"You're beautiful," Jade said to Devi and Brady gasped. He was in the process of introducing them and couldn't quite believe his ears.

"In all the time I've known you, never have you given me a compliment, wow so much for friendship. Did I not bat my lashes enough?" Brady demonstrated, earning a scoff from Devi.

"It's not a compliment, it's a fact," Jade said.

"It's not like I'm jealous or anything but you've never facted me or whatever," Brady pouted. "Might even have to call child services," he mumbled, crossing his arms.

"Okay here's a fact for my sweet Brady, you talk way too much," Jade said.

"Ouch," Brady said then smiled suddenly. "It's not as flashy but I'll take it! It's sort of like my superpower too so yeah..."
Jade rolled his eyes.

"Yeah no kidding," Devi said and Jade smirked. "The rest of us just have to live in consistent agony because of our super limited verbosity, don't we?"

Brady narrowed his eyes, "It's nice to know you two are going to get along just fine, ugh," pinching the bridge of his nose.

He remembered why he was here in the first place.

Leo had started it. Acting distant for whatever reason. And Brady didn't know how to deal with it.

Still no reply...

Brady's frustration came back to him. Which he seemed to be doing a lot of lately. Yes Leo had said this was sort of a busy week for him but something didn't feel right about it. Which is how he carried out the most effective ritual he came to know of.

"I mean... we've gone all the way by now–"

"Did you just–?" Jade scoffed. "Okay are the paramedics outside?"

"Well why are you shocked? You should have seen them at the club baby!" Devi said to Jade.

Brady had invited them both for ice cream, thinking it was time they met. Brady didn't know why he was worried the two might not get along.
He'd been worried at first because he didn't know how Jade would handle new people in his life. In his own experience, he had just sort of stuck around in determination till Jade accepted him.

But then again, what harm could it have done him?

He'd introduced them and despite the fact that they spoke like friends from way back, they'd only met like ten minutes ago. They got along better than Brady had expected, to his relief.

"Okay spill out every fucking detail," Jade said, reeling back in his seat.

Brady spilled. He started from the club, to his family, to their fight and make up. Finally, what was bugging him currently. Devi also seemed to be fascinated by the escalation of the events evident by the widening of his eyes in several parts.

"He's even met the family! Devi can you believe this guy?"

"Actually yeah," Devante replied, thinking Jade must be coming from somewhere else.

"You don't understand, not even two months ago, our innocent looking Brady was only into girls," Jade said.

"You're joking right?" Devi was amused. He looked from Brady to Jade and then back.

"Can you guys stop talking like that? I'm right here you know." Brady rolled his eyes.

"You seem to have missed something important here, who is this guy?" Jade asked.

Brady took a deep breath, "It's Leo," he said.

Three, two, one...

"No! No fucking way! Met's Leo?"  Jade couldn't believe it.

"Who's Met?" Devi asked.

"Okay okay, one at a time. Jesus! Kids huh?" Brady chuckled in the way an exhausted grown up would.

"Met is Jade's husband, and if the name Sean comes up anywhere, I'll have you know that that, also is Jade's husband. You see, Leo works for Met so you can guess how we... well, met, no pun intended. And yes Jade your Met's Leo."

"You're married to two people huh?" Devi asked.

"Wipe that smirk off your face," Jade said to Devi good naturedly. Then turned to Brady.

"You haven't even known him a month, Brady," Jade had worry lacing his voice.

"Almost a month now to be precise," Brady added, more worried than Jade. It was one of the few things he left out, that when time came to a month, everything could be over.

"I can't believe this, you hadn't known Leo for more than two weeks at the club! You should have seen the chemistry between them that night Jade, chills!"

"Okay can we focus on the important issue at hand?" Brady tried to pull them back.

"I don't know why he's acting distant, and I really don't think it's work. And we're running out of time," Brady added absentmindedly.

"What do you mean you're running out of time?" Devi asked.

"Oh did I say that? Sorry, it's just something I can't talk about now."

"Okay, cool but have you tried asking him upfront?" Devi asked again.

"Can't," Brady answered, "I'll appear desperate. I sort of think it's just me."

"Oh hun, no," Devi said, squeezing Brady's arm.

"Well there's a way to find out for sure, and bury that doubt," Jade said.

"I love the look on your face! Tell us of this way," Devi was excited and motioned his hands for dramatic effect as he said it.

"I suggest we order more ice cream boys, I've got a plan."

                           _____________

It was exactly a short while later, that Brady found himself browsing very revealing wear. In fact so revealing it allowed for heat to creep up to his face, maybe fanning himself wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"Why the hell did you bring me here?" He asked both Jade and Devi.

"We know more about this and you don't," said Jade.

"So don't ask questions and follow our lead," Devi finished.

"You're already finishing each other's sentences, oh what have I done?" Brady said in surrender.

"This is like some sort of sex shop!" Brady lowly exclaimed after another short while, much to the amusement of the other two.

Devi giggled. "But it isn't. Relax it's just lingerie and underwear.

"Look at some of the stuff!" Brady continued as if he hadn't heard anything. "Like they're trying to pull off the emperor's new clothes!"

"Oh please," said Devi.

They continued their browsing, when Brady suddenly caught Devi flinching from the corner of his eye. Jade was there in a second.

