Justin stepped into the apartment he shared with his boyfriend, with more than a small degree of apprehension. Ethan had been so inconsistent lately in so many ways. He had no way of knowing how he would take the news of Justin losing his job - most especially, in the manner he had lost it. The two of them had always had such a bizarre relationship; it was difficult enough for him to understand, and one that was impossible to explain to others. On a few occasions, he had tried to confide in Daphne, largely due to his need to talk it out... but she hadn't understood the complexities, either. How could she, when he didn't understand them himself?

They had become roommates more out of necessity than for any other reason. Each of them had been struggling when they had met. Justin had been living with Daphne at the time, shortly after his father both disowned him and threw him out of the house. He hadn't been desperate, though. He had a roof over his head... but looking back now, he could clearly see how Ethan had used the circumstances of his estrangement from his father to his own advantage. Ethan was barely paying his bills at PIFA; Justin had been forced to drop out during the first quarter. He couldn't keep up with his tuition, as well as his living expenses. It was much the same with Ethan, but his boyfriend had convinced him that his future was more promising for a quicker payout, and if someone had to drop out, it shouldn't be him.

Now, in hindsight, Justin wasn't so sure that was the case. Ethan peddled on the streets for extra cash. Some nights he would bring home a case filled with overly generous tips, other nights he would come home with next to nothing. He grimaced when he thought of it in the terms of tips. Ethan didn't like that terminology at all. He called them donations to his future. Justin frowned as he walked further into the apartment, his eyes looking around to find it empty, more than a little surprised Ethan wasn't home. As much as he wasn't looking forward to a confrontation with Ethan, he really wanted to get it over and done with. There wasn't a doubt in his mind it would be unpleasant.

Justin peeked inside the bedroom, quickly deciphering from the glower on Ethan's face, that this was going to be an extremely unpleasant encounter. "Hey," Justin said in the way of a greeting. "Sorry I'm late. I was with Daphne, then, my father insisted I meet with him."

"What a surprise..." Ethan sneered in his most superior of tones. "I have answered four calls from your father - each one ending more abruptly than the previous ones. However, imagine my surprise when the esteemed Craig Taylor dropped his bombshell before hanging up on me the last time..."

"Oh, God." Justin slumped down to sit on a corner of the bed, his head averted from Ethan's pacing form, unable to look his roommate and boyfriend in the eye. "You know, then. I'd wanted to tell you myself."

Ethan snorted. "That would have been nice, Justin! If nothing else, it would have been preferable to hear from my boyfriend that he had been fired - and not from his prick of a father!"

"I didn't know I was fired when I left work. If I had known that, I would have been home right away!" Justin barely raised his voice in anger, it wasn't his way; however, after the disastrous meeting with his father, his nerves were completely shot.

"Yes, let's talk about this firing, Justin. From what little your father told me, I assume that it was from inappropriate behavior. What exactly does that mean?" Ethan's eyes were both angry and accusing. His normally flat tone raised a notch in his anger, the rage he now felt, unlike any he'd ever known.

Justin flushed guiltily. "It wasn't a big deal, Ethan. You know how it is in that place... especially with that manager."

"I've been there a few times, Justin. I doubt they would fire you without warning unless you did something outrageous. I want to know what it was... so I know how to deal with the situation!" Ethan shouted at Justin, his hands slightly shaking as the full gravity of this crisis fully assailed him.

"Deal with it?" Justin snapped, at once rising to his feet. "It's my life, and my problem, Ethan. This has nothing to do with you!"

"Nothing to do with me?" Ethan cast a scathing look upon his lover. How dare he! At this moment, his muse was turning into a nightmare. This would be resolved today, and this time, to his satisfaction. "You don't want to discuss it. That's fine, Justin. I guess it doesn't matter what you did - what matters is fixing it. You are going to call the restaurant, and do whatever you need to do to get your job back."

Justin gasped. This was unbelievable. Ethan truly had no right. Perhaps they were together in some sort of way, at least enough to refer to him as his boyfriend. In his mind, it had been on and off fuck buddies. They had never committed to each other. Now, Ethan was trying to make his decisions for him, without having the authority to do so. No. Something needed to change here, and it needed to change now. "I'm not doing that, Ethan. Sorry. There's no going back. I was being untrue to myself to hold that job in the first place. I won't do that again."

