Michael, who was lying in bed, was surrounded by the family - minus Justin - and sobbed openly, seeming scared and relieved when Brian showed up alone.

“I… I’m sorry.” Michael hiccuped. 

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, sweety.” Emmett said in a soothing voice, while Deb and Ben nodded in agreement and held his hands. 

It was Carl who asked the most anticipated questions. “What happened, son?” He asked gently, hoping Michael would be able to answer their questions.

“I left the diner and wanted to open the shop after my lunch break but he was there. He was so mad, I’ve never seen him so… crazy. He punched me and everything went black. When I woke up, I was in a weird room. There were no windows or lights. It was really dark all the time. I thought he’d left me there to die but he showed up everyday to bring me water and food. Not much but at least I wasn’t starving. And every day he would beat and punch me. He yelled all kinds of shit at me. I was so scared, I feared he’d kill me. Today, I woke up in the hospital. He came in and said that it was time to go home and he hoped I had learned my lesson.” Michael told them shivering.

“Who? Who did this to you, Michael?” Debbie asked, crying.

“I… I can’t. It’s my fault, really. I should have never told him what I really feel about him.” Michael mumbled. Brian dreaded the answer but Ted and Carl urged Michael to tell them who had kidnapped and tortured him.

“Justin. It was Justin.” Michael said, looking at the floor. After a few seconds, he looked at Brian and spoke quietly. “I’m so sorry, Brian.”

“No, no. No, he wouldn’t do that, Michael. Justin wouldn’t.” Brian said frantically, shaking his head again and again.

Emmett grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down. “Shh, Brian it’s okay. We both know Justin would never do anything like this. He’s a sweetheart. Calm down.” He whispered.

“You’re… you’re right, Emmett.” Brian said, calming instantly, knowing he wasn’t the only one who did not believe Justin would hurt anyone so badly.

“HE’S NOT RIGHT!” Michael sobbed loudly. “Do you think I’d just say it was him when it was someone else? I saw him with my own eyes, heard him with my own ears. He was like, totally out of control. I’ve never seen him like this before. He was raging and yelling at me like some lunatic. Maybe he did drugs or he just hates me that much.” He told them crying.

“Michael, you were the one shouting at him in the diner. It was you who said he shouldn’t have survived the bashing.” Debbie said, defending the blonde.

“I know that, Ma. And he was telling me to rot in hell.” Michael yelled at his mother.

“Wait a minute. When did this shouting match happen?” Carl asked. Nobody had mentioned Michael and Justin having had a bad argument before Michael’s disappearance.

“The day Michael disappeared…” Ted said.

“I did not just disappear!” Michael shouted. “Justin fucking kidnapped me and held me captive. I was out of it most of the time but when I was awake he would hit and punch me. I told you that he was out of his mind. Why don’t you go and talk to him, check his blood? I’m sure you’ll find something that would explain his actions. I have a hard time believing he did it just for fun, too. Do you have any fucking idea how hard it was and still is for me to wrap my head around this mess?” 

“Mhmm. I’ll talk to Justin, question him and have his blood checked. I can hardly believe that Justin was able to do something so horrible but I have to do my job and investigate your claims.” Carl told Michael, who nodded in relief.

“What’s to investigate?” Drew asked and everyone looked at him in confusion. “What? Justin was with Brian most of the time, right?” He asked Brian.

“No.” Brian sighed. “He didn’t want to see me or talk to me after the fight with Michael.” It broke his heart to say it because Brian knew that Justin needed an alibi to prove it wasn’t him who kidnapped and tortured Michael.

“Oh God.” Mel whispered, shocked as hell. “But it’s Justin we’re talking about. He’s so loving and caring.” Tears fell out of her eyes. She couldn’t believe that the Justin they all knew and loved was capable of doing something so horrid. She refused to believe that.

SAME DAY - LATER IN THE AFTERNOON / EARLY EVENING

Carl knocked on the door, hesitating just a little bit. His boss didn’t want him to be involved in the investigation but Carl was asking to be included, even if he wasn’t allowed to process any evidence. The detective also asked, almost begged, to go with his colleague, detective Ross, to bring Justin to the station for questioning.

Justin opened the door and was surprised to see Carl standing outside with a stranger in uniform. He was wary of the situation but listened to his elder friend.

