Unexpected - Eminem x Beyoncé Fan Fic

Radius

Marshall POV

The explosion from the split of Beyoncé and Jay-Z could have been seen from space. The bomb dropped in the middle of a week, when a random reporter who was checking the local courthouse for interesting tidbits came across the filing and had the story of the decade. Once it broke, the industry was pushed into several, primarily unwilling, camps. 

There aren't many people who would openly support a cheating husband. However, until the other woman came out to confirm that Jay had strayed once again, those on Jay's side were able to say that they didn't know the details and merely supported he and Bey while they went through a tough time. When his side piece decided this was the moment to catch fame and some dollars, no one could claim ignorance any longer. 

For those who were in more precarious positions, there could be no waffling:  they had to outright diss Jay if they wanted their fan base not to go for the jugular. The stronger, better positioned artists were able to blow off requests for comment, refusing to buy into the circus that the media had staked out. No one was completely safe, though. 

One better known artist in the country sphere made the mistake of suggesting that a happy man doesn't cheat. To say that the BeyHive swarmed would be putting it mildly. Beyoncé's fans and the subsection of the populace that had been cheated on - whether they knew her music or not - practically buried the singer. Two hours after his statement had been made public, his website was so overloaded with traffic that it crashed. Phone calls overflowed his fan numbers and his cell number was leaked. Six hours after the statement made the press, he apologized for his "insensitive" comment.

The blow to one of their own caused most artists to recognize that this was not going to be any ordinary beef. Bey was the top selling female artist and she had a following that was devoted and intelligent. The pop world rallied around her, much like knights protecting their queen, ready to go down swinging without a second's thought. In contrast, Jay was cast into a substantially less flattering role. 

Jay, and by extension, much of hip-hop and rap, was allotted the role of villain. He was decried by just about anyone looking to secure their own position as safely on the light side. Meanwhile, anyone who was seen as part of the problem, whether the person had ever met Jay or not, was viewed with distrust. To keep the ire and interest going, several reporters started to trot out prior stories of older infidelities in the music world. Jay's choice brought out of the woodwork several men and women claiming to have had similar indiscretions with famous stars. There were too many hashtags created to keep track of them all. In their split, Jay and Bey did much of what they had as a couple:   made a lot of noise and made a lot of other people money. 

The day after Jay had called me, I'd called Bey and left her a message. Instead of scripting it out, I just told her how I felt and let it stand. At some point, Jay would certainly know how infuriated he'd made me, but I hadn't jumped his ass while he was drunk and depressed. He may have deserved his pain, but I wasn't going to kick him when he was down. I respected him as an artist, even if I wanted to punch him in the throat for hurting her. 

I hadn't really expected Bey to call back. Although she and I were friends, it wouldn't have surprised me if she'd been unable to look past my connection to Jay. It was no secret that I considered him one of the best in my line of work. It was also known that I'd had my own fuck ups in relationships. She could have easily decided I was just like 'all the rest' and ignored me. 

When I'd seen her name come up on my phone, my heart had smiled. As always, she was gracious and beautiful, even if I could see exactly what she was talking about in her comment about the divorce diet. Her eyes were tired and her body showed signs of being poorly taken care of, but her spine was clear as day. She was weathering the storm like a true survivor would. 

I hadn't asked her about the details, figuring that she would tell me if she wanted. Ultimately, a few had slipped, suggesting that although she and Jay were not on speaking terms, they were at least getting things figured out with Blue and the twins. Then, she dropped an unexploded, nuclear bomb into my lap, leaving it to me to decide whether to hit the sequence that would have it blow.

"I've been writing and singing some, trying to work through all of it." Bey had said, her eyes taking on the sparkle that they tended to when she was excited about something. I'd smiled, enjoying the sight. 

"Doing that has helped me through more than I can say," I'd responded. 

She had nodded and then gotten a shy look on her face that frankly did things to me that weren't okay. She was a friend and had just split with her longtime husband. The ink wasn't even dry on the filings. That didn't, however, stop my guts from feeling like hummingbirds had taken flight within. I'd kept my face straight, though, as I'd cocked my head and gestured. 

"What is it?" I'd asked. Bey had chuckled, the sweet, smooth drawl in her voice amping up the speed of the hummingbirds' wings. 

"I'm hoping you'll come listen; help me to decide which ones to keep." She'd said and my breath stopped moving in my lungs. 

Jay was always Bey's first listener. Over the years, he had been the one she'd gone to time and again for initial thoughts and help in culling out what didn't work from what did. While she kept control over her work, she'd relied on his advice and thoughts. Her asking me to do it was an honor, but it also had the potential to be seen as a statement - a statement that I wasn't sure she was intending to make. 

"Everybody knows you had Jay do that," I'd said carefully. She'd nodded seriously, waiting for me to continue. 

"People might assume things, Bey," I'd warned her. She was smart, she had to know. But, she was also hurting and I wasn't certain she was thinking things through. 

"Let them think whatever they want," Bey had said with a shrug. "Unless, it puts you in too bad of a spot?" She'd asked and I shook my head, even though I could practically hear Dre shouting in my ear. 

"Nah," I'd told her, smiling slightly. "I'll be your sounding board." 

That conversation had happened two weeks ago. Now, as I stepped off the plane with an overnight bag, the hummingbirds were back. I hadn't said anything to anyone about what I was going to be doing for the next few weeks, but I didn't have much expectation that it would escape notice. 

I'd armed the nuke, we'd just have to see who all ended up in the blast radius.