Justin can finally see why some people hate cooking.

He never minded it before this week. He’s had groups of friends over for dinner in the past, although he usually had Nathan to pick up half of the work and before Nathan, it had been Adam, a relationship that had begun hot and heavy but sizzled out in a little less than a year. But this? Justin doesn’t even know how many people are coming at this point because his guest list keeps growing by the day. It sucks. He would feel bad for not officially inviting Brian, Eric, Emmett, Drew, Duncan, and Lily, but Justin honestly doesn’t think he could handle it. He’s pretty sure the six of them had something planned for today with Mel, Lindsey, and Gus anyway. Their huge dinner was going to be this weekend. Plus, they would have Emmett. They would be fine. They’re not the ones with a set of divorced parents, a fashionista grandmother, a senile grandfather, a Tucker, as well as a Michael, a Ben, and a JR all staying at Hotel Indigo, waiting for him to make the perfect meal. So yeah, Justin doesn’t feel terrible for not inviting everyone because Justin isn’t fine. Justin is fucked.

But it isn’t like he’s completely helpless. Molly and Hunter came in on Tuesday - straight from their Bermuda trip with Michael, Ben, and JR. They’re camping upstairs in the new apartment on an air mattress to help. The fact that they are christening it before he will ever get the chance to makes him feel slightly ill. And he knows that’s what they’re doing when they hole up in there for hours at a time. And when they aren’t up there, they are making out right in front of him. He’s never been a prude, but he can feel that changing in his bones as Hunter practically sticks a tongue down his sister’s throat.

So yeah, sue him for throwing a family size bag of frozen cranberries at Hunter. Preparing six casseroles at once by himself makes him agitated. He doesn’t give a shit about people thinking it’s cute that they’re starting their honeymoon phase early. Fuck cute.

“Damn it, Justin!” Hunter growls, breaking away from Molly for what will probably be approximately five seconds, “You’re a fucking grinch, has anyone ever told you that?”

“Wrong holiday, babe,” Molly mentions, giving Justin a glance, “Do you need some help, Jester?”

Justin gives her a fed up look, “Yeah, Molly. Maybe just a little.”

And Justin will give it to them, they do drop the ridiculous PDA and lend a hand. When Justin runs out of counter space and they offer to start taking the various dishes to the fridge in the upstairs apartment, he can admit that he’s grateful for it. Until they disappear for twenty minutes halfway through their task and come back out of breath.

Gross. He can only hope they washed their hands.

“You seem on edge,” Molly comments as soon as Hunter takes more food upstairs, “A lot more on edge than I’ve ever seen you. Even after your breakups. You still upset about Malcolm?”

Justin opens his mouth, only to decide not to answer, opting to walk over to the oven to check on the turkey. Still half baked.

“Well, I’m upset about it,” Molly continues, following him across the kitchen, “He was hot, successful, and seemed nice. Breaking things off with him was fucking dumb.”

“Oh, really?” Justin asks, faking surprise, “This is the first time you’re even mentioning your thoughts on the subject.”

Molly shakes her head, “I would say sarcasm doesn’t suit you, but if you got rid of it you would practically be a damn vegetable.”

Justin shrugs, “I’m a sassy bitch, what can I say?”

Molly smiles a little at that, going over to the fridge to get out the butter, “Well, we don’t differ much on that front. I wonder where the sassy bitchitude comes from.”

Justin leans back against the counter and humors Molly by thinking on it, “Mom’s too nice. A lot nicer than either of us.”

Molly opens her mouth, pauses, then pulls a face, “So you mean our greatness comes from Dad?”

Justin grimaces - although not nearly as much as he might have a few years ago - but makes light of it, “I don’t know. Maybe. Actually, thinking back on it, probably. Remember that time on our way back from Harrisburg? We begged him for like an hour to stop at Burger King-”

“And then he finally pulled into the line at the drive-thru and we legit cheered,” Molly laughs, remembering despite the event in question taking place when she was 4.

“Only for him to order a black coffee for himself and nothing else,” Justin finishes, “I swear, his face was screaming, ‘Who’s the king now, bitches?’”

Molly shakes her head, her expression an odd combination of tenderness, exasperation, amusement, and a twinge of sadness, “Alright, maybe we did inherit that from him, if nothing else.”

“Inherit what?” Hunter asks, walking back into the kitchen.

“I believe Molly called it ‘sassy bitchitude.’” Justin informs him, all while looking around the kitchen for something else to keep him busy.

“Ah, yes,” Hunter sighs, coincidentally hopping up to sit on the counter, blocking the overhead cabinet Justin just happened to be reaching for, “I, too, have been blessed with the sassy bitchitude gene by the great Punnett Square in the sky. Or I picked it up from the streets. Either/or.”

Molly bites her cheek in amusement, before joining Hunter on the counter, “Say Punnett Square again. It turns me on.”

“Molly,” Justin warns, putting both of his hands between the couple to forcibly push them apart.

“Punnett Square,” Hunter purrs.

Justin hates them. He loves them, but he hates both of them so much right now. If he wasn’t going to need babysitters living close by in a few months, he’d kick them both out and ban them from the building instead of letting them become his neighbors.

Of course that train of thought only leads to the fact that he’s telling his whole family that he’s about to become a single dad. Which in turn, leads to him staring off into space, his hands still separating Hunter and Molly but without force.

“He’s acting weird,” Justin hears Molly mutter, just as Justin begins shaking himself out of it.

“He’s been weird since we got here. You know this,” Hunter points out. Justin meets Hunter’s eyes to send him a glare, but Hunter gives him an almost loving expression and pats his cheek with sympathy.

“Maybe you should take a break, dude,” Hunter comments, hopping back down from the counter, “Your sister has a point. You’re either working yourself into a nervous breakdown or working to distract yourself from a nervous breakdown but either way, you’re about to crack.”

“Take him for a walk. Maybe to Bedford Bar so that he can say hi to Liam,” Molly advises, tying a spare apron around her waist, “I’ll take over for a while and you guys can hang for a bit or whatever.”

Justin manages to fully snap out of his thoughts at that, “One, the Bedford Bar is closed. It is Thanksgiving and Liam isn’t the type to stay open for football fans. Two, I am pretty sure Carmen’s family was supposed to be coming in last night.”

“Well, they didn’t,” Molly replies, getting the potatoes from the pantry.

“And how do you know that?” Justin asks dubiously.

“Carmen and I talk,” Molly shrugs, “We have met each other enough times and she reached out when she realized how surrounded she is by boys. Her parents still don’t approve of Liam. Carmen still doesn’t know if it is the ‘still not married’ thing or the ‘Liam being white’ thing, but they chose their niece’s dinner over coming to see her, Liam, and their grandson.”

