Michael parked in front of Brian's apartment. He didn't even know why he was walking up the stairs. Everything seemed clear of his mind. While in the elevator, for only a second, he forgot where he was and where he was going. When the thought popped back to him, he felt extremly dumb and all of a sudden, very stressed out. He knocked on the door. "Brian, Brian! Are you in there?" he yelled. He looked at his watch. It was 2:30 in the afternoon. But Brian opened the door, looking like he had been disrupted from hibernation. He looked at Michael for a moment. First angry and tired, then confused, then happy.
"Mikey! What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Hunter ran away."
"Well, at least he's gone. And your back! This is great." He opened the door wider, and Michael walked in.
"God Brian, do you ever wear pants?"
"Right. Where are my manners." The sarcasm was dripping from his words. Michael just rolled his eyes as Brian sat down and put a pillow on his neud lap. Michael continued to talk.
"Hunter ran away and it's not a good thing. What if his mom finds him? What if he has to start hustling again?" Michael was talking so fast and Brian was so hungover, he couldn't understand anything that Michael was saying.
"Woah, Mikey, you're giving me a headache. Well, a worse one." Michael sighed. For the first time, he looked around Brian's apartment.
"What the fuck happened? Where's all your stuff?"
"Not here."
"No shit. Why?"
"Because my money's gone."
"All of it? Havent you gotten your job back yet?"
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"Beg."
"I don't beg!" He yelled this and it echoed through his empty apartment.
"Okay, don't have a tantrum. Are you gonna get a new job?"
"I... I don't know Mikey. I don't think I really have a choice. I'm 100,000 dollars in debt."
"How the hell-" but Brian cut him off.
"I payed for the commercial."
"What commercial?"
"The one against Stockwell."
"Brian... Why?"
"He closed up the back room."
"That is not why. You care." He smiled, but then he wiped the smile off his face, remembering the big problem. "Okay, it will all be fine. I'm gonna call you later, but I have to get home. Thanks for the car." Brian stood up, and the pillow fell from his lap.
"Love ya, Mikey."
"You to." They kissed, but not passionatly. Michael left and ran to the bus stop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Michael arrived in front of his apartment building, he was glad there were no police cars. He needed to see Ben. It had been two days and he needed sex to relieve him of his worries. The first thing he was planning to do when he saw Ben was give him the best kiss he had ever had. "Michael! I missed you."
"I missed you too." They kissed, but not for long. "We have to find Hunter. But where? Ben, what if the police find him before us."
"He's smart. He'll be fine. We have to figure out what to do."
"We have to find him!"
"And then what?" Michael was silent. Ben was right. What would they do, run away again?
"You're right. But what do we do?"
"I have no idea. But the police are looking for him. I got them off my back by telling them he ran away and you were at a comic convention."
"I know."
"But they still tapped our phones."
"Shit, no."
"Yes."
"Okay. I've got to go to my mom's house and tell her."
"Okay. Maybe she can come up with a plan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Justin, sweetie, get me a decaf." Justin looked at Emmett's tired and sad face.
"Sure." he poured the coffee, and tried to strike up a conversation. "So, how are things?" He had heard from Melanie about the whole Ted Emmett ordeal.
"I really don't feel...i don't feel like talking right now."
"Sure." He paused and once again said, "Sure." That's when Brian walked in, wearing a suit.
"Going to beg for your job back?" Brian looked at him scornfully. Justin smirked.
"I don't beg."
"Then where are you going wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase."
"I don't think that's any of your buisness." Brian sat next to Emmett and put his arm around him. "So, hows our Teddy?" Emmett looked at him, and Brian smiled.
"Fuck you."
"Oh, not in the talking mood i see." He smiled wider. Then he yelled to Justin, "Can we get some service." He looked back to Emmett. "Boy, am I famished. I think I'll have..."
"Move it," Emmett said. Brian moved to the other side of the bench and Emmett left some money and walked out the door. Justin walked up to Brian, laughter in his voice.
"You are such an asshole."
"Oh, and you love me for it." They kissed, and Brian looked at his watch. "I have an appointment that I can't miss." He stuck a five dollar bill in Justin's pocket. "Buy yourself something nice." He picked up his briefcase and walked out the door. He climbed in his car and drove off. Justin looked at his back as he walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Debbie looked at Michael. She didn't know what to do. "You have to find him!"
"I know. But Ben's right. What would we do if we did find him."
"Bring him here."
"They would find you. The police have tapped our phone."
"I won't call you."
"Mom, Horvath works for the police."
"Screw Horvath!"
"Okay, Mom, you're not thinking clearly. You're just angry about Hunter running away."
