Pairing: AJ and Chris
Words: jukebox; hulk; beggar; copyright


AJ slunk into the pizza parlor, hat pulled down low over his head
and looked around.  "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he said
under his breath.  Behind him, his bodyguard was checking out the
place, and AJ was pretty sure Max would just pay the manager off to
have the place closed down for a couple of hours.  Couldn't cost
much; there was only one table full, and the only other customer
was the guy dancing in front of the jukebox.

He walked over to him.  "Okay, Kirkpatrick.  Call off the dogs. 
You got me here.  What do you want?"

Chris spun around, grinning.  "Hey, hey, the great AJ.  Would you
believe this thing has two of your songs and none of ours?  It's
totally unfair."

"Whatever, man."

"I ordered us a pizza.  Should be up soon.  Hope you like the All
Meat Marvel."  Chris waggled his eyebrows at him.

AJ wanted to grab him and shake him.  "Can we cut the crap?  I'm
doing this because I have to, not because I want to.  I'm not your
friend, and I don't want to be."

Chris calmed, turning seriously so abruptly, it was like the
merriment had never existed.  "Yeah, fine.  C'mon, get something to
drink, sit down."

He stared at the plastic cup and at the self-serve drinking
fountain and then shrugged and filled it with Diet Pepsi.  At least
it'd give him something to do with his hands.  You couldn't find a
restaurant anywhere anymore that allowed smoking.  He liked Vegas
better; they were open about their sins.  But he wasn't allowed to
go to Vegas anymore.

AJ sat the drink down on the table and slid into the booth on the
plastic bench seat.

The music playing was country; Chris was tapping his fingers along
with it and staring at him.

"So," AJ said.  "Do it.  Whatever it is you're going to do.  Get it
over with it.  There's nothing you can tell me or ask me that
everyone else hasn't already."

"Probably not," Chris agreed.  "You know why I said yes when Howie
called me?"

AJ raised his eyebrows, then shrugged.  He didn't give a damn.

"Not because I thought I could do any good, 'cause I know better
than that.  By now, you've heard more psychobabble than I probably
remember from college, whatever Howie thinks.  I can't tell you
anything that someone better trained wouldn't do better.  Sure,
maybe I understand a little better, but maybe not.  And you've got
to have heard it all by now."

"Yeah.  So?"

"So I thought maybe you could use a way out.  And if not, some good
pizza.  Hey, thanks," Chris said to the guy who dropped off the
pizza on the table along with some plates and silverware, and
picked up a piece as the guy walked away.  "Good stuff.  Have
some."

AJ didn't touch it.  "What do you mean, a way out?"

"Your guys sent you to me, right?  I figure it's because they think
it's less threatening for you to be seen having a friendship with
me than it is to be seeing another shrink, especially when the
shrinks aren't doing you any good.  And better than you doing other
stuff.  But if you do come talk to me, it'll get them off your
back.  So I figure maybe it'd be good for you."

AJ snorted.  "I don't think so.  I don't need any more friends, and
I don't need your help.  I sure as hell don't need this."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Is it true?"

AJ'd been on the verge of pushing back from the table and getting
up, but Chris had paused in stuffing pizza into his mouth and was
staring at him.  "Is *what* true?"

"That you've been drinking again?"

"None of your business."

"It is, isn't it?  That's what this is about."

"I *said*, it's not your business."

"Whose business is it?"

"Mine.  Just mine."

Chris nodded.  "Fine."

He didn't try to convince him further, and AJ looked at him even as
he stood up.  "That's it?  You're not going to say anything else?"

"Nothing to say.  I came to give you a chance at something, and you
don't want it.  That's all there is to it."

AJ hesitated.  "You're not gonna get on my case?"

"Nope."

AJ looked at his bodyguard, sitting in a booth with Chris'.  Max
glanced over at him before his eyes swept around the room again. 
He never said anything to AJ one way or the other.  Whether AJ was
walking out of some girl's room half-naked or throwing up on the
side of the road, Max didn't say anything.  He was a silent
presence at AJ's back, a hulking guardian he depended on without
ever really thinking about him.  If he judged AJ, AJ didn't know
about it.  He was the only one who didn't.

