Steven's POV
Steven pulled up in front of Joe's house, debating with himself yet again about doing this. Joe wasn't expecting him for another hour, but he hadn't been able to come up with anything else to do to stall. He hadn't slept a wink for the past three days, anticipating this moment. He still couldn't believe it was happening.
Four years ago he and Joe had argued after a show, but then that had been nothing new. No, what had been new was that Joe had walked away. Walked away and hadn't come back. Walked away and left a huge gaping hole in his chest where his heart used to be. Joe had taken it with him when he left.
Since then, they had only spoken once before three days ago. Joe had called him that time, right after an interview he had done with Good Morning America where he had talked about how he was ready to quit the business, if only it would get him his best friend back. He had poured out his heart and soul in that interview, talking about Joe for the first time in public since the breakup.
Usually he had passed over questions about Joe with a simple comment about how he hoped that he was doing well, and he wished him the best. That day, however, had been the anniversary of the day they had met. Or rather, would have been had they still been together. When the interviewer had asked the predictable question he had simply broken down and cried, saying how much he missed Brad, yes, but there was a huge hole that Joe had filled, and how he felt lost and alone without him. How he missed him, loved him, cried himself to sleep every night without him. He had told it all, even down to the thoughts about killing himself, just to take away the pain of loss.
Joe had called him the next morning when the show had aired, waking him from a fretful, drug and alcohol induced sleep. He had yelled at him, called him every name in the book, and finally calmly told him that he hated him. When he was done with that, though, he had asked him why. That was it, just why.
Steven had spilled his guts, told him everything that had been going on behind the scenes with himself and Elisa, Joe's wife. The jealousy between the two of them; the arguments they had both been hiding from Joe, himself to keep from upsetting him, Elisa to keep from driving Joe away; the stories she had been spreading about him; the lies she had told Steven about Joe to drive a wedge between them. Joe had silently listened to all of it then told him something that had given him the peace that he had been seeking. The words that had been ringing in his ears for 6 months now?
"I do love you, you asshole. You know that, right? After everything else, you at least believe that much? Get off the drugs, at least the hard shit, and then give me a call. We'll talk then."
That had been 6 months, 3 days, 4 hours, and 27 minutes ago. He had called Joe the second they had let him out of rehab, and that had led him to this minute. This minute where he was sitting in his car in Joe's driveway, trying to get a handle on his emotions so he could go inside.
Joe's POV
What on earth was Steven doing sitting out there for 20 minutes now? Was he going to drive away? Joe decided it would serve him right if he did. He should have trusted his best friend a little more and his whore of a wife, soon to be ex-wife, a little less. Especially considering how wrong it had felt.
He had seen Steven's interview on Good Morning America 6 months ago and nothing had been the same since. He had been following Steven's career since they had parted ways 4 years ago, unable to completely cut him out of his life, no matter how much Elisa had bitched about it.
And she had bitched. Incessantly.
But he loved him. Honestly, he loved him more than anyone else in this world, even Elisa in the heights of his love for her. Steven was his best friend in the entire world, and always would be. He had felt that way since the day they had met, still felt that way, and he knew he always would.
He should have known Steven would take his leaving as him abandoning him, but he had listened when Elisa had told him that tough love was the way to go. If he ever wanted Steven back the way he used to be before the drugs had taken them all over he had to leave, straighten himself out, let that be a wake up call to him. Then they could have everything back the way it used to be.
Instead Steven had evidently spiraled further and further down, though he had fought hard to keep that from the public eye.
Then Joe had seen that interview. Tears had come to his own eyes as he watched it. Saw the heartbreak that couldn't be faked on Steven's face. Heard it in his voice. And finally, the straw that broke the camel's back, Steven had spoken seriously about his thoughts of suicide.
He couldn't take any more. He had to call him, make sure he was alright. They had talked, though not the way he had wanted to. They had both been too emotional for that. Instead, at hearing Steven's voice, the way he still sounded fucked up, strung out on something, Joe had made a gut decision. He knew what he had to do to get his best friend sober, or at least off most of the shit he was taking now and down to just some recreational stuff. He had reminded him that he loved him, and then told him to get sober and give him a call.
The next day it had been all over the news that Steven had checked himself into rehab. Joe had, in response, decided that every word that had come out of Steven's mouth had been the truth, and gone upstairs to confront Elisa.
She had cried and wined, tried to deny it all, but after talking to Steven he had known the right questions to ask. Her house of lies had come tumbling down around her and Joe had seen her for the lying, scheming, jealous bitch that she really was.
