Disclaimer: Queer as Folk and all its characters are property of CowLip, I'm ony borrowing them.
The High Homo Holidays
"Happy Pride, Em!" Ted sat down next to him, "Why the long face? This has always been your favorite holiday… along with Barbra Streisand's birthday…"
"Oh, I know… it's just… it doesn't seem quite the same as always, you know?"
Ted made a show of looking around the exuberantly decorated diner.
"Well, this place is nearly drowning in rainbow flags, I'm pretty sure that's a rainbow wig Debbie is wearing, and there are thousands of hot, gay men and, you know, women, out on the streets." Ted finished with a flourish, gesturing around him.
Emmett giving a shrug and a half-hearted smile said, "Yes…but Brian and Justin are in New York, Ben and Michael didn't even come to Pride last year..."
"They were visiting Hunter at NYU..."
"Well, yes… but who knows if they'll make it this year? There's just something missing…"
"Wouldn't happen to be us, by any chance, would it?"
Ted and Emmett turned quickly to see a smirking Brian with his arm around Justin.
"Oh my God! I didn't know you'd be here!" Emmett exclaimed, gloomy mood lost.
"Bri! Justin! What, when?" Ted asked, confused.
"We got here last night" explained Justin.
"But we had some business to take care of, so we only made it out of the loft 'til this morning," added Brian.
"Oh, I'm sure you had plenty of business to take care of," laughed Emmett, wiggling his eyebrows.
"BRIAN! SUNSHINE!" Deb's bellow made everyone near cringe. She proceeded to hug both Brian and Justin until they turned a perilous shade of blue.
The dinner bell rang and Michael, Ben and Hunter came in.
"Ma! Will you stop strangling them?" Michael managed to free Brian from his mother's hold… only to hug him just as hard.
"Uh… Mikey… a little air?"
Michael eased up slightly, but not before giving Brian a kiss.
"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"
"It would be incredibly difficult to tell you every time I'm coming Mikey… we'd never get anything done" answered Brian, tongue in cheek. He stretched an arm out to shake Ben's hand, "Professor, how are you?"
"Good, Brian, thank you."
"Asshole!" Michael punched him on the arm, "You know what I mean…"
"Hey! Easy on the abuse!" Brian made a show of rubbing his arm, "It was a surprise. Speaking of surprises, you might want to stock up on fatherly patience…" said Brian, pointing to the entrance of the dinner.
Everyone turned to see Lindsay and Melanie coming in with J.R. and Gus.
"Daddy!" Gus immediately launched himself into his father's arms.
"Hey, sonny boy!" Brian hugged him.
"Justin!" Gus hugged the blond next to Brian.
"Hey Gus man! How are you?"
"GIRLS! J.R.!" everyone cringed again.
"Why does Grandma Deb yell so much, Daddy?" Gus asked.
"It's the Italian in her, sonny boy… and the frustrated drag queen attempting to break free."
"I heard that…" said Lindsay, who had managed to escape Deb's attentions, now totally focused on J.R.
Brian just gave her a smile and raised eyebrow, so Lindsay shook her head and kissed his cheek.
"Hey, Brian… want a blowjob?"
"Why, if it isn't the littlest hustler," answered Brian, turning to see Hunter leering at him, "Decided not to stay in the city?"
"Nah… felt like visiting the Pitts for a few days."
At that point, Emmett started crying.
"Em? Em? What's wrong?" Ted asked worriedly.
"Oh, nothing's wrong! Everything's perfect! I can't believe we're all here together!" he answered, wiping his eyes.
"Oh, Christ… if this gets any more sentimental, I might have to take you up on that blowjob…"
A loud chorus of "BRIAAN!" and a solitary "Hell, yeah!" from Hunter followed this statement.
Yep, the gang was back in Liberty Avenue for the High Homo Holidays.
o
"Justin! We need to leave, we're meeting the boys in Babylon" Brian called out, while buttoning up his shirt.
Justin answered from the bathroom.
"I'll be ready in a second! You know, I love that you kept the loft… it's really useful to have a place for whenever we want to visit," he stepped outside and, catching sight of Brian in that red shirt, added, "and for whenever we need a great place to fuck…"
Brian raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Justin. Who was looking at him like he was about to eat him, and who had a sheer blue shirt on. Well…
"You know, I'm sure the boys can wait."
Justin nodded emphatically and proceeded to take the red shirt off Brian.
o
"Oh, look, there's Brian and Justin!" Michael said, pointing to the entrance.
"Hmm, wonder why they're late," said Ben, smiling.
"Business, I'm sure," said Emmett, nudging Ted's arm.
