Nobody's Perfect

The fake fireplace was lit and the guys were semi-sprawled in front of it. They both looked contented as they sat there in silence. It was an idyllic scene which neither of them would ever want to change. In a perfect world, that is. But this is not a perfect world - not even in the loft.

"OK, Brian," Justin began a discussion. "If you could change something about me, what would it be?"

"Forget it, Twink," Brian smiled at him. "Sometimes you ask questions that I am not about to answer - and that's what you just did. If there were anything about you I'd like to change, I don't think I'd want to tell you what it is."

"So that means there is something you'd like to change about me," Justin concluded. "You ought to want to tell me. Maybe I could change a little bit. Or maybe there are a lot of things you'd like to change about me - maybe so many, you don't want to list them."

"Maybe," Brian admitted with a laugh, "But I'm not listing any of them - or giving you any clues either. My only answer to all your questions on the subject is 'Absolutely no comment.'"

"OK," Justin continued. "I bet you told Mikey all the things you don't like about me. Maybe I can trick him into telling me. Then I'll know and you won't even know I know."

"I don't think that will work, Baby," Brian warned him. "You won't find anything out from Mikey."

"You mean you never complain to Mikey about me?" Justin smiled slightly.

"I don't think that's what I said," Brian replied. "I guess I can tell Mikey just about anything. We've been best friends a really long time."

"So you can tell Mikey stuff you can't tell me?" Justin complained.

"That isn't what I said at all, Sweetheart," Brian objected. "I complain to you about you too. You're always moaning about how I pick on you, aren't you?"

"So you wish I'd quit moaning all the time," Justin decided. "That's what you'd like to change about me, I bet. Not that I admit I do any moaning either."

"Nah, Baby," Brian gave up, "There isn't anything I'd want to change about you. Nothing at all. You're absolutely perfect just the way you are."

"Now you're patronizing me, Kinney," Justin complained petulantly. " Nobody's perfect. You know that and I know that and everybody knows that."

"Well if you really believe that's true," Brian countered. "Then you won't mind telling me what you'd like to change about me."

"That's a really unfair question, Brian," Justin said. "You know how much I love you and you know I think you're just perfect."

"Well if I'm perfect and nobody's perfect," Brian grinned at him. "I guess that makes me a nobody then."

"Just cut it out, Brian Kinney," Justin demanded. "I think you're just trying to start an argument."

"Nope," Brian responded. "I'm not trying to start any argument. If you'll agree to keep quiet for a couple of minutes, I bet I can prove I'm not trying to start an argument."

That suggestion sounded worth-while to Justin so he responded by not responding. Brian proved himself to be correct by successfully proving that he was not trying to start any arguments. Where he turned out to be wrong was about the timing. It took him well over half an hour to successfully provide that promised proof. Brian wondered if the situation had been handled completely. It had not.

"OK, Brian," the kid finally returned to the subject. "I'll admit maybe you aren't exactly perfect - but I don't want you to change because I love you just the way you are. I couldn't love you any more if you were perfect so I wouldn't want you to change at all - not even a little bit."

"Then OK to you too, JT," Brian responded with a smile. "I'll admit you're not perfect either but I like you just the way you are too - so there is nothing about you that I'd want to change - nothing at all."

"Then how come you're always picking on me?" Justin asked with just a slight air of triumph in his voice. "Since you wouldn't want to change anything about me. Well?"

"Maybe because I like to pick on you, as you call it, Sweetheart," Brian had his own triumphant smile on his face. "And you must like it because you say I always do it but you don't want to change anything about me - so what's your complaint."

"OK, I give up," Justin replied. "There's no point in trying to reason with you when you're in this kind of a mood so I just give up. I still think it's a good idea to discuss stuff like this frankly. I bet that's why we get along so well together and why we love each other so much."

"Probably," Brian grinned in reply. "I can't think of any other reason, I guess."

"Brian," Justin wondered. "Are you trying to start another argument? Seems to me like you're always trying to start am argument."

"Nobody's perfect," Brian figuratively shrugged his shoulders. "Would you want me to change?"

"See," Justin maintained his position. "There you go again - trying to start an argument. I don't know why you started this whole thing anyway."

"You know, Baby," Brian concealed his smile, "I don't know why either. Like tonight, I guess I started this argument without even knowing what I was doing. I might even have convinced myself that you started it - hard as that mat be to believe."

"Bet you don't even love me at all," Justin groused.

"Yeah, I do," Brian told him. "If you'll just agree to be quiet for a couple of minutes, I bet I can prove it too."

Justin decided to give him that chance so he didn't answer verbally though Brian felt a body language assent.

Brian was right again. He did prove to Justin that he loved him - and there was some vice-versa involved too. But Brian was also wrong again. It took him much longer than a couple of minutes to complete that task - well over an hour actually. He wondered if the situation had been handled completely this time. And it had. The conversation was not resumed.

Sitting there, watching the flames darting back and forth in the fireplace, with his arm around the kid and with Justin's head resting comfortably on his shoulder, Brian wasn't sure he completely understood exactly what had transpired in the loft that evening - and he didn't think he cared either.

But as the kid dozed off in his arms, Brian was absolutely sure of one thing. He didn't want anything to change. Maybe it was true that nobody is perfect - but Brian thought there were some things that were.

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