JUSTIN 

How does Michael setting up a store turn into all of us doing the work while he stands at the counter? I mean the store was already here and running but Michael needed us to help him. I got roped into this by Emmett. Michael found out that Emmett had a free weekend and got Deb to guilt us into helping. At least he thought he did, what really happened is Deb threatened to move in with one of us, if we didn't help. I was actually curious to see Michael and Ben meeting for the first time. What was the attraction to each other? 

Michael wanting Ben, we all got. It was the Ben wanting Michael that puzzled us. Okay, Michael isn’t a troll, but when he opens his mouth it changes how you see him. So I really came to see if something Michael did had Ben thinking ‘I want him’. 

I was drawing out an idea for a comic, I wanted to incorporate a hero who got to come back from the other side to right wrongs. Of course the hero is hoping to change his true love dying young. To me it was better than a gay hero just flying around saving people. Rage never had a reason for what he did, it was just a sudden need to save people. No back story, just save the day, and now I'm sounding like Michael.

“What are you drawing?” Michael asks me.

“Just an idea. Helping here had me thinking about creating a comic.” I tell him. 

“It's harder than just having an idea, you have to give readers a reason to want to like your hero.” Michael wasn't being an ass, he was actually offering advice.

“My hero being gay is going to be a hard sell.” I tell him. 

“Not if you make the hero into someone, who being gay isn’t the sum of him. That what he does saves people from situations we've all been in, and having someone help us could have changed our lives.” Michael tells me.

In a way it changed how I saw Michael wanting to use the bashing in the first Rage. In his head, if someone had saved me, life would have been different. Brian wouldn’t have had to heal me, which had left him with little time for Michael. So maybe he was still a dick for wanting to explore that with me. Only Michael couldn’t see that things were changing for Brian and me, and the difference would be what is happening now.

”I could help if you're serious about this. I only been reading them all my life, and I know what readers want.” He tells me. 

“It’s personal to me, I want to tell a story, not sell one. If readers respond they would be responding to the emotion they feel when they read it and look at the drawings. I can leave the panels I've drawn, look them over and tell me what you think. Be honest, if they suck, don't sugar coat it. It’s a waste of your time if you aren't honest with me. ” I tell him. 

“Comics are serious business to me. If this ends up good, I could help you get it published.” He tells me. 

I didn't roll my eyes, because all Michael did was take Rage to get printed. Brian created a campaign to sell it. He had to push Michael to do more than put it on the shelf, expecting people to buy it.

“Brian told me he wanted to help with that part.” I tell him. 

“Brian would do anything if it made you happy. I’m more interested in good comics.” Michael tells me. It wasn't his usual put down. That was different. “Brian just wants to make sure you are willing to offer up your ass.” And there goes the change. 

“Whatever Michael, but one thing about Brian is he is unfailingly honest. He isn’t going to spare my feelings if he can’t see it selling.” I tell him. 

Ben walks in and Michael was too busy staring my panels to notice. Vic asked Emmett what he thought, gay or straight? Emmett looked at me to see if he should tell the truth. 

“Gay, he teaches Gay Studies at school.” I tell him. 

Emmett shoves Michael who looked up and shrugged his shoulders.

“Yeah, he bumped into me at Babylon once.” Michael said distractedly. Then looked back at my panels.

When Deb yelled at Michael to help Ben, instead of showing any interest, he geeks out and goes on and on about comics. He's citing anything that screamed gay in comics, but not screaming ‘I'm gay take me’. I'm more confused at the dynamic than ever. It wasn’t the big meeting I had in my head. Hell it was like watching Michael at Big Q waiting on a customer. This somehow lead to Ben being interested in Michael?

Emmett and I saw a way to escape, and took off out the door. 

“Baby, that was just sad.” Emmett tells me. 

“I can’t figure out how they ended up together.” I tell him. 

We were walking to the diner to meet Brian, who didn’t get us wanting to see Michael meet Zen Ben, when Ben catches up to us.

“Hey, Michael the shop owner was showing me your panels.” He tells me.  

“They aren’t really anything but a bunch of drawings.” I tell him. Why did I leave them with Michael?

“It’s just an interesting perspective, a hero who is blatantly gay and not hiding it. It gave me the idea that you could speak to my class about putting out in the mainstream that a hero isn’t about his sexuality but about what he does to change the world.” Ben tells me.

“I’m really just an artist. I don’t know anything about comics and my knowledge limit on Gay culture is that I live with my life partner. If you want to know about hidden meanings in comics, Michael is who you should talk to.” I tell him.

“Maybe I can convince you over lunch.” Why is he hitting on me?

“Sure, Brian would probably love to hear how you're so interested in Justin’s.... Comic. He just loves when people take an interest in Justin’s CREATIONS.” Emmett tells him.

“Look, I know I was coming on too strong, but you interest me. I promise that I really wanted to see if you could talk to my class about why you are willing to put it out there that being gay doesn’t mean you don’t offer more to the world than that.” He tells us.