What had pissed him off more than anything else was that he had never lied to her. She had known when they started dating that if it became serious the best she could ever hope for was to come in third in his life. Steven came first, the band second. She had said she was fine with that. She loved the band, wanted to be a part of it, working with costumes or something. She said that she liked Steven, and thought of him like a brother. Then she had plotted to change everything.
Stupid fool that he was; it had worked until that moment. The moment that he had seen Steven pouring his heart out to the world on national TV.
He had tried to find out everything that she had done so that he would be prepared, but he had the sinking feeling that he hadn't even found out half of it. After that, he had told her to leave. He didn't care what it cost him, he wanted a divorce.
Thank God his lawyers were more intelligent than he was in those matters. They had kept it all rather quiet, and threatened her with telling everything they had dug up on her and suing her for damages, and jail time if she went public with anything. The price for her silence had been a measly 2 million dollars.
Hell, Steven probably thought she was inside, too. There was no way he could have found out about the divorce yet. That's probably what he was doing out in the car. Trying to work up the nerve to be nice and polite to her, when he loathed her with everything that he was.
Steven's POV
With a deep, steadying breath, Steven pulled the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the car. He no more than got the door closed behind him when the door to the house opened and Joe was standing there in the doorway looking at him.
His mind stalled and he wasn't sure what to do, but his body moved on autopilot. Joe seemed to be doing the same thing, he noticed absently, from his bemused place outside himself where he was watching this reunion happen seemingly in slow motion. One second he was standing there beside his car, and Joe was standing in the doorway, and the next they were both running towards each other at full speed. Arms opened and they were enfolding each other in a hug reserved for long lost lovers.
It seemed like it was never going to end, as they were both laughing and crying and holding tight to each other. No words were spoken in that time; instead they both just enjoyed the feel of touching each other, of being together. Wounds that had been raw and festering within both men were purged clean to heal finally. Gaping holes that had been left in both of them at their separation were filled with each other, and the simple joy of being, not Steven and Joe, but them. There was no question in either of their minds that they were going to work this out. They were going to be together again. They just had to do it, work through it.
Finally, after what felt like hours later, and quite likely was, they broke apart slightly. Steven began to come back to himself as he felt Joe take his hand and begin to lead him into the house. Awkwardness seemed to settle over them as they got inside and Joe let go of Steven's hand, standing nervously before sitting on the couch and watching Steven look around the room.
Steven took in all the changes to the room since the last time he had been there. Well, other than the fact that it was clean. All the bric-a-bracs that Elisa liked to keep on every conceivable surface were gone, along with their wedding pictures. As a matter of fact, every sign of the bitch was gone.
Steven wondered when that had happened, as he had heard her voice in the background when Joe had called him before rehab. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he had to smile as he caught sight of the picture frame on top of the mantle.
It was a picture of himself and Joe on their boat. Joey had taken the shot for them, their arms around each other, staring into each other's eyes and smiling. It had been the day before the last tour together had started, and the two of them had headed out for some alone time to get themselves together. Joey had taken the picture for them before heading out and leaving them to their pre-tour ritual, reminding them to be at the bus at 10 the next morning. They had a wonderful day, just enjoying each other's company, sometimes talking, sometimes just hanging out, even doing a little fishing. Most of all, just being alone together, without the pressures of the outside world weighing down on them.
Steven held the picture tightly in his hands as he moved over to sit on the other end of the couch from Joe. He wasn't sure what to say, where to start. All he knew was he wanted his best friend back. He wished like Hell that he could have things back the way they were before, but he knew deep down there was no going back. Only going forward. Maybe if they were lucky they could have something even better this time.
Joe's POV
Joe watched Steven sit down; clutching that picture of them like his very life depended on it. He wasn't sure why Steven had picked that picture to focus on, as there were several of them up there. Hell, Steven was in every picture up on that mantle. Some were just the two of them, some were of the entire band together, and some were just Steven. Something pricked at the back of his mind about that particular picture, but he couldn't figure out what it was, so he let it go for the moment.
He wasn't sure what to say, so instead he just continued to look at Steven, his face a blank mask to anyone else, though Steven could probably read it for what it was. He was nervous, scared, ashamed, and yes, angry. No, more than angry, he was pissed.
He was just getting ready to open his mouth and say something, though he wasn't sure exactly what was going to come out, when he saw Steven seem to relax. He sat back, took one more look around the room, shook his head and smiled at him.
"I should have fought harder." Steven said, his voice quiet and sincere. There were a million emotions underlying that tone, and Joe recognized every one of them. Of course he did, he was feeling all of them too.
