Nick was humming with it as he towelled his hair dry before he even realised what the song was. But Howie's part jarred him into reality, as always. The chimed "You're all I need, oh girl" caused a growl to rise in the young man's throat. The towel snapped out of his hands at the stereo without thought. It wasn't enough to make it tumble satisfyingly to the ground, but that was the last song on the album and it has stopped anyway.

His post-show high gone, Nick threw himself full out on the bed, ready to sulk. When the bathroom door opened again, his companion took in his posture without comment. Soon the bed dipped as he was joined by someone who could read his mind. A.J.'s hands are welcome on his naked back, moving in small, soothing circles. He exhaled and tried to relax but it just wasn't working that night. Soon Alex was straddling him, kneading hard at his shoulders, probably hurting himself trying to loosen the knots.

"It really got to you tonight, huh?" A.J.'s voice was warm and sympathetic.

"He's so goddamn straight." Nick grumbled in response.

"You mean up a river in Egypt." It was an old conversation. Both humour and resignation tinted A.J's reply.

"Same difference. Like... same.. result." Even around someone who knew him that well Nick struggled to make the words come out right anyway. "He's not here, is he? I fucking kissed him onstage tonight. Did you hear anyone booing?"

"Nicky, no one noticed."

"Fuck that." By this point, A.J. had given up on the massage. Nick was just working himself up. "It's okay to kiss Brian onstage, 'cause we're "best friends". It's okay to kiss Kevin onstage..."

"Except he'll try to knock your lights out." They both laughed at the truth of this, but Nick continued his train of thought.

"And it's okay to kiss Howie onstage 'cause it's the only time he fucking LETS ME!"

"Shhhhh." A.J. trailed his tongue up Nick's spine in one long, slow lick, making him shiver. "You know why it's not okay to kiss me onstage?"

"Mmmmm yeah." Nick breathed. "'Cause it's a family show."

"When we had that silly string fight?" A.J. mouthed the back of Nick's neck. "I was this close to just knocking you over on the catwalk and ripping off your clothes."

"Dammit." A low groan escaped Nick's throat. "You should have. Maybe he woulda joined in."

"You do realise that the whole threesome idea is one of the reasons he won't?" Long fingers traced patterns in Nick's side.

"Sure. But picture it." Nick's voice had sunk to its deepest register, "Me, flat on my back, half-naked across the catwalk. You, hot and sweaty on top of me, with all your clothes still on, fucking me hard." He drew the last "r" out before biting down on the "d". "Who could resist joining in?"

"Um." A.J. gulped. He was still new to the reality of a sex life with Nick and sometimes, Nick's raw, effortless sexuality overwhelmed him a little. "Not me?"

The pure sex aura vanished as Nick dissolved into laughter beneath him. "You're tellin' me..." he gasped between fits, "you'd go fuck yourself?"

Put like that, A.J. can't help but join in the laughter. They collapsed together, laughing, teasing, touching. Eventually A.J. wound up in Nick's embrace, almost completely surrounded by warm, clean, mostly-naked Nick. It was the kind of sleeping arrangement he could live with, especially if that towel were to drop a little lower...

"Know who's next door tonight?" Nick murmured in his ear. Their eyes met. Nick was radiating sex while his eyes sparkled with ideas. A.J. wasn't sure he could hold off long enough to hear Nick's idea.

"I can g-guess." That stutter was completely Nick's fault. Nick's presence, Nick's eyes, Nick's gentle, evil hand removing A.J.'s towel.

"Don't you think he deserves a little torture?" A.J. writhed at the sensation of warm, wet tongue on his neck. There were definitely very good reasons Nick's mouth wasn't allowed anywhere near A.J.'s body in public. "For being such a tease to both of us all these years?"

"Ahhhh." Nick had more than one evil hand. With talented fingers. Carson Daly could have been next door with a camera crew, A.J. honestly wouldn't care as long as Nick kept touching him right there.

A long time later, having tortured each other and Howie sufficiently for one night, A.J. watched his lover sleep. "You do all you want to him onstage, Nicky." He whispered. "Offstage, you're mine."

A soft moan from the next room made him smile just a little. "Of course, I wouldn't mind having more than one, either."

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