Max sat outside his dads’ room waiting for them to take him to breakfast. He knew he should be asleep but everything here was so exciting and Auntie Lindsay told him he could tell everyone about his trip for show and tell. Max had never had anything to show on those days and he wanted his dads to be proud of him. It was also exciting that he got to stay up later than normal, and while the fireworks scared him a little, they were still really neat to see. Pa recorded it for him to show to his class, and told Max that in the morning they’d record the things they did. Tomorrow was his day with his dads while Nana took the twins out so Auntie Molly and Uncle Jason could do whatever it was his dads did yesterday. Max wanted to ask but Gussy told him that wasn’t really something any child ever wanted to know. Gussy laughed so Max figured it wasn’t bad, plus he got distracted when they got on the next ride. Disney wasn’t what his Dad said, his punishment for loving Pa. Max figured it was a grown-up joke since Dad laughed when he said it. Max leaned on the wall, knowing his dads wouldn’t care if he came in, but he could wait for them. Being alone didn't scare him anymore, because he knew his family surrounded him. That was Max’s last thought before he curled up and promptly fell asleep even though he didn’t think he could. 

Brian got up, not sure why, but decided to get something to drink. He opened the door to find his son curled up on the floor dead asleep with Mickey Mouse ears on his head. He knew Max had been excited and full of energy when they came in and hoped that Max dreamed of all the fun things he did. Brian bent down picking up Max, who barely stirred as Brian carried him to the bed where Justin was dead to the world. As if knowing in his sleep he was safe he snuggled onto Justin’s back and stayed asleep. Brian used to wonder what the big deal was about being in love. Now every day he spent with Justin it became a bigger mystery why he had fought it so hard. Which somehow led him back to Michael. There was a time he thought he’d always love Michael. Not in the way he loved Justin, Gus, or Max but that the bond would always be there for him.

Brian knew when he let it go. The day he and Justin sat in therapy talking about issues in the past and how they dealt with things now versus then. It was enlightening when a lot of their issues seemed to feature Michael in some capacity. Brian thought about the best things in his life and how it related to Michael. Meeting Michael gave him Deb, who in turn gave him Vic. Brian saw a beacon in the happy little family compared to his, and Michael treated it like his burden to bear. When Brian started making friends in college, he included Michael, and so did the friends. Only all Michael could do was complain about anything they wanted to do outside of what was normal for him and Michael to do. While at first, Brian wasn’t interested in having a kid, he made a promise and held up his end of the bargain, even though Michael made it sound like Brian was compromising his principles for Lindsay’s desire. Even at the hospital, Michael kept talking like Gus’ birth meant Brian needed to grow up. Only to let Brian do crazy shit on the roof, while Michael didn’t stop him. Brian knew when Michael’s world rocked on its foundation; it was the minute Justin walked into his life. It wasn’t like Brian had plans beyond fun when he met Justin, but like everything in life, not everything goes the way you plan it. Brian let Michael piss and whine about Justin being around, he didn’t defend Justin, and maybe that was why Michael saw his relationship with Brian as different. Michael didn’t get that Brian didn’t need to defend Justin, the twat could do that on his own. 

Brian thought about what Drew told him- Ben’s list of what he thought he wanted. The thing was, in the end, in Brian’s head Justin fit all the criteria. In a way, Ben would have been the kind of man Justin should have wanted. Which sometimes made Brian wonder if Justin ever thought the same thing. But Justin only seemed to see Ben as a brother, the way Brian saw Michael. 

Brian didn’t get why Michael let it get this far, it wasn’t like they were asking that much of him. They just wanted him to understand that their children weren’t going to be targets of his anger that things were changing. Brian couldn’t help Michael this time. Not just because of the promise he and Justin made, but because this time Max was involved and needed Brian more.

“What has you up when we’re going to be up in a few hours running around your personal hell?” Justin asked, sitting next to him.

“I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep thinking of all the fun you're going to force me to deal with,” Brian told him, smirking.  

“And worried about everyone including Michael,” Justin said, getting comfortable.

“I’m happy,” Brian told him.

“And?” Justin asked.

“For years I was satisfied with just being content. Only this blond pain in my ass couldn’t leave it at that and now I’m HAPPY all the fucking time. I love the life we made, love the fact that I put our son in our bed, love the fact that no matter where we are you being in the same bed makes it our bed. How the fuck did I manage to get here?” Brian asked, not really confused about his happiness.

“What you’re really asking is why it seems like you and Michael changed places.” Justin pointed out.

“I have everything he wanted in life… shit, he already had. Yet I can be happy for him and he can’t be for me.” Brian told him.

