BEN

I came home and thought about why I let it bother me that Michael can’t seem to let everyone do things without being involved in everything. I married him knowing this was the way he was, but I don’t want to have to keep telling him to leave things alone. He and Deb can’t seem to understand that people sometimes want to do things without having to make sure everyone knows about it. In a way it’s the group's dynamic, Deb, mom to all and smothering, Michael the bratty baby brother, Emmett the one who keeps them all from fighting, Ted the level headed one and Brian the problem solver. Justin’s role seems to be somewhere in the middle of all of them. I feel like my role has become keeping Michael and Deb from pissing them all off all the time. 

Michael comes in with the look I have learned means his mouth got his ass in trouble again. I really just want to go to bed and wake up to a better day.

“Why are you so late?” I ask him.

“Ma was pissed at me and the guys got me in trouble.” He tells me.

“How did they get you in trouble?” I ask because I seriously doubt they did.

“Emmett didn’t like when I told him he should have told us about Brian and Justin being here.” He tells me, mumbling and trying to go upstairs.

“Why would that piss off Deb when she seems to agree with you that no one should do things without you?” I ask him.

“Emmett brought up something from a long time ago and Jen showed up and didn’t like it and told Ma.” He tells me.

I walk over to him because he is looking everywhere but at me. I notice that he smells kind of sugary. 

“Is that frosting in your hair?” I ask when I pick a piece out.

“Shit, I thought I got it all out. Jen hit me with a cake.” He tells me running his hands through his hair.

“Justin’s mother hit you with a cake, for what?” I ask him, since Jen tends to be less likely to do that.

“She found out what I said that day of the party when Brian punched me.” He tells me.

“Michael, nothing could excuse Brian hitting you.” I tell him.

“You're the only one who thinks that, everyone else acts like because I said Brian should have left Justin in the garage, that I actually hit Justin myself.” He tells me, like it didn’t just knock me on my ass to hear that.

I backed away from him and went to get a drink. He watches as I pour a large shot of Vodka and slam it down and pour another one.

“What are you doing?” He asks me.

“I’m trying to figure out where to start. Do I call Brian and tell him that he didn’t hit you hard enough? Do I call Justin and tell him sorry for allowing you near him? I don’t know what to think.” I tell him.

“I’ll tell Justin the truth, that I didn’t say it wanting him dead, I just let things come out that shouldn’t.” He tells me.

“Do you think that’s enough?” I ask him slamming another shot.

“He forgave Brian for all sorts of shit, and he knows that I care about him too.” Michael tells me.

“Brian never wanted anything bad to happen to Justin, so he was forgiving Brian for not showing him that he loved him. Michael, what you said is different than anything Brian ever did.” I tell him.

“Carl lit into both Ma and I for thinking that our friends should tell us things.” He tells me, trying to change the subject.

“Michael, do you even have a clue that what you said would hurt Justin?” I ask him.

“I said a lot of things about him and to him then, he and I seem to have gotten past it.” He tells me.

“Name one thing you think is worse than saying something like that?” I tell him.

“I told him to get out of all of our lives.” He tells me.

“Why did you feel you needed to say anything about it?” I ask him.

“Brian might have acted like he didn’t care, but he did. I knew that Brian loved Justin and I didn’t want him to have to see Justin everyday. I was trying to watch out for Brian.” I tell him.

“While that may have been your intention, you had no place in their relationship. Michael, I honestly don’t understand how the man I married could say things like that.” I tell him.

“I want them to be happy like we are.” He tells me.

“Are we happy? Because I’m not sure we have been since Brian left for Justin.” I tell him.

“What are you talking about?” He asks me.

“I want a relationship where I don’t have to constantly stop you from telling everyone your opinion on how their lives aren’t perfect because they didn’t do what you did. I want you to admit to yourself that you could be losing a friend when Justin finds out what you said about him.” I tell him.

“I should go to New York and tell him that we can’t ruin a friendship over something that happened years ago.” He tells me.

“So your solution is to tell Justin how to feel and everything will be okay again? How about you stay here and let Justin come to you when he’s ready to talk to you. If you leave to go there and force Justin to listen, you don’t solve anything.” I tell him.

“I could get Ted and Emmett to come and help me.” He tells me.

“Michael you need to stay here and help me find a way to want to look at you again.” I tell him walking past him up the stairs.

“You're letting this affect us?” He asks me.

“No, but you are. Michael, we need to solve our own problems first.” I tell him.

“What problems? We’ve been fine.” He tells me.

“For the most part yes, but your constant bitching about Mel, Lindsay, Brian, and Justin isn’t helping us right now.” I tell him.

