Max skipped along happily when his dads agreed to let him have breakfast at the dinner with Grandma Deb for his birthday. They planned the whole day around Max, letting him invite his whole class over for his carnival birthday party that Auntie Em and Auntie Molly had planned and organized for him. He was excited because he was finally going to meet Auntie Daphne today. She told Max she’d been waiting forever to meet him. 

Max ran in, ahead of his dads, in a hurry to see Grandma Deb, only to stop when he saw Uncle Mikey sitting alone in a booth in the back. Since they’d been back no one had seen him, and while Max knew Uncle Mikey had not been nice, as his Dad told him, Max was willing to love Uncle Mikey even when he wasn’t being nice. He hugged Grandma extra hard the way she liked and snuck behind her while she was talking to his dads, to sit with Uncle Mikey.

Michael looked up when Max sat down, worried since Brian decreed that Michael couldn’t be around the boy. Michael was having a hard time since everyone got back. Ben had been staying at the house but so far was still staying in Hunter’s old room, and working on his book. Michael knew Ben was still dealing with his selfishness, and it would take time for him to make it right. Michael was actually listening to the therapist he was seeing, and while everyone had told him the same things, somehow hearing it from someone outside of the group made him listen more. He could see how he had hurt his daughter by not thinking when he said the things he did. He wanted to find a way to make it up to the family he’d hurt with his jealousy, and yes, he was willing to admit that’s what it was.

He’d been having three sessions a week since deciding to go after talking to Hunter. It wouldn’t be solved overnight, but for the first time, Michael was going to put his family above everyone the way his friends were doing with theirs. So he didn’t want to cause more problems because Max didn’t seem to understand that Michael was the asshole in this situation.

“Hi. It’s my birthday, and my dads let me pick where I wanted to eat breakfast. If you want you can eat with me.” Max told him.

“I think your dads just want to be with you, but happy birthday. I hope you have a great day.” Michael said as Brian walked over.

“Grandma saved you a seat at the counter since she wanted to eat with you,” Brian told Max.

“You want to come with us?” Max asked Michael before Brian could take him.

“How about you just have the best birthday you can for me, and send Hunter home with a big piece of your cake for me,” Michael said smiling, hoping Max liked the present he was sending with Hunter.

“Okay, but it’s already the best because I have a family now. ” Max told him, getting out and going to the counter.

“You doing okay?” Brian asked.

“Working on it. Hopefully Ben will be willing to believe I love him again soon. I have a lot to make up for, to my family.” Michael told him.

“Yes you do, but it has to be about you too,” Brian answered. 

“I'm figuring myself out, and it's hard to like the things I'm finding out about myself,” Michael told him. 

“It's not easy finding that out, but it also keeps you from making the same mistakes again,” Brian told him, getting up to sit with Max, still not willing to do anything that would keep Michael from helping himself for once.

Michael sat for a moment, thinking about what Brian just admitted to; that there were things he didn’t like about himself. It made him realize how little he knew his best friend. Michael always thought that of all the people he knew, Brian was the one person who never really regretted anything he did and liked his life the way it was before Justin came along. Only, seeing Brian look at Justin and Max told him the myth was just what Brian wanted everyone to believe, to hide that he wanted more but was afraid to reach for it until Justin walked into his life. For the first time in Michael’s life, he stopped believing that without him telling them what he believed they couldn’t be happy. It should have been easy to get, but then Michael had to see that Brian gave parts of himself only to Justin and that Justin had become the real best friend, not Michael. Michael let that thought become a reality. Strangely, it didn’t hurt the way he thought it would, because he had that with Ben until he screwed it up. Justin looked over at Michael, and somehow Michael thought the shit just knew that he was starting to see the truth and then he gave him the smile that had changed Brian’s world.

Michael got up and was ready to stop living in the past. His future had been sitting in front of him waiting for Michael to stop acting like the past mattered more. He left the diner smiling, because he finally realized that being someone's friend didn't mean sacrificing your happiness for them, but letting them go to have what made you happy and hoping for them to have what you found. 

Ben was getting ready to go to Max’s party when Michael walked in. He hated the way nothing seemed to get any better with Michael. He was starting to wonder if maybe it was time to give up, no matter how much he loved Michael. Ben wasn't sure why he was staying anymore, which was a lie. He'd hoped with the time apart, Michael would see he was worth fighting to keep. When Michael walked in he stopped in front of Ben. 

“Don’t give up on me. I know you have every reason to, but I need my best friend.” Michael told him.

Ben let out a tired breath because, hearing those words, he thought nothing had changed. Michael was still holding on to a friendship that seemed to eclipse everything including Ben. Ben couldn’t live this way anymore, love sometimes just wasn’t enough.

