Hog Wild
 

The fireplace was flickering away in the loft and the residents were positioned on the floor in front of it, staring idly at the flames and enjoying each other’s company. The younger one however had a problem and needed some help – so the situation was not an unusual one, the silence notwithstanding.

“Brian,” he addressed the guy sitting next to him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yep, you can,” Brian assured him. “Sometime though, I think I want to analyze the difference between when you ask me if you can ask me a question and when you just ask the question. There has to be some subtle difference in the situations but I don’t know what it is.”

“It might be when I’m not sure just how to ask you the question, Brian,” Justin offered a possible explanation, “Like maybe now, for instance. I think you’re gonna yell at me for meddling – and maybe I am meddling just a little bit too – not that I do much meddling – but this is important and I ….”

“Ask the damn question, Baby,” Brian interrupted to advise. “I think that would be the best course of action. Like just ask the question. Then I can yell at you, tell you to mind your own business – and then do what you want me to do.”

”Thanks for making this easier for me, Sweetheart,” Justin smiled. “Like you always do. I guess I don’t actually want to start out with a question though. I need to tell you something first. Then you’ll know what the question is. It’s about Brandon and Jason.”

“Well, it ought to be easy then, Baby,” Brian opined. “They wouldn’t do anything we wouldn’t do – and probably already did – or they wouldn’t be doing it. So I guess this can’t be too big of a problem.”

“Remember how we got to be friends with them, Bri?” Justin asked – not responding to Brian’s thesis.

“Yeah,’ Brian did remember. “Brandon was in this motorcycle accident and you decided we had to help them out – which I guess was the right thing to do all right - and …. Has this something to do with a motorcycle Baby?”

“Yeah, it does, Brian,” Justin told him. “That was quick thinking. Brandon is talking about getting another motorcycle – with gas prices so high and all – he thinks it would be a smart idea – and Jason is terrified – really terrified.”

“So didn’t he tell that to Brandon?” Brian wondered. “Surely he’s not scared to tell Brandon what he thinks.”

“Of course, he told Brandon,” Justin replied. “But Brandon just gave him that business about being a good rider and taking special care and all that….”

“And Jason doesn’t believe him?” Brian reacted. “Doesn’t he think Brandon will be especially careful after that accident he had?”

“Come on, Brian,” Justin maintained. “That’s not the point. The accident wasn’t Brandon’s fault at all. There wasn’t anything he could have done to prevent it – not being especially careful or anything like that. It just happened and something like that could happen again. Jason’s scared.”

“Well why doesn’t Jason do what you would do under the circumstances,” Brian pondered. “Just talk Brandon out of the motorcycle – or harass him so much that the motorcycle wouldn’t be worth it. Geez, Baby, either you aren’t as good a teacher as I thought you were or Jason is a slow learner.”

“Cut it out, Brian,” Justin commanded. “This is serious business and you’re trying to be funny – and I wanted some serious advice…and some help too I guess.”

“Then you don’t think that Brandon should be free to make up his own mind about the motorcycle?” Brian raised the question.

“Well I guess he should be free to make his own decision, Brian,” Justin conceded, “But he has other people to consider before he makes that decision. He’s supposed to be in love with Jason and he should care how much it would bother Jason – and then he should just forget about the motorcycle.”

“Well what would you do if I decided I was going to get a motorcycle – not that I would ever do any such dumb thing – like telling you if I was, that is?” Brian asked.

“I guess I’d try to talk you out of it, Honey,” Justin admitted with a slight grin. “Or if that didn’t work I’d harass you till you decided the motorcycle wasn’t worth it. Or maybe I’d just say that if you got a motorcycle, I’d get a skateboard. Remember the day you surprised us at the Institute while I was doing some tricks on Malcolm’s skate board and you ….”

“I remember that day very well, Sweetheart,” Brian interrupted. “That was the day you promised me that you would quit doing tricks on skateboards. That’s the part I remember the best about that day.”

