Much to Brian’s surprise, he fell asleep beside AJ and didn’t wake again until AJ’s watch alarm went off in the morning. Stretching, Brian shut the alarm off before it completely woke AJ up. They had done this plenty enough times. Silently Brian padded downstairs, pressing the button to turn the coffee pot on as he went. He grabbed a bottle of water and took out AJ’s morning pills, carrying them in his palm as he went back upstairs.
It was easy to wake AJ just enough to get him to swallow down his pills and some water. Then his lover was lying back down and Brian tucked him in. Once that was done, he went to the bathroom and showered, waking himself up a little.
Fifteen minutes later he was dressed and standing in the kitchen, fiddling with the dials on the oven. It was only a quarter after six in the morning, so no one else had stirred yet in the house. At least, that was what he thought. But as he pulled the turkey out of the fridge and set it in the sink, Mikayla came walking in the back door, her cheeks red from the wind. “Good morning!” she said perkily as she went and got a cup from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee. It looked like she’d been out running. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore running shoes, sweats, and a tank top.
“Good morning.” Brian replied automatically. Manners had him adding “I’m sorry about bailing last night. He wanted me to lay down with him till he fell asleep and I guess I was more tired than I thought. I passed out too.”
“No big deal. I know my way around J’s house, so I set myself up in my room here. Nice to see he still had my stuff in the closet.” Her bright green eyes were sparkling with amusement as she came and leaned against the counter by the sink.
While he spoke with her, Brian started to open the turkey and pull out the insides. Those he set into a bowl for later so he could make gravy. With his elbow he turned on the cold water and started to rinse the turkey.
Mikayla watched him, smiling as she drank her coffee. “You seem pretty at home here too.”
He slanted her a look from the corner of his eye. “I’ve learned my way around.” He answered vaguely. It was amusing to watch her face as she set in to interrogate him. It was obvious that was what she intended to do. He kept rinsing the bird off, never breaking stride. He needed to have it ready and in the oven by a quarter to seven.
“How long have you two been living together? You were just starting to date when AJ cut me out of his life so abruptly.”
“Not long after that.” Brian told her casually. He pointed his chin to the roasting pan sitting on the stove. “Would you mind handing that to me?” He figured that so long as she was going to stand and quiz him, he might as well put her to work.
Mikayla grabbed the pan and set it on the counter by him. “That was pretty fast, wouldn’t you say? Going from dating to living together in such a short time is a bold move.” She asked casually.
It took everything he had not to chuckle at this pixie of a woman. For a second he busied himself lifting the turkey into the pan and arranging it the way he wanted. “There’s a bowl in the fridge with some apples and onions all cut up and covered in saran wrap. If you could hand it to me, I’d appreciate it.” He said politely. “As for your question, it wasn’t too fast for us. Since we’ve joined the band, all of us have been practically living together. This really wasn’t that different except that this is our home, not a hotel, and we share a bed. That and we’re a little freer to be together. On tour we had to keep it pretty quiet.”
That caught Mikayla a little off guard. She stared at him as she set the bowl beside the roasting pan. “You two are sexually active?” she asked him. He could easily see the nurse in her turn on. It was interesting to watch, like a switch had been flipped. At the same time he had to fight back embarrassment at being asked such a blunt question.
“Yes. We’re safe, too, before you ask that.” Brian gave her a wide grin before turning back to stuff the turkey with the cut up apples and onions.
“That’s good. At least you’re smart about it. I imagine that he’s fully disclosed everything to you, then?”
“Of course. We don’t keep things from one another.”
“Then tell me what’s going on.”
That wasn’t a request. Brian froze for a minute before going back to work. He gestured to his spice rack. “The rosemary is right there, second from the top. Would you sprinkle some into my hand for me?” he requested. He kept silent as she did what he asked, and as he rubbed it under the turkey skin. Even as he finished and went to wash his hands, Mikayla silently squirting soap in them for him, he still said nothing.
Once he had the turkey covered and in the oven, Brian moved and poured himself the single cup of coffee he drank anymore. Only when he had that first fortifying sip did he look straight at Mikayla. She was sitting on the countertop opposite him, which put her almost at eye level. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you.” He said slowly.
Mikayla looked down into her cup before looking back up at him. “Look, I’m a nurse. Denise told me he’s HIV positive, but that’s all she told me. I want to know what his viral load looks like, what his CD4 count is, what medications he’s taking, all of that kind of stuff. What kind of side effects is he having? How severe are they? Do they give him anything for them? Why on earth was he so out of breath last night?”
“The last one is the easiest to answer, and the only one I’m going to answer out of that bunch.” Brian told her bluntly. When it looked like she would protest, he held a hand up to stop her. “The rest of it is up to him to tell. I understand who you are and how much you mean to him, but I don’t even tell the other guys what his levels are on things without his permission. But I will tell you that he was just recently admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, but he’s home now and doing better. The doctor said this shortness of breath is normal as he heals.”
He set his cup down and moved over to the bowl that contained his giblets. Easily he prepared the pot on the stove to boil them and soon had them inside. “The rest of it, you’ll have to ask him when he gets up, which shouldn’t be much longer.”
“I can respect your honesty and integrity even if it makes me want to strangle you.” Mikayla told him bluntly.
As Brian started to load the dishes into the dishwasher he gave her a wide grin. “I can respect your honesty and the love you have for him, even if your demands irritate me.” He shot back.