“What fucking bitches,” Hunter and Justin say in unison, only to both take a step back from each other when they realize what just occurred.

“Aw,” Molly says, possibly somewhat meaning it, “That’s adorable. Now get out.”

-----------------------------

Justin and Hunter step out of the building, the crisp autumn air hitting them square in the face as they begin walking down the street towards Liam’s and now things feel fucking weird with it just being the two of them. Despite Hunter’s favorite pastime of fucking with Justin, the two of them do share a bond, even though their deep conversations are in the single digits. It’s a strange one, for sure, but it exists. Hunter became family as soon as he became Michael’s and Ben’s son. While everyone else is 12 plus years older than Justin, Hunter is only four years younger. So in some ways, especially now that they’re out of their teens, Justin probably has more in common with Hunter than he does with his older friends. On the tighter budget New York shoots earlier in Hunter’s career, he camped out on Justin’s couch. There had been one night, a few years ago, where Hunter had opened up about his abuse and acknowledged it for what it actually had been. That had been when Hunter and Molly had BOTH been staying with him in his loft. It had been crowded and overwhelming and Justin’s suddenly glad they took as long as they had to start something more than just a friendship with each other. But regardless, even though he is annoyed by Hunter right now and still isn’t completely over the fact that Hunter’s and Molly’s relationship is serious, he cares about him. You can’t not care about the person who helped you take down a homophobic politician.

Things just feel weird now and Justin isn’t sure where it’s all coming from. Maybe it’s more on Justin’s end due to the twins and the announcement weighing so heavily on his mind. Maybe it’s from the whole Hunter-and-Molly Thanksgiving of Love thing that’s been going on. Maybe it’s residual weirdness from the other day. When Molly and Hunter had arrived, they were almost high off of being around each other and having a great vacation. Justin had expected the silliness and physical displays of affection to last the entire evening. It had, don’t get Justin wrong. But around 7 am, after Molly and Hunter had woken up and come down to his kitchen to have breakfast while Justin was barely awake yet and making his way to the bathroom, he had overheard them in the kitchen talking seriously. He heard Hunter getting his sister to open up in a way she wouldn’t even for their own mother. From Hunter’s active listening to his sound advice in regards to Molly preparing to put her notice in at work, Justin had an odd, but intensely intuitive feeling that Hunter and Molly are it for each other - that they are going to be together for good.

And that just led Justin to lying in bed for two more hours being creeped out over Michael Novotny being his sister’s father-in-law. Brian and Michael always considered themselves brothers - to the point where JR calls Brian ‘Uncle Brian’ and Gus calls Michael ‘Uncle Michael’. Does that mean that Brian is going to be Molly’s uncle-in-law in some weird ass way? What would that make Michael to Justin? What would that make Brian to Justin? What the fuck?

“Yo, Liam!” Hunter calls out, holding down the intercom button before ringing the upstairs doorbell a few times to make his presence known.

“Hunter, they are probably busy-” Justin starts just before Liam opens the door.

“Thank god,” Liam mutters, stepping outside to go around the building, “Molly texted me. I honestly need a break from Carmen.”

Justin pauses, glances at Hunter, then follows Liam to the bar entrance, “Are things okay between you guys?”

Liam takes out the keys and opens the front door, “I mean, yes, but it’s just today. Her parents bailing is getting her upset. Carmen getting upset consists of rearranging shit and cleaning, all while snapping at me in Spanish.”

“Sounds hot,” Hunter shrugs as he makes his way over to the bar and sits at a stool.

“When it leads to angry sex, it definitely is,” Liam confirms, smirking, already getting ready to make drinks for the three of them, “But even I haven’t seen her this pissed. I’m not even going to hint at sex, especially when it’s coming from her probably really hurting.”

“Well, you, Carmen, and Milo are welcome to come to my place for dinner,” Justin says, taking a sip of his whiskey sour, “We should be ready around 5. I’m already overwhelmed anyway. What’s three more? Besides, knowing Carmen, she’s already cooked. Her food’s awesome.”

“I’ll tell her,” Liam says, downing a shot, “She’ll be down for it. It’ll distract her. We can all be overwhelmed together.”

“Except for this one,” Justin mutters, gesturing towards Hunter, “Happy as shit since he came in, the fucker.”

Hunter gives him a sarcastic, saccharine smile, “I can’t help it if things in my life are perfect right now.”

Justin rolls his eyes and lightly punches Hunter in the arm as Liam lets out a light laugh.

“So Molly was right. She did send you two out to bond. That’s cute. You’re basically brother-in-laws.”

It helps a little that Hunter seems to feel just as disturbed by that as Justin does.

-----------------------------------------

They don't mean to get buzzed. They really don't. Justin's actually surprised Hunter drank along with them. The guy rarely drinks to begin with. He's certainly had less than Justin and Liam, but his tolerance is a lot lower so it makes sense that they are all about on the same level.

"I'm so fucking nervous," Justin complains, letting out a groan, "Why did I do this? Why did I do any of this?"

From their stools, Hunter gives Justin a strange, confused look while Liam gives him a pitying, yet amused one and pats him on the back. Hunter looks between the two of them twice before his eyes settle past Justin and on Liam.

"You know, don't you?" Hunter says, almost sounding accusatory, "Why he's acting fucking freaked?"

Liam holds his hands up, "It's not my business to talk about it, I plead the fifth."

"Do you know-," Hunter begins, finishing off his drink before shoving Liam's liquor toting hand away, "Nuh uh, I'm done. I don't drink like that. I was the DD on my own birthday last year. But Justin, do you know how much Molly has been perseverating on you acting so weird the last two days? I'm the one who has had to deal with it."

"Oh, so that's what you're doing when you both go upstairs," Justin scoffs.

"How else do you think I am 'dealing with it?" Hunter throws back, "I talk to her and say that you're probably fine and that only works for so long before I have to go dow-"

"Stop!" Justin interrupts, slapping his hands over his ears, "Stop stop stop stop stop stop stop!"

"It got you to get your mind off of whatever is bugging you, didn't it?" Hunter says as soon as Justin puts his hands down.

"I'd rather go back to thinking about my life, not my sister's sex life," Justin tells him, "As much as I hope all things are well in that area for her, there are lines that we don't need to cross."

"Oh, they're more than well," Hunter smirks before becoming a bit more serious, "So if you want to focus on your own life, does that mean you want to share what the fuck is going on with you?"

"I have to announce it at dinner," Justin blurts out, "It's not like you and Molly aren't going to find out."

"Whatever," Hunter says, "Keep whatever it is to yourself until then. Let the nerves build up for the next five or six hours until you're more of a mess than you are now."

"You suck," Justin growls before he puts his head down on the bar.

