The one thing that always throws AJ Styles is how grandiose Shane McMahon's apartment building is. Grandiose and boring. He grimaces at all of the bland, silver decorations, the muted colors of the white lights on the tree that greets him in the foyer, how even the greens and reds of the few things he sees when he looks around at the front desk seem lifeless. You'd think, he tells himself, fighting to keep his disdain off of his face as he scribbles his signature in the guest book, rich people like this would at least try.
But they don't. Hell, he's still an intruder on their lifeless, colorless existence, and it's wild to him whenever he runs into a neighbor of Shane's, the looks they give him standing there in bright plaid flannel and well-worn jeans, other times, crisp, bright suits that still seem to lighten up the area. How Shane, with all of his energy and zest for life, has managed to survive here for so long, AJ isn't sure.
Either way, Shane's apartment definitely is not boring. He had maybe fallen a bit into the bland sort of celebrations this building would inspire in its residents but AJ had worked him out of it over the last couple of years, bringing more and more cheerful, lovely decorations for him until Shane had figured it out and began buying his own. Now, bright reds and blues, greens and yellows, mix in with the traditional silvers and golds, and AJ grins when he pushes Shane's door open and the warm colors immediately wash over his face. He can smell cinnamon in the air, crisp and tart, and hums appreciatively as he sets down the bright red poinsettia he'd bought, following the smells into the kitchen where he finds Shane leaning against the counter, sipping from a mug of hot cocoa and staring at the oven.
Sidling up to him, AJ loops a lazy arm around his waist and kisses his neck. "Somethin' interesting in there?" he teases lightly and Shane immediately puts his mug down and turns to face his significant other, draping his arms loosely over his shoulders.
"Not anymore," he says with a grin, leaning in to kiss AJ. What starts off slow and sweet turns heated within moments, AJ exhaling soft little moans as Shane presses him into the counter and grips its smooth edge with both hands whiteknuckling it.
"Shane," he breathes, losing his track of thought as Shane hums, lips moving distractedly down his throat, towards the gap in his shirt. "Shane, I bought a poinsettia plant."
"I like those," Shane says against AJ's flesh, and AJ shudders.
"Yeah, I- I know ya do, I do too, thought it'd liven up the place a bit, ya know-"
Shane eases back up until they're eye to eye, offering AJ a mischievous grin that shouldn't look so attractive on a guy his age, but it does, dammit, it so does. "You didn't really need to bring more things to do so, but I appreciate it anyway."
AJ's mind is still muddled, and he only barely grasps that Shane probably means he livens the place up more than anything else, but before his brain can process and begin to work out a response that isn't too pathetic sounding, the oven goes off.
"Hold that thought," Shane says apologetically and pulls away, leaning AJ struggling to function once more against the counter. "I thought apple tarts would be fun," he calls over his shoulder. "I didn't feel up to making pies and thought these might be easier." He pauses. "I was wrong. But," he laughs anyway, "they look really good." He sets them aside to cool and then returns to AJ's side, not moving quickly, nor returning to pinning him against the counter, despite how much part of AJ wishes he would.
They stand side by side, smiling at each other, and Shane reaches over to gently brush some of the hair in his eye aside, tucking it behind his ear when it keeps getting in his eyes. "I'm glad you're here," Shane says. "Place always feels lonely without you."
That fits, because AJ always feels oddly untethered whenever Shane isn't around. "I'm glad I am too," he murmurs. Staring at Shane is still too intense sometimes, even after all of these years, so he turns his focus to the oven. "How long will they need to cool?"
"Maybe about an hour," Shane hedges. "Somewhere between half an hour to a full one." AJ nods blankly, staring once more into Shane's calm, beautiful grey eyes. "I'm sure we can find a way to preoccupy ourselves though." His smile is straight fire, warms its way through AJ's veins, and leaves him heady and nodding desperately.
"Ye- yeah," he exhales, body still a little tingly from earlier. When Shane takes his hand and guides him through the penthouse, the two of them stopping to examine the poinsettia plant, Shane's face softens and he strokes one of the delicate red leaves before guiding AJ deeper into the apartment, towards the bedroom.
All thoughts of judgmental neighbors and horrible Christmas decorations are immediately forgotten, his focus narrowing to how Shane's hand feels in his and the beautiful gleam in his eyes when he gets to kiss AJ again.