It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The guys were already ensconced in front of their fake fireplace. Brian had some computer Christmas music from slacker.com playing in the background. It seemed like he was trying to get the kid into the proper holiday spirit. That was not the usual situation in the loft at this season – usually it was the other way around - but that’s how it was. And trying times often require strong measures.

“This is not gonna seem like Christmas at all, Brian,” Justin complained, “And I think it’s all your fault too.”

“It is not my fault at all, Baby,” Brian replied. “It’s actually your fault. You’re just too good at whatever you do. People just have to learn from watching you do stuff….”

“You told Abelard not to come here this year to do his Christmas shopping,” Justin continued. “You can’t deny that either.”

“Hey, JT,” Brian defended himself. “Abelard’s been coming here with his bus load of friends for a lot of years now – and you’ve been doing their Christmas shopping for like a hundred of them all in one weekend….”

“Don’t exaggerate, Brian. There were never more than like – 20 some of them,” Justin revised the number downward. “And it was getting to be like – a genuine tradition….”

“But after all, Baby,” Brian cajoled, “With you showing them how, how could they not become pretty wise shoppers? And they did learn a lot from shopping with you. Abe just was thinking that maybe they wouldn’t need to bother you again this year….”

“And you agreed with him pretty quick too, Brian Kinney,” Justin reminded him. “I bet you never liked them coming at all….”

“Well it wasn’t a problem for me – but I thought maybe they were expecting too much of you, Sweetheart,” Brian admitted. “I guess I did think….”

“Well I feel like I’m not needed any more, Brian,” Justin told him - flashing just a trace of a smile. “Is that how you feel when you get old?”

“OK, Taylor,” Brian grinned at him. “No more sympathy for you. Lots of people need you. Johnny and Peter still need you to help with their Christmas shopping. Mikey needs you to illustrate his wacko ideas for Rage. Half the population of New York depends on your advice. Jason and Brandon need you to referee their arguments. Everybody at the Institute needs you to run their lives for them….”

“So what about Brian Kinney?” Justin interrupted with a question. ”Does Brian Kinney need me for anything, Honey? Anything at all?”

“Of course he does, Baby,” Brian assured him with a grin. “Brian Kinney needs you more than anybody. Who’s gonna write all the Christmas cards? Who’s gonna do all the decorating in this loft? Who’s gonna plan all the Christmas parties and make sure everything goes perfectly…? And who’s gonna cook – and clean?”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin cuddled himself closer to the guy next to him, “I guess I am still needed – a little bit at least....”

Brian instigated a lull in the discussion at this point so as to accentuate Justin’s feeling of being needed – striking – so to speak – while the iron was hot. In a while, however, the discussion resumed.

“You know what, Baby?” Brian broke the silence a while later. “I have a Christmas present for you that I think I’ll give you a little early – like right now. Seems to me like you need a little Christmas – right this very minute….”

“I don’t know, Brian,” Justin reacted cautiously. “I like to get presents on Christmas and we like to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve….”

“But this gift isn’t from me, Babe,” Brian informed him. “It’s like – from Dave….”

“From Dave, Bri?” Justin seemed surprised. “I don’t think I should be taking any presents from David, Brian – because – you know why….”

“It’s OK, Sweetheart,” Brian smiled at him. “I’m pretty sure Dave has given up on you. I think he’s kind of happy with Wendell – and I think he wants to thank you for that. He asked me what you’d like and I suggested this – so if you don’t like it, I guess you can blame me for that if you want to…. Here it is, JT,” Brian pulled a small package from under the sofa behind them. “Open the damn thing.”

“Well I’m still not so sure it’s such a good idea, Kinney,” Justin mumbled as he followed Brian’s order, removing the wrapping with a certain degree of enthusiasm he did not wish to express. “Oh gee whiz,” he exclaimed as he removed the tissue paper inside the box and extracted the gift.

“You like it, Taylor,” Brian asked the stunned Justin.

“Gee whiz, Brian,” the kid repeated. “A bobble-head doll of Rage.”

“Yep,” Brian laughed, “it’s hand-made too. And those things that look like diamonds – they are diamonds….”

“Gee whiz, Brian,” the kid re-repeated. “Dave knew I wouldn’t take this from him. That’s why he tricked you into giving it to me.”

“No trick, Baby,” Brian explained. “Dave wanted to give you something special. He’s really looking forward to the Rage collaboration – and I guess he’s crazy about Wendell and without you he wouldn’t…. Anyhow, he had planned to have Wendell give it to you closer to Christmas but when we were up there for the mega-party, they told me they were kind of thinking maybe Wendell would just stay in New York till after Christmas – even if they are still like – taking it slow…. like you advised them.”

“But they didn’t tell me Wendell wasn’t coming back here after the party,” Justin wondered.

“I think they were scared that you wouldn’t approve, Sweetheart,” Brian laughed. “You scare some people, Baby. You can be pretty formidable sometimes. That’s what happens when you’re always right.”

“Cut it out right now, Brian Kinney” Justin reacted formidably. “You’re picking on me again. It’s not my fault I’m perfect. …. But you know what else, Bri, Mikey might feel a little left out when he sees this bobble-head….”

“You aren’t the only one in the world who can think about other people’s feelings, JT,” Brian pointed out confidently. “There’s another box with a duplicate doll under the sofa. You are supposed to give it to Mikey for Christmas. Now Dave did not actually tell me that the stones in Mikey’s were real diamonds….”

“Well Mikey will never know, Brian,” Justin climbed up onto Brian’s lap. “And we don’t need to know – do we?”

“Nope we don’t,” Brian agreed. “Well, Mr. Taylor, how’s your Christmas spirit coming along now?”

“You know me, Brian,” Justin whispered in his ear. “I love Christmas. I just love Christmas. I always love Christmas.”

Now that could have closed out the conversation – and probably should have done so – but after just a few minutes of golden silence, Justin wondered aloud: “Hey, Brian, if Abelard and his friends learned how to do their own Christmas shopping from me by watching me in action, how come I still have to do all the Christmas cards around here – and the decorating – and the parties – and the cooking and cleaning…?”

“I guess I’m not a good learner, Baby,” Brian opined an answer. “I try – but I guess I’m just kinda dumb.”

“You big liar,” Justin said as he dozed off in Brian’s arms – still clutching his Rage bobble-head with the diamond accents.

Brian was thinking that the holiday season was progressing right on schedule – or maybe even ahead of schedule. In fact, right then it seemed like Christmas to Brian Kinney.
 

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