For Better Or For Worse

“You know what, Kiddo?” Brian was saying as the guys got into position on the floor of the loft to gaze at their fake fireplace. “I don’t think I’m gonna go to Scotty Forbes’ wedding.”

“Brian,” Justin replied with an obviously impatient patience in his voice, “we’ve been over this before. You have to go to Scotty’s wedding. He’s been with Kinnetics since you started it and he’s always been dependable. He’s a friend of ours and he’s getting married – and we’re invited – and we like Jenny too - and ….”

“And that’s just the point, Sunshine,” Brian explained. “The state of Pennsylvania says Scotty can get married if he wants to – and it tells me that I can’t ….”

“So you’re like – saying you want to get married?” Justin grinned at him. “Seems like that’s what you’re saying ….”

“I am not saying that at all, Taylor,” Brian grinned back as he interrupted. “And you know I’m not saying that too. It’s just that someday I just might meet somebody really special – and maybe want to get married – and the state of Pennsylvania would tell me I can’t. Well if I can’t get married, then nobody should be able to get married – or if they do – I shouldn’t have to go to it ….”

“Gee whiz, Kinney,” Justin reasoned, “if you ever meet a nice girl and want to get married the state of Pennsylvania wouldn’t say ye nay ….”

“Cut it out, JT,’ Brian warned. “This is not funny. You know damn well what I mean – and you’re just rubbing it in …..”

“Am not either, BK,” Justin defended himself. “I don’t like that stuff any better than you do. But it’s not Scotty’s fault – and it’s not Jenny’s fault – and they’re getting married – and we wish them the best – and we should go to their wedding so they’ll know that we wish them the best ….”

“Well I think I should like – protest the unfairness of the whole thing, Kiddo,” Brian continued, “so they’ll know …..”

“Write your legislator, Bri,” Justin suggested, “and your state senator. They’re the ones who need to know. I’m sure you don’t know who they are – but I do - and I’ll help you ….”

“I do too know who they are, Smart-Ass,” Brian held his ground. “And I don’t need any help from you if I want to complain either ….”

“No you don’t, Sweetheart. You’ve proved that many times over. On that particular subject,” Justin laughed, cuddling himself closer to Brian at the same time, “we are in complete agreement ….”

And that agreement seemed to spill over into other areas too. The disagreement notwithstanding, the guys paused to explore some other activities where they were also in complete agreement – before resuming the conversation.

“Scotty and Jenny would know we wish them the best of luck if we sent them their gift,” Brian conjectured.

“They would know even better if we took the gift over to them, Mr. Kinney,” Justin pointed out. “Remember – I wanted to just give them a generous check for a present – and you thought that was too impersonal. So I had to find out where Jenny was registered – and I had to find something to give them that you approved of – and I had to order it and I had to pick it up – and ….”

“And I’m not the only one around this loft who can complain, Honey,” Brian laughed. “Everything I ever learned about complaining I learned from you ….”

“Well we’re not sending that gift, Brian,” Justin told him. “I could have had it sent from the store and you thought it was too impersonal ….”

“Well I guess I did think it would be better if you like – took it over to them, Babe,” Brian remembered.

“So it’ll be that much more personal if we both take it over, Brian,” Justin proposed. “And then you can explain to them why you’re not going to the wedding ….”

“I thought we could just do that on the RSVP card, Sweetheart,” Brian offered his own counter-proposal. “That’s like – how it’s usually done. When is the reply due?”

“Last Friday, Bri,” Justin informed him. “They wanted the replies by last Friday ….”

“Geez, Baby,” Brian complained. “We’re late. That’s what I get for letting you handle all the social stuff. That’s embarrassing – a late response ….”

“There’s no late response at all, Sir,” Justin told him. “I sent the card back in plenty of time ….”

“And you told them what?” Brian demanded the answer that he already knew.

“I told them we’d be there. Brian,” Justin grinned.

“So I didn’t even get to decide whether I wanted the pork chop or the stuffed chicken breast,” Brian pointed out. “You never even asked ….”

“I did not need to ask, Brian,” Justin pointed out in reply. “I knew what you’d want ….”

“You didn’t even know if I wanted to go to the damn wedding or not,” Brian accused the kid without any rancor in his voice at all.

“Yeah, I did,” Justin assured him. “You wanted to go all right. I didn’t know if you’d want to go through any prior fulminations about it though – before you decided to go - but I guess you did – and you did – and now ….”

“I do not fulminate, Justin Taylor, “ Brian stated positively. “Brian Kinney does not fulminate ….”

“Yeah you do,” Justin argued. “You fulminate all right. But you’re not very good at it, Brian. You’re good at a lot of things but you’re not much of a fulminator. Sorry about that ….”

“So like,” Brian wondered, “what are some of the things I’m best at?”

“Just about anything you set your mind to. Kinney,” Justin smiled coyly.

Brian got the message and decided to try some of the things he thought he was good at – and it seemed like he decided correctly. It was a while before the discussion resumed – on a slightly different tack.

“You know what, Kiddo?” Brian broke the extended silence. “Like – maybe – I’ve already met the really special person …..”

“Yeah – you have, Bri,” Justin assured him, “And someday - when it’s finally legal in the state of Pennsylvania, we’ll be inviting Scotty and Jenny ….”

“And their grandkids too, Honey,” Brian smiled. “Don’t forget their grandkids – they’ll be old enough by then ….”

“No fulminating, Brian,” Justin grinned at him. “It’s not good for the blood pressure – at your age….”

“You got any suggestions what we should do instead, Baby?” Brian wondered aloud. “Something good for the blood pressure ….”

“Nope,” Justin told him, “But I bet we think of something.”

No doubt they did.

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