"He what?!"

Brian nodded to Lindsay, confirming that she definitely wasn't hearing things. "He thinks he's me."

"Jeez!" Mel breathed. "That's horrible."

"No shit!"

"I meant, for Michael." Melanie said with her usual reproachful flair. She picked Gus up from his daddy's arms and carried him upstairs, presumably to bed.

Brian ignored the woman and turned back to Lindsay who was seated by him on the sofa. "Remember that freaky girl you roomed with your junior year? She started dressing like you?"

"And wearing her hair like mine. And eating the same things that I ate." She grimaced as though she had a bad taste in her mouth. "I like to refer to it as my single white female year." The girl in question had been in love with her. Had emulated her. It had been like having a shadow for three months of her life.

"Right. And do you remember what we did to finally get her to stop?"

Lindsay thought for a moment. "If I remember correctly...you made her believe that you and I had been dating for over a year. That we hadn't even seen or heard of her before." She laughed as the memory came back to her completely. "You payed off our entire poli-sci class to call me Sarah. She totally short circuited."

Brian stared thoughtfully at some discernable spot on the wall. "Think that would work with Michael?" Lindsay patted his knee but shook her head sadly. Brian nodded, sighing miserably. If only it could be that simple.

"Look at it this way. What can he really do?" She smiled and put a comforting arm around him. "He can't take your job. He can't even wear your clothes! I mean, Justin will be there to-" Brian tensed and she grinned, realization sparking. "Oh. So that's the problem. You're worried about Justin!" She giggled. "You're jealous!"

"Go away," Brian mumbled in annoyance. Never really refuting her accusation.

"No - you are! You're worried that something's gonna happen between them." Or that something had already happened, he added on silently. But she stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. As if it were some new concept that he might be human enough to feel jealousy.

"Lindsay," Brian growled. "I'm trying to be nice, seeing as how you are the mother of my son and you were kind enough to let me take the shitty sofa for the night. But I swear, if you don't-"

Wisely trusting that he would carry through any threat made, Lindsay stood to leave. "Okay. Okay! But I think it's sweet!"

Taking in Lindsay's teasing grin, Brian scowled. "I don't DO sweet!"

"Don't do anyone twice either but..." She shrugged. Then she noticed Brian's scowl had turned into a hard frown. As if he were fighting some internal battle of wills. It never ceased to amaze her just how much Justin had come to mean to her friend. "C'mon. You KNOW he would never do anything!"

Brian flopped back onto the couch and closed his eyes, trying to wipe the mental image of naked Mikey, half-naked Lee, and doe-eyed martyr Justin out of his brain. "Good-NIGHT Lindz."

"Night Bri. Sleep well," she said, backing out of the livingroom. The only response she got was a grunt and she knew there would be much bitching about the lumpy couch in the morning.

***

Half an hour later, Brian was jarred from his fitful sleep by a rap-tap-tapping at the front door. Swinging himself off of the couch, he ignoring the popping sound as his body shifted back into normal alignment. He chose to believe that it was indeed the sofa causing that and had nothing to do with age.

Slowly, he padded to the door and peeked out of the window. "Ah!" He cried as two eyes stared back at him through the glass. "Fuck! Justin!" He cursed as he jerked the door open. "What the hell are you doing here at this time of night? I thought you were taking care of Mikey," he said mockingly.

Justin frowned and breezed past Brian, into the livingroom. "Lee's watching him."

Brian smiled ruefully, his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek. "Ah. Lee. Of course." They stood facing off. Close enough to touch but far enough away not to be overcome by temptation. "So?"

Justin's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Why are you here?" Brian shook his head, still unsure as to what was really going on.

He shrugged. "I was talking to Lee...and I realized that I was a little harsh. Pushing you out of your own place like I did."

"Good to see that IQ of yours kicking in again."

"Don't be a smartass, Brian. I'm trying to apologize."

The man shook his head, trying not to smile. "So apologize!"

"What happened to sorry being bullshit?" Justin asked, suppressing his own grin.

There always had to be a contradiction with them. Why not lose one more rule? "I'm willing to make an exception in this case," Brian conceded graciously.

Justin took a step forward and smiled sweetly up at his lover. "I am sorry. I should have called and warned you. I should have tried to talk him into staying at Deb's or something." His fingers glided over the supple skin of Brian's bare arms. "Maybe I still can. Just tell him that the loft...needs to be fumigated or something." His arms coiled around Brian's neck like vines. "So...do you forgive me?"

Pretending to think it over. "Mmm...I dunno. I mean, you WERE pretty harsh," Brian pouted.

"Well what can I do to make it better?" Justin purred into his neck, his lips already anticipating their first command.

