July Monthly Challenge: Clearly (1/1)
This is a response to the June monthly challenge as well as a response to the plot bunny snowhitesally posted. Girl, I am telling you, we have the same mind. I love Gale Harold in glasses.
Summary: Brian fucking hates his glasses. It's the one thing that reminds him he's 55 and not getting any younger.
“Put your glasses on,” Justin reminds him quietly behind the Arts & Entertainment section of the paper, “You’re squinting.”
Brian looks over his section and glares but Justin only raises an eyebrow in response.
“I don’t need them,” he insists.
Justin snorts, “Bullshit. Dr. Frederick said he wanted you wearing them all the time.”
“I’ll put my contacts in.”
“If your eyes aren’t sensitive to them anymore, then go ahead. You still need to use your reading glasses regardless though so I’m not letting it go.”
Brian gets up and walks to the bathroom. He’ll fucking deal with the contacts. They hurt like a motherfucker every time he puts them in and he looks like he’s crying until he takes them out but maybe this time will be different.
Brian holds his lids open and pops the left contact in. Shit. It still hurts.
He tries to let the uncomfortable stinging pass but it doesn’t. Eventually, he gives in and takes it out.
“Still hurt?” Justin asks from the bathroom door.
“...Yes,” Brian finally answers rubbing his eye.
Justin comes to caress his face and, while Brian doesn’t lean into it, he doesn’t pull away either.
“You’re 55, babe. Bad eyesight happens. You are still in great shape otherwise. There are people who have worn glasses since they were kids. It’s not a big deal-”
“It is a big deal,” Brian interrupts, “My vision has always been good. It isn’t because of genetics. It’s because I’m fucking old. I have been getting gray hairs for five years and now this.”
Justin gives him a sympathetic glance, “You’re not decrepit old. Just sort of old.”
Brian smacks Justin’s hand away and his husband laughs.
“You’re still fucking hot. I would argue that the glasses make you hotter. You look very distinguished in them.”
Justin kisses him and Brian lets his lips part when Justin’s tongue flicks at them. Things become more urgent and heat up before Justin reaches down to rub Brian’s cock.
“That part of you is still young. I would be terrified to give you viagra,” he comments as he strokes his hard-on.
“Justin, fuck!”
It’s when they are making their way to the bedroom that Casey starts barking his fucking head off.
“Someone must be at the door,” Justin states as he pulls his pants back up. Why is he pulling his pants back up?
“I can’t wait until Moira graduates and takes him,” Brian mutters, still cursing the day when their daughter brought the ugliest fucking mutt in the entire world home. No matter how many ads they put out, no one claimed him. He was weird looking when he was young. He looked to be half dachshund, part boston terrier, and part alien so it made sense that no one would want him back. When he got excited, he sounded like a tortured goat. As he got older, he just got uglier. Fatter, despite the diet food and longer walks. His paint splatter coat pattern just became more apparent as his body expanded. A clouded over eye that creeped people out. He was such a freak.
“Shut up. You like him. We’ve had him for ten years. By the time she graduates college he’ll be 16 and might easily be gone by then. Cherish the time we have left,” Justin reminds him as he walks out.
Justin runs out to get the mail and comes back with it.
“Anything important?” Brian asks him.
“Bills, bills, pre-approved credit cards, a letter and a package from Gus and Lucy,” Justin says, perking up at the last piece of mail, “I can’t wait until they are back. Only a few more weeks. Two years is a very long time.”
“We’ve gone to see them in Cambodia,” Brian reminds him, “Besides, what did you expect when he went to work for UNICEF?”
“I don’t know, that I wouldn’t have to be worried out my mind with him so far away,” Justin pouts.
“You knew this is what he and Lucy wanted after they got married. Sit down with me so we can open their letter.”
Justin sits next to him and opens the letter. Immediately, Brian can see that he can’t make out what it says but he knows it’s important when Justin lets out a sob.
“Justin, what is it?” Brian asks him, alarmed.
“Read it, Brian!”
“You know I can’t. Shit, where are my glasses?”
“Bedside table,” Justin sniffles while he starts to open the package.
Brian reaches over and puts them on his face and quickly takes the letter out of Justin’s hands.
He skims the letter, bracing himself for the bad news or something that would make Justin react that way.
That’s when he reads it. Shit. Shit. He didn’t need this when he was going through his age crisis.
“Fuck, Brian. We’re going to be grandpas!” Justin exclaims as he takes a onesie that says ‘I love my grandpas!’ out of the package.
Justin reaches over to grab his face and kiss his cheek before the phone starts ringing.
