EMMETT 

I’ve been feeling like an asshole all week because my big mouth caused Justin to find out something that hurt him. Ted told me not to use it if Michael acted like Michael, but instead of listening I used it. I've been avoiding calling Justin because I'm worried he's going to hate me for bringing it up. I should be hung from the disco ball at Babylon for this. I swear on Barbra that this Queen will gossip no more. I got off the plane deciding I would get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness. 

“Emmett what are you doing?” Justin asks me. 

“He thinks he owes you for opening his mouth.” Ted says dryly. 

“Get up you crazy man.” Justin tells me, holding out his hand.

“I'm sorry for everything.” I tell him. 

“I'm fine. Everyone needs to stop acting like I'm breakable.” He tells me. 

“It's been really chilly in Pittsburgh lately.” Blake tells him. 

“So I guessed from the many messages Michael left.” He tells us. 

“He's never going to understand what giving someone time means.” Ted tells him. 

“I never expected him to. It's just easier when he knows I won't answer him.” Justin tells us.

“So what's on the agenda?” I ask Justin. 

“Brian’s on a call and said for Ted to get his ass to the car. We get to inspect my house.” I tell them. 

“I thought you were going to wait for your mother to look with you?” Ted asks Justin. 

“When Brian has specs, do you think it was really a decision?” Justin asks him.

“He should have let you help make the decision. Shit don't listen to me.” I didn’t even make it out of the airport before I opened my mouth.

“To put your mind at ease, I love the house.” Justin tells me. 

“How long before moving day?” Blake asks him. 

“A month, there's still paperwork, which Ted is here to handle.” Justin smiles at Ted.

“It's his lot in life to buy the houses Brian decides are for you.” I tell him. 

“It's just horrible to get two mansions in three years, I just don’t know what to do.” Justin tells me, laughing. 

“I’d better get to his majesty before I get a pink slip.” Ted tells us walking out of the airport. 

“How do we end up carrying all the bags?” Blake asks us. 

TED

I spotted Brian next to an SUV smoking and speaking rapidly to the person on the phone.

“If you want the same Ads that get you the same revenue, than go with your old firm. I deliver the increases I promise…  Leo Brown would be selling his shoes at Wal-Mart if he hadn’t listened to me. Great, call and if we have the time to meet then I'll be glad to give you my time.” He hangs up and hands me a pile of paperwork. 

“Trying to win a new account?” I ask him. 

“I've won it, they just want us to work for it. I just let them know that they are going to work to get us.” He tells me. 

“So you bought the house?” I ask him. 

“My offer was accepted, now you get to do the rest.” He tells me. 

“I'll get Jen to help with it.” I tell him. 

“I found an office and a house, so my work is done.” He tells me. 

“I guess New York is turning into a reality.” I tell him, not that I doubted him, because he's Brian Kinney.

“I like how little there is to deal with here.” He tells me. 

“Ben moved out.” I tell him. 

“Michael will either get off his ass and fight or he won't. Justin didn’t wait around for me to come to him when he made his mistake, he came after me. Michael could learn something from that. I won't hold his hand and make it better for him.” He tells me. 

“No one is asking you to, just keeping you informed for when the next round of calls starts.” I tell him. 

“I'll answer eventually, but I'm taking a page out of the girls book this time. I don't want other people's problems causing Justin and me problems. “ He tells me. 

“I'm only mentioning this for information purposes. Ben is hoping Michael sees it's time to put their relationship first.” I tell him. 

“Ben was always smart, but he's dealing with Michael, who can't see anyone's side but his.” I tell him. 

HUNTER 

This is getting ridiculous, and it's time for me to talk to the cause. First I need advice from Blondie. I snuck out of Pittsburgh because Michael would have tried to come with me. Which would have just fucked things up more at this point. I called and told Justin I needed to talk to him alone. He about blistered my ears for driving to New York without at least telling Carl. I want my Dads to make up and if facing Justin does that, then face him I will.

Justin told me to meet him at the cafe near his place. I got there and groaned when Brian was waiting with Justin. 

“Is there a reason for your escape from Pittsburgh?” Brian asks me. 

“I came because I need to help Michael and Ben.” I tell him. 

“Usually being in the same geographic location as the problem helps.” He tells me. 

“Not this time. Ben is talking about renting an apartment.” I tell him. 

“What was you coming here to talk to me supposed to do?” Justin asks me.

