Only When

What he really wanted, AJ pondered as he stared at the ceiling, was a cigarette. That, that was in fact what he wanted. He drummed his fingers idly on his stomach, squinting a bit as he considered his options. He could either get up, hunt around for wherever it was that he tossed his pack of cigarettes, try to find a lighter and then go outside and smoke. Or he could stay here in bed. He frowned, trying to work out a solution. It was absolutely perfect here in bed, the exact right mixture of coolness to the room and warmness under the covers and he didn't want to get up but he wanted to smoke and there had to be some solution. "Think, man, think," he muttered quietly, not for the first time cursing himself for coming up with the idiotic idea that he would smoke less if he only allowed himself to smoke outside. It had seemed so logical and reasonable and it was which ultimately was the problem. It made him think about whether or not he truly wanted a cigarette and wasn't that annoying.

He nestled a bit deeper into the bed. He'd get up in a few minutes, he would, really. But not quite yet. AJ sighed contentedly. Not at this exact moment. No, right now he'd keep on lying here, soaking up the heat and enjoying the feeling of peace and contentment. He hadn't felt this relaxed in months and while, yeah, fine, it wasn't like that wasn't going to keep on being the way he felt, it still was nice to luxuriate in it for awhile. He stretched a bit, reaching up and brushing his fingers against the headboard. Oh yes. This was definitely the way to wake up. Now if only he could smoke too then it would be perfect.

With a small sigh of regret, AJ pushed up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. There was no use in whining about it, after all, he had only himself to blame. He stretched again, wincing as a loud crack echoed through the room. Maybe he should consider joining Howie in that weird yoga/tai chi/pilates whatever it was that Howie was doing. If nothing else, AJ thought as he fished about on the floor, finally coming up with a pair of sweats, it was doing wonders for Howie. He was looking incredible lately. AJ cinched the drawstring tight against his waist and then padded out towards the kitchen. The warm aroma of coffee greeted him as he wandered into the kitchen and he inhaled deeply. The joys of modern technology were good for one thing at least. There was, after all, nothing quite like waking up to find the coffee already made. He considered drinking straight from the pot for a moment before rejecting that idea. He inevitably burnt his tongue when he did that and that was not something he wanted to have happen this morning.

AJ yawned and scratched his stomach as he considered the thought of joining Howie at the gym. Howie would love it and it never hurt to try new things and it sure as hell seemed to work magic. Though maybe it wasn't so much doing the workout as it was doing the instructor that was making Howie glow like that. Either way, it couldn't hurt to try it. After all, he was getting older. AJ rolled his eyes at his reflection in the refrigerator. "Yeah, McLean, you're so very very old." He stuck his tongue out at himself. "Decript. Over the hill. About to keel over at any moment." He crossed his eyes and then pulled the fridge door open, searching around for the cream. What the hell, if he was hitting the gym later he could use real cream this once. He was sure to work it off.

He pulled a mug out of the cabinet, then grinned as the scittering of claws grew louder and louder, laughing when he felt the thud against his legs. "What is it about you and cupboards?" AJ grinned as he knealt down, scratching roughly behind Cassidy's ears. "Do you have bat hearing or something, do you just assume that because a door opens you'll get a treat?" Enthusiastic wagging was his response, followed quickly by a yelp. "Shhhh," AJ reached over, pulling open a drawer, reaching in and grabbing a bone. "You need to be quiet." Cassidy cocked his head, then sat down, eyes bright as he watched AJ stand. "Good boy. Now shake." Cassidy obediently held up a paw and AJ did a little dance. "Ha HA! I knew I could get you to learn that." He held out his hand and Cassidy gently took the bone, lying down and then busily gnawing at it.

AJ straddled him as he poured his coffee, dumping in a generous amount of cream. A slow sip confirmed that once again he had managed to attain the perfect balance of coffee to cream and he mentally patted himself on the back as he made his way to the front door. Nothing like a good cup of coffee and reading the paper and knowing that a long, lazy day lay in front of him. He scooped the paper out of the box, scanning the headlines as he headed back into the house. The world apparently hadn't ended during the night, though not for lack of trying. He dumped the paper on the table, fishing out the entertainment and sports sections before heading out back, Cassidy right on his heels.

He read for awhile, tossing the ball whenever Cassidy brought it back over, finally folding the paper up and simply sitting there sipping at his coffee, the light breeze warm against his skin. It was going to be a beautiful day and he wondered if maybe a drive up the coast was in order that night. It'd been awhile since he'd done that, put the top down and drove, letting the wind wash over him and losing himself to the sound of the ocean and music and the sheer bliss of a perfect fall night. Yeah. AJ nodded. Yeah. That was definitely going to have to be added to the agenda. Cassidy wandered over, a stick in his mouth, and AJ tossed it, shaking his head as Cassidy scrambled away. There was still so much of the puppy in him, the not quite there yet coordination and the too big paws and the exuberance that no amount of activity could dampen.

"You know," AJ squinted as Cassidy looked up at him, "I should have called you Nick." Cassidy barked in response and AJ put a finger to his lips. "Shhhh." His response was another yelp and AJ snorted. "Yeah, you don't listen either. Really, I think I'll change your name to Nick."