"Fine."  AJ sat back down and took one of the plates.  He used the
fork to hook a piece of pizza onto the plate, and then started
cutting it up with the edge of his fork.

"You're one of those weird mutants who eat pizza with silverware,
aren't you?"

"No.  I just don't like getting my fingers burnt."

Chris shrugged and grabbed a stack of napkins from the dispenser
and pushed them over to AJ.  "I like to live a little.  The pizza's
not that hot."

"Compared to what?"

"When it came out of the oven?  It's better when it's hot."

"I like it cold.  Day old pizza.  Nothing better."

Chris wrinkled his nose.  "Yeah, well, I'll eat it even then. 
Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.  But if it's not hot, what's
the point?"

"I dunno."

"So you wanna come over sometime?"

AJ looked up sharply at Chris, who was wiping his hands off with a
napkin and wouldn't meet his eyes.  "Why?"

"Because it'd be fun.  Because it'd be different.  C'mon, it's no
big deal, McLean.  Either you want to or you don't.  Was the pizza
so awful that you're scared I'll poison you or something?  Or do
you have better things you need to be doing than hanging out with
me and my homies doing such exciting things as watching Invader Zim
reruns and making prank phone calls to absent bandmates?"

The only thing he'd planned to do after this was go out and find
someone to take him home who he could fuck, and maybe get drunk at
the same time.  He didn't want to go home, because home was a place
where other people routinely dropped by to ensure his well-being
and make sure he was 'okay', whatever the fuck that meant.  And he
couldn't drink while he was out, because the only thing worse than
people dropping by was people seeing him drinking in the press. 
His life was a train wreck, and the parts he wanted to do least
were the ones he had to do most.

"I just got dumped," he said suddenly, then looked down.  Hell.  He
didn't know why he'd said that.  He hadn't meant to tell anyone,
least of all Chris.

"I'm sorry, man.  That sucks."

"Does it?"  He looked out the window and shrugged.  "Doesn't
matter.  I was going to break up with her anyway."

"Yeah, it does."

He was going to disagree, maybe violently, but Chris reached across
the table and squeezed his wrist with still-greasy fingers before
letting go.

"Fuck."  He rested his face in his hand, running his fingers
through his hair.  "Fuck."

When he glanced up, Chris was looking at him.  Just looking. 
Serious gaze, knowing eyes, and he didn't look sympathetic like
Howie sometimes did, or intense like Kevin did right before he
swooped in to fix your life for you, just... serious.  And AJ
didn't know how to read him yet.

Watching cartoons and making prank calls sounded like the stupidest
way to spend an evening he'd heard of in a long time.  Sounded like
something Brian and Nick would have gotten up to in Europe years
and years ago.  AJ didn't remember how long it'd been since he'd
outgrown that kind of thing.  Didn't even remember how long it'd
been since *they'd* outgrown that kind of thing.  Just that it had
been a very long time.

And he was considering it.  Really considering it.

Fuck.

"I'll tell Howie we talked," Chris said quietly.  "He should leave
you alone for a while.  Maybe that'll give you some time to do
whatever it is you're doing.  I hope it works out for you.  If you
want me, give me a call.  Howie's got the number."

And he was sliding out of his seat, and standing up like he was
going to leave, without ever having tried to solve AJ's problems or
tell him what he should be doing.  Without making demands or asking
questions or anything else anyone had done.  Just going, after one
offer of assistance, because AJ didn't want him there.

Chris was halfway to the door, his own bodyguard up and crossing
over to him when AJ found his voice.

"Wait," he said, and Chris stopped, turned around and waited.

AJ got up and joined him.  "Yeah," he said.  "I'm not a big cartoon
watcher, but it's cool.  Let's do that."

Chris nodded, and AJ followed him out.  Followed him home.  He
didn't think he was going to fuck him, and he really didn't think
Chris would even have anything for him to get drunk with, so it
wasn't the copyrighted AJ McLean plan.  It was different.

Different and maybe better.