Things weren’t going any easier for AJ back in the hotel room. He stood in the bathroom, looking himself over in the mirror, inspecting the marks on his body. Brian fucking Littrell packed one hell of a wallop. That had been a surprise to learn. He really wouldn’t have pegged Brian as a fighter. Or, hell, he wouldn’t have pegged Brian as the type to lose enough control to let himself fight, either.
Wincing, AJ dabbed the washcloth against his lip again. He turned his head to inspect the cut on his left temple. It throbbed when he propped gingerly at it. That fucking shit, hitting him right in the face. AJ felt a moment of satisfaction as he thought about how sore Brian’s jaw probably was.
A knock sounded at the hotel room door. AJ glared at his reflection in the mirror for a minute before sighing. He knew who it was, an knew he couldn’t hide this from him. “Come in, D!” he shouted out. Turning, AJ looked at his back as best he could. The bruise that was on his stomach on the right was wrapped around to his back a little. Oh well, he’d dealt with worse. What caught his attention were the long scratches that went from the bottom of his spine up to his shoulders.
Those had AJ grinning without even realizing it. Who would have guessed that Brian had that kind of passion inside of him? Whatever had possessed him to kiss Brian he would never know. Sure, he’d thought to himself before that if Brian wasn’t such a prude that he’d be an attractive guy, but it had never gone in the sexual direction. It didn’t bother AJ to think that maybe he was bi, or gay, or whatever. He’d known plenty of people who went either way and had never had a bias toward the.
“What the hell happened in here?” Howie’s voice demanded from the bedroom. Turning his head, AJ looked toward the door. He’d forgotten for a second that Howie was coming in. Then the rest of his statement sunk in. Oh, shit. He’d forgotten to straighten up the room.
Just as he was about to say something, Howie appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, looking both worried and shocked. “There’s blood on the bedding over there that’s on the floor....Jesus, your face. Your stomach! What the hell happened in here?”
“Calm down, D. I’m fine.” AJ said automatically. He couldn’t explain why, but just like with Nick he didn’t want to tell anyone what had happened between them. His instinct was to shelter Brian. Realizing that, AJ scowled. Since when did he give a shit about protecting Brian? Especially when talking to Howie of all people! Disgusted, he curled his lip up and stared at the washcloth in his hand. It was tinted red with his blood. Blood that Brian had caused. “Fuck this shit.” He mumbled to himself. Looking up at Howie, he licked at his lip and said “Brian and I got into it.”
Slowly the comprehension dawned on Howie’s face. His eyes grew wide and his mouth opened a little in shock. “Wait, you mean…?”
“Yep.” AJ turned back to the mirror and continued to clean himself, moving to the cut on his temple. “Little Saint Littrell packs a pretty good punch, I’ll give him that much.”
“You’re telling me he did that? How the hell did that come about? I never would have pictured him the type to hit!”
AJ held the washcloth against his temple as it started to bleed a little again from being cleaned. It throbbed like a bitch right against his eye; that little fucking shit. This was going to be a bitch to cover up and explain to everyone. Annoyed, AJ glared in the mirror and hoped that Brian’s jaw was bruised and swollen. It would serve him right.
“We were arguing about shit. He was staring at me when he came in cause I was looking under the bed for my other shoe. I told him something about how he should take a picture, it lasts longer or some shit like that.”
Rolling his eyes, Howie stepped forward. He looked at AJ’s back and saw the scratches there. One of them was bleeding sluggishly. He wondered briefly what had caused them, because they looked almost like claw marks from a passionate embrace, but he kept quiet so AJ could finish his story. Quietly he grabbed a second washcloth, wet it, and set about cleaning AJ’s back.
“We bickered back and forth, just the usual snippy shit. We can’t seem to control it, you know? I can’t help it.”
“I know, Age. I understand, even if no one else does.” Howie reminded him softly.
There was no one else who understood the way that Howie did. He was the only one that knew about the reason that AJ held such anger toward Brain. Personally, he thought it was a little ridiculous, but he could see it from AJ’s point of view, and could see how it had grown beyond that moment. It had grown with the two of them until it was something else entirely; until there wasn’t anything left between them but anger.
