I'd Know you Anywhere

Shadows from the fake fireplace darted around the loft as the guys lowered themselves to the floor into their customary positions. They sat for a while in serene silence, staring at the flickering flames. They could have spent the entire evening like that very satisfactorily - but it didn't develop that way at all.

Hey, Brian," Justin eventually broke the spell. "You'll never guess who's coming to town next week."

"Then I'm very lucky I have you, Honey," Brian smiled at him. "Really lucky I suspect. I bet I'm not going to have to guess at all. I bet you're going to tell me - if you ever get around to it."

"Well it's true that you are very lucky to have me, Kinney," Justin responded in kind. "I'm glad you know it. You wouldn't have anybody to pick on if you didn't have me. So maybe I just won't be telling you who's coming to town next week at all. So there."

"Maybe you won't, Baby," Brian was laughing now, "Maybe you won't, but I think you will. Yeah, I'm pretty sure you will."

"And just what makes you so sure I'm going to tell you?" Justin challenged him. "Maybe you're just a little bit over-confident, Mr. Kinney."

"Actually I think you're going to tell me because there's something you want me to do since this mystery person is coming to town," Brian told him. "Of course I might be wrong but…."

"Wilson," Justin interrupted Brian's deductive logic.

"Wilson?" Brian echoed with some surprise. "Your cousin Wilson from Atlanta? That's who's coming? The one who looks so much like you that I can't tell you-guys apart? That Wilson?"

"Cut it out Brian Kinney," Justin demanded. "Yeah, it's my cousin Wilson who's coming to town - and you can too tell us apart - and you know it. Just remember - you're in love with me and you are not in love with Wilson. So just cut out that business about not being able to tell us apart."

"Well now, Baby," Brian recalled. "It seems to me like you've developed a new attitude about Wilson. Seems to me you used to always try to keep me away from him. I think I remember you telling me that he had your looks and was a lot nicer than you. You always acted like you were afraid I'd take up with Wilson and leave you to pester somebody else."

"And I seem to recall," Justin countered, "That you were always assuring me that you loved me because of my own lovable and completely individual personality, and not just for my looks. Maybe you've finally succeeded in convincing me that I don't have anything to worry about with you and Wilson. I hope you're not changing your tune."

"Nope," Brian admitted. "Not at all. I guess I was permanently trapped that rainy night outside Babylon when I looked over toward that lamppost and saw you. I can definitely remember thinking. 'What a personality!'"

"What you probably thought was 'Now there's a really neat kid I can enjoy picking on all the time, and never let him tell me anything either'," Justin offered an alternate interpretation. "I'll bet that's exactly what you thought."

The discussion paused at this juncture as the guys were each reviewing their recollections. Justin's head fell onto Brian's shoulder and Brian ran his fingers through the kid's blond locks. They did have their points of disagreement but there were lots of things on which they agreed perfectly. But the conversation was not over.

Brian resumed the discussion after the hiatus. "What's bringing Wilson to Pittsburgh?" he asked. "Just for a visit? You really have changed your attitude if you invited him. Is he staying with your mother? He could stay here with us, you know."

"He could not stay here with us and you know it, Brian Kinney," Justin replied with some slight impatience showing. "It would serve you right if I did invite him to stay here but I wouldn't like that any better than you would - so I won't."

"Well what's the occasion?" Brian wanted to know. "Not another Malcolm play. Wilson will be here a month if that's what it is."

"That is not what it is," Justin informed Brian. "If you will just quit picking on me for a minute maybe I'll tell you what's going on."

"Not that you could tell anything in a minute," Brian gibed.

Justin ignored the taunt. "Wilson has a boy-friend, Brian," Justin said. "He's an older guy named Alan - not really all that old though, about a year younger than you. And he's really handsome too. Wil sent me his picture on the computer. Wanna see it?"

Justin handed the picture to Brian. "Wow," Brian marveled. "He is good looking. You know what else though, Sweetheart, he kinda looks like me."

"I don't see that much of a resemblance. Maybe just a little. But also maybe he has a nicer personality than you too," Justin laughed. "Maybe he doesn't like to pick on people all the time. Maybe Wil might be sorry that I'm going to get to meet Alan. What do you think about that, Bri?"

"Maybe," Brian conceded through a knowing grin. "But maybe it just might be me that Wilson is sorry that Alan got to meet. He is a good looking guy."

"Gee whiz, Bri," Justin grinned at him. "We're gonna be real lucky we have each other to commiserate with when we find out that Alan prefers Wilson to either of us."

"Yeah," Brian agreed, sniggling the twink in closer to himself. "Lucky is what we'll be."

It was a while before the conversation continued, but the guys did return to it after some consideration of just how lucky they already were.

"Alan works for some bank in Atlanta and they're doing some business with a Pittsburgh bank," Justin told Brian. "Alan has to spend a few days up here. Wilson decided he wanted to come too. That's why they'll be in town. They're staying in a hotel downtown. Alan will be busy and I'll take care of Wilson during the day, but we should take them to dinner a night or two while they're in town. Maybe to Gino's? OK?"

"Of course it's OK," Brian replied. "You knew it would be OK. And I can also help you take care of Wilson during the daytime too - if you want me to."

"That will not be necessary at all, Brian," Justin assured him. "I'd rather handle that myself. I don't want to inconvenience you any more than absolutely necessary."

"Still a little bit worried, eh?" Brian smiled at him.

"Not really, Honey," Justin grinned back at Brian, "But if it pleases you to think so, that's OK with me too."

There was another brief pause as the guys seemed to be having a really hard time getting this discussion finished - not that either of them was seeing that as a problem.

"Remind me in case I forget, Baby," Brian asked Justin a little later. "I think I should warn Alan that, now that he's mixed up with a blond twink, he will never again be able to go anywhere out-of-town alone."

"But maybe he will. Bri," Justin pointed out. "Maybe he will. Maybe he'll be luckier than you."

"No he won't," Brian replied. "He won't ever be luckier than me."

That statement pleased Justin very much. He sort of climbed up onto Brian's lap without moving his head from Brian's shoulder. "And it's not just 'blond twink' either, Bri." he reminded the big guy. "I have to keep telling you. It's 'beautiful blond twink.'"

Brian decided he couldn't argue that point - and he didn't want to.

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