Ben on their side of the table.
"So, where is Mikey?" Brian couldn't seem to stop himself from asking about his childhood friend.
"He didn't want to come with me today. He saw the picture of you guys in the paper. I think he's just feeling a bit left out." Ben looked at Brian and smiled a little. "It's hard for Michael to let go of you. He's had you all to himself for so long."
Brian nodded his head. "I know."
Emmett wrapped his arm around Brian's shoulder. "He'll come around, Sweetie. It just takes him a little longer than others."
Ted looked down at the paper and trying to lighten the mood at the table, decided to draw the attention to himself. "Man, that is one ugly tie."
Miguel seemed to visibly bristle and glared at Ted. "I'll have you know that is a one-of-a-kind designer tie which a very dear friend of mine designed for me."
Ted gave the blond a quick wink and stated very seriously, "I think you should find a better class of friends 'cause it's obvious this guy was just trying to make you look funny."
Miguel saw the wink and felt a little better. He didn't know these two new guys well enough to be able to determine when they were serious or joking, but obviously Theodore was trying to distract Brian, so he decided to play along. He batted his eyelashes at the man and whispered in a sultry voice, "Oh baby, you do know how to turn a guy on."
Ted wasn't expecting that remark and his cheeks flamed a bit red as he swallowed a few times.
Emmett smiled brightly and put his other arm over Ted's shoulders. "Now, now, Miss Miguel, let's not make passes at Teddie here, or Blake will skin you alive."
Miguel blew a kiss at Ted. "Well little Blakey isn't here right now, is he?"
Brian decided to put a stop to the tormenting of Ted, so he leaned across the table and whispered in a voice he was sure everyone at the table could hear. "I wonder what Jake would do if he heard you flirting so openly with another man?"
Miguel looked at Brian, opened his mouth and closed it quickly clicking his teeth together imitating taking a bite out of something. "He'd tell me to get my fine ass home so he could show me what a real man would do to me."
Brian rolled his eyes. "Give me a break. That's too cheesy even for you."
Alex laughed and nudged Miguel's shoulder. "He got you there."
Ben watched the men at the table and noticed how they all seemed to rally around Brian, including Ted and Emmett. He'd always thought that Michael was the glue that held these friends together, but he was discovering that it was actually Brian.
Debbie had to make two trips to deliver all the food to the table and on her second trip she looked at Brian and said, "You and your new friends will all be at my house for dinner tonight, you hear me?"
Brian winced. "Deb, I'm not so sure that's such a good idea."
Alex looked at the woman dressed in something he figured even Miguel wouldn't be caught dead in, and had to see how this would play out. "Is dinner at your house something that Brian usually attends?"
Debbie looked at the cute blond and pinched his cheek. "You are just too fucking adorable. Yes, Brian is family, so he'll attend the family dinner, and if you boys are friends of Brian's then you're family too."
Alex rubbed his cheek as soon as she let go and smiled brightly. "So, there will be people there who have known the big guy a long time?"
Debbie nodded. "Most of the people there have known Brian most of his life."
Alex turned and looked at Miguel. "This is too good an opportunity to pass up. Do you think you can get Jake to attend?"
Miguel smiled a very sweet little smile. "Oh absolutely. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Alex turned back to Debbie and announced, "We'll all be there."