Justin stepped into his dorm room with a mixture of concern and anxiety. Why had his parents unexpectedly appeared tonight... and could he really have that talk with them, his dad especially - one that was so long overdue? Justin knew he must. He was just uncertain of how his dad would respond. He smiled when he caught a look of relief passing over his mother's face. Jennifer Taylor always stayed so true to form. She worried over the little things, yet always tried to keep them in. Most of the time she failed miserably.

Moving across the room and into her arms, Justin hugged her tightly, his words muffled against her thick, woolen coat. "Mom... I've missed you."

"Justin..." she sighed, her arms clutching even more tightly around him. "We've missed you too. So very much."

Craig came up behind them, his hand patting his son gently on the back. "Your mom speaks the truth," his father agreed, a smile on his face when he watched mother and son separate, and a much happier look transforming his wife's face. He looked at his son apologetically, before he told him, "I'm sorry if we disrupted your evening, son. Our plans this evening weren't far from the campus, so we decided to take a chance to catch you."

"We should have called first. I do hope your date wasn't too upset..."

Justin remembered Brandon's reaction. Upset wasn't the right word to describe it at all. Brandon's response had troubled him all the way home. He didn't understand it. What was understandable was the frustration of the interruption, but blaming Brian for it had seemed unreasonable. In fact, it had left him with the feeling that something else was going on, as if he had been missing some vital information that would make everything make sense. What troubled him, even more, was that he had almost welcomed the interruption. Justin didn't question his physical attraction to Brandon, but it did make him wonder if he had been moving too fast. "No, my date was fine." Justin urged them over to the small dining table that made up one corner of the room. "Have a seat. I'm afraid there aren't many choices in here."

Craig laughed boisterously. "I remember very well about dorm life, Justin." He sat down at the small table, watching as his wife and son joined him, his eyes flickering briefly to the far side of the room. "I see your roommate is on the football team."

Glancing over to the trophies, and plaques adorning the shelf next to Brian's bed, Justin instantly nodded. "Yes, Brian Kinney. He's the starting quarterback."

Frowning thoughtfully, Craig voiced his thoughts aloud - "Brian Kinney. Doesn't he come from our town? I could have sworn he was on your high school football team."

Jennifer cast a knowing look at her son. Now the tension made sense when he had arrived at school. Justin was rooming with his high school crush, Brian Kinney. She knew the name only too well, although she'd never shared that with her husband. One day she had been putting Justin's laundry away when she stumbled onto his sketch pad. It had been filled with drawings of Brian, in uniform, casual, and dress clothes... even a few bare-chested ones. At the time, she had been thankful that her son hadn't explored with a full array of nude drawings extending beyond Brian's chest. She had closed the sketch pad and left it where she'd found it. Broaching that subject hadn't been something she felt comfortable doing at that time, so she had ignored it. In retrospect, she wasn't sure that had been the right thing to do... at least, not for Justin.

"Yeah, that's him. He's a couple of years ahead of me, though. We didn't travel in the same circles." Justin cleared his throat, realizing if he didn't get into this quickly, he would lose his nerve... and despite the advice coming from Brian, he knew it was the right thing to do. "Uhhh, Mom... Dad, there's something I've been wanting to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago."

"What is it, son?" Craig asked, his face suddenly concerned upon seeing the anxiety in Justin. He looked sharply at his wife when he heard her groan; it was a sound that signaled his wife knew something. "Jennifer, do you know what this is all about?"

"I might." Jennifer shook her head at Justin, uncertain if his father was ready to hear this yet. She had cautioned him about this when she had become fully aware of Justin's sexual preference and had convinced him to remain silent; now it appeared that Justin meant to make a full revelation. "It's Justin's story to tell."

Justin looked nervously at his father. He had no way of guessing how he would respond; Justin only hoped it wouldn't be as horrific as in some of his nightmares, or similar to stories he had heard from others when they had proceeded to come out. "Let's start with my date tonight. I've been seeing someone for several weeks now. Exclusively."

"I figured as much." Craig's voice was booming with pride that his son had found a steady girlfriend so quickly. "Tell us about her."

"Well... first, it's not a her. His name is Brandon." Justin looked back and forth between his parents, incredulous shock was on his father's face, while his mother's showed deep concern.