"You did fight, Steven. You fought with everything you could, then stepped back to let me make my own mistakes. It's not your fault that I'm an insensitive, egotistical bastard who let himself be led about by his cock and balls. I should have noticed that there was something wrong. Something more than just the drugs." Joe responded, shaking his head in self disgust.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Steven asked, pushing his own emotions to the side, sensing Joe's pain, he couldn't really do anything else.
Joe sighed, shaking his head and sitting back further in his seat, half turning to face Steven fully. He really didn't want to talk about her, her lies, his stupidity yet. There was so much more to talk about, so much more that needed to be said between them. This decision made, he was completely shocked when his mouth opened and he was spewing out everything.
"I don't know why I listened to her, man. I mean, I know you better than I know myself. I should have known there was more wrong that neither of you were telling me. I just couldn't believe it, you know? If there was something wrong you would have told me. That's what I kept telling myself. Then she went on about how it was the drugs, and we were self destructing. I looked at myself and I knew she was right about that. We needed to get clean. I told her I would talk to you about it, but every time I went to talk to you about it, something would creep up with the band, or we would get into a fight. I let her convince me that you were pushing me away by bringing in other writers. She said you just didn't want to be like we had been, and you had even talked to her about it. I didn't want to believe that you felt like that, but then she would point out all the times you guys would go out and didn't invite us, and how you didn't call very often anymore. I guess I just let my insecurities get the best of me. I fell for everything she said. Then she told me the only way was to walk away. I tried. Fuck, Steven, I tried. It was so fucking hard. I waited by the phone for a month straight. I didn't leave the house. I wouldn't talk to anyone else. My fucking mother called, and I hung up on her because you might have been trying to get through. I just couldn't believe that she was right and you were glad I was gone. But I watched as I waited, and you seemed just as happy as you had been, if not more so. You guys were in the studio again, and you were writing just fine without me, and you never called. You. Never. Fucking. Called." Joe said, his voice slowly growing more and more husky as tears began to fall from his eyes. His face lost its blank mask, instead every line of agony he felt, had felt for every day of the last 4 years showing plainly.
Steven's POV
Steven sat and listened to Joe telling him his side of what had happened. He felt a gut deep pain at the accusation that he had never told Joe that anything was wrong. He should have. He knew that now, but then, they had both made mistakes. A lot of them, from what he was hearing.
"I thought that you needed time. When you get mad, you always go off for a while to blow off steam, then you come back and everything's alright. I went to the studio to meet out deadline for the album, figuring that you would join me when you were calmed down. By the time I realized that you weren't coming back, you had already formed your new band." Steven replied, though something sounded wrong with that to him.
"Tell me something, Steven. When I go off 'by myself', what do I do, and where do I go?" Joe asked, his voice sounding defeated, yet leading at the same time.
Steven thought hard about that, as he had the feeling the answer was important. Suddenly the answer as to why it was so important came to him, and he could have smacked himself. The drugs had evidently messed with his mind more than he had thought.
"We go home to the lake. The two of us take the boat out and maybe one of your acoustics, and we scream at the top of our lungs where no one can hear us, then we vent to each other about whatever it is. After that, we do a little fishing. Fuck." Steven said, lowering his head.
"That's right. Hell, even when I just want to disappear for an hour or two, I took you with me." Joe replied. Fuck, Steven must have found him to be a clingy bastard, he decided. "But suddenly, there was Elisa, and when you didn't have time for one of our hang out sessions, she was there. When you didn't want to go get a bite to eat before the show, she had time. When you wanted to hang out with the guys and hit the club, she was there to just hang out in my room."
"Yeah, she was a manipulative bitch who took the situation and made it worse. Fuck, Joe, she told you I wanted to be away from you, she told me that you and her wanted to bang, and I was in the way. She told you that I was picking fights with her. She told me that you didn't want anything to do with me offstage. Fuck that bitch!" Steven screamed.
"You know the worst one she told me? She said that she walked in on the two of us stoned out of our gourds, naked and in bed together. I just laughed about it and told her that I could believe it. We usually stayed in the same room before her and I got serious, so it wouldn't have been unheard of. No, what hurt was she said that you woke up when she came in and threw on some clothes and stumbled out of the room like the hotel was on fire. She actually asked if we had something going on the side." Joe said, chuckling in memory of how dirty she had made it sound. Hell, like anything between himself and Steven could be dirty.
