Falling Apart

[untiluntiluntil]

Title: Falling Apart

Fandom: Queer As Folk

Spoilers: This would take place during the first few episodes of Season 2. Spoilers of season 1 finale.

Characters: Brian/Justin

Disclaimer: Not mine. At all. Not even a smidgen.

Warning: Language

Summery: Justin's allergies cause problems neither of them could have predicted...

Brian stuck the mouth of his beer bottle in his mouth and leaned against the bar, keeping his eyes on his barely-not-boyfriend rubbing against some dark haired guy—Thomas something or other, Brian slept with him once. Good for Justin, except...with the accident only a few months behind them, Brian was still a bit wary of letting Justin go clubbing...particularly so far away from Brian, the only dance partner who’d understand if Justin’s hand started spazzing or the boy had a panic attack in the middle of the dance floor.

Brian understood.

Justin still didn’t remember the specifics of before the accident—a baseball bat to the head would do that to a guy—but that didn’t stop him from freaking out every time something jogged his memory back to that night. Pretty girls reminded him of the dolled-up chicks at the prom, cars starting sometimes brought him back to the parking lot just after the dance. Brian had to be careful not to call Justin’s name too loudly, even in bed, just in case Justin thought he was shouting his name in warning. Again.

Brian drank.

He kept his eyes on Thomas, watched where his hands went—don’t touch his head—and crossed his arms over his leather jacket. This was ridiculous. Was he really going to stand here watching Justin the whole night? He flickered his eyes around the club, taking in Babylon’s selection of gentlemen. Why was he babysitting when he could be fucking...

He was so busy switching between Thomas and the other clubgoers that he nearly missed Justin shake his head, push away, and pitch forwards with a sneeze Brian couldn’t hear over the music.

Brian sipped, grinning a little. Brian’s allergies—proof he really was out of the house, out in the world. Proof he was Brian’s Justin.

Or whatever.

He kept watching, maybe hoping for another one of Justin’s adorable, always half-stifled sneezes, and was rewarded with two—uniform, each bringing another step back from the dancer. So polite, Justin...

Shit, he was shaking.

Shit.

Since when was Justin afraid of sneezing? Brian forced his way through the crowd and planted his hand on Thomas’s shoulder. “We have a problem here?” he asked, before his senses were attacked by Thomas’s cologne. “Christ almighty. The bottle has a stopper for a reason, asshole.”

Thomas rolled his eyes. “Fuck you, Brian.” He reached his hand out to Justin and Brian swatted it away.

“Justin.” Brian put his hand on Justin’s shoulder and lifted his chin ‘til their eyes met. “You okay?”

Justin pulled away immediately. “Tuh-ishuh!”

“Bless you.” Brian glared at Thomas. “Way to kill the allergic kid.”

“Should I say fuck you again?”

Brian glanced at Justin—the kid had his hands over his ears, his eyes half closed, doing that twitchy thing he always did during a nightmare, or a flashback...

“Home.” Brian clamped his hand down on Justin’s arm and pulled him outside.

“Tuh-ishuh! H-h-huhishuh! Huh-ishuh!” Justin took a shaky step back and clamped his hands over his eyes, bending at the waist as his sneezes grew stronger. “Huh-ishuh! Tu-huh-ishu!”

“Christ.” Brian searched his pockets for a tissue.

“Need to stop sneezing!”

Brian looked up slowly. “What are you afraid of?”

Justin breathed fast and stamped his feet. “Took Claritin—”

No, he hadn’t, he’d taken nothing but Tylenol for those headaches that wouldn’t quit. “Justin—”

“Huh-ishuh! Huh-ih-ishu! Hishu! Hh--”

“Stop.” Brian finally shook out a tissue and wrapped it around Justin’s nose, squeezed it tight. “Stop.”

Justin stared at him, eyes dripping from fear or allergies or both.

Brian whispered, “Where do you think you are?”

Justin just watched him.

Brian sighed. “Do I need to make you sneeze to get it out of you?”

“Bri—”

“Shhhhhh.”

Keeping the tissue around Justin’s nose, Brian lifted Justin’s chin and kissed him slowly, starting from the top of his forehead, working to the poor twitching bridge of his nose. His own cologne rarely bothered Justin, but maybe this close—

“Tuh-ishuh!”

“There we go,” Brian whispered.

“Huh-ish! Tuh-ishu! Eh-shuu!”

“Bless you. Where do you think you are?”

Justin gasped for a minute, then squeaked out—“The corsages the prom I was sneezing I got hit—”

“Hey.”

Justin didn’t look up.

“I said HEY, Justin Taylor.”

Justin raised his eyes.

“Fuck prom. Fuck flashbacks. Fuck sneezing.” He kissed Justin’s nose again. “You’re here.” He wrapped his arms around Justin’s shivering body and pulled him close. “Freaking out outside Babylon. Sneezing your pretty little head off.”

“Huh-ishuu!”

Brian rolled his eyes. “Yeah, just like that.” He kissed the top of Justin’s head and brought his mouth to his ear. “You’re with me. Safe.”

Justin clung to Brian, and Brian bitched to himself that, just his luck—Justin was falling apart, and he was falling in love.

[Jazz]

I loved this just as much as the last one you wrote! Honestly, it's amazing.

I might have to go find the show somewhere and watch it because of this.

Honestly, you wow me.

It was excellent.

Absolutely excellent.

I loved it.

[untiluntiluntil]

Awww, you're so sweet! Thank you so much.

Haha, I'm sure at some point I'll get over my QAF obsession and write fics for stuff people actually watch...

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Oh my God, I loved this! Especially considering that the end of S1/beginning of S2 is probably my favorite part of the whole series (even though I hated Dr. David, and LOVED Professor Ben), specifically BECAUSE it's when you really get to see Brian falling in love, despite his absolute intention NOT to. And you did such a wonderful job with it, with them, especially with Brian, not being comforting in the classic sense, but being exactly what Justin needs: brusque and sarcastic and full of impatience, mostly for himself (because, again, HE'S FALLING IN LOVE!), but still with that gentleness than Brian only ever really has for Michael and Justin (and Gus, and Lindsay sometimes, but in general, just them, and Justin more than Michael).

In other words: please write more QAF fic!

~Me, who does too watch this show!

[Aprilcot]

Never seen this movie/series/whatever it is

I love the fic

Justin is so cute!!!!

Please write more!!!!!

[untiluntiluntil]

Aprilcot, thank you! (and it's a TV show, haha)

And Sneezechick, YAY for getting it! haha I'm so glad you think I did a good job.

I'm only in the middle of season 2 right now (my sister brought the DVDs home from college) so I'm sure I'll be yet again inspired as we progress...