"Justin... perhaps now isn't the time," Jennifer interjected, her eyes focusing on the paleness of her husband's face.

Craig looked at her in astonishment. "You knew about this, and you didn't tell me? What the fuck, Jennifer? Our son is queer, and you didn't see fit to tell me!?"

"As I said, Craig - this story was Justin's to tell..." Jennifer realized the excuse was weak, but it was all she had at the moment. The subject had been awkward to say the very least, and she did believe that it should come from Justin. "It's not a big deal, Craig. Justin is still young. He could change with time."

"Change with time?" Justin whispered robotically, his eyes wide on his mother as he processed the ludicrous remark. "It doesn't work that way, Mom."

Jennifer visibly flinched at Justin's response. Even though she hadn't intended it as such, she had insulted Justin, and at a time when he obviously needed her support and acceptance. She only hoped Justin would receive it from both his parents. Craig's stunned silence wasn't a good sign for that. "Justin, I didn't mean to be offensive. All I was saying was that you are still very young. As time goes by, things can and will change in your life."

"Not that, Mom. I can assure you of that!" Justin warily watched as his father stood to his feet, his arms slipping into his coat. He wanted to go to him... but right now, he wasn't sure what to do. His father was often so difficult to read; now was only an exaggeration of that. "D-Dad?"

Craig's back tensed as he walked to the door. "I need time to think, Justin. You've thrown us for a loop here; well, me at least." He looked back to cast an accusing look at his wife that wasn't receiving this news for the first time, his anger more centered on her than his son. "Are you coming, Jennifer?"

When his mom looked uncertainly back and forth between him and his father, Justin nodded and urged her along. "I'm fine, Mom. There's no need to keep Dad waiting."

Jennifer hugged Justin tightly for several minutes, pulling away after whispering in his ear, "I'll speak to your father... and we'll talk soon."

Justin watched as his mother met his silent father at the door, his voice breaking, when he spoke, "I'm sorry if I disappointed you, Dad. I wouldn't have intentionally done that for anything."

Craig turned and faced his son, sadness clearly defined in his eyes. "I love you, son. That will never change. It's just going to take me some time to accept this; in particular, this new reality that tells me that you won't ever have the life and family I've always imagined you would have one day." Watching as tears slid down Justin's face, Craig repeated, "It's just going to take some time, Justin."

Returning the softly murmured goodbyes issued by his parents, Justin followed them to the door, locking it behind them. He walked back to his bed, sinking onto it as if the weight of the world had suddenly been wrenched from his shoulders. This long-dreaded talk had gone much better than he had expected, and yet, he still felt devastated by the disappointment in his father's eyes. He loved his parents so much; his father had sacrificed so much to give him a better life... enrolling him at Pittsburgh University had been part of that. Now, his father was disillusioned by him. In his heart, he had to believe they would come back even stronger, but right now, he just wasn't so sure.

"You summoned?" Brian affixed his most bored glance as he stared at the brother he was still more than a little angry at.

Nodding, Brandon motioned Brian inside. "Come in, Brian." He looked over his shoulder, making certain his brother had arrived alone. "I assume Justin is still with his parents."

"You assume correctly," Brian responded drolly.

"I wanted to apologize." Brandon closed the door before he turned to face his brother, instantly realizing Brian wasn't going to make this easy. "I was out of line earlier. You had more than given me the green light with Justin; I had no right to accuse you of trying to come between us."

Brian shrugged, his aloof mask well in place. "A man gets frustrated when he's that close to acquiring such a prime piece of blond boy ass. I would have probably acted the same."

"I doubt it." Brandon didn't respond to Brian's disrespectful assessment of Justin. It was something he didn't want to debate for one reason only. He knew that Brian wasn't that cold and callous toward his roommate. How he wished Brian was true to form when it came to Justin. However, he wasn't; Brian might not be willing to see it, but he could. Pushing that discussion could only lead to disaster for his relationship with Justin. "I wanted to talk to you about something else..."

"Are you ill again?" Brian asked, his eyes suddenly transforming from cold to worried.

Brandon chuckled. "Not physically. My last checkup was the best one to date. I guess I forgot to tell you about it."

"I guess you did..." Brian's eyes were speculative as he looked at his brother. Something was off with him; if he wasn't sick, then what was it? "So, everything looks clear?"

