Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 18:16:38 EDT
From: Michael Baker <baker021@hotmail.com>
Subject: Brian and Mike - part 4

	Wow, where to begin with all of this.  First off, I want to apologize to
everyone that wrote me and I didn't get back to them.  I had decided to stop
writing this story because, well, frankly, I couldn't think of where to go
with the plot.  I kept getting e-mails on when the next installment was
going to come out, and I wasn't sure if there was even going to be another
one.  But, as you can see if I have written something now, and I hope that
it was worth the wait.  I hope you guys enjoy it, and let me know what you
think about it.  I really want to hear it.
	Anyway, I'm not going to prattle on, but I should mention all the crap that
goes along with all these stories.  It's a complete work of fiction, the
characters are figments of my imagination.  If you're under 18, you
shouldn't be here, yadda, yadda...on with the show.

Chapter 4

	"So, Brian," Jim began, "what brings you and Mike to this neck of the
woods?"
	Realizing that the question had come from Mike's dad and not his mother,
Brian tried to quickly regain his composure.  The last thing he needed now
was for Jim to pick up on what Mike's mom already had.  He managed to blurt
out, "Ohh, well, Mike promised to take me gliding today, but things didn't
work out.  Since, we were already in the area, we decided to head on over
here."
	"Oh, so what you're saying, is that my son never had any intention of
stopping in to see his parents even though he was going to be nearby?"
	"No, no, I didn't mean for it to sound like that..."Brian started, but was
fortunately interrupted by Mike who was now making his was over to the
table.
	"Don't listen to my dad Bri, he's just trying to lay on a guilt trip."
	"Is it working?" Jim asked.
	"Not really," Mike replied with a smile.
	"Can't blame a father for trying can you?" he asked looking over at Brian.
	Brian tried to force a smile and replied, "sure can't."  When he turned and
looked at Mike, he noticed that he was now studying him.  He was getting the
definite impression that Mike had picked up on his sudden mood change.
Luckily, he was letting it slide.
	Mike turned and faced his mother, who was still watching Brian.  Brian
noticed he was about to say something and then turned and faced him again.
He looked between the two and then Brian watched as a look of understanding
crossed his features.  Suddenly Mike's hand was resting on his arm and he
said, "Hey, Brian.  How about I show you a quick tour of the house?"
	Brian was a little surprised by his question, but felt relieved that he
would be removed from the uncomfortable situation, at least temporarily.
"Sure," he agreed, "that sounds good."
	"Okay," and with that the two stood and walked into the house.  Once the
door had closed Brian felt Mike's arms wrap around him.  Brian returned the
gesture and the two remained standing there for a minute without a word
passing between them.  Finally Mike spoke, "My mom figured it out didn't
she?"
	"Yeah," Brian replied solemnly.  "She noticed how I was looking at you.
I'm so sorry, Mike, I never meant for this to happen.  I can go if you want,
I'd understand."
	Mike started rubbing his hands up and down Brian's back in an effort to
reassure him and then replied, "No, I don't want you to do that.  I told you
they wouldn't say anything and they won't.  Just relax, I promise everything
will be okay."
	"I'm sorry, Mike.  I really am."
	"I'm not, so don't worry about it.  I was going to tell them soon anyway,
so forget about it." Mike broke their embrace and looked into Brian's eyes.
"You do realize though, that now you're going to have to be on your best
behavior," he said with a smile forming on his face.
	"Why?"
	"Well, now my mom's going to be scoping you out to see if you'd make a good
boyfriend for me."
	Brian was forced to smile at that comment.  "Thanks for adding a little
pressure for me there, Mike."
	"Hey, don't blame me, Bri.  You're the one that let the cat out of the
bag."
	The words hit Brian with a large force.  Not only did Mike think he was to
blame for his mom figuring it out, but he was also throwing it in his face.
He turned and began heading for the door, realizing that he no longer wanted
to be in this situation.
	As he was approaching the main hallway, he felt a hand grab onto his arm
and Brian was being spun around to face Mike.  "Hey, what are you doing
Brian? I was only joking with you, you know.  Come here," he said as he
forced Brian into another comforting hug.  "I'm not upset at you if that's
what you think.  I told you I was probably going to talk to them really soon
anyway, so don't worry about it."
	"I can't help but feel guilty, Mike.  If the situations were reversed and
we were at my parents place, I wouldn't be taking this so calmly."
	"Well then, I guess I'm glad we're not at your parents place.  Look, I know
my parents, and they'll be cool about it.  Just be yourself and everything
will be fine, I promise."
