Just the Way You Are

It had been a quieter day than he had expected. That's what Brian was thinking as the two occupants of the loft settled down in front of their fake fireplace. Brian wrapped his arm around the kid, and a comfortable situation seemed to be developing. Things, however, are not always what they seem, and with Brian and Justin actually, seldom what they seem.

Brian opened the conversation. "Bob over at the gym says you were talking to him, Baby," he said. "He says you want to go on a weight lifting program. I was surprised."

"Why would you be surprised?" Justin wanted to know. "Don't I go with you to the gym almost every time you go - and I only miss when I have something I can't postpone. I'm at the gym almost as much as you are."

"Yeah, you are," Brian laughingly agreed. "You're there all right but you don't do anything there - except maybe watch me working out. I thought you just went there to be with me. It never occurred to me that you were into body building."

"That's not fair," Justin protested. "I work as hard at the gym as Emmett does."

"Yeah, you do," Brian had to agree, "And with just about the same results."

"Well maybe you don't remember, Kinney," Justin came back at him, "But you once told me I was flabby."

"Actually, I think I did say once that you were scrawny," Brian did remember, "But that was years ago and I was only kidding then and you knew I was only kidding. And, I guess I should also mention, if you didn't know I was kidding, that it sure took a long time for you to decide to do something about it."

"Well, I was young then," Justin told him. "And I thought I was immortal. Now that I'm getting older, I can see why you have to work out so hard and so often. You don't want me to be soft and flabby, do you?"

"Well I actually think of you as soft and cuddly," Brian replied. "And you haven't heard me complaining, have you? I haven't been pressuring you to do any body building."

"Don't you want me to go on the weight lifting program, Bri?" Justin told him. "If you don't want me to, I won't. You know I mostly do what you want me to do."

"You mostly do what I want you to do because I mostly want you to do what you want to do," Brian explained. "And that's what I want you to do now too. I want you to do what you want to do."

"Soft and cuddly, eh?" Justin cajoled. "Well, maybe in a few months you'll think you're cuddling up to a rock. How does that sound?"

"I'll have to wait and see, I guess, Honey," Brian responded. "But, sometimes I have already felt like I was cuddling up to a rock, a soft and cuddly rock though."

"Care to elaborate on that, Mr. Kinney?" Justin asked him.

"Nope," Brian told him. "If it's all right with you, I'd just like to cuddle up with my soft and cuddly boy friend while I have the chance."

Justin didn't answer but Brian got the message that Justin did not mind, so that's what they did for a lengthy period.

It was Brian who finally got the conversation restarted. "Where did you get the idea to go on the body building stuff, Baby?" Brian asked.

"When I went to the dentist last week," Justin said. "There was this thing in a magazine about how important it is to keep fit."

"Geez," Brian allowed. "Maybe it would be better to just let your teeth go bad, Baby. Every time you hit Dr. O'Hare's office, you come home with some crazy idea you got from some magazine. Lucky we don't have any magazines around here."

"I know you like to protect me, Bri," Justin laughed. "But you can't protect me from magazines. They're everywhere. You'll just have to live with it."

"I hope it wasn't that crazy old ad where some bully kicks sand in your face at the beach so you have to get strong to protect yourself," Brian laughed back at him.

"Yeah, that was it," Justin sounded surprised. "You must read magazines too."

"I hope Dr. O'Hare's dental techniques are newer than his magazines," Brian concluded. "But, you don't have to do the body building stuff if you don't want to. You just have to stay off the beach unless I go with you. I'll take care of any bullies who kick sand in you face at the beach. You know how I like to protect you."

""Will you help me with my exercises, Bri?" Justin returned to the main subject of discussion. "Sometimes you need to have somebody help you with some of the stuff."

"I will if you want me too," Brian said, "But you might be better off with somebody else. I love you, you know, and maybe I'd be too easy with you."

"Or maybe too hard?" Justin wondered.

"Maybe," Brian agreed. And another quiet period enveloped the loft.

"You know what, Bri?" Justin reopened the talk, "I don't think you want me to go on this body building regimen at all. You act like you want me stay soft and flabby."

"Soft and cuddly," Brian corrected him. "You know what, Baby, maybe I do want you not to change. I love you the way you are. I guess maybe I don't want you to change. I really do love you just the way you are."

"And that's really romantic, Bri," Justin told him, running his hand through the big guy's hair. "By the way, do you know what today is?"

"Probably one of our many anniversaries?" Brian conjectured. "Is this the anniversary of the first time we ate Fettucine Alfredo together maybe?"

"This is April 1, Brian," Justin replied. "April Fools' Day. One of my favorite days."

"And for very good reasons too," Brian came back. "And so all this stuff about body building was some kind of a joke?"

"Yeah," Justin admitted. "Unless you really want me to do it. I'll do it if you want me to."

"No," Brian told him. "Stay soft and cuddly. I love you just the way you are. Even with that extremey warped sense of humor you have. I still love you just the way you are."

"Well, I love you just the way you are too," Justin said, "And I also want to thank you for not pulling any tricks on me today. You're so nice to me - to always let me win."

"The day's not over yet," Brian replied laconically.

"You mean maybe you still have something up your sleeve?" Justin inquired, "And maybe I haven't won yet?"

"Maybe not," Brian answered.

"Yes, I have," Justin insisted. "I've already won. I've got you - just the way you are. Try whatever you want to, Kinney. I've still won."

Brian happily cuddled his twink closer to him. He smiled to himself but he didn't say anything. If that's what Justin thought, he mused, then the joke was on Justin.

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