"Hunter might have a point," Liam says, glancing at Justin, "You're nervous enough now. Imagine how it is going to be after several hours.”

“Neither of you are helping at all,” Justin says, not even attempting to lift his head.

“But we want to,” Hunter responds, “Because we care. Sort of.”

Justin glances at his friend and...whatever Hunter is to him now. In a way, they’re right. Getting this off his chest, might help. For one, Liam already knows. Not many people do. Brian, Malcolm, Lola and Max know he’s about to become a dad, but he’s barely spoken to Malcolm since Halloween and for some reason, he couldn’t spit out the twin thing to Brian. Maybe he had been afraid that Brian would go from supportive and kind to laughing his ass off. It wouldn’t be too out of character for him, even now. Liam, Carmen, Daphne, and Nathan are the only ones who know about both the single dad thing and the fact that he is having twins. They have all taken it surprisingly well. When he called Daphne last week, she had been elated for him but completely understood how fucking freaked he has been. The conversation actually calmed him for a couple of days. As for Nathan? Some small, fucked up part of Justin was kind of hoping that Nathan wouldn’t take it well, that his ex would talk some belated sense into him, have regrets about leaving, or maybe - just maybe - tell Justin that there is no way that he can handle two babies alone and that Nathan would just have to move back in and adopt them.

That hadn’t happened. Obviously. Nathan had looked a bit sad, but also extremely happy for him. He said that he was sure that Justin would do great and that they would be amazing kids, bought Justin’s lunch, then said he had to go meet up with Petra because if those two hadn’t been practically inseparable before, they are now.

But telling Nathan, Liam, and Carmen had been different than what he’s about to do today. With them, while he could express his excitement, he could also express his doubts and - as much as Justin hates to admit it - the regrets and fears he has over the situation. He hates that he has them, he doesn’t WANT to have them, and as ashamed as the growing paternal side of himself is over them, he can’t really deny them. He’s fucking scared. On the very few times that he’s talked about the twins, he has been able to express both sides of the situation and what he has been feeling. Tonight? He is going to have to appear confident, sure, and happy. He is going to have to act like everything is fine.

“-And like I said, maybe if you get the rougher stuff out now, you’ll feel calmer and not freak at dinner,” Liam says, Justin only catching the tail end of his speech, “Justin, are you even listening?”

“I don’t think he’s listening,” Hunter says.

Justin lets out a breath and lifts his head, “Alright. Okay, I’ll fucking get everything out. But Hunter?”

“Yes?” Hunter answers way too innocently.

“You cannot tell Molly,” Justin orders, which automatically has Hunter opening his mouth to object, “No, I mean it. Look, I know she’ll take it fine - she’ll probably be excited - but she’s going to want to continue talking about it all the way up until everyone arrives and I just want to get it out here, go back to the apartment like nothing except a few drinks and whatever she wanted us to get out of this occurred, and deal with telling her and everyone else at dinner.”

“I just don’t think it’s fair that I find out about whatever this is before she does,” Hunter counters, “And she will figure out that I know. She sees right through me. She claims that I’m a horrible liar, which is bullshit because I’m a GREAT liar-”

“Hunter, please.”

“Fine!” Hunter says before throwing his hands up, “I won’t say a word. Just don’t let me be alone with her or she’ll get it out of me.”

“Maybe if you stop going upstairs with her to screw around, you wouldn’t be alone with her as much,” Justin points out.

“Have you seen your sister? Look, I had a glow up, but she’s literally the hottest-”

“Okay,” Justin interrupts and Hunter surprisingly shuts his mouth and for a few moments everything is silent.

“Fuck it, Liam knows so I’m just going to say it,” Justin mutters, then glances at Hunter, “You probably know this, but the reason Nathan broke up with me was because I wanted kids and he didn’t want to hold me back or whatever. I tried to win him back and tell him it didn’t fucking matter, but he wouldn’t budge or sees through me like Molly sees through you. So a few months ago, I decided that I might as well stop waiting for the right guy to come along and just went for it. Yesterday, when I went out and said I had to meet with an artist in Bed-Stuy? I was lying. I was at another ultrasound. My surrogate just finished her first trimester. We have to have them so often because I’m having identical twins.”

Justin lets the words settle, both within himself and with Hunter, who is uncharacteristically quiet. Justin had been expecting something. A low key congratulations, laughter, pity, joy. But when Justin risks a glance at Hunter, the younger man seems completely lost in his thoughts.

“Did you just tune me out?!” Justin snaps.

Hunter shakes himself out of it, “What? No, Justin. No. I didn’t fucking tune you out. You’re having twins. On your own. And you’re freaking out about that, as well as announcing it to all of your family. And my family.”

Justin lets out a groan, “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.”

Justin feels Liam’s hand come up to briefly rub his neck and overhears Liam say to Hunter, “He was thrilled just a few days ago. He and Carmen were online shopping and everything. He’s just cycling.”

“It’s not just that,” Justin suddenly says, sitting back up fully, “I got the results of the Non-Invasive Prenatal Test. I initially planned on not getting it, telling myself it doesn’t matter if they have Down Syndrome or a birth defect or whatever. And that’s true. I would love them anyway. But after the twin thing, I fucking couldn’t take more surprises. At least this way I would know if there is something wrong and could prepare myself.”

Liam immediately looks concerned, “Wait, Justin. There isn’t anything wrong, is there? They’re okay, right? Fuck man, I’m sorr-”

“They’re fine,” Justin cuts in, stopping Liam’s worries, “Completely healthy.”

“Oh good,” Liam says, looking relieved before the confusion hits, “Then what’s wrong? Them being healthy is a good thing.”

Justin lets out a groan, “They asked if I wanted to know the gender since that test lets you find out early. I tried to say no, but it came out as a yes. I’m having twin boys. Identical twin boys. What if they like football? What if they’re ornery as shit?”

“Just don’t expose them to football,” Hunter advises, finally speaking up, “As for the ornery thing, I doubt you’ll be able to stop that. If I grew up with an identical twin, I would have switched places with them all the time.”

“I can’t not expose them to football,” Justin says morosely, “I’m friends with Drew Boyd. Look at Duncan and how much he loves sports. He will grow up and babysit my kids, corrupting my 11 year olds in the process.”

“How dare future Duncan,” Liam snorts as Justin’s eyes begin to widen with other possibilities.

“My kids will probably look exactly alike,” Justin mutters, “They probably will try to switch places on me. I bet I will switch them around countless times before they can tell me who they are otherwise. Fuck, how am I going to tell them apart?”