“Justin, detective Ross and I need you to come with us to the station. We have a few questions regarding Michael. Unfortunately I won’t be able to do the interview myself but I’ll be watching over it.” Carl stated calmly but his eyes were pleading with Justin.

The blonde artist was confused and dreaded going with them but he figured he didn’t have a choice. He grabbed his jacket and personal things and left with the two detectives.

PITTSBURGH POLICE STATION

“So, you’re saying you had nothing to do with Novotny’s disappearance?” Detective Ross asked again. The man, about 55 years old, was very experienced and believed the artist.

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I haven’t seen him since I left the diner after our argument.” Justin replied calmly, although he felt anything but. “He yelled at me, wishing me dead, in a diner filled with customers. I really wanted to punch him, to hurt him but I didn’t. I left and stayed away from him and the entire gang. I needed time for myself to process this event and figure out if I could forgive my lov… Brian, for keeping this from me. He knew but never told me, hell he even encouraged me to keep working with Michael. That’s what hurt the most.” The artist said, the hurt evident in his shaking voice.

“I see. Mr. Kinney did confirm that you refused to talk to him in any way.” The detective said.

“He was the one telling me about Michael missing. A couple of days later Deb showed up and blamed me for Michael’s disappearance. That hurt so much, you know. She was someone I had considered family and to hear her say that I’m ungrateful or at fault for Michael’s problems really fucking hurt.” Justin admitted.

“Understandable. Can anyone confirm that you have been at the apartment of Miss Chanders unless you were at school?” Ross asked.

“I don’t know, maybe the neighbors. I tried to focus on my studies but actually just sat around crying most of the time.” Justin told the older man.

“Alright, we’ll talk to the neighbors. What about drugs, have you taken anything lately?” The detective continued.

“Brian and I used to do some drugs in the past but lately we haven’t because of my studies and Brian’s company and clients. He needs a clear head. So no, no drugs lately. Expect for my allergy medication and a pain killer because of the headaches I sometimes get.” He explained.

“Are you willing to give us a blood sample so we can test and confirm you haven’t taken anything?” Ross asked.

“Sure.” Justin responded, shrugging his shoulders.

“Good. We’ll also need your DNA to compare it with the one we had found on Mr. Novotny.” The detective explained.

“No problem. I haven’t done anything to Michael so I have nothing to hide.” Justin stated confidently.

Outside of the interrogation room, Carl was watching the interview. He knew Justin was an honest young man who had been through so much. He believed the him, hoping he and his colleagues could focus on Michael’s real kidnapper and abuser. Why his stepson would lie about the case was a question that kept popping into his mind but he didn’t have much to come up with any theories yet.

AT BRIAN’S LOFT

Brian was pacing and annoying the hell out of Emmett and Ted. Debbie, Ben and Hunter had of course decided to stay with Michael, trying to get more information out of him. Although they all had a hard time believing the injured man, they still wanted to support him through the difficult time. His injuries were real, someone did hurt the comic geek. The question everyone had, was who?

Emmett and Ted, along with Brian, had refused to believe that Justin was responsible for Michael’s disappearance and injuries. Lindsay and Mel had gone home, arguing because the blonde only sobbed for a very short time, disbelieving of Justin being the bad guy. She had changed her mind quickly and demanded that the artist wasn’t allowed to be around Gus and Jenny. Mel had defended Justin, more with the rules of law than emotions. The tough lawyer knew her wife well and quickly reminded her that she was a lawyer and that Justin was innocent until proven different. Mel had left the house after that and went to the loft, knowing Brian would believe in Justin. 

“Brian, calm down.” Ted said gently. The accountant knew how hard the situation was for his boss.

Brian glared at the older man but Ted remained undeterred. 

“Your glare isn’t working this time. We ALL need to stay calm and focused. Nobody here believes that Justin is the one who did this to Michael. Frankly, I have no idea who could have done it but Justin isn’t the type for this.” Ted spoke firmly.

“You don’t know shit, Ted.” Brian yelled, thinking back to the whole Pink Posse fiasco.

“Are you talking about the Pink Posse time?” Blake asked, wondering what exactly Brian knew about Justin’s stunt with Cody and his minions.