	"Really?"
	"Really.  Trust me, I know my parents.  My mom's probably just filled in my
father and when we go back out there they will be acting as if nothing's
changed." Brian felt his heart sink now knowing that his father would know
too.  "Don't be surprised though, when they start asking you some more
personal questions, because they're going to want to know about you."
	"Great," Brian said allowed.  "I guess I should tell them I'm in the band,
huh?"
	"That's probably a good idea, since they're bound to find out sooner or
later."
	"Alright."
	"You ready to go back out there?"
	"Yeah."
	The two started heading back to the door to the porch and before it was
opened, Mike threw in, "I'll be right beside you, don't worry."  Brian felt
himself smile, and then the two walked outside.

	Both Jim and Carol looked up from their conversation to see the two boys
walk out of the house.  Brian felt like he was suddenly at a Spanish
Inquisition, as both pairs of eyes seemed to be studying him.  After they'd
sat down at the table, Jim decided to break the silence by asking, "So did
you get the full tour?"
	"Ah, yeah," Brian replied sheepishly, "You have a beautiful house."
	"Thank you," Carol responded.  "So tell me, what is it that you do, Brian?
Are you still in school?"
	Brian could see a smile forming on Mike's face and he suppressed the urge
to form one of his own.  He instead, answered the question.  "No, I'm in a
band actually.  I'm a member of the Backstreet Boys."
	"The Backstreet Boys? That name sounds kind of familiar.  Is there any way
I would have heard of you before?" Carol asked.
	"Mom, you've probably heard them on the radio a hundred times.  You know
that really catchy song, `I Want It My Way' or something that's always on
the radio."  By Carol's action, Brian could tell she was trying to place the
tune without much avail.  "Hey, maybe it would help if Bri sang a little bit
for you," Mike offered turning to Brian with a large smile on his face.
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
	Brian just glared back at Mike, obviously conveying his discomfort at being
asked to perform in front of his parents.  Mike just shrugged as if he had
no idea why Brian might feel that way and then waited patiently for Brian to
begin.  Swallowing his fear, Brian began to sing out a couple of lines from
the song.
	When he was finished, he looked over at Carol and noticed that she had in
fact recognized the lyrics.  "God, I hear that song on the radio everyday.
I never really paid much attention to it, but," Carol paused before
continuing, "wow, you have a beautiful voice."
	"Thank you," Brian responded to the compliment, his face turning a deep
crimson.
	"Yeah, you do have a great voice, Brian," Jim threw in his two cents.
"Hey, maybe you could throw in a few pointers to Mike.  You should hear him
in the shower, it could make the paint peel off the walls."
	"Hey shut up, over there dad.  My voice isn't that bad."
	"I love you Sweetie, but I'd have to agree with your father on this one.
Your voice could shatter glass, and I don't mean that in a good way."
	"Thanks mom," Mike said, turning his attention back to Brian.  "Can you
understand why I never come home and visit my parents now?"
	"Well Mike, I'd have to admit I trust your parents judgement, and uhh,
remind me not to be around when you take a shower," Brian said with a large
smile on his face.
	"Smart move, Brian," Jim commented.
	"Great, three against one.  Well, I hope you all realize I have no other
choice but to do this now," Mike started before singing some horrible tune
for the people gathered.  I won't get into details, but the words "Rudolph"
and "reindeer" were used, and it wasn't pretty.  When it was over, Jim was
the first to break the blissful peace and quiet.
	"I think I speak for everyone hear when I say, please don't EVER do that
again, Mike," he said with a smile on his face.  "That was awful."
	The other two just nodded their agreement.
	"Just remember where I got my singing genes from, DAD," Mike retaliated.
	"So, Brian, do you live here? Or are you just up here for a concert, then?"
Carol asked, changing the subject back to Brian.
	"Actually, I live in Orlando.  I'm just up here for some promotions and
then I've got to get back."
	"Then how did you meet, Mike?"
	"I'm a guest at his hotel.  He was delivering a fax to my room, and we got
to talking."
	"How long are you here for?"
	"A few more days, and then I have to fly back."
	"Ohh, that's too bad.  But, I guess you're fairly busy with your concerts
and song recording.  You must not have much time for a social life."
	If Brian didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Carol was trying
to uncover his intentions towards her son.  "I'm not going to lie, there are
times when work is a little overwhelming, and I don't get much of a social
life.  But when there's a break in our schedule, I make the most of my time
off.  We usually give ourselves two or three months off a year from doing
anything music related."
