Dustyn really shouldn't be squeamish at the thought of surgeries as he himself is now stranger to them. He's had two on his knee and one esophageal surgery. He's also overdosed twice, so he's no stranger to a hospital bed. Still, the clinical and serious nature of it all makes him wobble to this day. Dustyn is a lover of life and...well...people die in this building. It's not his favourite place to be. The curtain going up and Erica still being awake does ease things, however. Out of sight, out of mind...sort of. He focuses on his friend and pretends that the icky stuff isn't happening right now. "Not often but I have found myself waking up in this building after a few too many..." Dustyn rubs under his nose rather than saying it out loud. There are strangers in the room. Even though Dustyn's shenanigans are common knowledge, he doesn't wish to broadcast it in a delivery room. "Do you feel anything?" he asks, standing by her side and taking her hand. It's obvious that she's not in any pain but he's still curious about it. He also has no clue what stage the surgeons are on. They might have not even started for all he knows but he's not going to be having a peek any time soon.

"Well all of Weekend have woken up in hospital beds. Sometimes it's due to partying a little too hard. Other times it's...forgetting to eat a chocolate bar," Dustyn says, referring to Billy and his diabetes. Out of all the things that guy does to play with fire, it was low sugar levels that brought him to the brink of death. He was also hit with a car once which is pretty rock and roll but Dustyn prefers the sugar story. "Imagine, after all of this, you look down and see that they've done some landscaping. They're giving you a Hitler 'tash as we speak," Dustyn says with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. He has no idea what Erica has going on down there but for the purpose of the joke, she has enough to work with. When asked how he feels, Dustyn stops before getting any words out, having to actually ponder over how he feels. It's such an odd sensation, feeling simultaneously brave and fearful - trying to be in the moment while also trying to block out things that are happening. "I...I don't know. Kinda...this sort of feels like an outer body experience. In the back of my mind, I know that I'm a mixture of scared and excited but...my body feels calm? Running on adrenaline, I suppose. Autopilot. Sort of like when parent mode kicks in. You suppress everything to be strong for your child."

Thinking about fatherhood just reminds Dustyn that another son is on his way. He's forever indebted to Erica for this. Dustyn smiles and gently squeezes Erica's hand. "Thank you. Thank you for all of this. I don't...I don't think I can put into words just how much this means to me and Dallas." Being a gay man, as much as Dustyn accepts and is proud of his sexuality, is torture at times for him. Stuff like never being able to conceive a child that is 100% biologically his and his husband kills him. Of course Shay and, soon, Koa are his world and he doesn't love them any less. Dustyn just wishes things weren't so technical and clinical when it came to something as natural as having family.

"I went for the shaved looked once out of curiosity. Uhhh...it was...uh...well, it made it look even bigger. Dallas was scared. Locked himself in the bathroom for a few hours." Dustyn doesn't wish to delve too far into just how well endowed he is as this is hardly the place to mention a penis but he still thinks the anecdote is pretty funny. He continues to grip onto Erica's hand, not daring let go for a single second as he would like the same continuous comfort and reassurance if the roles were reversed. "I'm so thankful that you did this for us. Having someone we know do this really makes it feel somewhat more natural. Not being able to have a baby on our own really gets us in the guts at time. No matter how much progress we've made in the world, that's still something that...well, makes us feel like we're lesser sometimes. Bringing in a stranger to do this would make it seem more...calculated, clinical, not so natural. You've put yourself through a lot for the happiness of me and my husband. I won't ever be able to have a baby for you but if you're needing gum, I always have plenty!" Dustyn chuckles lightly and turns his head to face the curtain, often catching a glimpse of one of the doctors heads, which reminds him that more and more people are learning about the birth. They had kept it quiet up until now, not wanting to jinx anything and for the sake of privacy. He's not so sure what Erica wants to do now. "Are you still wanting to remain anonymous? I'm obviously going to go public with Koa's birth but I can keep your name out of it if you don't want the press. Although, there are a lot of people in this hospital I'd have to slap a gagging order on. Well, I'm not that great with legal stuff but if you want to embargo it then Billy can. Billy...can. Billy Khan!" Dustyn says with a huge grin, now realising the fun he can have with his friend's name.

