The rest of the show was so much more entertaining than the first half. At least, for Brian it was. He imagined that the audience could sense the difference too. Contrary to how they had thought the reactions would be, the fans actually seemed to love him and AJ being a couple. Any time they got near one another the crowds went wild. Screaming and cheering.
When they were singing “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” AJ would come over and stand by him during the chorus, wrapping an arm around his waist. That set the crowds off with happy cheers and cat calls. In “Hey Mr. DJ” AJ thought he’d be funny by grinding a little close to Brian. Unintentionally, of course. Sure. With that little gleam in his eye. So when he made to move away, Brian smacked his ass. Again, the crowd went insane.
Too caught up in their reconciliation, neither one cared a whit for the glares that Kevin shot them backstage. There was no time to talk when they went to change, but between songs, during one costume change, Brian and AJ had dressed quickly enough that they had a spare minute. Brian reached out and grabbed the front of AJ’s shirt and pulled him in for a kiss.
He felt AJ flinch and remembered the split on his lip. Just as he would have pulled back, AJ grabbed his head and pulled him in tighter. Somewhere in the background Brian could hear Kevin saying something, but he didn’t really care.
The two pulled back and grinned at one another. Everything that they couldn’t say, everything that had already been said, was put inside of that kiss. It said so much and yet nothing at all.
But their cue came and they had to rush back onstage.
Once the show was done Brian felt as if he could keep on going. He was so full of energy, and happier than he had been in a long time. Forgiving AJ had been the right thing to do. Now that his mind wasn’t clouded by anger he could see everything more clearly. See how it was possible for AJ to forget about the bet. When he took into account the way that AJ’s mind worked, it really was logical that he had forgotten it almost completely.
What had Brian’s heart full to bursting though was the way that AJ had put himself out there in front of everyone to say he was sorry. Not only say the words, but tell the world that he had been wrong and he had messed up, and then he had turned around and sang to him with all his heart, dropping to his knees as the words had poured from deep inside.
Others may not have realized how big a deal that was, but Brian did. He knew that AJ didn’t like to show any kind of weaknesses. He didn’t like to put his emotions on display for others because too often they could get stomped on. But for Brian he had done it. How could he not forgive him?
Backstage and down the hall Brian was in his dressing room getting ready to put back on normal clothes. He was eager to get out there, do the meet and greet with the few fans that got backstage passes and then head back to the hotel. There was an after party but he didn’t have any qualms about skipping out on that. Well, maybe not skipping. But make an appearance for a short while and then go to the hotel. That could work.
He stripped off his shirt and tossed it into the dirty laundry basket that sat against the wall. Lost in his own thoughts, he never heard the door open. When a pair of hands touched his sides, sliding around to his stomach, and a warm body pressed up against his back, he almost jumped out of his skin. But only for the split second that it took him to recognize the feel of those hands and to look down and see the tattoos. “Hello you.” He teased as he laid his hands over AJ’s.
“Mm.” AJ mumbled in his ear. Lightly he nipped at Brian’s earlobe; a spot AJ knew drove him crazy. “Hello back.”
Unable to resist, Brian turned so that he and AJ were face to face. He brought his own arms up, circling them around AJ’s neck. Somehow AJ was already dressed in his casual, after show clothes. That made Brian chuckle. “You must have changed at the speed of light to get down here this quickly.”
“I wanted to talk to you before we got around everyone else.” AJ’s voice turned serious. It was obvious that what he wanted to say was important to him. So Brian just stayed quiet and let his fingers play with the ends of AJ’s hair. In the back of his mind he thought to himself that AJ’s hair was growing out again. Brian liked it best when it was buzzed. Not gone, but short.
After a moment of looking around, AJ finally settled his eyes back on Brian’s. “I wanted to say, away from everyone else, that I am sorry I hurt you, Brian. I hope you know that it wasn’t at all what I intended and I never meant to lie to you.”
Brian brought one hand over so that he could press a finger to AJ’s lips. “I don’t need any words, Alex. You bared your heart for me up there. What more than that could a person ask for? I was foolish, too. I should have known you well enough to know that you would never intentionally keep anything from me. It’s not fair of me to paint you with the same brush as Stephen.”
Now he removed his finger and put on a fake glare. “What I want to talk about isn’t this. You and I, we’re fine. What I want to know about is this…” he touched AJ’s lip. “…and this.” Here he touched the bruise on AJ’s eye and temple.
A sigh slid past AJ’s lips. “How much of it do you want to know?” he hedged.
“Every little bit, mister. Details.”
Another sigh. “Go figure. Ok, first things first then.” With that he stepped back from Brian’s arms and took hold of the hem of his shirt. He pulled it up and over his head and just stood there with a resigned look on his face.
Instantly Brian looked down, seeking out whatever it was that AJ wanted him to see. It didn’t take him long. There was a bruise on AJ’s shoulder, shaped in a way Brian recognized. Almost like the bruises that you got during basketball when you caught someone’s elbow with your shoulder. But what really caught his attention was the gash on AJ’s arm. That he couldn’t resist stepping toward and looking at. Gently he ran his fingers around the cut and the red, swollen skin.
“Did you clean this, Age?”
“Doused it with some alcohol and wiped it off.” He shrugged in that pure, AJ sort of way.
Somehow Brian managed to resist rolling his eyes. The cut wasn’t deep, but it was wide. Later on he’d clean it again and put some butterfly tape on it. For now, he wanted an explanation. It must have been obvious because AJ donned his shirt again and quickly gave Brian a recap of his fight with Stephen. He didn’t leave anything out.
When he was done he stood and waited as if he was prepared to be yelled at. Brian found himself not feeling angry, but touched. AJ wasn’t the type of person to take things lying down. If presented with something he dealt with it head on, no matter the consequences. Even more so when it came to people he cared about.
In those actions, Brian could see the love AJ had for him. He took it as a show of how much AJ loved him, and how important their relationship was. It both touched and thrilled him.
Seeking to dispel AJ’s nerves and get him to smile, Brian took the step that brought them right up against one another. His hands came back up to the back of AJ’s neck again and he let their bodies meld against one another. “My hero.” He whispered.
Surprise lit AJ’s eyes, followed quickly by love and lust and humor. He grabbed Brian’s hips, pulling them even closer. “You’re not mad?”
“Mm, mad is definitely down the list of things I’m feeling right now.”
The lust in AJ’s eyes grew darker. “What’s toward the top?” he growled. That growl sent shivers down Brian’s spine. He pressed his body even closer and let his lips slide along AJ’s jawline. “Can’t you guess?” His voice was a soft murmur against AJ’s ear. It excited him to feel AJ shiver. “Once the meet and greet is done, and we’ve made our appearance at the after party, take me back to the hotel and I’ll show you what’s on that list.”
The look on AJ’s face said clearly that he wanted to skip all that other stuff, but the door to the dressing room popped open and Nick poked his head in. “Come on, lovebirds. The fans are waiting out there and Kev’s getting antsy!”
Casually Brian reached down, took off his shoe, and threw it at Nick’s head. His best friend laughed and ducked, sticking his tongue out at them. “Mature, Rok, real mature.”
“Screw yourself, Carter.” He shot back.
“Nope, no screwing right now. Now, fans. Sex later. At least, I sure hope I’m getting some later.” He made another goofy face and wiggled his eyebrows. “Well, not from either of you.” That was tacked on as he realized how his comment had sounded.
There was nothing the two could do but laugh at him.