Protective Custody

The guys had just settled themselves in front of the fake fireplace. They were both staring vacantly at the flickering flames but nothing was said for a while.

"Take that worried look off your face, Sunshine," Brian opened the discussion.

"I don't have a worried look on my face," Justin replied glumly.

"Well you should have a worried look on your face, Baby," Brian insisted, "Because you are worried, and you're worried because you don't trust me."

"That's not fair," Justin came back. "You know I love you and I trust you, but I know you …."

"And you don't think I can take Gus ice-skating by myself," Brian interrupted. "What in the hell do you think will happen?"

"I don't think anything will happen," Justin told him. "I just think the two of you will have a great time when Santa Claus comes to the rink, but something could happen. You know something could happen, Bri."

"I guess you think because I only learned to skate two years ago, I can't skate well enough to take care of Gus myself," Brian maintained. "But I can."

"That's not it at all, Brian," Justin went on. "You can skate really well and you could take care of Gus by yourself, but what if you try a quadruple toe loop and break your neck, who's going to take Gus home?"

"Geez, Kiddo," Brian complained, "I guess I'm right about you not having any confidence in me. You don't even think I could execute a flawless quadruple toe loop."

Justin had to smile. "Not at all, Bri," he grinned. "I know you could do a perfect quadruple toe loop, but even the pros have trouble sometimes. There could be circumstances beyond your control."

"Actually you're worried about circumstances beyond your control, I think," Brian gibed.

"You know I can't come with you," Justin said. "Some of my stuff is on exhibit that afternoon and I just have to be there."

"Well, let me remind you that when we heard about the big Santa Claus arrival at the skating rink," Brian reminded him, "I told Gus I couldn't go skating that day because I had to be with you at the exhibit, but you insisted that I go skating."

"I really wanted you at the exhibit, Bri, but I thought it was more important for you to go with Gus. And I thought you'd have more fun too. But Melanie was also supposed to go then," Justin reminded him back, "And now she can't go either."

"So you'll have to trust me not to foul things up at the rink," Brian decided, "And I'll have to trust you not to foul things up at the exhibit. So how come you're worried and I'm not?"

Justin was still smiling. "Yeah, I'll try not to foul things up at the exhibit," he told Brian, "But I'm not sure it's quite the same thing."

"You want to explain the difference?" Brian challenged him.

"No," Justin admitted. "I guess there's really no difference." That was not really what Justin thought, however.

Justin put his head on Brian's shoulder and there followed a quiet period. Nothing was said but there was a lot of thinking going on.

It was Brian who reopened the discussion on the same topic. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised when Malcolm and Hunter just happen to show up at the rink," Brian said. "I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss the big Santa Claus arrival."

"Trying to be a mind reader?" Justin smiled at him. "Actually that's a pretty good idea. I'm sure Malcolm and Hunter wouldn't want to miss the arrival of Santa Claus at the skating rink, but I was really thinking of bringing in Abelard. I think Abelard would be better than Malcolm and Hunter. I'm not sure that the football business is over though so Abe might not be available. Hunter and Malcolm might have to do."

Brian didn't respond so Justin continued. "You wouldn't be mad if Hunter and Malcolm showed up, would you, Bri? Gus would be glad to see them, I bet. If they wanted to come. It wouldn't be because I didn't trust you or anything…."

"Yes, it would, Baby," Brian concluded. "It would be exactly because you didn't trust me. But I wouldn't be mad. In fact, I mentioned it to Hunter and he said he was sure that Malcolm and he could come So I expect they'll be there. Does that make you feel better?"

"I'm glad there will be more people there with you and Gus," Justin told him, "But I was sure you could handle the whole thing yourself, unless there was an accident of something. Linz will feel better too. Otherwise she might have had to change her plans and go skating with you and Gus, and she said she had another important engagement that she didn't want to cancel."

"Maybe I better tell you then, Baby," Brian announced. "I don't want you getting mad either. I only agreed to go skating with Gus when Linz agreed to go to the exhibit with you."

"You didn't trust me at an art exhibit by myself?" Justin was incredulous. "What were you thinking?" And then Justin dissolved into laughter. "I love you, Brian. You know I love you," he told the big guy.

"Yeah," Brian replied. "You've said that before, but I'm not sure you always mean what you say."

"Cut it out, Bri," Justin ordered. "You know I mean it when I say that.'

And Brian did. So there was another lull in the discussion. It seemed that everything was settled to the satisfaction of both of the guys and that there was no more to say. Not so.

It was Justin who returned to the subject this time. "Brian, please don't try the quadruple toe loop at the skating rink on Saturday."

"Why not?" Brian wanted to know. "You'll have Hunter and Malcolm there to take Gus home when I break my neck, so what are you worried about? Do you think I'll break my neck? Would it bother you if I broke my neck?"

"Of course it would bother me if you broke your neck," Justin told him with a grin. "I like your neck just the way it is. But that's not the reason I don't want you to try the quadruple toe loop. I won't be there and I want to be there when you land your first quadruple."

"You just don't want to miss me breaking my neck" Brian surmised.

"Wrong, Kinney," Justin objected. "I just thought I'd do the quadruple toe loop too. We could do it together like they do in the pairs skating. It would be easy for us because we're always in sync."

"You know," Brian mused in reply. "I guess we are in sync most of the time. Could be I'm beginning to even think like you."

"Take that worried look off your face," Justin advised the guy he loved more than anything else in the world.

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