“You can paint their toenails a certain color,” Liam responds, “Give them an ankle bracelet. I obviously don’t have twins, but my cousin did. Identical, just like yours. And they didn’t even need those things after a few weeks. They just knew. And those babies looked exactly alike except one had a mole on the back of her shoulder. But they didn’t even need to check for the mole. It’s like intuition.”

“You should still do the toe thing,” Hunter says quietly, “Molly has a shit ton of nail polish. She’d love to choose their colors and paint their nails.”

“Okay, you are the first one to talk about anything and you’ve barely said anything,” Justin suddenly says, focusing on Hunter because something is up, “What’s up with you? Are you trying to not tell me that I’m a lunatic? I can take it. Now that you know, I need your sarcastic remarks. They are strangely grounding."

That looks like it amuses Hunter for a second but the guy still looks like he’s somewhere else, “No. Nah, it’s not that. I think you’ll be a good dad. I think it will be really good for Molly too. I’m really happy that we’re living in the same building. She’ll be able to spend a lot of time with her nephews. That will be good for her.”

“Who the fuck are you and what have you done with Hunter?” Justin demands to know.

Hunter snorts and shakes his head, “I mean it. This is a big move for the both of us. She acts like she doesn’t want to live close to you but I can tell that she’s lying. She's prideful. And nervous. She’s weird enough about me paying for most of it, even though I know she is going to try to work and go to school all at once to change that. I didn’t say yes to you because of rent up here. I can afford a nice place without any favors or money from her.”

“I know,” Justin responds, “Which is why I am surprised you are so for moving into the place I have now. I figured you’d want to get a place off on your own with her.”

Hunter shakes his head, “I’m going to be working a lot, from January up until the summer. I probably won’t take a movie this year so I can dedicate more time to her. If I do, it won’t be until the fall, at least so I can have a few months off. Maybe take her on a trip or something. I know she’s going to get into any school she fucking applies to. I saw all of her paperwork when she was applying and her scores, grades, and credentials are fucking ridiculous. But she won’t start until the fall so I want her to, you know, be around you so that she won’t be alone so much. It’s good to know that she’ll have more family to keep her engaged. It’ll...It’ll be good for her to live below you and her nephews. I think we’ll both be really happy with that.”

“That’s...That’s actually really thoughtful,” Justin says, before becoming confused, “But you don’t seem relieved. You seem conflicted at best.”

Hunter looks frustrated, “It’s a couple of things. There’s the whole baby thing, which I always think about when it comes to her and what she might want in a few years-”

“She told me your viral load is undetectable and that she has a prescription for PrEP,” Justin says gently, “That if she would get pregnant, you guys would be absolutely fine.”

“I’m going to go up and check on Carmen so that you two can talk,” Liam interjects quietly as he stands up, “Feel free to help yourself to anything behind the bar. And Justin? I think you're going to be fine. Dinner will go fine."

After Justin and Hunter give up on telling Liam that he doesn't have to leave and that they aren't actually bonding, Hunter turns to Justin after Liam is out the door and looks nervous, "She's talked to you about shit like that?"

“I’m the one who brought it up to her, back in April,” Justin admits, sighing, “It was dumb. Older brother bullshit. I was worried. I know you’re really healthy and that there’s no risk of you passing it on. I was just concerned for my sister. I wanted to make sure she was being safe.”

Hunter doesn’t seem offended by that at all. If anything, he seems like he completely understands, “I worry about it too. I’m the one who set up an appointment for her to get on PrEP. I don’t want to risk anything when it comes to her. I want to make sure she has everything she fucking wants.”

“I know,” Justin answers, “If my announcement is bringing up some worries regarding kids down the road, I’m really sorry. If it means anything, when I did talk to her about it, she mentioned adoption first then told me I was being ridiculous since you guys had only been together for a few months at the time. You and I might worry about it, but I don’t think she does at all.”

Yeah,” Hunter says, relaxing a little but not as much as he should, “You probably were being a drama princess about it. But I probably am too right now, don’t worry about me. Talk about the twins. You have names or-”

“What else is wrong?” Justin interrupts.

“Nothing,” Hunter sighs, “Like I said, I’m happy for you-”

“No, there’s something else going on,” Justin says, studying him, “Molly’s right. You’re a terrible liar. And it’s not just the kid thing. It’s something else. As soon as you started talking about the two of you living in the same building as me and the twins, your whole demeanor changed. What’s going on?”

Hunter looks frustrated for a moment as he grips his hair, before meeting Justin’s eyes, “You know how you made me promise not to talk to Molly about what we discuss here? I need you to do the same.”

“Fine,” Justin says, not as concerned about keeping secrets from his sister as Hunter is.

“...I think Molly is going to be happy about the twins,” Hunter starts, “I really think she will be. Despite getting bored with teaching and the bullshit she had to face from her asshole boss, she’s really great with kids. When I was staying in Morgantown, we ran into one of her students and her family. Most kids would avoid their teacher outside of school, but this kid just ran up to Molly and gave her the biggest hug, saying that she couldn’t wait to show her the project that she made. She’ll love your kids and they’ll love her. She’ll protect them with her fucking life. It’s why I’m worried.”

“...What, do you think Molly’s going to have to take a bullet for my kids or something?” Justin says incredulously.

“No,” Hunter sighs, “But...fuck, I don’t know if I’m overthinking everything. She tends to get less worried about all of this than I do. But your kids being in close proximity to her might trigger her wanting to pull away and live farther from you guys. The thing is, I don’t want her to live in a place where she’ll be alone all day. I want people who care about her really close by.”

“I know,” Justin answers, starting to feel concern growing in the pit of his stomach, “Hunter, you’re rambling. I don’t get where you’re going with this and it’s starting to freak me out.”

Hunter looks like he’s battling with himself, before sucking in a breath, “I don’t want to bring this up to get you upset, especially after what you told me, but fuck it. You should know, especially if things might get worse. You know about Seth Warner, the guy Molly dated for a few months when she was 20?”

Intense, residual rage flares up inside Justin at the name as his hands involuntarily for into fists, “Yes. Why?”

“He’s still calling her,” Hunter grits out, “A few days before our trip, he sent her a package in the mail of her fucking underwear that went missing last month. There was no name or return address but it was him. He went into her apartment. No fingerprints, no DNA, not that the fucking cops will do shit even if there was. She didn’t tell me until two nights ago after we flew in. You might have thought we went upstairs to have sex, but it was really to hash it out over how dangerous Seth is. She filled out a report without me having to push her to do it, but the police apparently don’t give a shit when the perp is the son of rich and powerful lawyers. Breaking into her home apparently doesn't change that."

Justin doesn’t mean to do it, he really doesn’t, but he does end up standing up to knock a stool over. He doesn’t think he broke it. If there’s something wrong with it, Justin will buy Liam a new set and Liam would understand anyway because the mention of Molly’s ex can get his blood boiling, let alone hearing this.

