HUNTER

It will be the wedding that goes down in history, because Shelby and I had everyone believing we were high during the ceremony. I don’t know why it happened. We were both ready to get married, listened to the speeches about how we were entering into a new stage of adulthood, and understood the seriousness of the commitment we were making. So when we stood in front of everyone getting ready to say our vows, I looked at Shelby, wanting to say something along the lines of the reasons I loved him and would always love him, but instead, started laughing, and couldn’t get a word out. Shelby seemed to have the same problem, and managed to say he loved me before busting out laughing.

At least Dad took it well, and joined in when we couldn’t say a sentence without giggling. Jenny and Gus told me at the reception, it was better than other weddings where everyone acted all serious. It was also a relief, since I panicked last night, after Shelby left to stay at his parents house for the night. I don’t know what caused me to start having doubts, but it was suddenly too real. I wanted to marry Shelby, but I started worrying about everything. He was almost finished with college and would be starting his life married to me. What about his career and what happens if like Justin, he needs to do it away from me? How could I stand in his way? My career could just as easily take me away from him, then how do we keep our relationship strong? Everyone noticed my panicking thoughts and I just blurted it out loud.

“It's normal to have doubts.” Ben tells me.

“I acted like a total idiot, instead of saying yes when Ben asked, I went to Brian. Which made me see Ben was offering me the future I wanted, not the past I was over.” Michael smirks at Brian.

“Our wedding was disaster after disaster, I went to Brian, practically begging for help.” Mel tells me.

“I remember thinking everything was a sign that we were doing this for the wrong reasons. It disappeared when we saw what the guys did for us.” Lindsay tells us.

“What?” Brian asks when they all looked at him.

“Give him something.” Michael tells him.

“I had the same doubts he did, and since we didn't get married, I thought it would be better to leave it alone.” Brian tells Michael, shrugging.

“How did you stay together with Justin not being around?” Ben asks.

“Because loving the twat didn't change with miles between us. I held on to the knowledge that we didn't fight as hard as we did to be together only to fail when we both knew what we wanted. If I could have changed anything, it would've been listening to anyone about what we wanted. Justin already knew what he was going to do and when he wanted to do it, but instead, we listened to someone who didn’t sacrifice anything for their relationship, but thought we should. They got to sleep in their cozy bed next to their partner, not even thinking about the fact that doing what they did, left Justin and me trying to find times just to see each other face to face. Hunter won’t have to deal with Shelby being away for months at a time, because unlike me, his career will allow him to be with Hunter. So all this worrying is just Hunter being a bigger twat than Justin can be.” Brian tells us.

“Brian, dance with me.” Justin tells him, leading him away from the very quiet group.

“We didn’t make them feel that way, did we?” Michael asks, worried when it was obvious who Brian was talking about.

“No, it wasn't you.” Ted tells him.

“I thought it was what Justin needed.” Lindsay tells us.

“I'm sure you did, but it's like you forgot that Brian needed Justin. You left and we were all here watching Brian and Justin try to get every minute they could together. Cynthia and I took on any responsibility that would give Brian a chance to be with Justin. I know there were nights when I held Blake close thinking, thank God we didn’t have to do what Brian and Justin did.” Ted tells her.

“I know there were times I could've made things easier for them, but in the end it didn’t matter, because they always managed to come back to each other. It's why when Brian tried to act like he was only doing the wedding for Justin, I made him admit he wouldn’t do it if he didn’t want to. Even when they canceled the wedding, I knew one day it would happen.” Michael tells us.

“Brian said it best, if you love someone then miles don’t change it.” Blake tells me.

“Shelby having a career doesn’t have to be without you. You find a way, because it's possible. They did it.” Emmett tells me.

“They'll always do it. They showed us our problems were nothing in comparison, when our partners were in our lives day to day.” Ben tells me.

It was something Justin gave me when he offered me the job, the opportunity to never have to wait on Shelby to do what he needs to do. He already offered for us to use the apartment in New York if we ever needed it, and let me know if I needed to be with Shelby, my job could be done without holding his hand. It made me wonder if Justin planned it so Shelby and I wouldn’t have to do what he and Brian did.

