Gus was not the type of young man who was normally jealous of anyone, but right now he was definitely envious of Jason. The first thing his dad and DJ mentioned when they picked the boys up at the hotel the morning after the prom was that it was time to let everyone in the family know who they were and that they were a couple. For Jason, that was simply his little sister and an uncle on his dad's side, who happened to be gay himself. The telling was going to be a lot more involved for Gus.
It wasn't that he thought that any of them would be disturbed by his news, far from it, it was more the hoopla that they'd make over it. Grandma Deb's health had improved noticeably with the return of her grandkids and she could be a handful when she got excited. Gus had a feeling that she'd love the news he had to tell her. His various honorary uncles would no doubt love it too. They had all met Jason previously and approved of him as a friend unconditionally. His biggest worry was JR. He knew quite well that she had a crush on Jason. He and Jason had joked about it often enough. He wasn't so sure she'd appreciate knowing that her brother had been secretly involved with the object of her affection all this time. Brian and Justin were thinking the same thing. Raising the two kids had turned out to be a lot less trouble than they had anticipated when they first took over custody of the teens at the untimely and tragic death of their moms. Justin had been confident they could handle the task but Brian was scared shitless. He was half convinced that the kids would be mentally warped for life with him as their parent. But together, with Justin, the men had worked out every little problem that came up. It was obvious to one and all that both teens were happy and well adjusted. But this part of a sibling rivalry was something that neither man had ever had to face, even though they had both grown up with a single sister and no brothers, just like Gus. Well, today they'd get their answers on how JR would react.
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Brian and Justin picked JR up at the Tyler house and it was obvious that Mr. and Mrs. Tyler had told the girls nothing about the events of the night before. JR was all bubbly about her brother's upcoming graduation and all the fun things that the four of them would get to do during the Summer break. She never noticed the unusual quietness coming from the front of the Jeep. As soon as the threesome entered the house, Gus heard his dad call to him. He took another look in the mirror and reminded himself that JR loved him, no matter what. He then went downstairs to join everyone in the large family room. He could see DJ and his dad sitting across from JR who had a quizzical look on her face. The men had not told her anything except that they had something very important for her to hear and it had to be done right away. She, of course, wanted to get to her room and the phone so she could dish with her buddies about the weekend. But now she was sitting here in a family conference and it looked serious. She racked her brain, trying to decide if she had done something she shouldn't have lately, and couldn't think of a thing.
"Well?" she said, trying to break the silence in the room.
Brian stepped in. "JR, your brother has something he needs to tell you. He's known something for a little while now, but he had to wait ‘til he felt comfortable telling you. Now I expect you to listen without interruption and give him a chance to get it all out. Deal?"
"Sure," she answered. "But what could be so scary that he had to wait to tell me for a while? Gus?" She had turned to her big brother, sitting beside her.
Gus cleared his throat and plunged in. "Okay, kiddo, here's the truth. You know how Mom always said I was just like my dad?" He paused while she nodded her head. "Well, I finally figured out that I'm more like Dad than even Mom knew....more than anyone knew, really."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, little sister, that I'm gay like Dad."
Gus stopped to give JR a chance to digest the news. She sat staring at the big brother she'd known all her life and said nothing at first. All three men were shocked. They had never seen her speechless before. All of a sudden, a big grin spread over the young girl's face. She jumped up and grabbed Gus around the shoulders and hugged him tightly.
"Whoo hoo!" she shouted in his ear, nearly deafening the boy.
Gus pulled away and held his sister at bay.
"Whoa, kid! What's gotten into you?"
"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I told Gidge that you were gay. I told her that you and Jason were a couple and she said I was crazy. Hah! I've been around enough gays and lesbians in my life to know one when I see one." She grinned triumphantly at all the men around her.
It would be an understatement to say that there were three surprised faces looking back at her. It was their turn to be speechless. Justin was the first to regain his senses.
"Wait a minute, young lady. Are you telling us that you've known about your brother and Jason all this time?"
"Well, I don't know what all this time is supposed to mean, but I've had an idea for a while now. Geez, those guys were always hanging on each other around here and they never wanted to have Gidge and me around anymore. They didn't used to mind. And well, I don't know, they kind of looked at each other the way you and DB do all the time. I mean, a girl would have to be blind...or stupid, which I'm not...to not notice. The best part is I won the bet!"
Brian piped up with, "What bet?"
"I bet Gidge that her brother and mine would be sharing a room at college just ‘cause they're a couple. Bet you guys were planning to, weren't you?"