“I don’t know, I just know that everyone says you managed to get Brian back when you cheated, so maybe you would have an idea.” I tell him noticing Brian glare when I said cheated.

“I didn’t let my stupidity get in the way. I knew that if I wanted Brian back I had to make the first move and all the moves until we were back together. Michael didn’t cheat, just stopped paying attention from what we were told, so if he gets off his ass, Ben will come home.” Justin tells me.

“It’s like he’s waiting for all the answers to fall from the sky.” I tell them.

“Hunter, Michael has to show Ben why they were together in the first place. You can’t do that for them.” Justin tells me.

“It’s not like I get it. Ben is stuck playing dad to Michael and me. What Michael’s role in the relationship is, is still a blank space waiting for the answer.” I tell them.

“Michael needs to answer that, not you. I got you a room with Emmett for tonight and Ben is on his way here to talk to you.” Brian tells me.

“Fuck why did you tell Ben I was here?” I ask him, pissed.

“He’s your father and he’s worried that you're taking this as them not loving you. He still loves Michael but needs space to figure out how to work this out.” Brian tells me.

“Which I can’t get. Justin asks for space and it’s like Michael’s homing beacon to keep hitting redial. Ben wants Michael to talk and Michael gives him space.” I rant.

“Michael avoids his real problems.” Justin tells me.

“What?” I ask him.

“He’s scared about being alone.” He tells me.

“He thinks that he’ll end up alone because you and Ben have HIV. He hasn’t figured out that there are no guarantees. He could die first but he thinks you guys will.” Brian tells me.

“He has family, so he’s not alone.” I tell him, because I know there is the possibility that I could die first or second.

“Michael can’t see anything but what he wants to see.” Brian tells me.

“Justin, are you ever going to talk to Michael again?” I ask him.

“I will when I feel that I can do it without lashing out. I just don’t know when that will be, and it’s really not your business.” Justin tells me.

“Let’s go and wait for Ben.” Brian tells me.

BEN

I swear I want to kill Hunter for doing this, but he wants everything back the way it was. I want Michael to meet me halfway and I’m not coming home until it happens. I know it’s crazy to still want Michael when he can’t see past his wants to see that our relationship is suffering. I look back at all the things Michael did to win me back and know it’s worth trying to get us where we need to be. 

Brian called when he found out Hunter drove to New York and told me he wasn’t running a home for runaways. I learned that was Brian speak for being worried about Hunter. Then he dropped the bomb on me about why he thinks Michael was having issues with he and Justin not being in Pittsburgh. I don’t know what to do for Michael because I can’t lie and say that he won’t be left behind someday. I really thought we worked past this issue, but it’s likely he just let it fester in his head and used his friends lives to ignore it.

Getting to the hotel, I see Brian smoking out front.

“You know that’s going to kill you.” I tell him, getting out of the cab.

“My personal PSA lets me know, then takes a drag.” He tells me.

“Hunter in there?” I ask him.

“Yep, but you and I are going to talk out here.” He tells me.

“I need to talk to Hunter.” I tell him.

“Unless you're planning on moving home and playing happy stepford fag for him, it’s not going to do anything but have him at my door, again.” He tells me.

“I can’t do that until Michael stops acting like we don’t have problems.” I tell him.

“You realize you married a Novotny. If it’s a problem, you change your name and lie to your kid. I doubt Michael is going to be any better than Deb at facing things.” He tells me.

“I thought you were going to make Michael deal with his own problems?” I ask him.

“When they show up at my door and try to get Justin’s advice, it becomes my problem.” He tells me.

“What did he think Justin would be able to tell him?” I ask him.

“Justin got me back, so Hunter must think Justin’s a miracle worker. I doubt Michael showing up and fucking you in your office is going to change your mind.” He tells me.

“It would at least show some sign he’s paying attention to me.” I tell him.

“Ben, you married Michael, not Justin, who fights for what he wants. Michael tends to wait for life to happen, and gets swept along with it.” He tells me.

“I can’t be the one keeping us together.” I tell him.

“You aren’t talking to him but at him. Ben, if you want to make it work then tell him the things you don’t want to say. It’s the same thing that all of us broke up over. I learned that saying ‘I love you’ didn’t mean Justin was going to use it against me. I say it as much as I can now because he needs to hear it, even though he’s always known. He was doing all the work and I was expecting him to hear what I never said. He went behind my back and started a relationship because he wasn’t listening when I told him it was his choice. I wasn’t telling him to walk out, just to choose me. All the problems were from not telling each other things. Justin’s not perfect, and trust me it took a while for me to get over him doing what he did, but if I wanted him I had to bend too.” He tells me.