I sat next to Shelby, looking at all the couples in our life. Finding things about each that I hoped for in our lives. I wanted the simplicity of staying home and doing little things together like Ted and Blake. The crazy, happy, sometimes jealous, Emmett and Drew. Having kids and careers the way Mel and Lindsay did. Loving someone even when you could lose them, but not caring, because Ben gives Michael everything he wants. The strength to fight against all the odds, as if time was just waiting on the man you love, the way Brian and Justin did for each other. Knowing you found the person who will grow old with you like Deb and Carl. They all showed me the adventure that was waiting for Shelby and me. I kissed him, ready to go to the Bahamas, a gift from our parents. The hotel was Brian and Justin’s gift, with everything being paid for. Mel and Ted gave us this awful statue, but with a card and an account started for our future, which everyone contributed to. Emmett offered his service to decorate the home we will eventually buy, with Drew saying the furniture was on him, including the people to move the furniture in for us. Michael and Ben wanted to have us come with them to Tibet as a family as their present. Mary and Dean waited till last and told us they wanted to put the down payment on our first home. Shelby and I agreed to let Jen help us find a house when we got back, it was time for the loft to belong to the kings again.

BRIAN

We saw Hunter and Shelby off, being pelted by bird seed. Which Michael tried to argue would clean itself.

“What does bird seed attract?” I ask.

“Birds, duh.” Mikey says the obvious.

“Flying shit bags!” Hunter yells, hustling Shelby in the car to get away.

“It also grows, which means weeds.” Emmett tells him, just to bury Mikey faster.

“I'm sure your gardener wouldn’t allow anything that could offend the great Brian Kinney.” Mel jokes.

“I like variety, chaos helps me paint.” Justin defends Mikey.

“Yeah, I think there's even sunflower seeds.” Mikey runs in the house to get away from me.

“You're really protecting the destroyer of my carefully maintained lawn?” I ask, when Justin and the rest follow Mikey.

“No, but I'm sort of hungry.” Justin tells me.

“He’s always hungry.” Ted comments.

I glared up at the sky, daring anything to shit on my lawn. Gus stood next to me helping. My boys were giggling in my head at the idea that I think I control everything. Gus took off when Justin told him there was cake to finish.

“I never knew you were angry.” Lindsay tells me, standing in front of me.

“I didn’t realize I still was.” I tell her.

“Even though you and Justin still stayed together?” She asks.

“Nothing could have stopped Justin and me from staying together. You just seemed to think we needed it, which isn't something you would have appreciated if I did to you or Mel.” I tell her.

“I just couldn’t see how he could let a huge opportunity like that go. When I talked to him, he made it sound like it didn’t matter to him. He said that the only thing that mattered was being with you.” She tells me.

“It was something only Justin should’ve been allowed to decide. In the end I didn’t give him a choice, because you made it so it sound like I was taking away something from him. You weren’t all to blame, but like Michael when Justin and I were having problems, you left out something that could have changed what happened. I forgave Michael for not telling me something that I can’t say would have changed anything, and I can forgive you for doing what Michael did too. What I can’t forgive you for right now, is causing Michael to doubt his life’s work and having Justin feel like a decision he made about Rage was hurting Michael. You keep giving Justin reasons not to include you in things, when at one time you were the person he would have wanted to share his career with. I don’t want to have to constantly put out fires you start because you don’t think before you say or do something.” I tell her.

“I didn’t mean to sound like Rage was a joke. It’s just, compared to everything else in Justin’s career, Rage didn’t seem like it should be important.” She tells me.

“The penthouse Justin bought us, you remember that don’t you?” I ask. “Rage and his art bought it. Rage and Zephyr’s adventures helped to pay off this house, because I wouldn’t let Justin use the money he was making from his painting to help pay for it, so Justin found a way around it by making Rage more successful by including Michael’s comic. If Michael and Ben hadn’t wanted to put every dime they could in accounts for Jenny and Hunter, they could have vacationed well on what Zephyr’s Adventures was bring in. Just because it was a comic didn’t make it silly, or something Justin was wasting his time on with Michael. It was their business, and you treated it like a silly pastime.” I tell her.

“It hurt that Michael was more important to Justin than I was.” She tells me.

“The only people important to Justin are Gus, me, and the boys about to be a part of our lives. He doesn’t play favorites otherwise. You made it harder for him to want to include you, when every time he saw you, you worried about his career, not that he took time to see our son. You want Justin to include you, then don’t come at him with more advice he doesn’t need.” I tell her.

“In other words, think everything I want, but don’t say it.” She tells me.

“It’s good advice, because saying what you think seems to piss everyone off.” I tell her, hugging her.

“Mel told me.” She whispers.

“Then listen to your partner, because she loves you.” I tell her, taking her in to join the feeding frenzy in the house.