QAF Fic: an ASGC Universe Story: LAST DAYS OF SUMMER
Yet another sequel from the ASGC universe. Not much happening in this one. Also, a few warnings for new & old readers:
Don't read if you haven't read the previous installments since it won't make a whole lot of sense to you. And also please note that, as we progress into the future, the more prominent side characters become. If you're more of a core Brian/Justin fan, don't read. There's not much Brian/Justin in this story. Just move on to the next installment or check out my other Brian/Justin fics. Also, I apologize for not posting them in their "natural" order.
And finally just a heads up, there are 3 (very possibly 4) updates left and then this universe is complete!!!
For your convenience, here are the links to all installments, listed in chronological order of events:
Story from the ASGC Universe:
LAST DAYS OF SUMMER
September, 2016
„Hold up. Hey, Gus-Man, hold up.“
Gus stopped as the voice of his friend penetrated his consciousness. In his head, he was already home at Britin. He spotted Justin waiting for him in one of Brian’s sports cars. Gus knew Justin had picked the car for Gus’s benefit and smiled. Like many other qualities, Gus shared a love for classic cars with his father. Maybe he could even persuade Justin to let him drive the short way to Britin; after all, his dad always said Gus needed more driving practice before he could get his own car. Gus signaled to Justin before he turned to wait for his friend.
Rick jogged up to Gus and smiled. “Hey, you were gone so fast, I couldn’t even ask you if you wanted to join us later.”
“Ehm… Later? I’m...” Gus floundered, wondering if he'd missed something.
Rick didn't wait for him to finish the sentence. “You know how Josh has been ever since he got his driver's license, so he's taking Wilson and me to the arcade. You want to come?” He looked at Gus with a hopeful expression.
It was no secret that Rick had a major crush on Gus. And while Gus really liked Rick and treasured their friendship, he often berated himself for having had sex with his best friend; though, in his defense, they had been barely more than passing acquaintances at the time. His father always preached about the importance of keeping friends and tricks separate. And while Gus agreed in theory, the reality of it was that Gus was still underage and it wasn’t like he could simply walk into clubs or bars to meet guys. And with everyone around him subtly, and sometimes less so, pestering him about whether he’d decided yet what orientation he was, he felt the need to experiment. Rick had seemed like a nice enough guy. He was on the school’s swim team and Gus had caught himself watching his body in the showers after gym class. He also knew that Rick was out; not only to his parents and friends, but in the school as well. It had seemed like a safe bet at the time.
At least that was what Gus had thought when he'd approached Rick back at the end of their freshman year of high school. Having ended a very short-lived, but not less melodramatic, ‘relationship’ – the quotation marks were courtesy of his father – with his girlfriend only a few months before, Gus had been itching to know whether Karen and he maybe didn’t get along because Gus was gay.
Inviting Rick over to his dads’ place had been an easy undertaking and one that had left no room for misunderstanding on Rick’s part as to the reason for the invitation. He’d decided to take Rick to Britin for purely strategical reasons, since he figured there was less chance of getting caught; and also, in case they should get caught all the same, less chance of humiliation. They’d had a nice time together; nice enough that they both decided on quite a few repeat performances. However, even after a few weeks spent dating Rick, Gus was none the wiser as to whether he felt more inclined towards girls or boys. And since he had begun to really like Rick as a good friend but unfortunately nothing more, he decided it wouldn’t be fair to Rick to keep leading him on, knowing that Rick was slowly beginning to fall for him. That Gus’s father was more ecstatic about Rick than he had been about Karen – even though he’d never met either one of them – only prompted Gus to end the romantic relationship with Rick. He didn’t want to put his dad’s hopes up either.
Even though Justin always liked to remind Gus that he was his own person and didn’t owe it to anyone to be either gay or straight. Which should have been helpful, only it really wasn't. As far as sexual orientations went, Gus had so far decided that he liked... people. He honestly didn’t have a preference for either sex and as time went on, didn't feel the need to put a name to it.