He grabbed his now empty mug and the paper and made his way back into the house, glancing back to see that his dog was now rolling around in something. AJ pinched at the bridge of his nose. "I don't want to know, I don't want to know," he muttered as he tossed the paper on the kitchen counter. It was a good thing that he hadn't put the hose back after the debacle with the garbage yesterday. AJ poured himself another mug of coffee, eyeing the pack of cigarettes lying next to the toaster. He still wanted a cigarette, he truly did. He drummed his fingers on the counter weighing the choice in his mind. He could go outside and smoke and feel that rush in his blood. Or he could reach up, grab another mug and head back into the bedroom. The mug was in his hand without another thought and he smiled widely. Yeah, like there was any question what was going to win there.

AJ treaded carefully so he didn't wind up tripping over the rather astonishing array of clothes and dog toys strewn across the bedroom floor, setting his own mug on a nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed, waving the mug slowly back and forth. He grinned as Kevin stirred, one eye just barely visible behind the curtain of his hair.

"I have mentioned I love you, right?" Kevin muttered as he pushed himself up just far enough to take the coffee, swallowing greedily then handing the mug back, resuming his sprawl across the bed.

"It may possibly have come up, once or twice." AJ leaned across Kevin, chest pressed to his back as he set the coffee down on Kevin's nightstand. "In passing."

"Good, because anyone who makes coffee like that deserves to know," Kevin's voice was muffled by the pillow but AJ didn't care. For the first time in months he was hearing the low growl that was Kevin's voice when he first woke in person and not over some transatlantic line. Kevin could have been calling him an idiot for all he cared just so long as he was saying something right there in front of him. "How long have you been up?"

AJ glanced at the clock then shrugged. "I don't know about an hour or so." He knelt, a knee on either side of Kevin, hands kneading Kevin's shoulders. "Maybe a bit longer."

"Why didn't you wake me up? I can't believe you didn't wake me up." Kevin tried to turn over but AJ pressed down and Kevin gave up his half-hearted struggle with a sigh. "You shouldn't have let me sleep."

"You rather obviously needed it, you've been out for about thirteen hours. Seriously, Kev, I was about to hold a mirror under your nose to make sure you were still breathing." AJ scooted down the bed a bit, digging his thumbs in deep. "How's your back feel? Because from my perspective you've got this great imitation of a rock thing going."

"It feels like a great imitation of a rock thing." Kevin groaned as AJ worked out a knot. "God, the one thing I hate about flying, especially a flight like that."

AJ smacked Kevin on the ass. "Did I just hear you Mr. Fly Boy make some kind of negative statement about flying?" AJ leaned forward, resting his forearm against the side of Kevin's face. "You don't feel like you have a fever."

Kevin tried to smack AJ but the angle was bad and he wound up missing entirely. "You ass."

"It could have been worse, you could have been stuck in coach with your knees up around your ears." AJ slid the sheet down a bit further, exposing the small of Kevin's back and the swell of his ass. "And not in the fun way."

Kevin shrugged. "I guess. But still. It was too long of a flight and you know how much I hate jet lag."

"Yeah," AJ hummed as he gently skimmed his fingers over the ink now decorating the hollow at the base of Kevin's spine. He still couldn't believe his eyes, couldn't believe that what he was seeing was really there. The shock of it was nearly as strong now as it had been the night before when he'd tossed Kevin's shirt aside and laid eyes on it for the first time. The skin was still faintly pink but other than that the colors were bold and the lines strong. He dragged a fingernail around the curve of the dragon's tail. "How the hell did you manage to pull this off? Seriously, Kevin," AJ trailed off, not knowing how to continue. He bent down, resting his lips against the tattoo. "Kevin."

When AJ looked up he could see the curve of Kevin's smile as he looked back over his shoulder at him. "Still surprised?" AJ rolled his eyes and Kevin laughed. "All it took were several phone calls and some luck, they weren't sure they could find the pattern. It was a good thing they did too, otherwise Howie had instructions to tie you down and trace it. And I thought you might have noticed that."

AJ snorted, then crawled up the bed, dropping a kiss on the back of Kevin's neck before lying down next to him. Kevin turned to face him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him close. "I think so, yes. I would have figured something was up other than D being his usual kinky self." AJ closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Kevin's. "I don't even know what to say."

Kevin nuzzled at AJ's neck, a hand running over the ink on AJ's shoulder. "Say you like it."

AJ laughed at that. "Like it? Having my ink on your body? Like is a bit of an understatement." He nipped at Kevin's neck. "Love is more like it."

Kevin chuckled, then pulled back a bit, cupping AJ's cheek in a hand. "My only regret is not getting it somewhere that everyone will see."

AJ pushed Kevin flat on his back, then climbed on top of him, growling into his ear. "No. I love being the only one who knows my mark is on your body." Kevin tipped his head back as AJ bit down, wrapping his arms around AJ's waist and holding him tight. They stayed like that for a very long time, locked together and breathing as one.

Back to Popslash Index

Back to Buffy Index

Mail Me