“Anyways, I kind of snapped a little with something he said. I started poking at him an telling him what I thought of him and his perfect little naïve world and how fucking easy he has it. Never having to bust his ass to do shit or try and try and fail over and over again. All he had to do was get Cousin Kevin’s phone call and here he was.”
Just thinking about it had AJ getting annoyed all over again. He rinsed his washcloth off in the sink, wringing it out furiously and scowling. “When I was done yelling, he put his hands on my chest and shoved me back a few steps.”
Immediately Howie winced. He knew AJ, and knew how that must have gone over. AJ was the type of person that you didn’t lay hands on unless you were prepared to physically defend yourself. It came from getting picked on and beat up so much when he was younger. Both he and Howie had dealt with that kind of treatment, being in dance and music. AJ even more so because he took any kind of dance class he possibly could when he was younger, including ballet.
“Well, anyway. I jumped at him an next thing I know we’re rolling around and hitting and shit. Fucker has a strong punch.”
“You know Kev’s gonna flip over this, right? He’s going to fucking flip that you and his cousin beat the shit out of one another. It’s not like you can hide the cuts and bruises. You’ll probably have a black eye by tonight, and that lips gonna swell. Your side will probably ache like crazy for a while too.” Howie pointed out, finishing cleaning up AJ’s back.
AJ shrugged, suddenly uncertain. “Nick was already here to grab Brian. He interrupted us. We, I, told him that fans caught us on our way in while Brian was preaching and they jumped us.” He still didn’t understand why he’d said that.
Surprise had Howie raising his eyebrows. That wasn’t what he had expected to hear. It almost sounded like AJ was…protecting Brian. No, no, that couldn’t be it. He probably did it so that Kevin wouldn’t jump his ass over this. That had to be why AJ had done that. Otherwise it made no sense. “I guess I can see why. I know Kevin’s usually a hardass with you. It’s bullshit, but I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Nothing you can do, D. About any of it.” AJ shrugged his shoulders as if to roll the weight away. It bothered him more than he cared to admit to that Kevin seemed to ready to sit in judgment of him. Almost as ready as Brian was. At least Kevin had given him a chance first before deciding that he thought AJ was an ass. He was still civil to him, most of the time. The only time he wasn’t was when it came to Brian. That, AJ could respect. They were family. It was understandable that Kevin would defend Brian. But, it still hurt sometimes that Kevin assumed automatically that everything was AJ’s fault.
Sighing, he offered his best friend a small smile. “I think I’m gonna bail on movie watching tonight if you don’t mind, D. I think I’ll just straighten the room up, take a shower, and turn in early.”
“You sure, Age?” Moving slowly, Howie set his washcloth in the sink and looked at AJ’s face. He tried to read the emotion there but it was impossible. AJ was learning too well how to cover up the emotions in his eyes with what he wanted you to see. He couldn’t shut it off completely; his eyes were too expressive for that. But he was learning to manipulate even himself now, so he could show you one thing he felt while using it to cover up what else he felt. It made Howie sad, to see that change in his friend.
AJ’s lips curved in a smile he didn’t quite feel and he let only the love he felt for his best friend show in his eyes. “I’m sure. Thanks, though. You have a good night, bro.”
Once Howie was gone it left AJ peace to clean the room with. The monotonous work helped him calm his mind and look back on what had happened. To try to analyze from start to finish how they had ended up where they were. He was still thinking about it, and stewing, as he headed to the shower.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian stepped quietly back into the hotel room, his nerves feeling stretched almost raw. When he heard the sound of the shower running he almost sighed in relief. Facing AJ was the last thing he wanted to do right then. He still had no idea what he was going to say or do. What did you say to someone who you had beat the shit out of, and who had beat the shit out of you, and who you had then proceeded to make out with? This wasn’t a situation he knew how to be in!
Damn AJ for putting him in this place! If he hadn’t of been poking at him, Brian never would have shoved him. But AJ had been taunting him. AJ had been poking him in the chest. Hell, AJ was the one who made the first leap to start the wrestling match! AJ had been the one to kiss first, too.
