Brian really did enjoy his luxury shed. It was much like what it was with Justin except it had a bed. The only rule about beds now were that they had to sleep in a bed at night. Meaning he and Justin could have privacy and as much loud, kinky sex as they wanted. With the exception of the blow job with Brody and the first day with Justin, he really did try to keep his sex life private. He did have a business to think about after all. None of his bigger clients would drop him because they knew he was the best and it would be stupid of them to try and break their contract.

Since Monday he suspected something was going on with Ethan and Justin. Not running around behind his back again, but something was there. He had caught them arguing a few times and every time he asked what it was about it was brushed off.

Today two people would go to Time Out. He didn’t know who it was or who was picking them. Since Justin went in last week it was unlikely that he would be chosen again. Brian on the other hand, depending on who chose, would be him put in Time Out.

“Laura and Tom, please go to Interview One.”

“I guess we know who’s going into Time Out this time,” Marisol said.

Half an hour later another announcement happened.

“Contestants, Tom and Laura have left the show voluntarily. Their son is in the hospital, and they chose to leave and be by his side. Our thoughts and prayers are with Tom and Laura and their family. It does leave us with an issue. Please pack their things and put them in Interview Room One. Since Tom and Laura had been picked for the Time Out room, EITS will pick the two today. Joe and Hannah, please go to Interview Room One.” Brian knew Joe had a fiancé and a kid, he wondered how she was liking the show trying to put them together.

At least it wasn’t him and now he had the added joy that Tom was gone. While nothing he did bothered Brian, he knew Tom’s insults were hurting Justin. Justin was tough but being in the house had made him face things he thought were well in his past so now he was a bit overwhelmed.

He decided to go outside to get some sun. He really could get used to the hot summer sun. It was better than Pittsburgh’s shitty weather. Justin wasn’t spending too much time with him because he remembered that his grandmother was going to be watching the show.

Now he was freaking out that his grandmother saw him have sex. Brian hadn’t met the woman, but he had answered Justin’s phone when she called. She was not a fan of his. After the disaster of an engagement, she thought Brian was leading Justin on. Brian had been surprised it wasn’t the gay thing she didn’t like; it wasn’t even the age thing. It was the fact that he didn’t come from money, which he thought was hilarious. So just because he made his money and wasn’t born into it, he wasn’t worth it.

This was Jennifer’s mother who had cut her own daughter off after she married Craig. Justin told him it was because she thought Craig wasn’t good enough for her daughter. That he had to agree with, and Brian was born dirt poor so what did he know about good breeding. He was the son two drunks. When he was young, he would dream that his dad wasn’t his dad and one day his real one would save him. But fairytales aren’t real, and he had to save himself.

“Did I miss something?” Brody asked, sitting in the lounge chair beside him.

He really didn’t feel like chatting, all he wanted to do was get a tan and relax.

“What are you talking about?”

“I was just talking to Justin, and he said you two were engaged.”

“We’ve been engaged for a while now; I don’t know how you missed it.”

“But you two weren’t even together until last week.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Brody shook his head. “Can you two give other people the script you are reading from? How can two so very different people be so in sync with each other?”

“After his attack, he couldn’t do anything for himself. He had to learn it all again. Then when he had fought so hard to relearn what Hobbs took away, he had debilitating fear to overcome. We’re men, we are taught from a young age to shut up and deal with it. He’s loud and not shy but he got the memo about not telling what was hurting him. I HAD to get good at reading him and he had to get good a reading me. No relationship is going to work if can’t understand what the other is saying, when they aren’t saying anything.”

“Fuck, that’s pretty deep.”

“And if they air it, I’ll sue them.”

Brody laughed. “I don’t think you’re as much an asshole as you have people believing.”

“The night that Justin and my friend Michael had the launch party for their comic book, I fucked the superhero that they based on me.”

“What did Justin do?”

“Left with the fiddler in there,” Brian said, nodding to the house.

“Don’t you ever worry they’ll get back together?”

“If they do, they do. I’m not keeping Justin in a relationship he doesn’t want to be in. I will say I can guarantee that Hannah has a better shot with Justin than Ethan. Justin has a huge heart but he’s a vengeful little twat when he wants to be.”

Sam wasn’t going to sit on his ass and wait anymore. He had made many mistakes in his life. Marrying a heartless woman to begin with then cheating on her. The next mistakes were his worst, full abandonment of Brian and not being father that Melanie deserved. But that was all over. First on his list was to reconcile with his daughter, telling her about her brother while he was at it. When she moved to Pittsburgh, knowing that was where Brian lived according to the last time he spoke with Joan, he was glad she was a lesbian. The last thing he wanted was for them to fall in love and then find out they were brother and sister.

He didn’t know Brian was gay until the show, but he didn’t know really anything about his son. Pictures here and there, he guessed on every gift he sent. Joan was no help; it was almost like she didn’t care what he wanted. Because of that he would go into the local toy store and see what little boys Brian’s age were asking for. A few times when Melanie was small, he would ask her to help him pick out a present he was going to donate. It was always for a little boy, a year younger than her. When she was eight, she kept asking who the boy was, so he had to stop.

