Chapter 9

"I know it's only been a few days...but I miss them all like Crazy. Especially him. And we were supposed to get MARRIED! I am such a jerk! But he never did want to get married. The bomb confused him. But he was so sincere. Should I have stayed? No, this is good for him...right? Of course. But should I have given him a better letter? It would have been so much harder if I had. It took me two weeks just to write those few words. Imagine if I had written a huge letter like for everyone else. Can you imagine it? It would have taken forever. But maybe it would have been better if it had taken forever. Maybe he would have found it...and begged me to stay...told me he loved me again. Wrapped me in a hug and didn't let go until I promised I wouldn't leave him. Told me he needed me in his life, that I was the most important thing. Then I could have convinced him to re-open Babylon so he wouldn't get lonely if I was hung up on a project. Now I had to tell him when he thought I was a dumb Southerner, what if he doesn't take my advice? What if he just sells it... and sits all alone in the huge loft. Sad that I was an ass whole who left him. Should I have left him? It was for his own good. At least I think so. Do I even have that authority? He's not my son or anything...though he does act more childish than Gus sometimes." The red head ranted to the five males that mirrored the man he was talking about.

He was pacing back and forth, answering his own questions that had been aimed at the quintuple that was idly sitting around the lavish living room. The five of them had long since given up trying to answer the youth's rapid questions. He never heard them when they did manage to get an answer in. He was far more occupied in the words that were unfiltered rushing from his mouth in a way that to most wouldn't be coherent, than the five males that had helped him grow so much in the past years of his eventful life. They were all looking at him with eyes that seemed about to laugh, the male had always been like this. Since the night he went on a verbal rampage of his allergies. It was so inane to them because of all the years they had heard it, that they needn't bother tuning him out, as they usually did.

"And then there's Debbie. She took me in when he was such a HUGE jerk. I shouldn't have left her alone; she didn't lose Vic that long ago. Should I have? Yea, she doesn't need some stupid kid that just gets in the way. She has Michael and Hunter to deal with; they are both a hand full as is. But I was always good at helping her defuse. What will she do without me? She'll do fine, I mean, she could handle me when I was being a shit. Not that I would EVER admit this...but me and that ex-hooker have a lot in common...in the fact that we eat like football players and often challenge authority, and both didn't like Michael from the start. He didn't like me because I got Brian when he didn't, but then we became friends, and thus RAGE was born. Oh man, that was amazing. We really should write more. I think there is a great future for J.T. and Zephyr of course, where would our Rage be without him? Huh? Nowhere. He needs both of them... though he would never say so. But now that they're married, it will be a bit harder for them. In retrospect it wasn't the best idea for them to get hitched. J.T. will start wanting more of Rage, and how can he be so protective of Gayopolise AND of his demanding husband. Because you have to admit the kid is demanding...but that's not the main point here! I shouldn't have left them...should I? No! It was wrong, but I am finding myself. I could be an amazing artist, and with Thomas being gone a bunch and being able to get me any supplies I may ever need. And they all wanted me to become the Superman of art anyway, so it's in their interest too. They would want this for me...right? Of course. And I could even dedicate a piece to them, THAT'S WHAT I'LL DO!" The male finally exclaimed.

He rushed forward and grabbed his sketchbook that the Fifth Brian had taken away from him when he was crying. First Brian lazily handed him a pencil. The once blonde took a cross-legged seat on the floor and started sketching away, not caring what he was drawing, just doing what his heart was guiding his hand into.

XxXxXxXxXxX

"Theodore." Brian called the accountant over to him.

The group had decided to retire for the night and were chilling in the room that had been claimed by all the females. Slight music was playing and the couples were dancing, winding down from the stress of searching for the boy that brightened their lives. The average male walked over to the stunning addition to the search party.

"Yea Brian?"

"How long would it take to get out of the sale of Babylon and to get it up and working again?"

"What? I thought you wanted it to be gone. You said that Liberty Avenue didn't need Babylon."