“In Michael’s way he is, but not without turning into a drama queen first. Which when you think about it is in his genes.” Justin joked.

“It’s just, I supported him when he adopted the littlest hustler, I stood by him when he wanted Ben. Hell, I threw the wedding. Yet instead of giving me the same respect, he acts like I did something to hurt him because I fell in love with you and not him. It’s like he sits and compares what we are to what he feels like should be his. Only, I know the old shit he felt… The crush isn’t there anymore, because he never looked at me the way he did Ben. So why is he fucking up?” Brian questioned.

“Because Michael hasn’t ever really lost something enough to fight for it,” Justin told him.

“I’m not following,” Brian told him, which was unusual for them.

“Michael doesn’t understand how to fight for what he wants. Instead, he does stupid things like text me, and then ignore the advice I give him because it means he’d have to do the work. He’s spent his entire life having everyone smooth his path, and now he’s finding out that no one is willing to do that for him anymore. We don’t not just because of our promise to each other but because we won’t let Michael’s bullshit hurt our children the way he’s hurting Jenny. While trust me, I want to help him, which I completely blame you for, I can’t because Max and Gus are more important than Michael’s inability to accept that everything changes and that for once no one is going to hold his hands when our children need us more. It’s why Emmett is staying out of it himself. He knows that Billy and Colton, no matter how settled they’re becoming, don’t need to feel like there’s anyone in all our lives that doesn’t accept them. Which Michael’s words, no matter how much he doesn’t mean them, could do. It’s why I didn’t fight you on it. The boys might not have been hurt last time, but it doesn’t mean Michael won’t say something without thinking the way he’s always done that could make the boys feel the way I did when I still unsure of us.” Justin tells him.

“How do you still talk to him?” Brian asked, since there were a lot of things he could name that Michael said to Justin in the past that were unforgivable.

“Michael and I are friends, but we’ll never be… well, the way I am with all the others. We’re more like reluctant brothers. Michael tries, but in the end, it still puzzles him that we managed to stay together.” Justin told him.

“Why can’t he just open his eyes and see it in everything we do for each other?” Brian asked.

“Brian, we could be monogamous for the next forty years and Michael would still be waiting for the old Brian Kinney to break out,” Justin told him.

“He’s dead. Which happened the minute I saw a blond bombshell walking towards a streetlight.” Brian smirked.

“Actually, I think it happened in year three, on the steps of Woody’s,” Justin told him.

“Nope, I was still fighting it, but only because I didn’t need you getting smug that I fell in love with you so fast,” Brian told him.

“Really, why was that?” Justin asked crawling on Brian’s lap.

“I’d lost everything, at least my materialistic idea of everything, and yet you reminded me that I didn’t lose you. It wasn’t like I didn’t know you meant more to me by then, it was just that at that moment I stopped letting all the reasons you could do better than an aging club boy be all the reasons I pushed you away.” Brian told him, enjoying Justin grinding on his lap.

“Which doesn’t explain the fuck-off bet.” Justin reminded him, just because to this day it puzzled him.

“I might have reverted a little bit there but pride tends to make you do stupid shit. Plus I loved that he knew one name he couldn’t ever put on the list since he knew he didn’t have a chance in hell of convincing you to help him win.” Brian told him.

“I’d have twisted not only his balls but yours for that one,” Justin told him.

“I would have forfeited. By then I didn’t play games when it came to you. In the end, I didn’t care that I’d won. I’d lost everything that really mattered over stupid pride.” Brian told him.

“Not everything. Since I’m still here.” Justin told him, stroking Brian, only to stop after looking over his shoulder. “I love him, but his timing needs work,” Justin whispered, giggling as Max came over rubbing his eyes.

“Is it time to go yet?” Max yawned, climbing on the couch between his dads.

“How about we wait, since it’s three in the morning Sonny Boy,” Brian answered, picking Max up and carrying him to their room.

Billy got up wanting a snack since he’d been too excited all day to stop and really eat. Sometimes he missed Brian and their late nights together. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do it with Emmett and Drew, it was just somewhere along the way Brian became… a big part of his life. Emmett and Drew were the biggest and best. But Brian got him, Brian understood his walls and helped him see they weren’t healthy if he wanted to be a part of the family he never believed he and Colton could have. He knew Justin helped too, he showed him that being smart wasn’t something to be ashamed of. It was like he needed to have the time with Brian and Justin in order to be ready for the love Emmett and Drew lavished on him and Colton. With that thought in mind, he knocked on his dads’ door. Drew answered, looking worried to see Billy standing there in the middle of the night.

“Everything okay?” Drew asked.

