Debbie looked at the watch on the diner wall.
Usually Emmett arrived first ordered and then not ten minutes later Michael and Ben had breakfast and they sat in one booth. They chatted for about an hour before separating to their respective jobs. Debbie was getting worried there was never a day that Michael not came for breakfast however this morning was different.
Debbie sighed and continued to place orders as soon as it turned one o clock Emmett walked in and ordered lunch however no Michael came the next day.
"Emmett have you heard anything from Michael?" she asked.
Emmett shrugged "no not since the other day" he replied finishing his coffee before standing and grabbing his shoulder bag "well I bet he's just spending time with Ben what with him being discharged the other day"
Debbie frowned "Okay Emmett have a nice day" she said taking the plate from the table. Emmett left the diner and set off for work. His phone rung just as he exited the diner.
Debbie walked into the kitchen and placed the dirty plate in the large container. Walking behind the counter she put the money in the till.
Brian walked in Justin behind him wiping at his sleepy eyes he leaned on the counter "you look like the dead Halloween isn't here until next month" Debbie teased.
Justin waved his hand at her and sat at the counter on the stool "I feel like it" he yawned folding his arms and laying his head down.
Brian put his elbow on the counter and leaned "Justin thought it was wise to stay up all night painting instead of sleeping in bed he slept on top of a wet canvas" Brian said sitting on the next available seat next to him.
Debbie smiled "is that why Justin still has paint on his forehead" she pointed out.
Justin picked his head up from its resting place and felt on top of his forehead "you said it was all gone" he said scrubbing at his face with the back of his hand.
Brian smirked "you were cutting into my morning shower time" he said.
Justin rolled his eyes "me washing myself was prioritized before sucking you off" he said as he stopped rubbing his forehead and looking down at his sleeve as the dried paint on his forehead came off "it was white paint Brian I don't want to know what people were thinking as I was walking down the street" he said wiping his forehead with his hand.
Brian smirked taking the take away coffee cup from Deb "I'll see you later" he said
Brian leaned down to kiss Justin on the lips but he had stopped his ips descending on his with a finger against Brian's lip "that's for not telling me I had paint on my forehead" he said removing the finger and turned his face away from him.
"Justin" Brian cautioned.
Justin looked at him with a grin etched on his face "okay" he said pecking him on the lips "see you later" Brian kissed him again. Justin pulled his tie and pulled him back to his lips. Justin pulled away after a few seconds "you better go" he smiled.
Brian pecked him on the lips and left the diner.
Justin turned back to resting his head on his crossed arm and sighing in contentment. Debbie put a large coffee cup in front of Justin "here drink this it might wake you up a bit" she said.
Justin looked up "thanks Deb" he took a sip.
Debbie took the receipts of the day's orders and placed them in a pile sorting through them bit by bit, glancing at the clock she sighed "Deb what's wrong?" Justin asked.
Debbie put her pen down and the receipts she had in her hand "Michael hasn't checked in with me at all this week" she said putting her hands on the counter top.
Justin shrugged "maybe he needs time to settle Ben back and then he'll check in. you know what Michael's like" Justin said drinking more of the coffee "well love to stay but I got to pick some supplies up" he said giving Deb some money for his coffee and Brian's earlier on "don't worry about Michael"
Deb continued on her orders and sighed. Justin was right about Michael once Ben was back to normal and has started to be back on the meds Michael will show up as usual every morning.
-QAF-
Blake stood in the kitchen with a bag sitting on top of the counter as he was putting boxes of lunch "Ted grab the baby wipes in the bathroom" he shouted organising the bag. He looked up at the clock "we are going to be late" he said.
Ted walked into the kitchen "Blake relax we're only going to the Park with Freddy stop rushing or you'll forget it" he said walking behind him and back hugged him, Blake sighed "and Anyway Freddie already likes us" he said kissing Blake's neck. "We just need to have a good time with the kid and then he'll be our son in a matter of weeks"
Blake turned round in Ted's encircled arms "but what if-" Ted smiled and covered Blake's mouth.
"We'll be fine"
-QAF-
"It's been 3 days since anyone saw Michael" Justin said moving some papers in the study licking his lip and yawned.
Brian stood in the office doorway as he loosed the belt on his trousers Brian was shirtless with his hands in his pockets. "Debbie keeps nagging me to go over" Brian put his head back and sighed.
Justin itched his nose "you haven't spoken in a few weeks" Justin said turning his body towards Brian.
Brian placed his hands on the door frame "its not my fault I have other things to do then look after Mikey" Brian explained "I've always had to look out for him back in high school and it stuck until now, I'm sick of the shit connected to him"
Justin rolled his eyes "He's been your best friend forever, I've always seen Michael as a lost soul somehow"
Brian groaned pushing himself away from the frame and walked infront of Justin "enough talk" he said putting his arms round Justin's shoulders and kissed him on the lips. Justin moved his hand to the back of Brian's head and the other gripping onto Brian's back muscle as they deepened the kiss.
Justin exhaled as he kissed Brian down his neck while Brian pulled him closer to his body. Reaching the expanse of his neck that connected to his shoulder Justin licked and sucked. Breathing in his scent Brian took a hold of his shirt and lifted it off his body which separated them for no more than a second.
Justin sat on the bed as shuffled his boxers on while leaning back and watched Brian walk across the bedroom butt naked, leaning his head back Justin smiled as he watched Brian bend over to pick his jeans and threw them into the wash basket.
The House phone rang and Justin sat up and leaned over to the bedside table picking it up he answered in a monotone voice "hello" he answered.