"And let the hetero's know they won? Think again, Babylon will never die...so I'll put my mouth on it, and blow...again. How long?"

"Uh, I'd guess maybe three to four months with everything. I could call the buyer tonight and say we're backing out if you want."

"Do it. I'll be in my room."

The stud walked out of the room without saying good bye, or any other words to the group that hadn't noticed the short but direct conversation that had happened only a few feet from them. As the door closed everyone noticed they were missing someone. They looked at Ted for an answer; all the male could do was shrug with his palms towards the air. Brian closed the door to his room. It was an entire floor away from the other two rooms that were right next to each other; the surprising thing was that the onyx haired man hadn't planned for it at all, though he was by no means complaining. He plopped down on his bed.

"Thanks for finally shutting up." He sighed, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Anything for you." All five of the Justin's smiled, simultaneously appearing around the room.

"Then why won't you leave me alone?" The eldest male snipped falling back onto the comfy bed.

"Because you need us...obviously." Third Justin smirked.

"I do not."

"That lie grows thin quickly." First Justin sang, surfing through the channels on the television.

"Will you stop watching T.V.; you're such a little kid." Fourth Justin snapped, snatching the remote away and clicking the power off.

First Justin glared and crossed his arms.

"Hey, be nice to him." Second Justin glared, snatching the remote from his elder and handing it back to First Justin.

First Justin turned the T.V. back on and again started surfing. Third Justin rolled his eyes and snatched the remote away. The screen went black once again and Fourth Justin thanked his one year inferior with his eyes. The younger just gave one nod as a welcome. Second Justin snatched it once again, and gave it to HIS one year inferior. The screen exploded with color again and was changing rapidly.

"It's annoying, stop." Third Justin growled.

"Seriously." Fourth Justin rolled his eyes, trying to grab the remote a second time.

"He can watch what he wants. Don't like it, leave." Second Justin glared as First Justin pulled away.

"Yea." First Justin added.

"Be nice guys. Come on." Fifth Justin said maturely.

"Shut up!" The four blondes yelled at him.

They all went back to arguing as Fifth Justin went to join Brian on the bed.

"Why are they fighting? They're the same person." The advertiser asked the only calm blonde.

"We never did like ourself. And with each of us here, around you, it brings out the memories of the worst of us from each year we matured...or didn't." The male with soot on him chuckled.

"What do you mean?"

"It'll be easier if I say it in third person. Uh, Ok, Justin, that's gunna be hard to keep up, uh, when you first met Justin he hated how naive he was, that he couldn't live up to how much everyone around him seemed to know. That's why he hates the rest of us... because we know more than him about life. The next year Justin hated how weak he was, that you had to save him from something he thinks he should have been able to prevent. That's why he sticks up for the younger of himself but is quick to chastise the three of us that are older. The year after that Justin hated himself for sticking with you when he wanted a real relationship, so that's why he is quick to jump at the others, because they're all with you. The next year, four years of knowing each other, and Justin hated himself for leaving you. He realized that it was stupid...you never lied to him. You couldn't give him EXACTLY what he wanted, but you did just enough at the right times to showed you cared. That's why he gets mad at the others younger than him, because he knows they'll leave you. It's a surprise that he's on the Justin that's one year bellows him side at all on this." The mature blonde explained, looking at the angry four young blondes fighting right in front of the bed.

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, Justin in the fifth year didn't have any aggressions. After the bomb he didn't see any need. Why hate so many people, they'll just hate you back. And they're hate is stronger, because we preach love. I don't get involved in their fights; I'd rather help you than lose my energy fighting with insecurities that I eventually get over. How does it make sense to fight, when all all of us want, is you?" Fifth Justin asked seriously, furrowing his brows at the oldest of all of them.

The two looked at each other curiously, both trying to understand what the other was thinking.

"If you don't want to fight so much... then why did the real version of you leave?" Brian finally asked.

"There's one thing that even to this day I hate about myself...I don't know until it's too late that I don't always know what's best. And when I do figure it out...I'm scared to admit it, so scared that I don't admit it until it hurts me to not."