Sweep Me Off My Feet

Author Comment: I agree with Exluke that last chapter was kind of rough for the characters, and that's going to be true of the next 2 chapters, but I promise we're coming to their happy ending. Just hang in there <3

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The next morning was tense while everyone was eating breakfast. It was clear that something had happened, but no one else knew what. When Daniel's brothers inevitably took him into his room to talk to him, Zach turned to Zayne with a questioning look. Zayne explained what happened the night before and their decision to keep a little space between them and Daniel for now.

"If we need to change our flights..." Zach started, but Zayne's head shake stopped him.

"No, Daniel was drunk and being an ass, but I want to see this through," Zayne replied. "Brinxton and I are going to go on an adrenaline side trip today, give everyone some space, and then we'll meet up tonight for dinner. Sound okay?"

"Yeah, we'll try and get Daniel to stop being aggressive," Elias said and clapped Zayne on the shoulder.

With that agreed on, Zayne and Brinxton retreated to their room to get dressed for their adventure. When they came out into the living room to get Zayne's wheelchair, the others were off getting dressed as well so they had time to get settled and leave before anyone else came out.

They started by going to an arcade, because they needed to wait until the rides were open. Even in the chair, Zayne was a beast at skeeball. He was also great at shooting down zombies with Brinxton, and fighting games. It was clear that he had played video games through his childhood, and he explained to Brinxton that he and Zach used to play against or with each other all the time. It was a way they could still have fun today despite Zayne's limitations.

After the arcade, they went to try out some of the roller coasters and other rides they could find around Las Vegas. It had been a while since Zayne had gotten to ride a rollercoaster, and he was having a blast. They spent time holding hands and kissing as they waited in line or walked around the strip to find something else to do. It felt nice, like dating openly. It made Zayne's heart yearn for this back home; going on adventures together while being romantic and sweet with each other.

There were a million little moments through this day that Zayne realized he could easily and wanted to say "I love you" to Brinxton. Now that Daniel's voice had gotten into his head, he couldn't fool himself anymore. He was desperately in love with Brinxton, and wanted nothing more than to yell it from the rooftops, but then the rest of what Daniel said was sneaking in. He'd have to talk to Brinxton, but he didn't want to interrupt their fun for that. He would wait until they were in the post-bliss haze after sex when they talked openly.

Right now, he focused on Brinxton and the fun they were having. They didn't meet up with the others until it was dinner time. Tonight they were going to a great steakhouse, which Zayne was excited about. The others were already there when they arrived and were shown to the table. Zayne and Brinxton found two seats open between Elias and Zach, which was perfect for them.

"Welcome back, you two," James said. "Before we go on, I believe my brother has something to say."

Daniel looked tense, but then his other brother, Garrett, nudged him and he let out the breath he was holding. "I'm sorry for last night. I was drunk and upset, but that's not an excuse. I was rude to both of you and I hope we can put it behind us and enjoy the rest of our time here."

They were quiet for a beat or two, both staring at Daniel like they were trying to decide if he was sincere. Zayne broke first, of course, and nodded his head. "I'm happy to move past it so long as you stay respectful. Brinxton?"

Brinxton broke eye contact with Daniel and looked at Zayne. "Yeah," he said, "I guess the same goes for me, too."

Zayne gave Brinxton a smile at that. Brinxton knew that Zayne didn't want to cause problems at any of the events for the wedding, even if he might have good reason to, like right then. It tied into Zayne's need to not be a burden to anyone, and he was grateful that Brinxton would let it lie for right now.

With that out of the way, the waitress came to take their orders, and dinner moved forward as it had before Daniel showed his drunk ass. The brothers had a surprise back at the suite for the night, and Zayne was a little worried it would be strippers, but didn't say anything.

They went back to the hotel and came in to find the bar area fully stocked as well as a karaoke machine set up to the TV. Zach gave a laugh while Zayne looked surprised and Daniel shook his head.

"Danny won't admit it now, but back in high school, those four used to spend hours on the karaoke game trying to get the best scores," James said to Brinxton. "So don't let any apprehension from them fool you. Also, expect Zayne to kick all of their asses at this."