“I’ve known about the calls,” Hunter mutters, “Since February when she surprised me on my birthday by flying out to LA. He called her in the middle of the night and then wouldn’t stop enough for her to turn her phone off. It just rang non-stop, numbers from all over. That phone was a piece of shit, you couldn’t even get it to reset. I took it to AT&T and they had to hook it up to their software system to do it. I wanted to answer it and scare him off but she was terrified he would figure out who I was and ruin my life or something, I don’t know. The call marathons aren’t as much of an issue. I got her a new phone the same day that happened and somehow got her to accept it, even though she wouldn’t go on my plan-”

“It makes it worse,” Justin grits out, “I had her on my plan for a while, back when he was actively following her in person and calling non-stop. He hacks into everything just to find out the new one. She went on her own plan and kept the same number to avoid him hacking into all of her accounts repeatedly. He’s a fucking genius and knows how to cover his tracks and where he is and I wish he was fucking dead.”

“Oh good,” Hunter says bitterly, “So I’m not the only one. I wanted him dead back when I found out that he backhanded her and harassed her. I’ve found out so much more since then and now I want to kill him myself.”

“...She tell you about the attack? The one that happened while the first restraining order was pending? She was attacked by a masked man around his size. She’s usually very private about that. I think it’s because it was a lot more upsetting for her than she’ll ever let on.”

“She told me. I didn’t take it well.”

“What has he been doing?” Justin asks, suddenly feeling desperate to know because fuck Molly for pretending everything was fine on that front, “Every time I ask, she always tells me he hasn’t called.”

Hunter purses his lips, “She doesn’t want to worry you. She doesn’t want to worry me. She doesn’t want to bother anyone with any of it because of the trauma she refuses to admit she has from it.”

Justin growls, suddenly feeling unfairly angry at Hunter, “You should have fucking told me. I know Molly, why she doesn’t want to talk about it. I know what that bastard did to a couple of her friends who tried to intervene. She’s trying to keep it from happening to anyone else. But you could have told me.”

“Yeah,” Hunter nods, looking at Justin grimly, “I could have. But you’ve been living in a separate state. You weren’t there. You couldn’t do shit. Fuck, I wasn’t there, not full time anyway, and the shit I tried didn’t help either. Hazel and Jerome are nearby and you’d think Molly would talk to them about it-”

“But they’re the ones Seth fucked over,” Justin finishes, “I know. I was mad about that, especially for Hazel. I’ve known her since she was seven. She used to live with Hazel. Seth leaked some personal pictures that Hazel sent to her girlfriend at the time. She roomed with Jerome for a while and Seth hacked into his social media account. He fucked over her last real boyfriend too. Still, I should have been made aware.”

“If it means anything, I begged her to tell you, your mom, and Tucker,” Hunter says, “My dads encouraged her to tell you too-”

“Oh, great,” Justin scoffs, “Michael knows about this and I don’t?”

“They only know because they were in LA when she got all those calls and have been worried ever since,” Hunter says, “I was working until noon that day and was going to call off but she didn’t want me to ditch work last minute. I called Michael and Ben at their hotel and asked them to stay with her because leaving her alone after watching her phone ring like that freaked me out. Michael especially encouraged her to tell you, if that means anything.”

Both of them stay silent for a moment and Hunter clears his throat, breaking first, “I am fucking terrified that he is going to hurt her or worse. I was before I stayed with her for a few weeks but especially after what he said to her then and especially with this underwear thing.”

“What did he say?” Justin asks quietly.

Hunter’s nostrils flare as he grips the bar and Justin already knows it is going to be bad.

“You know how I first went out there at the end of March because she was upset about your dad, right?” Hunter asks, his voice strained, “I had called her after my last day on set. I was going to see if she wanted to go to Europe with me for her Spring break. But when I asked how her day was, she started sobbing. She was fucking inconsolable. I...Justin, I can’t hear her like that. That upset. It felt like I was being punched in the gut. I was begging her to tell me what was going on and she just said her dad wasn’t doing well. I told her I wished I was there with her and she wished for that too but then hung up. She wouldn’t answer the phone when I called to check on her later. I barely lasted a few hours before buying a ticket. I couldn’t stand the thought of her feeling so alone-”

Hunter breaks off and just stares straight ahead for a moment. Just as Justin starts to worry that he is going to have to comfort Hunter, Hunter pulls himself out of whatever was going on in his head and continues, “She sent me a text apologizing for getting so upset the night before but I didn’t get it until I got off the plane. Even if I had gotten it before I bought a ticket, I still would have gone. She didn’t know I was coming until I got in and called her. When I asked for your dad’s address so I knew what to put in Uber, she said she would pick me up herself. She was doing better, but she wasn’t really herself. She wasn’t as worked up. She was super happy to see me but, I don’t know, more subdued maybe. At first I thought it was just about your dad. When I got there, he was in a really rough place and obviously not doing well, but things got a lot better with him within a few days. I think the company really helped. Before everyone went to bed, he was doing a lot better and so was she. She was so exhausted that she didn’t wake up when the phone started ringing. I reached over to see who it was and it was just one random number after the next, all from states that she has either lived in or has family in. I didn’t want her to wake up so I had to use her thumb to unlock the phone. I put the phone on Do Not Disturb and didn’t sleep. When she got up for work, I asked her if Seth had said something to her to get her so worked up and she told me yes but didn’t want to discuss it before work. After she came back that night, I finally got her to talk to me about it and I fucking flipped my shit.”

“What did he say?” Justin asks, now feeling like he desperately needs to know. He questions that as soon as he sees Hunter’s anguished and furious expression.

It takes a second for him to even say it, plus a fist flying downwards onto the bar. But Hunter eventually manages to get it out.

“He disguised the ID and location as your gallery and she picked up. He told her if she ever hangs up on him again, he’ll slit her throat and fuck her as she bleeds out.”

Justin feels his body go numb. Before he can even control any kind of reaction, the numbness disappears and what Justin can only describe as fire replaces it.

“Fuck this!” Justin yells out, fear and fury coursing through his veins as he stands up to leave, “I’m going to go talk to her and tell her to forget about giving her job a notice. She can stay with me until you get your stuff and your cat over here and we’ll just rush the renovations so that you can move in before January-”

“Not now,” Hunter says quietly, reaching over to grab Justin’s shoulder and pull him back, “Don’t bother her with it right now. We can talk to her about it later. I’m sorry I got you worked up, especially today. I just started overthinking and got overwhelmed about Molly. I’m not used to alcohol so maybe that’s why.”

“He threatened to RAPE and KILL your girlfriend, Hunter!”

