This is the seventeenth story in the Rewriting History series, and it follows Like A Peppermint Eaten Away. There is major angst here, as I'm sure you already know, and this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Warnings: m/m, angst, AU, occasional bad language. There *are* implied spoilers for the movie from this point on.

~Silk

*****

Smothered A Kiss

By Silk

*****

It was like the fucking death of love. When it came, it came out of nowhere, literally blindsiding them. That was the ultimate tragedy. Not that it happened at all, but that once it did, it could have been stopped.

But neither one of them knew how to get out of its way.

*****

"Hold still, Brian," Curt said. Brian was twitching under Curt's careful ministrations despite the older man's near-constant reassurance. Brian and Curt had been summoned to see Jerry the previous night, but Brian managed to put him off, claiming exhaustion after an extremely long set at Hammersmith.

Now Curt was applying Brian's make-up. Brian didn't want anything to do with that girl he considered Jerry and Mandy's flunky, Shannon. She hovered around him like a helpless moth drawn to a flame, and Brian was beginning to think that if she didn't leave him alone, he was going to be forced to do something permanent.

Brian's lashes quivered as Curt drew the eyeliner along his shadowed eyelids. "I hate her."

"She's not worth thinking about, babe."

"She wants me."

Curt stopped what he was doing and stared at Brian, his lip curling in distaste. "She doesn't *get* you."

"I know, Curt. Please finish. I've got a very bad feeling about this thing with Jerry."

"I'm usually the one with the weird feelings, man."

"Yeah." For a moment, Curt was able to work in silence. Brian was clearly preoccupied with his own thoughts, and even though it went against the grain to be shut out this way, Curt let it go. They were all under pressure these days.

These days. Ever since they'd returned from Brighton, things had felt different. And not in a good way.

"You look beautiful, babe," Curt said, brushing Brian's cheek with his fingertips.

Brian pushed Curt's hand away sulkily. "Don't. You'll smudge my make-up."

"You never used to mind that, Bri," Curt said, a question in his clear gray eyes.

"I feel like shit, Curt. Don't make me feel worse." Brian lit a cigarette and slid it between his full lips, making Curt yearn to be in its place.

Curt looked away, suddenly finding it hard to breathe and praying that his inner agitation didn't show. "What time is the meeting again?"

"3 o'clock. Bloody hell, Curt, can't you remember anything? You've only asked me that three times."

Curt barely managed not to flinch and hid behind an indifferent expression. "Yeah, well, you know me, lost a few brain cells when I quit the dope."

"More than a few, if you ask me," Brian muttered.

It was all Curt could do to pretend that he didn't hear that. Anything Brian said, Curt took to heart. That meant bearing the brunt of his inexplicable moods more often than he cared to think about.

"Bri, I hate to ask, but-" Curt hated sounding tentative more than anything else. But Brian in this mood was so unpredictable.

"What is it, Curt? It's almost time."

"Could you put my eye makeup on, man? My hand's a little shaky, that's all."

When had that happened? It was on the tip of Brian's tongue to question whether or not Curt was using again, but he stopped himself just in time. Of course he was unsteady. He'd just gotten through reaming his ass for no apparent reason.

Suddenly contrite, Brian reached out and grabbed Curt, enfolding him in his arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered against Curt's ear, and he could swear he heard Curt release the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"It's okay, man," Curt replied hoarsely.

But it wasn't. It might never be okay again.

*****

The meeting with Jerry was uneventful. In fact, Brian wondered why he had bothered to call a meeting at all. "You could have told us any of this over the phone, Jerry. Are you trying to act like you're worth what I pay you?" Brian snapped, lighting yet another cigarette. Curt had stopped counting them, but it looked as though Brian's chain-smoking was now worse than his.

"I'm only looking out for your best interests, Brian. You know that."

"What a fucking waste of time." Brian stabbed out his cigarette moments after lighting it and stood up.

"You seem a little tense, Brian. Is there anything I can do?"

Brian wasn't in the mood for Jerry's particular brand of smarm, and he glanced at Curt. "Let's go."

Curt made it as far as the door when he realized that Brian wasn't behind him. He turned to see Jerry strong-arming Brian, and he nearly lost control at the sight of Brian being manhandled by their manager. "Brian!"

"Didn't mean to scare you, Brian," Jerry said apologetically, sliding a sidelong look at Curt. "Actually, if you could stay for just a moment, I'd like to talk to you. *Privately*."

Curt's face hardened and he grew completely still. He *was* being shut out. It wasn't his fucking imagination.

Brian shrugged and gave Curt a half-smile. "I'll catch up with you, Curt."

"Sure, man. No problem."

Curt was through the door and down the stairs before he let himself register that he'd been dismissed. He didn't trust Jerry as far as he could throw him. But Brian...oh, God, Brian, don't do this to me. Please.

*****

"What the hell is this?" Brian waved a hand at the small stack of paperwork on Jerry's desk.

"I wanted you to see what Curt's been up to, Brian."

"He's not up to anything, Jerry. What the fuck are you on about?"

"Take a look for yourself, Brian. These are Curt's bank statements."

"Curt doesn't even have a bank account, Jerry."

"You think you know him, Brian, but I'm telling you. He's been using you." Jerry slapped his hand down on the papers with a sharp crack that sounded like a gunshot. "This is *proof*."

"What are you saying, Jerry? That Curt's skimming money off you or something?"

Brian didn't believe a word Jerry said. His smile was a fatuous lie. "No offense to your obviously brilliant detective work, Jerry, but Curt doesn't have a devious bone in his body."

"He's a fucking drug addict, Brian. Of course he knows how to manipulate you. Just think for a moment. When the two of you met, whose idea was it that you should become lovers?"

His. Brian's mind answered Jerry's question even though the word never crossed his lips. "But...but I saved him. He was going nowhere fast when you signed him, Jerry. Why would he betray me? And how?"

"Do you have any idea what you're worth now, Brian? You're a very big star. I don't think you realize just how big. Interest in Curt's career has gone up 150 percent since he's been with you. He's shopping for a new gig. Now do you get it, Brian? The money you're looking at here," Jerry spread his hand across the papers with a proprietary air, "is an advance Curt's received from a rival record company."

Brian cried out, "But he wouldn't! I know him!" I *love* him.

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you, Brian. But Curt is fucking you over."

Brian shook his head slowly. "No, no, no..."

"Now he's contractually bound to finish the record," Jerry continued as if he hadn't noticed that Brian was on the verge of breaking down. "So we'll go into the studio next week and get it over with."

Get it over with. His life. This was his fucking life. Brian stumbled out of the room and leaned against the wall.

Meanwhile, Jerry carefully packed up his papers and smiled to himself. He loved it when a plan came together.

End