"Business?" asked Blake, looking confused, "Wow, Brian really is a workaholic… he should get help…"
Ben, Michael and Emmett burst out laughing.
Ted just said, "Oh, you don't know the half of it…"
"Well, hello boys," said Brian, "Glad to see you're having fun… but why don't we go up to the VIP lounge? I happen to know the guy who owns this place…"
He ushered everyone up the stairs and into the lounge.
"Why isn't Hunter joining us?" Brian asked.
"Oh, he volunteered to watch J.R. and Gus so Mel and Lindz could have some… uh…"
"Happy lesbo time?"
"Yeah," Michael answered, making a face. "But we told him he could go out with us tomorrow, so he didn't mind so much."
"Miss your stalker?" Justin asked Brian, sidling up to his side.
Brian glared at him, and Justin cheered him up with a kiss… and a trip to the even more exclusive VIP backroom.
Emmett looked around smiling. Ben and Michael were dancing, Ted and Blake were helping out some tweaked out twinkie and Brian and Justin were in the backroom (together). Yep, quite like old times.
o
"And then, Tommy said he could climb the tree and he was sure I couldn't, and I told him I could too, so I did and then I won! Isn't that awesome, daddy?" Gus finished his story, beaming.
Justin chuckled, and Brian proudly said "Good going, Sonny boy. Now, how about we kick the ball around for a while? You have soccer try outs soon, right?"
"Yeah!" Gus threw his fist up in the air.
Justin sat down on one of the park benches and took his sketchbook out of the bag slung across his shoulder. Brian and Gus playing soccer was something far too tempting not to draw. He knew just how much Brian missed his son, but he'd gone up to Toronto fairly frequently and now that Gus was ten years old it would be easier for him to go to New York City on his own.
Sometimes it still seemed… surreal, to be living there with Brian. It had taken them awhile to get where they were, Brian had only relocated to the city two years ago (he respected Justin's desire to make it on his own, and he had to wait until Kinnetic was ready for an expansion). But, without unnecessary ceremonies and vows, rather the simple realization that together is how they wanted to be, they had a damn good life.
"Come on, Sunshine," Brian startled him out of his musings, "Time to get ready for the parade."
"I still can't believe what we're doing… hell, I can't believe you suggested it!"
"What, daddy?" Gus asked, pleading brown eyes hard to refuse, but Brian just smiled.
"Another surprise, sonny boy."
o
"Hey, Ma!" Michael went up to Debbie, who was organizing the PFLAG contingent. He was suddenly distracted by the sight of an incredibly tall Barbara Streisand sashaying around. Pride never left out the major divas… whether they were aware of it or not.
"Hey, baby! Are you gonna walk this year?"
"Yep," Michael nodded, smiling "Ben, Hunter and me are marching with the marriage initiative group…"
"Hmm… there's plenty to be solved in this country, but I hope the new dick in the White House really does what he said he was gonna" Deb glared at nobody in particular. Then, with a slight shake of her head, she smiled once more, "So who else is marching with you? Lindsay and Melanie?"
"Yep… and maybe Ted and Blake… I wonder if Brian and Justin are marching?"
"Well, Jennifer is here with PFLAG, and Justin might join her… but I really doubt Brian will…"
"There was that one year after he went to college…" Michael said with a silly grin on his face.
"What? When? I never saw him! Wait… The year Brian came back for Pride after he went off to college… you were standing with a girl… a very tall girl…" Debbie looked absolutely flabbergasted, "Are you telling me that Brian Kinney once did…"
Michael covered her mouth before anything else slipped out.
"I can't tell you anything, under pain of death, and you can't speculate anything, unless you want to see your only son die a very slow and painful death," he warned.
"My lips are sealed," Debbie replied, a still looking a bit like she was in a weird alternate universe. Well, she mused, you never really knew what people were capable of…
Meanwhile, Barbra Streisand came up to Michael.
"Hi, sweetie!"
"Hi…" he looked closer, "Wait… Emmett?! Is that you?"
"Shh…" Emmett motioned with an impatient gesture, "I'm Barbra for the day… or Babs, if you like."
Michael just laughed and went off to join the marriage contingent.
o
"Mommy, Daddy said he had another surprise for the parade!" Gus tugged on Lindsay's hand, looking around impatiently to catch a glimpse of his Dad.
Mel snorted and said, "Yeah, the surprise is he'll stay as far away as he can."
"That would be a totally boring surprise, Momma," said Gus imperiously, "I'm sure my Daddy's doing something way cooler."
"Way cooler!" J.R. concurred, because she had taken to saying whatever her brother said, and because she really, really liked Uncle Brian.
