Mikey Sees the Light

Brian was alone in the loft. It was the dark time of the winter and he was waiting for Justin to get home. He thought he would like to light the electric fireplace. "If I do the twink will make some smart remark when he comes in," he thought, and then after some consideration decided, "So what. If he makes a smart remark, I'll just stop him in his tracks with some wise repartee. That will fix him. Or I might just grab him and kiss him. That would also stop him in his tracks. Maybe that last would work best." So Brian confidently lit the fireplace and turned the electric flames to high. He wasn't afraid of Justin.

Sitting alone in front of the fireplace encouraged Brian to daydream. He was thinking about Justin and how his new life was working out, and about Justin and their futures plans, and sometimes just about Justin. It was the next best thing to having the kid nestled next to him - second best but better than nothing.

He was thoroughly enjoying his daydreams when there came a knock at the door. Brian was mildly disturbed at the intrusion on his thoughts but he went to the door and found Michael on the other side. "You have a key, Mikey, why didn't you just walk in?" Brian asked.

"I'm not doing that any more. I don't want to intrude on some private situation," Michael explained. "I can't imagine what you mean," Brian laughed, and Mike remarked, "I'm sure you can't."

"Well." Brian wondered, "What brings you over to see me on this cold winter night." "Nothing at all," Mikey responded, " I am here to see the other resident of this loft and I don't see him."

"He isn't here, Mikey," Brian said, "Won't I do in a pinch?" "Nope," Michael smiled, "I need him to look at these final print-ups for Rage. We were supposed to meet about them tomorrow night but the publishers want them a day early. It will only take a few minutes, so I won't be stealing your boyfriend for long."

"Nobody steals my boyfriend for even a second but I do lend him out on occasion. You can talk to him about business but I'll be watching you the whole time," Brian smiled a warning to Michael, "He should be home in a little while. He's out to dinner with a few friends from the Institute - on loan." "Out on the town without you. That's a surprise," Mikey jabbed at Brian. "I've told you I want him to have friends closer to his own age. I make him go out without me. He does everything I tell him to," Brian bragged.

"Somehow I think you have maintained your ability to stretch the truth," Michael laughed. Brian was still smiling.

"Oh ho," Michael declared, "There's the famous fireplace." "I don't remember telling you about the fireplace," Brian replied. "You didn't. Boy Wonder did. He says it's magic. He says it makes you nice. He calls it the magic fireplace. I guess if it makes you nice it must be magic," Michael allowed, "Can I try it?" "Sure," Brian told him, "But don't expect too much."

So Michael and Brian sat down together and stared at the dancing flames. "I don't think I get it?" Mike said after a while, "Do you really like sitting on the floor looking at those fake flames?" "Yeah, but it's better when I have Justin next to me rather than you." Brian joked, "Bring Ben over some time if you want to get the full effect."

"But weren't you sitting here by yourself before I came? How come?" Mikey asked.

"It helps me think about him when he's not here - not that I need any help," Brian told him. "You sure don't sound like the Brian Kinney I've known for twenty years." Michael replied, "Where's the selfish bastard that I've known and loved all those years?"

"You were the only one who really loved me. I didn't even much like myself. I did what I did then to keep alive - just to keep going. I don't need to do that any more. I have a lot of things to keep me alive, or maybe one thing that makes a lot of things worth while," Brian told him.

"You don't sound like you either, Brian," Michael stated, "You are nicer and you seem to have real feelings like other people do. You're not on anything are you?" Brian laughed, "I don't need anything like that now and I'm pretty much off drugs and booze too. You're not complaining are you?"

"Not at all!" Michael stated, "I'm so happy for you, Brian. I was… we were all worried about you. Everybody is glad you're happy. We like Justin, too, you know, and we're glad to lose you to him."

"Michael, you and the gang have not lost me. You really might have if Justin hadn't come along. You've got a new me now all because of him. And he loves you guys as much as I do." Brian told him, "You're still my best friend after Justin. I'll always need your friendship. You've always been there for me when I needed you and that won't ever change, I hope. And that's not new. I've told you that a lot of times before."

"Not when you were clean and sober," Mike answered him and asked, "And this new Brian is here to stay?" "As long as I have… Don't worry, Mikey," Brian answered, "I won't lose him. I know I need him now and I won't lose him."

Michael was a little confused by this conversation. He stared into the fire with a new respect.

At that moment, Justin burst into the room. Justin almost always burst into wherever he was going. Brian liked that. "Hi, Honey," he called to Brian and then "Hey, Mikey, what's up?" Then he looked quizzically toward the fire.

"Mikey wanted to see the fireplace at work so I lit it for him. "That was nice of you," Justin doubted that story. "Michael needs to show you some Rage shit. I'm going to run on the treadmill while you geniuses confer, and I'll put on my earphones so that you can feel safe saying nice things about me. But I'll be watching you, so no funny business. And don't take too long, Mikey. The twink and I might want to create a private situation." Brian warned them happily.

"Don't worry, Sweetheart," Justin reassured Brian in the same spirit of fun, "Every time I come on to Michael, he reminds me about Ben," Brian loved Justin's sense of humor but he loved everything about Justin.

Justin replaced Brian on the floor and leafed through the folder that Michael presented to him. "Looks good to me," he told Mikey, "What do you think of my fireplace?"

"I think maybe it works," Mike admitted, "Brian talked a lot differently than he used to. He really loves you, Justin. It's like you gave him a love potion or something. Whatever you gave him, none of us could do in years of trying. We love you for what you did for him, Boy Wonder, and we love you too. You are really special. Remember I used to warn you that Brian would never change. I really believed that and I was trying to save you from a major disappointment, but I'm glad you didn't listen to me. You knew more about him in a couple of weeks than I knew after twenty years."

"Not really, Mike. I hoped I could get him but I wasn't sure by a long shot. I loved him so much I had to take the risk. You helped me out a lot along the way. You helped me stay sane when we thought Brian was moving to New York." Justin thanked him, "I needed your support a lot of times and you were there. I consider you my friend too and I want you to know that if you ever need me, I'll be there." "That's a done deal, Kiddo," Michael said, "I think my mother loves you as much as me or maybe more so that makes us kind of brothers."

"I'm glad to have a brother," Justin replied. "So am I," Mikey smiled. "Justin," Michael added, cautiously, "we love the new Brian and we know it's all because of you, but …" "I'll never hurt him, Michael," Justin assured him, "I know he needs me. I need him more. Believe me, I need him more. I know you're worried that I'll let him down. I never will." Michael told Justin, "I did worry about that - not because I didn't trust you but because you're so young. I'm not worried now. Thanks." Maybe he was becoming a believer in the magic fireplace.

"OK, you guys, You can quit saying nice things about me now," Brian broke into the conversation, "I'm tired of you two having a good time and leaving me out of it."

"We are sorry," Justin told him, "We were having a good time and you're name was never mentioned." "Well you missed out on a good bet," Brian assured them.

As Michael was heading home he engaged in an argument with himself. "Justin is right. That fireplace is magic," he thought. Then he laughed to himself, "Am I crazy? There's no such thing as a magic fireplace. Those two have finally got it all together … But I was able to say things to them that I could never say before and they told me things I thought I'd never hear them say … This is silly. I'm going to think about something else." And he did.

When he got back home though, he wondered to Ben, "What you think about us getting a fireplace in here?"

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