Gus grinned sheepishly at the group. It was obvious that those plans were definitely in the works.
"Well I hope you bet something good," Brian said.
A thought crossed Gus' mind. He had to ask.
"JR, I thought you'd be a little pissed at me. I know you had a crush on Jason. "
JR laughed out loud. "Geez, Gus, There are plenty of cute guys out there. I intend to play the field. Heck, maybe I'll even try out Gidget." She paused, waiting for a reaction.
For the second time that night the three men sat staring open mouthed. The sight caused the young teen to start giggling uncontrollably. A couple of minutes later, she calmed enough to speak.
"Man, you should see your faces. I'm just kidding. There has to be at least one more straight person in our family. Gram can't hold the banner for heteros all by herself." JR tried unsuccessfully to control laughing out loud.
Brian leaned over and whispered in Justin's ear, "do you think we could see if Michael is up to taking on a teenage girl now?"
Justin swatted his husband and shushed him. "So you have no problem with Gus being gay or with him being with Jason?" he asked the still giggling girl.
"Considering my family, don't you think that would be a little redundant...that is the correct word, right?" she asked truthfully.
"Close enough," answered Brian and Justin simultaneously.
Gus was finally able to absorb everything his little sister had revealed. In truth, he was tremendously relieved. He loved JR dearly, even if she was a royal pain in the ass sometimes. He hadn't wanted to hurt her for anything. Then it dawned on him that Jason was probably going through something very similar with his little sister. He couldn't help thinking of how proud his moms would have been of both of their kids and of Brian and Justin for helping to steer them through all the changes in their lives in the last year. He made a mental note to tell the guys just that. JR suddenly jumped up and ran to Brian and Justin. She planted a big smooch on both men and turned to her brother.
"I've got to tell Gidget. Later, fellas."
"Whoa there, youngen," Brian snapped, grabbing her quickly by the arm to prevent her from running off. "You need to wait until Gus hears from Jason to make sure that Gidget has been talked to. We owe them that. You can call your friend as soon as Gus gives the okay.""Ahhh, Geez," she frowned. Just as quickly, a big smile was back in place. "Okay, but swear you'll tell me as soon as he calls. Right, big bro?"
"You've got it, twerp...and sis, I love you."
"Geez, don't get all sappy with me. Save that for the boyfriend. I'll be in my room. Just give a heads up when Jason calls." And with that, she breezed out of the room.
The three men sat staring at each other for several minutes.
"Well, I think that went well. I wonder what those two bet for over the sharing a dorm thing," pondered Justin out loud."I don't think I want to know," said Brian cautiously. "And speaking of the dorm thing, was that your plan, son, cause I thought you'd stay here with us?"
"We'd talked about it but nothing is set in stone yet. All this has happened so fast. We really don't know what will come next. Just as long as we're together."
Brian looked over at Justin. His mind wandered to another teenager on the verge of manhood who only wanted to be with one certain person. God, he hoped his son would end up as happy and fulfilled in life as he was. But in the meantime, he would make certain that Gus knew that their home was his home always and at any time. Gus gave his two dads a big hug before leaving the room and going to his own room to wait for his call from Jason.
Justin scooted over closer to Brian. He laid his head on the tall man's shoulder and rested his hand in his lap. Brian reached down and joined his hand with Justin's. They sat there, each lost in their thoughts, for long minutes.
"Do you think that life will go easier for our boy than it did for us, Sunshine?" Brian finally asked quietly.
"I think so, but it doesn't matter, Bri. Because he'll have us no matter what...and so many more who love him so very much. He doesn't have to create a family like you did, my darling lover, because he's had one from the day he was conceived and born."
"Do you think the girls would have approved of how we handled things?"
"In a heartbeat. When I look at our kids, I see the best of Mel and Linds, and Michael and Debbie, and you and me. I see a family that we can all be proud of. And someday, when we have grandkids...."
"Bite your tongue!"
".....and when we have grandkids, and I pray we do, then they'll know how lucky they are to be in a family like ours too."
Brian took a deep breath and released all the tension and worry that he'd been holding in when facing this new challenge. Justin was right. He and Justin could do anything because they had each other, including raising their little family. He knew the future was uncertain. They had to get through four more years of schooling and drama upon trauma with a teenage girl still. They had a son who had college and his whole life in front of him, and who knew whether the man he loved would still be there at the end of the four years? Nothing was guaranteed in this life. The only thing he knew for certain was that his kids would do fine in the end. Just like he did with the man he loved and married. He raised their joined hands and kissed Justin's fingers.
"Here's to the future," he told his husband.
The End