Sweet Dreams

The guys had been seated in front of their fake fireplace for a few hours. They had shared their experiences of the day and had made whatever plans were necessary. Finally, after all that, Justin had dozed off with his head on Brian's shoulder. Brian liked that. He liked to look at the kid sleeping peacefully. He often thought he could just sit forever looking at the twink. But that was not to be. Justin's eyes blinked and then opened.

"I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked Brian.

"Why would I wake you up?" Brian wanted to know. "You don't have anyplace to go or anything special to do. I don't mind you going to sleep with your head on my shoulder. Actually I kind of like it. That way I get to be near you and still not have to put up with you. Kind of an ideal situation."

"Well that's a nice way to describe it," Justin growled. "Putting up with me. But I'm used to you picking on me and I know complaining won't help. Anyhow I wish you'd have wakened me. I wasn't dreaming about you and now that I'm awake, here you are. I don't mind putting up with you as much as you seem to not like putting up with me. You know, I kind of like you, Mr. Kinney."

"You weren't dreaming about me?" Brian questioned, focusing on the major point of that declaration. "Why not?"

"Because you don't get to pick who or what you dream about," Justin had to smile. "If I got to pick who to dream about, I'd always pick you, and in my dreams you'd always be real nice, and then I wouldn't want you to ever wake me up."

"So you wouldn't have to put up with the real me at all?" Brian supposed.

"Something like that, I guess," Justin laughed. "That must be what they mean by 'sweet dreams.'"

Brian squeezed the kid and smiled at him and they sat in quiet contentment for a while. Finally Justin got inquisitive.

"Do you always dream about me, Bri?" he asked. "I wish I could always dream about you."

"Not always, Sunshine," Brian allowed. "Like you said, we don't get to pick who or what we dream about, but you know, there's something about my dreams that seems different to me. I've never heard anybody talk about this, but sometimes when I'm dreaming, the people I'm dreaming about don't really appear in the dream. It's like there are actors taking their places."

"You mean like when you dream about me, I might not be in the dream at all," Justin asked for clarification. "I'm not sure I get what you're talking about."

"Well, the last dream I remember, some gangsters were chasing me," Brian tried to explain, "And I'm pretty sure one of them was Edward G. Robinson."

"Am I supposed to know who Edward G. Robinson is?" Justin querried.

"Guess not," Brian laughed, "Considering your tender years. But E. G. Robinson was an old-time actor who played a lot of gangster roles."

"Well that's not so strange then," Justin decided. "You were dreaming about gangsters and this Robinson guy who played a lot of gangsters came into your mind. The gangsters had to look like somebody."

"Yeah," Brian replied just a little dubiously, deciding to let the conversation about dreams die. "I guess you're right."

But Justin was just getting interested. "Was I in the dream, Bri?" Justin wanted to know. "I'll bet I was. I'll bet the gangsters were chasing me too. They were, weren't they?"

"Yeah," Brian answered. "You were in it, and the gangsters were chasing you too."

"That's more like it," Justin decided. "You were at least dreaming about me. We were together. We were in that jam together." But the look on Brian's faced betrayed some shadow of doubt which Justin did not like. "There's more, isn't there, Brian? What aren't you telling me?" he went on.

"It's hard to explain," Brian tried to explain. "Justin was in the dream all right but it wasn't you. Somebody else was playing you."

"Like Edward G. Robinson?" Justin wanted to know.

"The guy playing Justin in my dream was some guy I knew in college," Brian admitted. "I didn't even know him well and I haven't heard from him or about him since we graduated."

"Are you telling me you dreamed about me and I wasn't even in the dream?" Justin exclaimed.

"I don't think that's really the best way to put it," Brian protested.

"Well just how was it?" Justin insisted. "I don't always dream about you, but when I dream about you, at least you're in the dream. I guess you get somebody else to play me in your dreams so you don't have to put up with me."

"Baby, it's not like I'm some casting director who picks who plays what part," Brian defended himself. "I would like you to play yourself in all my dreams. I really would. I do kind of like you, Mr. Taylor."

"Oh yeah," Justin grouched, "But dreams are subconscious wishes and I'll bet you were wishing I was that guy from college. Maybe you wish he was here instead of me."

"And I guess I really wanted to be chased by gangsters too, Honey," Brian reasoned. "Didn't you say we don't get to pick who or what we dream about?"

"I said that," Justin admitted, "But I didn't say that we get to pick who plays who in our dreams. I did not say that."

"Well I can tell you that we don't," Brian replied. "And I can say that the guy who played you in that dream is really pretty hot."

"And that's supposed to make me feel good?" Justin countered, not liking the situation very much, but beginning to see some humor in it.

"It's just that it would take some really cute guy to play Justin Taylor in a Brian Kinney dream, Baby," Brian told him. "You can be sure of that."

"Well I guess that's some consolation," Justin allowed with a smile. "But I hope you'll make some effort to have me play myself in all future dreams. I'm always available for your dreams, Honey, day or night."

"You can be sure I'll make every effort to do that," Brian smiled back at him. "And you can also be sure I won't be telling you if that college guy subs for you again."

There was a short period of silence before Justin resumed the conversation. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to the idea of somebody else playing me in some of your dreams, Bri, so if you dream about me tonight, I want to be in it."

"Gee whiz, Kiddo, I can try," Brian responded, "But I don't see how I can promise."

"Well I know one way to make absolutely sure you don't get anybody to stand in for me tonight," Justin told him.

"And how are you going to do that?" Brian wanted to know.

"I'm going to keep you awake all night," Justin declared.

"The things I have to put up with," Brian grinned at him.

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