As it stood, Gus was simply grateful that he and Rick had managed to stay friends after Gus ended things. And of course Gus loved to spend time with his buddies, but sometimes he just wasn't in the mood for it. Today was one of those days.
“Uhm, would you mind if I take a rain check?” Gus asked.
“You already have plans?” There went the suggestive eyebrow. Too often Rick's was a one track mind.
“Yeah, my sisters…” Gus started.
“Man, why do you always have to babysit? Aren’t your dads like, über-rich? Surely they can afford a nanny.”
Gus suppressed a grin as he usually had to when he was reminded of how he’d let his friends believe that his dads forced him to babysit his kid sisters.
The truth was that he’d promised the girls to take them for ice cream. But even if he hadn’t, he’d rather spent the last of the warm and sunny days of this year’s late summer with Alex and Emma, lounging at the pool in Britin’s back yard. His friends would probably think him boring and a loser if they knew, but those days lazing in their dads’ home were Gus’ favorite way of spending his after school hours. And also his sisters were frikkin' cool, despite being only 8. Emma's comedic skills in impersonating every member of their family and her exuberant personality was a stark contrast to Alex's quiet intensity and beyond-her-age wisdom and together they made for very good company.
“Sorry, Rick. But I'll make it up to you. Movies Sunday evening? If you want?” Gus smiled, hopeful to appease his friend with his offer.
“Okay,” Rich reluctantly agreed, dramatically rolling his eyes. “Call me?”
“Sure,” Gus answered. “Will do.”
“Later then.”
“Later. Have fun at the arcade.” Gus playfully hit his friend on his arm before turning to walk back to Justin who was waiting in the car.
“You good?” Justin asked when Gus plopped down in the co-driver’s seat.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” Gus assured. “Rick just wanted to know if I wanted to join the guys at the arcade.”
“Do you? I can drive you if you want,” Justin offered.
Gus answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Nah, it’s okay. I told the twins I’d take them to the ice cream parlor.”
Justin bit his lip before replying, “That’s really nice of you, Gus. But if you'd rather go hang with your friends, I’m sure Emma and Alex will understand.”
“But I don't,” Gus answered slowly, like he and Justin were speaking different languages.
“Okay,” Justin replied, still with a skeptical tone. “Just wanted to make sure you know that your dad and I don't expect you to play the babysitter or anything.”
“Yeah, I know,” Gus replied dismissively.
“I mean,” Justin continued, “You’re a teenager. You should be able to spend time with your friends.”
“Al and Em are kinda friends, too.”
“Friends your own age,” Justin tried to explain.
“Did you when you were my age?” Gus asked with a smirk because he knew the answer.
Justin laughed. “Touché.”
“Gus!” Emma jumped onto his back the minute he crossed the threshold, as though she hadn’t seen her brother in months. Gus picked her up, silently thankful for the fact that she was still delicate enough that he could do so, and let her straddle him from behind. Emma riding Gus piggyback, they went outside to the patio where Alex sat sketching in the shadow of the afternoon sun. She smiled briefly up at Gus, her greeting as quiet as it was gentle and he smiled and waved wordlessly back.
He let Emma climb down near the grassy area of the back yard and came over to sit beside Alex. “Another one for the museums, Picasso?” Gus asked teasingly, referring to the masterpiece she was working on.
“Dad’s Picasso,” she objected, not looking up from her sketch book.
“Okay,” Gus thought briefly, “Paloma, then.” Gus amended.
“She’s not an artist,” Alex replied, still not looking up.
“Who isn’t?”
“Paloma Picasso. She’s a designer.”
“Oh, so you’re not creating the next big showstopper for Armani?”
“No,” she simply answered.
“Can I see?” Gus asked, really curious about what it was that Alex was so immersed in.
Alex put down her pencil and held up her sketch book to show her recent drawing.
“Is that Dad?” Gus asked teasingly.
“No. It was supposed to be you.” Alex frowned and studied the sketch critically.
Even though Gus had meant it as a joke, he could see Alex was taking his comment to heart. He knew that for her, any form of artistic expression didn’t come easy – not for false modesty or a lack of talent, but because she was her own biggest critic.
