"Should you really be showing up at my place unannounced? I would hate for Fe to get the wrong idea."

Brad took a deep breath, nodding. He deserved that. He was the one that told Lucas they could just be friends. But not real friends. The kind of friends that never hung out. The kind of friends that ran into each other and made phony plans to meet up.

That was what he wanted.

Or at least he thought he did.

Felix was great. Everything he thought he wanted. They had come a long way since Felix barely acknowledged his existence. Becoming friends and getting closer, but after a series of false starts and an argument, he figured he and Felix were over before they even began.

Then he met Lucas. This hot guy that was interested in him from the moment they met. Some random guy he had more in common with than he would've thought. What were the odds of two adopted kids finding out their biological fathers were mobsters meeting? Although, if what he read in the papers were true, the odds were pretty high in Port Charles.

It wasn't that he and Lucas had hooked up that first night. Or the next. But with Lucas it was different.

He was different.

He wasn't trying to prove he was a decent guy. He could just be himself. Flaws and all. He didn't have to explain his bad choices. With Lucas he had a clean slate.

"Can I come in? I was hoping we could talk."

"You know, now's not really a good time."

"This will just take a few minutes. I wanted to apologize."

"I'm listening." Lucas leaned in the door frame, making it clear that he wasn't inviting him inside.

Not that he wanted to have this conversation in the hall, but this was his chance to try to fix things. "Look, I'm sorry for how I acted. For not giving you a real chance. That first night, it was great. Not just after we went back to my place, but that was pretty great too," Brad laughed softly, quickly reflecting on that night for a few moments. "I just - I've never met someone I've felt this connected with. Maybe it's the adopted thing. Or finding out both of our fathers are mobsters. I can be myself around you. I ended things with Felix. If - "

"Lucas?"

Brad's eyes darted to the door at the sound of a female voice. Not that gay guys weren't allowed to have female friends, but it was late.

Lucas apologetically held up his hand, "Hold on a second."

Lucas stepped back inside his apartment, closing the door, as Brad awkwardly stood in the hall. Possessing self-control he didn't know he had, he resisted the urge to press his ear to the door to figure out who Lucas was talking to.

A few minutes passed and the door opened, Lucas stepped out in the hall followed by Maxie.

Maxie briefly looked at him before turning her attention to Lucas. "Call me later, okay?"

Lucas nodded before hugging Maxie and kissing her cheek. "Absolutely, my mom's been asking about you."

"I'll call her. I'm so happy you're home." Maxie hugged Lucas again, before waving at the both of them. "Bye."

"So, you and Maxie...you two - you know, you said this was a bad time."

"You're right, I did."

"You know what, forget what I said, I should probably get going."

"Just so you know, Maxie's my cousin." Lucas broke into a wide smile, "In case you were wondering."

Maxie Jones. Lucas Jones.

"Oh."

"Do you really want me to forget what you said? I was thinking of heading to the Floating Rib if you want to grab a drink."

THE END