Variations on a Theme - Opposites

1: Emmett and Debbie - (pickle, house, cloud)

In the past few years, Emmett has lived with Michael, Ted and George the Pickle King. If asked, he’d’ve admitted that he didn’t have much in common with any of them; they were all pretty much his opposites. Boy-next-door Mikey, accountant Ted, and staid, conservative George; all of them had tended to allow a grey cloud of conformity to cloak their true nature, whereas Emmett’s flame burns proudly bright.

When he moves into Debbie’s house, however, he learns what “opposite” really means.

Because Emmett is a gay man, and Debbie only wants to be.

There is a world of difference.

 

2: Brian and Ted - (drink, calculator, moisturize)

Okay, so one has reigned for years as the Stud of Liberty Avenue, and the other rarely gets laid; one likes a drink, the other is in the Program; but aside from that, Brian and Ted have a lot in common. They’re both smart professionals; Brian might have the edge in creativity, Ted’s more adept with the calculator, but they’re both highly successful.

They’ve even become friends.

It’s only when Ted starts talking to Justin about making a moisturizer from avocado that Brian realizes how different they really are.

He bluntly recommends that Ted uses it to moisturize his ass.

 

3: Mr. and Mrs. Taylor - (persecute, skip, flower)

Craig has no idea how the wife he cared and provided for all those years, the one who graced his home and bore his children has become the person who stands looking at him with such contempt. He remembers a time when he was the head of the family and Jennifer’s biggest concern was her entry for the latest flower arrangement competition. His mind seems to skip a gear when he tries to match that figure with the one who stands so resolute and confident in opposition to anyone who would persecute her son.

Including her son’s father.

Especially him.

 

4: Justin and Daphne - (dancing, arrangement, chair)

Justin and Daphne are opposites in practically every way, never mind obvious physical differences. Her approach to unwinding involves ice cream, comfy chair and movies; his is dancing to the thumpa-thumpa at Babylon. For him, the precise arrangement of his paints and brushes is essential; her desk is a haphazard mélange of everything from post-its to hair-grips.

What they do have in common is their taste in men.

Daphne’s long recovered from her attraction to her best friend; she has a much bigger problem now.

Where is she ever going to find a guy who can measure up to Brian Kinney?

 

5: Brian and Ethan

“Brian never lied to me. He never had to; he never promised me anything. You did.”

Those words still echo in his mind sometimes.

Aside from the obvious things like Ethan being a short, scruffy, under-sexed, what-did-I-ever-see-in-him pretentious twat while Brian is tall, elegant, sex-on-two-legs and only pretentious when he’s dealing with assholes, Justin thinks the words sum up the biggest difference between the two.

Ethan scattered promises with neither the capability nor the intention to deliver.

Brian rarely makes promises, but when he does you can absolutely rely on him coming through.

Unlike Ethan, Brian always delivers the goods.

 

6: Justin and Michael

“You always danced with Justin.”

“I know one who does.”

Brian knows who his best friend is.

Brian knows this because of the way they each treat his relationship with the other. Justin’s always tolerated Michael, and been supportive of Michael’s place in his life. Michael, on the other hand, has resented Justin almost from the first moment. He’s belittled him, interfered between them, and even at times deliberately tried to drive Justin out of their lives, without any regard for how much pain that might cause his “best friend”.

That simple difference tells Brian who really owns the title.

 

7: Brian and Justin - (flavor, psychopath, pen)

As Brian paces agitatedly, Justin sighs, tapping his pen. Why a simple shopping list should turn his partner from marginally sane to borderline psychopath he has no idea.

“Brian, if you want the cabin stocked, then we need to let them know what we want. You’ll be complaining if they get the wrong ice cream.”

“No fucking ice cream!” Brian snaps automatically, snatching vainly at the paper. “And don’t forget the guava juice.”

Justin starts to write. “I’m getting chocolate,” he says calmly. “What flavor do you want?”

A long pause while they regard each other measuringly.

“Vanilla,” Brian says at last.
 

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