"Well, there's certainly no harm in trying. Although, it'll be a while before Dallas and I even get to do that even just for fun!" A new baby throws absolutely everything out of the window. That child and their needs come first. Social life, sex life, work life are all affected. Dustyn has no idea how he's going to manage Weekend's upcoming album and tour. He's going to be so drained but being a father again is totally worth the sleepless nights...and mental breakdowns. For a second, Dustyn is surprised to hear the sound of a baby crying. He was not expecting this procedure to go so quickly and he was so wrapped up in helping Erica through the surgery that his mind was barely on the end result at that moment in time. "Oh...". The sound just sort of falls out of Dustyn's mouth as he sees his son for the first time. His eyes are tearing up but it doesn't stop him from watching Koa closely. His parental instincts have already kicked in, not daring to take his eyes off the fragile infant. "Look at the hair!" Dustyn says while half crying, half laughing as he sees that his son was born with enough fluffy blond hair to run fingers through. He wipes some of his tears away as he watches his baby boy rest on Erica. "He's so tiny!" Dustyn says affectionately, trying his best to keep his voice low. It's true, he's a very small baby with delicate features. It's easy to tell that Koa is a total Blue as he already has the same nose as Dustyn and Shay.

Dustyn carefully picks up Koa, making sure to support his head as he cradles him close to his chest. Dustyn doesn't say much at first. He just sniffles and lets a few tears run down his cheeks as he looks down at his newborn son. Dustyn is an emotional little fella. He doesn't mind crying in front of people.He takes a finger and very lightly brushes over Koa's thick yet super soft dark blond hair. You can practically give the kid a tiny quiff. Dustyn is obsessed with it. "You are so perfect..." he softly says to his newborn son. "You are gonna be so loved by me, your daddy Dallas and your big brother Shay. I...I can't wait to introduce you to Madonna and teach you the Hung Up routine - splits and all." Oh yes, Dustyn can do the splits. Why do you think his five year relationship still seems so exciting and fresh? He gently kisses Koa on the forehead. Dustyn simply cannot put into words just how much he loves this boy. It's very clear that Dustyn was always meant to be a father. He chuckles when Erica asks to see Koa's toes. "Asking to see toes, huh? You're sounding like my husband." All Dustyn has to do is take his socks off and Dallas is putty in his hands. He laughs lightly and crouches down by the bed so Erica can have a better view of Koa.

Riley's apartment is filled with a bunch of folk who work at the label, music journalists, his fellow band mates and, of course, Erich. This is the second listening party the group have held for their upcoming album, Welcome to the Real World. The one held in Oscar's last night was a proper listening sessions, with people sitting around and taking notes. Billy brought some booze tonight so there's more of a party vibe going on this time around. It's a house party in a member of Weekend's house while their unreleased music rotates on the sound system, so it's a pretty big deal. The guest list is pretty exclusive.

"You alright, Dusty?" Riley asks while laughing and opening his arms to support his friend in case he falls or drops his overflowing plastic cups of Guinness. Dustyn has clearly had a few too many.

"Y-y-yesshhh..." he mumbles as he staggers through the crowd, spilling some of his beverages as he travels. Riley raises an eyebrow and steps over the spillage, guiding Dustyn to the couch, where he plops down next to Erich.

"You gonna be OK there?" Riley asks softly. It's not that he's worried about Dustyn consuming alcohol. He's Irish. Riley's just very aware of the fact that his friend is a drunken star surrounded by a lot of people he doesn't know all that well.

"Prized personal possessions and the bedroom are firmly under lock and key," Riley laughs, giving Erich a pat on the back. "Dread to think of how people would behave if they had access to a room," he says, tilting his head over to Billy, who is on the other side of the room talking to girl who's wearing a dangerously short dress. One wrong move and she could be done for indecent exposure. "You wanting anything brought over?" he asks, seeing Erich struggling to get up from the couch.

"Noooo stayyyy!" Dustyn whines as Erich moves. He wants to settle down and have a chat with him. 90% of it will be unintelligible but he still wants to chat. Dustyn takes a sip of his Guinness and then switches to the second cup. Variety is the spice of life after all. He mumbles something to Erich, sounding more Irish and harder to understand than usual.

"Erich, my man!". Scott comes over with a bottle of beer and shakes Erich's hand. "You liking the album?"

Dustyn furrows his eyebrows and scowls angrily at Erich when he takes a sip of his Guinness without asking. You don't do that to an Irishman. "No! Mine!" he scolds as if talking to one of his cats. He tries to turn in his seat, swinging the stout away from Erich's direction and spilling some onto his lap. Dustyn doesn't even notice though. Swaying where he sits, Dustyn continues to drink from the plastic cups, interchanging with each sip. "N-n-no..I...no I don't w-..." Dustyn mumbles, holding one of the pints out to Erich. Dustyn clearly prefers the one that's in his right hand and is disowning the other beverage. Erich can have this one.