"Hey, guys! You ready?"
They turned to see Ben, Michael and Hunter waving them towards where their contingent was assembling.
"Aren't Ted and Blake coming with us?" Mel asked.
"No, they decided to march with Blake's support group," Ben replied.
"And where's Emmett?" Lindsay enquired.
"Oh, he's going by Babs today…" said Michael, pointing to the tall Streisand, who was chatting away with Shanda Leer and 'Gloria Gaynor'.
Finally, a loud bang, and a loud drag queen, announced the 2010 Pittsburgh Gay Pride Parade was starting.
People cheered from the sides as the gay men, women, drag queens, trannies, leather daddies, dykes in bikes, the marriage initiative, the support groups, PFLAG and any and all manner of people marched, proudly waving rainbow flags and different banners.
However, a hush fell over the crowd when the final float came into view.
Its banner read 'Babylon Bombing Memorial' and on the sides of it were written the names of all the people who had been killed that terrible night, five years ago. Several of Babylon's current go-go dancers were on it, dressed like angels and looking appropriately gorgeous.
But the real surprise were the two people who stood high in the middle: Brian, dressed completely in black, and Justin, dressed completely in white.
It was an almost magical moment (but Brian would have the balls of anyone who dared describe it like that, so let's not). The crowds fell completely silent when the memorial float passed, and it was a truly fitting remembrance for the victims of hate. Which was what Brian had wanted.
When the rest of the gang saw it, they couldn't believe their eyes. Deb started crying, as did Emmett and Lindsay.
Gus pointed out gleefully that his Daddy and Justin looked 'way cool', Ted figured out this was the extra expense he'd noticed, Hunter mused that Brian looked really hot in all black (he looked really hot in everything… except maybe floral print shirts, which had thankfully been mysteriously lost in the move to New York) and everyone was very, very touched. And very proud.
o
"Another round!" Emmett exclaimed joyfully, placing several beers, two sodas and a Cosmo on the table.
"Thanks, Em" said Ted, picking up the two sodas and handing one to Blake.
Woody's was pretty full, but the gang had managed to get a table and after a game of pool in which Justin and Brian had flattened Michael and Ben, they were sitting down and drinking.
"Now, boys… I have a burning question of the day!" said Emmett, "It's a very special one, because it's Pride."
"Which one of the X-Men we'd rather fuck?" asked Brian.
"No! Though now that you mention it… that Wolverine…"
"So what is the question, Em?" Michael interrupted his rambling before it started.
"Ok… what has been the very worst fuck of your life?"
"Well, Emmett, I'd think that's obvious" said Brian, tongue in cheek, "I mean, there is a reason we're all celebrating pride, being happy homos and all…"
"I mean other than with a woman…" said Emmett, rolling his eyes, "I'll start," he cleared his throat dramatically, "the worst fuck of my life was…"
"When your sugar daddy keeled over half way through it in the airplane bathroom?" Brian suggested.
"What?!" exclaimed Hunter.
"Oh, shut up!" said Emmett, shoving him indignantly, "Though… that was pretty horrible… but no, actually, the very worst was one of the first times. This man who lived near Hazelhurst, he kept saying the weirdest things… it didn't take me long to figure out the rumors about cows, sheep and him were true…"
"Gross!" "Eww!" "That's totally disgusting!"
"Yeah," said Emmett, nodding, "It was the last straw, I knew that if I wanted a decent fuck I had to get out of there pronto."
"My worst one was that psycho guy, Rickert," said Hunter, matter of factly, "No wonder he did what he did for sex… he seriously sucked."
Brian snorted, but Michael and Ben glared at him.
"What about you, sweetie?" Emmett asked Justin, "You've had some hot little numbers, which one has been your worse?"
Justin looked a bit uncomfortable, and glanced somewhat apologetically at Brian before answering, "Ethan."
Everyone burst out laughing, including Brian (who looked positively delighted).
"Yeah," continued Justin, scrunching up his nose, "At least I learned to appreciate conversation and… uh… other things."
"Like a good fuck," proposed Brian.
Justin smiled and kissed the hell out of him. Everyone else rolled their eyes.
"I dare say mine was when I was… you know…" Ted paused, trying to find the right words.
"A crystal queen."
"Yes, thank you, Brian. I can barely remember, and there were some good stuff at the beginning, but after a while… it was just horrible," he said, eyes slightly haunted. Blake took his hand and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm sure you know which one was mine... I can't remember much of it, but the consequences certainly marked it as the worst fuck ever," Ben said meditatively.
There was a moment of silence, and Brian briefly put his hand on Ben's shoulder in an uncharacteristic, but not unwelcome, move.