“Then you also remember that you told me how you didn’t want to have to be worried about me all the time…. – because you loved me and you wanted me to be safe….” Justin expanded on the theme.

“I might have said something like that, Baby,” Brian recalled, “And you agreed to cut out the fancy stuff because I wanted you to….”

“Not exactly, Kinney,” Justin demurred. “Not exactly as I recall. I would have told you that – because I loved you so much that I wouldn’t want to think of you worrying – but I didn’t get to say that at all – because you absolutely forbade me to do any more skate board tricks – even though I’m really good on a skate board – and know how to take care of myself and all. I think your exact words were that if I was gonna try to kill myself on a skate board, you might as well do it yourself and save the skate board the trouble. I especially don’t remember you saying anything about my freedom to make my own decisions.”

“Well you were just a kid at the time….” Brian defended his action. “Kids don’t….”

“Well I’m not a kid now…..” Justin started to remind him.

“Yeah you are,” Brian cut him off, “And furthermore, Twink - as far as I’m concerned - you’ll always be a kid too.’

“Cut it out, Brian …..” Justin replied, but he didn’t get to finish his sentence. Quiet descended on the loft and the subject of motorcycles went onto the back burner for a considerable period – as the guys were no doubt considering their somewhat different positions.

“OK, Baby,” Brian said when the subject was eventually reintroduced. “What did Brandon say when Jason told him that he didn’t want Brandon to get a new motorcycle? I guess that’s the first thing you need to know to proceed with your meddling. Did Jason tell you what he told Brandon?”

“Well, you know, Bri,” Justin hesitated. “I’m not all that sure Jason has said very much to Brandon yet. It isn’t like he’s gonna buy the motorcycle today or anything. Jason did mention that motorcycles weren’t all that safe - but he also figured he had time to talk to me about it before he said too much stuff to Brandon.”

“It seems to me, JT,” Brian concluded, “That Jason should have raised all his objections to the motorcycle as soon as Brandon mentioned it. I’ll bet Brandon would have just told him not to worry and given up the motorcycle idea right then and there.”

“That’s a laugh, Kinney,” Justin looked askance. “Brandon’s like you. You think Brandon would give up the motorcycle idea just like that? Why would you ever think such a crazy thing?”

“Well maybe he would,” Brian informed him, “Because when Brandon mentioned the motorcycle to me a couple of days ago, I advised him against it. I told him Jason probably would be very upset at the idea. Brandon told me Jason hadn’t said much of anything about it – but he could see my point and he decided to forget about the motorcycle. So actually Jason has nothing to worry about. I don’t think the subject of the motorcycle will ever come up again.”

“Well why didn’t you tell me all this then?” Justin wanted to know. “Didn’t you think I should know?”

“I guess I never thought of it, Baby,” Brian defended himself. “Like no harm, no foul. I figured either the subject wouldn’t come up again over there – or Jason would tell Brandon how he felt and Brandon would tell him that no new motorcycle was on the horizon.”

“Well then why didn’t you at least tell me when I started talking about the motorcycle tonight?” Justin wanted to know. “You could have done that. You just let it go on….”

“I figured if I stopped this discussion, you’d just think of some other problem to talk about,” Brian explained. “And I knew I had the solution to this one so I decided…..”

“Brian Kinney,” Justin cuddled himself closer to the guy next to him. “What am I ever gonna do with you?”

“We can decide on that later, Baby,” Brian caressed the kid’s face. “Maybe you ought to call Jason though and tell him what we know. He might bring up the subject tonight. Brandon might just tell him that he’s given up on the motorcycle – or he might give him a hard time first. You know how me and Brandon can be, Baby.”

“Shit, Brian,” Justin decided. “If I have to suffer, let Jason suffer too. Maybe he’ll learn something. We all get what we deserve.”

“I’ll do my best to see that you do,” Brian promised him.
 

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