"Oh, here he comes, here he comes." Emmett said, sitting with Ted at the Liberty Diner.
Ted turned his head to the door, watching Michael push his way inside. "Now let's not have a repeat of last time...." He said to Emmett, but it was too late as Michael approached the booth, sliding in.
"Well somebody got home late last night." Emmett said. Ted rolled his eyes hopelessly. "Tell us every detail."
"Geez, Em." Michael said. "Let me at least grab a cup of coffee before you jump me."
Emmett pursed his lips. "Didn't go well, huh?" he said. "It was horrible, wasn't it? Oh, poor baby..."
"Stop," Michael said. "Stop. It wasn't horrible. It was... it was fine. It was meaningful and..."
"He still hasn't fucked you." Ted said.
Michael's mouth opened widely. "This is about more than sex."
"It's never about more than sex."
"Oh come on now Teddy," Emmett smiled. "Michael is allowed to have a loving, meaningful relationship... without... an ounce of sex." Emmett's shoulders fell looking over at Michael. "Not even the tiniest ounce of sex?"
"Do you guys mind?" Michael said embarrassed, slouching down in his seat. "Christ. Can we please change the conversation off of me for a while."
"Brian" Ted said
"Can we not talk about him either" Michael asked
"No..." Ted said using his head, nodding in the direction of the door where Brian was entering. "Brian's here."
Michael couldn't help but look, casting a gaze over his shoulder, watching, in what seemed like slow motion, as Brian entered the diner. He didn't say a word however as Brian approached them.
"Morning boys," Brian said taking a seat at the booth behind them. He got only a mumbled response. "Come on, wake up. I'm sure you didn't have that fantastic a night, well except for Mikey... of course."
"Fuck off Brian," Michael said coldly.
"Hey" Brian put up his hands with an almost playful surrender unable to keep the hint of laughter from adorning his face. "All I was saying..."
"I don't give a shit what you were saying," Michael said. "My relationships... my sex life is my business. And whether I fuck one guy, or half of Pittsburgh, it doesn't concern you."
"Woah." Debbie said hearing the argument from the kitchen. She approached the boys. "What the fuck is going on out here? I don't want to clean your fucking blood off this floor" She looked at Brian and then Michael.
"I've suddenly lost my appetite." Michael said, standing.
"Michael!" Debbie called after him. "Michael! Little son of a bitch" she said under her breath. Debbie looked at Ted and Emmett.
"Right," Ted said reading the message in her eyes. "Come on Emmett"
"But..." Emmett protested.
"Let's make sure he's OK." Ted pulled Emmett along.
Debbie stood before Brian, arms folded across her chest as he sat reclined in the seat. "Well?" she said "You'd better start fucking talking."
"I have... nothing to say" Brian said with a sigh
"You listen up and you listen good," Debbie leaned forward, hands on the tabletop. "Cut the bullshit. This Junior High garbage. I ain't never seen you and Michael fight like this and I don't want to see it."
"Don't worry," Brian said clearly trying to get Deb off his back.
"You better bet your ass I'm worried." Deb said. "I've been worried since the day you came into town. From the first day that Michael ever uttered the name Brian Kinney. Right from that moment I said to myself, that boy is going to break my baby's heart. Well you listen to me... you break Michael's heart, and I'm going to break your fucking balls."
"I get the picture, Deb," Brian said. "I don't need your fucking lecture. I would never hurt Mikey."
"You've sure as hell got some way of showing it." Debbie paused. "You two have known eachother since you were kids. And only God knows why, but Michael has loved you since the day he met you. But after sixteen years, everytime he seems to get tired of waiting around, and tries to find someone who'll love him back, you just go and piss all over it. You won't let him be happy."
"That's bullshit, Deb" Brian said. "All I want is for Mikey to be happy."
"Then let him be," she said "Jesus Christ, Brian. What do you expect him to just wait around forever for you? After all this talk about you not doing love."
"With Mikey it's different" he said
"Then open your big fucking mouth and tell him."