DEB

I waited for morning to go see Michael. I wanted to catch him and Ben at home. I got there in time to see Ben walking out the door. He gave me a kiss on the cheek trying to get by, but I pulled him back in the house. 

“I need to know what's going on with you two.” I tell him. 

“No, you really don't. Michael and I need to handle our own problems.” He tells me. 

“I'm Michael’s mother and anything involving him is my business.” I tell him, shaking my finger in his face.

“Okay, YOUR SON can’t seem to see that the amount of time he spends trying to run his friends lives could be spent taking care of our lives. I'm also having a hard time with the fact that YOUR SON could let the things that come out of his mouth, come out without thought. Hey, I can add that YOUR SON doesn't see anything wrong with calling Justin repeatedly when he asked for time. So Deb, are you now happy that you know?” He asks me sarcastically.

“Ben, Michael knows he shouldn't have said what he did.” I tell him. 

“He isn't calling Justin to apologize.” He tells me. 

“Then why is he calling Justin?” I ask him. 

“Because he thinks Justin should be willing to do the fucking comic. Think really hard about that and maybe you'll get why we are having problems. I need to go to work, to get away before I no longer see a reason to come home.” He tells me opening the door slamming it on the way out.

“MICHAEL CHARLES NOVOTNY GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE.” I yell.

“What?” He asks from the top of the stairs. 

“What the fuck did you do to Ben?” I ask him. 

“Nothing. He's been pissed since the other night. I keep telling him that he's letting things that have nothing to do with us bother him.” He tells me. 

“You have enough problems without upsetting Ben. Why are you calling Justin to do anything but apologize?” I ask him. 

“It's business and he needs to see that. I use the money from sales to help pay Ben and my bills. The shop makes enough to cover some things but not all. He needs to think about it from that perspective.” He tells me. 

“Right now you need to deal with your husband. It's not going to solve itself.” I tell him. 

“He's not listening to me right now. I'm giving him a chance to calm down first.” He tells me. 

“There's a concept. Don’t you think maybe, just maybe, you should apply it to Justin.” Hunter tells him walking past him down the stairs. 

“Don’t be a smart ass.” Michael tells him. 

“Ben wants you to talk to him, and Justin doesn’t, doesn't take a smart ass to see your doing it backwards.” Hunter tells him. 

“Talk to Ben, I'm going to see if Jen has calmed down.” I tell him, heading out the door.

BRIAN 

I decided to bite the bullet and call Jen. I'm surprised that I haven't heard from her.

“Brian I was about to call you, the girls and I are going to come there next week.” She tells me. 

“Justin mentioned it. It will save us a trip to see Gus.” I tell her. 

“I wanted to see Justin anyway.” She tells me. 

“He's trying to convince me that the house I want us to look at is bigger than necessary.” I tell her. 

“One day my son will figure out that you don't do small.” She tells me. 

“I want us to be happy with where we live. All your son tends to see is the price tag.” I tell her. 

“He used to not care, but it comes from taking care of his things young.” She tells me. 

“I want a house where if Mel and Lindsay move here, we aren’t tripping on each other. I sent you a copy of the specs, because it has everything the other house had.” I tell her. 

“You don’t see moving back here again, do you?” She asks me. 

“Kinnetik isn’t going to stay based in Pittsburgh if New York becomes what I hope, and after talking with Ted and Cynthia I can see branching further to other cities. Cynthia is willing to wait on future moves. I want Justin to have the time to decide where he wants his career to go.” I tell her. 

“Mel seems to like the idea of having distance from everyone here.” She tells me. 

“He's trying to figure out how he feels.” I tell her not avoiding why we are really talking.

“I'm in the same boat. I'm angry but at the same time confused about it all. It was years ago and you and I were the only ones who knew how bad it was for him. I just don’t know how to look at Michael and not want to smash more than a cake in his face.” She tells me. 

“Deb’s already expecting help from me. I just can't help her this time. I never wanted Justin to hear it.” I tell her. 

“I could have lived never hearing it, but it's there in the open. Hopefully Michael can learn not to open his mouth before words come out that he can't explain away.” She tells me. 

“Whether he figures it out or not, I'm not putting Justin and me in the middle of it. By staying here, it keeps us from being told to help solve someone else's issues.” I tell her. 

“You alway do what's best for Justin. Thank you for proving me wrong when I thought you were the worst thing in his life.” She tells me. 

“He changed me too.” I tell her, hanging up. 

“Was that Mom?” Justin asks me. 

“Did paint explode near you?” I ask him. 

Justin was covered in a rainbow of colors. It was in his hair and across his cheek and nose. 

“I've never been able to paint neatly.” He tells me scrunching his orange and green nose.

“You've never learned the art of neatness, trust me I know.” I tell him. 

“My theory is painters become famous because everyone thinks they're crazy, when it's really just messy to use paints. Think about it, Einstein looked nutty as a loon, but he didn't have time to worry about his appearance, so people see the wild hair and disarray in clothing and think mad scientist. When he was just too busy to brush his hair.” He tells me. 