“I know,” Hunter answers, frowning, “Believe me, I know. And I took it just as hard as you are taking it right now, worse probably. I drove her to the police station in her pajamas to report it. Nothing came of it at all. I called the Pittsburgh police two months later to chew them out over it. She saved the reports and evidence over the years, you know. Every single bit of it on a USB. I know she’s more scared than she lets on because she gave me, Jerome, and Hazel copies in case something happens. I think she plans to give you one too before she heads back on Sunday.”

“She’s not heading back,” Justin says stubbornly, “She’s fucking not. Jerome might live nearby but it isn’t close enough. Hazel and my dad are in Pittsburgh. She lives alone and he’s fucking been in her apartment-”

Justin breaks off and puts his fist to his mouth, trying to get himself to calm, before thinking about why Hunter brought this up in the first place.

“Why do you think my announcement will change Molly’s mind on moving into the building?”

Hunter shrugs, then meets Justin’s eyes, “She stopped living with Hazel after Seth fucked her over. She stopped living with Jerome. She broke up with her old boyfriend. Molly pushes people away and a lot of that has to do with what Seth has done. She doesn’t care nearly as much about what Seth does to her. She cares about what happens to her family, her friends, and me. Apparently Seth has been getting worse and that’s part of the reason why she was trying to let me go in September and October. Well, that and her wanting me to keep my options open in case I met a girl in LA, as if I would even be fucking tempted by anyone else when I have her. If I hadn’t gone big to show her I’m not going anywhere, she would have probably tried to end things to spare me of what Seth might try to do to me. She will barely budge when I bring up Seth and New York in the same conversation. She’s prideful, you know that, so you helping with a place was part of her hesitation. But she is also worried about what Seth might do if people who want to protect her are close by. She distances herself to protect them. She always has.”

Hunter clears his throat and continues, “Throw babies in the mix? Babies who will be her nephews? I can just see her going back on any progress she has made. I’ve almost gotten her convinced that we’re adult men who can make our own decisions and take care of ourselves. If Seth wants to fuck with us, then fucking bring it. But babies? She’ll refuse to let anything happen to them, even if that means living in a neighborhood where she doesn’t have anyone.”

Hunter gestures and doesn’t seem like he can come up with much else so Justin takes the silence to think about what Hunter has just said. Seth is fucking dangerous. He has always told Molly that. As far as he knows, Seth has never hurt any children, but he physically assaulted Molly and Justin knows that when she was attacked outside of her apartment, the assailant had been aiming for sexual assault. He can see where Hunter is coming from. And he can see Molly pulling away and demanding to live somewhere else because kids are now going to be in the mix.

“No,” Justin says, coming to a decision, “You both are moving in. Fuck that. Molly’s not putting herself at risk anymore. I’ll secure the building with security cameras, codes, alarms, and multiple locks. We’ll be the most protected apartment building in Brooklyn. I’ll hire a 24/7 doorman if I fucking have to. I’ll make sure that I get a notification every time someone even rings one of our doorbells to be let in. The plan is staying the same. I’ll need babysitters anyway.”

Hunter scoffs, “I told you I’m working on Season 1 non-stop until June.”

“Good,” Justin shrugs, feeling a little better with a plan but still completely overwhelmed, “Because the babies are due in June. They might come sooner since they’re going to be fucking twins but I’ll hold down the fort until their Uncle Hunter is done with his filming obligations.”

“Uncle Hunter, huh?” Hunter hums, the stress slightly melting away from his features as he holds back a small, but existing smile.

“Yeah, of course,” Justin answers, letting himself smile back before growing serious, “I’m still not calling you my brother-in-law though.”

“Oh, fuck no,” Hunter agrees, standing up to put his coat back on, “Molly and I can be married for twenty years and be the most stepford couple in existence and I will still refuse to call you that.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page,” Justin says. And Justin means it - in more ways than one.

-----------------------------------------------------

Both Justin and Hunter manage to keep their mouths shut once they get back to the apartment. Although Justin is tempted to chew Molly out for keeping so much important shit from him, he doesn't. Even though he will never give Molly the satisfaction of knowing she caused him to bond with Hunter, they had. That bond had included a promise of not opening their mouths about psychotic exes or babies to Molly until later. The discussion of babies would come at dinner, then he and Hunter would talk to Molly after everyone goes back to their hotels. That's the plan and he's sticking by it.

In a way, hearing about what Molly has been going through helps take his nerves off of the announcement. Suddenly, having his family know about the twins doesn't seem so bad. It might be something good for everyone to focus on. Yeah, that strangely positive mindset lasts up until his mother, Tucker, and grandparents walk through the door.

"Hey, guys," he greets them with a smile, trying to appear more normal than he feels.

"Hello, sweetheart!" his mom says giving him a kiss on the cheek, "We parked the car out front. You're sure we won't get a ticket?"

Justin shakes his head, "They aren't doing any street cleaning today. Midtown is everyone's priority right now. It's good that you drove in on Tuesday. How's everyone handling everything?"

By everyone, Justin means his grandfather, the man who is currently talking to his coat rack. His grandmother is an elegant, fit, fashionable, sharp, and rather youthful looking 77 year old and while his grandparents had once been a beautiful couple, strangers probably wouldn't catch on that they had ever been a couple at all. His grandmother loves his grandfather, deeply so. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have fought so hard to keep him at home. But they now look mismatched at best.

"Your grandfather is doing well," his grandma replies, trying to smile before gently leading her husband over to join the group, "Noah, you remember Justin, right? Your grandson?"

His grandfather nods and Justin can immediately tell that his grandfather doesn't recognize him at all.

"Hi, Grandpa," Justin says softly, "I'm really happy to see you. It means a lot that you could come down."

"Yes, yes," his grandfather smiles, looking around, "These people are always packing me up in cars to go to all of these doctors' appointments. What kind of doctor are you?"

"He's not a doctor, Dad," his mother says, "That's Justin. My son with Craig, remember?"

"Oh, yes!" his grandfather exclaims, before leaning in to whisper to Justin, "Can we skip that whole prostate exam routine? I never much cared for it."

Justin opens his mouth just as Molly enters the room.

"I guess you didn't get your preferences from Grandpa then," Molly grins, an ornery glint in her eye.

"Molly Elaine Taylor, stop that," their mother complains.

"Ha, full name. You pissed her off," Justin says, smirking.

"Remember Molly, Noah?" Tucker asks, gently taking Molly's wrist to lead her over after giving her a stern look, "Your granddaughter."

"She's beautiful!" their grandfather exclaims, "As beautiful as my wife and that's a hard thing to accomplish. Are you the nurse?"

Molly begins shaking her head and lets out a sad sigh. Before Justin or Molly can explain who they are again, Hunter walks in and stands next to Molly.

