Up in the Air

It was cold outside so the guys were pleased to be able to assume their places on the floor of the loft facing the warmth as well as the flickering flames of their fake fireplace.

"Hey, Kiddo," Brian opened the evening's discussion. "Valentine's Day is coming up and I'd like to spend it with you - and maybe only you. What do you think about flying somewhere - just the two of us?"

"Like in a plane," Justin seemed surprised.

"Yeah," Brian replied. "I usually like to use a plane whenever I fly. And I'm talking about any place you might want to go - someplace you think is romantic - London, Paris, Rome, wherever."

"What's this all about, Brian Kinney?" Justin wanted to know. "You know darn well anyplace I'm with you is romantic for me. I don't need the Eiffel Tower or the Coliseum or that big new Ferris wheel if I have you. I won't even notice them if you're around."

"So you'd rather go by yourself?" Brian grinned at him.

"Cut it out, Bri," Justin grinned back at him. "If you want to go somewhere for Valentine's Day, we'll go, but I hope I'll still be the big attraction for you and not some dumb tourist attraction."

"Now you cut it out too, Twink," Brian was still smiling. "I thought it would be a good idea to go someplace just so you can be the only attraction. No matter where we go around here, we're going to run into somebody we know. I just thought it would be really romantic if we could be alone."

"With the other ten million Parisians, I guess," Justin was still smiling too. "OK, it's Paris if that's what you want. But no blaming me if we run into somebody we know at Le Moulin Rouge."

"I absolutely promise not to blame you if we run into somebody we know at Le Moulin Rouge," Brian gibed. "We'll just go someplace else and then I'll blame you if we run into somebody we know."

"I love you, Brian," Justin cooed, nestling himself closer to Brian. That initiated a period of silence during which Brian was doing some thinking.

"You know what, Baby," Brian eventually broke the silence. "I can't do stuff under false pretences like maybe you do sometimes - so I gotta tell you the truth. I really do want to go to Paris with you so that we can be alone together for Valentine's Day - but there might be another little reason too."

"Another reason?" Justin echoed.

"Yeah," Brian admitted. "You know our big airline account is up for renewal at Kinnetics. They do want to stay with us but they're looking for a new approach, and we're having a hard time coming up with something."

"You want me to help out, Bri?" Justin questioned, "And you're taking me to Paris as a kind of bribe? You know I'd be glad to help out without any bribe. All you had to do is ask."

"You're absolutely wrong," Brian came back at him. "I just want to be alone with you on Valentine's Day. It just so happens that Fred Putney, their account exec, I think you met him once or twice, he suggested that I fly somewhere in one of their planes and maybe something would inspire a new idea. He said I should take you along since you have a lot of good advertising sense and you might help. It was Fred Putney who suggested you coming along and I thought about Valentine's Day and I figured we could kill two birds with one trip."

"And just how to you figure to get inspiration for a new advertising campaign when you'll be concentrating on me the whole time?" Justin wondered jokingly. "Won't I just be a distraction to the world's greatest advertising executive?"

"Maybe you're right, Baby," Brian pondered. "And you won't get any new ideas for the campaign either with me sitting next to you. I guess there is only one solution. We can fly to Paris separately and then get together over there for Valentine's Day. And maybe compare advertising ideas too. That would work, wouldn't it?"

"If that would work for you, Monsieur Kinney," Justin threatened, "Then you are in real trouble - real big trouble - so maybe you better come up with something else that works a little better."

Brian leaned over and kissed the kid. "You got any suggestions, Sweetheart," Brian wondered. "I can see now where my plan might not work out so well."

Justin leaned over and kissed Brian back. "I'll think of something, Bri," He replied. "I promise I will - I'll think of something. I'm sure there's an obvious solution."

That brought about another period of quiet to the loft. The guys had apparently come to an understanding of some sort.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me, Baby?" Brian asked, to resume the evening's subject.

"Yeah," Justin responded. "We should fly over there together and just spend some time together figuring out a campaign."

"I was just maybe wondering if you had already thought up a campaign," Brian grinned.

"What are you talking about, Brian?" Justin wanted to know. "You just told me about the airline renewal. How could I have thought up a campaign?"

"That's not the campaign I was talking about," Brian went on. "Fred Putney suggested that we fly somewhere - but he also told me that he got the idea from Cynthia."

"Brian Kinney," Justin seemed aghast. "Are you implying that I knew something about this before and suggested to Cynthia that…? Brian, how could you ever think I could be that conniving?"

"I'm sorry, Baby," Brian apologized. "I guess I'm just the suspicious type. I know you were in the office last week and I know you were talking to Cynthia. I'm sorry. I guess I put two and two together and got five. I hope you're not mad at me. You'll still come to Paris with me, won't you?"

"I guess so," Justin allowed. "I don't think I'd want to be without you on Valentine's Day even if I was mad at you - which I don't think I am anyhow."

"You're not mad because I suspected you of plotting…?" Brian said before he was interrupted.

"Nah," Justin replied. "I didn't do it but it would have been a neat plan. I'm kind of pleased that you think I could figure something like that out. You must think I'm pretty clever, Bri."

"Yeah, I do," Brian told him. "I do think you're pretty clever. That's probably why I want to be alone with you on Valentine's Day - because you're so clever."

"That better not be why," Justin laughed at him, "But I bet I could have done something like that if Cynthia had just told me you were having a problem with the airline account - and got away with it too."

"Don't feel bad, Baby," Brian consoled him. "Maybe you didn't rig this one up, but I'm sure you'll come up with something else just as diabolical real soon."

"Ya think so, Bri?" Justin purred.

"Yeah," Brian told him. "I'm pretty sure."

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