Hunter turned off the TV, tears welling up in his eyes. He pushed a strand of his blond hair back off of his face and furiously wiped away the escaped tears.
Michael was still shaken from his encounter with Brian, but that didn't stop him from functioning normally. He passed Hunter by several times putting away clothes, dishes, basically being the housewife, and never once noticed his tears. Hunter stood and crossed the room. He got a bottled water out of the fridge and took a few sips, took a couple Excedrin and then started to head for his room.
Michael stopped and set down his work. "Hunter, what's the matter?"
Hunter stared in disbelief. "You passed me by nearly a half a dozen times and you never once took a look at me. Not that it's very fucking important to you, but one of my old friends was found murdered in the bathroom at Woody's." He grimaced, the Excedrin sticking in his throat, and he stalked off into his room, taking down liberal sips of the bottled water to free the caught pills.
"Hunter- I..." The door slammed on Michael's response, leaving him to stand alone, mouth agape. For a moment, he mired through the awkward silence, sprinkled with muted sniffling coming from Hunter's room. Finally Ben broke the silence.
"Hey, cutie." He came through the front door all smiles and set his book bag down. He approached Michael and wrapped his arms around the other man.
"Ben. Ben, Ben, Ben am I ever glad to see you." He looked into Ben's eyes, his own smiling and kissed him. "Unfortunately, you've come home to a small problem."
Ben's smile only faded a little, the bit that had left was replaced with worry. "I'm guessing it has something to do with Hunter."
Michael nodded and gently pulled free from Ben's embrace, ready to take a seat after being on his feet all day. He turned on the TV, an hour having passed, and as though it had been (well) timed, a newsbreak interrupted a run of South Pacific. "Ben, I might be getting ahead of myself, but you may want to watch this with me."
Ben shrugged, not yet understanding and fit himself behind Michael on the couch.
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for an urgent news break. There have been serious allegations in the murder of Jaime Huston. Brian Kinney, owner and founder of Kinnetics Advertising has been named the prime suspect in Huston's murder. We take you on-scene with Julie Lane. Julie?"
Michael's eyes threatened to roll out of their sockets. "Holy fuck!!"
Ben put a gentle hand on Michael's back. "Was that what I needed to see?"
"No... Oh, shit." He fell silent as a cut-to brought a somewhat homely looking blond woman onto the screen. She stood in front of Woody's in her pastel blue suit, looking (for some reason) painfully smug.
"Thank you, Maria. I'm standing in front of Woody's, a local gathering place for the gay and lesbian population of Pittsburgh where only 48 hours ago, 29-year-old Jaime Huston was found brutally murdered in this establishment's bathroom. The last person seen with Huston was prime suspect, Brian Kinney. Thus far, Kinney has been nowhere to be found. For channel four news, this is Julie Lane."
Michael was stunned. His hands trembled and all color seemed to drain from his face like water through a sieve. Ben got up off of the couch and kneeled in front of him. "Michael, talk to me." He reached up and cupped his palm against Michael's cheek.
"Ben, when I turned on the news, I only expected a repeat of what Hunter must have seen..."
Michael was still shaken from his encounter with Brian, but that didn't stop him from functioning normally. He passed Hunter by several times putting away clothes, dishes, basically being the housewife, and never once noticed his tears. Hunter stood and crossed the room. He got a bottled water out of the fridge and took a few sips, took a couple Excedrin and then started to head for his room.
Michael stopped and set down his work. "Hunter, what's the matter?"
Hunter stared in disbelief. "You passed me by nearly a half a dozen times and you never once took a look at me. Not that it's very fucking important to you, but one of my old friends was found murdered in the bathroom at Woody's." He grimaced, the Excedrin sticking in his throat, and he stalked off into his room, taking down liberal sips of the bottled water to free the caught pills.
"Hunter- I..." The door slammed on Michael's response, leaving him to stand alone, mouth agape. For a moment, he mired through the awkward silence, sprinkled with muted sniffling coming from Hunter's room. Finally Ben broke the silence.
"Hey, cutie." He came through the front door all smiles and set his book bag down. He approached Michael and wrapped his arms around the other man.
"Ben. Ben, Ben, Ben am I ever glad to see you." He looked into Ben's eyes, his own smiling and kissed him. "Unfortunately, you've come home to a small problem."
Ben's smile only faded a little, the bit that had left was replaced with worry. "I'm guessing it has something to do with Hunter."
Michael nodded and gently pulled free from Ben's embrace, ready to take a seat after being on his feet all day. He turned on the TV, an hour having passed, and as though it had been (well) timed, a newsbreak interrupted a run of South Pacific. "Ben, I might be getting ahead of myself, but you may want to watch this with me."
Ben shrugged, not yet understanding and fit himself behind Michael on the couch.
"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for an urgent news break. There have been serious allegations in the murder of Jaime Huston. Brian Kinney, owner and founder of Kinnetics Advertising has been named the prime suspect in Huston's murder. We take you on-scene with Julie Lane. Julie?"
Michael's eyes threatened to roll out of their sockets. "Holy fuck!!"
Ben put a gentle hand on Michael's back. "Was that what I needed to see?"
"No... Oh, shit." He fell silent as a cut-to brought a somewhat homely looking blond woman onto the screen. She stood in front of Woody's in her pastel blue suit, looking (for some reason) painfully smug.
"Thank you, Maria. I'm standing in front of Woody's, a local gathering place for the gay and lesbian population of Pittsburgh where only 48 hours ago, 29-year-old Jaime Huston was found brutally murdered in this establishment's bathroom. The last person seen with Huston was prime suspect, Brian Kinney. Thus far, Kinney has been nowhere to be found. For channel four news, this is Julie Lane."
Michael was stunned. His hands trembled and all color seemed to drain from his face like water through a sieve. Ben got up off of the couch and kneeled in front of him. "Michael, talk to me." He reached up and cupped his palm against Michael's cheek.
"Ben, when I turned on the news, I only expected a repeat of what Hunter must have seen..."