It's Just a Dream

The guys had settled themselves in front of their very special fake fireplace one Sunday evening - as they often did. Brian didn’t think things were as they usually were though - but he waited for a while to voice his concern, wondering if Justin might want to bring up some problem - but he didn’t - so Brian eventually spoke up.

“OK, JT,” he began, “something is bothering you today and I think you should tell me about it so I can fix it for you - just like I always do….”

“There isn’t anything the matter at all, Brian,” Justin disagreed. “Nothing at all. And anyhow you can’t fix it either,,,,”

“Yeah, something is wrong all right and I can too fix it,” Brian stated with complete confidence. “I can always fix it - but I will admit I can fix it more easily if I know what it is that I’m fixing – not that I absolutely have to know – but it helps.”

“So how are you so sure there’s something wrong anyhow, Mr. Kinney?” Justin asked him. “I’m the mind-reader around here….”

“Well, Baby,” Brian recounted, “we spent the whole day with Gus – and you always like that. And we were at the zoo and you always like that. And then we went to the Science Center and you always like that – especially making up all those crazy scientific answers to Gus’ questions when you don’t know any more about the subject than Gus does….”

“I do too know a lot about science, Brian Kinney,” Justin objected. “I’m smart and I made all A’s in science at St. James and I like to read about science too….”

”So you’re saying that you really do know all the answers to the thousands of questions Gus asks every time we go to the Science Center?” Brian asked for confirmation, “When like – even Einstein wouldn’t know all those answers….”

“Gee whiz, Bri,” Justin adroitly avoided a direct answer. “Everybody knows that most of science is like – just theories – and like - nobody knows some of that stuff for sure….”

“Cut the scientific discourse, Sweetheart,” Brian interrupted. “And the excuses too. What I do know is that you’re good at changing the subject when you want to - but you are not changing the subject this time. You’ve been acting strange all day. Something is bothering you. You were OK yesterday and today you’re not – and I intend to find out why….”

“Well I’m not telling you, Kinney,” Justin insisted. “You’ll just laugh at me. You’ll promise not to laugh and then you’ll laugh anyway. That’s what you usually do – so I’m not telling you….”

“I guess I have to admit you’re right, Babe,” Brian admitted. “All I can really do is promise that I’ll try not to laugh – no matter how funny your problem is – but I’ll fix it anyway. I’ll give you some time to think it over and maybe you’ll decide to tell me….”

So there was a pause here in the conversation during which Justin had some time to think it over – but that was not the only thing that went on. Nevertheless the ‘thinking it over’ must have worked - as Brian had hoped it would.

“OK, Brian,” Justin broke the silence. “I had this dream last night….”

“You know dreams aren’t for real, Baby,” Brian interrupted. “They’re like – just figments of your subconscious at work….”

“Of course I know that, BK,” Justin had to smile. “Am I not the big expert around here on matters scientific – so I also know Freud said about how dreams can come true – or at least somebody like Freud said that….”

“Nah,” Brian disagreed, “it was some Hollywood guy who said that – or maybe that weirdo in the self-help infomercial you were watching yesterday. I’m pretty sure he said it – and his dreams will come true if enough suckers send him $29.99 plus shipping for his damn book….”

“Well somebody said it, Brian,” Justin insisted. “I’m sure of that….”

“OK, Baby,” Brian returned to the subject at hand. “I’m sorry I interrupted you. Tell me what this bad dream was all about – and I’ll fix everything up for you….”

“Well in this dream I just kept getting older…,” Justin went on.

“So that makes for a nightmare, Sweetheart?” Brian wondered. “Like you didn’t know that just about everybody just keeps getting older. It’s the way things work in real life – and in dreams too I guess….”

“Of course I know everybody ages. But that was not the problem, Kinney,” Justin clarified things a little. “The problem was that you did not get any older in the dream. I got older and you didn’t - so eventually I was like – older than you….”

“So it’s jealousy that’s bothering you Taylor,” Brian laughed. “You’re jealous that I could maintain my youth when you couldn’t….”

”I told you you’d laugh at me, Brian Kinney,” Justin grouched. “And you are. And you promised you wouldn’t….”

“Correction, Honey,” Brian laughed again, “I promised to try not to laugh – and I kept my promise. I did try not to laugh. I guess I failed though…. So what did the other people in your dream do? Did they get older like you or did they stay forever young – like me?”

“There weren’t any other people in the dream and you know it too,” Justin complained. “You were in the dream so you should know that all right….”

“Oh yeah,” Brian admitted. “I was there - so I should have remembered….”

“Well I don’t want to be older than you, Bri,” Justin told him. “It wouldn’t work out as well at all. It’s better if I’m the younger one. It would just mess things up if I got to be older than you….”

“OK, Kiddo,” Brian squeezed the twink ever so slightly, “I see what you mean all right. So I’m gonna make you a promise – and this is one I know I can keep - and I will too. No matter how old we both get, I’ll promise to always stay older than you. I won’t ever let you catch up….”

“So your patronizing me is supposed to make me feel better I guess,” Justin had to grin in spite of himself. “And then you’re gonna claim you fixed my problem too….”

“That’s pretty much the plan, Sweetheart,” Brian returned the grin. “But tell the truth now, don’t you feel better since we’ve been talking about it? I bet you do….”

“Well maybe I do,” Justin did some admitting of his own. “But I’m not all that sure you should get the credit. Let me think about that for a while….”

So there was yet another time out while Justin did some more thinking - and some more than thinking too. Brian thought he had succeeded in cheering the kid up, and perhaps he had.

“OK, Kinney,” Justin eventually resumed. “I guess I am feeling better – but I’m still not sure if you should get the credit though…. And what if I get the same rotten dream again tonight? What about that?”

“Yeah, that would be terrible – and we don’t want that to happen - so maybe I could try to prevent that from happening, Twink,” Brian sounded confident. “Like maybe I could keep you awake all night. Then you won’t do any dreaming at all….”

“I guess that would prevent it all right, Brian,” Justin said coyly. “But just how do you propose to keep me up all night, Mr. Kinney?”.

“I don’t know exactly yet, Baby,” Brian told him. “I’ll have to think about it.”

And another pause in the conversation ensued. Seems like Brian was doing some ‘thinking about it.’ But Justin was already dreaming again - though wide awake this time – and he wasn’t finding anything to complain about this time either.
 

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