“Justin Taylor,” Brian was complaining, “Sometimes you are absolutely crazy. Not always - but a lot of times – and this is one of those times.”
“Well it was you who decided that we were going to get you a new Santa Claus suit to wear to Childrens’ Hospital this year,” Justin defended himself. “You said the one you wore the last four years was beginning to look shabby and you wanted a new one. I didn’t see anything wrong with the old one either. It was just vanity on your part, Kinney. And you told me I had to go get it for you too. You were just too important for such a trivial errand, I suppose. So I just did what you told me – like I always do – without complaining or anything either.”
“Actually, I figure you did a little more than I told you to do,” Brian had to laugh. “Just like you also always do. I don’t recall telling you to get a silver Santa Claus suit. Nothing ever is an ordinary task for my little Sunshine. But I am not wearing that monstrosity to Childrens’ Hospital – or any place else either. Who the hell ever heard of a silver Santa Claus suit? Santa Claus wears red – not silver.”
“Well, Johann at the shop said silver was going to be the in-color for fashionable Santa Clauses this year,” Justin informed him. “And Johann knows the business inside and out. And I know you always like to be in style. Besides, Emmett thought silver was a great choice too. Johann also had blue and green and gold – and I think purple too – but we liked the silver the best. And it was a real reason for buying a new suit that wasn’t needed in the first place.”
“You took Emmett with you?” Brian replied with genuine amazement. “You must have had some mischief in mind if you took Emmett with you. You know Emmett as well as I do. Were you mad at me or something?”
“I didn’t take Emmett with me at all, Brian,” Justin told him. “I ran into him on my way and he volunteered to come along and help.”
“Like you would ever need any help, Twink,” Brian pointed out suspiciously. “So now I guess you’ll want to call the Lone Ranger and see if the great horse Silver is available. A Santa Claus in a silver Santa suit wouldn’t want to ride in an old-fashioned sleigh. He’d come on horseback. Hi-Yo Silver.”
“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin wondered. “I didn’t think you’d be making such a big fuss about this – like it was a major disaster or something.”
“Yes, you did,” Brian laughed. “You know me and I know you. A big fuss was exactly what you thought I’d make – and exactly what you wanted.”
“Well you did want a lot of silver decorations around here this year - and I thought maybe you could wear this suit for our holiday parties too,” Justin suggested. “That would be neato, Bri. Real color coordination. Our guests would be very impressed.”
“OK, Taylor,” Brian demanded. “You knew I wouldn’t wear this thing – you knew full well I wouldn’t - and you brought it home as some kind of a joke – and you are absolutely marching it back to that store tomorrow and exchanging it for a red one. If it weren’t too late already tonight, I wouldn’t have this sacrilege in the loft overnight even. And you can tell Johann for me that he’s nuts – and so are you.”
“Sometimes you aren’t any fun at all, Brian Kinney,” Justin groused good-naturedly. “And you like to think of yourself as so cutting-edge – but you’re really just pretty much an old fogey – but that’s OK with me - I still love you as much as I know you love me.”
“You love me a lot more than I love you right now, Kiddo,” Brian laughed at him. “But when you get rid of this silver suit and come back tomorrow with the new red suit, then I’ll love you more than you love me.”
“I can see you’re trying to start an argument now, Sweetheart,” Justin told him. “You know you’ll never love me more than I love you. I don’t know why you’re always trying to start some argument – at Christmas time too.”
“I didn’t bring you any silver Santa Claus suit,” Brian responded in kind. “So I didn’t start anything, Baby. I know this is all a joke – but the joke’s really on you, Baby. You’ll have to take the damn thing back tomorrow.”
“Actually I won’t, Mr. Kinney, Sir,” Justin was laughing now. “Nope. That suit does not go back to Johann at all. It goes to Emmett. He loved it and he bought it for himself. I think you knew that Emmett is going to play Santa at the Gay and Lesbian Center’s big holiday-fest, and he decided silver would be perfect.”
“Probably will too,” Brian decided. “Those goofs deserve just what they get – asking Emmett to be their Santa Claus….”
“Instead of you?” Justin was taken aback. “You wanted
to be their Santa Claus too? I can’t believe that.”
”Why not?” Brian pointed out. “Everybody at the hospital thinks I’m the best
Santa Claus in the world. And you always tell me I am too. Why would they
settle for Emmett if they could have the best Santa Claus in the world?”
“You have to be joking, Brian,” Justin told him. “You don’t really want to be Santa Claus at the Center? You don’t even really like the Center. You have to be joking.”
“So you can joke around and I can’t?” Brian grinned at him. “Two can play at that game, Baby. But don’t you get any ideas either and volunteer me over there. Not if you expect to live a long life. The joke is over. Just go get me a red suit tomorrow and we’ll call it even.”
“Don’t need to do that either,” Justin confided. “The new red suit is over there in the closet. You’ll just have to try it on to make sure it’s a perfect fit. I’d be glad to perform that service for you too – but it probably wouldn’t work out all that well. That’s a job you’ll just have to do yourself since you’re the guy who’s gonna wear it…. But you’re not mad at me, are you, Brian? I just had to do it. It just seemed so funny. You know me. I mean - all I had to do was borrow Emmett’s suit for overnight. It was so easy and the temptation was just too great.”
“You can come over here and sit by me for a while, JT,” Brian invited him. “I think that would be a good way to find out if I’m mad. Put one of those new holiday CDs in the machine and come on over here and we’ll see if I’m mad at you.”
“OK,” Justin replied with some enthusiasm, while shuffling through the CDs. “What about this one, Bri?” he picked one out. “It’s called Silver Bells.”
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