“Hello?” he answers, still in shock from the announcement.
“Brian?” he hears Lindsay sniffle with happiness, “Did you get a letter and package from Gus like we did? Please tell me you did. Oh…” she trails off, emotional.
“Yeah.”
“I told you! I told you one day we would be sitting on a porch, watching our grandchildren play together!”
“There’s only one grandchild in question, Lindsay. Just one,” he reiterates.
“Uh, Brian?”
Brian turns to Justin and watches his husband timidly take a second onesie out of the box that says, ‘I love my grandpas TOO!’
Brian stares at it. He keeps staring. Maybe if he stares hard enough he’ll wake up.
“Lindsay?” he hears Justin say as he takes the phone, “Brian will call you back...Don’t worry, he’s happy. Just in shock...I’m so excited too! Oh, I can’t wait. They will be so beautiful. We’ll call you back here really soon. We have to throw a welcome home party for sure. Love you!”
Justin ends the call and turns to Brian, “Brian? Brian, aren’t you happy?”
“Mmm hm.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, Justin. Positive.”
Justin stares at him, “You look like you are about to start crying.”
“I’m not!” Brian bites back, defensive. Fucking contacts. They make his eyes all bloodshot.
“It’ll be great,” Justin sighs, putting his head on Brian’s shoulder, “We’re going to be grandpas, babe. To twins! Lucy must have it in her blood. She’s a twin and so are her younger brothers. I’m so excited for them. And for us. When Gus gets back we can smoke cigars on the deck and talk about fatherhood. Or Gus could watch us while we smoke cigars. He's such a stickler for health.”
Brian turns his head to the side and sees Justin looking so fucking happy. And, knowing his son, he is probably ecstatic as well. Gus was adventurous but always wanted a family. He knew the kid had to be walking on air right now.
Brian feels himself slowly start to smile, “I’m excited too.”
Justin looks up and grins and Brian brings him in for a kiss. The glasses really do make him see better. He can see every crinkle near his husband’s eyes, every speck of brightness in the blues of his eyes. He’s so fucking beautiful, even after 26 years. Their future was always so cloudy for the first several years in their relationship. Break-ups due to him dragging his feet, distance due to New York, heartache due to not knowing if they could last. Up until Moira was born, with her shock of blonde hair and blue eyes like her dad, he had been skeptical of he and Justin having a happy ending.
Not anymore. In this moment, their happiness is clearer than ever.
Summary: Brian fucking hates his glasses. It's the one thing that reminds him he's 55 and not getting any younger.
“Put your glasses on,” Justin reminds him quietly behind the Arts & Entertainment section of the paper, “You’re squinting.”
Brian looks over his section and glares but Justin only raises an eyebrow in response.
“I don’t need them,” he insists.
Justin snorts, “Bullshit. Dr. Frederick said he wanted you wearing them all the time.”
“I’ll put my contacts in.”
“If your eyes aren’t sensitive to them anymore, then go ahead. You still need to use your reading glasses regardless though so I’m not letting it go.”
Brian gets up and walks to the bathroom. He’ll fucking deal with the contacts. They hurt like a motherfucker every time he puts them in and he looks like he’s crying until he takes them out but maybe this time will be different.
Brian holds his lids open and pops the left contact in. Shit. It still hurts.
He tries to let the uncomfortable stinging pass but it doesn’t. Eventually, he gives in and takes it out.
“Still hurt?” Justin asks from the bathroom door.
“...Yes,” Brian finally answers rubbing his eye.
Justin comes to caress his face and, while Brian doesn’t lean into it, he doesn’t pull away either.
“You’re 55, babe. Bad eyesight happens. You are still in great shape otherwise. There are people who have worn glasses since they were kids. It’s not a big deal-”
“It is a big deal,” Brian interrupts, “My vision has always been good. It isn’t because of genetics. It’s because I’m fucking old. I have been getting gray hairs for five years and now this.”
Justin gives him a sympathetic glance, “You’re not decrepit old. Just sort of old.”
Brian smacks Justin’s hand away and his husband laughs.
“You’re still fucking hot. I would argue that the glasses make you hotter. You look very distinguished in them.”
Justin kisses him and Brian lets his lips part when Justin’s tongue flicks at them. Things become more urgent and heat up before Justin reaches down to rub Brian’s cock.
“That part of you is still young. I would be terrified to give you viagra,” he comments as he strokes his hard-on.
“Justin, fuck!”
It’s when they are making their way to the bedroom that Casey starts barking his fucking head off.
“Someone must be at the door,” Justin states as he pulls his pants back up. Why is he pulling his pants back up?