Michael could tell Ben didn’t understand what he was saying, but that was okay because for once Michael was going to fight for the man who loved him. “I need the best friend who gave me everything I ever wanted. I need the man who proposed even when he knew I still hoped for something that was never going to happen. I need the man who loved me because for him I was someone more than Mikey, Brian Kinney’s best friend. I need the man who gave me the world, then put up with me acting like it wasn’t enough for me. My best friend gave me a son and supported me when I worried about my daughter. My best friend loved me, even when I didn’t make it easy on him. You supported me in everything and I spent years letting you, without realizing all along you are my best friend. I’m asking my best friend, lover, and husband, not to give up.” Michael said, waiting to see if there was still a chance.

Ben hated the moment of doubt that this might be about more than them, but he had to wonder why now, today, Michael was saying the things Ben wished he’d been able to say from the beginning of their relationship. “Why should I believe you?” 

“You shouldn’t, not until you see it for the truth. I have a lot to make up to you for, including making you feel like loving you came second or third to everything else in my life. Which it did, because I let it happen. I treated our marriage as if it didn’t mean anything, while you did everything to keep it together. You stood by me, yet I treated you like nothing you did mattered. You deserved better than me but loved me anyway, even when I didn’t give you any reason to think I could love you back the same way. Today I realized that I’ve spent my life saying my best friend was Brian when all along it was you. I spent years hating Justin for showing up and changing everything I wanted. Only I can’t because he led me to you.” Michael told him, still seeing the wariness in Ben’s eyes, so he continued. “I sat in the diner pissing and whining about my life standing still, while Justin fought to achieve everything he wanted, and that led me to open my store. Then I looked up and saw my future in a man who only wanted advice on comics. A man who didn’t roll his eyes as I went on and on about more than you probably wanted to know about the subject. You saw something worth loving in me, and continuously supported me when I wasn’t always right. I realized that my best friend wasn’t the man who I spent years telling everyone it was, Brian Kinney, but Ben Bruckner. I know saying this doesn’t fix anything, but I need you to know I love my best friend and hope he hasn’t given up yet.” Michael said, stopping.

“I don’t want to give up, but I need to know you really mean this,” Ben told him.

“I can only show you, and hope with my actions you’ll see that it’s the truth. I’m still dealing with my issues but I no longer have any doubt about where I belong and who I love.” Michael told him.

“I could stay at home if you want to talk.” Ben offered.

“No. Max deserves to have his family celebrate with him. Just let him know Uncle Mikey is glad he’s a part of our family now. Tell Jenny if she wants we can have a family night with her and Hunter, and maybe we should set up a weekly night for the four of us. I need to make it up to her and Hunter too.” Michael told him.

“I’ll do that,” Ben said, wondering if he was dreaming.

*************************************************************************

“So Dad, can we never go this overboard for a party for me?” Billy asked, looking around the booths and games set up to entertain a few dozen kids. 

Emmett smiled every time Billy easily said Dad to either him or Drew. He didn’t care how normal it was becoming for them, he’d always be thrilled to be a father. He looked around, and yes they did go a bit far, but in a way, this was a real first birthday for Max. Emmett also knew Drew would have to reel him in when it came to their boys birthdays, but for his boys, Emmett would.

“Your party is going to be what you want it to be,” Emmett told him.

“Yeah, plus I don’t have fifty people who’d even want to come to mine,” Billy told him, joking.

“Just with the family alone, you’d have close to that anyway,” Colton told him.

“Are you having problems with the other kids?” Emmett asked, worried.

“No Dad, Billy’s just really picky about who he lets close to him,” Colton said, running off.

“It’s not picky ” Billy mumbled, looking up at Emmett who waited for him to continue.

“I just don’t see the point in making friends with just anyone. I want the people in my life to be there because they're worth the time I invest in them.” Billy said, hoping it made sense. “I don’t need people who think my family makes me worth knowing. It’s weird when people act like being Drew Boyd, football god’s kid makes me special. I mean yeah it’s special, but only because my dads are pretty great dads. It has nothing to do with what you guys do for a living. Can you believe some girls were actually gushing over the fact that having you for a dad meant being invited to awesome parties? I was like, how about the fact that my dad loves me? Yet all they care about is that everyone wants an event thrown by my dad.” Billy said, laughing at Emmett’s stunned expression. 

“Do you know how proud I am to have you and Colton?” Emmett asked.

“Probably as proud as we are to have you,” Colton told him.

“It’s why I don’t get what’s so special about what my dads do, but who they are. So I don’t make friends with people unless they see that.” Billy told him, getting up when Gus and Jenny showed up.

Drew came up behind Emmett, wrapping his arms around him. “How did we get this lucky,” Drew said, not really asking.

“They saw us as the people who would love them the way we love each other,” Emmett told him. “And now let me do what apparently makes the girls what to hang out with our son,” Emmett said, walking over to start letting the kids in, as Brian, Justin, and Max showed up.

The party was a success, and when Max opened his present from Uncle Mikey, he showed his Uncle Ben the photo album with the captions that explained everything about his dads’ lives for Max. Max looked up at Ben. “Does everyone fall in love the way my dads did?”

“No, but they still get a happy ending if they work for it,” Ben told him.

“Even when they are bad we still love them, that’s what my dad told me,” Max said getting up when Gus yelled for him.

“Even then,” Ben said quietly.