I Can Do It

Justin was wearily cuddled in Brian’s arms as they sat before the blazing fake fireplace.

“You seem very tired, Baby,” Brian told him.  “I think it’s too much for you to be helping all those Ohio State kids with their Christmas shopping.  Abe will probably bring fifteen guys next year.”

“Nah,” Justin assured him.  “It was fun and it really gets the Christmas season started right.  It’s not that hard and Mikey and Malcolm and Hunter help a lot – and you even picked out a few gifts for some of the guys this year.  I notice stuff like that, Kinney.”

“Yeah,” Brian said. “I did.  I wonder why they asked me to do that?  Any ideas?”

“All I can think of is that they figured you’d do a good job and so they asked you,” Justin suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Brian grinned.  “I think some of the guys wanted some gag gifts and you suggested they ask me to pick them out.”

“That’s a really mean accusation, Bri,” Justin responded.  “Why do you think I’d do a thing like that?”

“Because you thought I wouldn’t find out, and you thought it would make me feel needed,” Brian was still smiling.  “But I’m not as dumb as you think I am.  I would have known even if one of those guys hadn’t told me.”

“Well you did it anyhow, Bri,” Justin defended himself.  “You got them what they wanted better than I ever could have.  They were thrilled at your selections.”

“Oh yeah,” Brian groused in good spirits.  “When it comes to ugly, Brian can do it.”

“Cut it out, Brian,” Justin laughed back at him.  “You can do anything you set your mind to.”

“I’m glad you said that, Baby,” Brian replied.  “You’re right.  I can do it.  So I’m going with Mikey this year to pick out the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  You can come if you want to but I’m doing the picking.  I really know ugly when I see it.”

“I always think of you as knowing beautiful when you see it,” Justin cajoled.  “After all, didn’t you pick me?”

“Yeah, I did,” Brian cajoled back.  “Out of that hundred or so blond twinks standing under that lamppost outside of Babylon,  I picked you.  It almost seemed to me like you were the only one standing there.”

“OK, Brian,” Justin smiled.  “I’m going to let you win this one, and we can talk about who picks the Charlie Brown tree later.”

“Not much later,” Brian told him.  “Mikey’s picking me up outside in half an hour, and it’s off to do the tree.  I can do it.  But you’re welcome to come along if you’re not too tired.”

“You and Mikey are going out to get the Charlie Brown tree in half an hour,” Justin seemed surprised.  “And you never told me.”

”Wrong,” Brian corrected him.  “I just told you, and I invited you to come along too if you wanted to.”

“I don’t think I will go,” Justin informed him.  “I’m tired.  It’ll be good for you to pick the Charlie Brown tree this year.  I’m sure you can do it.”

“Well you have twenty minutes to decide,” Brian explained.  “We don’t have to go downstairs for twenty minutes.’

“But I have already decided, Bri,” Justin maintained.  “I don’t think I’ll go.”

“What I meant was that you have twenty minutes to change your mind if you want to,” Brian rephrased.

“No, I’m tired,” Justin said.  “It’s better that you do the picking.  You can do it and I can stay here and rest.  I’ll go along if you ask me specifically, but otherwise, I’ll just rest here while you do the work.”

The next few minutes were spent in silence and then Brian got up and put on his coat.  “Sure you don’t want to come along?” he asked the kid.

“Not unless you specifically want me to come along,” Justin maintained his position.

“Sweetheart,” Brian replied.  “Get your ass up off that floor and get your coat on, right now.”

“Gee whiz, Bri,” Justin gibed, getting himself up off the floor.  “It would be impossible to decline such an enthusiastic and earnest request.  I know you can do it yourself but I’ll come along and watch since you asked so nicely.  Maybe I’ll learn something.”

Thus an amicable decision was arrived at, and the two left the loft with Brian’s arm wrapped about his beloved twink.

Two hours later, the guys were back in front of the flickering flames and a very small and ugly Christmas tree sat in the living area just beyond the fireplace.  Brian had his arm around Justin whose head was resting on Brian’s shoulder.

“You did it, Brian,” Justin told the big guy.  “You picked our Charlie Brown Christmas tree.  I knew you could do it and you did.  I’m proud of you.”

“You know, Baby,” Brian responded with a smile.  “Somehow or other I get the feeling that you kind of screened the trees I got to pick from, so I only had certain trees to choose among and I think you chose those trees.  I think you did that for Mikey too so I guess that’s all right, but I think you had a hand in the selection.  Care to comment?”

“Nope,” Justin told him.  “I don’t think I have any comment to make but the simple fact is that you picked that really ugly tree.  Malcolm, Jason and I will dress it up so nicely though that Charlie Brown himself would be thrilled to see how great it looks when we get finished.  And we’d be glad to have you help us with that too.  You can do anything, Bri.”

“I think I’ll pass on the decorating if it’s all right with you, Kiddo,” Brian said.  “I’ve caused you enough trouble wanting to pick out the tree in the first place.  I don’t want to cause you any trouble in the decoration.”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin protested.  “I don’t see why you won’t give yourself the credit for picking out the ugliest tree on the lot when that’s exactly what you did.  You said you could do it and you did.”

“OK,” Brian gave in.  “It’s Christmas and we want everything to be peaceful so I’ll just quit trying to find out what really happened tonight, But I just want you to know that I know that something happened.”

“What happened is that you picked out our Charlie Brown tree and you did a great job, “ Justin insisted.  “That’s what happened.”

The silence that followed convinced Justin that he had carried the day.  He snuggled up closer to Brian and Brian squeezed him in just a little bit harder.  Justin couldn’t have been happier – nor Brian either.

After a little while, Brian ran his hand through the twink’s blond locks.  “So next year you’re going to let me go out all by myself, or maybe just with Mikey, to pick the ugly tree – now that you know I can do it.”

“Brian,” Justin responded.  “Could we worry about next year next year?  There’s lots of other things about this year that we can argue about if you want to argue.  OK?”

“OK,” Brian agreed.  “I can do that.”

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