"Hey." Dre said.

He walked further into the room, not quite sure what to make of what he thought he'd seen just as he stepped into the room. It had looked like they were pulling apart, but that would mean… Dre gave himself a mental shake. He had to be seeing things.

AJ stood stiffly by the mantle, uncomfortable. The last time Dre had seen him he'd been naked, tied up, bloody and beaten. Clearing his throat, he forced himself to say hi.

Dre pulled his gaze from Marshall and settled on AJ, remembering how bad he'd looked the last time he'd seen him. "Hey. You're looking…better."

AJ fidgeted. "Yeah. Listen, thanks for what you did that night. Marshall told me it was you who picked the lock and gave him the blade."

Dre shrugged. "No problem."

AJ watched as Dre moved to sit down in a chair and Marshall crossed to the couch and sat down. Feeling out of place, he started toward the doorway. "I'll just go move my shit to the guest room while you guys talk."

As he passed the couch, Marshall reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "You don't have to leave. Sit down. We can get your shit taken care of later."

AJ glanced from Marshall to Dre, not liking the suspicious look in Dre's eyes. If Marshall wasn't careful, Dre was going to figure it out, if he hadn't already. Pulling his wrist away, he nodded and sat in a nearby chair, slouching down and trying to look like he didn't have a care in the world.

Marshall turned to Dre, knowing him well enough to recognize his 'business face'. "So, what's going on?"

Dre set aside the disturbing thoughts about AJ and Marshall running through his head and looked at Marshall intently. "I got bad news, man, it happened."

Marshall tensed. "No. No fucking way. Don't even say it."

Dre shook his head. "I wish I didn't have to but…"

"Mother of fuck!" Marshall yelled, jumping up from the couch and pacing the room.

AJ watched him for a second, having a flashback of that night when Marshall had lost it and beat the hell out of his car.

Turning to Dre he asked, "What…"

Dre shifted his gaze from Marshall to AJ. "Someone leaked his CD. The entire thing. It's all over the net, just like D-12's last year."

"Damn." AJ said.

"I want the motherfucker's cunt ass who did this fucking shot for this shit. Goddamnit. I can't fucking believe it. Not fucking again. This is just…FUCK!" Marshall screamed, picking up the nearest object and hurling it at the wall.

AJ cringed as the lamp he'd thrown shattered. "Marshall…"

Marshall whirled on him, resisting the urge to light into him. Somewhere in his enraged state, he realized AJ was just trying to help. "Don't…just…don't."

AJ nodded and sat back quietly as Marshall continued to rage and smash things. Dre sighed, sitting back too, waiting for Marshall to run out of steam. He was familiar with this pattern.

AJ looked over at Dre, noting his nonchalant attitude, then glanced back at Marshall just in time to see him pick up something off of the mantel without looking at it. AJ shot up out of the chair and was in front of him before he could swing forward and let go.

"Alex, get the fuck out of my way." Marshall warned in a voice vibrating with barely leashed violence.

AJ swallowed hard and stood his ground, pointing to Marshall's hand. "Hailie…" He trailed off as Marshall looked over at his hand.

"Oh fuck." Marshall said, finally calming down a little as he realized what he'd almost done. He'd picked up the knickknack Hailie had made him and had almost smashed it without realizing it.

Dre watched with keen interest. People had stepped in Marshall's path before, and never had Marshall even paused a heartbeat before throwing whatever it was he was planning to throw anyway. If they didn't duck that was their fucking problem in Marshall's opinion. Just now though, Marshall had not only paused, but also warned AJ off and waited for him to move.

Dre watched as Marshall carefully set down the object and simply stood staring at it for a couple minutes trying to get himself under control. Finally Dre cleared his throat and asked, "Marshall, you calm enough to talk now?"

Marshall nodded to Dre then turned to AJ. "Thanks."

AJ offered a small smile and said, "No problem."

Marshall turned back to Dre and asked, "There's more?"

Dre sighed, wishing he didn't have to be the bearer of bad new the way he was being forced to. He'd drawn the proverbial 'short straw' in the phone conference earlier with the various involved parties.

"Well, the label wants to push up the date of your release now by a week, maybe more."

"Are the CD's going to be ready to ship in time?" AJ asked, knowing how production could go right up to the wire.