"Hello, everyone. Hey, Mr. L," Hunter tells him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

'Mr. L' smiles and Justin barely begins to wonder what profession his grandfather might come up with for his sister's boyfriend before the elderly man reaches over and ruffles Hunter's hair.

"Hello, Hunter!" his grandfather says, causing most of their jaws to drop, "I've missed you!"

"What the f-" Molly starts before Tucker puts a hand over his stepdaughter's mouth. But if Hunter himself is surprised, he's not showing it. He just smiles and leads him over to the couch.

"I missed you too, man!" Hunter says, getting his grandfather settled in, "Molly and I are moving here in January. We can take a train to come up and see you more."

"Out of all of us, why does he only remember Hunter?" Justin asks, only feeling slightly hurt. Mainly, he feels curious.

"I…" Jennifer starts, but then tosses her hands up, "They did hit it off when he and Molly came to visit. He must have made a big impression on him. I honestly don't know, sweetheart. Don't take it personally. He doesn't even remember me today. He remembers Mom but right now he's suspicious that she isn't who she says she is so keep a close eye on the knives."

Both Justin and Molly give her a double take before they stare at their grandmother.

"Woah, wait, hold up," Molly says, looking both intrigued and horrified, "Grandma, has Grandpa tried to stab you or something?"

"No," their grandmother answers pointedly, sending a quick glare to her daughter, "He absolutely has not. He threw a spoon at my feet one time and claimed that I was a clone who switched brains with his wife. That is hardly dangerous. He just has an overactive imagination some days. He's harmless, love. Now what can I do to help? I need to mentally prepare myself before your father arrives and cooking helps keep me focused."

As soon as his grandmother and mother take over in the kitchen, Justin doesn't have much to do until more people begin arriving. Ben, Michael, and JR arrive not long after Justin's immediate family does and it's strange, not to see them but to see Molly with them. They greet her with the biggest of hugs and focus so much on her. They've welcomed Molly as a leaf on their particular branch of the confusing Pittsburgh family tree and that is suddenly quite obvious, both by Molly's ease and comfort level around them and the look of tenderness in Hunter's eyes that he immediately tries to hide when Michael or Ben even glance over in his direction. It's also obvious by JR's immense liking for her and how they're immediately talking about some book series that Justin has never heard of. That's followed by JR enthusiastically showing her some ASL she had taught herself because apparently the kid found out that Molly became fluent by the time she finished college and wanted to impress her.

His dad arrives next. It had been inevitable. His dad had accepted the invitation with enthusiasm, despite Justin warning him about everyone who would be there. He looks better than he has the last few visits and Justin is grateful for that for multiple reasons. For one, his mother has been bugging both him and Molly for updates ever since she saw him for herself in May, then continued to do so despite seeing him again at Hazel's wedding in July. It might ease her mind a little to see that her ex-husband is looking and feeling a little better. And the other reason is that Justin himself wants to see his father feeling healthy and happy. Things aren't perfect between them just because they are talking and seeing each other again but he has now gotten to the point where he actually looks forward to seeing his dad and that's something.

"Hey, Dad," Justin says softly, then pulls him into a hug, the kind that last too long because his dad always seems to not want to let go and Justin doesn't want to hurt his feelings by letting go first but ends up being the one to do it anyway, "How was the trip? You get checked into the hotel okay?"

"Yeah, it was fine," his dad says, stepping into the foyer to take off his coat, "I probably should have come in on Monday or Tuesday like you suggested. The traffic yesterday was terrible. I didn't get in until after 9 o'clock."

"Yeah, I figured that was why you didn't stop by," Justin answers, "Uh, Molly is in the living room with Michael, Ben, JR, Hunter, and Grandpa. Mom, Tucker, and Grandma are in the kitchen. We should have more people coming soon-"

"Did Nathan agree to come?" his dad asks with what Justin is pretty sure is hope.

"...No," Justin sighs, "I invited him because I didn't want him to spend his holiday alone but he's with Petra and her family so he’s okay."

"Well...that's good, I suppose," Craig answers, still sounding disappointed, "I think I'll uh, I'll join them in the living room if they don't need help in the kitchen."

"They should be fine," Justin shrugs.

"It will be good to see Hunter too," Craig continues, "I haven't seen him since you all came in for Hazel's and Samira's wedding in July. I've missed him."

"Yeah? Apparently everyone has," Justin says, rolling his eyes, "He's the only person Grandpa recognized."

"He makes an impression," Craig responds, "He uh, he did a lot for me while your sister was working and he came in for a few weeks in the spring. I like him. So yeah. I'll go talk to him."

"Have fun waiting in line," Justin snorts before parting ways with his father to head towards the kitchen, which he would immediately regret if he wasn't the host and obligated because his grandmother puts him straight to work.

"Honey, go upstairs with your stepfather to get the dishes that need to be put in the oven," his grandmother calls out from behind her shoulder.

"Don't call him that," Justin warns, before turning around to glare at a smirking Tucker, "He is literally four years older than me."

"Yes, but he was so present with Molly and integral in her teen years. His maturity is beyond his age. He was her father, for all intents and purposes, if you ask me," his grandmother responds, "He has done so much for me and your grandfather. He is your stepfather and he's earned that title, even if he and your mother are set on living in sin."

"Mom, you aren't even religious," his mother scoffs, "And Craig is important to Molly too. He's making a real effort with Justin. Molly...Molly can have two dads. Two dads that are both here and that should be respected."

"Hmmm," his grandmother only hums.

His mother lets out a sigh, then glances at Justin, "Can you help your stepfather though?"

"You're making me hate him and he's not even doing anything," Justin complains before gesturing for Tucker to go first.

"Thanks, son," Tucker smiles as he walks towards the front door. If Justin pushes him once, then everyone should just be grateful he doesn't do it on the stairs.

When they get upstairs, it's different though. Different than their usually weird, distant, cordial, but grudgingly respectful brotherhood. While the amount of times Justin has bonded with Tucker can be counted on one hand, one of those times had been when Molly had been attacked and he and Tucker rushed down to spend the week with her. From taking shifts when it came to who slept when, to searching Molly's apartment for hidden cameras and microphones, to literally yanking an unusually furious Tucker from the police station as he fought like hell for Molly to get some sort of justice, it had been a turning point in their relationship. A minor one and Justin is sure he and Tucker will never actually be close, but still. There had been a slight change that week, at least when it came to how Justin viewed him.

