�Shut the fuck up, Michael,� Brian growled, trying to reign in his temper.

�Why Brian,� Michael continued. �Why can�t you just see the truth?�

�And what truth would that be, Mikey?�

�That you would have been better off if you had just left him on the ground.� Michael never saw the punch coming. It was something that he had never thought would happen.

�Brian, what the fuck do you think you�re doing?� Debbie yelled, coming over to her son, examining his jaw at the same time as she glared at the other man. �What the fuck is going on over here?�

�Nothing ma,� Michael answered, looking over at his best friend, who was unable to meet his eyes. Michael knew that he had pushed the other man too far and he wished that he could take the words back, but he knew it was too late for that. Brian�s own actions were proof of that.

�It didn�t look like nothing from where I was standing.� By now a crowd had gathered around. Ben appeared, attempting to go after Brian for the attack, only to be held back by his lover.

�Ben, stop,� Michael ordered, concerned to see the anger coming from his peace loving boyfriend. When Ben looked down at Michael, he continued. �It�s not like it would do any good.�

�What happened?� Melanie demanded, looking between the two men, although it was obvious to everyone whom she was truly angry with. When it became apparent that Brian wasn�t going to say anything, Michael spoke.

�It was nothing, really. It was just a misunderstanding.�

�A misunderstanding,� Melanie choked. �Brian hauls off and hits you over a misunderstanding?� Michael shook his head, suddenly unable to meet his best friend�s eyes. �I don�t fucking believe this.� Melanie turned to Brian, eyes blazing. �Get out.�

�What?�

�You heard me. I said get the fuck out of here.�

�Melanie, don�t,� Michael pleaded, not wanting everyone to turn against Brian, but seeing that was exactly was happening. He knew that he should say something, explain that Brian hadn�t meant to hit him, that it was Michael�s fault that he had said something he shouldn�t, but he couldn�t do it. He couldn�t face the disappointment and anger that he was sure he would face, so he stayed quiet.

�Jesus Christ, Michael, I know he�s your best friend, but how the hell can you defend what he did.� Michael didn�t say anything and everyone gathered took his silence as his own way of saying that he was angry also. Brian looked at his friend, the anger in his features disappearing into a sadness that appeared to be soul deep. Brian turned and began to make his way out of the party, everyone moving out of his way as if they were afraid he would strike out at them.

�That�s right, Brian. Leave,� Melanie yelled after him. �And don�t ever fucking come back.�

Over the course of the following week, Brian found himself on the outside looking in when it came to his family of friends. It seemed that everyone was blaming him for what had transpired at the party the week before and, no matter what he said, he couldn�t get them to change their minds. It didn�t help that Michael wouldn�t say what had actually transpired before Brian had hit him, and that made Brian question his entire friendship with the store owner. Debbie had come over, telling Brian that he was no longer welcome in his home, or the diner. He wanted to argue that she had no right to ban him from the restaurant, but he didn�t have the will to fight anymore. Than to finish off what had the makings of being the worst week ever in his life, he received notice that Melanie had managed to convince Lindsay that he should no longer have any access to Gus. Brian had lost everyone that he cared about and he didn�t know what he could do to make it better. The only thing he did know was that he had to somehow start his life over, and he couldn�t do that if he stayed in Pittsburgh. Brian had already loaded his jeep with the things that he had considered essential for whatever he wanted to do, mainly clothes, a couple of CDs, his laptop and a sketchbook that Justin had left behind when he moved out of the loft.

Brian took one last look around the loft, noticing how cold it looked and trying to remember a time when it actually felt like a home. The only time he could remember were the months that Justin had lived with him. Brian shook his head and slid the door open, only to be confronted by a sight he never thought he would see again.

�Going somewhere, Brian?� Justin asked softly, not sure of the reception he would receive from his former lover.

�What are you doing here, Justin?� Brian asked, moving aside and allowing the blonde to enter the loft. �Aren�t you afraid that people will say something about you being seen with me? I�m not exactly mister popularity.�

�When have I ever been concerned about what people say about me and you?� Brian didn�t say what he wanted to, not wanting to ruin what was probably going to be the last time he saw the young man that had stolen his heart.

�Justin,� Brian sighed, �what do you want?�

�I heard about what happened at the party last week. About why you hit Michael.�

�I don�t know what you�re talking about.�

�Please, Brian, don�t,� Justin pleaded, going over to the older man, who had turned so that his back faced Justin. �My friend Sean told me what Michael had said. He told me how Michael said that you would have been better off if you had left�if you had..if you had left me on the ground.� Brian turned when he heard the hitch in Justin�s voice. He saw the tears that were threatening to fall from the teen�s face and reached out, pulling him into a hug.

�Justin, don�t,� Brian pleaded with the blonde. �Don�t do this to yourself.�

�Sorry,� Justin sniffed, pulling away and looking up at Brian, who couldn�t help himself and gently kissed Justin�s lips, savoring the taste of the young man.