"Yeah. Blood cells are better than ever. In fact, the doctor feels it's safe to say a full remission."

Brian moved forward, his arms reaching out to pull his brother tightly to him. He wasn't a man for such emotional displays, but this was the best news he'd had in a long time. In fact, news he hadn't ever hoped to hear. Tears were misting his eyes when he took a step back. "That's great, Brandon. Best possible news ever!"

"I feel great, Brian. I haven't felt this good in a long time... that's probably why I fucked up and did something really stupid. I'm just not used to things going so well. Now I need to try and fix it." Brandon knew he probably shouldn't be confiding in Brian regarding his deception, but he hoped Brian would be on his side, and help him figure out what to do. There wasn't a doubt this could backfire on him badly. He only hoped Brian's loyalty to him was as strong as it always had been.

"Fix what?" Brian asked, uncertain what could be a problem after the amazing news he had just delivered.

"After you pushed me to tell Justin everything, well, I kind of took it a step further. I did tell him about my leukemia... but I added a bit more." Brandon felt even worse about his deception as he spoke the words, knowing it had been wrong. He had known that at the time... but holding onto Justin had been the only thing that mattered.

Brian nodded, his eyes lowering, before lifting again. For some reason, he knew this was going to be bad. What worried him the most was the feeling that it was about to change everything between him and his brother. Brian wasn't sure he wanted to hear what Brandon had to tell him. "Brandon, what happens between you and Justin is your business. You don't have to tell me."

"Yes, I do. I- I don't know what to do about it. I was just so scared that you and Justin were getting closer; I used my illness to make sure Justin stayed with me..."

"Used it, how?" Brian snapped. Now that Brandon had gone this far, he decided he wanted to know it all.

"I told him my condition had deteriorated to the final phase." Brandon didn't look away from the ice that immediately appeared in Brian's eyes. "Specifically, I told him I had mere months to live."

Brian shook his head in disbelief. His brother was that scared of competition? Fuck. This was some shit! "I don't get you, brother. You profess to be falling in love with this kid, and yet you could do this to him? You are sick, Brandon. Sick in the head!"

"You aren't entirely blameless here, Brian! Despite your words to the contrary, you have actively been hitting on Justin since he arrived here - even after you knew how I felt about him!" Brandon's eyes glittered in rage; he was determined to force Brian into admitting that he was part of the blame. "Try to deny it, Brian. If you can!"

"You are pathetic, Brandon. Justin didn't deserve that shit dumped on him... and you need to fix it!"

"And if I don't?" Brandon goaded, foolish in his confidence that Brian would remain loyal to him.

Brian looked at him incredulously. He didn't know his brother like this. If this was what love caused, he was damned sure he wanted no part of it. "Forget it, Brandon. I don't give a fuck what you do. It's all going to blow up in your face, though. Justin isn't the type to play these kinds of games. In the end, you'll lose him."

"That almost sounds like a threat... or a hope." Brandon stepped closer, his eyes stabbing into Brian's. "My illness doesn't matter, Brian. You promised to back off. I intend to hold you to that."

Mockingly, Brian laughed. "That's your misfortune, dear brother. If you want to play games, I see no reason why I shouldn't either. I think it's time I joined this little competition."

"Brian, I'm asking you to stay out of this! I needed some support; hell, some advice would have been nice."

"I have supported you all along... and you know that! You went too far this time. Tell Justin or don't, your choice, but hear me well - if Justin decides he wants me, I won't back off this time."

Brian slammed out of Brandon's apartment, his destination never in doubt. He was going back to the dorm. One, he wanted to check on Justin following his meeting with his parents... and two, he was tired of denying what he wanted. It was time Brian did what he did best. Self-denial wasn't easy for him; and now, thanks to his brother's stupidity, the reason no longer existed.

Justin had gradually been doing the impossible and becoming his friend. Now, Brian had a different relationship in mind. As he drove away, he laughed as that ridiculous phrase came to mind - friends with benefits. Yes, he thought. That just might be how this all worked out. Moving closer to the campus, and toward his unsuspecting prey, Brian thought of all the benefits that could be enjoyed from a closer relationship with Justin.

Never once did it occur to him how much Justin had long dreamt of such a reality, and how much each of their lives would change as a direct result.

TBC