"What…what did you say?" Steven asked, stuttering and stumbling over the question, shock apparent in his eyes. He plainly remembered the morning Joe had just mentioned. He remembered it every day, sometimes fondly, sometimes angrily, sometimes sadly. Joe had never mentioned that night, though, so Steven had thought that Joe had decided it was a mistake. Especially considering that when he had seen Joe that afternoon for sound check, Joe had told him that he and Elisa had just gotten engaged. Fuck, it had never crossed his mind that Joe might not even remember it. Not when he did, and so vividly, at that.
"I told her that I wouldn't need her if I was fucking you." Joe said with a shrug, cocking his head and looking at Steven funny. He knew something was going on in his mind; he just wasn't sure what it was.
"Then why'd you marry her? Considering the day you got engaged to her, you were fucking me. That morning, as a matter of fact." Steven responded bitterly.
Joe's POV
Joe sat in shock, looking at Steven like he had grown a second head. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he was unable to say anything in response to that. No, there had to be something wrong with that. If he had been fucking Steven he would damn sure remember it. That wasn't an experience he could see himself forgetting, no matter how many drugs he had taken.
"Well, getting ready to, anyway. Then you passed out and she walked in." Steven clarified, seeing the confusion and self hatred rising on Joe's face.
Now that he could believe. He and Steven had never actually had sex, of any kind, with each other, but they had taken women to bed with the two of them before, and they had a tendency to sleep with each other once it was over, leaving the girl, or girls, as the case may be, in the other bed, or just kicking them out, depending on their mood. And they had never been shy with each other. Hell, most of the guys in the band had been sure they were fucking each other just by the way they acted together before Elisa had come along. Some goofing off could have been going on, and he passed out in the middle of it, and since it wasn't anything unusual, he didn't remember it.
But why did Steven sound so bitter about that? Had he wanted…? Looking up at him questioningly, Joe searched Steven's eyes, looking for some kind of answer. What he read there confused him even further. Steven was looking back at him, and he could read the hurt there, he could read the anger, the feeling of rejection, the sorrow, but he didn't see any desire.
"What's the bottom line here, Steven? That's what we need to get to. Fuck, I know we need to work out all the little shit, too, but I don't wanna spend the next several months trying to figure this shit out. I want our friendship back. I wanna wake up and roll over and say hi, whether it's because you're in the room with me, or because you're on the phone. I wanna pick up 2 tickets to a Bruins game or a Bears game and not have the second go to waste because I can't call you and I sure the fuck ain't taking anyone else to the game with me. I wanna go fishing. Fuck it; I want my best friend back, that's what I'm trying to say here." Joe asked, trying to cut through the chase and find out just where things stood, for both of them, really.
He'd already said it. For him, the issues had all stemmed from insecurity. Insecurity, and Elisa, that is. Now he wanted to know where Steven was coming from. Then they could work out those issues, and everything else would just fall into place. That was the plan, anyway. Too bad life sucked when it came with sticking with a plan.
"What's my biggest problem? Fine. Bottom line, you said you'd never leave me. Not that we'd be together as long as things were good for the band. Fuck the band, Joe. Who really gives a fuck, not when it comes to you and me. You said you'd never leave me, and then along comes the super-bitch, and you're gone like yesterday. That fucking hurt. I could have dealt with you marrying her. I wouldn't have liked it, because I hated her with, well, the fire of a thousand suns, but I would have dealt. For you. Because you said you loved her, and that was what was important. But then you just fucking left. Fuck, Joe, I even could have dealt with you leaving the band, as long as you had kept in contact with me. Brad did, you know. He'd call sometimes, come hang out when we were home, or in the studio. You never did. And when I called, Elisa said you didn't want to talk to me yet. You would when you were ready. I gave up calling after a while, when it got to looking obvious that you weren't gonna talk to me. I can't hang in there alone." Steven told him, tears once again falling down his cheeks. To Joe he looked like a mix of a lost little boy looking for comfort, a man who was at the end of his rope, and reaching for help, his best friend in pain, and the other half of his soul reaching desperately for him, trying to reconnect in any way he could, restore balance to them both.
"Oh, fuck this. I'm just gonna put all the fucking cards on the table." Joe muttered, reaching out and tugging Steven to him. Fuck it, he thought. Things couldn't be any worse between them. No matter what happened here between them, they had to get to the bottom of it, and if things were the way they were looking like, everyone but them thought there was something there, anyway. He may have been blind to it before, just putting it aside without a thought as just him and Steven and the way they were, but right now, he couldn't think of anything he wanted more that to taste those luscious lips. To feel that lithe frame against him, clutching him tightly. To feel those strong hands gripping in his hair.