	"But during the other months, I'm assuming you get pretty involved in
work."
	Now Brian was sure she was inquiring as to his intentions with Mike.
"Yeah, sometimes my social life gets a little neglected during the other
months, but we get plenty of opportunities to live our lives.  The phone
plays a large part, unfortunately, but friends and family are always welcome
to come and visit when my schedule is too hectic for me to come to them."
	"You must get the opportunity to meet a lot of people on the road," Jim
stated, obviously changing the subject.
	"Yeah, we do, but you learn to distance yourself a bit from people when
you're on tour.  You know that you're only going to be there for a couple of
days max, and then it's off to the next venue."
	"If you don't mind my asking, what was different about Michael that you
decided you could become friends with him?"
	"Mom, that's a little out of line," Mike said, trying to defend Brian from
the attack.
	"No, Mike, it's alright.  Actually, when I got to talking with Mike, he was
treating me like a normal person, something that doesn't happen too often
now that the band has become successful.  Even after he found out who I was,
he didn't treat me any differently.  I have to admit though, I don't think
I've ever really met anyone quite like him."
	"What's going to happen with you two when you have to go back to Florida?"
Carol asked, prying just a little bit further.
	"Ok, mom, that's getting a bit nosy," Mike started but was interrupted.
	"Mike and I haven't really talked about it yet, but I know that I want to
keep in contact.  We can call each other, and both of us can come and visit
when there are breaks in both of our schedules."
	"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but my son isn't exactly rich,
and his school starts back up pretty soon."
	"I'm aware of that, Carol, but we can work something out.  I can help him
out if he wants to come down and see me, and I know that I'll have a few
opportunities to get away in the upcoming months."
	"So, now you're looking at Michael like he's some sort of charity case?"
	"That's not it at all, I just would like to see him when we get the
chance."
	"Whoa, whoa, let's stop so I can say something here," Mike interrupted the
conversation that was beginning to heat up.  Both Brian and Carol turned and
faced him.  "First off, mom, butt out, what I do with my life is my own
business and you have no right to interfere.  Secondly, Brian, before you
start spewing out ideas on how we're going to keep in contact, maybe you and
I should talk about it first, okay.  I mean we've only just started seeing
each other and we agreed to take things slow."  When Mike saw the shocked
expression come across Brian's face, he realized he had released a little
too much information in front of his parents.  He turned to face them and
noticed that he had their undivided attention.  `Well, it's now or never,'
Mike thought to himself.  "Bri, would you mind going in the house for a
couple of minutes while I talk to my parents?"
	"Uh, sure," Brian replied shyly.
	"Thanks." Mike watched as Brian got up from the table and went into the
house.  He turned back to his parents and began to speak.  "Remember when I
came and talked to you about the possibility about me being gay when I was a
kid?" Both Carol and Jim nodded their heads.  "Well, I have some good news
and some bad news.  The good news is, that I'm not gay, the bad news is
that, well, I'm bisexual."
	There was a silence at the table that lasted a few moments.  Finally, it
was Carol who spoke first.  "Do you remember what your father and I said to
you after you talked to us that night?" It was Mike's turn to nod his head.
"Well, it's still true, Mike.  We'll support you with whatever you do, your
father and I already talked about it when you went inside with Brian."
	"It just comes as a bit of a surprise to us, that's all.  I mean you went
out with Kelly for a while there, and we know you had really strong feelings
for her," Jim said to explain his reaction to the news.
	"I loved her dad, I'm not denying that.  That's why I'm saying I'm not gay,
I mean there have been quite a few girls I have been overly attracted to
that weren't Kelly.  But there's also guys, and I have to admit that Brian
is one of them."
	"Have you ever been involved with another man before?" Carol asked timidly.
	"No, mom, I haven't.  That's why I need to take things with Brian really
slowly.  I need to be careful so that I don't hurt him in case I come to the
realization that I can't do this.  I mean, it's hard getting over the
stereotypical thing, and I want to be fair to him."
	"Well, I'm glad your using your head through all this.  I mean I've seen
you before and you have a habit of following your heart and ignoring your
head completely."
	"Well, this is different, mom.  I mean, not only do I have to be careful
because of Brian's career, but neither of us have been able to tell the
people around us what we really feel inside."
	"What? You haven't told anyone else about your, umm, preferences."
