Perfect Harmony

Monday brought more filming, though Neal, Trevor, and Keri seemed to be having a hard time keeping straight faces that morning. They were filming a scene where Keri's character took them to a rage room to get out some aggression and anger. Usually when they got giggly, it was Trevor's fault, but Keri had edited a bunch of photos of Paul to have him surrounded by muscle men he was cheating with.

The ones that really had Trevor break character were the photos of Paul where he had been laying in a bed, whether from ones Trevor had taken or ones from set. Paul glanced over at where Alex and some of his hands were standing looking unamused.

"Oh no, don't blame them," Keri exclaimed. "This is all my work."

"Yeah, the stage hands would have done a better photoshop job," Neal cracked.

Trevor snorted, which caused Paul to look in his direction with a frown. Trevor rolled his eyes at him. "Paul, it's a joke. The audience will laugh. That's what matters."

"Alright, giggle monsters," Rodney called out to them. "Take ten, then come back ready to work."

As Alex and the stage crew walked past Paul to reset the scene, Paul grabbed Alex roughly by the bicep and dug his fingers in, pulling Alex close while he angrily ground out, "Get those pictures of me out of there!" When he let go, it was with an ungentle shove that failed to push Alex off-balance, but was clearly intended to.

Alex looked to Rodney pointedly before rejoining his crew in resetting the scene. He gathered all of the photos of Paul and tucked them into a folder, then stood and supervised the rest of the reset. He caught the flash of anger that went over Trevor's face but before Trevor could do anything, Keri had moved forward to stop Paul from leaving.

"Have you ever considered a personality transplant?" she asked him. "Or, I don't know, surgery to get the stick from your ass?"

"I don't have anything up my ass, princess," Paul replied to her. "That's your friend, Trevor."

"Yeah, yeah, I can take a pounding," Trevor said with a wave of his hand that showed he was bored. "Someone find me the good coffee, please."

Someone rushed off to get them coffee, and Trevor sat down on one of the chairs off to the side, with Keri and Neal joining him. While they were drinking their coffees, Trevor's phone beeped with a notification. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it for a moment before his face went pale and his expression fell. He didn't say anything as he stood up and practically ran off the set, leaving behind a very confused Neal and Keri.

"Trev!" Keri called out but he didn't even look back at them.

Alex watched Trevor leave the set, wondering what prompted him to run off like that, but careful not to rush after him and give Paul even more cause to suspect that something could be going on between them. Once the set was ready, Alex gave it a thorough review before telling the director that it was all his. The director nodded, but given that his star had walked off-set, he called for a break and sent an assistant to go "check on Lars!"

The assistant ran off to do so and other people started to get notifications on their phones as well. Paul glanced at his phone and grinned, but when Keri and Neal looked at theirs, they looked horrified. Keri stood up and went after the assistant, while Neal came over to Rodney to show him the article that was just sent to him.

"Goddamn it," Rodney swore under his breath. "Hold set!"

Neal followed Rodney in the direction of the stables, and once he was gone, other people on set started whispering to each other. Many of them kept glancing over at Paul too before they went back to their whispering. Paul looked like the cat who had just caught a canary, though. His grin got even bigger when one of the lower stage hands came over to show Alex an article that was just released.

"Romantic Lead on Extracirricular, Trevor Lars, HIV POSITIVE!"

Alex read the headline and shook his head, refusing to look at Paul as he walked off set. Once he was in the stables, Alex made a quick stop at Paul's trailer and then went to see Trevor. When he got there, Neal was getting a glass of water while Keri was rubbing Trevor's back and telling him to breathe while he was hunched over with his head between his legs clearly having a panic attack.

"Do you have anything for anxiety?" Rodney asked as he glanced over at where Alex was, giving a nod to show it was okay for him to join them.

Trevor simply shook his head. Alex reached into his pocket and pulled out a pill case. He opened one side and took out a small pink pill, handing it over. "It's basically Benadryl," he offered.

"Can't be anxious if you're unconscious," Neal said as he handed the water glass to Keri, who helped Trevor drink it after he had put the pill into his mouth.

Rodney waited until Trevor had visibly calmed down before he asked, "So, I assume by this reaction that it's true?"

