(no subject)
This is part 22 of the AJ!slut series. I can't believe how much has been written already. I mean. Wow. I was in shock.
slurpee; gesture; loathe; crunch; arrogant
His feet crunched in the fresh snow as he headed out to 7-11 to buy a couple of beers to go with the food he’d whipped up, after putting down the phone with his ritual seven-minute-or-so phone call with Chris. He was mulling over something Chris had said about self-loathing - “Don’t let it consume you. You have too much in you for that.” - when something… some*one* caught his attention.
“Nick?” AJ furrowed his brows as he recognized the faint outline of the once familiar body. Unconsciously, his stride began to widen, and he reached the front doors of the 24-hour shop in under thirty seconds.
Nick was inside. AJ almost pressed his face against the glass as the blonde disappeared round an aisle. Mentally slapping himself, AJ pushed the doors open, and was about to walk in, when another two familiar someones caught his eye. You have got to be fucking kidding me, he thought sullenly, as the sight of Lance and JC laughing over something JC had said scraped his nerves raw.
He slipped around to the slurpee machine, fuming inside. Taking a deep breath, AJ filled a cup, and then sauntered to where the two were still conversing. “Hey, asshole,” AJ’s jaw was tense as he flung the cold drink at JC, catching the man by surprise. “Nice conversation?”
“AJ!” Lance’s eyes were wide with shock.
JC stood, sopping wide, mouth hanging in disbelief. “What the-”
“C? Oh, my god.” Nick had suddenly appeared, and AJ couldn’t be sure if the proclamation had stemmed from shock, or from fear.
“Fuck,” AJ muttered, as the realization sank in. It was too late to do anything now without damaging his own reputation, and AJ refused to risk that. He stared JC defiantly in the eyes, both silent, till JC shook his head and took a step back. With defeat, or anger, AJ couldn’t tell. But he stood his ground, as Nick brushed past him without so much as a second glance, and was all but pulling JC out of the store.
“Carter, come on, wait.” AJ cursed the moment the words left his mouth, ignoring Lance’s pointed glare.
Nick turned then, eyes full of pain and guilt and anger, and AJ felt the tugging of shame pull at his heartstrings. There was so much in those eyes - so much more than words could ever express. And AJ found it difficult to even breathe - he was suffocating, drowning in those pools of emotion he had once found almost hysterical. “I. I didn’t know,” he said, because ‘sorry’ was too much for him. Still.
Nick just looked at him a moment longer, icy and aloof and so-fucking-blue, before licking his lips. “Doesn’t matter,” he was short, and when he turned to JC, who was already starting to shiver from the cold, he shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it warmly around the older man, and they left. “No regrets.”
So bittersweet, AJ reflected. But Nick was right. No regrets.
AJ only came out of his reverie when Lance cleared his throat, green eyes slit, taking deep, only halfway calming breaths. “Fuck, McLean.” Lance shook his head. “Fuck.”
“Um. Slurpee?” AJ lifted the empty cup meekly, arrogant demeanor all but gone.
“What a sweet gesture,” Lance cooed dryly. Then he gave AJ a look, “But no.”
“Ex*cuse* me!” The cashier finally found her voice, and pointed to the door, giving them annoyed looks. “Out! Get out of here!”
“Sheesh,” AJ muttered, as he trooped out, Lance steaming behind him, “No need to get your panties in a bunch.”
Lance had AJ slammed against a pillar before AJ had the time to think. “You listen good, McLean,” he was hissing in AJ’s face. “I’m only gonna fucking say this once. We are not together.” Lance moved his hand between his and AJ’s space. “We never were. This,” he leaned forward, kissing AJ hard, fury, frustration, disbelief, pent-up emotions he’d had no way of spending, all dislodging themselves into the kiss, “Does not mean *anything*.
“We’re in the real world here. I don’t pay you to fuck me. Or kiss me. Or touch me. And if you want there to be a fucking *us* at all, you better learn to be less fucking pushy. You don’t own me, are we clear? I can see whoever the fuck I want. And you can’t stop me.” Lance’s eyes were glinting with something AJ had never seen before. And what scared him was that he didn’t know it. Not at all.
Lance lowered his voice threateningly, bringing their faces only inches apart. “Are. We. Clear?”
“Crystal,” it was a near whisper, and AJ turned away as he said it.
“Good.” Lance let AJ go, and AJ was surprised to find himself slightly sore at the brusque contact. “Go home, AJ.” Lance was already walking away, and AJ knew the blonde wouldn’t be going home that night.
