It didn’t take long before they were all settled around Kevin’s dining room table, and Kevin had coffee served to them all. AJ wrapped one hand around his cup, reaching the other under the table, to rest on Brian’s leg, which was pressed right up against his own. He looked at the faces of his friends and found himself amazed. Compared to what they were fighting for, the lives that were at stake and the dangers that waited ahead, this conversation with Kevin and Nick should be easy. It amazed AJ that it wasn’t.
Nerves tickled at his stomach and were vibrating from Brian, over their bond, which only amplified AJ’s own nerves.
As usual, Nick was oblivious to the tension that was in the room. He was all smiles, thrilled to see them all again. He’d been so lonesome in his house, and he had missed Kevin too much, so he had just showed up on his doorstep a few days earlier. It looked like it had been a good choice! He got to see everyone! “It’s so good to see you guys again. So much shit happened before it was like we didn’t even get a chance to have a real goodbye.”
That was like twisting the knife in the guilt that Brian was feeling. Nothing showed on his face, but AJ felt the internal wince and reacted to it, leaning in a little to offer comfort. “Things were a lot more difficult than you realize.” Howie filled in. He gave AJ one last look, asking without words if this was what he and Brian really wanted to do.
What other choice was there now? Kevin already guessed that there was something more going on. It was there in his eyes. AJ took a deep breath and forced his nerves and his tension down. “We lied to you guys.” He admitted to them. Despite everything, he couldn’t help his sudden grin. “Well, technically, Howie lied to you. I avoided you. Bri, well, we gave him a lot to handle and he forgot about other stuff, for the most part.”
As he’d wanted, that got a reaction out of Brian. His love let go of his hand to pinch him. “Gee, thanks. Makes me sound like a real great guy.”
“Well, you are. That’s obvious enough. So what if you forgot for a little while?”
“I didn’t forget! I asked you about them!” Brian defended himself.
“Yeah, like, twice. Does that count? Maybe a little.”
“More than a little.”
Sighing, AJ looked back at them all. “Ok, so Brian only sometimes forgot. Is that better, Mr. Picky Pants?” he directed the last at Brian, pretending to glare at him. Brian gave him a grin and a nod. He sat back in his chair and sipped off his coffee. The humor had lightened their mood enough that they were relaxing.
Howie rolled his eyes and looked at Kevin, hoping to help with the tension. “Forewarning, they’re worse than ever.” He pretended to whisper. Nick latched on to that, his eyes still wide and slightly hurt from what had just been said. “Worse?”
“Yeah, you know. Lovey-lovey shit and that playful banter. Do it all the damn time.”
Kevin slammed his hand down on the table, drawing all their attention. “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded in his booming voice. “I want an explanation. You,” he pointed to Howie. “left, saying that you were done with the Backstreet Boys and it was time for you to move on. You two,” He pointed at Brian and AJ now. “were supposed to be at a rehab center in Europe. But you all show up here today, randomly, looking different than you used to. AJ has hair that he can sit on, and I know for a fact that just two months ago his hair wasn’t that long and he sure can’t grow it that fast. Something is going on, and dammit, I want an explanation.”
The room fell silent for a few minutes. It was AJ who sat forward, wrapping both his hands around his cup. “I doubt that you’ll believe half of what I could tell you about what we’ve been doing.” He said softly.
“Try me.”
AJ looked back at his partner to get his draw on things. The only response Brian gave was a shrug. ‘Whatever you want to do, honey, I’m right here. If we’re going to tell them, you’ll have to give some details, but they don’t need to know everything. Howie and I will help.’ He reassured him silently.
Well, it was now or never. How the hell did you start something like this? He didn’t know if he should beat around the bush a little, or if he should just be blunt, or how to do this. But Brian and Howie were waiting quietly, as were Nick and Kevin. Slightly annoyed at always having to be the one who did these things, who had to be the person talking, AJ figured there was one easy way to start things.
It couldn’t be subtle. It would have to be the most blatant way possible. Running on that, and using his irritation, AJ let go of his coffee cup and held up a hand. He flicked his fingers, lighting the tip of one with fire the same as a lighter. Holding his pointer finger up, he let the flame sit there.
