JUSTIN

I called Daphne, since we hadn’t had anytime to see each other. She and Brady were busy with the new baby and I’d been out of town when she had Mariah. Her boys, Brady Jr and Elliot were in school, so it was just her and I going to the diner for breakfast. Emmett flew over to see Daphne and take Mariah and show her the sights before telling us to sit with them. Everyone but Michael and Ben were there. Brian took Mariah from Emmett, sitting in a chair at the end of the booth, pronouncing her to be as gorgeous as her mother.

“Just think, our kids will grow up together.” Daphne tells us, excited.

“Hopefully they won’t do what we did to our parents.” I tell her.

“I remember my mother said that kids were payback for everything you did to your parents.” Mel tells us.

“It’s so hard to not want more kids when you see babies.” Lindsay tells us.

“Hey, is that Michael and Ben out there?” Daphne asked, making us all look.

“Looks like Mikey’s in trouble.” Brian commented, barely paying attention to anything but Mariah.

“Why would Michael be in trouble?” Deb asks, and stares as all the guys seem to not want to say anything. “Boys, what’s going on?” She asks.

“Look who’s here with the newest family member.” I tell Deb, trying to distract her, even though I’m curious.

“It won’t work.” Daphne whispers to me.

“Jen and I already meet Mariah, so skip to telling me why Ben looks pissed at Michael.” Deb tells us.

“Brian and I couldn’t tell you, we haven’t seen them. When we left to find out the sex of the boys everything was fine.” I tell her.

“Let Mikey and Ben deal with it.” Brian tells her, which means Brian knows something.

“What happened at Woody’s last night?” Deb asks.

“Deb, Brian was in a meeting at Kinnetik.” I tell her, getting confused when Brian looked guilty.

“Nothing Deb!” Emmett tells her, raising his voice.

“Then why are Ben and Michael fighting, when they were fine all day yesterday? Then Michael goes to Woody’s with all of you and now they aren’t.” Deb asks, looking at everyone but Mel, Lindsay, Daphne, and me.

“Why did you tell me you were going to Kinnetik?” I ask.

Brian didn’t answer, just ignored me. Ted must of thought he was saving Brian from me being pissed. “He wasn’t doing anything wrong, Justin.” He tells me.

“Like I didn’t know that already, but if he knows why Ben is pissed, then possibly say something so we can calm Ben down.” I tell both him and Ted.

“Maybe it was Michael telling all the queens in Woody’s how he’s not getting any?” Kiki suggests.

“Why would Michael run around telling people shit like that?” Daphne and Deb ask at the same time. Making them both laugh.

“He was just worried that maybe Zen Ben lost that loving feeling.” Brian tells us.

“You can explain how Woody’s became Kinnetik later, but it doesn’t explain them arguing out there.” I tell Brian.

“Mikey didn’t run around announcing anything, but talking about it in the middle of a bar full of gossipy queens didn’t help.” Brian explains.

“He hasn’t learned that saying something in Woody’s is like telling everyone.” Emmett tells us.

“But since all of you know that, for once it’s your fault what’s happening out there.” Daphne tells them.

“Our fault, why do you think Michael running his mouth is our fault?” Ted asks her.

“Because, when a friend is going to do something stupid you don’t let them announce what they’re doing to everyone. It’s like they didn’t learn from us.” Daphne tells me and them.

“What stupid thing did you and Justin do that you kept from me?” Brian asks, trying to distract us.

“You know, there were so many things that I couldn’t tell you.” Daphne tells Brian, proving she was still my partner in crime.

“Emmett, you know you want to tell us.” I tell him, when he was squirming.

“Shit, apparently there’s problems in the bedroom.” Emmett tells us, proving he’s still the gossip queen.

“Jesus Michael, you told everyone.” Ben says, turning around and walking out the door.

“Fuck, I did what you told me and now we’re arguing about it.” Michael tells Brian, before glaring at Emmett. “Did you have to announce you knew?” Michael asks Emmett.

“Sorry, we thought maybe it was the grapevine and somehow Ben heard about it.” Emmett tells Michael.

“Ben is going to be pissed if more people know.” Michael groans, laying his head down.

“That you aren’t having sex?” Daphne asks, not being able to resist.

“Michael, why would you tell anyone about that, it’s no one’s business.” Lindsay tell him.

“Because unlike you crazy lesbians, Michael tends to over-communicate.” Brian tells her.

“Did he at least tell you why?” Emmett asked, not getting what caused this whole thing.

“Not helping Honeycutt.” Brian tells him.

“Neither are you, Kinney.” Emmett tells him.

“What does it matter now, he’s pissed.” Michael hugs Deb’s waist, pouting.

“Who?” I ask Brian.

“You get him. Ben tends to stay on topic, come on Ted.” Brian tells me, handing Mariah to Lindsay.

“I feel bad that we haven’t been by to see you.” Lindsay tells Daphne, cooing all over Mariah.

“I told Justin that Brady and I were being mobbed by our families, so to hold off until the horde left. I was planning to come by and see you guys anyway. Jen told me you found a house.” Daphne tells her, stalling at dealing with Michael.

“Make sure Brian invites you to the…” Lindsay stopped when Mel glared.

“He already did, but how about leaving Justin to solve the mystery later.” Daphne tells her, warning me to leave it alone.

“Let’s order to go, we can go somewhere where there aren’t more people who could get Michael in trouble.” I tell them.

