Mikey kissed Brian, a longer than necessary and lingering kiss, his wedding band gleaming as his husband watched and smiled from below the catwalk. Ben was always a bit too Zen where Michael's obsession about Brian was concerned. Michael knew it and always milked that for all it was worth. He was never quite as naïve as everyone thought. And Brian was high and here and Ben was, well, down there.

But all good fantasies must come to a (temporary) end, so Michael left Brian dancing alone, his body cut through by the laser lights from the front of the room, his sweaty hair clinging to his forehead. Michael knew Brian was trashed. Knew Brian was broken and grieving the loss of Gus and the Boy Wonder. It had been months since Justin had left. Months since Lindsay and Mel had taken their children and moved to the generic safety of the Great White North. Months of Brian throwing himself mindlessly into Kinnetik. From everything Michael had been able to discern, and judging by Brian's lack of staying in touch, his friend was sleeping in his office more than not. He'd also apparently taken every opportunity to get out of town on business. Every other week, it seemed, Brian was off for another few days, expanding the coffers of his growing agency, while Ted handled the details for the re-opening of Babylon.

So now, here they were. The big night. The night the Stud of Liberty Avenue returned. As Michael now stood with his husband, he looked up and smiled at the wanton sexuality of Brian fucking Kinney, lost in the music and the drugs and the moment. Arms raised, head back, he was goddamned beautiful. Forever would be. As he felt Ben's arm tighten slightly around his own shoulder, as he look around and saw Ted and Emmett with their partners, as he thought of his mother with Carl and Mel with Lindsay... Well there was a fleeting moment - but fleeting it was - when his heart ached for his best friend's aloneness. But, unfair as it might seem, this was as it should be. Brian ruling his kingdom. The King, high above his minions in his place of honor, taking his pick of his subjects to share his body or his bed. But each one once. Only ever once. He would always be young, he would always be beautiful. He would always be Brian Kinney, for fuck's sake.

"He alright?" Ben's voice held that steady, unruffled concern he was known for. The calm.

"He's always alright. I know it's been hard on him since Justin and Gus left. He shut himself off, threw himself into his work, and I probably should have checked in on him more... but looks like he's back to being himself again now. The real and original Brian Kinney. Just be ready to help haul his drunk ass home at the end of the night, though, okay?" Michael lightly smacked Ben's arm with the back of his hand as he laughed.

Ben nodded, resigned to this fate of watching the Brian and Mikey Show Redux.

Ted, Emmett and their respective other halves joined the pair at the bar as they watched Brian dance alone. Emmett had felt his heart break on more than one occasion for the beautiful man who, in his opinion at least, was the glue that held this whole famdamily together.

"We need to spend more time with him, Teddy. He's been shutting himself away and that just can't be good for him. I know he misses Gus and Justin, but he's going to kill himself with the hours he's putting into work." He nodded his head slightly and winked in thanks as he took another cosmo from the beefy bartender. "Michael, didn't you say he's been out of town on business more than he's been home the last couple of months?"

"Em, Brian's only been on one business trip since January and that was just an over-nighter to Chicago." Ted pulled Blake a bit closer and took a long drink of his club soda. "He's been out of town a lot, but it wasn't for Kinnetik." He paused and watched, knowing it would happen, as Emmet's and Michael's jaws dropped open and the dim light of understanding grew slowly brighter on their faces. Ted's lips turned up a bit and he judiciously took that moment to plant a big kiss on Blake's forehead. It felt good to be the one in the know for a change.

Everyone's eyes automatically turned again to Brian dancing with abandon on the catwalk. As the euphoric strains of Proud sequed into the sultry beat of Chiquita, they watched a lithe, blonde figure steadily make his way up the metal stairs, saw his arms encircle Brian from behind. None of them heard the erotic "Hey stud, wanna dance?" whispered into Brian's ear. But they all saw Brian turn, hips still moving, and place his arms across Justin's shoulders, seemingly not at all surprised by Justin's presence. They all saw the smile and the foreheads touching and the gentle ease of two men who knew each other intimately.

"Shit," Michael said. And he knew. No more Brian and Mikey Show, redux or otherwise. He knew, finally -finally - that an era had come to an end. He couldn't help being sad, and a bit angry, about that. In the end, though, he smiled up at his not-so-devastated friend and raised his beer in toast.

"Well, looks like the King is really dead," he said, as his husband's arms hugged him. "Long live the King."

::

And this is where the credits were supposed to roll...