Thankfully, it seemed Brian liked all of his gifts. Joan would say how excited he was every time one would come in the mail. He would at least tell Brian the truth, if he doesn’t want him in his life, that’s his choice, but it will be his choice.

“What are we doing?” Justin asked suspiciously. There were rows and rows of shots on the kitchen bar.

“We’re going to play truth or dare,” Hannah told him. Joe and Hannah had just finished their twenty-four hours in Time Out.

“Who?”

“All of us. Now that Nasty Tom is gone, we can have some fun,” she said with a little giggle.

“That’s a lot of shots,” he had to say.

“Well, it’s more like Russian Roulette Truth or Dare. If you pick truth you have to say the truth and take a shot. Half the shots are just water the other half is vodka. I put them on the bar but left and Joey moved them around, so no one knows which one’s water and which ones are vodka.”

“Is this really a good idea?” he asked. The last time he was drunk was probably after he got suspended from PIFA and Brian fired from Vanguard. They both got wasted and the bartender had to call a taxi and give the driver the Loft’s address. He guessed it was a good thing Brian had fucked him years ago. He promised himself never to get that out of his head again. Anything could have happened to them.

“I’m sure. I can see the worry in your eyes, but we’ll never be this safe again. There are cameras everywhere on us and big bad security just waiting to rush in if something happens. Come on, you know you wanna,” she said, waving the empty bottle in front of him.

He didn’t know her angle, they weren’t friends, not even close. There was an angle he was sure of it but couldn’t fault that it would be safe and probably a lot of fun. Also, he knew Brian would be up for it, always wanting to have fun.

“I guess, I’m in,” he told her. There was a small glint in her eye, but it disappeared quickly.

Ten minutes later they had moved the shots to the living room and put them on the large coffee table, everyone taking a seat on the huge sectional couch.

“We’ll go clockwise. But who first?” Joe said.

“How about oldest first?” Marisol said.

Several eyes went to Brian. “I’m the same age as Martin and Lewis,” he practically snarled.

“Quit messing with him. Now that Tom and Laura are gone, we all know that I’m the oldest,” Brody said, leaning back his muscular form.

“Alright, how do we choose who asks the question. It can’t be the same person asking the same person each time,” Belinda said.

“There’s fourteen of us, so I’ve got no idea,” Sandra said.

“Wait!” Miles said, jumping up from his seat and running into their room. A minute later he was coming out with a small red and green jewel bag. “We can use my fourteen-sided dice.”

“They make a fourteen-sided dice?” Belinda asked.

“It’s for my gaming but yeah.” He pulled out a multicolored dice and put it on the table. “We’ll all have numbers in order. Starting with Brody, he’ll be one and the last on the couch is Marisol, she’ll be fourteen. The person whose turn it is rolls the dice and that person asks them truth or dare.”

“Why doesn’t Brody just start and pick who goes next by asking truth or dare. That’s how the game is played,” Hannah said with a huff.

“Because there are too many of us, it won’t be fair, people will just pick ones they like the best,” Miles said, jutting his chin out.

“Fine, have it your way. Brody, you’re up,” Joe said.

Brody rolled the dice and it landed on five. “Lewis, you’re up,” Brody said.

“First, the rules. You ask truth or dare if they chose dare you give the dare. If it’s truth, they tell the truth followed by a shot. Half the shots are vodka and half is water. So, some of us might just end up really hydrated while others drunk of their asses,” Hannah said with a giggle.

Justin noticed Alice was watching Hannah with curious but suspicious eyes. She probably didn’t trust her either.

“Okay, Brody. Truth or Dare?” Lewis asked.

Brody looked at the shots on the table and back up at Lewis. “Dare.”

Lewis looked surprised. He probably thought everyone wanted to get loaded.

“Umm…hold your breath for a minute.”

“Oh god, save me from tedious people,” Brian muttered.

Brody did the dare, and the next person up was Brian. Justin couldn’t wait for whatever he would say or do. Brian rolled the dice and it landed on eleven, Belinda.

“Truth or dare?” she asked.

“Truth,” Brian said before the question was fulling asked as he downed his first shot.

“You’re supposed to wait until after you answer,” Hannah said, her eyes narrowing but Brian just shrugged.

“Have you ever stolen something?” Belinda asked.

“Yes.”

Justin was next and he rolled a two, which was Brian. He knew he better take truth or Brian would make it something sexual.

“Truth,” he said, watching Brian smirk at him.

“What are you and the fiddler arguing about?”

“What do you mean?” Justin asked innocently.

“Cut the bullshit. I see you two arguing, tell me why.”

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Brian. “Ethan’s dating Kip.”

“Who the fuck is Kip and why do you care?”

“Kip is the asshole who almost ruined your career.” It took a moment for Brian to place the name and when he did his eyes narrowed.

“Why the fuck do you care if Ian is dating him?”

“I don’t,” Justin said and took a shot. Water. Fuck.

