Beats of the Heart - Chapter 36: Chapter 36

It was still early in the morning when Miles opened his eyes. Music played softly, and he was greeted with the smell of coffee and pine from the Christmas tree Danny had insisted on dragging downstairs. A smile stretched across his lips as he saw Shawn walk into the bedroom with two cups of coffee.
Shawn's sweatpants hung low on his hips, and his chest was bare. He clearly woke up a little earlier because his hair was disheveled and his eyes heavy with sleep. But his grin when he saw Miles brightened his demeanor.
"Mornin', darling," Miles said softly, holding his hand out toward him.
Shawn's smile widened, and he set the coffee on the nightstand. He grabbed Miles' hand and let him pull him back into bed.
He kissed Miles' forehead and then his eyes. "You don't call me that nearly often enough," he murmured.
"Darling?" Miles mused and then laughed. "I apologize."
Shawn ran his fingers through Miles' hair, admiring him in the glow of the morning light. He seemed lost in thought until a sigh escaped his lips. "How did I get so lucky?"
Miles felt his cheeks heat up. "You worked hard for your success," he deflected. "Luck didn't have much to do with it."
Shawn pinched his earlobe as punishment. "You know what I meant. How did I get so lucky with you?"
Miles smiled. "Magic." When Shawn chuckled, Miles pouted. "Don't laugh it off, Shawn Pierce. There's magic in the world."
Shawn's laugh tapered off. "Do you truly believe that?"
Miles was contemplative. "Not always. I stopped believing it for a long time. But I think believe it now."
"What changed."
Miles smiled and gave him a chaste kiss. "That's a secret."
He sat up, letting the blankets fall from his chest and pool around his waist. Shawn's hungry eyes drank in his exposed body. Miles grinned. "Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like you're going to make us late."
Shawn huffed out a breath. "You're right. Dammit." He sat up and kissed Miles' shoulder before he got out of bed. He dug through an overnight bag he brought and tossed Miles a pair of plaid pajamas.
Miles looked at the pajamas with a confused look. "What's this?"
"Isn't it obvious? Pajamas."
Miles rolled his eyes. "Yeah, got that. But why are you giving them to me?"
"I have a pair for Danny, too," Shawn shrugged. "Family tradition, remember?"
Miles felt his breath stutter. He appreciated the Pierces inviting him and Danny, but he fully expected to be a spectator of sorts, an outsider. That was the role he always slotted for himself. He never expected to be part of their tradition. He felt his throat tighten and held the pajamas close to his chest. It was a simple gesture, but the meaning behind it was monumental.
Shawn reached out and caressed his cheek. "Are you okay?"
Miles smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I should check on Danny."
He pulled on the pajamas, took the pair that Shawn had saved for Danny, and made his way upstairs.
He lightly knocked on Danny's door and opened it. Danny was still curled up in bed, but when Miles opened the door, he looked up at him. His eyes were swollen and red, obviously from crying. Miles sighed, climbed into the bed with him, and pulled him into his arms.
"Hey, kiddo," he said affectionately.
Danny murmured a muffled "morning" and curled into Miles' embrace.
"If you're not up for today, we can stay here," he offered.
Danny jerked his head up and shook it immediately. "You want to go to this, don't you?"
"There is always next year. If you want to lounge here all day drinking eggnog, we will."
Danny's nose wrinkled. "Eggnog?"
Miles faked a horrified gasp. "You don't like eggnog? How are we related?"
Danny slapped his arm. "Whatever. I'm not going to make fun of your bad taste."
Miles chuckled and ruffled his hair a little. "Fine, no eggnog. We can still stay here."
Danny bit his lip. "No. I want to go."
Miles checked him over, ensuring there was no hesitation before he finally nodded and tossed the pajamas on the bed. "Then get dressed."
Danny looked at the clothes and laughed. "We're matching?"
Miles nodded. "Shawn got them for us."
"Really?" Danny asked. Miles could see the emotions ripple across Danny's face as he came to the same understanding he did. They were being included.
"Come on, kiddo. Let's get dressed and ready for the day." He planted a kiss on the top of his head. "Merry Christmas."
Danny smiled. "Merry Christmas."
They gathered in the living room, where Miles and Shawn laid out the presents for Danny under the tree. When Danny climbed upstairs, he looked astounded by the amount of gifts.
"What's all this?" He asked.
"Christmas, of course." Miles chuckled and handed him a mug of coffee, doctored how he liked it. "Go on, start opening."
Danny's eyes lit up, and he rushed to the tree. He may be 18, but he was young at heart. He looked around the wrapped presents and whispered a curse. "Miles, all of these have my name on them."
Miles smiled sheepishly. There were quite a few presents, but he couldn't help himself. "I know. Let's just say I'm making up for lost time."