Steven's POV
Steven didn't resist as Joe pulled him towards him, settled him tightly against himself. He figured Joe wanted to hold him, to be touching him, the same as he did. At first that's all Joe did. Wrapping his arms tightly around him and settling Steven's head on his shoulder, one strong hand threaded through Steven's hair, his calloused thumb lightly stroking the base of his neck. Joe's other arm wrapped around his waist pulling him tight against him as he shifted to half recline on the couch, pulling Steven over on top of him, just holding him there for the moment.
Steven consciously relaxed his fingers on the picture frame, allowing the picture to fall to the carpet beside the couch as Joe tugged him into his own arms, wrapping his arms tight around Joe's waist as he leaned back and burying his face in Joe's shoulder where he kept it for several long moments. Neither man said a word, just feeling each other, the rightness that was them being together like this. Steven felt whole, complete for the first time in 4 years.
After several moments, Steven turned his head into Joe's neck, breathing in his scent, savoring it. It was slightly different than it was in his memories. The sour, alcohol scent was gone, replaced by the smoky scent he remembered from years ago when the two of them had shared a bedroom in that tiny cramped apartment when the band was first starting out. A feeling of warmth slowly began to rise in him and a smile came to his face as he pressed his lips against Joe's neck before lifting his head to look down at him where he lay underneath him on the couch.
Joe was smiling up at him, and Steven couldn't stop the giggle that rose in his throat. Joe laughed in response, and every bit of the tension that was left in him seemed to melt away as he melted back down onto Joe.
"I love you." Steven murmured on a sigh as the giggles departed. He buried his face back in Joe's neck, smiling as his long, silky black hair tickled his nose as he nuzzled in deeper.
"Fuck, Steven, I love you, too." Joe said, his heart kicking up a notch before seeming to settle in his throat. Steven held tightly to Joe as he shifted around on the couch, changing their positions until Joe lay settled on top of Steven. "So, now that I have you trapped here, whatever shall I do to you?" Joe asked in a mock menacing voice.
"Please, sir, don't hurt me." Steven begged in a mock frightened voice as he let his head fall back on the throw pillow, a grin on his face at the old game they had played for years and years.
"Hmm, don't hurt you. What should I do then?" Joe asked in a pondering voice, pretending to leer down at Steven.
"I…I could pay you a ransom?" Steven asked, the old words tumbling thoughtlessly from his lips as he batted his soft brown eyes up at Joe innocently.
"I think you should…what will you offer me?" Joe asked, cocking his head and looking down at Steven. This is where the game always changed. Steven would offer him something silly and they would just go back to laying there relaxing, but it was always interesting to see what he would offer this time. The last time they had played this game Steven had offered him a candy bar, the time before that it had been a penny.
"Me. I offer you me." Steven responded, his voice no longer teasing, instead it was laced with fear of rejection and a touch of nervousness at how Joe would take the offer. Would he take it as his presence, or his friendship, or something else entirely?
Joe's POV
Joe noted the seriousness of Steven's voice before the words he said sunk in. Those words did sink in, though, and Joe could only stare down at him in shock for a moment. The sexual tension was so thick in the room that he thought he could cut it with a knife, but then, he realized that tension had always been there. He just hadn't noticed it because they were almost always together. The time apart had allowed him to look at it with fresh eyes. Joe cocked his head and stared deeply into Steven's eyes, trying to read him, to see if he was deliberately offering, or if it had been subconscious, and the desire he had been looking for earlier was there bright and passionate in his eyes now.
Without really pausing to consider what he was doing Joe lowered his head, nuzzling Steven's lips with his own for a moment, sighing into his mouth as the luscious, full lips opened for him immediately. The feelings that coursed through him, through them both, at the first contact of their wet tongues meeting and twining around each other like fingers clasping and holding tight, rubbing against each other like a massage, thrusting into each other's mouths in a parody of what their bodies wanted was electric. It sent tingles down his spine and brought his cock from interested to painfully hard and leaking faster that he could blink.
Never before had he felt anything like it. Joe had never been so aroused, and so quickly, and by something as innocent as a kiss. He pulled his head away and looked down at Steven's moist, slightly kiss swollen lips before flicking his gaze back up into his eyes. A groan tore from his lips as Steven unconsciously spread his legs wider, lifting one to wrap around Joe's waist and hold him against him, the other he let slide off the couch and rested his foot on the floor. Joe shifted slightly and groaned once again as their denim covered cocks came into contact with each other as he settled himself firmly between Steven's legs.
