The Word of the Rings

The fireplace was already lit and Justin was sitting alone in front of the flitting flames. He took off the ring that Brian had given him on Christmas Eve and was looking at it, actually he was reading the inscription, when Brian came in from the kitchen and smiled. "Oh, Oh," he said to the kid, "I see the ring is off. Changed your mind, have you?"

"Sometimes you get really goofy, Bri," Justin responded. "This ring never comes off my finger, except for a few times when I'm all by myself and then I take it off to read the inscription. Nobody has ever seen that inscription but me and you."

"What's so secret about the inscription, Honey?" Brian wanted to know, "Do you think people don't know I love you?"

"I guess they know," Justin admitted, "They ought to know. I really hope they know, but I like it that the inscription is just between us two. Daphne guessed there was an inscription and she wanted to see it but I wouldn't take the ring off. I wouldn't even admit to her that there was an inscription. I guess that's crazy but that's how I feel about it."

Brian sat himself down on the floor next to Justin and put his arm around the kid. "Baby," Brian began, "I think I better tell you this before you find out some other way. I don't want you to get excited or anything but I better tell you. Mikey has seen the inscription. He saw the rings before you did. He helped me pick them out."

"Mikey saw the rings before I did? Mikey has seen the inscription?" Justin questioned. Brian was pleased at how well Justin seemed to take the revelation. Justin was half-smiling as he went on "And maybe the whole idea of the rings was Mikey's? Sometimes I think Mikey has more romance in his little finger than you have in your whole body, Brian. Did Mikey decide on the inscription too?"

"I guess I'm glad you're being a bit of a drama queen, Honey," Brian told him. "Otherwise I would have thought you were sick, but 'No,' Mikey did not get the idea for the rings, and the wording of the inscription came from me and only me. Actually, your 'romantic' Mikey thought maybe the inscription was too much but it was what I wanted and it's what we got. It just never occurred to me that the inscription should be secret. I really thought you'd be showing that inscription to everybody."

"Cut it out Brian," Justin laughed at him, "I am definitely not one to brag about my conquests, and I am not at all upset that Mikey saw the rings before I did. I love the rings and I love you, and I guess now I can show Daphne what you had inscribed in the rings. I almost showed her when she wanted to see it before."

"Was Daphne the only one who noticed your ring?" Brian asked.

"You really are goofy sometimes, Honey," Justin answered. "Everybody noticed the rings. The kids at school noticed and the people at the diner."

"They are not who I'm talking about, Baby, and I think you know that," Brian replied. "What did your mother say?"

"She liked the idea, Brian. She's used to the fact that I'm gay and she knows we're together for always, and she likes you, too." Justin told him. "Mollie said she hoped she could find a guy as great as the one I found. I think she's a little bit mad that I took you out of circulation."

"So I'm out of circulation, am I?" Brian wondered.

"Only in a manner of speaking, Sweetheart," Justin consoled him. "It's not like you're over the hill or anything. You still have a lot of good years left in you."

"Maybe you better quit trying to make me feel better, Kiddo," Brian suggested. "Did my mother say anything to you about the rings?"

"Why are you asking that?" Justin laughed. "Did she say anything to you when she saw yours? I'll bet she did. Are you going to tell me what she said?"

"What if I don't want to share what she said with you?" Brian asked.

"Oh, you'll eventually tell me, I think," Justin told him. "I'll talk you into it somehow."

"Yeah, you will," Brian admitted, "Which makes her 100% right. She said you were the best thing that ever happened to me and she wished she knew your secret of getting me to do just what you want me to do. She said if she had known how to do that, I wouldn't have turned out to be the rat I was before I met you. I guess that's what she told you too."

"Pretty much, Honey," Justin acknowledged, "But she never saw the real you and she doesn't really understand how our relationship works."

"Oh I think maybe she does," Brian laughed. "I'm pretty sure she does. But this discussion is kind of fun. What were some other reactions to the ring?"

"Mikey and Ben congratulated me and said they hoped we'd be happy together forever. Mikey did not let on that he knew about the rings or the inscriptions before I did," Justin told him. "Brian," Justin went on, "This is a secret. Ben wants me to help him pick out rings for him and Mikey and we're going to do that pretty soon, but you can't tell Mikey and that's an order."

"You know I wouldn't tell Mikey," Brian smiled, "Even if you hadn't ordered me not to. Did Hunter see the ring, Baby?"

"Yeah, he did," Justin told him, "I'm beginning to like Hunter, Brian. He promised not to make a play for you as long as we were wearing these rings. I told him that was fair enough and that he better look somewhere else because we would always be wearing them. He said he hoped he could find somebody as great as you."

"Then I guess you must be learning how lucky you were to find somebody as great as me?" Brian pointed out.

"I do know how lucky I am, and I've told you that a lot of times," Justin defended himself. "But I am not going to warn any of them that there isn't anybody else as great as you. They'll have to find that out for themselves."

"Fair enough, Baby," Brian assured him, "And I guess I ought to tell you that you were a pretty good catch yourself. You are a really special guy."

"I don't think you always thought that," Justin teased.

"But I do now, Honey," Brian maintained, "Now and always. Any other comments about the ring?"

"Ted was the most surprised I think," Justin told him, "I don't expect he'll ever get used to us being together. Mel was surprised too. I don't think either of them really understands you - or us. Linz said she always hoped it would happen for you but she was about ready to give up hope. She really loves you, Brian - and she likes me too."

"And Emmett?" Brian wondered.

"He was funny, Bri," Justin smiled. "He said he always knew you were a softie inside and just waiting for Prince Charming to come along and snag you. But he thought you made a mistake in not having him help you pick out the rings for us. I think I'm glad you chose Mikey though."

"So you're Prince Charming, you little twink," Brian laughed, "I would have expected a comment like that to come from Debbie."

"Debbie told me that she was glad we had the rings, but she said she knew we were in love before we did." Justin added.

"She didn't," Brian told Justin, "But she did know it before I was willing to admit it. I guess it's true though that she does know us better than anyone else."

"Yeah," Justin agreed, "I think she does." "But I've been doing most of the talking. Now aren't you going to tell me the reaction you got when they saw your ring?" Justin asked.

"If you don't mind, Honey can we postpone that till another time," Brian requested. "I'd just like to sit here and hold you for a while."

"OK, Bri," Justin responded, "That's an offer I'd never turn down."

So they just sat there for quite a while, Justin still staring at the ring in his hand. Eventually Brian broke the silence, "You know, Baby, you still don't have the ring on your finger. I wish you'd put it back on. I like to see you wearing it. That's where it belongs."

"I don't think I'm going to put it back on," Justin answered him.

"You're not?" Brian exclaimed, sounding surprised.

"No, I'm not, " Justin affirmed, handing Brian the ring, "Because I want you to put it back on my finger and I want you to read the inscription to me while you're doing it."

"Well, then I guess I have to do that since I always do what you want me to do," Brian surrendered.

"But I wish you'd do it just because you want to," Justin pleaded.

"That too," Brian assured him as he did what he was told.

Return to Fireside Chats