"No, no," Zayne said with a shake of his head. "I haven't even practiced in years. I'm sure I'm rusty."

"I've seen you naked, your voice isn't the part of you that's 'rusty.'" Brinxton said to Zayne with a smirk.

Everyone laughed at that while Zayne gave a look of mock outrage. "If you are talking about my back, then that is the finest titanium medicine could find. If you're talking about my crotch, though, then guilty as charged, but that's only because I'm a redhead."

Brinxton shook his head at the first part of that but grinned at the second part. "I was definitely referring to your 'firestick'."

That gained him a smirk from Zayne and a snort of laughter from Zach. Daniel just rolled his eyes and shook his head before leading them towards the seating.

They all found seats around the living room area while Elias worked on making drinks. He brought over a glass for Zayne and told him to let loose with just one drink. When Zayne took a sip, it tasted just like an alcoholic caramel apple. He let Brinxton take a sip before he told Elias what he wanted to drink.

Brinxton learned that with things like theater and singing, Zayne had been right about calling him and Zach flamboyant where Elias had just called them loud. They gave their all to songs, and Zayne was particularly good at singing. He had an amazing tenor voice that would grab the attention of everyone in the room when he was the one performing.

Elias was fairly good, and Daniel was passable, though his brothers were awful and not afraid of showing that, much to the laughter and delight of everyone there because they were hilarious when they were up.

Brinxton decided to sing "Tequila" on his turn. Zayne cried foul and demanded he choose a second song immediately, despite everyone rolling on the floor laughing at the choice. Brinxton chose "Ghostbusters" for his second song, sticking his tongue out at Zayne when it started. Zayne just grinned back at him and sat back to enjoy the show.

They were a good hour into playing with the karaoke machine when Garrett brought up a musical that Zayne and Zach had loved in high school. They had adored the music and had done performances of various songs even into college.

"Do you guys remember that performance you three did for one of the songs?" Garrett asked.

Zayne and Zach immediately started chuckling while Elias grinned. "Zayne has us practice so often I'm pretty sure we could do it in our sleep still," Elias said.

"Can you guys still do it?" James asked, and then looked mostly at Zayne. "I mean...are you..."

"I can do it," Zayne replied, deciding not to let James flounder on asking the question he actually meant to ask, which happened to be was Zayne physically capable of it? "I may need to alter some of the dance moves, but that one wasn't as dance heavy as many of the other ones we did."

Zach used his phone to find a good karaoke version of the song, which was "Sincerely Me" from Dear Evan Hansen. Zayne got out of his seat to stand off to one side while Zach and Elias pulled up a dining room chair for their part. Zayne had always played the part of Connor, while Zach played Evan Hansen and Elias played Jared.

They did a fantastic job, playing off of each other and getting into character. The song had plenty of comedy, which they all did well, and even when they could tell that Zayne altered a dance move, like not going all the way down into the crouch and then right back up the way Zach did, it still flowed effortlessly.

When they finished, the three of them dissolved into laughter while everyone else gave them a cheer for the performance. Zayne came over to sit down next to Brinxton, his cheeks a little red from exertion and embarrassment. Brinxton put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in for a sideways hug. Zayne smiled at that and looked at Brinxton happily. Only when he caught the look on Daniel's face, forcing Zayne to remember their talk, did the smile drop a little bit.

Brinxton noticed the quick change in mood and frowned in an unspoken question at Zayne. Zayne couldn't bring himself to answer though, so he just shook his head and asked who was going next.

They went back to drinking and singing, until it was getting late and everyone was tired enough that it was time for bed. Zayne and Brinxton were, as usual, the least drunk of the bunch. They got into the room and shut the door behind them. Brinxton asked Zayne if they could just cuddle tonight, citing the excitement of the day as the reason for his tiredness.

Zayne had a brief panicked thought that that was just an excuse, but he nodded his head to show that was fine, deciding now wasn't the time to start freaking out about the idea of what might be the end of their situationship. Brinxton stripped down to his boxer briefs and climbed into bed, making himself comfortable in the spot next to Zayne's nest, waiting for Zayne to join him.