But, as much as he tried to hold on to his anger, Brian had to be fair. AJ may have kissed him first, true. But Brian had rolled them over and pinned him down and kissed him back. In that aspect he was just as guilty.
He had undressed down to his boxers and was just climbing into bed when he heard the shower shut off. Quickly he stuffed himself under the covers and rolled sideways, his back to the bathroom. Eyes shut tight, he listened as AJ moved around in the bathroom, and then as the door was opened.
For a moment the only sound was AJ shuffling around on his side of the bed. Then Brian heard a soft snort followed by “I’m not retarded, despite your fucked up belief, Littrell. I know you’re awake.” Well, so much for faking being asleep. But even though AJ knew he was awake, that didn’t mean that he had to talk to him. What he’d said wasn’t a question, so it didn’t demand an answer. Brian stayed silent, but he opened his eyes to stare at the wall.
“Is that how it’s going to be? You attack me and then give me the cold shoulder?”
Attack him? Rolling on to his back, Brian shot a glare through the darkness toward AJ’s bed. “Attack you? You’re the one that kept poking at me! You’re the one who jumped on me!”
Rising up from where he’d been squatting by his suitcase, AJ flashed a mocking grin. “Got you to talk, didn’t it? I can’t fucking stand being ignored. I’d rather you decked me again.”
“That can be arranged.” Brian surprised himself by snapping. Once the words were out of his mouth he froze, appalled at himself. When on earth had he turned so violent? Fighting wasn’t his style. Talking, or making jokes or walking away. That was what he was known for. If pushed, yes, he could fight. But he never sought it out!
The words surprised AJ too for a moment. Then his grin turned razor sharp. “My, my, Saint Littrell is getting a little less snooty. Who would of pictured you the rough type? Why, if only your family could see you now!”
Brian propped himself up on his elbows, unable to resist AJ’s taunts. He felt that same anger from earlier in the pit of his stomach. How on earth could AJ manage to get under his skin and piss him off so quickly? “I’m not the rough type, and quit calling me Saint Littrell!”
Laughter slid past AJ’s lips. It was cold and rough and carried a mocking note to it that Brian couldn’t tell if it was intended at him, or at AJ himself. “Not rough?” he rasped out. The next thing Brian knew, AJ was striding around the bed and moving toward him. The closer he got, the more into the light from the open bathroom door, the more he became visible.
A gasp slid past Brian’s lips. He saw the cut on AJ’s temple, now surrounded by a bruise that took up half of his eyebrow and the corner of his eye as well. His split lip looked a little better, not so swollen, but there was a definite cut across it. What really caught Brian’s eye was the bruise on AJ’s side and stomach. Had he really done that by punching him? Sweet God.
Against his will, Brian’s eyes traveled lower, noticing for the first time that AJ was still wearing only a towel. A jolt ran up and down his body. It took him a second to recognize that it was desire. Not the steady heat he was used to. But that sharp, dark passion that he had felt earlier. Guiltily he jerked his eyes away from him.
But AJ wasn’t backing down. He kept coming closer, his movements slow and easy. It made Brian nervous. “Look, I’m tired, AJ. I want to go to bed, ok?” he tried desperately.
In reply, AJ sat on the edge of his bed. Immediately Brian hopped up, mumbling about using the bathroom. The last thing he wanted was to be close to AJ right then. He still hadn’t worked everything out in his mind. To hate and want this man at the same time was not something he could understand! Before he could make it to the bathroom, AJ’s hands were on his shoulder, spinning him and slamming him into the wall.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Brian found himself demanding. He fell back on anger, letting it fill him to hide away the other sensations inside of him. Anger was safer. “Let go of me, AJ.”
“I don’t think so.” AJ told him in a low, deep voice. “I’m going to kiss you again, first.”
Brian sucked in air. “Excuse me?” he demanded. Anger. Anger was safer. Not that little thrill of desire that filled him when AJ said those words. Cling to the anger! “I don’t think so. Back off, AJ.”
“You know you want me to do it too. Saint Littrell wants another man, a man he hates, to kiss him. How that must eat you up inside.”
