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Chapter Five

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Justin is awoken by the sound of the ringing phone.

Ben grabs it before a full ring is complete, as though aware of the fact that both boys are – were – sleeping a mere doorway away. "Hello?" he asks, his voice hushed. But Justin has had practice listening in on conversations, and so he hears every word. "Oh, hello," Ben says, sounding very worried and just a tiny bit louder.

Hunter, without moving his body, rolls his neck and head to face Justin and the door. Justin hears the squeak of the bed and turns around. "Morning," the boys mumble in unison, in that raspy half-whisper of the early morning.

Realizing that they spoke at the same time, Hunter laughs. Justin doesn't notice what's funny, and merely strains his ears to hear more of Ben's conversation.

There is an audible gasp. "Oh," Ben continues. "That's terrible… Oh my god, yes, of course, we'll be there. Yes, I'll pass on the message. Okay. Thank you. We'll be there soon. 'Bye."

Justin and Hunter hear the phone being set back down in its cradle, and then hear a hiss from Ben: "Shit!"

Justin cringes. He's heard that before in any number of past foster homes, and it never led to anything good. But Hunter, astute as he is, picks up on Justin's nerves, and hastily assures the other boy, "He never loses his temper. Brian calls him Zen Ben."

The blonde breathes a sigh of relief, but not because of hearing that Ben does not lose his temper. It is the mere mention of Brian that calms him down. Hunter knows this, and says, "Hey, when I first got inducted into this little family, I had a crush on Brian too. It'll pass."

Justin's eyes go wide as saucers. "Oh – no, I don't – oh, my god, I don't – oh – "

Hunter rolls his eyes. "I've heard that before," he sneers. "Listen to me." He slithers a skinny arm from his bed to Justin's and lays his hand on his foster brother's knee. "Brian does one-night-stands, and that's it. Boy like you's bound to be a virgin." When Justin does not respond, Hunter continues, "You don't want him. He's had me, and I can tell you, he's the best fuck in the world. But you don't want him yet."

"What do you know?" Justin mutters.

Despite the rhetorical nature of the question, Hunter responds anyway. He swings his legs off the side of the bed and leans over to Justin. "You're fifteen. I'm fifteen. We share common desires. Sex seems like the most important thing in the world to you right now. And sometimes it is." He laughs. "But the thing to remember is that after you come, you see things in perspective."

"Who told you that? Ben? Michael?"

Hunter's eyes flash. "What if I told you it was Brian?"

"Bet it wasn't."

"Fuck all you know," Hunter snipes back.

The door swings open, and Ben enters, fresh out of the shower and looking very disheveled. "Hunter – Justin – " he gasps out. "Family emergency. Get dressed – fast." With that, he disappears from the doorway.

Alarmed, Hunter jumps out of bed and begins pulling on shoes and socks over his boxers, then yanks on a shirt. Once the shirt has been thrown over his head, Hunter spots Justin sitting frozen on his bed. Hunter tosses him a pair of light jeans. "Get dressed!" he yells.

Slowly, Justin gets to his feet and pulls the jeans on over his waist. They hang loose on his hips, which, considering the fact that the jeans belong to the underweight Hunter, is truly saying something. Hunter takes notice of this, and pulls Justin toward him by the waistband. "How much do you weigh?" he demands.

"Not enough," Justin mutters.

"A very unfaglike answer," Hunter retorts. "But I'll take it."

Justin wonders if it might be possible for him to have found a friend in this new foster brother of his. He quickly tries to discard the thought, not wanting to get his hopes up… but it's too late. Already his eyes are wide and childlike, and he looks up at Hunter, arms swinging at his sides.

"Can I borrow a shirt?" Justin asks quietly.

Hunter tosses a brown tee-shirt to the other boy. Justin catches it and tugs it over his head, then looks at his roommate. "How do I look?" he asks nervously, knowing how ridiculous he must look in such oversized clothing.

"Like shit," Hunter replies honestly. Then he shrugs. "Brothers are supposed to say stuff like that. Especially when it's true. Even when it isn't."

Justin grins. It feels great to have someone like that, but he can't help but feel… skeptical. Worried. Like if he puts his trust in Hunter… something could go wrong.

That's when the door slams open again, and Ben and Michael reappear in the doorway. "My mom's in the hospital," Michael gasps out, grabbing Hunter's wrist and propelling him forward. Justin follows, his steps uncomfortably fast. "She fell down the steps," Michael continues as the four of them reach the front door and head out. "May have broken her back. We have to drop you kids off at Brian's – it's on the way, and Ma can't have too many visitors."

"But I wanna see Deb," Hunter whines.

As they reach the car and Ben unlocks the door, he fixes Hunter with a glare.

"I wanna," Hunter continues. "Justin, don't you want to see her? If she's in the hospital?"

Justin's voice is quiet, nearly silent. "It's not my place to say," he murmurs. "It's up to your dads."

"Our dads," Hunter chides him.

An unsure expression flicks across the blonde's face. "Okay," he says.

With a skid, the car pulls up outside Brian's building. Hunter slides out first, followed by Justin, and they slam the door. Michael and Ben speed away.

Hunter plasters on an expression of fake delight. "You ready to spend some quality time at Uncle Brian's house?"