“Yeah Dad, it’s actually pretty terrific. I just wanted to see if someone wanted to have a snack with me. Uncle Brian kind of got me used to it.” Billy told him.

“I’d love to,” Drew told him, following Billy to the kitchen of their room.

After getting cookies and milk, Drew sat across from him, feeling ridiculous at how good it felt that Billy wanted him to join him. 

“It’s weird you know, how I don’t feel like I’m doing something wrong when I get snacks in the middle of the night anymore,” Billy told him.

“It means you feel at home with us,” Drew told him, dunking his cookie.

“It’s just like this trip. I mean, I’ve been taken out to places, but even though Colton was with me, for the first time I feel included, not just part of a group.” Billy told him, wondering if it came out the way he meant it to.

“It’s how you feel when the people who love you take you somewhere.” Drew told him.

“Yeah, it is different when people love you.” Billy agreed.

“It’s what made me come back to Emmett. I wanted to be loved the way he loved me.” Drew told him.

“I’m glad you did because I would have missed out on two great dads if you’d kept your heads up your butts,” Billy told him.

“Brian’s rubbing off on you.” Drew joked.

“I like that he didn’t act like I was some dumb kid, just talked to me about anything I asked,” Billy told him.

“I’ve always liked how direct he is; with him, there was never any bullshit. Mind if I join you two?” Emmett asked, sitting down without waiting for an answer.

“Can I?” Colton asked, following Emmett’s example and sitting, as Drew grabbed two more glasses for his family. “Are we doing the Uncle Brian thing?” Colton asked.

“I thought maybe it was time we did the Boyd-Honeycutt thing,” Billy told Colton.

“We have a thing? Did you hear that Drewsie, we have a thing!” Emmett said, sounding way too excited for the middle of the night.

“Babe, we’re the Boyd-Honeycutt’s, of course we have a thing.” Drew teased, kissing Emmett’s lips.

“Is it weird that I kind of like our dads smooching?” Colton giggled.

“No, what’s weird is they act like they’re your age.” Billy teased.

“Umm… so can we talk about tomorrow? I mean what do we do with Nana?” Colton asked.

“Gus said she’s like a daredevil, so maybe she’ll ride the rollercoaster without screaming like Dad over there.” Billy teased.

“Trust me, if anyone can do it, Jen can. I used to think Deb was scary, but instead, she’s just loud. Jen, on the other hand, makes us all quiver in fear if she doesn’t like something.” Emmett told them.

“She treats us like we’re just like her grandkids, I like that,” Colton said, dunking a cookie just like Drew did.

“Deb feels the same way,” Emmett told them.

“Yeah, but she’s worried about Jenny, and Jenny needs that right now,” Billy told them.

“Sweetie, you know we’ll make sure Jenny’s okay don’t you?” Emmett asked.

“It’s just, she doesn’t have what we do, both our dads happy and together. I mean, neither of us has had that before, but now that we do we can both understand why it hurts her that her father can’t act like a dad.” Colton told him.

“Which isn’t our problem, and I don’t want it to become yours,” Drew told them.

“Jenny’s like our sister, and we’re going to worry because we want her to be as happy as we are,” Colton told Drew.

“It’s not like we don’t know why he isn’t around. You guys don’t like that he says stuff that might hurt us.” Billy mentioned.

“That’s part of it, but not all of it. All of us grew up and have lives of our own, and Michael doesn’t give us the respect we gave him. As a grown-up, I don’t like that he expects us to excuse him when he opens his mouth without thinking about what he says about people. I also don’t like that he treated Drew and my decision to adopt the two you as some whim that Brian made us do, instead of the fact that we wanted to be your dads, and have both of you show us the great people you’ll become.” Emmett tells them.

“Either way he’s the one that missed out since we’re at Disney and he’s not,” Billy told them.

After the boys went back to bed, Emmett couldn’t sleep and decided neither would Drew. Not that Drew minded the blowjob or all the other things Emmett thought of, which left them both downing coffee as they got the boys ready to go with Nana. Jen refrained from laughing when Emmett kissed her on the lips as if she was Drew, after kissing the boys before they left. She laughed even harder when she heard Emmett realize he did it.

“I sucked face with Jen?” Emmett asked, sounding suddenly awake.

“Any tongue Ma?” Brian asked, snickering.

“Four words Brian. Which you’ll never get out of your head if you say one more word about it,” Jen told him.

Brian sat there trying to think what four words could really be a threat. “So tongue?” He finally asked, willing to risk what Jen dished out.

“It’s a small world, Darling. Enjoy it.” Jen told him.

“Aww come on, you promised I’d never have to relive that nightmare again.” Brian pouted, willing if Max wanted to.