Danny rolled his eyes, but a smile was still tugging on his lips. He started to unwrap his presents.
Miles grabbed a large box sitting off to the site and set it to Shawn with flushed cheeks. "This one is yours."
Shawn chuckled and took. He then handed Miles a carefully wrapped box in exchange.
Miles watched Shawn unwrap his and beamed as Shawn laughed when he saw a turntable and a stack of records.
"You mentioned you liked the sound of vinyl," Miles said quietly. "I noticed you didn't have a record player at your place."
Shawn kissed him. "This is perfect. Thank you." He nodded toward the gift he gave Miles, urging him to open his.
Miles carefully unwrapped it and faltered. There were two picture frames. The first frame held the handwritten sheet music of Trust in Me, which his mom gifted him years ago. The other frame had the sheet music of Nina Simone's The Look of Love. As Miles examined it, he knew Shawn was the one who wrote it out.
Miles tore his gaze away from the frames and looked at Shawn. "How?"
Shawn ran his hand through his hair. "I saw the one your mom did in your studio. I hope I wasn't overstepping."
Miles shook his head. "I've been meaning to... I just haven't for some reason. This... This means so much." He ran his hand affectionately alongside the frame, admiring the aged paper that had been with him for so long.
"How did you know I loved this song?" He asked Shawn, pointing to the one Shawn drafted for him.
"When you're not paying attention, you tend to hum it." He answered. "I decided to steal a page from your mom's book."
Miles held the frames to his chest. "This is amazing."
"No way!" Danny cried out, breaking Shawn and Miles from their moment. Danny was holding a motorcycle helmet and bomber jacket in his hands. "Are you really going to teach me how to ride a bike?"
Miles laughed. Danny was terrified of the motorcycle when he first moved in, but he had developed a love for it after riding with Miles several more times. "Yeah, kiddo. I know you wanted to learn."
"Oh my god!" Danny rushed to Miles and hugged his neck. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Miles patted him on the back. "You're welcome, kiddo."
He bounded back to the gifts and opened them with much more energy. At this moment, it seemed that he had forgotten about the terrible night he had before.
Miles leaned against Shawn, relishing his embrace. He hadn't had a Christmas morning like this in a long time. He didn't realize how much he missed the festivities and family until now.
Once they cleaned up a little, they bundled up and headed over to the Pierces. Danny was nervous at first, but Samantha and Ray warmly welcomed them. Courtney and Rob were also there, and the tension that Danny held melted.
Miles helped Samantha in the kitchen and sang along to the songs filling the house. He and Shawn kept sharing glances that were filled with their unspoken words.
Miles was determined to make this his forever—his happily ever after, if possible.
Samantha watched Miles glance back to Shawn again, causing her to laugh. He blushed and turned his attention back to her. She reached out and patted his cheek gently.
"You're good for him," she said happily.
Miles chuckled. "He's good for me."
"He's brought home several people before you, but no one has made him smile like you do," she said with deep affection. "I have read articles about him, describing him as driven and calculative. The media has even called him the CEO with the Midas touch. Everything he touched turned to gold. But I always saw another version of him."
"And what was that?"
"Lost." Her eyes flickered with pain. "Living in the shadows of the Pierce name is difficult enough, but then I got sick. He wanted to keep me happy and healthy, so he took over many of Ray's businesses to give him more time at home with me. He took on so much for us that I wonder if he forgot himself."
Miles looked back at Shawn, who was having an animated conversation with Ray; however, he didn't say anything. He wondered how often he thought along the same lines as the news articles. Even he considered Shawn an untouchable entity for a decade.
She looped her arm around his. "I believe you were like that as well with your mom. You sons take on too much sometimes. You try so hard for us that you forget to walk on your own path along the way." She sighed and leaned against Miles. "Shawn had so many identities. Powerful CEO. Dutiful son. Entrepreneur. But I never saw him as just Shawn until he brought you home."
Miles felt his breath stutter. "What?"
"It was as if he was wandering aimlessly until you appeared. You bring him so much joy and life."
Miles hesitated for a moment. "I was the same as him. Aimless. Lost. Searching for something more. But then he came along, and I found he is my perfect song."
She laughed lightly. "I'm happy you love him as much as he loves you."
Miles felt a jolt run through his body. "He loves me?"
She slapped his arm playfully. "The way he looks at you makes it obvious. He may be slow to admit it, but don't doubt a mother's observations."
He pulled her into a careful hug. "Never."
They joined the others and relaxed through the day. Miles had never experienced a Christmas like this one before. He appreciated Eve and Desmond having him over when they did, but inwardly, he felt alone. With the Pierces, he felt like family, which was something he was missing for a long time.
At the same time, he could see Danny light up around them. The memories of the night before seemed to fade as he was accepted as part of this family. Miles knew he was still hurting, but it was less now.
