Thank you *so* much to my beta and drabble buddy, jule1122, to besamislabios for keeping me sane (sort of) and to brianslave68 for the lovely banner *AND* icons.
16. In the Diner Clarity Brian swatted angrily at the fake cobwebs festooning the diner.
"Christ, Deb. It's barely October. Can't you spare us the tacky decor a little longer?"
"Put a sock in it, Scrooge." Deb said as she breezed past.
"Wrong holiday. And if you put up Christmas decorations before December, I'm never coming back."
"Promises, promises," Deb groused.
Brian grimaced as he tasted his coffee and wondered again why he kept coming back to the diner.
Just then, Justin emerged from the back, tying his apron. He walked by Brian's booth and flashed him a smile.
Brian's coffee suddenly tasted much better.
17. Crossovers I'm Going to Be a Star Prompt 33 is also crossovers, so that will be the second part of this one. I strongly dislike crossovers and could never write them for the original prompts. These suck as well, but at least they're both 100 words!
When Brian and Justin walked into the diner, they saw a crowd gathered around a booth in the back, where Emmett was the center of attention.
"I know Emmett loves to talk about his big nelly adventures," said Brian, "but do you really think they're exciting enough to draw a crowd like this?"
Justin snorted. "It's not always about sex."
"The hell it isn't." Brian shot back.
As they drew closer, Emmett was practically gushing. "I still just *cannot* believe it. The Food Network wants to feature my catering company on their show. I'm going to be back on TV!"
18. Movies The Classics Justin stopped drawing; his hand was cramping up. Grabbing two beers from the refrigerator, he handed one to Brian and joined him on the sofa. He leaned lazily against his shoulder. Brian never took his eyes off the TV, but idly rubbed Justin's sore hand. Justin tried to watch, but old movies were boring. What was so great about Brando anyway? He closed his eyes.
When he awoke, the credits were rolling and Brian was tugging at his jeans and kissing his neck. Justin smiled to himself. He didn't like Brian's old movies, but he loved when they made Brian horny.
19. Dancing Dancing in the Moonlight Melanie woke up shivering, covers kicked to the end of the bed. She grumbled at Lindsay as she pulled them back up, then realized she wasn't there.
Pulling on a robe, Mel called out softly as she left the bedroom. "Linds? Is everything OK?" In the hall, she heard music playing quietly downstairs.
Melanie paused at the living room door. Lindsay was dancing, Gus sleeping soundly in her arms. Melanie couldn't imagine anything more beautiful.
Lindsay's face lit up when she noticed Mel. Joining them, Melanie wrapped her arms around her family. They danced in the quiet of the night.
20. Pride Happy Pride As they danced in the street in front of Woody's, Justin told Brian about the parade, and Brian told him about his first pride -- how he and Michael were supposed to stay at the diner while Debbie worked, sneaking out when she was busy.
They'd ogled a 6'8" drag queen in four-inch heels who winked and waved coyly as he passed. Brian had teased Michael mercilessly for getting a hard on. Michael, in his embarrassment, never noticed that Brian had one too.
Justin laughed at that, and Brian pulled him closer, whispering, “Happy Pride,” before he kissed him.
21. Word Theme: Heat, Fireworks, July, Sweat Good Times
"I'm not going. The heat is ridiculous, and I only want to be drenched in sweat when I'm getting something good in return."
"You're going. Fireworks are a 4th of July tradition.
"Maybe for you domestic types, but not me. Besides, I don't recall this being such a big deal before."
"It wasn't when we were in Canada," said Lindsay. "We're living in the United States again, and we're celebrating with our family."
"She's right. So shut up, Gus. Jesus, you remind me more of Brian every fucking day," said Melanie.
Gus considered *that* a compliment of the highest degree.
22. Chocolate and Brushes Moving Forward Note: The timeline here doesn't make a bit of sense. I took a cue from QaF itself and went with it.
Christmas Eve after Justin's bashing started awkwardly. Jenn invited Justin and Brian for dinner, even though she still had mixed feelings about Brian.
The condo was decorated lavishly, with a formal wreath festooning the door and ribbon-covered garland wrapped everywhere. Her smile when she greeted them at the door was stiff, but she was gracious, hugging Justin warmly.
And somehow, they had fun. Justin relaxed visibly, even laughing with Molly.
On the ride home, loaded down with gifts -- including a stocking stuffed with chocolate and paintbrushes, Justin fell asleep. Brian smiled at him and the snow drifted quietly outside.
23. Butt Plug Just One Day
Brian was in agony. He shifted slightly in his chair. The butt plug wasn’t huge, but it was big enough he couldn’t forget about it.