“I can’t wait until Moira graduates and takes him,” Brian mutters, still cursing the day when their daughter brought the ugliest fucking mutt in the entire world home. No matter how many ads they put out, no one claimed him. He was weird looking when he was young. He looked to be half dachshund, part boston terrier, and part alien so it made sense that no one would want him back. When he got excited, he sounded like a tortured goat. As he got older, he just got uglier. Fatter, despite the diet food and longer walks. His paint splatter coat pattern just became more apparent as his body expanded. A clouded over eye that creeped people out. He was such a freak.
“Shut up. You like him. We’ve had him for ten years. By the time she graduates college he’ll be 16 and might easily be gone by then. Cherish the time we have left,” Justin reminds him as he walks out.
Justin runs out to get the mail and comes back with it.
“Anything important?” Brian asks him.
“Bills, bills, pre-approved credit cards, a letter and a package from Gus and Lucy,” Justin says, perking up at the last piece of mail, “I can’t wait until they are back. Only a few more weeks. Two years is a very long time.”
“We’ve gone to see them in Cambodia,” Brian reminds him, “Besides, what did you expect when he went to work for UNICEF?”
“I don’t know, that I wouldn’t have to be worried out my mind with him so far away,” Justin pouts.
“You knew this is what he and Lucy wanted after they got married. Sit down with me so we can open their letter.”
Justin sits next to him and opens the letter. Immediately, Brian can see that he can’t make out what it says but he knows it’s important when Justin lets out a sob.
“Justin, what is it?” Brian asks him, alarmed.
“Read it, Brian!”
“You know I can’t. Shit, where are my glasses?”
“Bedside table,” Justin sniffles while he starts to open the package.
Brian reaches over and puts them on his face and quickly takes the letter out of Justin’s hands.
He skims the letter, bracing himself for the bad news or something that would make Justin react that way.
That’s when he reads it. Shit. Shit. He didn’t need this when he was going through his age crisis.
“Fuck, Brian. We’re going to be grandpas!” Justin exclaims as he takes a onesie that says ‘I love my grandpas!’ out of the package.
Justin reaches over to grab his face and kiss his cheek before the phone starts ringing.
“Hello?” he answers, still in shock from the announcement.
“Brian?” he hears Lindsay sniffle with happiness, “Did you get a letter and package from Gus like we did? Please tell me you did. Oh…” she trails off, emotional.
“Yeah.”
“I told you! I told you one day we would be sitting on a porch, watching our grandchildren play together!”
“There’s only one grandchild in question, Lindsay. Just one,” he reiterates.
“Uh, Brian?”
Brian turns to Justin and watches his husband timidly take a second onesie out of the box that says, ‘I love my grandpas TOO!’
Brian stares at it. He keeps staring. Maybe if he stares hard enough he’ll wake up.
“Lindsay?” he hears Justin say as he takes the phone, “Brian will call you back...Don’t worry, he’s happy. Just in shock...I’m so excited too! Oh, I can’t wait. They will be so beautiful. We’ll call you back here really soon. We have to throw a welcome home party for sure. Love you!”
Justin ends the call and turns to Brian, “Brian? Brian, aren’t you happy?”
“Mmm hm.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, Justin. Positive.”
Justin stares at him, “You look like you are about to start crying.”
“I’m not!” Brian bites back, defensive. Fucking contacts. They make his eyes all bloodshot.
“It’ll be great,” Justin sighs, putting his head on Brian’s shoulder, “We’re going to be grandpas, babe. To twins! Lucy must have it in her blood. She’s a twin and so are her younger brothers. I’m so excited for them. And for us. When Gus gets back we can smoke cigars on the deck and talk about fatherhood. Or Gus could watch us while we smoke cigars. He's such a stickler for health.”
Brian turns his head to the side and sees Justin looking so fucking happy. And, knowing his son, he is probably ecstatic as well. Gus was adventurous but always wanted a family. He knew the kid had to be walking on air right now.
Brian feels himself slowly start to smile, “I’m excited too.”
Justin looks up and grins and Brian brings him in for a kiss. The glasses really do make him see better. He can see every crinkle near his husband’s eyes, every speck of brightness in the blues of his eyes. He’s so fucking beautiful, even after 26 years. Their future was always so cloudy for the first several years in their relationship. Break-ups due to him dragging his feet, distance due to New York, heartache due to not knowing if they could last. Up until Moira was born, with her shock of blonde hair and blue eyes like her dad, he had been skeptical of he and Justin having a happy ending.
Not anymore. In this moment, their happiness is clearer than ever.