testdog65 (testdog65) wrote in qaf_challenges, @ 2007-02-20 19:37:00 |
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Original poster: _alicesprings
Title: Penguins in the Closet
Written By: slave_o_spike
Timeline: around 203 and 204
Summary: Brian watches over Justin as he sleeps and tries to answer an important question.
Rating: PG-13
Author's Notes: I would love to thank my wonderful beta, shadownyc
Brian looks at the clock.
4:15 am
It seems lately that he always finds himself waking up at around this time.
He calls it his 'watching-over Justin's-sleep' time.
Not that he'd ever admit it to anybody.
The dreams were getting less violent now however. He would watch Justin and make sure he was fully awake following the bad ones. The ones that had the kid in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. The ones that Brian had to be in control of.
He remembers a conversation he'd had with Mikey a few weeks ago.
"He moves into the loft, you're not around as much anymore. You have to take care of a kid who's now got issues bigger than anything you've ever had to deal with...are you okay with that?" Mikey asked. "Brian, are you?"
Brian never got a chance to answer the question before Mikey was on about something else.
Brian looks over at the sleeping form that starts to stir.
Justin's saying something but it’s pretty incoherent. The kid's always talking in his sleep.
Brian sometimes asks Justin offhandedly what he dreams about (besides the obvious ones that Brian doesn't like to talk about). Justin told him he once dreamed about asking Brian's treadmill why it was Brian didn't eat carbohydrates after seven. The treadmill told him it was because daisies grew on the south side of the hill.
See? Pointless, like most dreams. Although Brian remembers a particular dream he himself had had soon after the whole comic book convention fiasco where Michael wraps that white scarf (the white scarf that he disposed of finally) around Brian and tells him he'll always be young and he'll always be beautiful. As Michael continues to wrap the scarf around Brian, the scarf grows to ten times its size and proceeds to strangle and consume him.
Brian had a pretty good idea what Freud would make of that dream, but he wouldn't admit it.
Thinking about Mikey makes Brian remember the rest of the conversation that day...
"I mean, shit Brian," Mikey continued, "You can't bring people to the loft anytime you want; you left Gus' birthday party early. He's really turning your life upside down...are you okay with that?"
Brian still couldn't bring himself to answer the question.
Justin starts to mumble something. "Penguins...penguins in the closet."
Brian has to wonder again what Freud would do with that one. Brian leans over to whisper in Justin's ear. "You tell those penguins to get out of the closet."
Justin smiles, flips over and goes back to his peaceful slumber.
That was a rather innocuous dream - pointless yet harmless. Brian looks once more at Justin sleeping and decides he'll stay awake just a little bit longer. Just to make sure there are no more of the other dreams - the ones that involve baseball bats and white shirts soaked in crimson.
He looks at the clock.
4:18 am
Are you okay with that?
Brian lights up a cigarette, leans back against the headboard and keeps up his watch. He'll be up like this every night...for as long as it takes.
And yeah, he thinks, he's okay with it.
-Fin-