In that, she was very much Justin’s daughter. Art was where they understood each other perfectly. Sometimes, she would quietly sit in Justin’s studio, watching him paint, studying his technique, and when Justin was finally done, she’d break the silence and ask, “Is the itchy feeling gone now?” putting into simplest words what Justin had needed hours and hours to express through brush strokes.
Gus, putting a stop to her contemplations, reached for the sheet and pulled it out of her hands gently before she could destroy it. “Thank you. I think this is my favorite portrait so far.”
She looked up at him, beaming, and he hit the button on his ever-present camera, snapping a picture of her still reaching out for the sketch now out of her range.
“Stop it!” she objected. She always said that after Gus had aimed the camera at her.
“I already did, see?” he replied, grinning as he put the camera down and held his hands up in surrender, because his answer was always the same too.
She pulled up her eyebrows and directed the steady glare at him. She’d perfected the Kinney stare years ago and Gus could only hurry to give in. “Okay, okay. I’ll never do it again.”
“Yes, you will,” Alex answered calmly, knowing it better.
“Yes, I will,” Gus agreed.
Their exchange was usually followed by lighthearted banter and negotiations on veto rights on snapshots that Alex deemed unworthy of development. She was a perfectionist if there ever lived one – something she inherited from Brian, just like his way with words and his ability to say a lot with very little. She also took shameless advantage of the fact that she was only eight years old – a circumstance that constantly led to people underestimating her.
“Gus?” Emma interrupted Gus’s and Alex’s repartee and Gus’s musings.
“What is it, short stuff?” Gus was always teasing Emma about her height. Even though Emma often liked to point out that she was the older twin, Alex outgrew her sister by more than half a foot, which Emma made up for in energy.
“Will you go swimming with us? My friends are coming over.”
“I thought we were going to get ice cream,” Gus said.
Emma nodded. “I know, but afterward. Patty’s and Phoebe’s mom is bringing them over later and we wanted to go in the pool, but Daddy said I have to ask you first 'cause we can only go in when you watch us, he said.”
Pat and Phoebe were Emma’s best friends, aside from Alex, and were also twins, though unlike Emma and Alex they were identical and were impossible to tell apart from each other.
“Sure, short stuff, we can go for a swim.”
“Yay! Thank you, Gus. Can Patty and Phoebe come with us for ice cream too? Please?” Emma pleaded. She even batted her eyelashes for effect.
“You're so easy,” Alex commented fondly at Gus before he even had the chance to give in to Emma’s plea.
“What? Am not,” Gus protested indignantly.
“Okay, then. You're too indulgent.”
“'Indulgent'? Where do you learn these words?” he wondered, shaking his head.
“I read,” Alex replied.
“Must be some pretty advanced children’s literature,” Gus commented drily at which Alex simply shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
“Gus,” Emma reminded him that she was still waiting for his reply. “Patty. Phoebe. Ice cream?”
“Yes, if their mom says it's okay, then we can all go,” he gave in.
“Ha!” Alex didn’t even try to hide her superior grin.
“Insufferable smart-ass,” Gus gave back, but with no vehemence behind it.
“And you’re an enabler.”
“How so?” Gus exclaimed indignantly.
“Well,” Alex explained, “Patty and Phoebe didn’t even want to come over today. Until they heard that you’d be there, that is. Figure it out.”
Gus tried not to preen.
“Pathetic,” Alex declared and shook her head.
“Seriously,” Gus said, “I gotta have a look at the books you’re reading. Or maybe I’ll talk to Dad.” It was a well-known fact that Brian was the one who supplied Alex’s reading material.
Alex laughed, bright and carefree. “Yeah, okay. Good luck with that.” She knew full well that their dad was on her side on that. And Gus knew it, too. Still, he had to keep up pretenses. It wasn't time yet to admit defeat.