“YES!” Brian yelled, before he took a calming breath. “Yes, he came home sometimes with bruises. He and the others provoked fights and Justin’s been hurt more than once.” He sighed.

“That is all true, Brian. But after the confrontation with Hobbs, Justin left the group and became himself again.” Blake said. When he noticed Brian looking at him in confusion he added, “Did you and Justin ever talk about that time? I mean, all of it?” He asked.

When Brian shook his head no, Blake took a deep breath. He had the attention of not just Brian but also Ted, Emmett and Drew as well as Melanie, who had stayed silent since they arrived at the loft.

“He was filled with rage and hatred. But he had no way to let those feelings out. His hand started cramping whenever he tried to draw or paint with more force to express those feelings. Cody offered him a way to not just get rid of these emotions but also to get even with homophobes that have tried to destroy and kill Justin in his young life, starting with his father and ending with Hobbs and everyone involved in that farce of a trial. Justin was lost in himself, he was in a really dark place after Darren was attacked and left for dead. The guys did provoke fights, that’s true and a part of Justin enjoyed it. He had licked blood and wanted more. Until the night he saw Hobbs for the last time. Cody convinced Justin to seek out Chris before but nothing ever happened. Until Cody showed up with a gun, a loaded one. Justin and Cody waited outside of Hobbs’ place and then confronted the asshole. In the end, Hobbs was on his knees with said gun in his mouth, crying and begging like a baby. Justin was edged on by Cody to shoot the fucker but it was in that moment where Justin found his true self again. He scared Hobbs but in the end, he didn’t pull the trigger but walked away. Leaving a ranting Cody behind. The idiot wanted for Justin to kill Hobbs but he didn’t. It was over for Justin.” Blake explained. 

For a couple of minutes, nobody said a word. Everyone was thinking about what Blake had said. Melanie was the first to break the silence. 

“That’s our Justin! He wouldn’t hurt anyone, he just couldn’t. He has never been violent until those bastards and Cody. Everyone is mad with rage sometimes but for Justin it was different. He wasn’t mad over a missed appointment, a failed campaign, a lost case or anything. Someone had tried to kill him and got away without any real consequences. Of course he was mad and disappointed. And then a friend of his gets beaten to a pulp and once again, nothing really happens. He lashed out. He became violent because he was confused and edged on. He finally held the power. Don’t get me wrong, Justin has always been one of the strongest and bravest men I’ve known, fuck, we all have known.” Mel said.

“Exactly.” Emmett added. “Being edged on can make a person do the stupidest things. But Justin stopped himself. I’m so fucking proud of him.” The flamboyant man said with pride.

“We all are.” Brian choked out. He hadn’t known about Hobbs or that confrontation but he did know about the gun although he thought the gun was never loaded. Cody might be a killer but Justin wasn’t. And his sunshine figured it out on his own.

“It’s dinner time.” Ted mentioned. “Why won’t we grab something on the way to Justin. I want him to know that we support him in this. And I want to tell him that I don’t share Michael’s hatred. To say that Justin should have died is so wrong. And Michael had known how hard it was for Justin to overcome the bashing and its aftermath. I do feel sorry for what happened to him but I don’t think I want to be his friend any longer. Not after what he said about Justin.” Ted literally growled the last part.

Brian, Mel, Emmett, Drew and Blake nodded in agreement. 

DEB’S HOUSE

“Shit Carl, I don’t know what to believe.” Debbie cried.

“Huh?” Carl wondered.

“Michael and Justin. When Michael disappeared I thought Justin was behind it. I thought he wanted to teach Michael a lesson you know? But now, Michael is so badly hurt and I cannot believe that Sunshine is behind that anymore. He’s not a violent person, Carl. Justin can be mad but he would never hurt anyone like this.” Debbie told her husband.

“You thought Justin kidnapped him?” Carl asked.

“I don’t know. I thought that he might have locked him in somewhere, kind of like a prank. I mean, you weren’t at the dinner. Michael was so nasty and Justin called him a bully. Which was not wrong. Michael did act like a fucking bully towards Justin. But my Sunshine would never hit someone.” Debbie tried to explain the mess that were her thoughts.

“Oh Debs.” Carl sighed.

TBC