Bobby woke up, but he didn't want to open his eyes right away. Storm was lying on top of him naked as a jaybird, his head nestled against Bobby's neck and his arms curled tightly around him, and Bobby's arms were wrapped around him just as close. He felt more calm and rested that he had been in weeks. He thought about Pope and expected some leftover anger to burble up, but nothing came. Instead he ran his hands through the waterfall of Storm's hair closest to him and enjoyed that peaceful feeling for a minute or two more. Storm's lips flapped in a snore against his neck, tickling him a little. He grinned and idly wished Storm would wake up and kiss him on the chin like he used to.

After a minute, the new feelings crowded out the old ones and he stirred, pushing Storm on the shoulder to nudge him aside. He looked down and saw he was only in his underwear. He didn't remember getting undressed last night. Had he taken off his clothes in the night or had Storm taken them off for him? He put his head in his hands and tried to remember. Behind him he heard a stirring, followed by a sniff, and he stood up and resolved to save his worries for later.

James was looking at him. His eyes went from contentment to longing to friendliness to suspicion. Bobby turned away before it got worse and saw his shirt wadded up between the nightstand and the bed. He pulled it out and made a show of smoothing the wrinkles. A baleful silence hung in the air as they avoided each other's eyes. Bobby slipped his shirt on and looked around for his pants. James rolled over on his back and put his hands behind his head.

"I need to get some breakfast," Bobby said.

"If you see AJ outside on your way out," James said, his voice still hoarse with sleep, "send him in."

Bobby picked up his jeans and sat down to put them on. It was like sitting down with a stranger with James now. It was almost if they were in prison and AJ was the unbreakable glass between them. He stood up and reached out his hand to James for a shake, but James ignored him. Time's up, Bobby thought. Back to our cells. His face hardened.

"AJ is his own man, and so am I," Bobby spat. "I'm not your messenger boy."

"What are you still here for, then?" inquired James without looking away from the ceiling.

Bobby slammed his feet into his shoes and stomped off, trying in vain to slam the door behind him. He strode down the hallway, his feet practically leaving trails of smoke. Five rooms from his he almost ran into AJ, who was coming out of someone else's room. AJ caught sight of Bobby and made as if to duck back inside. Bobby's eyes shrank to slits and he opened his mouth to say something wounding but AJ said, "whoa there, the freight train's coming through! watch yourselves!" and laughed. Bobby swallowed the angry words and forced a smile into his face.

"Hey AJ. How are you this morning?"

"I'm good. Slept in Aries' room because somebody was hogging all the space in my bed." AJ looked at Bobby from under his lashes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Pretty well, all things considered."

"Considering you were all hugged up with James..."

"Yeah, well, I slept well, but as soon as I woke up I chewed my arm off like Coyote Ugly."

AJ laughed again, delighted. Bobby kept the smile on his face and looked at AJ as he laughed, and a furious surge of passion came over him and he inwardly rocked with the force of it. He wanted right then to slam AJ up against the wall and kiss him, press his lips against his, feel AJ's hands grabbing his body...Bobby coughed and looked away for a second before going on. "So I'm on my way back to my room. I didn't have my crazy glue with me, so I put my arm back on with some spit." AJ chuckled again, his face spreading open wide, his teeth white and even, and this time Bobby didn't hesitate to put his hand on the back of AJ's neck and bring him forward. AJ gasped a little himself and looked up into Bobby's eyes, which were two glowing orbs of naked desire. Bobby ran his hand over AJ's neck and his fingers slid inside the neck of AJ's shirt. AJ flushed but didn't look away. Bobby came a little closer, his breath like little puffs of fire. He pressed one leg against AJ's as his fingers teased his hidden skin. AJ's lips parted despite themselves and he heard himself sigh. Bobby came even closer and AJ put a hand on his chest. He felt Bobby's nipple diamond-hard against his palm, closed his eyes, and pushed Bobby back firmly. Bobby stepped back and dropped his hand to his side, but his eyes stayed glued to AJ's, an urgent message of lust written between his lashes.

AJ awkwardly cleared his throat. "I need to see about James," he said in a voice that was a touch too high.

Bobby nodded. "Okay. I'll see you." He stood for a few more seconds, ogling AJ from head to toe, and AJ squirmed under his gaze but didn't walk away. Bobby caught AJ's eye once more, licked his lips, and then turned and walked down the hall.

