Advice and Consent

The guys had just settled down in front of their fake fireplace as was their custom several times a week. They seemed to find it easier to talk to each other while facing the flitting fake flames. So Brian had waited till they were thus positioned before he took up a subject that was on his mind.

"You know how we always say we can talk to each other about anything?" Brian kind of asked the kid.

"Yeah," Justin responded.

"I guess that doesn't mean that we have to talk to each other about everything?" Brian conjectured further.

"But we do tell each other everything, don't we?" Justin protested. "I don't think we should keep any secrets from each other. Except maybe what we got each other for presents and stuff like that."

"I guess we probably shouldn't keep any secrets, Baby," Brian agreed, "Except when we get surprise presents for each other."

"What's up, Bri?" Justin returned the questioning. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not at all, Kiddo," Brian replied. "I was just wondering about your meeting Emmett tomorrow for lunch and shopping. You don't really admire Emmett's taste very much and I was kind of surprised when you told me that you'd be going shopping with him. It made me think maybe there was something you weren't telling me. Geez, I hope you're not going shopping with Emmett to buy me a surprise present. I think I'd rather you went by yourself to do that - not that anything you'd pick out with Emmett's help wouldn't be likely to be a real surprise."

"Shit, Bri," Justin gave up. "I think I was going to tell you. It's not really a secret. Well it is kind of a secret but I could tell you. I'm sure I was going to tell you once the fireplace was lit. You didn't give me a chance. It's really nothing important. Emmett got this new job, you know about that, and he's decided he needs to buy a car. He wanted me to go along with him for back-up. Two heads are better than one."

"So what about Ted?" Brian wanted to know. "Aren't three heads better than two?"

"Maybe," Justin admitted, "But Emmett thinks Ted is too straight-laced, you know, the accountant type, and Emm thinks he might want something with a little flair. That's what made him think of me. He thought Mikey would be too conservative too."

"I guess he never even considered taking me?" Brian wondered. "I'm not all that conservative, and I do the advertising for some of the car dealers so I might be able to get him a good deal."

"Actually, I did suggest that," Justin said, "And Emm said you could come if you wanted to."

"Twink, you are not telling me the whole story about this," Brian accused Justin. "So you are keeping something secret. I'm pretty sure you and Emmett are not planning to surprise me with a new car as a present. You're too smart for that. You told me why Emmett doesn't want Ted or Mikey along. Why doesn't he want me?"

"You are a tough character, Kinney," Justin pointed out. "I want to tell you everything. I really do. And I do tell you everything - most of the time. Just that it's hard sometime to figure out how to tell you some things."

"Maybe you could just say it straight out," Brian suggested. "I'm tough, like you always say. I can take it."

"Emmett said that if the car salesman made you mad," Justin confessed, "That you might drive their display car through the showroom window."

"Geez, it's hard to live down those urban legends," Brian complained.

"An urban legend is usually a made-up story, Honey," Justin countered with a smile. "Now I wasn't there myself but I think the story about you and that showroom window might actually be true."

"Seems you're always willing to believe the worst about me, Twink," Brian grinned at him.

"Not any more," Justin corrected him, cuddling up to the big guy, and the conversation trailed off at that point.

Eventually though, it got restarted. "Brian, I'm sorry I didn't ask you to come with me and Emm tomorrow to look at the new cars," Justin told Brian. "I wish you would come. You'd be a big help."

"Before or after I drove a vehicle through the showroom window?" Brian laughed. "No, Baby, I don't think I ought to go. And you don't have to feel guilty for not asking me. In fact, not asking me could be thought of as a surprise present for me, so you really didn't have to tell me at all if you didn't want to."

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" Justin asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, I'm very sure," Brian replied, still kind of laughing. "I give my full consent to you giving Emmett our advice. I don't want the job of trying to talk him out of a sky-blue pink convertible with a green stripe so I'll leave that to you."

"Sky-blue pink with a green stripe," Justin marveled. "If I see a car like that, I think I'd buy it for us."

"If I thought there was any danger of that," Brian assured him, "I would be there with you whether you wanted me or not. But if Emm decides what he wants, don't make any deals right on the spot. I might be able to get him a better price than what you're offered."

"You know what, Bri?" Justin told him. "You are the absolutely greatest guy in the world."

"That must not be a secret if you're telling me," Brian taunted a bit.

"Cut it out, Bri," Justin demanded. "No picking on me allowed. But I guess it really isn't a secret that you're the absolutely greatest guy in the world, even if most people don't know it."

"Cut it out yourself, Twink," Brian retorted. "I don't care if most people know I'm the greatest guy in the world. It only matters to me that you think so."

"Gee whiz, Brian," Justin told him. "It's saying stuff like that that makes you the absolutely greatest guy in the world. You make me weak in the knees when you say stuff like that."

"Baby, You really left yourself open with that last remark," Brian advised him. "You're lucky I'm in a mushy mood right now so I won't take advantage of it."

So there was another lull in the conversation at that point. Both the guys seemed very satisfied just to hold onto each other and watch the flickering flames.

It was not surprising though that it was Justin who eventually broke that spell. "Brian, since we don't keep any secrets from each other," he said, "Maybe you want to tell me how you knew I hadn't told you everything about tomorrow's shopping trip."

"Well of course I want to tell you," Brian responded with a grin. "Don't I always tell you everything? I would be glad to tell you. But I don't know exactly how I can tell when you're holding back information, so I can't tell you. Sorry, Baby."

"Brian Kinney," Justin sighed with a look of resignation on his face, "You're very lucky that you're the absolutely greatest guy in the world."

"I know I'm lucky," Brian responded, pulling the twink up onto his lap, and that ended the discussion with everybody happy.

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