"Fuck, Steven. Are we gonna do this? Shit man, I can't do casual. Not with you." Joe said. He was fighting with the last of his sanity to hold his hips still instead of rock them against Steven's. His hands, though, he couldn't control. One stayed on the couch next to Steven's head, holding himself up, the other slid down Steven's body, gently but firmly, not stopping until he managed to slide it around and cup Steven's ass in his hand.
Steven's POV
Steven lifted his hips into Joe to accommodate the hand and kept their gazes locked. Part of him thought they should talk about this before they did it, but another part knew they were going to do it anyway, so why waste the time talking about it? It felt too right, too natural, for it to be wrong. Everyone in the world but them thought they were already doing it anyway, or should be, in the case of his mother and his friend Teresa, so it wasn't going to cause any shock, or hurt anyone's feelings if they did it. And most important, they loved each other. Truly, unconditionally, with everything that they were, loved each other.
"We're gonna do this. Fuck, Joe, I need to do this. You need to do this. We should have done this years ago, and we wouldn't be where we are now. I'm not going to love you any less because we did it. I'm not doing it to get you back. I want to do it. I want to keep on doing it. Forever." Steven replied finally, lifting his head to recapture Joe's lips with his own, sighing into his mouth as Joe once again took over the kiss. Took possession of him, heart, mind, body, and soul, with nothing more than his lips. Then his hand began caressing his ass, and their hips began rocking against each other slowly, as though to savor every moment of this.
"Fuck, I love you." Joe murmured as their lips finally broke apart for them to both gasp for air. The phone was ringing, but they both ignored it, too caught up in each other to pay it any attention.
Joe's mouth came down to Steven's throat and Steven arched his head back to allow him better access to it, his own hands coming up to the hem of Joe's shirt and tugging it up, wanting his chest bare so he could run his fingers over it. It was something he had done playfully onstage a million or more times, but now it seemed to take on more meaning, and he wanted to be touching him. He wanted to feel his bare skin under his hands. His palms and the pads of his fingers literally tingled as the shirt was tugged over Joe's head, which he thoughtfully raised for a moment to allow Steven to remove it, and then his hands were free to touch bare skin. They went to Joe's back, tracing down his spine, then back up over his ribs and shoulders.
"Joe, this is Mom. I was just calling to check and see how things went with Steven today. I hope you boys managed to work everything out, and you bring him over for dinner before you leave town again. I guess you're still catching up, so give me a call when you get this. Love you, Sweetheart." Joe's mom's voice broke in over the answering machine.
Steven thought their reaction was probably comical. Or at least, it would be when he remembered it years from now.
Joe shot up from his collarbone which he was kissing as he exposed it and looked down at him before dropping down as though to cover him from anyone's sight. At the same time his one hand was still gripping his ass, and the other came up from where it had been unbuttoning his shirt and cupped his neck, his calloused thumb stroking soothingly and reassuringly along the pulse point in Steven's throat.
Steven, on the other hand, brought up his other leg, tightening both of them around Joe's waist, holding on as though for dear life. His arms both went up and around Joe's neck in a death grip of their own. His head came up and buried itself in Joe's neck, a blush staining his cheeks as he whispered "Mom?" quietly, embarrassment to have been found in this position rising quickly. He wasn't ashamed to be doing this with Joe, and he wasn't ashamed for either of their parents to find out, Hell, he planned to tell them. He was, however, embarrassed for Joe's mother to actually see it.
Joe's POV
"It's just the answering machine, Steven." Joe said after a few seconds. Though he completely understood where Steven was coming from with the embarrassment. That could have been a little awkward. Hell, the way they were doing this could be a little awkward, if they stayed where they were at, so maybe the interruption had been a good thing.
Joe didn't know much about this kind of sex, he probably wouldn't consider it if it were anyone but Steven. But it was Steven, and that made it as right as it could be. He didn't think Steven really knew any more about it than he did. He didn't figure it would be much different than anal sex with a girl, though, so he knew they needed to be somewhere where one of them could relax, and there would need to be lube. That meant they needed to head to the bedroom.
Now he just needed to convince his body to listen to his mind instead of gently humping against Steven. Fuck, if he wasn't careful this was going to be over before it even began. Both of them were just too excited.
"We gotta get to the bed." Joe murmured, his mouth sliding further down Steven's neck and headed for his collarbone once again as he spoke. Gentle, moist, butterfly kisses were pressed along the way. He didn't think he could tear his mouth away from Steven right now if his life depended on it. He just tasted like he imagined Heaven should taste. Sweet and spicy, clean and musky, a little salty. Fuck, he thought he could happily live on a diet of nothing but this.