He barely listened as Cynthia went over the changes to the campaign. His client was pleased and *finally* stood to leave, thanking Brian profusely. Brian attempted a smile and made his way back to his office, hitting Justin’s number on speed dial as he went.
“Justin. You better be at the loft when I get there. Or your ass gets this plug next. For *two* days,” Brian growled, grabbing his keys on the way out.
24. Quotations Lemon Bars
There were several quotations from the show to choose from. The idea was to use them totally out of context. The quote I used is "Fuck off, Brian!" This particular drabble has two sequels -- #42 and #90, but since that's all out of order, I tried really hard to make them stand alone too.
Brian peered into the diner kitchen, grimacing at the sight of Justin covered in sticky gooey stuff that *wasn't* the sort of sticky gooey stuff Brian liked to see Justin covered in.
"What the hell are you doing?" Brian asked. "You were supposed to be off at 11."
"Making lemon bars. We're short-handed, so I'm helping." Justin cracked an egg.
"Are you sure they need this kind of help? You're making a fucking mess."
"Fuck off Brian! Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Fine," sulked Brian. "I'll leave you alone, Suzy fucking Homemaker." Justin never looked up as Brian left.
25. Missing Dicks: Minor Characters Long Evening
Jack shoveled his meal down as Joan droned on about Claire’s first communion. He wasn’t interested and wasn’t going to stay for more than the ceremony. He had plans with the boys.
“Jack? Did you hear me?” Joan repeated. “I need you to bring Brian with you later. We’re going to the church early to decorate the pews. I don’t want him underfoot.”
Jack glanced over at Brian, who sat quietly in his chair, staring at Jack. “Little shit,” he thought. “always in the way.”
He sighed and reached for his whisky. It was going to be a long evening.
26. Diner Yes or No
The diner was busy, but Brian and Justin and Emmett were oblivious. They were deeply embroiled in conversation.
“Kurt Cobain.”
Emmett sighed. “Such a tortured soul. Without a doubt, yes.”
“No,” said Brian. “I’d worry about catching something. I don’t think he bathed.”
Justin chuckled. “Like that matters. You’ve spent hours at the Gravel Pit.”
Brian shot Justin a withering look. “Do you even know who Cobain is?”
Emmett laughed. “Of course he does, Brian. Every self-respecting queer knows Kurt Cobain!”
Justin poked his tongue out at Brian. “Yeah, Brian.”
Brian rolled his eyes, but smiled at Justin anyway.
27. Moving Day Moving In
Countless days of planning, of meeting with contractors and builders were done. Moving day had arrived. Granted, there wasn't much to move, just a few files and his laptop, but to Brian it was monumental.
He'd planned well; his attention to detail was flawless. Brian was looking forward to making Kinnetik the best advertising agency in the state.
And to Brian, the thought of doing it in the refurbished baths, of working every day in a place where the fags of Pittsburgh had taken it up the ass every night, was the ultimate triumph.
He couldn't wait to move in.
28. NC-17 So Hot
“This is nuts,” Justin managed to say. “Everyone is right downstairs.”
“That’s what makes it so hot,” Brian whispered, his hand working at Justin’s cock. “And you love it.”
“Mmmpppffh.” Justin couldn’t manage any more words; instead he fisted Brian’s dick in his own hand. They were at the top of Debbie’s staircase. Justin had come upstairs after dinner to get a drawing to show Mel and Lindsay. Brian had followed seconds later, pinning Justin against the attic door, rutting hard against him.
After they came, Brian grinned, zipped up and went back downstairs, leaving Justin panting against the door.
29. Blackout A Bad, Bad Dream
Emmett woke with a start. He'd dreamed that he was running down the streets of Hazlehurst, frightened by something. Oblivious, Ted slept loudly beside him, reeking of sex and alcohol.
Much later, Ted stumbled into the living room. Emmett tried to act normally. "Did you have fun sweetie? You were out really late."
Ted frowned, then shrugged. "I guess. Maybe I drank too much, I don't remember."
Emmett's face fell. "Again," he thought. He wished he could run -- away from the blackouts, Ted's increasing bitterness. But he knew it would all catch up to him eventually. He couldn't run forever.
30. 216-220 This prompt was originally used to coincide with the Marathon of Pain, but I wanted to do something that wasn't B/J and angst, so I used Emmett instead. Joyful Noise
Emmett was taken aback by Ted’s church. Glittery jackets...snappy hymns? Reverend Brad was like a sainted Liberace; gesturing, admonishing the crowd to get up and make a joyful noise.
It was weird, and it certainly wasn’t First Baptist back home in Hazelhurst. But, as they stood to sing, Emmett *did* start to feel better. As he danced and sang, he thought about how much George would have enjoyed this. He’d loved to try new things once he found Emmett. Now, even though he had to do it alone, Em knew it was time for him to enjoy life again.