"Hi Justin"
"Hey Gussy" Justin said rolling down to the end of the bed to stand "it's a bit late for you to be calling What's up"
It was silent for a second "mummy and mama are fighting"
Justin frowned "it's okay where is JR, Gus"
"She's asleep but Justin I don't want to be here" he whined.
"I know Gus" he said "so tell me what you did today?"
Gus sighed "I made a friend today but it turned out he just wanted to push me in front of my girlfriend" he said "and then she broke up with me"
Justin smiled "its okay there will be other girlfriends Gus" Brian stuck his head into the bedroom from the en suite bathroom, Justin looked up and smiled.
"I know" Gus sighed.
"Gus" a voice said in the background.
"I got to go Justin before Mama comes" he said quickly ending the call quickly.
Justin put the phone back on the dresser "bye then, he's way too hyper for his own good" he said sitting back on the bed and leaned back on against the headboard.
Brian walked back out of the bedroom "why did Gus Phone?"
Justin put his hands on his lap "Mel and Linz were fighting" he said inching the back of his neck "they should learn not to fight in front of him I thought they would have been experts by now with how much they always fight about stupid little things."
Brian sat next to him and leaned down on his side propping his head up with his arm "what is this I hear about Gus having a girlfriend I wasn't aware he was allowed to date"
Justin grinned and shuffled down laying his head on the pillow "you're not going to be one of those fathers that demand that their kid won't date until they have finished college"
Brian looked up at him with a straight face "who said he could date"
Justin leaned over and kissed his lips "oh you're so precious Brian"
"I don't do precious"
Justin smirked, Brian rolled his eyes "yeah but you play it too well" he said pulling him into a kiss. He leaned over Brian as he moved his hand that was holding his head up and Justin kissed down his jaw line.
The phone rang behind Justin's head he pulled away "I have to get that" he said hovering over Brian's lips and kissed him.
Justin rolled away so he had his back to Brian and picked the phone and held it to his ear "Hello"
"Is this Justin Taylor?" a feminine voice on the other end asked.
"Yes this is him" Justin replied rolling onto his stomach.
"Hi I'm Jackie from the yummy catering company sorry for calling so late but I have been swamped all day" she explained "it says here your planning your commitment ceremony Yes?"
"Yes" he said.
There was a shuffling of paper "you haven't decided on how many quest or if you're going to have a sit down dinner or Buffett I was just calling to confirm those details"
"Yeah sure if you could bear with me for one second" Justin rolled over and walked out of the bedroom grabbing a white shirt and placed it over his head momentarily taking the phone away from his ear "Hey Brian" he called Brian looked up "sit or spread?"
"Sit" Brian said raising his eyebrow "why?"
Justin smiled "nothing" he said walking out of the room and into the office and opened the top of drawer and opened the journal book putting the phone back to his ear "We'll have a sit down Meal and we have around 35 people roughly I don't know yet until I send the invitations out. I'm currentl still awaiting my invitations but until then we won't be sure"
"That's fine but we need to know 2 weeks in advance" Jackie explained "are you this week or either next week for samples?"
Justin bit his lip and tried to remember what he was supposed to be doing "yeah sure I'm sure I can get him away from work what would be best for you?"
"I have a lot at 2 tomorrow or Saturday or Monday Next week"
"Tomorrow would be perfect, at two was it?"
"Yes that's right Mr Taylor"
"Please call me Justin, Mr Taylor is my father and thank you for contacting me" Justin said.
"Look forward to seeing from you Justin"
"Thank you Jackie bye for now" he said.
"Bye Justin" she hung up. Justin sighed and stuffed the journal back in the top drawer without shutting it he walked along the corridor and stood in the doorway of the bedroom "Hey Brian" he looked up and raised his eyebrow as he laid on his back with his hands behind his head "you busy tomorrow?"
"No"
Justin grinned and jogged in the room and laid on the bed "Good we're going to go somewhere tomorrow" he rested his head on Brian's chest.
"We are, are we?" he said.
Justin leaned up "Trust me" he whispered against his lips "Are you going to make me tell you where we're going"
Brian smirked and kissed Justin at his jaw "yeah looks like it" Justin licked his bottom lip and threaded his hands through Justin's hair.
-QAF-
Ben answered the front door, Debbie stood at the door "Ben Hi" she smiled walking more into the room and barging into the house. Ben sighed and closed the door behind her as he watched her walk into the kitchen. "So how have you been?" she asked turning round to face him.
"Good" Ben gulped and walked into the sitting room "I need to go to the bathroom would you excuse me for a second?" he said turning round and leaving.
Debbie frowned and sat on the tall stall and put her bag on the middle counter. She sighed and looked at the clock on the wall; a few papers were stacked on top of the middle counter where clean pots and pans were scattered. Licking her lips she leaned over and shuffled through the papers, one caught her eye 'HIV results'
Deb picked it out and opened it 'Michael Novotney' she licked her lips as she read the rest 'Positive' she gasped.
"Debbie" Ben said.
Debbie looked up "how long have you known? Does Michael even know?" it was silent "Ben" she shouted. Ben looked up and nodded "Ben you need to tell me"
Ben licked his top lip "Michael knows that's why he's not here" Ben explained.
Debbie threw the paper back on the counter "this is your fault, you've ruined everything" she said walking forward and pushed him against his chest.
Ben closed his eyes and took the pushing "I promised I wouldn't give to him and I haven't" he said grabbing onto her wrist and put her arms at her side.
"How the fuck you know if you gave to him or not?" Debbie stepped back.
Ben put his hand on the door frame "because we haven't had sex for 21 months" he walked into the kitchen with his back to her "you think Michael's so perfect"
"Well now he isn't" she shouted.
Ben turned round "don't shout at me Debbie I'm not the one who cheated"