We all got up and headed to the loft, since Hunter and Shelby weren’t here right now. Michael told Deb it was just not a conversation you have with your mother. Like there was any conversation Deb didn’t feel she should be include on. Mel told Deb this was one she hoped to never have with Gus one day, and had Deb staying at the diner. Emmett, Daphne, Lindsay, and I went with Michael, while Mel told us she didn’t ever want to have this conversation with the father of her daughter either.

“So Ben and you aren’t having sex?” I ask, when we were seated around the dining room table.

“It’s not that we aren’t, but just not as much as we were before. We’re down to one time a week, when normally it’s two or three times.” He tells me, and yeah I was sort of having brain freeze; about Michael, sex, and what Brian would do if that happened.

“Not everyone fucks like bunnies.” Daphne tells me.

“You’re saying you and Brady?” I ask.

“It could happen, but then, I keep my man interested.” Daphne jokes.

“Mel and I, never mind, we at least try everyday.” Lindsay tells us, giving up when Michael gets the ‘shut her up’ look on his face.

“What did Ben say?” Emmett asks.

“He said the amount of sex we were having had nothing to do with him not being interested.” Michael tells us.

I didn’t really know what to say, for me and Brian it was hard to be in the same room and not want to rip our clothes off. But Michael looked like he didn’t believe Ben either.

“I told him I didn’t believe him, which is what caused us to fight all the way to the diner. He sort of said that we can’t all be like you and Brian. Then we walked in, to him hearing Emmett.” I tell him.

“Not that I can say I get it, I don’t. It might help to give him a reason to want it more.” I tell him, as Daphne tries not to cringe at the thought of Michael interesting anyone.

“I think he might want to switch things around.” Michael tells us.

“Lindsay, want to go and let the boys play? Mariah doesn’t need this much of an education.” Daphne tells her, kissing my cheek before leaving with Lindsay “Justin, let the other thing alone, you’ll like it.” Daphne yells, as they go down the stairs.

“You will Baby, but for now, Michael needs us.” Emmett tells me.

“If he wants you to top, then do it.” I tell him, thinking there’s no real big thing we need to talk about here.

“I haven’t really topped enough to be confident that I’ll be any good at it.” He tells me.

“Why haven’t you with Ben?” Emmett asks.

“Because I like what we do, and he never seemed to have a problem with it.” He tells me.

“I like what Brian does too, and he wouldn’t care if I never topped him. It doesn’t mean that he doesn’t want to.” I tell him.

“It’s just, I never really got many compliments when I did top.” Michael tells us.

“It’s not like a tea party, where people sit around complimenting the host.” Emmett tells him.

“So no one ever said anything when either of you topped?” Michael asks.

“Other than telling me they’d love a repeat, not really.” I tell him.

“I didn’t even get that.” Michael tells us, looking dejected.

“I’m already in hell, might as well ask. Did you do more than lube and stick it?” I ask, not wanting to know, but figuring we had to know what we were working with.

“If you mean foreplay, there wasn’t a great deal of it, the guys were tricks.” Michael tells us.

“Who never asked for a repeat, that says a lot.” Emmett tells him.

“It’s not like with Ben, who takes the time to work us up first.” Michael tells him.

“Did you pay attention to the things Ben was doing?” I ask.

“Yes, smart ass.” Michael tells me.

“I’m only asking because the things guys do to you, are the things they like themselves. Brian likes it when I rim him and fuck him with my fingers. He also likes to be the one bent over his desk while I work him with toys. I don’t just shove my dick in him and cum. I listen to the sounds that tell me he likes what I’m doing, and when I do something he doesn’t, I find what he likes.” I tell him.

“Ben likes to tie me up.” He tells me.

“Then get some handcuffs and give him the chance to live the fantasies he likes with you. Buy a vibrator and open him up, while going down on him. Shit, you used to practically inspect everything in Brian’s loft, what did you think all the toys were for, a shrine? No, they were there for when Brian wanted more than to be the top in the relationship.” I tell him.

“He didn’t have any relationships.” He tells me.

“He did with himself on occasion, we all do. I found out they weren’t all there for the tricks or me. There were some that Brian liked when he didn’t trust anyone, but me.” I tell him.

“I always knew it.” Emmett laughs.

“He still tops from bottom, I just make sure he likes what I put in his bottom.” I smirk.

“See, I don’t even get what that means.” Michael tells me.

“It means even when I’m the one fucking him, he still wants to control the sex.” I tell him.

“I have to go, my shop needs to be open.” Michael tells me, going to the door.

“Michael, use what you know about Ben and find the top we all have in us.” I tell him.

“Think that helped him?” Emmett asks.

“How do you really teach that with words?” I ask Emmett.

“The same way Ted and I taught Deb, bring the equipment for show and tell.” Emmett suggests.

“Emmett, I’m not topping Brian to show Michael how to do it.” I tell him.

“There are toys for everything. No, I don’t mean we get him naked and show him.” He tells me, when I shivered in disgust. “But you know, we show him like they teach sex in school with charts and things.

“I don’t know what kind of school you went to Em, but I don’t remember dildo’s and fake asses at my school.” I tease him as we leave.

“At least it would be better than the diagram. I might have found a reason not to sleep through the whole thing.” He tells me, giggling.

“What does my dear husband have planned for my birthday?” I ask.

“Is nothing ever a secret in this group?” He ask.