He bit his lip angrily, ignoring that he could taste the faintest tang of blood in his mouth, and stalked away furiously as Lance vanished around the bend.
slurpee; gesture; loathe; crunch; arrogant
His feet crunched in the fresh snow as he headed out to 7-11 to buy a couple of beers to go with the food he’d whipped up, after putting down the phone with his ritual seven-minute-or-so phone call with Chris. He was mulling over something Chris had said about self-loathing - “Don’t let it consume you. You have too much in you for that.” - when something… some*one* caught his attention.
“Nick?” AJ furrowed his brows as he recognized the faint outline of the once familiar body. Unconsciously, his stride began to widen, and he reached the front doors of the 24-hour shop in under thirty seconds.
Nick was inside. AJ almost pressed his face against the glass as the blonde disappeared round an aisle. Mentally slapping himself, AJ pushed the doors open, and was about to walk in, when another two familiar someones caught his eye. You have got to be fucking kidding me, he thought sullenly, as the sight of Lance and JC laughing over something JC had said scraped his nerves raw.
He slipped around to the slurpee machine, fuming inside. Taking a deep breath, AJ filled a cup, and then sauntered to where the two were still conversing. “Hey, asshole,” AJ’s jaw was tense as he flung the cold drink at JC, catching the man by surprise. “Nice conversation?”
“AJ!” Lance’s eyes were wide with shock.
JC stood, sopping wide, mouth hanging in disbelief. “What the-”
“C? Oh, my god.” Nick had suddenly appeared, and AJ couldn’t be sure if the proclamation had stemmed from shock, or from fear.
“Fuck,” AJ muttered, as the realization sank in. It was too late to do anything now without damaging his own reputation, and AJ refused to risk that. He stared JC defiantly in the eyes, both silent, till JC shook his head and took a step back. With defeat, or anger, AJ couldn’t tell. But he stood his ground, as Nick brushed past him without so much as a second glance, and was all but pulling JC out of the store.
“Carter, come on, wait.” AJ cursed the moment the words left his mouth, ignoring Lance’s pointed glare.
Nick turned then, eyes full of pain and guilt and anger, and AJ felt the tugging of shame pull at his heartstrings. There was so much in those eyes - so much more than words could ever express. And AJ found it difficult to even breathe - he was suffocating, drowning in those pools of emotion he had once found almost hysterical. “I. I didn’t know,” he said, because ‘sorry’ was too much for him. Still.
Nick just looked at him a moment longer, icy and aloof and so-fucking-blue, before licking his lips. “Doesn’t matter,” he was short, and when he turned to JC, who was already starting to shiver from the cold, he shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it warmly around the older man, and they left. “No regrets.”
So bittersweet, AJ reflected. But Nick was right. No regrets.
AJ only came out of his reverie when Lance cleared his throat, green eyes slit, taking deep, only halfway calming breaths. “Fuck, McLean.” Lance shook his head. “Fuck.”
“Um. Slurpee?” AJ lifted the empty cup meekly, arrogant demeanor all but gone.
“What a sweet gesture,” Lance cooed dryly. Then he gave AJ a look, “But no.”
“Ex*cuse* me!” The cashier finally found her voice, and pointed to the door, giving them annoyed looks. “Out! Get out of here!”
“Sheesh,” AJ muttered, as he trooped out, Lance steaming behind him, “No need to get your panties in a bunch.”
Lance had AJ slammed against a pillar before AJ had the time to think. “You listen good, McLean,” he was hissing in AJ’s face. “I’m only gonna fucking say this once. We are not together.” Lance moved his hand between his and AJ’s space. “We never were. This,” he leaned forward, kissing AJ hard, fury, frustration, disbelief, pent-up emotions he’d had no way of spending, all dislodging themselves into the kiss, “Does not mean *anything*.
“We’re in the real world here. I don’t pay you to fuck me. Or kiss me. Or touch me. And if you want there to be a fucking *us* at all, you better learn to be less fucking pushy. You don’t own me, are we clear? I can see whoever the fuck I want. And you can’t stop me.” Lance’s eyes were glinting with something AJ had never seen before. And what scared him was that he didn’t know it. Not at all.
Lance lowered his voice threateningly, bringing their faces only inches apart. “Are. We. Clear?”
“Crystal,” it was a near whisper, and AJ turned away as he said it.
“Good.” Lance let AJ go, and AJ was surprised to find himself slightly sore at the brusque contact. “Go home, AJ.” Lance was already walking away, and AJ knew the blonde wouldn’t be going home that night.
He bit his lip angrily, ignoring that he could taste the faintest tang of blood in his mouth, and stalked away furiously as Lance vanished around the bend.