Dre nodded. "Yeah. They may even have it to the stores ten days early."

"Is it necessary?" Marshall asked, walking back over to the couch and plopping down in frustration.

Dre watched as AJ did the same, sitting right down next to Marshall when he could have sat back down in the chair he'd been in earlier. Dre decided there was definitely something going on.

Forcing his thoughts back to the matter at hand, he said, "Uh, yeah. They aren't even worried about the downloads as much as the bootlegs. They're selling for five dollars a CD in New York."

"Shit, that…sucks." AJ said, not sure what else to say. He could tell how worked up Marshall was getting again.

Marshall started to get up, but AJ stopped him with a hand on his arm. Marshall stared pointedly at it, but AJ didn't back down. "Do you really want to take a chance on breaking something of Hailie's?"

Marshall sighed and fell back against the couch cushions, covering his face with his hands. AJ let his hand drop away and glanced over at Dre. Shit. Dre had a look in his eyes, like he'd figured something out.

Dre in fact had figured something out. Marshall didn't just listen to anybody when he was ready to blow like that. He'd listened to AJ. There had to be something going on. Dre had heard the rumors that AJ was bi, but never in a million years would he have thought Marshall was. He knew he wasn't as homophobic as he came across in his lyrics, but he also knew what his step-dad had done to him years ago.

"They need an answer soon." Dre spoke up again.

Marshall pulled his hands away from his face and stared up at the ceiling. "Fuck. What can I do but do it? Release it as soon as you fucking can. Shit, this is going to fuck up so much shit. The promo's, the appearances…just every fucking thing."

Dre shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, we can use the net and MTV and shit to get the word out. It could work out to your benefit."

Marshall shifted his gaze from the ceiling to Dre. "Yeah, well…"

Dre glanced at his watch then AJ. "I've gotta go. Somewhere to be. You're going to be around in case he looses it again, right?"

AJ shot a look at Marshall as he said, "Uh, yeah."

"I'm not a fucking child." Marshall grumbled, even though he knew Dre just wanted to make sure he didn't do something stupid and wind up back in jail. After a second he added, "Yeah, he'll be here. He's here for the next couple days."

"Oh." Dre said, everything cementing in his head.

Marshall didn't have friends come stay with him like that. He didn't do whatever he and AJ had been doing that had them fidgeting with guilty expressions on their faces when he'd walked in earlier. He didn't not throw something just because someone stepped in his way, or calm down just because someone reasoned with him. He just didn't, but he did with AJ just now.

"So…gonna tell me what's going on? Or do I get to keep letting my imagination take me places I never wanted it to go?" Dre finally asked the silent men.

Marshall glanced over at Dre, surprised. He'd been so caught up in his anger about the CD getting leaked that he hadn't picked up on the fact that Dre was figuring shit out. "Uh…"

AJ stood and interrupted. "I'll uh, just…go now."

Again he was stopped by Marshall's hand circling his wrist. When he looked down into his face, he could see the nervousness there plainly. He sat back down without a word.

Marshall didn't pull his hand away when he turned back to Dre. Instead, he clutched his wrist tighter. "Well, I guess you could say that Alex and I…we…he and I..."

Dre held up his hand to stop Marshall's sputtered response. "I think I've got it figured out."

Silence fell over the room. Finally Marshall couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "So?"

Dre shot him a side long glance and asked, "So…what?"

"You gonna fucking rip me a new one or fall over dead from shock, or…something?" Marshall asked, not sure what he'd thought would happen if Dre ever found out.

Dre chuckled. "Come on, man. I thought you knew me better than that. I'm shocked, yeah, but I'm not going to lay into you or drop dead."

AJ just sat there during the strange exchange trying to figure out why Marshall had admitted it to him. He didn't have to. It wasn't like they were dating or anything. He could have denied it. Dre probably wouldn't have bought it, but he still could have tried. The last thing AJ had expected was for him to admit to it.

After another minute of silence, Dre asked, "So, what are the two of you? Boyfriends or some shit?"

Marshall and AJ both stiffened and turned to stare at each other, not sure what to say to that. Finally Marshall turned back to Dre and shook his head. "Not exactly. We're just…friends. Close friends."