Zayne followed suit, stripping down until he was just in his boxer briefs and climbed into the bed and under the covers. He got close to Brinxton, but tried not to crowd him and immediately hated Daniel for putting all of these doubts and questions into his head like this. He had the brief thought that he should just go out there and beat his ass, but he also knew he wouldn't do nearly as much damage as he would hope to.

Brinxton, misunderstanding Zayne's distance, decided to respect what he assumed Zayne wanted and avoided pulling him closer, settling for enjoying sleeping close enough to touch without actually disturbing him. Brinxton was asleep pretty quickly.

Zayne was up longer though, his mind swirling with thoughts. Eventually he got up, checking the time on his phone to see that about two hours had passed without sleep, and Zayne went out into the kitchen to get a bottle of water. He grabbed his bottle of melatonin and drank down two of the pills.

"Why are you awake?" Zayne heard his twin ask and turned to look at Zach as he walked into the kitchen.

"Why are you?" Zayne asked back.

"Had to piss, then wanted water," Zach replied. "Your turn."

"Can't sleep," Zayne admitted. "Daniel said some stuff last night that got into my head, and now it keeps turning over in my mind and I can't quiet it down. I'm trying not to panic but I don't think I'm doing a good job."

"About Brinxton?" Zach asked.

"Is it that obvious to everyone?" Zayne demanded.

Zach shook his head. "No, just to those of us who know you well. It's especially obvious to me because I can read you like a book. There's not a lot you can hide from me, as you well know. So the real question, then, is what are you going to do about it?"

Zayne shook his head. "Get drunk?"

"Try again," Zach prodded.

"I mean, I guess we're going to have to talk," Zayne finally said, his shoulders falling into a defeated posture. "I'm really fucking terrified to though, not because I think he'll treat me badly or get mad but because I don't know what I'll do if we aren't on the same page. Do I just continue on like we are now and find a way to protect my heart or do I walk?"

"That part only you could know," Zach said quietly. "Do you think you could just continue on casually, or would that wreck you?"

Zayne shook his head for a long time as he thought that one out, because he had no idea. "You know what's funny?"

"Daniel's face?" Zach offered.

Zayne snorted a laugh. "No. I mean, yes, but no. The fact that I feel more lost over this than I ever did when mine and Daniel's relationship was falling apart."

Zach frowned at him. "I wish I could fix it for you, but I can't. If it doesn't work out, though, we can run away. Go to the cabin, spend a few weeks there. You can paint and draw, I can do architectural sketches or portraits. We'll only ever see Jessie, and maybe Elias if we allow him to go."

"He'd think we were dead if we didn't include him," Zayne replied with a laugh.

"Fine, he can come with, but he's got to carry the firewood in then," Zach offered.

"Deal," Zayne laughed. He was starting to feel a little out of it so he wished his twin goodnight and went back into the room, quietly shutting the door behind him so as not to wake Brinxton up. He slid back into bed, this time letting their skin touch as he tried to calm the storm in his mind. Touching Brinxton did help, because it grounded him in the now. Without waking up, Brinxton wrapped his arms around Zayne and pulled him in close. Zayne relaxed into his embrace, deciding they would have to talk soon, but wanting to enjoy the feel of Brinxton next to him like this.

They got a late start the next day, going to brunch before seeing some of the sights and taking photos together. That evening after dinner, they went to see Cirque du Soleil, which Zayne watched like a child seeing one of their first wonders. He loved watching the way the performers had such control over their bodies; something he would never have again but appreciated in a way he never could have before the accident. When they got back, they lounged and talked before everyone decided it was time to go to bed.

Zayne was drying his hair after their shower after sex when he looked over at where Brinxton was, looking thoughtful. "Do you ever think about the future? Like, what you want it to be like?"

Brinxton looked up, leaving his own thoughts alone while he considered Zayne's question. "Occasionally. Mostly I've been focused on trying to figure out where I want to go in life career-wise, but this trip has put some other things on my mind. Why do you ask?"

Zayne looked out the window in their room, which took up an entire wall, and shook his head. "I've just been contemplating it. What I want in life, and what that means going forward. Before the accident, I figured I'd be getting married right about now and planning for my career and possibly family. That kind of changed everything though. I've been adrift for a while. I still want that life, though, you know? Marriage, at least. I don't know if I could handle raising kids like this. So I was curious as to if you saw any of that in your future."