The End.
the next part to follow in this universe is:
B was for Blane, C is for Charlie
Don't read if you haven't read the previous installments since it won't make a whole lot of sense to you. And also please note that, as we progress into the future, the more prominent side characters become. If you're more of a core Brian/Justin fan, don't read. There's not much Brian/Justin in this story. Just move on to the next installment or check out my other Brian/Justin fics. Also, I apologize for not posting them in their "natural" order.
And finally just a heads up, there are 3 (very possibly 4) updates left and then this universe is complete!!!
For your convenience, here are the links to all installments, listed in chronological order of events:
- A Storm's Gonna Come
- The Next Best Thing
- Birthdays and Other Surprises
- What Comes Naturally
- Valentine's, Taylor-Kinney Style
- 2.4 Children and Other Common Facts of Average Domesticity
- Last Days Of Summer (read below)
- B was for Blane, C is for Charlie
- Intervention (a.k.a. Revelations)
- The New Guy
Story from the ASGC Universe:
LAST DAYS OF SUMMER
September, 2016
„Hold up. Hey, Gus-Man, hold up.“
Gus stopped as the voice of his friend penetrated his consciousness. In his head, he was already home at Britin. He spotted Justin waiting for him in one of Brian’s sports cars. Gus knew Justin had picked the car for Gus’s benefit and smiled. Like many other qualities, Gus shared a love for classic cars with his father. Maybe he could even persuade Justin to let him drive the short way to Britin; after all, his dad always said Gus needed more driving practice before he could get his own car. Gus signaled to Justin before he turned to wait for his friend.
Rick jogged up to Gus and smiled. “Hey, you were gone so fast, I couldn’t even ask you if you wanted to join us later.”
“Ehm… Later? I’m...” Gus floundered, wondering if he'd missed something.
Rick didn't wait for him to finish the sentence. “You know how Josh has been ever since he got his driver's license, so he's taking Wilson and me to the arcade. You want to come?” He looked at Gus with a hopeful expression.
It was no secret that Rick had a major crush on Gus. And while Gus really liked Rick and treasured their friendship, he often berated himself for having had sex with his best friend; though, in his defense, they had been barely more than passing acquaintances at the time. His father always preached about the importance of keeping friends and tricks separate. And while Gus agreed in theory, the reality of it was that Gus was still underage and it wasn’t like he could simply walk into clubs or bars to meet guys. And with everyone around him subtly, and sometimes less so, pestering him about whether he’d decided yet what orientation he was, he felt the need to experiment. Rick had seemed like a nice enough guy. He was on the school’s swim team and Gus had caught himself watching his body in the showers after gym class. He also knew that Rick was out; not only to his parents and friends, but in the school as well. It had seemed like a safe bet at the time.
At least that was what Gus had thought when he'd approached Rick back at the end of their freshman year of high school. Having ended a very short-lived, but not less melodramatic, ‘relationship’ – the quotation marks were courtesy of his father – with his girlfriend only a few months before, Gus had been itching to know whether Karen and he maybe didn’t get along because Gus was gay.
Inviting Rick over to his dads’ place had been an easy undertaking and one that had left no room for misunderstanding on Rick’s part as to the reason for the invitation. He’d decided to take Rick to Britin for purely strategical reasons, since he figured there was less chance of getting caught; and also, in case they should get caught all the same, less chance of humiliation. They’d had a nice time together; nice enough that they both decided on quite a few repeat performances. However, even after a few weeks spent dating Rick, Gus was none the wiser as to whether he felt more inclined towards girls or boys. And since he had begun to really like Rick as a good friend but unfortunately nothing more, he decided it wouldn’t be fair to Rick to keep leading him on, knowing that Rick was slowly beginning to fall for him. That Gus’s father was more ecstatic about Rick than he had been about Karen – even though he’d never met either one of them – only prompted Gus to end the romantic relationship with Rick. He didn’t want to put his dad’s hopes up either.
Even though Justin always liked to remind Gus that he was his own person and didn’t owe it to anyone to be either gay or straight. Which should have been helpful, only it really wasn't. As far as sexual orientations went, Gus had so far decided that he liked... people. He honestly didn’t have a preference for either sex and as time went on, didn't feel the need to put a name to it.
