JUSTIN

Emmett was more interested in what our life was like than anything about himself. Marty seemed okay with Emmett knowing things as long as we didn’t tell Emmett anything that affected his future.

“What’s changed?” Emmett asked us.

“What hasn’t changed? These two seem to take knowing the future as a license to change whatever they want.” Marty complains.

“We only wanted to spend the weekend together without everyone telling us we are making a mistake.” I tell Marty.

“That would have been wonderful if your friends fates didn’t change with your changes.” He tells me.

“Were we supposed to try to remember forty years worth of shit?” Brian asks Marty.

“Not exactly, but it’s not like you two couldn’t remember generally what happened.” He tells Brian.

“You and Vic want us to get it right. Well nothing went right in the other life. We spent more time breaking up and getting back together than anything else. We also listened to all the ‘helpful advice’ of our friends. Maybe it’s time we start trying to do what we want.” I tell Marty.

“Vic knows about this?” Emmett asks.

“Not this Vic, the one in Heaven.” Brian tells Emmett.

“Wait, there are two of Vic?” Emmett asks us.

“No there’s only one. Vic dies and seems to spend all his time in Heaven doling out advice.” Brian tells him.

“God, that sucks. You know when we all die?” Emmett tells Brian.

“No, just three of you. And not you, you outlive me.” I tell him.

“We were still friends in the future?” Emmett asks Brian.

“You, Ted, and Mel became my core group, the other two pissed me off. I still talked to Michael but Lindsay and I no longer talked.” Brian tells Emmett.

“I’m trying to imagine a world where you and I are friends.” Emmett tells him.

“You didn’t try to offer me advice, you just came and sat with me at night. You were able to let me grieve without having to talk it to death.” Brian tells him.

“Can we talk about how to try and get things back to normal?” Marty interrupts them.

“You can talk, Justin and I agree that we need to allow free will to guide us.” Brian tells him.

“I had to stop you from killing Justin a second time, maybe a little less free will and be willing to turn right when I tell you.” Marty tells us.

“So where are you supposed to be right now?” Emmett asks us.

“I’m supposed to act like an asshole and string Justin along. Justin is supposed to stalk my ass, while I pretend that it didn’t thrill me he was after me. You were supposed to meet a hustler, who you thought was a potential boyfriend and bring him to Mel and Lindsay’s party. Then Michael and Ted lie to you and tell you the guy, who only speaks Japanese, is saying he loves you. What he was actually doing is asking for payment. We then go to Babylon, where the twat steals my tricks and I steal him back from them, we fuck ourselves silly and I go back to pushing and pulling him around for the next five years. Ted was supposed to take GHB with Blake the night he met him and end up in a coma, I did get to fuck the nurse though, that was fun. Ted woke up to it. I always said he liked to watch.” Brian tells him.

“So Ted isn’t going to do that, right?” Emmett makes sure, he really loved Ted.

“It was erased from existence.” Marty tells Emmett.

“So you two don’t let Lindsay convince Brian to send Justin to New York and everything is fine.” Emmett simplifies it for us.

“It would be, but these two changed things that has the future is going in different directions with each change. Instead of Justin’s mother taking him to see a psychiatrist who shouldn’t be practicing, she took him to see Alex Wilder. Justin’s dad doesn’t find out and start terrorizing Brian. Justin moved in months ahead of schedule. Every time I see a timeline emerge, it splits off in a different direction. The direction they need to go in is hazy.” Marty tells us.

“Kira is still there, we didn’t screw that up?” Brian asks Marty. He wants to know that we didn’t ruin that.

“She is so far, but if you two don’t stop messing with things, she could stay where she is.” Marty tells us.

“Okay, who’s Kira?” Emmett asks us. I look at Marty for permission. He nods at me.

“She will someday be our daughter.” I tell Emmett.

“You and Brian are going to have a kid?” Emmett asks me.

“If they don’t fuck it all up.” Marty tells us.

“Wait a second, why are you trying so hard to make us follow your path?” I ask him. Marty sits silent for the first time. What isn’t he telling me? “What the hell are you doing Marty?” I ask him.

“I found out something, and if you two don’t listen, it’s going change someone in the group’s life.” He tells us.

“Why don’t you explain it to us Marty, use little words so we all get it. I’m am not going to continue to be held hostage to your whims.” Brian tells him.

“Don’t accuse me of trying to manipulate you. Hunter is on the line. He ends up going home with the cop, while Ben and Michael try convince him to straighten out his life. He couldn’t resist the money. He ends up in an abandoned warehouse, nobody ever finds out what happened to him.” Marty tells us.

“I thought Rikert only killed that kid by accident?” Justin asks.

“He did, but Hunter is a mouthy shit. He threatened to tell everyone about Rikert liking little boys, Rikert did the thing that worked the first time.” Marty tells us.

“Michael actually tried to help a hustler?” Emmett asks in disbelief.

“He adopts the kid.” Brian tells Emmett.

“We are talking about Michael Novotny right?” Emmett asks him.

“He changes when he meets Ben.” Justin tells Emmett.

“Not all that much, he wanted to act like he was better than everyone, because Ben was so smart. It’s like a rerun of David, Michael suddenly thinks he’s too good for all of us. He shits on us and then we all forgive him, without Michael having to apologize to anyone for acting like a shit. It happens over and over with me having to take the fucking blame for Michael being a jackass. He would have left that kid to die, if Ben hadn’t made him help.” Brian’s voice raised as he was talking.

“Why are you so angry? You let your best friend get away with the shit he pulled too.” I tell him.

“I forgave him for something he said that makes me an asshole. I’m angry now that I did it.” Brian tells me.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, you are going to change it so he couldn’t say it.” Marty tells him.

“Look, as much fun as this has been, unless you have any more dire warnings, I’d like to fuck Justin before morning.” Brian tells them.

“Meet at the diner in the morning?” Emmett asks Brian.

“We’ll be there, hopefully Michael will be too busy playing the concerned friend to remember he hates Justin.” Brian tells Emmett.

BRIAN

Fuck why does Marty want it to be our responsibility to keep everyone safe? I can’t let Hunter die like that, he ended up being the only one who could get Michael to see reason. Not that that is my only reason, I genuinely like the kid, he was abused, but instead of pissing and whining he took control of his life. 

“Justin, we aren’t going to let anyone tell us what to do.” I tell him.

“I can’t let Hunter get killed, Brian.” Justin tells me.

“I’m not saying that, I’m just saying that we live our life and try to keep everyone on track.” I tell him.

“Doesn’t Michael meet David soon?” Justin asks me.

“I think so, just not sure exactly when it happens.” I tell him.

“I only have one thing to say about David and Michael.” He tells me.

“What?” I ask him.

“We bring the cheese to the boring as hell slideshow.” Justin smiles at me. Yeah, that shit Michael served really sucked.