Kevin and Nick stared, their eyes going wide. “What…” Nick stuttered out. “What kind of trick is this?”
The three magical beings looked at one another. They could see how Nick and Kevin were thinking, trying to convince themselves that this was a trick. Instead of answering Nick’s question with words, Brian flicked his finger up too, letting fire flare up. To the side he could see Howie doing the same thing. The three of them sat there, fire flaming from their fingertips.
“There are things in this world you two have no idea about.” AJ said softly. “There’s a whole other world right underneath everyone’s nose, but they’re just too blind to see it.” He extinguished his flame and then called up a small ball of water from the moisture in the air, letting it hover in his palm. He made it swirl and twist. “I was born long before I met you guys. Long before the United States was even discovered. At my best guess I would be at minimum three thousand years old. I was born Alyck Tuian, in a small village in Greece.”
“I don’t know where I was born, or what life I lived. I remember nothing from before I was changed.” Howie extinguished his own flame, and used air to levitate his cup up so that he could grab it and take a sip. “But it was at least five hundred years after I was changed before I met Alyck and brought him over.”
Nick had no words. His eyes were huge and full of shock. But Kevin, he looked almost angry. His dark eyes sliced to Brian, who also let his flame fade away. “What is all this nonsense? You going to try to tell me you’re thousands of years old, too? I was there to watch you grow up!”
Calm, Brian shook his head. “I’ve only been immortal for a short while. Since right after we all…left.”
“You expect me to believe this bullshit?” Kevin boomed, rising to his feet. “I don’t know what game you think you’re playing, but the joke is done. It’s not funny!”
Always one with a shorter fuse, AJ had to force himself not to start glaring at Kevin. He released the ball of water, letting it dissipate back into the air. “We’re not joking with you, Kevin. Trust me, it was a lot for Brian to swallow at first, too. He had no idea until we left. He didn’t even know that he had magic. Your family, your father, found out when he was young and forced him to lock it away.”
There was a small light in Kevin’s eyes, only for a moment, but it was enough for AJ. He felt his mind go completely still, much like the calm before a storm. In the bond, Brian sensed it as well and reached for him. ‘What is it?’ he tried to ask. But all he got from AJ was a deadly calmness.
Ignoring everything else, AJ slowly rose to his feet. To everyone in the room he suddenly looked very threatening; almost lethal. They all tensed, only two of them sensing the severity of the danger. But AJ paid them no attention. He stared into Kevin’s eyes. “You knew.” He hissed out. “You knew Brian had magic, and that your father made him hide it.”
Brian’s eyes flashed over to Kevin, locking on him. Shock and hurt coursed through his body. “You knew?” he whispered. There was no hesitation in him on believing what AJ said. He knew that AJ would never utter those words unless he fully believed them.
Guilt worked its way across Kevin’s face, but he pushed it down under self-righteousness. “I was there when that man, Rothalo, came and spoke to Dad. He came a couple times. He told Dad about how Brian had this magic in him, and how it was tainted, something that would ruin him. Something that would get him killed, or worse, used. He told Dad that he had to help Brian wall it off so he would never use it, or he could kill us all.”
Pain filled Brian’s heart. He bowed his head under the weight of it. He felt a hand touch his and glanced over to see Howie looking at him with sympathy. Brian squeezed his friend’s hand, accepting the support where it was offered.
AJ didn’t offer sympathy. He felt Brian’s hurt in their bond, and he reacted to it. He grew angrier. “Even after watching Brian grow up, after being in the band with him, you never stopped to think that this man was wrong? That Brian would never grow to be a killer?”
“I knew that he was safe with it locked away.” Kevin insisted firmly. “And now you’ve let it out. This stranger was only trying to protect us, and you destroyed what he was doing.” The irony of the words struck them all mute for just a moment.
“You are a fool!” AJ suddenly shouted, slamming his fist on the table. He took a deep breath, trying to force his magic under control. It was aching to ride with his emotions. “Roth was trying to stop the people who had the ability to stop him. He’s been alive longer than I have, you idiot, and he knew Brian would grow to be a killer. But one of his killers, actually.”