Brinxton looked thoughtful. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it. Not a lot of gay men get to live in married bliss, so I guess I sort of embraced the thought that such a thing wasn't in the cards. Are you... not happy with the way things are?"

That question caught Zayne off guard as he looked over at Brinxton in surprise. "No, I've been very happy, I just...I don't know. I guess my mind was wandering into what comes after this territory, you know? My penchant for overthinking."

"I was worried that the impending nuptials might get to you eventually," Brinxton said sadly. "This isn't a Hallmark movie, you know. Even if you could talk him out of marrying her, there's no guarantee that it'll go any better the second time around."

Zayne just about choked on his own spit at that. "Oh geeze, no! Daniel is...that whole situation is so far behind me. I'll always be fond of Daniel because he was my first love, but..." He stopped here to consider his words. "Is there something wrong with wanting a Hallmark love with someone?"

Brinxton looked like he had been going up stairs and had stepped down expecting a stair to be there and found a landing instead. All he could think of to say in response was "Oh. No, there's nothing wrong with that."

Zayne stared at Brinxton for a moment, like he couldn't quite figure out his thought process. "Did you think I was enthusiastically kissing him the other night?"

Brinxton looked uncomfortable at that thought. "No, but he's been obsessed with you this whole time and turning up the pressure the closer we get to the actual day. You put up with far too much from him and I guess I was just trying to figure out why."

Zayne turned his eyes back to the window, looking out at the lights of Vegas as he thought that over. "I don't really know why, to be honest. I've always been the easy going one of the group. I forgive a lot and don't really push for the things I want because I don't want to upset anyone. And I know that if I kick up a fuss about things, then I watch my friend group splinter again because Zach will lose his shit. He has more of a temper than I do. Plus, time with you has outweighed whatever bullshit he's done."

Brinxton wasn't sure how to take that, so he shelved the thought for later. "Are you trying to figure out if I will stand in the way of your happiness if you find someone you want to commit to?" he asked with genuine concern.

That hadn't been what Zayne was asking, but he didn't know how to word it without admitting that what he meant was that he wanted to commit to Brinxton. Curiosity from that question though won out in the end, figuring it would answer the question for him. "Not entirely, but would you?"

Brinxton didn't even hesitate. "Of course not! Your happiness matters to me. I would never want to be in the way of that for you."

It was such a sweet and genuine answer that Zayne's expression softened, despite it not being what he had wanted to hear. "I guess you and I are kind of in different life phases right now. Looking to different things at the moment, which is fine. It's not like I..." No, that would have been a lie. "There's no one else right now or anything."

Brinxton accepted that with a nod, though he looked concerned in a way that he hadn't before, like it was dawning on him that this situationship would end before he was ready. That made him consider what he thought the end would look like and what he would do afterward. He was distracted by that thought for a long while after they had settled into bed. Zayne tried to calm some of that worry by being close to Brinxton, but he was worrying as well, thinking about how long he could do this before it hurt too much because he could never actually call Brinxton his.

Their last few days in Vegas were fun, spending time as a group going to a club that was mostly accessible for Zayne, doing a little more gambling, and then enjoying drinking and making jokes. Zayne had a ton of photos of the group, and even more of him and Brinxton together. They returned home on a similar private plane.

Things were in full wedding swing once they got back. Brielle had her bridal shower, which none of the men went to, but Aspen did. She had a good time and came back with stories of having tea and enjoying their afternoon, as well as telling Zayne and Zach how Brielle had been asking her for advice on better understanding her own brother.

Brinxton had to finish getting his tux fitted and then pick it up, and soon enough they were up to the rehearsal. Brinxton had to follow what his sister wanted for the entire afternoon while she made sure everyone knew what they were doing the day of, but he knew that Zayne and them would be at the rehearsal dinner as extended family of the groom.

Brielle had gone out of her way to make sure the restaurant was set up so Zayne could get around easily. Zayne appreciated it, and found he even had a seat at the table. This time they weren't far away. Of course, the rehearsal dinner was much smaller, but they were small things that showed a lot of growth in Brielle and he was impressed.