�You have nothing to be sorry for. It�s Mikey�s problem, not yours.�

�Why didn�t you tell anybody what he said?� Justin asked, although he already had a good idea of why Brian kept his silence. �Why let everyone think that he�s the injured party? For the past week Michael�s been playing the injured party, gaining everyone�s sympathy.�

�Trust me, I know. Debbie came by the day after the party and made sure that I knew I was persona non gratis around the diner and most of Liberty Avenue,� Brian told him. �And I�ve been ordered to stay away from Gus by the munchers.�

�But he�s your son,� Justin argued, upset on his ex-lover�s behalf. �They can�t keep you away from him.�

�Actually they can,� Brian reminded Justin, �especially since I signed over parental rights. Pretty much means they can do whatever they want when it comes to Gus and I have no say.�

�That�s so fucked,� Justin swore. �You didn�t do anything. It�s all Michael�s fault.�

�But they don�t know that, now do they Sunshine?� Brian pointed out. �As far as anyone knows, Michael did nothing wrong. It was all the big, bad Brian�s fault. Then again, that�s not exactly anything new, is it?�

�But that doesn�t make it right,� Justin argued. �You didn�t do anything wrong. I don�t know why you just don�t tell them what really happened. Why are you protecting Michael?�

�It doesn�t matter what I say, Justin,� Brian wearily replied. �They�ll all believe what they want, and that�s that I�m in the wrong. It�s how it�s always been and that�s how it will always be. And I�ve finally accepted that.�

�Is that why you�re leaving?� Brian looked at Justin in surprise. �I saw the suitcases and boxes in the jeep. You�re going away, aren�t you?�

�It�s for the best, don�t you think? A friend of mine offered me a job with his corporation and I decided to take it.�

�So you�re just going to run away? Let them win?�

�They�ve already won Justin,� Brian yelled. �Don�t you get it? I never had a chance; I just refused to believe that. I wanted to think that I actually deserved my chance at happiness. My chance at being loved.� Brian�s voice quieted to a whisper at his last sentence and Justin couldn�t help but take his former lover in his arms.

�You do deserve to be happy, Bri. And I don�t know anyone who deserves more love than you, even if your friends are too selfish to realize that. Hell even if you refuse to admit it.� Brian allowed himself to find some comfort in his former lover�s arms. He had missed the feeling of the younger man�s hold, not even knowing it until it was too late.

�I don�t know how to love anyone,� Brian sighed, holding Justin closer to him. He didn�t know how long he had with him, but Brian didn�t want to waste a minute of it. �I don�t even know what love is.�

�Yes you do,� Justin countered. �You love Michael and Lindsay.� Justin ignored the snort from the other man. �And you love Gus. I�ve seen that.� Brian stayed quiet. �And you loved me.�

�Justin..� Justin stopped Brian before he could say anything more.

�Brian, you might not be able to say it, or hell even admit it, but you did love me. You told me with every touch. With every gesture. It was all there for me but I just didn�t see it.�

�If you believed that, why did you leave? Why did you think that I didn�t care?� Justin couldn�t believe what he was hearing. He had never heard such a desolate tone in the older man�s voice.

�The only thing I can say is that I forgot how to read you,� Justin said, not sure how to word what he was feeling the past few months. �I didn�t remember that, when it came to you, you�re actions sometimes spoke louder than your words.�

�My actions weren�t exactly encouraging,� Brian reminded him.

�Well, it�s not like mine were any better,� Justin replied. �We just stopped reading each other.�

�And now?�

Justin entered the diner, his attention quickly going to the group of friends that were gathered at one of the booths. They were all laughing about something, causing him to bristle at the easy way they seemed to be, not even caring about the fact that one of their own was being punished for something that wasn�t even his fault. He marched over there, intent on giving them all a piece of his mind, starting with a certain store owner.

�You two faced son of a bitch,� Justin swore as soon as he got close enough to Michael, not even caring if he caused a scene or not.

�Sunshine?� Debbie said, wondering what had caused the teen to swear at her son. She knew that things between the two men weren�t good but she had never seen Justin as angry as he appeared to be now.

�How could you?� Justin continued, ignoring Debbie. �He�s your best friend. How could you say that to him?�

�Brian,� Ted and Emmett whispered to each other, not surprised to see that somehow the ad exec was still causing trouble, even when not present.

�Justin honey, I don�t know what�s going on,� Debbie tried to placate the blonde, to no avail. He just pulled away from her.

�Of course you don�t know what�s going on,� he went on. �None of you do. Because none of you bothered to find out the truth. All of you were too content to go on believing that Brian was some big bad evil and that little Mikey here was just some innocent caught in the crossfire.�

�If this is about what happened at the party, hun, we all saw Brian hit Michael,� Emmett said, not sure what was going on but wanting to calm the teen down.