“They think moving will solve their problems, it doesn’t.” He tells me.

“I didn’t think Mel and Lindsay moving would solve anything either, but for them it did. Brian and Justin don’t have any problems to solve. So I would say Brian moved to be with Justin and that was the only reason.” I tell him.

“They were doing fine not being together all the time. It’s when they’re always together that the problems start.” He tell me.

“I would say it’s when you get involved that their problems start. Alone they seem to do what works for them.” I tell him.

“I help them, can’t you see that?” He asks me.

“No. What I do see is that you need to figure out a way to help me see you as a good person again.” I tell him.

“Ben, it wasn’t about you.” He tells me.

“I know, but it worries me that something like that could go through your head.” I tell him.

I get in bed and turn away from him. I don’t know if he grasps that our marriage is on rocky ground and he needs to pay attention, because I can’t be the only one doing all the work here.

MEL

Lindsay came back to bed, putting the phone back. She seems to be worried about something and I prayed it wasn’t going to be her wanting to tell Brian and Justin how to be together. She’d been doing well with letting them have a life and I want her to be able to concentrate on us. 

“That was Brian, he actually called me to talk.” She tells me.

“What’s so important this late?” I ask her.

“Jen and Deb found out about what Michael said. Brian’s worried how Justin is going to take it, because we know nothing is a secret with this group.” She tells me.

“Is he worried about Michael?” I ask her.

“No, he was worried how Justin would view him for not walking away from Michael’s friendship.” She tells me.

“That was something I never thought about, in a way it would seem like he agreed with Michael. Which I know he didn’t.” I tell her.

“I think Brian needs to realize Justin’s not Michael and won’t blow it out of proportion. I could be wrong but I think they’ll work through it like they always have.” She tells me.

“I like that you said that.” I tell her.

“I like that he called me because he just needed someone to listen. It’s a change in the way I was always trying to tell him what he should do. You were right that I should let him come to me, not try to force him to talk to me. How did I marry such a wonderful woman?” She ask me.

“I don’t know, because I think I did the same thing.” I tell her.

“I was also thinking you were right, that it might be better to not tell everyone we are visiting Jen.” She tells me.

“What made me right? Although I love being right.” I tell her kissing her.

“I think they would just try to drag us in the middle to get Justin to talk to Michael.” She tell me.

“You mean Deb will, because she might be mad at him but she’s going to expect everyone to get Justin and Michael to be friends again.” I tell her.

“Michael needs to see that he won’t always have everyone forgiving him for being a jackass.” She tells me without blushing.

“Well that’s his problem, mine is that you're wearing too many clothes.” I tell her pulling off her shirt.

BLAKE

I opened my door to get to work and there’s Michael, looking as if he hadn’t slept much. I swear this is the only drawback to my relationship with Ted. Why do they all feel Michael needs kid gloves instead of a slap on the head? Well that doesn’t really work either. 

“Michael, I’m on my way to work and Ted and Emmett have already left, so…” I tell him hoping he gets that no one is here for him to talk to.

“I can give you a ride if you need one.” He tells me.

“I have a car so it’s fine.” I tell him, trying to figure out why he didn’t leave the minute he found out his friends weren’t here.

“I… fuck… I need to talk to someone who doesn’t really have a reason to care about what I said.” He tell me.

“I like Justin and I do care, I just don’t think bringing it up was the right thing to do.” I tell him.

“See, I think that Emmett should have kept his mouth shut.” He tells me.

“Michael you understand that it’s about the way you seem to think everyone owes you to tell you things.” I tell him, because he seems to go off on tangents that have nothing to do with what was said.

“It’s not they owe me, it’s just that in the past we relied on each other and they all seem to forget I need them too.” He tell me.

“Why, you have Ben and Hunter.” I tell him.

“Who could die, and I need to know that my friends will still be there if it happens.” He tells me.

“Michael you need to see someone, because that’s irrational fear.” I tell him.

“It’s there every day when I have to watch them take pills.” He tells me.

“It doesn’t mean you strangle hold people.” I tell him.

“I just want to know they will still be there when I need them. They all want to move and who’s going to be here if anything happens?” He asks me.

“Michael who’s going to be there if you drive everyone away by clinging too tightly?” I ask him.

“Ben is acting like he doesn’t want to stay married.” He tells me.

“Ben wants you to stop chasing everyone. Learn to put all the effort you put into emailing your tips on our lives into Ben and you won't  lose him now. I hate to do this but I have people with real problems that need me, so go home and tell Ben why you are scared.” I tell him.

“I think I’ll go to the diner.” He tells me which means Michael hasn’t gotten the clue yet. Not my problem.