Dre nodded, accepting that. "If this ever gets out…"

Marshall interrupted, "I'll tell everyone to go fuck themselves who doesn't like it. I don't live my life for no one, well, besides Hailie. You know that."

Dre nodded again, having expected that answer. "Ok, well, I've gotta go. Got a meeting in a little while. I'll call you tomorrow."

Marshall nodded and stood. He watched Dre walk away, but when he got to the door, he called to him, "Dre?"

Dre turned. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." Marshall said, meaning for understanding and not acting disgusted.

Dre smiled at him. "No problem. Catch ya later. I'll lock the door on my way out."

Once he was gone, Marshall turned back to AJ and found him staring up at him. "What?"

AJ stood and studied him for a minute. "Why'd you tell him?"

Marshall shrugged. "He figured it out."

"You could have lied."

Marshall shook his head. "Not to one of my best friends. Besides, I'm not ashamed of it. I just have…issues with it."

AJ smirked at the insane way Marshall had managed to separate that in his head. "I see."

Marshall studied him for a second, then said, "I think I need to wipe that fucking smirk of that sexy mouth of yours."

AJ's smirk dropped from his face and heat flared in his eyes. "Give it your best shot."

Marshall licked his lips and reached out, pulling AJ against him. Just before his mouth descended on AJ's, he mumbled, "I intend to."

No more words where said as they quickly shed their clothes and groped at each other, lips locked, tongues battling for dominance, hands everywhere.

When it was too much for him, AJ pulled his mouth away from Marshall's and gasped for air as Marshall attacked the side of his neck. "Marshall, fuck me."

Marshall moaned into his skin, his hands sliding around to his ass and squeezing. "I'd planned on it."

AJ gasped again, his fingers digging into Marshall's shoulders as the older man ground his hips into him. When Marshall's mouth started to move lower, toward his nipples, he let go of his shoulders and pulled Marshall's face back up to his.

"No, I mean right now. Fuck me right now. Screw the foreplay. I've been wanting to feel you inside me again since the morning after the first time we fucked. I don't wanna wait."

Marshall swallowed and his cock twitched. He didn't either. "Ok."

AJ wasted no time dropping to his knees and turning toward the couch to brace himself against it. Marshall dropped down behind him a knee on either side of one of his legs and stared at his naked ass for a second before lifting a finger to his mouth and wetting it. Pulling it out, he reached down and trailed the crack of AJ's ass to his pucker, then pushed his way in slowly.

AJ felt him penetrate him and he moaned in response. He spread his legs a little wider and pushed his ass back on Marshall's finger.

"More…" He moaned out.

"Shit, I need some lube." Marshall commented as he forced a second finger inside AJ.

AJ shuddered as the unlubricated finger pushed into him, causing pain to flick through him before settling into a steady hum of pleasure as Marshall's fingers skimmed his prostate.

"Jeans…pocket…" He managed to get out before Marshall thrust his fingers in again and tapped that special place inside that set off sparks behind his eyes.

Marshall glanced over at AJ's jeans, noting they weren't very far away. With his fingers still in his ass, he reached over and grabbed AJ's lube out of one of the pockets. Leaning forward, he licked a line up the side of AJ's neck, smiling when the younger man moaned and shivered.

"Prepared little bitch aren't you?" He asked, referring to the lube in AJ's jeans.

"Fuck…yeah...so prepared…shit…." AJ mumbled as Marshall slipped a third finger in, lubed up.

Marshall pressed his chest into AJ's back and bent down and sucked at the back of his neck. He continued to fuck AJ's ass with his fingers, relentlessly hitting his prostate over and over.

AJ panted and clutched at the couch cushions as Marshall drove him insane with his teasing. Unable to help himself, he started thrusting against the rough material of the couch, moaning at the friction it caused against his achingly hard dick as Marshall tapped his prostate over and over.

"Shit…Marshall…please…" AJ tried to articulate what he wanted from him, but couldn't get any more than that out before he succumbed to another round of moans.

Marshall bit down lightly at the skin he'd just been sucking and pressed himself closer, rubbing his erection against AJ's hip as he breathed hard against his skin and asked, "Ready for me yet?"

"Fuck yes," AJ replied, more than ready.

Marshall didn't need to hear any more than that. He moved into position behind AJ and pulled his fingers out, squirting lube into the palm of his hand then coating his hard cock with it. He placed himself at AJ's opening and gripped his hips, pushing his way in slowly.

