Cousins

It had been an out of the ordinary Saturday. Justin had to be at the Institute all day. Brian said he had some errands to run and some things to do. Justin came home to an empty loft in the late afternoon and prepared some soup and sandwiches. Brian came home a little later and the guys ate and talked. Everything seemed normal but Justin thought he detected an enigmatic look on Brian's face and that made him wonder just a little.

After they ate and the fireplace was lit, the guys settled themselves down for the homey evening that they so often enjoyed. Brian wrapped his arm around the kid. Justin looked at Brian's face and came up with an automatic reaction. "I didn't do it," he said.

"Maybe not but you knew about it," Brian responded. "I'm sure you knew about it."

Justin was genuinely puzzled. "I don't know whether to ask you what I knew about," Justin declared, "Or just admit that I knew about it and throw myself on your mercy. Any suggestions?"

"I stopped to see Gus this afternoon," Brian told him.

"How was Gus?" Justin asked, wondering if the subject was being changed and he was off the hook.

"Gus was great," Brian continued. "Melanie and Lindsay weren't there though. Gus had a baby sitter."

"Oh yeah," Justin remembered. "There's a show at the gallery Linz works at and Melanie was going over with her to help out."

"So you did know," Brian pounced.

"Yeah, I knew that," Justin admitted. "Is that what you're mad about? I thought you knew too and what's the big deal if you didn't? I don't get it."

"I'm not mad at all, Baby," Brian informed him. "Not about anything, and I'm certainly not mad because you didn't tell me there was a show at Lindsay's gallery. I might have been mad if you tried to con me into going though. You were smart not to try that."

"Well what's this all about, Bri?" Justin wanted to know. "You've got me all confused. There's something you're trying to tell me and I can't figure out what it is."

"Serves you right, Twink," Brian laughed at him. "That's the kind of stuff you're always pulling on me. Serves you right. Some of your own medicine."

"Well in the United States of America, State of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, City of Pittsburgh, people have the right to know what they're accused of," Justin protested, "And I don't have any idea what I'm being accused of."

"I don't recall accusing you of anything," Brian replied with a grin. "You started this conversation, Baby. You said 'I didn't do it.' So just what is it you didn't do?"

"Well you did accuse me of knowing about it," Justin maintained.

"Well then, Honey," Brian was still grinning, "What didn't you know about?"

"Cut it out, Bri," Justin insisted. "What the hell is the problem? You're scaring me."

"There is no problem, Baby," Brian insisted. "I told you Gus had a baby sitter. Wanna guess who the baby sitter was?"

"Carolyn, I guess," Justin answered. "That's who usually sits with Gus when we can't take him."

"Carolyn is transferring to Penn State," Brian informed him, "And she had to be in State College this week end."

"Well then maybe Hunter or Malcolm?" Justin guessed. "You know they fill in sometimes."

"Guess again," Brian told him.

Justin seemed to get the picture at this point. "Oh," he said.

"So you did know," Brian accused him.

"I was going to mention it to you, Brian. The whole thing was supposed to be your decision," Justin apologized, "I did mention it to Mel and Linz but Carolyn wasn't supposed to be going to Penn State till next month and I thought I had time. It was supposed to be your decision but I thought you'd think it was OK. Don't you? They're first-cousins, you know."

"You know, Sweetheart," Brian mused. "Until this afternoon, that fact never dawned on me. Johnny and Gus are first-cousins and Clare is Gus' aunt."

"And you like Johnny and he loves you, Bri," Justin reasoned. "Johnny's old enough now and very responsible. I thought it would be a good way for the cousins to get to know each other. I just suggested it to Mel and Linz but I didn't think they were going to call him till Carolyn was gone. I wanted you to know first. I really did."

"Anyhow, I was kind of surprised when I heard Gus calling Johnny 'Cousin John,'" Brian recalled. "It was a real surprise."

"I bet it was," Justin grinned. "I hope you think it's OK though, Bri. I mean having Johnny baby-sit for Gus. I don't blame you for being mad at me for not telling you sooner though. I did want you to know. I take the blame for that."

"No blame, Kiddo," Brian told him. "I think it's a great idea. I wish I would have thought of it myself. But I guess that's why I keep you around."

"Among other things I hope," Justin nuzzled him. "I am really sorry though that I didn't get to tell you in advance. I'm sorry it was a surprise."

"No problem Kiddo," Brian said. "If you had told me in advance, I would have just told you what I'm telling you now - that it was a great idea."

"I'll never do anything like that again," Justin insisted. "From now on, you hear everything I think about."

"That's not necessary, Honey," Brian laughed. "I'm pretty sure I don't want to know everything you think about. You're doing fine. Believe me, I'm not mad about this business at all."

"But you had this strange look on your face, Brian," Justin countered. "Ever since you got home you had this strange look on your face. I knew something was up and I was right about that. And you can't deny you were going to say something to me about it."

"Yeah I was, Baby," Brian smiled at him. "I was going to tell you how much I love you and what a great idea I thought it was to have Johnny and Gus get to know each other. After all they are cousins."

"That's what you were going to tell me?" Justin wondered.

"That's what I was going to tell you," Brian confirmed. "And then you started off with 'I didn't do it.'"

There was a period of silence then while Justin thought the whole thing over. Then he broke the silence. "I don't know why I don't leave well enough alone?" he concluded.

"I wonder about that too," Brian told him.

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