Trevor leaned back on the couch and nodded his head, closing his eyes. "Yeah, and I contracted it under very fucked up circumstances."

"The article had paperwork from your doctor to back it up," Neal pointed out. "So, someone who knows you well enough to be in your home leaked it."

"Don't pretend we don't know who did it!" Keri cried. "Ever since Trevor started dating Paul, Paul hasn't let any of us go to his condo."

Alex shook his head mournfully. "Is there anything we can do, Trevor?"

"I have no idea," Trevor replied with a shake of his own head, looking lost. "I don't know what this means for my career, or what to do about it. My agent is blowing up my phone..."

"This isn't the 90s," Rodney commented with a serious look on his face. "Sure, there will be some people who will refuse to learn and won't work with you, but most people will. You aren't losing your job here, so calm down, answer your agent, and let us handle the other side."

Trevor gave a short nod, his eyes red and watery. "I don't know how I'm supposed to work with him after this, Rod. I just..."

Trevor couldn't seem to finish his thought but Rodney knew what he was trying to say. "Let me take care of that. Take the rest of the day off, go home and rest, or go rehearse at the playhouse you're at."

Trevor nodded and watched as Rodney, Neal, and Keri left to go and deal with whatever was happening on set right then. Trevor grabbed Alex's wrist before he could leave, looking up at him with worry on his face. "You don't think Bill will fire me from the show for all of this, do you? We're so close to opening night..."

Alex shook his head, "No, Bill has worked with positive individuals before and is well aware of CDC, ADA, and BRTA protections. He'll likely have a meeting to discuss your involuntary disclosure and remind folks that this is why we have safety protocols on-set."

Trevor let the hand holding Alex's wrist fall back to his lap while he gave a small nod, looking a little less worried, but entirely exhausted now, which was likely from both the medicine and the situation. Trevor hadn't had a panic attack in a while, not this bad anyway, and they always wiped him out. He sat back again on the couch and rubbed his eyes while letting out a groan of exasperation. Alex's face was sympathetic as he sat down next to Trevor on the couch. "Listen, I don't think you should be driving anywhere like this. Those meds will put you on your ass when you're up to fighting them and you already look exhausted. Lock the door and take a nap and I'll drive you home after we wrap for the day."

"Are you sure? There might be press waiting me out to try and get a statement," Trevor pointed out. "You know how they like to assume anyone a star is with could be someone they're dating..."

"Well, it's not that big an assumption in this case, is it?" Alex asked with a wink. "Get some rest. I'll be back before you're likely ready for me to be."

Trevor gave him a grateful look and nodded his head. Once Alex had left, Trevor locked the door to his trailer and then pulled out his phone to call his agent, Jeb Black, back and put him out of his misery. Of course, Jeb already knew Trevor's status, but they had both agreed that Trevor deserved his privacy.

As they spoke, they came up with the game plan to just admit it was true, show screen shots of more of his records which showed he took his medication and was doing well on it, and explain that no one on or offset has been put at risk.

"If anything, we can lean into this a little," Jeb said thoughtfully. "Especially with your musical right now. It adds a personal note to why you wanted to be part of it. Also, what do you think of speaking to the reason why it happened?"

Trevor squirmed a little in his seat uncomfortably. "It's a risk. Teenage prostitute doesn't exactly sound good in the tabloids. The only reason we never worried about it coming out before was because anyone who spoke about it would be admitting to statutory rape, and in some cases, regular rape."

"It was winter in Detroit," Jeb pointed out. "You did what you had to in order to survive. Your past doesn't have to be this black mark on your life, Trevor. You've done quite a few donations to groups that help LGBTQ+ youth, and you've made anonymous donations to HIV research. You've taken those lessons and tried to help others. It wasn't a failure on your part, so use it wisely to your advantage here."

By the end, they had made plans to have him speak to someone Jeb trusted to get the story out there tomorrow morning, and then Trevor grabbed a pillow and a blanket his sister had crocheted for him and he fell asleep for a while.

Back on set, Rodney asked Alex to speak to his people to make it clear that he expected everyone to act professional and not let gossip and rumors affect how they treated the talent. He did the same with the makeup and hair people too, and by that afternoon he had information on HIV delivered from Planned Parenthood so everyone could read the pamphlets and make sure no one gave in to misinformation or stigma.