As it stood, Gus was simply grateful that he and Rick had managed to stay friends after Gus ended things. And of course Gus loved to spend time with his buddies, but sometimes he just wasn't in the mood for it. Today was one of those days.
“Uhm, would you mind if I take a rain check?” Gus asked.
“You already have plans?” There went the suggestive eyebrow. Too often Rick's was a one track mind.
“Yeah, my sisters…” Gus started.
“Man, why do you always have to babysit? Aren’t your dads like, über-rich? Surely they can afford a nanny.”
Gus suppressed a grin as he usually had to when he was reminded of how he’d let his friends believe that his dads forced him to babysit his kid sisters.
The truth was that he’d promised the girls to take them for ice cream. But even if he hadn’t, he’d rather spent the last of the warm and sunny days of this year’s late summer with Alex and Emma, lounging at the pool in Britin’s back yard. His friends would probably think him boring and a loser if they knew, but those days lazing in their dads’ home were Gus’ favorite way of spending his after school hours. And also his sisters were frikkin' cool, despite being only 8. Emma's comedic skills in impersonating every member of their family and her exuberant personality was a stark contrast to Alex's quiet intensity and beyond-her-age wisdom and together they made for very good company.
“Sorry, Rick. But I'll make it up to you. Movies Sunday evening? If you want?” Gus smiled, hopeful to appease his friend with his offer.
“Okay,” Rich reluctantly agreed, dramatically rolling his eyes. “Call me?”
“Sure,” Gus answered. “Will do.”
“Later then.”
“Later. Have fun at the arcade.” Gus playfully hit his friend on his arm before turning to walk back to Justin who was waiting in the car.
“You good?” Justin asked when Gus plopped down in the co-driver’s seat.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” Gus assured. “Rick just wanted to know if I wanted to join the guys at the arcade.”
“Do you? I can drive you if you want,” Justin offered.
Gus answered with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Nah, it’s okay. I told the twins I’d take them to the ice cream parlor.”
Justin bit his lip before replying, “That’s really nice of you, Gus. But if you'd rather go hang with your friends, I’m sure Emma and Alex will understand.”
“But I don't,” Gus answered slowly, like he and Justin were speaking different languages.
“Okay,” Justin replied, still with a skeptical tone. “Just wanted to make sure you know that your dad and I don't expect you to play the babysitter or anything.”
“Yeah, I know,” Gus replied dismissively.
“I mean,” Justin continued, “You’re a teenager. You should be able to spend time with your friends.”
“Al and Em are kinda friends, too.”
“Friends your own age,” Justin tried to explain.
“Did you when you were my age?” Gus asked with a smirk because he knew the answer.
Justin laughed. “Touché.”
“Gus!” Emma jumped onto his back the minute he crossed the threshold, as though she hadn’t seen her brother in months. Gus picked her up, silently thankful for the fact that she was still delicate enough that he could do so, and let her straddle him from behind. Emma riding Gus piggyback, they went outside to the patio where Alex sat sketching in the shadow of the afternoon sun. She smiled briefly up at Gus, her greeting as quiet as it was gentle and he smiled and waved wordlessly back.
He let Emma climb down near the grassy area of the back yard and came over to sit beside Alex. “Another one for the museums, Picasso?” Gus asked teasingly, referring to the masterpiece she was working on.
“Dad’s Picasso,” she objected, not looking up from her sketch book.
“Okay,” Gus thought briefly, “Paloma, then.” Gus amended.
“She’s not an artist,” Alex replied, still not looking up.
“Who isn’t?”
“Paloma Picasso. She’s a designer.”
“Oh, so you’re not creating the next big showstopper for Armani?”
“No,” she simply answered.
“Can I see?” Gus asked, really curious about what it was that Alex was so immersed in.
Alex put down her pencil and held up her sketch book to show her recent drawing.
“Is that Dad?” Gus asked teasingly.
“No. It was supposed to be you.” Alex frowned and studied the sketch critically.