“We could invite Michael, he could fill you in on the way comics helped him get through the hard parts of growing up gay, in a world that doesn’t accept it.” I tell him.

“I was looking for a younger approach at how the world sees this generation. Michael would be great for comic culture if I need someone to tell me all about it.” He tells me.

“Michael is just really into comics.” Emmett tells him.

“Yeah, I got that from the nonstop talking.” He tells Emmett.

We got to the diner and when Brian sees us he raises his eyebrow. I shrugged because I don’t understand why Ben is chasing after me. He never really paid a lot of attention to me in the past. Brian got up and had me sit on the inside of the booth, caveman much.

BRIAN

I waited to see how Zen Ben was going to approach this situation. Last time he acted like he didn’t know me. If he wants to play it that way, let him.

“Hi, I’m Ben Bruckner, but you know that already. Wait you're the Brian Justin was referring to?” He asks me.

“Awe Sunshine, you talk about me to other people. In answer to your question, I’m his life partner and truthfully his everything, so I’m not surprised Justin told you about me.” The fucker better be listening to what I’m saying, because he doesn’t need to be interested in Justin.

“I’m just surprised that Justin would be interested in someone with your reputation.” Ben tells me. 

“My reputation got him an invitation into my life. Only, the minute I brought him home I left that shit on the side of the road. Justin is worth more than all the tricks and a reputation for fucking.” I tell him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to imply anything, just… you know what, can we start over? It’s nice to see you again Brian. I’m trying to convince Justin to talk to my class about his views on gay culture in this generation. When I was in the comic shop, the guy… um Mike, was showing me Justin’s drawings and I was really interested in seeing why he wasn’t hinting at the hero being gay, but putting it out there from the beginning. It’s a shift in the way the world plays around with the idea but never just lays it out there. To me it shows that with each generation, there is a change in how we accept different sexualities.” Ben tells me. 

“Why would you need Justin to talk to kids who live in his generation?” I ask him.

“I like group discussions, and I think having someone who is in their age group telling about how he sees the world now, will open the students up to comparing their lives to what we went through.” Ben tells me. I would have believed him if he wasn’t looking at Justin like he was tasty.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to have someone like Michael, to compare the differences? With me we would end up talking about only the similarities.” Justin tells him.

“We could have both of you to talk. Him about comics and you about why instead of the hidden meanings you're willing to put it out on a page.” Ben tells him.

“If I had actually done more than drawing it and adding dialogue, like actually publishing it, I could see talking to your students. Right now it’s just me messing around.” Justin tells him.

“Look, just think about it. Let me get you a card and you can call me, if you change your mind.” Ben tells him.

Ben gets a card out but turns it over and writes on the back.

“That’s my home number, call it if you can’t reach me at my office.” Ben tells Justin. Ben gets up and leaves the diner, but keeps looking at Justin.

“What the hell is that about?” Emmett asks us.

“Yes, why is Zen Ben looking at you?” I ask Justin.

“I don’t know, and I didn’t encourage it.” I tell Brian.

“Brian, Justin has made it very clear that you and he are together. It just seems like Ben isn’t listening.” Emmett tells me.

JUSTIN

I don’t understand why this is happening. Ben wasn’t ever more than Michael’s partner in the past. He didn’t look at me the way he is now. 

I get up to go to the bathroom, hoping that Emmett can calm down Rage. I close the door and stare at myself, nothing looks different, I’m still the same kid Ben meet before. What is making him shift his interest to me and not Michael?

“I want a different life.” Ben tells me from behind.

“Fuck, how did you get in here?” I ask him. “Never mind, how did you get permission to come here?” I ask a ghost.

“Vic wanted me to come and talk to you, he seems to think you can change my mind.” He tells me.

“Are we talking about Michael pretending to be Vic?” I ask him.

“No, we’re talking about the real Vic. I don’t want my life to be with Michael. If you think about it, do you really want to play the ‘Brian and Mikey’ show again. We could get away from all this shit and have a real life.” Ben tells me.

“Not that it isn’t flattering, that you seem to want me, but where is it coming from?” I ask him.

“It’s coming from watching the way you love and take care of people.” He tells me.

“You do understand that if I was even to consider this incredibly stupid idea, you’d be dealing with the ‘Brian and Justin Show’. I love Brian and will always love him, you couldn’t ever compete with that for me.” I tell him.

“Why can’t I have a different life too?” Ben asks me.

“Who said you can’t? But instead of messing this Ben up with thinking he’s interested in me, make him push Michael to choose you, instead of letting him stand around telling Michael it’s okay to love Brian as more than a friend. If you want someone you don’t let them lust after someone else, while you sit around growing with discontent for your partner. You loved Michael enough to marry him.” I tell him.

Ben disappears without saying anything else. I hurry to the booth.

“Guys we have a rogue on our hands.” I tell them.