I really enjoyed reading about this scene from Michael's perspective.
I swear, I appreciate the sanctity of life more than Ma, Ben, Brian, Justin, or all my friends combined. A beloved uncle with AIDS. A close friend lying in the hospital from a drug overdose—because he took a tweaked‑out twinkie home with him. My best friend with a white silk scarf tightly wound around his neck, hanging from a rafter with a huge boner—because he thought turning 30 made him irrelevant. (WHAT THE FUCK?!?! I’d already turned 30, but I wasn’t irrelevant to him. But then, I didn’t have as much to lose.) My Ma collapsing at the diner from too many years of hard work—alone with no one to partner her. A teenaged blond boy laying comatose in a hospital room with thick bandages surrounding his shattered skull. An HIV+ lover.
SHIT!! Doesn’t anyone else besides me remember this stuff? And everyone thinks I’m simple-minded?!?! Gimme a fucking break!!
*nods in agreement* I think Michael is underestimated a lot!
I don't read too many Michael/Ben fics, but I enjoyed this!