Brian and Justin are spending Christmas brunch at Mother Taylor's. Brian finds himself being the wingman when Justin finds out about Jennifer's recent engagement with Tucker.

“I’m sorry,” Brian repeated, his tone serious and deliberate. “For a lot of things over the last two days. I… I didn’t know what to do with what happened before I left Pittsburgh, and I wasn’t ready to talk.” He paused, sighing. “And I don’t know how to lie to you. I haven’t for a long time, and you know that. So sometimes, it’s easier to piss you off, so you’ll leave me alone until I find enough of my remaining ball to face you -- as irrational as I know that sounds.”

“Or,” Justin said, a small smile playing on his lips, “you could say, ‘Hey Justin, I’ve got something on my mind that I’m not ready to talk about, and I need a little space.’” He gave his husband a meaningful look before continuing. “Brian, I know what you’re doing when you do it now… But what I don’t understand is why, almost two decades into our relationship, you still think the solution to anything is to push me away -- if for no reason other than it won’t fucking work.”

***

Brian gets some unexpected and difficult news and turns to his usual coping strategies. Justin knows better.

The funny flipside of Brian's Season 4 line, "Of all the times we've fucked -- and by now it has to be well into the quadruple digits -- that has to rank in the top five." Five times when things didn't quite go as planned...

Standalone one-shot. PWP.

Set during the Stockwell period when Brian lost all his furnishings.  Does he decide his cup is half-empty or half-full?

Brian and Justin are considering monogamy. What determined them to go down this road? Can their relationship survive with monotony?

Written for qaf_giftxchnge 2018 on LJ, although this one is not, per se, a Christmas story.

The request was for:

Fic fluff/schmoop, hurt/comfort, sexy fun times Brian/Justin sexy domestic fluff or a health scare that prompts a relaxing vacation


So here it is.  It's set maybe 2 years post 513.  Justin returned from New York about 12 months ago, but they sold Britin and have been living at the loft.  Justin rents studio space.

WARNING: Very mild (for me, at least) snark about Michael.

Brian and Justin make a bet against each other. Which one will fold first? 

It's Christmas, and Brian and Justin have very different views about their Christmas Tree.