Give Me a Ring Sometime

OK, the fire was lit and the guys were already in place. The flickering flames seemed to have them completely entranced - but the silence was not likely to last – and it didn't.

"Hey, Brian," the kid spoke up. "I bet you'll never guess what happened."

"No use of my trying then," Brian opined. "You know me so well that if you say I'll never guess, I guess I won't ever guess. So I'll just sit here patiently and wait for you to tell me what happened."

"That'll be the day," Justin grinned at him. "The day you sit there and let me tell you anything."

"Tell," Brian ordered, grinning back at the kid.

"Brandon gave Jason a ring for his birthday," Justin announced, quite satisfied that he had been able to deliver the news in seemingly record time.

"A birthstone ring I guess," Brian replied, "What is the birthstone for this month?"

"Not a birthstone ring, Brian," Justin decided it wasn't going to be as easy as he had thought. "A real ring – a real ring like you gave me. Like we're wearing now. That kind of a ring."

"Birthstone rings are real rings too, I think," Brian stated with some certainty.

"Cut it out, Kinney," Justin pleaded. "You know what I mean and this is a big thing too – so quit trying to make some joke out of it. It wasn't any joke when you gave me my ring – at least it wasn't for me. Maybe it was for you?"

"Now you cut it out, Twink," Brian demanded. "If I just sat here and listened to what you tell me, you'd be disappointed and think something was the matter. Right?"

"Maybe," Justin admitted, "But maybe I'd also like to hear you say you're glad you gave me my ring in the first place."

"Never asked for it back, did I?" Brian teased him.

"Wouldn't get it back even if you did ask," Justin teased back. "It's mine and you're mine too, BK. And that is just how it is, so what do you have to say about that?"

"Possessive little son of a gun," Brian laughed as he tightened his grip on the kid, proving that he might be just a little possessive too. The gesture was not lost on Justin who helpfully cuddled himself up closer to Brian.

The discussion paused for a while at this point – allowing them time for a little meditation on both their parts.

"Well what do you think about Brandon giving Jason a ring?" Justin eventually returned to the topic. "Aren't you gonna say anything about it? How about some opinion on the subject, Brian?"

"I hope Brandon never regrets it," Brian speculated.

"You hope Brandon never regrets it," Justin gave some evidence that Brian had not given an acceptable opinion. "You hope he never regrets it – like you do, I guess."

"Nope," Brian assured him. "I hope he never regrets it like I never regret it – no matter how hard you seem to try to get me to regret it."

"Gee whiz, Brian," Justin put his head on Brian's shoulder and induced another hiatus. "You can be really romantic when you want to be."

"Or maybe when you insist on it," Brian grinned, but Justin was not in a mood to argue – so he didn't

It was another while before Justin reopened the conversation. "There's one other thing I think I better tell you, Bri," he said, "I don't want you to be surprised or get mad or anything. You're always complaining about Brandon and Jason copying us…."

"I am not complaining, Sweetheart," Brian corrected him. "I just happen to notice stuff sometimes and maybe I mention a few things – but I'm not complaining. Anyhow, I don't think we're the only couple who have rings to show…. whatever the rings are supposed to show."

"The rings are supposed to show that they love each other and always want to be together," Justin told him what the rings are supposed to show. "And so I guess that's exactly what you meant to say."

"Yeah," Brian confirmed. "You know me so well that you know what I mean to say even when I don't say it."

"You're absolutely right, Kinney," Justin laughed, "But it's OK for you to say it anyhow – even if I do already know what you're gonna say. And repetition doesn't bore me at all either. But, you know what, sometimes you don't know exactly what I'm going to say. Like maybe now for instance. It isn't just that Jason and Brandon have rings, Bri. Actually, their rings look a good bit like ours – not exactly alike – not quite as neat – but a good bit like ours."

"And that doesn't bother you at all, Baby?" Brian wondered. "I hope it doesn't bother you. It doesn't bother me."

"Well it couldn't be deliberate, Bri," Justin presumed. "Jason had seen my ring, of course – and I think he really wanted a ring too – so Jason knew what our rings looked like – but it was Brandon who picked theirs - so it couldn't have been deliberate."

"Well maybe Brandon saw our rings too," Brian suggested. "Maybe he saw yours or maybe he saw mine. I don't think he'd try to copy ours though. Brandon would want something just for them, I think – something special. He is really stuck on Jason."

"Wait a minute, Bri," Justin seemed to be formulating an idea. "You had our rings made by that jewelry client from New York. They were specially designed as I recall. He doesn't usually do rings. Well Jason told me their rings were a special order from New York. And all of a sudden you seem to be an expert on how stuck Brandon is on Jason. Now I'm beginning to wonder. Remember when I said you'd never guess what I was going to tell you tonight. Maybe I was wrong. I'm gomma find out from Jason if the designer was Bill Coles – this whole thing calls for a thorough investigation - unless, of course, you have something you want to tell me. I'm waiting."

"Well," Brian started hesitantly. "You know that Brandon and me are getting kind of friendly. Maybe I was kind of talking to Brandon and he was telling me about how much he loved Jason – and maybe I said something about rings – and maybe he really liked the idea – so maybe I put him in touch with Bill Coles. That might have happened. I have some vague recollection…."

"And you never told me either, Brian Kinney," Justin protested. "You didn't trust me. You didn't tell me because you thought I'd tell Jason. Well I wouldn't have and you should have known I wouldn't have too…."

"Hey, Sunshine," Brian told him. "You may know me pretty well but you get it wrong sometimes too, and this is one of those times. It was not that I didn't trust you. I know you wouldn't ever have told Jason. I know you, Baby. You would never have told Jason – but you would have known – even before Jason did - and he wouldn't have had the pleasure of telling you – and you wouldn't have had the pleasure of hearing it from him. I bet you'd rather have heard the news from Jason than from me."

"Gee whiz, Bri," Justin reflected aloud as he perched himself onto Brian's lap. "I think I know you really well – but just maybe you know me better than I know you. And you know what else too. You, Brian Kinney, are really and truly the most romantic guy in the whole world – even if you wouldn't ever admit it."

"Well if you say so…." Brian knowingly smiled, perhaps in tacit agreement.

But by then Justin was beyond saying anything at all.

 

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