"Mmm huh." Steven murmured dreamily. His own hands were kinda busy, one hand tangling in Joe's hair, the feel of those silky locks tangling around his fingers making him moan, the other hand was once again tracing over Joe's back, and he thought Joe must be liking it, because he was arching up into that hand like a cat being petted.
Joe continued kissing along Steven's collarbone, then down over his chest, pausing momentarily to finish pealing Steven's shirt off. His lips came in contact with a nipple and Steven jolted under him, straining and arching further up towards him. His tongue poked out to lap at the tight peak for several long seconds before closing his lips around it and suckling deeply. He thought Steven was going to squeeze the life out of him with his legs when he did it, and he took note of that information and stored it away in the back of his mind for further use.
Steven's hand had tightened in his hair and he was holding his mouth to him firmly, his hips rocking faster against him, and Joe knew they couldn't put it off any longer. They had to move now, or it wasn't going to happen. He pulled back from Steven and groaned in disappointment at the loss of him against him, but consoled himself with the knowledge that in just a few minutes they would be pressed naked against one another. He reached his hand out and took Steven's, drawing him up to his feet to follow him to the bedroom, kicking off his house shoes on the way.
It seemed to take forever to get in there, but they made it after several long pauses to kiss one another passionately, their hands roaming over each other's bodies the entire time. Finally they arrived beside the bed, both men stripping out of their few remaining clothes rather quickly, and Joe was pretty sure he had torn the seam on his boxers, but that wasn't bothering him in the slightest right now.
No, he had a naked Steven Tyler standing in front of him. A flushed, panting, mussed, aroused, naked Steven Tyler who wanted him just as much as he wanted Steven. Who loved him every bit as much as he loved Steven. Fuck, God, Mother Mary, and all the Saints, nothing in this world could be any better than this. He would gladly re-live any moment of time, if it would give him this at the end. His own private Heaven.
For a long time they simply stood and stared at each other, almost as though in awe. Finally they moved as one to embrace and fall onto the bed on their sides, hands roaming every inch of each other, bodies writhing together, mouths meeting and kissing hungrily.
"Give or receive?" Joe finally managed to ask as their lips broke apart.
"Receive. I want you inside me. I want to feel you filling me, to feel like you're becoming a permanent part of me." Steven responded, gasping as Joe writhed down and took a nipple into his mouth once again.
Joe nodded against Steven's chest and reached blindly for the nightstand. There was a bottle of Astroglide in the drawer, and he needed it to keep from hurting Steven. He wished for a second that he had a new bottle somewhere in the house, but he would make due with what he had. He supposed he could be romantic and go get a fresh bottle of lotion or something, but it wouldn't ease the friction as well, and he didn't want to hurt Steven any more than he had to. Not only that, but it required leaving the bed, something he thought he was fully incapable of doing at the moment.
Finally his fingers wrapped around the bottle and he grasped it, releasing Steven's nipple and rolling him over to his back once again. Steven's legs opened automatically for him once again, and he settled himself between them, slithering his way down his body and opening the bottle at the same time.
He poured a generous amount into his hand and lubed his fingers with the slick substance before reaching down behind Steven and searching out the entrance to his body. He watched as a finger slid inside him, entranced at how fucking sexy that looked. Steven was moaning and writhing under him, arching his hips up, desperately seeking some kind of contact for his cock, and pushing his hips back at Joe's hand at the same time. Slowly he added a second finger into Steven, and gazed up his body at his face.
Steven's POV
Steven was looking down at him, watching Joe as he did this to him, his legs bent to offer better access to himself. His hands were tangled in Joe's hair, needing to be touching him somehow. A slight pain ran through him as Joe added a second finger to him and he tensed involuntarily, but quickly relaxed once again as the two fingers began to thrust inside him. He didn't think he had ever felt anything like it before. He was moaning and writhing, desperately seeking more. He wanted Joe to be inside him more than he wanted his next breath, then Joe lowered his head and nuzzled at the head of his cock with his lips, licking the length of it once before opening his mouth and taking the head inside.
Fuck, he could die right this instant a happy man. The feelings Joe was eliciting in him were that damn good. In mere seconds he was screaming for more and writhing under him. Joe's mouth pulled away finally and he slithered back up his body, his mouth reclaiming his own before lifting up and looking down at him. His eyes were almost black with passion, his lips were swollen and bruised slightly, and his skin was a slightly darker shade. He'd never looked any more beautiful.
