Thanksgiving Surprises

The holiday season was fast approaching as the guys sat down in front of their fake fireplace one evening. That thought crossed the minds of both the inhabitants of the loft as they cuddled before the entrancing flames and enjoyed the warmth emanating therefrom. It was usually Justin who eventually had to bring up the subject of Thanksgiving and that is just what happened.

"Brian," he asked, "Did you ever think about what the first Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh would have been like?"

"I don't think so," Brian opined, "And I don't think I'm going to either. If Brian Kinney goes hunting for his own Thanksgiving turkey, it's going to be at Giant Eagle or Shop'n Save and not in the woods. Brian Kinney is not going into the woods with a bunch of crazy hunters with guns, and may I add definitively, neither is Justin Taylor."

"You're getting pretty bossy, Bri," Justin laughed at him. "But you ought to know I'd never let you go into the woods with a gun and it's not the other hunters I'd be worried about, except that you were on the loose with a gun."

"Go ahead and scoff if you want to," Brian retaliated, "As long as what I say goes. Anyhow, aren't we going to Debbie's for Thanksgiving dinner like always? So what's this about the first Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh? I'm not sure I'm going to like it even if I don't have to go hunting, but I may as well hear what you've got cooked up now. If Emmett has come up again with the idea that we should dress like Pilgrims for Thanksgiving, I'm not in on that either."

"It's not that bad at all, Bri. It's just that some history teacher has researched the first Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh and he asked the Performing Arts High School to do a kind of pageant about it," Justin explained. "Hunter is in it and Malcolm has volunteered to help out. It plays the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings before Thanksgiving, and we ought to go one of the nights. I know you always plan an early Thanksgiving surprise dinner for just us two, and if you're thinking of that this year, we'll just go on one of the other evenings. Linz wants us to take Gus too. OK, Brian? If you say OK, I have a Thanksgiving surprise for you that you will like, I promise."

"You know damn well I don't have any choice, Twink," Brian smiled. "Make it Monday or Tuesday and it's OK with me. I might just have a Thanksgiving surprise for you too, so maybe we better coordinate our surprises. What do you think?"

"I think you've planned our Thanksgiving dinner for two for Wednesday. I'm not a dope. But let me tell you my surprise," Justin replied. "You know how you always complain about all the visits we have to make on Thanksgiving morning. Well this year we don't have to make any. We'll see your mother at Debbie's and my mother and Mollie will be in New York. I told you, and you probably forgot, that Mollie's high school band is marching in the Macy's parade. They're going up on a bus Wednesday and my mother is going on another charter for parents, so we can have all of Thanksgiving Day to ourselves right here, until we have to go to Debbie's that is. That ought to make you happy. Now what's your surprise for me? I bet you won't tell me where we're having dinner on Wednesday night."

"Maybe not the exact place but I guess you'll get the picture when I tell you my surprise," Brian laughed. "I did not forget that you told me Mollie's band was marching in the Macy's parade. And I didn't forget that you also said you thought it would be neat to see the Macy's parade someday. So we're supposed to fly up to New York Wednesday morning in a private plane with a friend of mine. I have our room in our hotel reserved and we'll be having our Thanksgiving dinner for two at a place to be specified later but picked out by Cynthia. We meet your mother and her crowd for the parade Thursday morning, and we'll fly back in plenty of time for dinner at Debbie's with the gang. What do you think of that?"

Justin was laughing too. "I think your surprise ruined my surprise," he told him, "And we won't spend all of Thanksgiving Day alone here, but we'll do that another time and pretend it's Thanksgiving. I love you Brian. You're always thinking of me. We'll have a great time in New York."

There followed a period of silence, which often punctuated their fireside chats. Brian squeezed the kid who rested his head on Brian's shoulder. These may have been the guys' favorite times of all.

Justin broke the spell. "You know what, Bri," he told the big guy, "If I'm in New York, I should really see that art store owner who handles my pictures up there. He's always complaining I don't get up there often enough."

"From 2 to 4 on Wednesday," Brian responded. "I had Linz tell the guy he could have you from 2 to 4 and not a minute longer. At 4, it will be either him or me. I hope it's gonna be me."

"And I hope you don't have any doubts about that," Justin assured him. "It's always gonna be you."

After another brief pause that Brian would have liked to be longer, Justin again resumed the discussion.

"It feels like Thanksgiving already, Brian," he said. "What are you thankful for?"

Brian took a moment to think before he spoke. "I guess I'm thankful that I'm getting to see a pageant about the first Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh," he answered. "That will just be great."

"Brian Kinney," Justin marveled. "You are one in a million. You are the only guy in the world who can turn his list of what he's thankful for into a complaint."

"And I guess you're thankful that I'm one in a million," Brian came back at him.

"Yeah I am," Justin admitted. "And I'm glad I found you and I'm glad you like me back. But you're not getting off the hook that easily. What else are you thankful for?"

"I'm thankful we're not supposed to get dressed up like Pilgrims for the holiday," Brian offered.

"OK, Kinney," Justin appeared to give up. "You're not going to be serious so I'll just make up a list of things you're thankful for and you'll just be stuck with it. It's your own fault."

"Are you going to tell me what I'm thankful for?" Brian asked, "Or will I just have to guess?"

"Well mostly you're thankful that you have me to look after you," Justin told him, "Just like I'm thankful that I have you."

"OK," Brian agreed.

"Now that's what I call enthusiasm, Brian," Justin seemed to complain. "You are really a romantic guy."

"Geez, Twink," Brian moaned. "I am a romantic guy. You know I love you and you know I'd do anything for you. Sometimes you act like you're never satisfied. And you know damn well what I'm thankful for. I think you should be satisfied."

"I am satisfied, Bri," Justin cajoled. "You know that and I know you know it. So I guess we should quit this discussion entirely."

"Sounds good to me," Brian told him pulling the kid up onto his lap, and initiating another of the treasured silent times.

Justin rubbed his head against Brian's cheek. "You know what, Bri?" he said "I bet you'd look great in a Pilgrim outfit."

Brian was still thankful he had his arms around the greatest kid in the world.

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