guavejuice | Living in Hope AU series Part 1/10

guavejuice

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urugwaj thank you SO much!!

Author:

guavejuice
Pairing:Brian/Justin
Gus' POV
Beta:Kim

predec2 Can't thank you enough!!!
This is NOT a WIP.
Disclaimer:I own nothing but this story.
Comments are love.

Part 1

"Is there something you want to talk about, Gus?" Mom asks when I enter the kitchen. I know she means well, but I really don't want to talk about it, so I remain silent. I just shrug my shoulders and walk towards the fridge to grab a water bottle. It's been a long, tough day in school, and maybe I could use someone to talk to, but I don't think Mom would be the right person at this point.

"Well, I made your favorite – garlic chicken – so grab a plate. It’s in the oven," she says. I turn to face her and can't help but smile. She might be a pain in the ass, but she does make the best home-cooked meals. She always has those funny stories about one of her dishes. The one about her garlic chicken is one of my favorites. As the story goes, a few months after I was born, Mom invited Dad for dinner and decided to try cooking this dish for the first time. Apparently he 'forgot' to show up, which obviously really pissed off both Mom and Mel. The thing Mom still remembers about that night, though, is that when my dad eventually showed up at some ungodly hour at our house, Mom obviously couldn't resist and offered him a plate. When she returned from the kitchen into the living room, she found him asleep on the couch with me sleeping in his arms. I'm not much of a 'baby stories' fan, but that one is my favorite.

I actually don't remember many cute baby stories after that, because most of the time Mom and Mel kept arguing, and then Mel moved out. Mom stayed with me, inviting some French guy to live with her, which then led to my dad giving up his parental rights to me so Mom and Mel could reunite.
I actually never thought too much about that, nor could I ever be cross with him for that. I just can't. I was either too young or too oblivious. I mean, let's face it- I was a toddler that had, like, two sets of parents and even more extended family members around at all times.

I do know that after Mom and Mel left for Canada, taking me and JR with them, Dad was really taken aback by that, because at that point I was about five years old, and he had just gotten to the point where he seemed to really take an interest in me as a father. But just as we started to spend more time together, we left. I didn't realize it then, but looking back on it now I think my dad’s feeling of sadness and disappointment were compounded by Justin leaving for New York City soon afterward; right after he had purchased the country house and proposed to him.
I do remember my dad going over the whole ring bearer procedure with me around that time at our old house, with cardboard boxes scattered around, and I remember how happy we both were.

I don't even know why I'm bringing this whole thing up now. We didn't even stay in Canada that long, and right after we got back to Pittsburgh things seemed to be getting back on track. I loved traveling to my dad's big house out in the country on weekends, especially when Justin was there. It actually came as no surprise to me when my dad told me one weekend that Justin was coming back from New York and was staying for good. I loved seeing my dad getting a bit emotional about that, but we never really spoke much about it. Justin and Dad seemed to have picked up where they left off, and I was getting along in school well enough, finding new friends and visiting Dad and J on weekends and holidays. It all seemed to be falling into place.

I was lucky enough to do well academically all through my elementary and middle-school years, so that definitely helped when I started high school. While in high school I was accepted into the soccer team – which my dad insists on calling football – as well as the art club and debate team, much to my mom’s and Justin's delight.
I was fortunate to have a small group of close friends and I even started to notice a couple of cute boys around (who noticed me back), but recently I feel as though it’s not nearly enough.
Now that my senior year is drawing to a close I feel more restless than ever, but I'm not really sure if my mom can understand.

"Do you think I can call Dad and Justin and ask if I can crash at their place tomorrow night and maybe stay for the weekend?" I ask my mom as I get up from the table to place my empty plate and cutlery in the kitchen sink.

"I don't know, Gus," Mom answers. "For one thing, your dad and Justin's place is not exactly a place where you can just crash …And also I think they might be busy this weekend," she explains.

"Please, must you go there?" I answer her in irritation. I'm almost 18 years old, and you would expect that years of living with my folks, my extended family members and the rest of their friends would rub off on me, but in all honesty there are still things you DON'T feel like knowing about your parents and their respective partners.

"Hold it right there, young man," Mom replies as she grabs my wrist. "THAT'S not what I meant… and don't even…" She stops in mid-sentence, trying to hide her blushing cheeks with the kitchen towel. "But regardless, I don't really know what their plans are for this weekend. I do know Mel and I will be attending a very special event that Ben is hosting tomorrow night for the Living in Hope Charity. It's a fundraiser for a brand new LGBT youth center. We're all going to be there,” she explains.

"Okay, so I might just invite a few friends over while you're all gone, if that's okay with you," I tell her, trying to sound casual as I hold my breath and wait for her response.

"I was actually thinking you might join us for this fundraiser, Gus," Mom responds, sounding a bit more serious now. "Ben is, after all, Michael’s husband, and Michael is your sister's dad. I think they would appreciate it, especially after everything that's happened recently…"

"I don't really feel like going, Mom; sorry…" I mumble uncomfortably as I shuffle my feet across the floor to my room.
TBC…