"There's a time to fight that fight, and a time to suck up to the straight assholes that look down on us. We need your job, Justin!" Ethan began to pace back and forth, his hand running frantically through his hair, as if thinking that would help him reach an answer. "How much money do you have in the bank?"

"Huh?" Justin asked, uncertain of how they had gotten to that question from where they started.

"Fuck! You are so dense sometimes, Justin. It's good for you that you are so fucking hot. If not for that - you would be of absolutely no value!" Ethan coldly spat the poisonous words, uncaring as Justin flinched from his immense cruelty. "Obviously, I need all the cash you have since I am now responsible for paying all our bills! Why else would I ask?"

Justin shook his head in disbelief. They had gone 50/50 on all their living expenses from day one. Right now, they were all caught up on their monthly bills. Why should he have to give Ethan every dime he had managed to save - at this point? Justin knew he wasn't going to do it... and that could create even more problems between him and Ethan. "I don't have that much... and it doesn't matter. We are all caught up for the month. I have a week to find another job. Until then, you have no right to push me further!"

"God! You are just so fucking clueless! It never really occurred to me just how blond you truly are!" Ethan's eyes continued to spit venom at his roommate. "Say you get a job within a week; it will be two weeks before you get your first check. Think about it, Justin! We need to combine what we have to get by until then. Surely, you can see that?"

His back tightened as he faced the insults that now tumbled so easily from his boyfriend's mouth, his own lips set in a grim line, when he calmly responded, "I see many things now, Ethan. You don't care about me. In fact, I doubt that you have ever cared about anything other than what I could do for you! I sacrificed my own dreams so you didn't have to drop out of school too. And this is how you repay me - with insults and threats?!"

"You're speaking emotionally now, Justin. I can't deal with such displays. I won't!" Ethan walked toward the bedroom door, his eyes sliding over what he now deemed to be flawed beauty. "I'm going out."

"N-Now?" Justin sputtered. "We need to resolve this..."

Ethan sighed dramatically. "As far as I'm concerned, it is settled. You have one week, Justin. One week to prove you can get your act together. If you don't have a job by then, well, it's quite simple - I want you out of my apartment. I don't intend to support you... no matter how good you are in bed."

"I don't believe this, Ethan. One week? That's what I get? What about all the times I supported your ass? I can remember you going through long dry spells with no tips coming home. It's amazing how you conveniently forget all of that!" Justin was trembling in his anger. He couldn't believe Ethan was doing this to him now. In a day, he felt his life had completely unraveled. Now, he didn't know how to piece it all back together.

"Donations, Justin, not tips!" Ethan shouted out. "That you still don't get that, explains how little you understand!"

Justin assessed what he now recognized to be his former lover, a new awareness in his eyes; Justin felt such a fool for not seeing this sooner. "No, Ethan. I understand everything now. Well, don't let me keep you. I'm sure your friends will be more than happy to console you."

A sardonic laugh followed. "Yes, you're right. They will."

Morosely, Justin watched as Ethan slammed from the room, unable to fathom how much his life had changed. One week to find a job, or else a place to stay. He could always stay with Daphne temporarily as he had before moving in with Ethan, but that wouldn't solve the overall problem of the hopelessness of his life. He had to find an answer and one that was right for him. Ethan had never been able to give him what he needed - physically or emotionally. The sex had been mediocre at best. Something had always been missing in all aspects of their relationship. He only wished he knew what that missing ingredient had been.

Returning to the living room, Justin pocketed his keys before slipping into this coat. A new job wasn't going to find him. He needed to seek it out. There was no time like the present. As Justin stepped from the apartment, he couldn't help but think of the magnetizing and confident, Brian Kinney. He debated on visiting him at his office as they had discussed earlier. There wasn't a doubt that Brian would know what he should do, but in the back of his mind, he felt a bit apprehensive. If that man knew even more about his life, it would place him in an extremely vulnerable position. If only he knew him better. Justin couldn't deny the fact that he genuinely wanted to do that.

Walking along the streets of Liberty Avenue, with no particular destination in mind, Justin wandered into Liberty Diner. It was small, yet extremely lively. He liked it instantly. Sitting down at the bar, Justin smiled warmly at the red-headed waitress that slowed the chomping of her gum to greet him.

"What can I get you, Sunshine?" she asked boisterously, her eyes taking in the inviting smile, a slight frown piercing her brows together at the sadness she could clearly discern in his eyes. Instantly, she wondered, what could possibly get such a beauty as this young man so down?