"You're damn right I'm angry. How could he do that! You were trying to help him!"
"He didn't want me to get in trouble with anyone." Debbie was silent. "Look, Ma, I know you're trying to help. Thank you, but we need to think fast, or else his mom will get him."
"Michael, You're a genius!"
"Mikey! What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Hunter ran away."
"Well, at least he's gone. And your back! This is great." He opened the door wider, and Michael walked in.
"God Brian, do you ever wear pants?"
"Right. Where are my manners." The sarcasm was dripping from his words. Michael just rolled his eyes as Brian sat down and put a pillow on his neud lap. Michael continued to talk.
"Hunter ran away and it's not a good thing. What if his mom finds him? What if he has to start hustling again?" Michael was talking so fast and Brian was so hungover, he couldn't understand anything that Michael was saying.
"Woah, Mikey, you're giving me a headache. Well, a worse one." Michael sighed. For the first time, he looked around Brian's apartment.
"What the fuck happened? Where's all your stuff?"
"Not here."
"No shit. Why?"
"Because my money's gone."
"All of it? Havent you gotten your job back yet?"
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"Beg."
"I don't beg!" He yelled this and it echoed through his empty apartment.
"Okay, don't have a tantrum. Are you gonna get a new job?"
"I... I don't know Mikey. I don't think I really have a choice. I'm 100,000 dollars in debt."
"How the hell-" but Brian cut him off.
"I payed for the commercial."
"What commercial?"
"The one against Stockwell."
"Brian... Why?"
"He closed up the back room."
"That is not why. You care." He smiled, but then he wiped the smile off his face, remembering the big problem. "Okay, it will all be fine. I'm gonna call you later, but I have to get home. Thanks for the car." Brian stood up, and the pillow fell from his lap.
"Love ya, Mikey."
"You to." They kissed, but not passionatly. Michael left and ran to the bus stop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Michael arrived in front of his apartment building, he was glad there were no police cars. He needed to see Ben. It had been two days and he needed sex to relieve him of his worries. The first thing he was planning to do when he saw Ben was give him the best kiss he had ever had. "Michael! I missed you."
"I missed you too." They kissed, but not for long. "We have to find Hunter. But where? Ben, what if the police find him before us."
"He's smart. He'll be fine. We have to figure out what to do."
"We have to find him!"
"And then what?" Michael was silent. Ben was right. What would they do, run away again?
"You're right. But what do we do?"
"I have no idea. But the police are looking for him. I got them off my back by telling them he ran away and you were at a comic convention."
"I know."
"But they still tapped our phones."
"Shit, no."
"Yes."
"Okay. I've got to go to my mom's house and tell her."
"Okay. Maybe she can come up with a plan."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Justin, sweetie, get me a decaf." Justin looked at Emmett's tired and sad face.
"Sure." he poured the coffee, and tried to strike up a conversation. "So, how are things?" He had heard from Melanie about the whole Ted Emmett ordeal.
"I really don't feel...i don't feel like talking right now."
"Sure." He paused and once again said, "Sure." That's when Brian walked in, wearing a suit.
"Going to beg for your job back?" Brian looked at him scornfully. Justin smirked.
"I don't beg."
"Then where are you going wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase."
"I don't think that's any of your buisness." Brian sat next to Emmett and put his arm around him. "So, hows our Teddy?" Emmett looked at him, and Brian smiled.
"Fuck you."
"Oh, not in the talking mood i see." He smiled wider. Then he yelled to Justin, "Can we get some service." He looked back to Emmett. "Boy, am I famished. I think I'll have..."
"Move it," Emmett said. Brian moved to the other side of the bench and Emmett left some money and walked out the door. Justin walked up to Brian, laughter in his voice.
"You are such an asshole."
"Oh, and you love me for it." They kissed, and Brian looked at his watch. "I have an appointment that I can't miss." He stuck a five dollar bill in Justin's pocket. "Buy yourself something nice." He picked up his briefcase and walked out the door. He climbed in his car and drove off. Justin looked at his back as he walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Debbie looked at Michael. She didn't know what to do. "You have to find him!"
"I know. But Ben's right. What would we do if we did find him."
"Bring him here."
"They would find you. The police have tapped our phone."
"I won't call you."
"Mom, Horvath works for the police."
"Screw Horvath!"
"Okay, Mom, you're not thinking clearly. You're just angry about Hunter running away."
"You're damn right I'm angry. How could he do that! You were trying to help him!"
"He didn't want me to get in trouble with anyone." Debbie was silent. "Look, Ma, I know you're trying to help. Thank you, but we need to think fast, or else his mom will get him."
"Michael, You're a genius!"