Surprises

Brian and Justin had just settled themselves in front of the fireplace. It felt good because they liked to be together and it felt good because Pittsburgh was experiencing a cold snap and the heat radiating toward them was welcome.

Brian slid over and kissed Justin, which put the kid in a very good mood. He snuggled up closer to Brian and decided that some quiet time was called for. But for a change it was Brian who started a discussion.

"It's getting to be time for Christmas shopping, isn't it?" he asked cautiously.

O my God," Justin exclaimed, "Brian is going to be so mad. I let you kiss me because I thought you were Brian. What am I going to tell him and who the hell are you?"

"Brian's evil twin," Brian answered, "I have Brian imprisoned and I intend to take over his life."

"Brian doesn't have an evil twin," Justin laughed, "Brian is the evil twin. If you're not Brian, you must be the good twin. And the good twin must like Christmas shopping. Maybe it will be all right to keep evil Brian imprisoned. At least till after holiday season. Brian really is a grinch sometimes, you know."

"Well maybe Brian wants to turn over a new leaf," Brian explained, "If Ebenezer Scrooge could do it, why not Brian Kinney?"

"Well Ebenezer had three spirits to help him change," Justin pointed out, "Poor Brian doesn't have any."

"Oh yes he does," Brian insisted, "Only one though, but that one was enough for him."

"You know what?" Justin told him, "I love you whoever you are. I always will. But I know you too, and I know something's up and I'm not sure I want to know what it is."

"Then you must not be the real Justin Taylor." Brian answered him, "The real Justin Taylor wants to know everything. He is the most inquisitive person I know, so who the hell are you?"

"OK Kinney," Justin gave up, "You know how Mikey always says our discussions make him dizzy. Well this one is beginning to make me dizzy. What's going on? I am the real Justin Taylor all right and I do want to know."

Brian moved over and kissed Justin again. "Yeah," he said, "You are the real Justin Taylor, I guess.'

"This must be worse than I thought," Justin told him. "OK, I'll bite. Mikey and I were planning to go Christmas shopping this Saturday. We were going to ask you if you wanted to come along but we were willing to go just the two of us and let you off the hook if you didn't want to go. Then today Malcolm asked if he could go with us so now we have three. You can come if you want to. Four's not a bad number."

"Five," Brian said.

"Five?" Justin wondered, "Oh, you mean you and your twin are both coming, I guess."

"Abelard," Brian told him.

"Abelard?" Justin echoed, "What about Abelard? I think you better talk, Kinney."

"I got a phone call from Abe today at work," Brian explained, "He's going to be in town for the week end and he wants to do all his Christmas shopping while he's here. He wanted me to go with him and help him pick things.'

"He really doesn't know you, does he?" Justin laughed.

"I told him you were the best Christmas shopper around here and that you would be a much bigger help to him than I could ever be," Brian continued.

"And what did he say to that?" Justin questioned through a big smile.

"He said he always wondered what that blond cousin I have staying with me was good for," Brian replied, "But he said he really wanted the opinion of somebody more like himself, a real man's man."

"Well you are that, Brian Kinney," Justin was laughing riotously, "You are really a man's man. And I am the man, so there. If you want to, you and Abelard can go shopping by yourselves and get all the manly type stuff. Me and Mikey and Malcolm can still go and do our own thing."

"That is not what's going to happen," Brian commanded, "Not at all what's going to happen. We are all going to go together. You are going to pick out the stuff and tell me and then I am going to suggest it to Abe. That's what we are going to do."

"Geez," Justin exclaimed, "I will finally have Brian Kinney doing just what I tell him."

Now it was Brian's turn to laugh. "Yeah," he said, "For a change we'll do what you want to do."

"Well I guess we can work that out to your satisfaction, sir," Justin decided, "But since this is Abelard's one shot shopping trip, he'll have to buy stuff. Me and Mikey never buy anything the first time out as you well know, so don't you be thinking about buying anything yourself."

"Well I guess you are the real Justin Taylor all right," Brian stated. "You sound exactly like Justin Taylor."

"Cut it out, Bri," Justin told him as he leaned over and kissed the greatest guy in the world.

There was silence in the loft for a while after that. It was usually Justin who resumed any discussion but this was not any night, so it was Brian who broke the silence.

"Are you in a good mood, Twink?" he asked.

"I'm sitting here with Brian Kinney, the love of my life," Justin answered. "He has his arm around me and he's messing up my hair. Of course I'm in a good mood. Please don't mess with my good mood, Honey. With my hair, oh yeah, but not with my good mood."

"But I have a confession to make," Brian told him, "And I think this is the best time to make it - while you're in such a good mood. So here it is. I have already done some Christmas shopping. I have a couple of things already bought."

"You never do any shopping without me," Justin protested, "And where would you be storing these gifts?"

"That's not exactly true," Brian told him. He picked up Justin's hand and showed him the ring. "You weren't there when I got those."

"You're right," Justin had to admit, "And you're never going to top that for a gift."

"That's why I figured I wouldn't get you anything this Christmas," Brian cajoled.

"You have said a lot of funny things tonight, Brian," Justin told him, "But that has to be the funniest. It better be the funniest."

"I hope you're not mad, Baby," Brian told him, "But Cynthia and I saw some neat things in catalogs and I bought a few of them. Mostly for you but a few other things too. We're hiding them down at the office. See what I've learned from you the last couple of Christmases."

"No, I'm not mad, Bri," Justin smiled. "It's about time you did some things on your own without my help and guidance. I guess you don't want to tell me what you got me, do you?"

"No I don't want to tell you what I got you," Brian stated firmly. "Christmas is about surprises and I want you to be surprised."

"As I look back on this evening, Sweetheart, " Justin concluded, "I think I'm already surprised. But I guess I really have had enough surprises for one night."

"Maybe not," Brian whispered as he threw both arms around the kid.

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