Brian lay watching AJ sleep. He could seem to straighten out his thoughts. So many things had happened in the last forty eight hours. Everything he had ever known about AJ had been called into question when his lover had admitted the truth about himself. Then they’d been attacked, had to flee. Brian had woken on an island he didn’t recognize, nor remember how he got there. Then he’d watched his two immortal friends fight, all because AJ was, as Howie put it, in a ‘temper tantrum.’ Then, to top the end of his day, AJ had showed him that he had magic, and brought back all of these memories he hadn’t even known were locked away.
Yet, he was calm about it. If anything, this revelation of his own magic, and the following lovemaking with AJ, had made everything easier to believe. The more he thought about it all, the clearer it became. He could see now that this was what he had been missing his whole life.
There was one thing left that would make it all complete. Despite what AJ said, Brian had no reservations on joining his immortal lover. He would rather take the chance of not surviving the transformation, than grow older and die while the one he loved lived on. Or to be stuck mortal and a liability when this fight came to a head, which, from what AJ said, it was bound to. He wanted to stand by his side, an equal.
If AJ felt that strongly about it though, there was no way he was going to agree to it. So that left only one option.
As quietly as possible, Brian disentangled himself from AJ. He kissed him on the forehead, wondering how furious AJ would be when he woke up. It would probably be a sight to see. As Brian walked away, he chuckled to himself. The funny part was, most likely it wouldn’t be him that AJ was mad at.
Finding Howie wasn’t that hard to do. His friend was sitting on the deck of their house, as if he had been waiting. The look on his face told Brian without words that he may not have known the specifics, but he did know exactly what had happened out there. “Feel better?” Howie called out.
Brian shrugged as he headed up the steps. “You could say that. But I have a question for you.”
A rueful look showed on Howie’s face when he pushed away from the deck’s railing. “He’s gonna flip.” Was Howie’s response. The way he said it, half amused, half resigned, brought a chuckle tickling its way up Brian’s throat. “That he will.”
“You know it won’t be you he gets mad at, right? I’m going to be the one who takes the blame for this.”
Again, Brian chuckled. “Pretty much. You might be wrong, though. He does get mad at me sometimes.”
“Huh.” Howie grunted. He crossed his arms over his chest and tried for a glare. “Yeah, but the most he’d do is yell a little at you, and you can kiss it an make it better later. He’ll try to knock the shit out of me.”
“I won’t let him.”
That got Howie glaring even harder. “Oh yes you will. We’ll get that clear right now. You won’t have any idea of what you can do yet, so without help, you will not draw on anything. That has to be clear, or my answer is a blunt no.”
Weighed against everything else that was in their lives right now that seemed like a simple enough request. Well, demand really, but he wasn’t going to nitpick at this. He nodded.
For a moment the two stared at one another; then Howie let out a gusty sigh and smiled at him. “Well, let’s get to this, then.”
…..
Something tugged at AJ’s mind, pulling him from his comfortable sleep. A light tingle in the air. Suddenly it grew, fair crackling around him. In an instant he was awake, every sense on alert. A part of him noticed that Brian was gone, while the other part of him concentrated to see what the threat was that had woke him. His mind made the connections quickly. That was Howie’s magic filling the air, and something else. What the…
AJ’s eyes snapped down to the ground, fully registering the fact that Brian was not there, and then jerked back up toward the house. “No, no, no!” he shouted, taking off at a run. Please, dear God, don’t let him be too late! He put everything he had into speed, using his body and his magic to practically fly to the house. The closer he got, the more the magic surrounded him. No, please no!
Right as AJ raced up the stairs and reached to open the door, the magic abruptly cut off. He yanked the door open, terrified of what he would find. When he looked across the room, his worst fears were realized. Blinding rage took him as it hadn’t in more years than he could count. He focused on Howie as he gathered everything inside of himself.
Before he hit, he saw Howie’s mouth move as he muttered “Shit.”