“I told you not to call me that.” Brian growled. He watched the smirk settle on AJ’s lips, and that mocking look come into his eyes. It only made his anger grow. “Now back off, AJ.”
AJ slid closer to him, bracing a hand on either side of Brian’s shoulders. “Make me.” He breathed, inches away from Brian’s face. AJ sounded so confident that he wouldn’t be able to that it put his back up even further. Without thinking about it he shoved AJ away from him roughly, stepping forward as he did. “I said back off!”
Snarling, AJ planted his hands on Brian’s chest and shoved him back against the wall so hard that his head bounced. Then he was grabbing Brian’s face and kissing him for all they were worth. Just as it had been earlier, passion and rage twined together inside of Brian. He felt the pain of AJ holding on to his bruised jaw and where he was touching the cut on his cheek, but it only added to the intensity of the kiss. Instead of fighting it, he found his hands curling into AJ’s shoulders, his nails biting into the soft skin there.
Their arousals pushed against one another, straining to be free. Brian slid his hands down, grabbing AJ’s hips and roughly pulling him closer. He bit AJ’s bottom lip, deliberately hitting that cut. AJ’s moan was like music to his ears.
In the back of Brian’s mind he screamed at himself that he shouldn’t be doing this. But he knew, deep down inside he already knew that he wouldn’t turn back. There was no turning back beyond this point. He had given himself over to the feelings, the sensations. By admitting that to himself, he freed his mind to thoroughly enjoy the anger, the pain, the passion, and the hatred.
Brian stepped forward, never breaking their kiss as they walked the few steps to the foot of AJ’s bed. When they reached it he put his hands on AJ’s chest to shove him back, but AJ wrapped around him like a monkey and toppled them both back. The impact drove the air from Brian’s lungs and gave AJ a chance to roll them over so that he was on top and Brian was stretched out on his back.
In an instant AJ was straddling his hips. He didn’t waste time, but bent his head down quickly and took Brian’s nipple into his mouth, biting it hard. Brian arched into AJ’s mouth, his hands coming to grip at his shoulders again. His nails bit into AJ’s skin and he felt the younger man shudder under his touch. “I like it when you scratch me.” AJ growled out against his chest, moving to attack the other nipple. He bit and sucked his way back up Brian’s chest until their lips found one another again.
When they broke apart, AJ dropped his mouth down to Brian’s ear, biting the lobe. Brian shivered and moaned, his body alive with feelings he had never known existed. “I’m going to fuck you.” AJ whispered in his ear, that raspy voice turned to a low growl. The words had Brian shuddering, but not out of fear. Out of excitement. “I’m going to fuck you hard and rough, until you can’t sit for a fucking week.”
Reaching a hand up, Brian grabbed a fist full of AJ’s hair and forced his face back up so that they were eye to eye. “Then do it already.” He ordered before yanking AJ down for another kiss. Their chests pressed together for a moment as Brian reached down and grabbed his boxers, lifting his hips to slide them off. AJ was grabbing hos towel and throwing it to the floor.
There movements became more frenzied. AJ moved off of Brian, over to the side of him. He attached his mouth to Brian’s ear as he brought two fingers up, holding them in front of Brian’s mouth. Without being told, Brian knew what AJ expected. He opened his mouth and sucked AJ’s fingers in, swirling his tongue around them, biting them once. AJ’s moan against his ear had his passion growing hotter.
AJ rose up and replaced his fingers with his mouth, biting on Brian’s bottom lip. Brian moaned and brought his hands up to AJ’s shoulders, holding tight to him as they kissed. He felt AJ’s free hand drop down and nudge at his legs. That hand brushed against his straining cock and Brian gasped, his hips rising and his legs falling open. “Put the pillow under you.” AJ growled against his lips.
Wasting no time, Brian grabbed one of the extra pillows and slid it under his hips. A second later he felt one of AJ’s fingers questing at his entrance, probing around it. Then it was pushing in, pushing deep, and slamming right into something that had Brian’s whole body bucking. His head dropped back and his clawed at AJ’s shoulders as the younger man started to finger fuck him, fast and hard, tapping that one spot that created such intense pleasure. One finger turned into two, and then three, and Brian couldn’t think. There was pain, but it was mixed with the pleasure so deeply that he couldn’t separate them.