His grandmother might have been talking up Tucker due to hating his father so much, but she is right. Tucker may not have been a dad to him, but he had been a dad to Molly. The guy had no family. He grew up in the foster system from ten onwards. It’s probably why Tucker and Nathan had respected each other so much, the few times they did meet. It’s probably why Tucker had really liked Hunter until Hunter got with Molly. Because Molly? She is essentially Tucker’s pride and joy, the closest thing to a kid Tucker would ever have. And despite how weird that has always been for Justin, he’s come to respect it, especially after what happened. Justin saw Tucker's face when they found out about what Seth tried to do to Molly and had been doing to Molly. He saw Tucker's face when they arrived in Morgantown and Molly had literally been black and blue. He had been wrathful. He had been fucking devastated. He stayed another week in Morgantown after Justin left to go back to New York.

Justin's and Molly's blood father would care. Justin knows that. Craig Taylor would care deeply about his daughter's safety and well-being. But Craig Taylor is also actively trying to heal himself psychologically. From Justin’s understanding, their father knows a little about what happened because their mother called him to tell him. But when Molly had been attacked? Molly had been so defensive and ready to lash out at anyone. When their mother mentioned that their dad should know about her being hurt, Molly had threatened not to let Justin or Tucker come stay with her, that she’d rather be alone than deal with her father. So as far as Justin knows, their dad never found out about the attack and some of the more severe offenses Seth had committed against Molly. Even though Justin hadn't wanted to deal with their father at the time either, he knew even then that their dad would care and would probably try to track the guy down (like he had with Brian but Justin thinks it is really unfair to compare the situations). Now though? If Craig found out Molly had been hurt in the past and didn’t tell him because she didn’t want to deal with him at the time...It wouldn’t be good for him.

Although their mother knew what happened the first few years, Justin is sure she had been in the dark about it just like he had been until Hunter told him at the bar. And even though Justin doesn't agree with Molly keeping them out of it to save them from Seth's wrath and habit of ruining their lives from his computer or whatever, he knows why she had not said anything to their mother. Their mother hadn't taken any of what had happened well to begin with, from Molly getting stalked, to Molly getting hurt, to Molly not receiving any justice at all. She and Tucker had just moved to Connecticut when it all began and that, along with their grandfather's health, had put a lot of stress on her. She had been terrified for Molly and felt guilty over not living closer. Like Molly, Justin doesn't want to put that stress on their mother if he doesn't have to.

"Hey," Justin says as Tucker leans down to get two casseroles out of the fridge, "Can you uh...can you hang back tonight after everyone goes back to their hotels? Mom included?"

Tucker gives him a strange look as he stands up straight, puts the casseroles on the counter, then leans against it, "Why?"

"You probably won't believe me if I say it's to hang out with me and Hunter, right?"

"Nope."

Justin nods, "I know it's not your style, but I need you to not go down there and make a scene if I tell you."

"Justin, what are you-," Tucker starts before stopping himself and putting his hands up in surrender, "Alright. I promise. What's this about?"

"Seth Warner," Justin answers, not breaking eye contact once.

He's going to remember Tucker's face from today too.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Tucker barks out, shoving himself away from the counter to walk closer to Justin, "Justin, what the fuck-"

"I don't know everything," Justin interrupts, "Hunter told me some stuff that has happened recently. He's been freaking out and he's ready to kill him."

"Why hasn't she said anything to me or Jennifer?" Tucker stresses, beginning to pace, "We call her at least twice a week, text her even more. She's never said anything once."

"She hasn't said anything to me either," Justin admits, "I haven't talked to her yet. She doesn't know that Hunter told me."

"What did he tell you? Tell me."

"I'm not getting into details," Justin sighs, "It will upset you as much as it upset me. It's just...from my understanding he's getting worse than just the constant calling that he kept up with after he stopped following her around in person."

"What kind of 'worse'?"

"Like breaking into her apartment, stealing her underwear, and sending it back to her kind of worse," Justin sighs, only flinching slightly when Tucker storms out of the apartment.

"Tucker," Justin hisses, "Tucker! Don't you dare go back in there until you calm the fuck down! And don't you dare make me carry all this food down by myself!"

"Don't you dare tell me about someone who is trying to hurt my kid and not expect me to react!" Tucker snaps from the bottom step.

"Do you really want to get her all worked up around our family and Hunter's family, Dad?" Justin retorts before forcing himself to calm down, "Sorry. I'm sorry. But I am asking you to stay so that the three of us can talk to her after everyone leaves. Maybe we can come up with a plan if she's going to be alone until she moves up here. Just don't bring it up now. Let her have a nice dinner."

Tucker glares up at him. Then, without saying a word, stomps up the stairs, pushes past Justin, and goes to get the food from the counter. Justin watches Tucker mutter under his breath as he stacks up the casseroles and as hard as Justin tries to listen, he can't make out what Tucker is saying. Most likely, it's some detailed description of how he's going to hang, draw, and quarter Seth. It would be absolutely uncharacteristic. Tucker is just about as peaceful as Ben is, but anything negatively affecting Molly or Justin’s mother seems to bring out a different side in him.

As Tucker brushes past him, Justin grabs his arm, "Just go down and act like this is the awkward, weird, dysfunctional Thanksgiving dinner that it actually is. Do your quiet, cougar chasing Tucker routine and then you can drop it once we can talk to her alone."

"I have been with Jennifer for close to twelve years," Tucker growls, "I'm not cougar chasing."

"I know," Justin replies, "I'm just working on my asshole stepson routine to keep up appearances."

"You don't need to work on it. You've mastered it."

Justin actually lets out a laugh at that, "Oh, fuck you."

Before Tucker can reply, there's a loud knock on the main door and Justin hears Carl's muffled voice, "Maybe ring the bell, sweetheart?" But before Debbie can get too wild pushing any buttons, Justin goes down the steps and opens the door.

"Hi, Sunshine!" Debbie calls out, food dishes stacked so high that other than her eyes and red wig, most of her face is blocked.

"Hey, Debbie!" Justin says, surprised, "I thought you guys weren't coming until Brian's dinner this weekend."

Carl, who is holding a few pies, makes his way in, “She decided that she wanted to congratulate the happy couple face to face.”

“He is my grandson,” Debbie needlessly reminds him as Justin and Tucker relieve her of her load, “And they’re going to be living together. He’s lived with a girlfriend before, but I’ve never seen him like this. He’s elated. He didn’t even try to hide it when he stopped in before their trip. Those babies are so in love. I wouldn’t be surprised if they got married, you know. Tucker, you and that assho- I mean, Craig - might be walking that girl down the aisle soon!”

Before Justin can even try to decipher Tucker’s expression regarding Debbie’s comments, Liam and Carmen are coming up the steps, Milo strapped to Carmen’s chest and Liam weighed down with what is probably a bunch of Chilean and Ecuadorian food. Max and Lola are close behind. That means that everyone is here.

Fuck.

Fuck.