AJ stared at the floor until he got himself under control, took a few deep breaths, and went to see about James.

Bobby got to his room, put the key in the lock, and checked to see if he could catch one more glimpse of AJ. He saw AJ trudging up to James' room, and then, surprisingly, turn around and lock eyes with him once more. AJ's hand rose to his neck. He looked at Bobby for a long minute before unlocking the door and slipping inside. Bobby unlocked his own door and went inside. Before the door closed all the way he had yanked off his pants and laid down on the bed, his hand wrapping tight around his cock and his mind replaying those moments in the hallway over and over until he came, grunting and arching, AJ's name shooting uncontrollably from his mouth.

James' head rose when AJ stepped inside. "Hey boo," he said, raising the sheet and patting the bed next to him, "come on over here." AJ obediently stripped off his shoes and pants and snuggled next to James, who threw the sheet back over him. James cardled AJ's head in his hands and kissed AJ softly in welcome. They lay there for a while together, kissing and licking, and AJ reached around to grab James' ass. James smiled through his kisses and ran his own hand down AJ's side. AJ grabbed it as it sank down past his waist and pulled back a little bit.

"Let's just kiss," AJ breathed.

James grunted instead of agreeing. He kissed AJ again, urgently, their mouths melding together. AJ's grip on James' ass tightened. James rolled them both over until he was on top of AJ, his kisses now white hot and majestically sensual. His hands fanned out to stroke AJ's body - his arms, his perky nipples, his washboard stomach - and AJ welcomed each touch eagerly as his supple tongue delved into James' mouth. As soon as James cupped AJ's dick in his hand, AJ pulled his hand upward. James broke the kiss and gave AJ a look. "Problem?"

"I don't feel like it."

"This isn't getting you hot? It's getting me hot. I'm already naked too...shoot."

"It would but I saw Bobby outside."

James' face fell. He rolled back onto his side with a pissed off sigh and said, "So what?"

"How was it sleeping with him last night?" AJ said, restraining a grin.

James rolled his eyes and began to stroke the skin over AJ's stomach. "It wasn't anything."

"I came in last night after the party was over and you two were curled up closer than peas in a pod," AJ said. "Sure looked like something to me."

"I didn't fuck him - "

"I didn't say you did. Although I could have came in here and threw a fit..." AJ gave James a look out of the side of his eye and James blushed uncomfortably. "Anyway, it just made me wonder."

"Wonder about what?"

"Do you remember what happened last night?"

"I remember getting hammered and him bringing me back here. We talked for a while. Yeah, whatever, it was nice to talk to him again without wanting to punch him in the face. That answer your question? You gonna stop fucking with me now?"

AJ put his hand over James' and threaded his fingers between his. "Do you ever, you know, miss him?"

"No."

AJ waited.

"Okay, maybe sometimes."

"Y'all looked so cozy together."

James put his head on AJ's shoulder. "It doesn't mean anything. We've known each other for a long time. I spent years sleeping in the same room with him. It's nothing."

"And you don't miss being friends with him?"

"We were never best friends."

"I know that. But you were close."

James stretched before answering. "If he would accept the fact that the early bird gets the worm, and stop pouting and being underhanded, we'd be cool again. I'm still going to kick his ass on general principle, you understand. But why do you care?"

"I just felt a little bad about the way things turned out, that's all."

"Don't feel bad. It's not your fault. It's his."

"Is it?"

"As far as I'm concerned."

The alarm went off then, cutting off that line of conversation with its blaring whoop. James untangled his hand and snapped it off. Instead of rolling back to where he was, he lay on top of AJ and kissed him, quick and playful, even nibbling on his bottom lip a little. "Stop worrying," he whispered to AJ. "Quit letting him get under your skin." He clapped AJ on the cheek, rolled over and got out of bed, not seeing AJ avert his eyes and swallow. "I'm going to take a quick shower. I need to get some food and hit the gym," James said over his shoulder before going into the bathroom and closing the door.

AJ sat up and got his phone out of his pants. Suddenly he needed to talk to Daniels. He texted him, "Hey, feel like getting breakfast?" and was gratified to see Daniels was up for it. He pulled on his pants and waited for James to finish up. When James came out, wrapped in one towel and rubbing his hair with another, AJ was fully dressed and checking himself in the mirror.

"All ready to go, good looking?" James said with a smile. "Give me a few minutes."

"Actually, I'm going to breakfast with Chris."