AJ yanked his fingers out and climbed between Brian’s legs. He spat in his hand, using it to lubricate himself before he positioned his cock at Brian’s entrance.
Looking up into those chocolate eyes that were almost black with lust, Brian felt no hesitation, which should have surprised him. He shouldn’t have wanted this. He shouldn’t have been here. But he did, and he was. “Now, now.” He demanded, pulling at AJ’s shoulders and his back, anything to get him close. “Now, AJ. Hard and fast and now!”
AJ growled and kissed Brian right as he pushed inside of him. The pain was excruciating. Brian would have screamed out loud if AJ hadn’t clamped a hand over his mouth. Digging his nails into AJ’s back, Brian screamed against AJ’s palm, his body bowing up. God, it hurt! But at the same time, the pain felt so good!
Then AJ started to move, and Brian couldn’t think at all. The pleasure of his fingers had been nothing. A crumb in comparison to the whole cake. The pain was still there, but it was surrounded by pleasure now. Pleasure so strong that Brian was rolling his hips in response, his scream changing to a moan. He gasped and panted when AJ moved his hand.
It didn’t take long to fall into a steady rhythm together. The pace was hard and fast, hot and slick. One of AJ’s hands came down, wrapping around his cock, pulling it roughly and making him shudder. Brian reached up and gripped AJ’s back again, his nails digging into his skin. AJ moaned and kissed him, breaking only to demand “Again!”
Enjoying the reaction, Brian dragged his nails over AJ’s spine, up to his neck. He wouldn’t be surprised if he welted his skin. But AJ moaned into their kiss and bit down on Brian’s lip as his hips and hand pumped faster.
The passion was growing faster and faster. It was consuming him, burning him alive from the inside out. His hips rolled down and back, meeting AJ thrust for thrust. They paid no notice to the bed slamming against the wall, or the sounds of flesh hitting flesh. Brian felt his orgasm start to build, knew it was coming closer, and he was gasping and moving, angling for that right spot. When AJ hit it he almost screamed again.
“There?” AJ asked him in that deep, straight sex voice. He lifted Brian’s legs, resting them over his arms, and started to thrust harder and faster. He hit that pleasure spot with each slam of his hips. Brian’s eyes started to slide closed, the pleasure almost peaking, so close, so close…
Through the haze he heard AJ. “Look at me.” He ordered. It wasn’t a request, it was a demand. Brian could do nothing else but listen. He opened eyes that were almost blind with passion. All he could see in his line of vision were AJ’s eyes. There was so much passion in them that Brian felt as if he would be burned just by looking. But he couldn’t look away. “That’s right, look at me.” AJ’s voice dropped lower and lower. “I want to see your face. I want to watch your eyes as you cum. Now, baby. Let go! Now!”
And he did. AJ barely had time to put his hand over Brian’s mouth before he was screaming out his orgasm, his body jerking and shuddering and splintering into a million pieces. It went on and on, draining him, pulling everything he had. When it let him go he gasped and dropped back to the bed. Above him AJ’s movements were jerkier. Brian was still looking at his eyes and could see that AJ was just on the edge himself.
With one hand he grabbed AJ’s hair, forcing their lips together in a heated kiss, while with the other he reached down and clawed from hip to shoulder blade on AJ’s back. That was enough. He felt AJ thrust once more, burying deep, and then he gave a half moan, half shout against Brian’s lips as his body emptied deep inside of Brian.
For a few long moments they lay there together, bodies twined, gasping for air. Finally AJ was able to move. He lifted on his arms long enough to pull out. But then he collapsed against right against Brian’s side. “That was…surprising.”
Brian looked over at the top of AJ’s head. Thoughts were starting to come back to him, little by little. “Yes.” He managed to say.
“Are you going to start overanalyzing it already, or can the truce at least last until morning?”
The question caught Brian off guard. He thought about it for a minute. “Till morning? Easy to keep the peace while we’re asleep, I guess. Morning it is.”
Curling tighter against Brian, making him gasp, AJ murmured “Who said anything about sleep?”