	"No, we kind of came out to each other last night at the hotel.  This whole
thing started up pretty fast, and I need to make sure we move slowly so that
neither of us gets hurt.  But, I have to tell you mom, that you were being
really unfair to Brian earlier about what the two of us were going to do
when he left."
	"I know, Michael, and I'm sorry.  I'd noticed how the two of you were
looking at each other, and I just wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt."
	"I appreciate it mom, but you have to realize that I am an adult now and
you don't need to treat me like a little kid anymore.  I am quite capable of
handling the consequences from the decisions I make."
	"He's right, Hun, you need to back off," Jim spoke up.  "You can't keep
trying to fight his fights."
	"I know that, but I'm just not sure you know what you're getting yourself
into. A long distance relationship is one thing, but having to be secretive
is another."
	"I've had the opportunity to think about it a bit mom, and I know it's
going to be tough.  I don't even know that it's going to work.  But, I've
seen something special in him that I've being trying to find for a while now
and I'm not just going to let it go."
	"Well, then there's nothing else you need to say, Mike.  Your mother and I
both love you and we'll support you with whatever decisions you make."
	"Thanks, guys, that really means a lot to me, you know.  I don't know what
I would have done if I thought that you guys wouldn't be there for me," Mike
said getting up from his chair.  He walked over to his parents and gave them
both a hug.  "I love you both."
	"We do, too, sweetie," Carol said.  "Now get in there and make sure your
boyfriend's alright."
	Mike managed a small laugh and started off towards the door.  Before he
entered, he commented, "You know, it might take me a while to get used to
people referring to Brian as my boyfriend."
	"I'm sure it won't take you that long," Carol said smiling.
	"No, me neither," Mike added before going into the house.

	Mike found Brian sitting on the couch in the living room.  He seemed to be
in an almost trance like state as he stared out the window to the world
outside.  Mike walked over to him and sat down on the couch beside him.  He
placed his hand on his shoulder and commented, "Today's not exactly what I
had in mind for the two of us."
	"I'm sorry," was all Brian said.
	"Don't be, I'm still glad that I got to spend it with you."
	"You don't have a problem coming up with the mushy stuff, do you?" Brian
inquired.
	"It's a talent, what can I say?"
	Silence filled the room again before Brian spoke what was on his mind.
"How did they take it?"
	"Like I told you they would.  They told me they'd support me no matter what
I do and they stressed how much they loved me.  Then they told me to get in
here and talk to my boyfriend."
	"You mean they're okay with us?"
	"My mom is a little concerned, mostly because we're getting into a long
distance thing here."
	"Is that why she was grilling me in the backyard."
	"Yeah, I'm sorry about that.  I talked to her about it and she apologized.
She was just trying to look out for her son."
	"I understand I guess.  You should probably listen to her, you know."
	"Hey, like I told my mom, I'm a big boy now and I can make my own
decisions.  I'm not backing away from something with you because there's a
few miles between us."
	"Yeah, but those miles can get pretty big."
	"Well, then I guess we'll have some pretty hefty phone bills to pay," Mike
joked trying to lighten the mood.  He could tell it wasn't having much of an
effect.  "Listen Bri.  I like you.  You've got these incredible qualities in
you that I've been looking to find for a while now.  Now that I've got
someone like you, I'm not prepared to just let you walk out that door."
	"Do you mean that?"
	"Yeah, I do."
	Brian leaned in and kissed Mike firmly on the lips.  At first Mike was a
little surprised, but it didn't take him long to recover and then
reciprocate.  He opened his mouth and lashed his tongue around playfully to
Brian.  Brian eagerly opened his mouth and accepted it into his own.  They
continued for a few more minutes before Brian broke away.
	"I don't want to walk out that door without you, Mike."
	Mike smiled and wrapped his arms around Brian's shoulders.  "I guess that
means I'm stuck with ya then."
	Brian elbowed Mike in the ribs and then muttered, "More like the other way
around."
	"Hey now, I don't mean to point any fingers, but who followed whom home?"
        "It's not like I had much of a choice there.  You practically
handcuffed me to your car to get me here."
	"I didn't see you complaining."
        "You just wait until you're on my home turf.  The guys are gonna
have a field day with you."
	"Do you see me shaking?"  Mike held out his hand.  "Nope, neither do I."
	"You just wait."
	The two sat around in the living room for a few more minutes, just sitting
in each other's arms.  Neither were in a rush to go back outside for the
time being and they were enjoying their time together.

To Be Continued (Let's all pray it's a little sooner this time  )