�How can you even defend that asshole now,� Melanie demanded, causing Justin to turn his attention towards her, giving his anger another outlet. �He finally showed his true colors for everyone to see.�

�Christ are all of you people blind as well as stupid.� Everyone�s attention in the diner was focused on the drama that was taking place. Many of them had been a witness to the break up of Liberty Avenue�s favorite couple, especially considering the fact that Justin had left in the arms of another man, and were curious to see him defending his former lover. Especially against the tight knit group of friends that considered themselves family.

�Don�t you dare take that tone with me, young man,� Debbie ordered, anger entering her voice. �Now I don�t know what you think happened. Heaven knows what shit Brian has fed you, but that�s no excuse to come in here the way you did.�

�Justin, hun, why don�t you sit down and tell us what has you so upset,� Lindsay offered. �Why do you think we�re being so unfair to Brian?�

�Don�t patronize me, Lindsay,� Justin said. �You�re just as bad as the rest of them, if not worse. You know how much Brian loves Gus and now you won�t even let him see his own son.�

�After what he did?� Melanie countered, defending her and Lindsay�s actions. �He hit Michael, with no provocation, and we�re supposed to just sit there and let him spend time alone with Gus. If he can do that to his best friend, for no reason, what�s to stop him from doing that to Gus?�

�Especially considering his history with his own family,� Lindsay concluded.

�All the more reason for you to trust Brian with Gus,� Justin replied. �Brian knows what its like to be raised in an abusive household and there�s no way that he would want that for Gus. But you two don�t care about that. None of you care. If you did you would have asked Brian his side of the story.�

�Oh like you did,� Ben finally spoke up. �Justin, I�m sorry if the way we are treating Brian bothers you, but you have to understand. There is no way any of us can condone his actions against Michael.�

�It was just one fuck up too many,� Ted finished. �And considering how many chances we�ve given Brian, I�d say it�s about time that he is finally called on his shit.�

�Amen, hun,� Emmett joined in.

�What about Michael�s fuck ups or is he too good to actually make any?�

�Fine, Sunshine,� Debbie broke in. �What is it that Michael supposedly did that warranted getting sucker punched?�

�He told Brian that I was an ungrateful shit and that he should have just left me lying on the ground.� A gasp was heard from the entire diner, many recalling the incident that had left Justin in the hospital for two months.

�No, no way,� Debbie denied, unable to believe her son was capable of something like that. Everyone turned to face Michael, who had remained silent through out the entire argument.

�Michael?� Ben called his lover, who had a guilty expression on his face.

�Is this true hun,� Emmett asked his roommate. Michael continued to remain silent.

�Who told you what happened?� Lindsay asked Justin, still not able to believe that Michael would do what he was being accused of. �Did Brian tell you what was supposedly said?�

�A friend of mine was there and he overheard the whole thing,� Justin explained, suddenly tired of dealing with everyone. �Brian just confirmed it for me.�

�Christ,� Debbie swore, sitting down.

�I didn�t mean it,� Michael finally spoke up, although his voice was barely above a whisper. �I was angry that you brought your little violinist to the party. And then Brian was defending you, like you hadn�t walked out on him in the first place. It made me sick but that doesn�t mean I mean to say what I did. I know I was wrong.�

�Then why didn�t you tell anyone the real reason Brian hit you?�

�I couldn�t,� Michael cried out. �I knew they would blame me, and they would have been right. But this is Brian we�re talking about. I figured he would be able to handle whatever anyone said to him. He always had before.�

�So that excuses what you said?�

�I didn�t mean to say it. It just came out.�

�Something like that doesn�t just come out,� Justin spat. �You never made a secret of how you felt about me and my relationship with Brian. You�ve always resented me. And the rest of you. You�re all just as bad as Michael. So willing to blame Brian on everything that�s gone wrong in your lives, even when it�s had nothing to do with him and yet whose the first person that all of you run to when you have a problem? The fact that you were so willing to believe the worst of Brian, that you actually thought that he just hit someone for no reason at all, makes me sick. No matter how angry Brian is, I�ve always seen him hold back on hitting someone else, and that�s including my father who attacked him. Twice.�

�What do you want from us, Justin?� Melanie asked, now wanting to admit that she, as well as the others, had done exactly what Justin was accusing them of. He looked at them, a sadness coming over him as he realized that no matter what he said, no matter how much they tried, they wouldn�t change. That they would always see Brian as being the reason anything bad that happens to them and he shook his head.

�Nothing. There�s nothing I expect you to do.�

�Justin, you ready?� A voice called to him from the door way of the diner. All heads turned to face the new arrival, knowing instantly who it was. The blonde walked over to him, giving him a kiss and surprising everyone there. Brian wrapped his arms around the younger man. �Did you get your check?�

�I�ll get them to mail it when we get to Metropolis,� Justin said.

�You�re leaving?� Debbie asked, having overheard Justin�s comment. Justin and Brian looked at each other and then turned back to the group.

�Why not? There�s nothing left for us here.� And with that, the couple walked out of the diner, without looking back, leaving behind a stunned group of friend who were left to try and pick up the pieces of their lives.