For a minute Mikayla just watched him load the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. After he had turned it on and was turned back around, Mikayla smiled at him. “I like you.” She decided.
“Good, because I like you too. Now, come help me put the presents under the tree.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn’t even a half hour later that AJ came stumbling into the dining room. Brian looked up from where he sat with Mikayla at the kitchen table, drinking coffee and exchanging stories. One look at AJ’s face told him that his lover was feeling pretty well that morning. He rose up from his chair, greeting AJ with his usual kiss. “Morning, love.”
“Mornin’.” AJ murmured back to him. He took a seat in the chair next to the one that Brian had just vacated. Sleepily he pulled Brian’s cup over and sniffed at it, grunted, and pushed it back. Brian watched as he pulled out AJ’s cup from the cupboard. He smiled and shook his head. There was coffee in Brian’s cup, and that wouldn’t be what AJ wanted. He’d finally managed to get that last bit of coffee out of his diet.
Now, generally, AJ drank tea with his breakfast. “Green, black, or yellow?” Brian asked him, referring to the color of the packages the tea came in.
AJ rubbed at his face. “Yellow.” He said. That told Brian that AJ was a little nauseous. The yellow package held chamomile which helped soothe AJ’s stomach when it was upset. It explained why AJ was just sitting at the table and not protesting to Brian serving him. Not that it ever had any effect. But AJ usually put up at least a token protest. While he waited for the teapot to start to whistle, he gathered a few things from the fridge.
Over at the table, AJ gave Mikayla a tired smile. “You still here, brat? No better plans for Christmas?”
“I’ll go to Ma and Pa’s later today for dinner. But this morning I’m free, so I decided to stay here last night. Problem?” She quirked her head at him. The ponytail she’d had in earlier was gone, letting her hair curl attractively around her face now.
“Nope.” AJ answered. He reached over and pulled a lock of her hair, giving her another sleepy smile. “Missed you, little sister.”
Everything about Mikayla softened. “Missed you too, big brother.” She said back to him. Her hand came across the table, lacing with his. For a moment the two just shared a smile that showed the love and respect that they had for one another. Love that had been built over the years of friendship that had eventually brought them to this place where they were more family than friends.
Right as the tea kettle started to whistle, the Kevin, Kristen, Howie and Nick all stumbled into the room. Sam and Tiffany had gone home the night before to be with their families for the morning, but they would be back for dinner.
Kevin stepped up to Brian’s side, bumping shoulders with him. “Morning, cos.” He said, taking two cups from the cupboard and pouring him and his wife some coffee. “Since when are you a morning tea drinker?”
Grinning, Brian poured the water into the cup, overtop the teabag. “Not mine.” He replied. One hand holding the cup and the other holding a tray, Brian went back to the table. He set the tray in the middle and the cup in front of AJ. Then he turned and went back to the fridge, pulling out a yogurt. On his way back he grabbed a spoon and a stack of napkins.
Finally he sat down, passing the spoon and yogurt to AJ. His lover smiled and shamelessly lifted Brian’s arm out of the way so he could snuggle against his side. Brian chuckled and kissed the top of his head.
“Ok, I’ll ask.” Howie said suddenly. He took a seat as well, his cup of coffee cradled in his hands. “Since when do you drink tea? Usually you’re not alive without at least a cup of coffee in the morning.”
“I cut out most caffeine.” AJ explained simply. He opened his yogurt, licking the lid. “Plus, tea’s good. I like the peppermint the best.”
Everyone was watching him in surprise, even Mikayla. Seeing their face, Brian just grinned. He picked up his coffee and took a drink while he watched them all. It took a few minutes for AJ to notice that anyone was staring at him. He’d been intent on digging in to his yogurt. But finally he noticed. He froze a little, looking up at them all. “What?”
Nick leaned forward to pull the lid off the tray that sat on the table. “It’s just weird, J. Logically I know that you’re eating better, and you’re supposed to, but it’s still weird. Never thought you’d be a tea drinking kind of guy.” He looked at the yogurt in AJ’s hand and then at the tray of fruit he’d just uncovered. “Or that you’d have so much health food in your house. Bri, you’re ruining him here. Where’s the good breakfast stuff?”
Laughter echoed around the dining room. “This is breakfast.” Brian told him cheerfully. He reached out and took a piece of watermelon and popped it into his mouth. “We generally have fruit, and either yogurt, or cereal, or oatmeal. Whichever.”
“Bri didn’t ruin me.” AJ put in. “I started the changes. He just helps me with it.”
Howie shook his head. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
Caught up in the spirit of the day, and the good mood that seemed to be flowing around the table, Brian sat back a little in his chair. “You should see what he eats at other meals. No grease anywhere in sight! The other night we had the most delicious bean and veggie wraps for dinner.” He rubbed his stomach as he made a happy face at them.
Enjoying the shock on his friends’ faces, AJ tipped his head up to Brian. “I liked those. We’ll have to make them again. I liked the halibut asparagus stir fry, too.”
“That was good.”
“Oh! That vegetarian lasagna recipe Dr. Shannon recommended was pretty fucking good, too.”
A groan from Nick brought the attention back to him. “You guys are gross!” he exclaimed. “We’re having real food at dinner, right? Not just rabbit food?”
Everyone had to laugh at him.
Rising to his feet, AJ threw his empty container away and put his spoon in the sink. “We’ll have real food, Nicky, don’t worry. Now, who’s ready for presents?”