"Get your filthy hands off him shitface," he said to the guy who had not so subtly groped Devi's ass. How people managed to be so disgusting, he couldn't fathom.

Brady hated to admit that he was a handsome guy, because of how much of a shitty person he was.

"And what are you going to do about it?" he asked Jade confidently.

"I don't know either, but I wouldn't mind finding out," Jade got closer to him and Brady saw the veins of anger he wasn't used to seeing.

"You know, you're not too bad yourself."

Jade punched him. Strong enough to make him stagger backwards.

"Son of a–" Jade's sentence was not completed because the guy hit him back.

There was a moment where everyone paused and seemed to hold their breath, as if waiting for what was next. Then Jade smirked, then scoffed and Brady could have sworn that in that moment the devil had entered the room.

"I can tell the size of your balls with the way you pack a punch," Jade gripped his jaw in one hand and squeezed. "And I have to admit, I'm really not impressed."

He noticed it then, the quivering in the guy's gaze, the quickening in his breathing, and the way his pupils seemed to dilate and Jade knew that in that moment he could have told him to sit and he would have done so, right at his feet.

He smirked again, but there was nothing good natured about it. "You sick fuck."

"Is everything okay here?" asked a staff personnel.

"Everything's fine," Jade said without ever looking away, then lowered his voice. "Apologize," he said to the guy.

He seemed to hesitate and Jade narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry– uhh I'm sorry," he said, looking in Devi's direction.

Devi's jaw continued to hang open, as he only nodded, eyes still fixed on Jade.

"What is your name?" Jade asked.

"Max," he replied too quickly.

"Max," Jade was the calmest part of a tempestuous sea. "Fucking behave yourself."

                             ____________

"Did you see that?!" Brady asked after everything had gone down, despite knowing that everyone had been present. "It's like dominance is genetically wired into your dna! Or do people just cave whenever they see you? Like how did you do that? Tell me, I'll take notes. How to tame a man in three seconds. Oh my!"

"Shut up Brady. You guys wait for me in the car, I'll pay for these," Jade said as he took everything.

Brady started to protest but Jade cut him off. "Let me do this," Jade said and Brady stopped.

It's like his whole demeanor had changed and something told Brady to let it go. Something about that guy earlier had clearly unnerved him and Brady could see that, he needed some sort of distraction, even a small one.

He walked out together with Devi right after giving a small nod to Jade. "What is it? You still haven't said anything."

"I umm, that was... Jade, he's incredible," Devi said.

"Obviously," said Brady. "I only make incredible friends."

"You have such an easy way with words," Devi chuckled. "But you don't get it."

"Then tell me," replied Brady.

"It's always been hard for me. I could never walk out in the streets alone in peace, because of how I look, as if I have a sign written on me saying, 'everyone's property. Do as you wish.' Some say all I need to be a girl is a skirt, they said it was a compliment, because I was beautiful. But why can't a guy just be beautiful right? Without being compared to a girl.
They said it was a compliment, because I was beautiful. They forget I'm not stupid. I know it's the skirts they want under. I won't even get started on the racist compliments." Devante bit his lip subconsciously.

Meanwhile Brady was starting to look angry, but he let Devi continue.

"The only person who's done this for me before was Alex. It was the night we first met, at his club. A guy grabbed me and I was powerless to stop him, save for my constant protests and next thing I know, his grip loosens and I'm free. But there's blood on his face. And security pulling him out. I heard an angry, sexy voice shout, 'Never let him in again!'
A literal knight in shining armor! Even with his slightly bloodied white shirt."

"With bloody knuckles and such a boyish grin, he said to me, 'hi! I'm Alex, you don't have to worry anymore.' Call it whatever you want but that was the night I fell in love. It was... He was... ahhh," Devi looked like he was in dreamland and Brady's gaze finally softened.

"He sure sounds like a delight. I hated him so much at the wedding," Brady said without thinking.

"What wedding?" Devi asked.

"Another time, ahh look! There's Jade."

"Umm, Jade?" Devi began when Jade had got in. "I just... thank you— for what you—"

"It's nothing, don't sweat it," Jade said and Devi nodded.

"Oh and Brady, I believe you know what to do," said Jade.

Devi smirked and gave him the eyes that said everything lewd.

"Shut up Devi," he said.

"I didn't say anything."

"Still, just shut up."

                               ____________

Brady unlocked Leo's apartment and got in, his unsure feet finding the bathroom and shaky fingers taking off his clothes and replacing them with what he had bought. What am I doing what am I doing what am I doing? He asked over and over in his head.

He hid everything well and walked out into the room, where he placed himself softly onto the bed so that he was lying on his stomach and his backside was exposed. To say he was nervous was an understatement. His heart hammered inside his chest while he did all he could do. He waited.

Brady heard a door open and he knew that Leo was home. His heart could not beat any faster. It took a while before the knob finally, finally turned and the door to the room was open.

After one step into the room, everything went still and Brady couldn't understand what was going on. He was so tempted to look behind him but he didn't, couldn't.

It felt like forever before he heard it, the loud sound of something falling to the floor, and shattering.

__________________________________

The emperor's new clothes is a story I read as a kid, about this emperor who is tricked into wearing nothing and parading naked in public, believing that his new clothes were just invisible and too beautiful to be seen by ordinary eyes. (That's what Brady was referring to)

So hiii! And thank you for reading this chapter! You're beautiful!❤️