Shoving away from the table, AJ grabbed his hair and yanked, frustration in every part of his body. He spun back to look at them, fair quivering with anger. It was the angriest, and the deadliest, that Kevin and Nick had ever seen him.
“Howie made me immortal because Roth came to my village and beat me almost to death because he knew I would stop him one day. He sought to stop Brian another way. This man, this monster, wants to resurrect the most evil spirit to have ever lived on this earth and use him to destroy life as we know it and rebirth the planet in fire! And you,” AJ pointed a finger at Kevin, exerting all his control to keep the magic from arcing from his fingertip. “you’ve been assisting him by trying to keep Brian from using his birthright!”
For the first time since they’d arrived, Kevin looked uncertain. “My dad did what he thought best.” He defended. Even to him it sounded weak. It pissed AJ off even more. Surprising Kevin and Nick even more, it looked to them as if AJ’s skin was almost glowing.
“Best? Best? Do you realize what this man has done? He kidnapped your cousin, trapped him with magic, beat him, raped him, and then proceeded to do the same to me! His only goal in life is to exterminate us and the rest of the world as well so that it can be born again with him as God! Θεοί παραπάνω, what you thought was best? We should have left your foolish hides to the trouble coming your way!”
For the first time since AJ had started his rant, Nick spoke up. “Trouble? What’s coming our way?” he asked. Four heads turned to look at him, almost as if they were surprised to find him there. He met all of their looks square on for a moment before shrugging in his usual Nick way. “So you guys are extra special, so what? It doesn’t change that, no matter what, you’re my friends. Rok, you’re still my best friend. I don’t understand half of this, but it isn’t going to make me run away. We’re all brothers. Family sticks by one another, right?”
In just a few simple sentences Nick took a tense situation and brought it back down. There was no way they could stay angry in the face of his words and the honest look on his face. It was really how he felt. Amazed, Brian stood and walked around the table to embrace the man who had been his best friend since they had first met. “Thank you.” He whispered in his ear.
“Like I said, we’re brothers.”
Finally back under control again, AJ looked down at the table and took a few calming breaths. “It’s a long story, to explain why you guys are in danger. It’ll take a while to tell it.” He said softly. Looking back up, he offered them a small smile. “Why don’t you guys order something to eat? I’m starved.” Lately food hadn’t been a big concern. It actually surprised Brian to realize how rarely they had eaten anything since he’d been with Howie and AJ.
Something must have echoed through the bond, because he heard AJ’s mental voice. ‘What is it?’
‘I just realized that we don’t really eat. Occasionally berries and random trail rations or food others have given us. But we don’t really eat or drink much.’
Laughter as sweet as biting into a fresh apple echoed in Brian’s mind from AJ. ‘Oh, love, sometimes you get so wrapped up in the rest of it it’s like you forget some things. No, we don’t really eat, do we? Our bodies don’t need it, per se. You’ll notice that you don’t need to…use the facilities much either, because not really anything is going in. We can survive totally without food or water without an ounce of discomfort, but our bodies still enjoy getting them. We can still feel hungry, even if it’s more mental than physical.’
“Well, hell.” Brian said out loud, grinning.
AJ couldn’t help but grin back. “Don’t worry, took me a while too.” He tried to console him, shrugging dismissively. “You’ll get used to it. You’re such a natural sometimes I forget that a lot of it is new.”
“Well, I’ll take the compliment that’s hidden in there, I guess. You should tell me this stuff sometime.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” AJ gave him another grin, that special grin that they shared between them. ‘I really do forget sometimes that you don’t know everything. I didn’t do it on purpose, baby.’
‘Oh, I know. Don’t worry, I’m not upset. I’m just picking at you.’
“Well don’t pick so hard.” AJ said, pretending to scowl.
For the first time they noticed that Kevin and Nick were looking at them funny again. Howie just wore his amused smile. He looked to the others and shook his head. “See,” he told them. “I told you, they’re worse than ever. Try dealing with these half conversations all the time. Two people who can talk mind to mind, it can be a pain in the ass. They’ll start grinning like loons or laughing for no reason. It’s worse when they fight that way.” Shaking his head, Howie looked back at the couple who were both grinning at him. “I’m surrounded by lunatics.”