The Shadow Knows

Brian Kinney returned to the loft early. He had not been looking forward to the evening since the twink was scheduled for a seminar and was not expected home till 9 or maybe 10. But Brian had left the office early and stopped at the comic book store in hopes of arranging dinner with Michael. That hadn't worked out either but Mikey had given him a couple of CDs of Brian's favorite old-time radio program, The Adventures of the Shadow, and the episodes featured Orson Wells who was Brian's favorite of the three or four actors who had played "the voice of the invisible Shadow." Brian often thought that he should have been born thirty or forty years sooner, but then he figured he would have missed out on the kid, and he would not have wanted that - not for anything. Nevertheless, while Justin also enjoyed "reliving" the old days they had both missed the first time around, Brian thought, the kid often seemed to get really into the experience with results that ranged from comic to catastrophic. So Brian smiled at the prospect of listening to 'The Shadow" by himself. He decided to light the fireplace and sit for a while thinking about Justin and then close his eyes and imagine as the radio programs played out. Brian was feeling satisfied with his plans. He had taken a potentially lonely evening and turned it into something special. He was very pleased with himself.

Sometimes people's plans don't work out though, and that was to be Brian's fate on this particular evening. He was only seated before the flickering flames for a very short time when the door to the loft slid open and the unexpected twink came in.

"I'm home, Bri," the kid called out. "Seminar was cancelled." Then he noticed the fireplace was lit. "Missed me already?" Justin asked with a smirk. "Lucky for you my seminar was cancelled."

"Naw," Brian denied the allegation. "I just thought I'd light the thing so that if you got too lonesome for me and skipped out on the seminar, we'd have a head start when you came rushing in."

"Hmm," Justin wondered. "Maybe so. I really was looking forward to seeing you. When the seminar was called off, me and Malcolm went over to your office to tell you but you were already gone. Cynthia said you were gone for the day but she thought you had headed over to the comic book store, so we went over there."

"Following me around, eh?" Brian laughed.

"Yeah," Justin admitted. "I guess we were kind of shadowing you."

"Shadowing me?" Brian interjected with a trace of alarm in his voice.

"Yeah, shadowing," Justin confirmed. "You don't read enough mystery stories, Bri. That's when the detective …."

"I know what it means," Brian interrupted him. "What did Mikey have to say?" he added tentatively.

"Mikey wasn't there when we got there," Justin told him. "Hunter was in charge. Mikey had just left though."

"So you didn't get to talk to Mikey then?" Brian wondered. "I guess that's fair. I didn't get to talk to Hunter while I was there. He hadn't shown up yet."

"Yeah, he was there," Justin informed him. "He was in the back unpacking cartons. He knew you were out front but I guess he just decided to let you and Mikey talk. You guys don't get together so much any more."

"Not as much," Brian agreed. "I guess we both have more important things to do."

"Like what?" Justin smiled coyly, brushing his hair up against Brian's cheek.

"None of your business," Brian responded with a smile of his own.

"Are you sure of that?" Justin persisted.

"No," Brian surrendered, pulling the kid closer. A period of silence followed which pleased both of them.

Justin eventually broke the silence. "Are we going to listen to our Shadow CDs tonight, Honey?" he asked. Then looking at Brian's face, Justin continued. "I'm sorry, Bri. I guess you were planning them as a surprise and I shouldn't have ruined it for you."

"Yeah," Brian gulped. "I guess it was supposed to be a surprise all right. And I guess there was a surprise in a way. How did you know I had them though if you didn't see Michael?"

"Hunter has ears," Justin told him. "I didn't even know who the Shadow was so Hunter got me out some old Shadow comic books. They were neat. I'm looking forward to listening to the programs. You're always thinking of ways to entertain me, Brian. You are always thinking of me."

"I'll admit it, Baby," Brian grinned. "I am always thinking of you." That kid could turn disasters into fun.

"Before we begin, though," Justin ventured warily, "Malcolm said that if you really like the Shadow, would you want to play the Shadow in one of his dramatic readings of old radio programs? He can get the scripts."

"Sometimes I wish we didn't even know Malcolm," Brian grouched. "But I don't want to argue with you about that now. You can ask me again after we hear the programs and then I'll say 'No'."

"Your wish is," Justin told him, "As always, my command." Brian was laughing as he got up and put the CDs into the player.

And so it happened that the guys held on to each other through four half-hour recordings of old Shadow radio programs from the 1930s. Brian was intrigued by the stories. Justin was enthralled. Brian was amused by Justin's enthrallment.

At the conclusion of the last program, Justin commented enthusiastically, " Gee Whiz, Brian. Those were great I love the Shadow. Sometimes I wish I had been born thirty or forty years sooner, but then I might have missed knowing you and I wouldn't want that - not for anything."

"I guess I know what you mean," Brian mussed up the kid's hair. "Sometimes I'm glad you're around too. You aren't always being a pain in the ass, Sweetheart - not always."

"Well I'm not going to be pain in the ass now either, Honey," Justin informed him. "I'm going to turn over a new leaf and to start with, I'm not going to ask you again to do the Shadow for Malcolm's reading. I'm going to do it myself with your permission. I'm going to start practicing the Shadow's laugh tomorrow. I think I'll be great."

"But you wouldn't volunteer for the role without my permission?" Brian wondered.

"Never," Justin promised in response.

"Well I'm not going to give my permission," Brian decided. "The Shadow is going to be Brian Kinney or Orson Wells, and he's dead. I may only be the second best Shadow though, but I'll be good. Tell Malcolm to order the scripts."

"You will be really great, Brian," Justin enthused, "And now that I know all about the Shadow, I'll help you too. I'll be a big help - with the laugh especially."

"Maybe we could delay practicing the laugh," Brian opined, "Till we're ready to do the program, OK?"

"Whatever you think," Justin was quick to agree. "It's always what you think."

"What I think is maybe that I'm being manipulated just a little bit," Brian replied.

"Why do you think that, Honey?" Justin protested just a little bit. "Gee Whiz."

"Because I know 'what evil lurks in the heart of a certain twink,'" Brian squeezed the kid ever so slightly.

"I guess 'the Shadow knows,'" Justin admitted.

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