“You acted like it was fine that he left you.” I tell him.

“It wasn’t, but did I hate him for it? No. I just didn’t like him for it either. If he’d stayed I’d have made his life hell until I got over it, but I wouldn’t have walked away until I knew there was no way for us to work.” He tells me.

“He’s afraid of me dying and being alone, how do I solve that?” I tell him.

“Not that I believe in counseling, but you lezzys do, so try it.” He tells me.

“I’ll think about it.” I tell him.

“Thinking just gives you a headache, figure it out so Hunter isn’t the one trying to do it for you.” He tells me walking in the hotel.

I go to the room and find Hunter on a bed watching TV with food wrappers around him. Emmett gets up and heads to the connecting door.

“Hey Dad, cop a squat.” Hunter tells me.

“Hunter, why the hell did you come here?” I ask him.

“I wanted to see what Blondie did to get Brian back and I have a feeling he fucked his way back. At least that’s what Emmett thinks.” He tells me.

“The only thing I can tell you is that one day they were apart and then they were dancing in Babylon all over each other. I don’t think we bothered to ask them.” I tell him.

“Maybe you and Michael should try it since neither of you will talk to the other.” He tell me.

“We aren’t Brian and Justin, our problems aren’t not telling each other we love each other but that Michael can’t stop running around chasing his friends.” I tell him.

“He’s afraid of being left alone.” Hunter tells me.

“So am I, but I don’t use it as a reason to worry about anyone but Michael, you, and me.” I tell him.

“It was dumb to come here, but I want you home.” He tells me.

“I was dumb to move out without telling Michael what he needs to hear. When we get home I promise to tell him.” I tell him.

Justin opens the door and tells Hunter dinner is in Ted’s room, which of course gets Hunter to run. 

“You hungry?” Justin asks me.

“No, just tired of everything.” I tell him.

“Me too.” He shuts the door and sits on the bed across from me.

“I’m sorry he said what he did.” I tell him.

“It’s Michael and my problem, it shouldn’t be yours.” He tells me.

“We have others, but it changed how I viewed him.” I tell him.

“Why?” He ask me.

“I never thought Michael had that side to him.” I tell him.

“He’s always had it, but just like all of us he hides it, until he can’t.” He tells me.

“Are you forgiving him?” I ask him.

“No, but I’m not going to let it affect my life, the way you seem to.” He tell me.

“What are you talking about?” I tell him.

“Why are you using as your reason to leave?” He asks me.

“There’s more to it than that.” I tell him.

“Ben, you want to know why you are someone I could never see having a relationship with?” He tells me.

“I assume because you love Brian.” I tell him.

“Well of course, but no that not the only reason.” He tells me.

“Then tell me the reason.” I tell him.

“You never gave Michael a reason to fight for you. He comes and you give in. I didn’t just walk in and fuck Brian. I let him know that I was going to fight for him. He let me know that I would need to fight if I wanted him back. So I got a job, working for him. I took what he needed to say until we both were ready to be with each other. Walking away is easy, it’s staying until you resolve it that’s hard.” He tells me.

“I want a relationship that isn’t constant work.” I tell him.

“Then get a cat, they love you if you feed them.” He tells me.

“I wouldn’t have wanted a relationship with you either.” I tell him.

“I know.” He tells me.

“Why are you helping Michael?” I ask him.

“I’m helping Brian not have to help Michael. He might be staying out of it but Michael means a lot to him.” He tell me.

“You mean more to Brian.” I tell him.

“Does Michael mean more to you? If he does then stop running from what you don’t want to say. It works wonders for a relationship when you aren’t afraid to say things. Just don’t leave it in limbo because it’s not fair to your son or to Michael.” He tells me.

“I think I’m hungry now.” I tell him.

Justin can be strangely old for such a young man. I guess it comes from years of Brian in his life. How did two people who followed Brian everywhere turn out so different from each other? I didn’t tell him why I wouldn’t have ever wanted a relationship with him, but he knows why. Justin would never love anyone the way he loves Brian, it must have been hard for the fiddler to know that he was just there until Justin ran back to Brian.