"Uhhh, just a cup of coffee." Justin pointedly looked at her name tag, unable to miss all the various buttons that adorned her work smock. He could imagine there was a story behind each one of those colorful, and outspoken buttons. "Thanks, Debbie."

She returned to chewing her gum, her eyes watching him closely. "Why the long face, Sweetie?"

Justin shrugged indifferently. "Just your average day... lost my job, and kind of broke up with my sort-of boyfriend."

"What kind of job?" Debbie didn't even mention the part about the loss of a boyfriend. In her opinion, any man that would let this beauty slip away was a fool one-hundred times over. That man would get no sympathy from her.

"I was a waiter at one of those fancy upscale restaurants across town." Justin laughed at her reaction when he rattled off the name of the restaurant. "Yeah, I know - not the right fit for an openly gay male."

Debbie cackled in delight. She liked this kid. She leaned in closer, her voice whispering in a secretive manner, "I have it on good authority that the diner is hiring. It's part-time, and of course, no real benefits... but a boy with a hot ass and a winning smile, could make some good tips. That is, if you know anyone that might be interested."

Justin set his coffee cup down, a beaming smile on his lips. "Do I know someone? Fuck yeah, I do."

"You got spunk, kid. I admire that. These days you've got to have it in order to survive. What's your name, Sunshine?"

"Uhhh, it's Justin. Justin Taylor." Justin frowned, uncertain why he was telling this woman so much. He couldn't seem to stop himself. Something about her was so warm and inviting. It was a combination he needed, particularly after the events of this troubling day.

Holding out her hand, Debbie smiled warmly at him. "Pleased to meet you, Justin. I'm Debbie Horvath, and I own this little joint." She narrowed her eyes at him in assessment. "When can you start?"

"S-start? W-what about an interview, references... or an application even?" Was this even possible? She was offering him a job... just like that. Things didn't happen like that, at least not to him. "I just don't understand."

"Nothing to understand, Sunshine. Either you want the job or not. Like I said, it's not much... but it's something, right?" She named off his starting wage, explaining all the tips would be his to keep. She didn't cut in on that like some employers did. As far as she was concerned, they worked hard for that gratuity. Often, they had to put up with some big-time assholes. They deserved that compensation. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Justin would be good for business. He was a hot one for sure. She couldn't imagine him being without a boyfriend for long.

"You're really offering me a job?" Justin couldn't believe his good fortune. He knew the wage was less than he had been earning, but it was too good of an opportunity to turn down.

Debbie nodded emphatically. "Yes, I am. If you want the job, be here tomorrow at 2 p.m. I'm working the evening shift and I'll show you the ropes."

"I'll be here, Debbie. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." Waving his hand away when he moved to pay for his coffee, Debbie brusquely announced, "It's on the house. Call it a welcome for my newest employee." She pulled out a plate and placed two lemon bars on it, pushing it to him on the counter. "Eat up, Sunshine. If you're going to sell my famous lemon bars, you need to know how good they are." Debbie chuckled at her own ingenuity. The boy looked hungry. This wasn't a meal, but she figured he would be too proud to take anything else.

Justin smiled, taking a large bite of the offered pastry. He was pleasantly surprised by the taste. "These are good. I doubt you need much help promoting them."

In truth, she didn't. Debbie winked at him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Justin. I need to handle this crowd before they get too rowdy." Refilling his coffee before walking away, Debbie was pleased with her decision. Justin would be good for the diner, and he definitely needed a job. On all counts, this would be a win/win situation for both of them.

As he was leaving the diner, Justin couldn't resist reaching into his pocket and withdrawing the card Brian Kinney had given to him at their first meeting. Boundless. The thought of visiting this private club vastly intrigued him. In fact, it was a world that he had much interest in exploring, even if only as a spectator. Checking out the establishment would be harmless. Right? Justin knew his thoughts to be wrong the moment they came to mind. If Brian Kinney was at the club, nothing could be construed as safe. His initial responses had been anything but reserved with that man. However, Justin could feel himself being pulled to that man, almost as if magnetized.

Today had already brought many changes to his life. Justin was certain a visit to Boundless would only evoke more. As he remembered the imposing will and determination of the self-assured Mr. Kinney, Justin was uncertain he could resist a visit to the dominant's private domain. In all honesty, he didn't think he even wanted to try.

TBC