The day flew by, and when they got home, they were exhausted. Danny crashed on the couch, and Shawn helped carry him upstairs to his bed. Afterward, Shawn and Miles fell asleep in each other's arms.
Miles didn't even stir when a text message came in.
Miles was woken up by his ringing phone. He groaned and pried himself from Shawn's arms to grab his phone.
His eyes blurred, but he could still see Phase's name on his Caller ID.
"This better be important," he said as he answered, not bothering with a hello.
"Um... we're at your house. Can we come in?" Phase asked. Miles could hear his other DJs talking in the background.
"Everything okay?"
Phase didn't answer him. "Can we come in?"
"Yeah. Give me a second." He hung up the phone and realized Shawn was awake.
"What's going on?" Shawn asked.
"I'm not sure. My guys are here, so we'll see. Sorry for waking you so early."
Shawn kissed him, and they got up together. They quickly dressed in sweats so they could open the door.
Miles knew something was wrong almost immediately from the group's worried looks. He ushered them inside while Shawn was brewing coffee for all of them. Danny came downstairs as well, with tired eyes and messy hair.
"What's going on?" He asked the group.
"Not sure," Miles said, unable to decipher his DJs' looks.
Shawn's phone rang, and he answered it without a second thought. "Hey, Scott..." he fell silent and paled slightly. He gave Miles a concerned look. "I'll text you the address."
He hung up and leaned against the counter. "Scott will be here shortly."
Miles glanced around the room, noticing they all tried to avoid his gaze. He pulled out his phone and saw the message he hadn't noticed.
Unknown Number: Was refusing me worth it?
Miles felt his stomach drop. "What the fuck?" He murmured.
Flux was suddenly next to him and placed her hand on his phone. "Perhaps you shouldn't look."
"It's obvious this is about me. I can't sit here in the dark when you all look like that." He said as he pulled away from her.
He searched his browser and saw his name plastered in the gossip and news websites. However, everything was along the same lines.
Gangster degenerate owns Dirge Records.
Miles flipped through the articles, and his past was laid bare for the world to see, except everything was skewed.
They mentioned him working at the age of 11; however, they twisted it to indicate he was working on the streets. The article was vague enough to hint that he was selling drugs or his body. Of course, this created the perception that he also fell into addiction.
Miles scrolled through other articles and saw them tearing apart his past. They mentioned how most of his high school friends were murdered, and he was one of the few survivors. Unfortunately, this was true, but this was the reality of a bad neighborhood. Still, the comments proved that no one cared about the truth and chose to assume that he was running around with street gangs in high school.
Then, there were articles about his arrest and his time on a psych hold. As expected, the details were omitted, so he seemed violent and teetering on insanity.
Most of the world loved to create villains rather than see a kid suffering from the horrors of poor healthcare and poverty. They couldn't fathom his struggles or the pain he had endured. It was easier to cast aside the uglier sides of society and assume the worst.
And how different could he be from the ideal citizen? He was a mixed-raced gay man who grew up in a rough neighborhood.
Many articles indicated that Eclipse had been reaching out to help Dirge's artists and save them from the monster who ran it.
Of course, it was Eclipse.
Miles' hands shook, and he didn't realize Shawn had pulled him into his arms.
Miles feigned a laugh, but it was strained. "Are they trying to paint me as the next Suge Knight, or what?"
"Miles," Shawn coaxed.
Miles shook his head. "This is nothing. It's just everything Larry has told me before. It's just more public than what I'm used to. It'll blow over."
Shawn pulled him to a chair and had him sit down. He knelt at his feet and took the phone from Miles' hands.
"It won't be that simple," he tried to explain.
"I just need to hold out for the next scandal," Miles said, but he knew it was hopeless. This was a fatal hit for him. He didn't have the PR team to mitigate this. His reputation was ruined, and no one would want to work with him. He at least had hope that Shawn would still accept his DJs into Aura.
"Miles, you know this is more than just a fleeting scandal," Shawn said carefully. "I'm so sorry we didn't stay ahead of this."
Miles shook his head. "It was something I should have expected."
"Do you know how the media got this information?"
Miles sighed. "I'm not sure about the medical records, but I suspect Larry for most of the information."
"Goddammit!" Phase shouted. "I should have beat Brian senseless!"
Juse wrapped an arm around Phase's shoulders, trying to calm him. "Brian messaged all of us last night through social media. You probably have one on Requiem's account. He warned us to leave Dirge and sign with Eclipse."
"Cockroach," Miles murmured, his eyes remained downcast.
He wanted to brush this off and pretend it didn't bother him, but there was no deceiving himself. He worked hard to be a positive light in this world. He strived to be better, but his efforts were so easily dismantled by media hysteria. Despite his previous bravado around Brian, he knew he lost this round.