“I can excuse mad genius, but it better not make it into my closet.” I tell him. 

“About that, I think we need to look at closet space, because you're kicking me out of mine.” He tells me. 

“Which is why a bigger house would save us from potential harm to my favorites.” I tell him getting a rag to clean him up.   

“Which is everything you own.” He tells me pecking me on the lips.

“Speaking of clothing.” I tell him. 

“Nope, you aren’t ever going to make me shop with you.” He tells me.

“As my loving partner you should want to look as good as you can for me.” I smirk.

“Like naked wouldn't get us in trouble when we went out.” He tells me. 

“See, I have two theories on that, one is it beats the cargos, and two, I'd have every gay man envying me. So no losing if you choose ‘au natural’.” I tell him. 

“I already have them envying me, since they’ve all seen you.” He tells me. 

I got the last of the paint off his face and lean in to kiss him.

“I love you.” I tell him kissing him.

“Even when I'm dwelling on how to be okay with your best friend?” He whispers. 

“How you feel about me is all I care about.” I tell him. 

“That's easy, I've loved you since the night we met. It never changed, no matter where I was or who I was with.” He tells me. 

“I always knew that, it's why I waited for you.” I tell him. 

JEN

After talking to Brian, I decided that I wasn’t going to worry about Michael. It's not like I hang out with Deb everyday. I just forgot that Deb would want me to help, until I opened my door to Deb looking upset.

“I swear that kid of mine can’t help himself at all.” She tells me walking in.

“Probably because everyone does it for him.” I comment.

“Can you believe Brian thinks he doesn't need to help?” She asks me. 

“Yes, I can.” I tell her. 

“Brian isn’t as selfish as you believe, he's always been there to help Michael.” She tells me, misunderstanding.

“I meant that I get why he's not willing to help.” I tell her. 

“Jen, trust me, I'm not happy with Michael, but he's got more than what he said about Justin going on. He and Ben are having problems too.” She tells me. 

“Did you come to see me for something?” I ask her. 

“I think between you and I we can get the boys to at least talk to each other. They aren't going to solve anything until they do.” She tells me.    

“Brian and Justin are doing fine.” I tell her. 

“Michael’s life is a mess, and usually Brian helps Michael.” She tells me. 

“Michael needs to learn how to help himself, because with Brian planning to stay in New York permanently, he won't be around to help Michael.” I tell her. 

“Jen, they're planning on coming back next year. I want my family to get along, but unless Michael can get his life in order, we'll all be dealing with it then.” She tells me. 

“They aren't coming back.” I tell her. 

“Well that’s just great. It's just like Brian to make the girls move here and then move away. Doesn't Brian realize Justin’s is going to want to see his kid.” She tells me. 

“Brian will make sure Justin gets to be the parent he wants to be.” I tell her. 

“How, when the girls will be here and they are in New York?” She asks me.

“They have always made it work for them, so I’m trusting them to make it work in the future.” I tell her.

“Jen, I know what Michael said was wrong, but I need you to tell Brian to help him.” She brings us back to why she’s here, no surprise there.

“I don’t tell Brian or Justin anything, because I treat them like adults who can make their own decisions. If you expect Michael to learn how to solve anything you have to let him do it. I resent the fact that you think I should help Michael do anything right now.” I tell her.

“I know the timing is bad but Ben is acting like he wants to leave Michael too.” She tells me.

“For what happened with Justin?” I ask her.

“No, he said it was because Michael runs his mouth without thinking and that he’s too busy trying to run everyone else’s life.” She tells me.

“Ben seems to have a good idea what his husband’s problems are, do you?” I ask her.

“What do you mean?” She ask me.

“Why are you running to everyone with something that should be between them? If Michael and Ben are going to stay together then it’s going to require Michael to do some of the heavy lifting in the relationship. Even I see Ben having to practically carry Michael on his back to keep that marriage going.” I tell her.

“Michael loves Ben.” She tell me.

“Love is great, but unless there’s equal commitment there’s no marriage. I found that out with Craig. It’s why I divorced him, because he wasn’t willing to commit to me the way I was committing to him.” I tell her.

“He was a homophobic asshole, that’s why you left him.” She tells me.

“I left because we promised to love our children and he couldn’t, for something that Justin couldn’t change about himself. I left because he didn’t listen if he didn’t like what he heard. If Michael isn’t doing anything to work out his and Ben’s problems, than his future might not include Ben. I’m telling you this because you seem to think that if Brian would show up, then your son once again has everyone doing what he needs to do for himself. I would suggest you go home and take care of your relationship before Carl starts wondering why he’s eating alone when he has you.” I tell her.

I open my door and wait for her to go, because I’m not going to help her with her son. 

“We’ve always worked together to help our kids.” She tells me.

“They were still growing up, it’s time to realize they need to help themselves.” I tell her.