AJ cried out in pleasure as Marshall sank all the way in. "God, Marshall…so good…"

Marshall groaned as AJ's tight heat clutched at him. "Fuck, Alex, you're so goddamn tight and hot…shit I love your ass."

AJ shuddered at Marshall's husky words and pushed back against him, squeezing his muscles around him on purpose. "Show me how much you love it…fuck my ass…hard."

Marshall kept his hips still through sheer force of will and leaned down, licking a line up AJ's spine, feeling him shiver in response. When he reached the back of his neck, he veered off to the side and bit at the shell of AJ's ear before growling into it, "Is that what you want? You want it fast and hard? You want me to ream your ass, bitch?"

AJ moaned in frustration. He could feel Marshall's cock filling him and he wanted him to move, but Marshall seemed intent on torturing the shit out of him instead.

"Goddamnit, Marshall…yes, fuck me, ream my ass…fucking own my ass…just FUCK ME already!" AJ growled, his teeth clenched.

Marshall's cock twitched inside him. "Oh fuck that's hot."

Marshall reached down and wrapped his fingers around Alex's hips and gripped him tightly as he finally moved, pulling almost all the way out, then slamming hard and fast back in, causing AJ to pitch forward into the seat of the couch. He did it again, watching AJ pitch forward again and hearing him moan in pleasure.

AJ was in heaven when Marshall finally started fucking him. His eyes slid shut and he reached out in front of him over the seat cushions to brace himself against the back of the couch. He was half laying on the piece of furniture by that point, bent at the waist, his dick pressed into the front of it as Marshall slammed into him over and over until he thought he would pass out from the sheer intensity of it.

Marshall was having the same problem. Over and over he thrust into him fast and hard. He couldn't seem to get enough of it, enough of AJ. He panted for air as he fucked him harder and harder. He was beginning to wonder if he ever would get enough of his hot, tight little ass.

Letting go of AJ's hips, he ran his hands up and down his back, tracing his spine, skimming his fingertips over his tattoos as he went, still slamming into him. "Fuck Alex…so damn good…you're so tight…so fucking hot, letting me fuck you like this…shit…"

AJ shuddered over and over as Marshall talked dirty to him and continued to run his hands up and down his back as his cock slammed into his prostate with every thrust. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge of his orgasm, and part of him wanted it, but part of him wanted this to never end.

"Oh shit…I'm close…gonna cum…" AJ warned as Marshall thrust into him yet again, forcing his hips into the couch and causing his dick to rub against the upholstery.

"Do it…cum for me…wanna feel your ass squeezing me….you cumming all over the couch….do it…now." Marshall ordered.

That was it for AJ. Between the thrusting and his hands still running up and down the over sensitized flesh of his back and the dirty talk, AJ couldn't hold back anymore. He grabbed fistfuls of the couch cushions and threw his head back, screaming Marshall's name over and over as he came long and hard against the couch.

Marshall watched AJ reach his orgasm, felt his ass spasm around his cock and felt himself falling over the edge too. Reaching back down, he gripped his hips again and leaned forward, half lying on Alex's back as he slammed into him with short shallow thrusts.

"So good…fuck…I could fuck you all damn day and night…" Marshall mumbled against the skin at the back of AJ's neck. "Shiiiiit…Alex!" He cried out as he finally succumbed to his own orgasm, emptying himself inside AJ as he thrust in a few more times until he was completely spent inside him.

For long minutes afterwards, neither of them moved, AJ laying half sprawled on the couch, Marshall laying on top of him, chest to back, his head resting in the crook of AJ's neck his dick still in his ass.

Finally Marshall moved, both of them groaning as he pulled out of him. When AJ felt Marshall pull away, he climbed onto the couch on shaky limbs and collapsed against the cushions, staring up at the ceiling.

"Shit. That was…fucking unbelievable." He muttered.

"Understatement of the year." Marshall chuckled.

He climbed onto the couch too, crawling over the top of AJ until he was on the other side of him, his back pressed against the couch. AJ turned away from him and snuggled back into him as Marshall wrapped his arm around his waist, spooning them together. No more words were said as they both drifted off into a sated sleep, content and exhausted.


Chapter Twenty-Four
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