Surprises

The guys practically fell onto the floor in front of the flickering flames of their fake fireplace. It was their first real opportunity to do that in a while and they were both eager to discuss the hectic days they had just experienced.

'I think you were surprised," Brian told Justin as he snuggled the kid into his arms.

"Yeah, I was surprised," Justin admitted with a grin. "Lucky I'm young and have a strong heart. Knowing you, I guess I shouldn't ever be surprised at anything but I'll have to admit that when I walked into Woodie's and saw you two guys together, I was as surprised as I have ever been in my life."

"That's what you looked like, Baby," Brian remembered. "You have a lot of interesting facial expressions but it was a new one that I saw just then. And you were speechless too and that's really novel."

"You know, Brian," Justin recalled. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised though. Malcolm and I were over at the comic book store talking about the play with Mikey when Hunter came in. He looked kind of strange and he asked me how I got over there so fast when I was just over at Woodie's with you."

"And you didn't put two and two together even then," Brian laughed. "You're slipping, Twink. Old age must be creeping up on you."

"Nope. I didn't tumble at all," Justin admitted. "I figured Hunter was seeing things. I told him that I was just on my way over there to meet you and he said 'Whatever you say.' Then I guess I forgot about it till I walked in and saw you."

"You weren't upset, though, Honey?" Brian wondered. "I was a little bit afraid you'd be mad."

"Nah," Justin responded. "Actually, you had kind of threatened that you were going to do it, but I guess I didn't take you seriously. And I didn't see how you could do it either. I never figured that my mother would help you pull this off. I think my mother likes you better than she likes me."

"Well we both know that my mother likes you a hell of a lot better than she likes me," Brian countered. "Probably because you can fix stuff better than me."

"And maybe just because of my scintillating personality," Justin gibed. "Well, Mr. K, what did you think of my cousin Wilson?"

"Well he sure does look a lot like you. No doubt about that," Brian said, "But he doesn't have your scintillating personality, Baby. Not at all. He's a real neat guy though. I think I should have met him sooner."

"Like before you met me. Like you wish you'd have met him first. Did he come onto you, Bri?" Justin questioned nervously.

Justin didn't get to go on because Brian interrupted him. "Cut it out, Baby," Brian ordered. "What I meant was that little insecure you should have introduced me to Wilson a long time ago. He didn't come onto me and I didn't come onto him. You're not usually so insecure, Kiddo. I've told you that you're what I've got and you're what I want, and I mean it. And we don't even know that Wilson's gay, do we?"

"Well I thought maybe he was coming onto Chuck a couple of times," Justin mused.

"That little two-timer," Brian responded with a grin.

"Now you cut it out, Brian," Justin insisted. "You're playing to my minor insecurities and that's mean."

"OK, Sweetheart," Brian agreed, "But it was just to help you get rid of those minor insecurities that I got Wilson to come up here. Wilson's back in Atlanta now and it's still you here with me in front of our fireplace. It is you, isn't it? You're not really Wilson in disguise?"

"You're making fun of me, Brian," Justin accused him. "And I guess if I was Wilson, I wouldn't need that much of a disguise. You might not even know."

"I'd know," Brian informed him. "I would definitely know."

"I guess it was kind of lucky that Wilson was here when we were discussing the play, Brian," Justin thought. "That way we could all talk about the argument between Malcolm and the playwright about how to stage it."

"And you guys decided not to do it then?" Brian recapitulated.

"Yeah," Justin said. "We all agreed with Malcolm's idea about how to do it and when the writer threatened to have the premiere in Topeka instead of here if we didn't do everything his way, we told him to go to Kansas."

"So I'll never get to see you and Wilson on stage together, I guess," Brian surmised.

"Malcolm still wants us to do a play together and maybe this summer too," Justin informed him.

"Well there aren't that many plays with twins, are there?" Brian postulated.

"No," Justin said, "But Malcolm is a real genius at staging. He's thinking of doing one of those old French farces by some guy named Feydeau, and Feydeau's dead so we won't have to argue with the playwright at all. It'll be one of those funny things where there's about eight doors on stage and one actor goes out one door while another one comes in through a different one so they miss each other. It's all a matter of good timing."

"And this Feydeau wrote a play with twins in it?" Brian presumed.

"Nope. That's where Malcolm is such a genius." Justin laughed. "Wilson and me will be playing the same character. That way we'll be able to make the exits and entrances so fast the audience won't believe it. Our character can go out one door and come in another at the same time. I think it might be the funniest thing ever."

"And you guys think you can pull that off?" Brian wondered. "I'm not doubting you. I'm just asking."

"Oh yeah," Justin told him. "We'll pull it off. I'll still bet we could even pull it off on you if we wanted too."

"Never," Brian insisted. "And you're not fooling me now either. I know you're not Justin. You're Wilson, just getting in practice for your play. You're not fooling me at all. I don't know how you tricked Justin into pretending to go off to Atlanta and leaving you here alone with me. Justin is just a little bit jealous, you know. He must really trust both of us - or he's lost his marbles maybe. Well, he's right to trust me, Wilson, cause you're sleeping on the couch if the real Justin doesn't show up here soon."

"Like hell I'm sleeping on the couch," responded whoever was sitting next to Brian. "I'm Justin and you know I'm Justin and that bed is half mine and I'm sleeping in it. And that's that."

"Well if you're not Justin, I'm telling you the real Justin is going to be very angry, Kiddo," Brian responded, scooping his companion up into his arms and carrying him toward the bedroom, "But I guess we'll play it your way since you're so insistent."

"So I guess you know I really am Justin then," the kid responded with a half smirk, "Or you wouldn't be giving in so easily."

"No. I'm not sure at all," Brian allowed, "But sometimes you just have to go with the flow and take your chances. Maybe I'll know for sure by tomorrow."

"Brian Kinney," whoever he was responded. "You are a bad man - and mean too. If the Marquis de Sade were your twin brother, you would still be the evil twin."

"But you're in love with me anyhow. Right?" Brian challenged him.

"Yeah," the kid admitted with a smile. "I'm crazy in love with you but let me tell you one more thing, you big fake. You're darn lucky I'm so easy to get along with."

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