James' smile faltered. "Oh yeah? Y'all won't wait for me?"

"I'll see you afterward, baby." AJ turned around and smiled, but James still looked wary. AJ walked over to James and distracted him with a kiss. "Now who needs to relax?" he asked, his hands gliding over James' damp skin and settling just above his waist. The smile came back to James' face and he ran a finger along AJ's jaw. AJ kissed him again, slower and deeper, and as James' arms came up to caress him AJ snatched his towel from his hips, threw it onto the bed, and gave his ass a mighty smack.

James' smile widened into a genuine laugh as he rubbed his ass cheek with one hand. "Go on with your teasing ass," he said, "before I whip you with my other towel." AJ blew him a kiss and left.

Daniels was already downstairs in the lobby when AJ showed up. He was reading the latest issue of Deadpool. AJ tapped him on the shoulder, and Daniels looked up, smiled, and said, "hey, ready to go?"

"Sure thing. How's the book?"

"It's decent."

They made small talk for a good while, until after halfway to the restaurant they passed a lesbian couple kissing on the street. AJ's face softened and his eyes took on a wistful look. Daniels looked over at him. "Something on your mind? You're not going to get all hellfire and brimstoney on me, are you? I need some bacon in me first."

"No. I don't do that anymore."

"I did notice. How's James?"

AJ sighed. "Fine."

"He didn't want to come?"

"I didn't want him to come."

"What's this? Problems again? What happened this time?"

AJ sighed again and leaned his head against the window. "He didn't do anything. It's me. It's me this time."

Daniels spared a second to glance over at AJ. "How so, brother?"

"Maybe I'm doing things I don't know if I should be doing."

Daniels looked out at the traffic. "Does this mean you are going to break up with him?"

The words spilled out of AJ in a sudden rush. "No. I mean I know I always said it was wrong before, but, Chris, when James kissed me that first night it felt good. It felt...right. I kept waiting for the guilt to kick in, you know? To start feeling the wages of sin. I kept waiting to feel guilty and ashamed. But the crazy thing is, it hasn't come yet. I keep looking for that other shoe to drop, but all I feel is excited. But at the same time, maybe it's not the guilt I should be afraid of. Maybe the problems I'm feeling, the problems coming up in my heart, are because I've opened myself to sin. See, I'm happy with James, I love James, but there's Bobby. I think about Bobby a lot. Even more since the accident. Sometimes...no, all the time...I want Bobby so bad. There. I said it out loud." He looked over at Daniels, his face a curious mixture of defiance and bewilderment. Daniels was silent, but nodded to show he was listening.

AJ took a breath and kept going before Daniels could open his mouth. "I sort of slept with Bobby once and I think about doing it again all the time. Just seeing him and grabbing him and saying let's go. I know he wants me. He grabbed me in the hallway today and...Chris...I wanted to go with him. James told me once Bobby fucked like a wolverine. I wish he hadn't told me that. It's been on my mind a lot. He's been on my mind a lot. He knows it, too."

Daniels kept looking at the road. AJ got the feeling he was still working out what to say. He plowed on. "I'm mad at myself for being so caught up in lust. And you know what else, Chris? I also feel bad for coming between them. I saw them last night, spooning, and they looked so natural and comfortable together and yet during the day they can't stand the sight of each other. They used to be friends. Now James is always swearing he's going to beat Bobby up. Bobby just stares him down and gives him the cold shoulder. Like, iceberg cold. And this is kind of my fault, maybe, and if I was to go with Bobby I would make this so much worse."

Daniels said, "AJ - "

"You don't need to say anything. My mind is made up. I'm going with the good one. Well, the better one. I just needed to vent all that because it was weighing on my mind and you're not involved."

Daniels looked at AJ sympathetically out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing. They rode together in silence for a few lights. AJ relaxed in his seat and took a few deep breaths. The restaurant loomed ahead of them and Daniels pulled in. He turned the car off and turned to AJ, his face serious.

"If you're going to do that, you know you have to stay away from Bobby."

"I know."

"You going to?"

"Yes. For sure. No more games. Now let's go get some food. I'm so hungry I'm shivering."

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, James was eating a sandwich from room service and playing around on Twitter when his phone beeped with a text. It was from "Talent Relations" and he blanked for a moment on who it could be. The content of the text not only brought the memories rushing back, it brought its friends, Anxiety and Worry. James put the phone down and began to pace back and forth, trying to figure out what to do next.