"I think mine was the first time I topped…" Michael said, and everyone gaped at him, "What? No, really… it was very weird. It kept slipping out, and maybe I didn't use enough lube 'cause the guy kept making these noises…"
"My, my, Mikey, didn't I teach you anything?" admonished Brian, "No wonder you went bottom afterwards."
Michael stuck his tongue out and asked, "What about you, oh mighty god of sex? What has been your worst fuck?"
"Yeah, in your very, very, very vast experience there must be a terrible one to remember…" prodded Emmett.
"Well," Brian started thoughtfully, "Stockwell, I guess."
Ben started choking on his beer and Michael spat his out. Ted's mouth was wide open and Emmett's eyes were wide with horror. Justin just rolled his eyes and swatted Brian on the back of the head.
Brian promptly burst out laughing, and said "I'm kidding, you idiots…"
Justin swatted him again.
"Asshole!" exclaimed Michael, hitting Ben on the back to dislodge any remaining beer, "C'me on, tell us the truth…"
"Oh, fine, if you must know…" he leaned conspiratorially towards everyone and motioned for them to get closer. He whispered the name.
"You fucked HIM?!!" Emmett squealed.
"Yep. And he was terrible," Brian said, shaking his head in distaste.
"I can't believe it… I mean… he… he seems... he looks..." Michael looked totally bewildered, and Ben put his arm around him in comfort, but seemed just as surprised.
Ted took a deep drink of water, Blake looked at Brian with new eyes and Hunter leered at him harder, if possible.
Justin chuckled, 'cause he'd heard the story before and in much more detail.
Brian stood up, took one last drink from his beer and extended his hand to Justin, who took it and followed Brian out of the bar.
Brian looked at him for a long time, remembering other moments like this: Justin's first pride, the election… They'd been through so very much.
"C'me here," he whispered, and kissed Justin. It was like the first time, like the last time and every other one together. It was a kiss that said everything, it was as if Brian was trying to drink Justin in, on of his hands clutching the blond hair, the other pulling Justin even closer.
Finally, their lips parted, but they remained with foreheads touching.
Suddenly, an old song started playing loudly, drifting towards them from the speakers on the street.
'You can dance every dance with the guy that gives you the eye, let him hold you tight…'
Brian froze for a moment, and in front of his eyes danced images of blood spattered cement, of a tainted white scarf, and a loud, horrible, deadly sound filled his ears. He trembled slightly, and fought to keep himself together.
Justin vaguely remembered dancing in the loft, Daphne and Brian trying to make him remember the night of the prom… he felt Brian shiver next to him and was about to ask him what was wrong, when Brian simply silenced him with a look and led him to the middle of the street, where a few people were dancing.
Brian knew that Justin would perhaps never remember his prom, never remember the dance they shared. But he'd promised him once to give him a dance he wouldn't forget, and he always kept his promises. Perhaps, in the keeping of this one, some of his own demons could be exorcized, some of that terrible pain and guilt he'd carried would ease.
'But don't forget who's taking you home and in who's arms you're gonna be. So darling, save the last dance for me...'
And with infinite grace, Brian started dancing with Justin, echoing moves from a fateful night, many years ago. Justin followed, amazed at the way they were moving together, perfectly in synch. They turned and twirled, and all around them people had stopped to look at them.
But this time, their audience weren't confused high school students, but a crowd of people celebrating who they were. And nobody looked at them with horror, or hatred, nobody thought of a baseball bat in the back of their car.
They simply stood entranced, amazed at the love, at the sheer beauty of the people dancing in the middle.
'Baby don't you know I love you so,
Can't you feel it when we touch.
I will never, never let you go
I love you oh so much…'
Brian dipped Justin, holding his body close, then picked him up and gave him a final twirl, finishing with a kiss. And it was, like someone had remarked a long time ago, a kiss that said he loved him to the depths of his soul.
'Don't forget who's taking you home and in who's arms you're gonna be. So darling save the last dance for me… save the last dance for me…'
"Happy pride, Justin," he whispered.
Justin smiled, that smile that had been gone for such a long time, that smile that had earned his nickname.
Because, one way or another, the best night of his life had been given back to him. And because he was proud, very proud, to be who he was, and with the man he loved.
The End.
Author's note: Lyrics are of the song 'Save the Last Dance for Me' by The Drifters (and if you don't know this... uh... please go watch QaF NOW). Also, I make no claim to know how the presidential elections of the US will go in 2008, so don't take Debbie's remark seriously.
Hope you enjoyed, let me know! I LOVE (beg for) feedback : )