Pain throbbed in AJ’s temples like little men with jackhammers were trying to break out of his skull. Jesus fucking Christ his head hurt. Unlike all the stories in the world, his memory wasn’t foggy from the blow to his head. It didn’t come back in bits and pieces. One minute he was unconscious, the next he was awake, hurting, and very clear on where he was and what had happened.
Those God damn, cock sucking, sons of bitches had bashed him over the fucking head hard enough to stun him, trussed him up, and tossed him in the back of a van. They’d done the same thing to Brian. What little he’d managed to hear on the van ride to wherever they had been going had told him exactly what was going on. These bastards with their fucking Russian accents had kidnapped them. It was well known how much money he and Brian were worth. Fucking Christ, they were going to ransom them off for as much cash as they could get.
But right about then someone had noticed that he and Brian were awake, and the next thing AJ knew pain had exploded in his world and everything had gone black.
He was wide awake now. In pain, most definitely. But he was smart enough to keep himself still. He knew there was a high chance that if he let on that he was awake, all he’d get would be another blow to the head. So first and foremost he extended his other senses to try and figure out what was going on around him.
The ground underneath him was still, but there was a sensation of movement around him. It didn’t take but a moment to recognize it as the feel of flying. They were in an airplane. Next he listened, trying to find any sounds around him. There was the sound of his own breathing, and another nearby. That breathing was labored slightly, hitching here and there. His heart ached. That must be Brian. Oh God, Brian.
For a moment AJ lost himself underneath the pain in his heart. It was bad enough to be in the situation, but to have Brian here as well? That was a heartache he almost couldn’t bear. Brian wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him! This had been a trip for AJ’s solo album. But he’d been nervous about going alone. So when Brian had suggested one afternoon that he would come with AJ for a little while, well, AJ had leapt on the opportunity.
Not just for the company, though that was more appreciated than anyone knew. But also for reasons that no one else knew. How could he refuse to bring along the one person that he cared about more than anyone else in the entire world? Even if Brian didn’t know how he felt. Even if Brian was as straight as they came. AJ didn’t care. He knew Brian would never return his feelings. He’d come to terms with that. But he hadn’t been able to refuse spending all that alone time with him. Because of that, because of his selfishness, Brian was now lying here in this airplane with him.
No, no. Right now was not the time to sit and beat himself up over this. That would get him nowhere. He had to be clearheaded. He had to think. Carefully he started to listen again, trying to get beyond his breathing, beyond Brian’s breathing. After a few minutes he realized that there were no other sounds.
That was when he felt safe enough to crack his eyes open a little. It was almost as if he hadn’t. The room they were in was just about completely dark, except for a small amount of light coming through the shuttered window.
The first thing he did was look around the room they were in as his eyes adjusted to the dark. It looked like the back of a jet, in a bedroom of some sort. To one side he could vaguely make out a form that was most likely the bed. So, they were on the floor then. But he saw no shadowy forms. Nothing to say that anyone else was in the room with them.
With limbs that barely worked, AJ shifted his body toward the sound of Brian’s breathing. He didn’t dare speak, for fear someone would come in and catch him. So, ever so quietly, ever so gently, he started to slide his body the short distance that it took to get to Brian. Once he was close enough he could make out something through the dark.
A small cry built in his throat, barely managed to be held back, when he realized that what he saw on Brian’s face was blood. AJ started to bring his hands up, but stopped when he felt a weight on them. God, that blow to the head must have been harder than he’d thought if he hadn’t noticed until just now that he had handcuffs on his wrists. Fuck.
That wasn’t important. As gently as he could he wiped Brian’s hair off his face, out of the blood that was there. A small sound as all the warning he got, and AJ was clapping a hand over Brian’s mouth. He leaned in close and tried to make his voice as quiet as possible. “It’s me, AJ. I need you to be very quiet.”
A small nod let him know that Brian understood. He removed his hand, but kept his face close. “Bri, how hurt are you?” he asked worriedly.
In a voice that was almost silent, Brian whispered back “Just my head. Are we on a plane?”
God bless Brian’s quick mind. It would save a shit load of explanations. But something suddenly distracted the two of them. A sudden change in the sound around them. The plane tipped sideways, sending them both rolling into the edge of the bed, crashing into one another.
Then the two heard a sound they would never forget in their entire lives. A crash and a thud that reverberated all the way to their bones, and they were being thrown around the small room. Darkness came quickly, and the two men slid back into unconsciousness.