"Well I don't have that many lines on this album so hopefully they don't have much to complain about," Scott says with a shrug and swig of beer. He's never been a strong singer but it never knocked his confidence until lately. After several viral tweets attacking his ability, it got to him and he requested not to be featured as much on the new album. He looks over at Dustyn and then back at Erich. "Blimey...what's he been on?". Dustyn remains swaying on the couch, mumbling in Irish.

Riley returns with the hand towel that Erich had requested. "I'm not going to question what you're going to do with this, mate...just...take it..." Riley laughs and hands it over. Riley steps aside when he feels someone try to squeeze past him. "Oh!" he blurts out when he feels someone rub against his bum. For a moment, he feared that it was Billy being frisky.

A drunken Oscar appears behind Riley with an empty glass in his hand. "It's Elvis!!" he shouts out, pointing at Erich.

"No-no..." Dustyn mumbles and shakes his head, forcing the cup upon Erich. He clearly doesn't want it and is being irked by something. Dustyn's in his extreme drunken phase where he's on another planet so he's reacting to things that aren't even happening. With the huffy expression on his face, it's clear that he's not liking whatever his intoxicated little mind in conjuring up. "Fucking..f-feck...fecking....never-n-n-no..." he grumbles, sinking into the couch and sipping on his Guinness before shooting back up and grabbing his belt. "Oh!!"

"What's wrong, Dusty?" Riley springs into action and supports his friend as he stumbles up of the couch, spilling the dry stout down his shirt. "Be careful, don't slip, mate. You OK?" he asks, looking extremely concerned.

"Wee..." Dustyn says, beginning to pull at the zipper on his trousers.

"Oh!" Riley's eyes widen as he realises the issue at hand. "OK, I'll help you up to the toilet. You don't want to be down that here, bud." Riley moves Dustyn's hands away from his crotch. He knows that Dustyn would very well just whip it out and pee in the living room at this level of drunkenness. Riley looks over at Erich and Scott, making a face and chuckling at Dustyn's state. Dustyn can still be heard mumbling in Irish as he's escorted out of the room.

Oscar takes Dustyn's seat next to Erich but jumps and budges up a space when he realises the seat is doused in Guinness. "Oh for fuck sake!". Oscar tries to pat his bottom dry. Some people get off on that. He's not one of them. "So...are you watching the free circus too?" he says with a nod across the room to Billy and the scantily clad girl. It's always been pretty obvious that he and Billy have never been the best of friends.

Scott turns around to see what he's talking about. "Jesus...is that a piece of dental floss carrying a woman?!". Her dress might as well not be there. "Oh, head's up..." Scott warns Erich and Oscar as he sees Billy approaching.

"Fuck off..." Oscar mumbles under his breath. He can tolerate and be friendly with Billy for the most part. Billy with a drink in his system is a whole other story. He's on another level of irritating.

"Come on, it's a fucking party! Why are you sitting there like a bunch of old lifeless cunts, eh?" And like that, Billy makes his presence known. With the slur in his voice, it's clear that he's taken something besides alcohol. His eyes are also GLAZED.

"This was supposed to be a very organised event but it's gone to shit now," Scott says while holding up a beer, answering the question on Riley's behalf. This was supposed to be "professional" like the one last night but the alcohol started flowing and Riley has a huge house so it was the perfect setting to let inhibitions run wild. "Watching what I'm drinking though. I'm gonna stay the night and help Riley out in the morning. He's a good lad. He doesn't deserve piss stains on his rug." Scott is just sticking to beer. There are enough drunken Weekend members and strangers as is. Poor Riley doesn't need any more grief.

"I think she's a journalist..." Oscar says, narrowing his eyes and looking across the room at the woman Billy was talking to. "Definitely not from the label."

"Think she's a writer for Pop Matters...or...or Pop Hub...I don't know, I wasn't really listening to her," Billy says with a shrug. "I do know that she wanted me all up in her fucking guts!" Billy thrusts his hips back and forth, shaking his beer bottle in the most unsavoury manner.

Oscar turns his head, unfortunately eye height with Billy's crotch. "Yeah...I know how sex works. No need to demonstrate." Oscar likes sex as much as the next handsome boy band member but he's never been one for Billy's vulgarity and lack of respect. Some of the terms he uses churns Oscar's stomach.

"What you think, William?" Billy says to Erich, knowing that the name annoys him. "Think I should go there with her or do you think it'll be like throwing a sausage down a motorway? Got a feeling that pink canoe isn't watertight, you know?"

Oscar cringes at the mental image and Scott just laughs into his bottle of beer.

Riley returns and stands in the doorway with Dustyn nowhere to be seen. He motions Erich and Scott to come over with a concerned look on his face.