Brian drew Justin down onto the lumpy couch. "How ‘bout I show you?"

***

Lee was used to waking up in strange places. He had been to enough parties and had gotten pretty fall down drunk enough times in his life to prepare him for opening his eyes to the unfamiliar. Blinking hard, he tried to think of where he was. Then it came back to him like a tidal wave. He was at Justin's boyfriend's place. And the night before...he had...taken one for the team, so to speak.

His eyes strayed over to the man that was curled up on his side, facing Lee and looking as though he wanted to cuddle. Yeah, he'd bet that...Michael?...that Michael was the cuddling type. When he wasn't being the Brian type that was. And it was cute. It really was. But not quite so much when he couldn't feel his arm.

"Micha-oh shit! I mean...Brian! Brian wake up!" Lee shook the man's shoulder gently with his free hand. "C'mon big man."

"Hmm..." Michael cracked one eye open groggily and his face contorted in pain. Probably from a hangover. A hangover he got from drinking Brian Kinney's share of alcohol. "What the fuck are you still doing here?"

Lee smirked at the man, whose childish tendencies of rubbing his eyes with his fists seemed so badly contrasted with the gruff and false attitude. "G'morning to you too beautiful."

"Erm...Lee, right?" Seeing Lee nod, Michael inclined his head just enough to look at the clock to his left and then make a visual sweep of the loft. "Where's Justin?"

Good question. "He, uh, had a few errands to run." Only, Lee decided to leave out the part about Justin going to see Brian. And the fact that he was supposed to have returned the night before.

"And...why the fuck did you feel the need to wake me up at such an ungodly hour?"

"Um, you're on my arm, dude." Lee nodded, indicating the arm that was sandwiched between the bed and Michael's lower back.

Michael lifted up allowing the younger man to wrench his numb red arm free, before falling back onto the bed like so much dead weight. "I'm sure you can show yourself out," he replied, his eyes already drifting shut.

"Right..." Lee rolled his eyes but smiled as he watched Michael snuggle up to the pillow that his head and occupied only moments before.

Helping himself to a bowl of cereal, Lee perched on the sofa and tried to decide what to do. He knew he had to stick around. Justin would come back soon to take care of Michael and he would feel totally guilty if something happened because he had left the poor deluded man alone.

After about an hour of mindless television, he jumped at the sound of a buzzer and shuffled to the door to investigate. Finally figuring out the little intercom on the wall, he hit the talk button lightly with his thumb. "Yo!"

"Is this...Brian Kinney's apartment?"

"Ya."

"Oh. Well...can I come up?"

Lee snorted. Who did this guy think he was? Who WAS this guy? "I dunno. Can you?"

"Is this Justin?" The deep voice asked.

Trying to control his laughter. "Uh-no." It was decided that the intercom thing was now fun.

"Who is this?" The voice asked, obviously frustrated.

"Who is THIS?" Ha! Two could play at that game!

"I asked first."

"I'm the one in the loft."

Finally after a moment of silence, "This is Dr. David Cameron." Ahh...a doctor. That would explain the funked demeanor.

"Brian isn't here," Lee answered, thinking that he had heard that name somewhere before.

"Is Michael there?"

Lee looked back towards the bedroom and felt a slight jolt of protectiveness for the man. But...what would Justin say? He wasn't REALLY Michael at that moment was he? "I don't know."

"You don't KNOW?"

"Look man, you need something?"

"I need to find Michael. I came back a day early and Deb told me he had an accident. Is he there?"

Okay. So the man knew Deb. Of course...pretty much every fag within a twenty mile radius knew her. But, he guessed it did prove he knew Michael if Deb had told him. "Yeah but he's asleep," he finally admitted.

"This is ridiculous..." David mumbled. "Can I come UP?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What?! Why?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Lee whipped around to see Michael frowning at him suspiciously. "Who is it?"

"I dunno," Lee lied. "Some...salesman er something?"

Michael pushed past him and spoke, "Who is it?" he repeated.

"Finally! It's DAVID!"

"David?"

"Yes. Now buzz me up already, Michael." Michael hit the release button for the door and looked back at Lee, who was now kicking himself for letting any of that happen.

"What the fuck does he want?"

"Uh...who is it?"

"Dr. Dave. Mikey's Chi-ro-prac-tic lov-er." The words were said disdainfully as Michael slid the loft door open. He never noticed Lee's eyes doubling in size.

"Fuck! Where the hell is Justin?" he asked under his breath.

As the elevator was heard, slowly making its trek to the sixth floor, Michael grinned evilly. "This should be fun."

Somehow, Lee wasn't sure, but he thought that fun wasn't exactly the word for what was about to happen.

To Be Continued...