Alex's crew was the least concerned; they had the least contact with the talent most of the time and when they did it was never intimate. Some of the makeup artists asked questions clarifying whether they needed to change their practices or products but were quickly assured that they were already in compliance with federal and local statutes. By the end of the production day, the director had managed to film some shots that hadn't been on the docket for the day to make use of the lost time, even though it meant a scramble for Alex and his team to reset the shot.

Curiously, Rodney had called Paul aside while the stage hands were setting up the new scene and Paul wasn't seen on-set for the rest of the day. Alex and his team also saw Rodney speaking quietly to a few of their main writers, like they were coming up with some sort of plan before the writers gave a nod of their heads and went back towards their section of the set.

As things were getting wrapped up for the day, Rodney asked for Alex to meet him in his office once he had delegated out the rest of the work. Alex arrived in Rodney's office about twenty minutes later, still drying his hands on a paper towel. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, shut the door and sit down," Rodney said as he leaned back in his chair and waited for Alex to get comfortable. "So, it's been...mutually decided...that Paul's character will be leaving the show."

Alex nodded, seemingly unfazed by this information, though he was inwardly celebrating. "I'm sure it was time. Will you be expecting some sort of accommodation from my department, or...?" he asked, leaving the question open-ended.

"The writers are going to get the new scenes written up quickly, and then I'll get the set list to you. I know it means you'll be scrambling a bit," Rodney replied. "I called Tia to let her know he was leaving so she could prepare herself for whatever may happen with that, but we both agree you've been doing a fantastic job and should continue on in your current place. Tia accepted a job elsewhere and is liking it.

"Also, according to his contract, your department will be getting some bonuses paid for by Paul for how badly he has disrupted you," Rodney added.

Alex smiled broadly at the compliment. "Thank you for that. I would have been fine handing the reins back to Tia, but it's good to know I'm doing okay in the new role. I will leave the bonuses to be a surprise to the crew, in case something happens and they don't go through," Alex responded. "We will get the new set list underway as soon as you can get it to me. Let me know if you'll need me to authorize overtime for it, please."

"Much to the execs' dismay, you probably will need to authorize overtime, but the fault for that lay on Paul's shoulders," Rodney agreed. "Also, thank you for helping Lars earlier. I was worried we'd have to call medical to the set to sedate him."

"We're all a family here, right?" Alex answered cryptically as he stood up and turned his walkie back on. "I'll see who can stay and help tonight but it may just be an early day tomorrow," he said as he left the room, already calling for his set leaders through the walkie.

Once Alex had spoken to his set leaders to get them ready, and they had finished cleaning up and setting up for tomorrow, Alex was free to go and get Trevor. Trevor had fallen into nightmares at some point, specifically of the abuse from Paul mixed in with the faceless men from the past who had groped at him and offered money or a place to sleep for a fuck. He jolted up out of the nightmare when Alex knocked on the door of the trailer, and it took him a few moments, and another knock, before he could figure out where he was.

He got up, pulled the blanket around himself, and went to answer the door. Trevor looked a little wild-eyed still, and his curls were messed up from sleeping, but he seemed to visibly relax when he saw Alex standing there. Alex took in Trevor's bedraggled appearance and held out his hand for Trevor's keys. Trevor went back into the trailer to grab his bag and came back to hand them over to Alex while making sure he had everything. He grabbed a hoodie to pull on and put his hood up to cover himself as best he could before they left. Then he wrapped the blanket around himself and gave a short nod to show he was ready.

Alex pulled his own hood up and linked arms with Trevor to aid him as they locked up his trailer and started walking toward the parking lot. Strangely, when they passed Paul's trailer they could see that the guy hitching it up to a truck to haul it away to Paul's next engagement was standing scratching his head over all of the tires being flat.

Trevor looked at the trailer and couldn't help the snort that came out before he turned away. He was going through his mind trying to figure out who might have done it, because there was a small list of people who would want to, and an even bigger list of people who would dream of it but never dare.

"He's pissed off so many people, they're never going to figure out who did that," Trevor commented. "And I don't imagine Rodney will look very hard for the culprit."