Even though Gus had meant it as a joke, he could see Alex was taking his comment to heart. He knew that for her, any form of artistic expression didn’t come easy – not for false modesty or a lack of talent, but because she was her own biggest critic.
In that, she was very much Justin’s daughter. Art was where they understood each other perfectly. Sometimes, she would quietly sit in Justin’s studio, watching him paint, studying his technique, and when Justin was finally done, she’d break the silence and ask, “Is the itchy feeling gone now?” putting into simplest words what Justin had needed hours and hours to express through brush strokes.
Gus, putting a stop to her contemplations, reached for the sheet and pulled it out of her hands gently before she could destroy it. “Thank you. I think this is my favorite portrait so far.”
She looked up at him, beaming, and he hit the button on his ever-present camera, snapping a picture of her still reaching out for the sketch now out of her range.
“Stop it!” she objected. She always said that after Gus had aimed the camera at her.
“I already did, see?” he replied, grinning as he put the camera down and held his hands up in surrender, because his answer was always the same too.
She pulled up her eyebrows and directed the steady glare at him. She’d perfected the Kinney stare years ago and Gus could only hurry to give in. “Okay, okay. I’ll never do it again.”
“Yes, you will,” Alex answered calmly, knowing it better.
“Yes, I will,” Gus agreed.
Their exchange was usually followed by lighthearted banter and negotiations on veto rights on snapshots that Alex deemed unworthy of development. She was a perfectionist if there ever lived one – something she inherited from Brian, just like his way with words and his ability to say a lot with very little. She also took shameless advantage of the fact that she was only eight years old – a circumstance that constantly led to people underestimating her.
“Gus?” Emma interrupted Gus’s and Alex’s repartee and Gus’s musings.
“What is it, short stuff?” Gus was always teasing Emma about her height. Even though Emma often liked to point out that she was the older twin, Alex outgrew her sister by more than half a foot, which Emma made up for in energy.
“Will you go swimming with us? My friends are coming over.”
“I thought we were going to get ice cream,” Gus said.
Emma nodded. “I know, but afterward. Patty’s and Phoebe’s mom is bringing them over later and we wanted to go in the pool, but Daddy said I have to ask you first 'cause we can only go in when you watch us, he said.”
Pat and Phoebe were Emma’s best friends, aside from Alex, and were also twins, though unlike Emma and Alex they were identical and were impossible to tell apart from each other.
“Sure, short stuff, we can go for a swim.”
“Yay! Thank you, Gus. Can Patty and Phoebe come with us for ice cream too? Please?” Emma pleaded. She even batted her eyelashes for effect.
“You're so easy,” Alex commented fondly at Gus before he even had the chance to give in to Emma’s plea.
“What? Am not,” Gus protested indignantly.
“Okay, then. You're too indulgent.”
“'Indulgent'? Where do you learn these words?” he wondered, shaking his head.
“I read,” Alex replied.
“Must be some pretty advanced children’s literature,” Gus commented drily at which Alex simply shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
“Gus,” Emma reminded him that she was still waiting for his reply. “Patty. Phoebe. Ice cream?”
“Yes, if their mom says it's okay, then we can all go,” he gave in.
“Ha!” Alex didn’t even try to hide her superior grin.
“Insufferable smart-ass,” Gus gave back, but with no vehemence behind it.
“And you’re an enabler.”
“How so?” Gus exclaimed indignantly.
“Well,” Alex explained, “Patty and Phoebe didn’t even want to come over today. Until they heard that you’d be there, that is. Figure it out.”
Gus tried not to preen.
“Pathetic,” Alex declared and shook her head.
“Seriously,” Gus said, “I gotta have a look at the books you’re reading. Or maybe I’ll talk to Dad.” It was a well-known fact that Brian was the one who supplied Alex’s reading material.
Alex laughed, bright and carefree. “Yeah, okay. Good luck with that.” She knew full well that their dad was on her side on that. And Gus knew it, too. Still, he had to keep up pretenses. It wasn't time yet to admit defeat.
The End.
the next part to follow in this universe is:
B was for Blane, C is for Charlie