DOG-GONE

The fireplace was blazing and the fake flames sparked about, throwing beams of light around the darkened loft. Some of them fell upon the two residents who were sitting silently on the floor of the loft - gazing toward the fireplace. It all made for a charming domestic scene – for a while at least.

Silence in the loft was always temporary though. And it was Justin who initiated this evening's discussion. "Hey, Brian," he said. "You know Mikey and Ben's dog…."

"Yeah," Brian grinned. "'Fido.' Now that's an inventive name for a dog. But it kind of suits that ugly hound – and the stupid dog fits pretty well into that family too. Borrr-ing. But you have to give Mikey a lot of credit for coming up with such a neat one-of-a-kind name. 'Fido.' Neato."

"OK, Brian," Justin complained mildly. "Enough picking on Ben and Mikey. Well. anyhow, Brandon and Jason got a dog last month…."

"And so now you want a dog too," Brian presumed. "You've already got Brian Kinney and you're not satisfied. You have to have a dog too – in this beautifully appointed and decorated loft. A damn dog yet. Well, you're in for a fight, Baby. Brian Kinney don't want no dog around here."

"I'm already in a fight," Justin grinned at him. "And I'm losing that fight too. I'm trying to tell you something and you have decided to decide what it is I'm telling you – and, as usual, you've got it all wrong."

"So what's the name of the new pup at the Brandon-Jason residence?" Brian wandered from the topic at hand. "Bet they did better than Mikey and Ben."

The new dog's name is 'Prince' and he's a pure-bred Lab – and real nice too," Justin responded. "Not that Mikey's kind of mongrel dog isn't just as nice. They're both fun to be around."

"And you want us to get a dog before all the great names are gone," Brian jibed. "We can name ours 'Rover.' Bet there was never a dog named 'Rover' before. Except, Brian Kinney does not intend to have any dog around here at all – so your work is cut out for you – and maybe doomed to failure as well."

"Well I guess I have failed to get you to shut up long enough to tell you what I was going to tell you," Justin retorted, "But I like a challenge and I have no intention of giving up now. It's not all that important either but I can be as determined as you – and right now I am. So there, Mr. Kinney - Sir."

"Well, Taylor," Brian replied archly, "If you're so damn determined, why do you just keep beating around the bush? Why don't you tell me what you want to tell me? Here I am."

"Great idea, Bri," Justin concurred laconically. "I think that's what I'll do. You know that Ben and Michael are going up to Erie to see Ben's cousin next week-end. Well, it turns out that Malcolm and Hunter are going too…."

"And so you will be be Fido-watching again like you always do when they're all away," Brian interrupted once more, "And maybe this time you want to keep Fido over here instead of you going over there to tend to his every need. Right?"

"Nope," Justin laughed. "Wrong again. You're really on a roll, Sweetheart. You just might be better off to let me get in two sentences in a row every once in a while."

"Well, it's like pulling teeth to get you to finish a story, Baby," Brian complained, "But I'm patiently waiting for you to proceed."

"Sorry, Honey," Justin didn't apologize. "What I've been trying to say is that I won't have to take care of Fido at all this time around. Fido will be staying with Jason and Brandon. He'll be keeping Prince company."

"Are Fido and Prince gay?" Brian querried.

"You know what, Bri," Justin laughed. "I don't know – but I don't see where that's important at all."

"You don't think being gay is important?" Brian seemed taken aback.

"OK, Kinney," Justin gave up. "You're having a lot of fun with this so just go ahead. I've told you all I wanted to tell you so just go on and have all the fun you want."

It might have been that all the fun Brian wanted did not require conversation as the discussion stopped for a while at this point and a quiet period descended on the loft as the fireplace continued shooting it's light streaks to and fro.

It was Brian who resumed the talking a good while later. "So that's all you wanted to tell me?" he asked the kid. "Like you weren't going to campaign for a dog for us?"

"Now why would you think that, Bri?" Justin responded. "I know you don't want a dog here and I can see your point. This is really a neat apartment and we don't actually have much time to take care of a dog either."

"But you do talk a lot about how much fun you had with your dogs at home when you were younger," Brian reasoned. "I just thought….."

"And I do still like dogs a lot…." Justin conceded a bit. "And dogs can be great company."

"Yeah," Brian went on, "We could get a nice big dog and he could keep us company. He could sit here between us when we watch the fireplace."

"Like I said before, BK," Justin laughed. "Justin Taylor don't want no dog around here. There's just not enough room for him between us here on the floor. He'd be crowded."

"You're probably right," Brian agreed. "Dogs need to have a lot of space to enjoy themselves."

"Not like us guys," Justin conjectured, as he snuggled himself up closer to Brian. "We don't need all that much space."

"No we don't," Brian agreed, doing a little snuggling himself to successfully prove his point.

That caused the conversation to trail off for a second time, long enough but not quite as long as the first time.

"Baby," Brian again broke the silence, "If you really want a dog…."

"Gee whiz, Bri," it was Justin's turn to interrupt. "You have all this great stuff here. You don't really want a dog…."

"But I never had one," Brian went on, "So I don't have those memories. And you're right, I don't really want a dog here, but it's more important to me that if you want one…."

"Cut it out, Brian," Justin ordered, with maybe just a trace of a tear forming in his eyes. "No dog. I love dogs but I don't need a dog. Get it. I don't need a dog. Remember what you said earlier. I've got Brian Kinney. I don't need a dog."

That statement made Brian smile. He figured it was as great a compliment as he would ever get.
 

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