"Roll over. It'll be easier for you." Joe told him, his hand busy opening the bottle to add more lube for his cock.
"No. I wanna see you when we do this." Steven replied. Joe nodded and lowered back over him, settling back between his legs as Steven raised them up and wrapped them around Joe's waist.
Both of them writhed against each other as Joe searched out Steven's opening once again with his cock this time. Finally he found it and slowly, gently began to push. He began to add pressure slowly but firmly, and the head of his cock slid inside him. At first it felt like he was being split open by a 2x4, but Joe paused and waited for him to relax, his hand coming down to wrap around Steven's cock as he began to push forward, inch by inch, until he was finally seated firmly inside him.
It hurt, but there was also a pleasant feeling of fullness, combined with a sheer and utter joy at doing this with Joe. They were closer than they had ever been before, and there was no way to be closer, and that's what he wanted in this moment.
Joe slowly stroked his cock as he waited for him to relax and adjust, finally Steven lifted his hips slightly to let him know he was ready. Joe pulled out slightly and rocked back in. Over and over he repeated the motion, pulling back just a little further with each thrust, and Steven's hips began to move with him seemingly of their own accord.
Then something changed. Joe slid up a little more to kiss him better, and his legs shifted up with him, wanting to stay as wrapped around Joe as he could get, wanting to imprint their bodies on each other. The next thrust caused a jolt to run through his body and he was screaming into Joe's mouth. His eyes flew wide open as he unconsciously squeezed his anal muscles around Joe's cock in response.
"What the fuck was that? Do it again!" Steven exclaimed as Joe pulled away and stared down at him worriedly. The look on his face must have reassured him, because a feral smile appeared on his face before lowering his mouth back down to kiss him again and his hips began their thrusting once again, his cock hitting something inside him now on each thrust that made him whimper and moan into Joe's mouth as their hips began to move faster and faster. His hands clutched at Joe's back, trying to draw him closer as he writhed under him, Joe's hand on his cock keeping time with the thrusting of his hips.
Steven couldn't hold out long under the dual pleasure of Joe's hand and his cock inside him, and soon he was screaming into Joe's mouth once again as he bucked under him, his anal muscles clamping down on Joe's cock and squeezing rhythmically as his cock exploded over Joe's hand. Joe followed him over that edge with a deep growl, burying himself as deeply into him as he could, tensing over him and kissing him even harder as his cock jerked inside him, and he felt himself becoming even fuller with Joe's seed. It was hot, and made him feel so full, so damn good that he could cry. Then he realized he already was.
This wasn't what they had been expecting when they had set this up, but laying under Joe, having Joe still inside him as he collapsed on top of him in the aftershocks of their orgasms, the glow that seemed to be coming from both of them…it was more, better, than it had ever been. He guessed that sometimes life doesn't go with your plans, but if you just rolled with the changes, sometimes it could be even better.
End
The Other Side
Aerosmith
Mm mm mm, mm mm mm, mm mm mm,
mm mm mm mm mm, Yeah
Come on.
[Chorus:]
Lovin' you has go to be (take me to the other side)
Like the devil and the deep blue sea (take me to the other side)
Forget about your foolish pride (take me to the other side)
Oh take me to the other side (take me to the other side)
My mamma told me there'd be days like this
And man she wasn't foolin'
'Cause I just can't believe the way you kiss
Uh uh huh
You opened up your mouth with baited breath
You said you'd never leave me.
You love me, you hate me, I tried to take the loss
You're cryin' me a river but I got to get across
[Chorus]
I'm lookin' for another kind of love
Oh Lordy, how I need it.
The kind that likes to leap without a shove
Oh, honey, best believe it.
To save a lot of time and foolish pride I'll say what's on my mind, girl
You loved me, you hate me, you cut me down to size.
You blinded me with love and yeah it opened up my eyes
Lovin' you has got to be (take me to the other side)
like the devil and the deep blue sea (take me to the other side)
My conscience got to be my guide (take me to the other side)
Oh honey take me, take, take, take, take, take
Take me to the other side
I'm lookin' for another kind of love
Oh Lordy, how I need it.
The kind that likes to leap without a shove
Honey, best you believe it.
Now I ain't one for sayin' long goodbyes.
I hope all is forgiven
You loved me, you hate me, I used to be your lover
You know you had it comin' girl so take me to the other side
Take me to the other side, take me to the other side
Lovin' you has got to be (take me to the other side)
like the devil and the deep blue sea (take me to the other side)
My conscience got to be my guide (take me to the other side)
Oh honey take me to the other side
[Chorus]
