My Fair Baby

The guys were cuddled in front of their fake fireplace watching the flames darting back and forth. A typical scene in the loft. They didn’t need to speak to enjoy each other’s company. But speak they did, most often.

“What’s Malcolm been up to lately?” Brian asked the kid sitting next to him. “I haven’t heard anything at all about Malcolm for a long time. Am I missing something?”

“Why are you asking me that, Bri?” Justin responded with a question of his own. “Do you know something or do you think you know something? I’m not keeping any secrets.”

“I didn’t think you were,” Brian laughed. “At least I didn’t think so until I got that answer to my question. Now I am wondering.”

“You really have a suspicious mind, Mr. Kinney,” Justin laughed back at him. “You really do. Actually Malcolm is going to be directing some kind of a parody for the Gay and Lesbian Center. It’s going to be called My Fair Baby and they’re just getting it started. I don’t know how far along they are yet. I bet you’ll want to go when they put it on.”

”What I’ll bet is that I won’t have any real choice about whether I want to go or not when they put it on,” Brian retorted. “You know, maybe I’m not sorry you weren’t going to tell me about this till it was a fait accompli. Some things I don’t need to know. Some things it might be safer not to know. I guess the casting is all done though?”

“That I don’t know, Honey,” Justin told him, “But I think I would have told you about it if I had thought of it. Still, you know, not in my wildest dreams would I ever agree to be in something like that, and it would never even cross my mind that you might want to be in it.”

“I don’t doubt that it would never cross your mind that I would want to be in it,” Brian grinned, “But that would be the challenge for you – getting me into something exactly like that whether I wanted to or not.”

“Brian,” Justin protested mildly, “You are ruining my evening making those unfounded accusations. It hurts me to think that you could even joke about something like that.”

“So then you’re saying,” Brian asked for clarification, “That you never discussed the casting of My Fair Baby with Malcolm. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Well that is not exactly what I’m saying,” Justin responded. “We may have talked a little bit about it. I know that Malcolm is going to play a small role himself and that Hunter is too, so I guess we did actually talk some about the casting.”

“But my name or yours never came up in said discussion?” Brian went on.

“ I can’t swear that we weren’t mentioned,” Justin complained. “I didn’t know I was going to get the third degree so I didn’t keep an absolutely complete and correct transcript.”

“But there is no thought in your head that either of us would be in it?” Brian surmised. “I don’t think even you could talk me into it and, while I always want you to do whatever you want to do, I think I’d rather you weren’t in this production either.”

“I told Malcolm you wouldn’t let me be in it,” Justin smiled in reply.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t let you be in it,” Brian grouched, smiling slightly though. “Maybe someday though, I’ll try to not let you do something you want to do just to see what it would be like. You didn’t want to be in this damn thing and you used me as an excuse to stay out of it. That’s what I think.”

“Well you just might be right this time, for once,” Justin allowed. “But you know darn well there have been some things you wouldn’t let me do, and you got away with it too.”

“Just in a couple of cases when you were going to do something pretty dangerous, maybe,” Brian remembered. “I want you around for a very long time, you know, so maybe on a very few occasions I have to be a little forceful. Sorry, Baby.”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” Justin replied. “Don’t apologize. I’m not complaining. I want to be around for a long time too, so I guess I’m glad enough to acquiesce to your much greater experience with dangerous activities.”

“Just one more little question about My Fair Baby, though, if you don’t mind, Sweetheart,” Brian proposed. “Is it about some high-class guy who finds some low-class guy outside of Covent Garden, or maybe even Babylon, and then transforms that low-class guy into somebody he can fall in love with?”

“How would I know?” Justin replied guardedly. “I think it is based on My Fair Lady somehow or other though.”

“And you don’t think we’d be naturals for the leads?” Brian smiled.

“Cut it out, Bri,” Justin begged. “I didn’t have anything to do with the darn thing and I don’t know anything about the darn thing and I wouldn’t have anything to do with the darn thing even if I did know about it.”

“OK, Kiddo,” Brian decided. “Enough about My Fair Baby. Actually I was just asking about Malcolm to make conversation. I had no suspicions and I didn’t mean to make any accusations. OK?”

“Well, there’s one thing I guess I forgot to mention earlier and I want to make sure to tell you so you don’t think I’m keeping any more secrets, “ Justin said. “Malcolm and Hunter are trying to get Mikey into the cast. There is a part they think is perfect for Mikey. They think they’ll be able to talk him into it.”

“Well if Mikey asks me about it, and he will,” Brian told him, “I think I’ll try to discourage him. Is that OK with you?”

“Please cut it out, Brian,” Justin insisted. “Like it makes any difference what I think. But I always want you to do whatever you want to do and you darn well know that.”

“You know what I want to do right now?” Brian responded. “I want to pull you up on my lap and hold you tighter and….”

“Well I just said I always want you to do whatever you want to do,” Justin interrupted him.

It was a while before the conversation resumed, but like most of the conversations between these denizens of the loft, it did eventually resume.

“OK,” Brian broke the silence. “You got me softened up now so I guess you’re going to bring up the subject of My Fair Baby again. Right?”

“You can be very exasperating sometimes, Brian Kinney,” Justin moaned. “I don’t think I’d let you be in it now even if you decided you wanted to.”

“Maybe I do want to be in My Fair Baby, Baby,” Brian smiled at him, “But not Malcolm’s version. Maybe we can do our own version right here in the loft with just the two of us. That is, if you would like to be in the cast too.”

“I’ll bet our version will run a lot longer than Malcolm’s,” Justin seemed to agree with some enthusiasm.

“Yeah, I think it will,” Brian agreed.

“And so I guess you must be willing to put up with me for a long run?” Justin asked rubbing his hair against Brian’s cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah again,” Brian admitted. “I am. You, Justin Taylor, are my own fair baby, for now and for always. I guess I’ve grown accustomed to your face.”






 

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