Something occurred to him as he looked at the shots. There were at least two hundred plastic shot glasses on the table, filled with water or vodka. Where did they all come from? He hadn’t seen them when he was looking in the cupboards before. Something was at play; he just didn’t know what. He suspected Joe and Hannah had worked on a plan in Time Out.

They were on their fourth round now. Justin had taken one truth and two dares. He didn’t want anyone asking anything too personal. But now that it was his turn again and it landed on Hannah to ask him, he decided to see what her angle was.

“Truth or Dare?” Hannah asked him.

“Truth.”

“Tell us a secret that even Brian doesn’t know,” Hannah said with a cool smirk.

He wasn’t drunk enough to say anything that would hurt Brian. Like he wouldn’t mention Sap’s party or anything like that. He did have something he had been waiting for the right time to tell Brian. It was the whole reason he was doing this stupid show. At first it was because he wasn’t sure, but then when it was confirmed, he knew he needed money.

“I’m…going to be a dad.”

He could almost hear the record scratch after his announcement. There was a mixture of confusion and betrayal in Brian’s eyes. It hurt to look at him, but he knew he had a lot of explaining to do.

“What do you mean?” Brian asked, his voice raw.

“Remember Shelley?” he asked. Shelley, his roommate in New York. Brian slowly nodded his head. “I was stupid. She wanted to have a threesome with her boyfriend and another woman. The woman backed out, and her boyfriend threatened to leave her. I told her to let him fucking go. But she begged and cried, he’s bi so…I participated. He was just so cold to her the whole night, I wanted her to console her.”

“You give her a fucking hug you don’t fuck her,” Brian snapped.

Justin hadn’t even finished. When the boyfriend tried to fuck him after he said that wasn’t ever going to happen, he put his clothes on and left. When she found out she was pregnant they both assumed the baby was the boyfriend’s. But because the boyfriend was such an asshole, he demanded a paternity test even before the baby was born. Just before he went into the house the results came back, it was Justin’s. Shelley was a mess at the best of times, he had to be the stable one for the child, that they both agreed.

That whole night he wished he would have just said no. Brian would have told them to fuck off. All he wanted was for his roommate to be happy. He ended up with a baby on the way, a betrayed fiancé and whatever the hell this was going on. It did confirm though he was a solid six on the Kinsey scale, in case it had just been because he thought of Daphne like a sister the first time.

Justin suggested ending the game, but Brian said no. He knew he had fucked up. Brian wanted to get obliterated so he would take truth every time now. Five more rounds in, the only ones left playing were him, Brian, Hannah, Joe, and Ethan. It was like a battle now. Brian was playing to show Justin he didn’t care. Joe and Hannah couldn’t stop playing and admit defeat. He didn’t know why Ethan was still in. He kept taking dare and was the most sober of all of them. They even had Martin refill the shots. They weren’t even rolling the dice anymore because most everyone went to bed. Now it was just the first person to ask.

It was Brian’s turn and he looked pretty blathered; Justin wasn’t far behind.

“Truth or Dare?” Hannah asked a little too loudly in the quiet room.

“Dare,” Brian said, resting his head back on the couch.

“I dare you to kiss Ethan…French,” she said with a giggle.

They hadn’t brought back their no kissing others rule, mostly because Justin felt like it would be hypocritical for him to ask again.

“We can just go to bed,” Justin said, hoping Brian would go.

“Dare’s a dare,” Brian said as he got up. He walked over to Ethan, now who was sitting on the floor. Leaning down, Brian kissed him, Justin noticed that Ethan kissed him back.

Once the kiss was over, it was Justin’s turn. Now he wanted to forget about what was said and done during this game.

Brian was the first to speak up.

“Truth or dare?” Brian asked him.

“Truth.” Justin said and downed his shot. Vodka.

“Were you ever going to tell me about the kid?”

Justin blinked a few times, the alcohol finally really getting to his head. “Yeah, I was going to tell you the night you broke up with me. The day I got the results back. After you ended it, I thought there wasn’t a reason anymore.”

“So, you were just going to play happy families with this woman?”

“What? No. She was going to give us full custody and take visitation and summers. She said she couldn’t be a full-time mom after what her own mother did to her. I tried to talk her out of it but she’s insistent.”  

“Us?”

“Yeah, you idiot, the baby was going to be ours. The three of us. We would care for and raise it and she would have visitation and when the baby starts school maybe a week or so in the summer. I told her that I would personally bring the baby up to New York for visitation. She said that wouldn’t be necessary because she was leaving the city and moving back to the Pitts.”

“How do you know she won’t change her mind?” Justin knew it was Brian’s hurt from Mel and Lindsay taking Gus away, even though they were back now.

“Because she wants the best for the baby. She’s a good person with some demons but she loves this baby already, and so do I.”

“I guess we’ll have to turn one of the rooms into a nursey,” Brian said before passing the fuck out.

He was officially done with the game. He had Joe help him get Brian to bed because of the rule about everyone needing to be in a bed for sleep. He wondered if Brian would remember any of this tomorrow.