Alex looked over, then almost comically did a double-take. He laughed out loud but kept walking. "That poor driver! Hopefully he charges extra for this!"

Trevor couldn't help but laugh at that. "If he does, it will be out of Paul's pockets."

As they left the safety of the inner area of the set and out into the parking lot, they found that Trevor had been right that the press was waiting for him. All Trevor really gave them after they swarmed the two of them was to tell them that he would be making his statement tomorrow morning, and other than that, he had no comment. Photographers took photos of the two of them as they got into Trevor's car, with Alex in the driver's seat.

Trevor let out a sigh once they got on the road and were away from prying eyes. "You know, I love the job. I love bringing stories to life for people, and playing characters that others can relate to, but the loss of privacy can be daunting sometimes. I can see why you enjoy being behind the scenes."

Alex nodded, "Yeah, plus I love checking out your ass."

Trevor smirked at that. "Was that before or after you knew who I was?"

"Yes," Alex answered helpfully.

Trevor chuckled and then looked out the window. "I can't believe he went this far. He essentially tried to ruin my career and name. I'd be angry but it's hard to be when I feel so worn out. I feel like such an idiot, like I should have seen the red flags so much sooner."

"It's okay. I don't mind that you're an idiot. You got smart eventually," Alex said comfortingly.

"I'd like to think I learn from my mistakes," Trevor replied with a weak chuckle. "My therapist will be making bank over all of this."

"I'm sure. I'm here for you, too, you know. By the way, where are we going?" Alex asked, realizing he had no idea where Trevor's mom lived.

Trevor took Alex's free hand gratefully and then gave Alex the address and basic directions. It was a nice little house in the suburbs, modest but big enough for four people to live in comfortably. Trevor explained that Naomi's husband had been a good businessman, and when he had died of cancer a little before Trevor disappeared, Naomi had invested smartly and did well for herself. It was why she was able to become a foster mom without a husband.

There were a few reporters waiting at the house, ones who had done their homework about Trevor's life, but he gave them the same response as he got the two of them into the house. Naomi had already closed all of the blinds and curtains. As soon as the door closed, Naomi had gotten up and came over to hug Trevor before turning to Alex with a grateful smile.

Alex had met her when he was younger, back when she would come around to see Trevor throughout the week. She seemed so much shorter now, though that was mostly because Alex had grown. She was only about five foot two, with the same curly blonde hair that Trevor had and dark eyes.

"Alex, you've gotten so tall!" Naomi cried. "I almost didn't recognize you!"

Alex stood awkwardly, never sure how to respond to such things. "Uh, thanks? I don't actually own a mirror, so, same."

Naomi snickered at that and then turned back to Trevor, taking in his messy hair, red eyes, and the blanket wrapped around him. She grabbed hold of the blanket in the front and led him over to the couch where she had him sit down. She hugged him again, this time letting him get comfortable in her embrace so he could break down if he needed to, and he did a little bit, clinging to her while he told her what happened. It was clear that Naomi had read the article, and it seemed to Alex she was just barely holding in her fury over it.

"Do you want me to kill him?" Naomi asked once he was done. "I can do it. No one will ever find him, I promise."

"Maybe," Trevor replied quietly.

"So what's your plan?" she asked him.

"I'm gonna tell the truth," Trevor said with a sigh. "It's generally known that I was adopted as a teen, but I haven't spoken much on why. So I'll connect the dots tomorrow morning and fill in what's missing. Then I'm at the mercy of the public, essentially."

While he was speaking, a large, long, fluffy, orange cat made his way into the living room and up onto the couch to climb onto Trevor's legs, where he seemed to take up both of their laps. Trevor reached out and ruffled his fur. "Hey there, Che."

Alex recognized the name as the narrator from the musical Evita, which Trevor had always loved. "Aww, he's adorable! You shouldn't have been so critical of him, Trevor," Alex said, reaching toward Che so he could sniff his fingers, knowing that cats were always a study in consent.

Che sniffed at Alex's fingers for a moment before he stretched out his head to rub it against his hand, purring all the while. Alex gently petted Che while he sat on Trevor's lap, paying close attention to Che's chin and the area in front of his ears, knowing that cats love being scritched in these areas.