Close Encounters II: Crossing the Line - Jade
NC-17 - language, m/m slash, sap
Characters: Chris Harris/James Storm
Summary: AMW discovers some new layers to their relationship. Set after losing the tag team titles to the Naturals in 2005.
Disclaimer: We own neither the characters nor the individuals who play them. Written solely for our own enjoyment.

“And, you want me to die a thousand horrible, painful deaths….each one slower than the last,” Wildcat Chris Harris recited, sighing. “I know. Believe me, I know.”

“They have OUR titles, Wildcat. OUR titles. They’re not supposed to have our titles, WE’re supposed to have our titles. That’s why they’re OURS!” Seething, James paused to take a breath.

Wildcat ignored the rising volume of his partner’s voice and pointed out philosophically, “Well, not anymore. Now they’re theirs.”

“BECAUSE OF YOU, YOU RETARD! BECAUSE YOU WEREN’T WHERE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE!”

“THAT’S NOT-” Chris Harris paused and lowered his voice. “That’s not my fault and you know it. Dude, that fan just would NOT let go of my arm. Must’ve been an out-of-towner or something, I don’t know.”

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE STUPID FAN!” James raked his hands through his hair in frustration and slumped onto the locker room bench. “Look, you were supposed to break up the pin, and you didn’t do it. Now they’re holding our titles because Douglas panicked and held on for the three count.”

“Then go yell at Douglas. He should have known better.”

James rolled his eyes. “The Naturals have been a team for like thirty seconds. Of course he didn’t know what to do.”

Chris suddenly laughed. “You’re probably right about that, man. I’m amazed they even found the ring. Did you see the look on their faces when the bell rang? Priceless.”

Joining in the laughter despite himself, James added, “Yeah, I saw it. I thought Stevens was going to piss his pants. Wish I had a camera with me.” They chuckled for a minute together until James’ smile abruptly disappeared. “I still hate you, Chris. I really do.”

Wildcat sighed and went back to unlacing his boots. “I know. Let’s just talk about it when we get back to your house.”

“I don’t want to talk to you at all.”

“You’re still talking.”

“Shut up.”

After his long shower, Chris returned to find James sitting on the couch flipping through the television channels. Jumping onto the couch beside him, Chris grabbed the remote out of James’ hand and turned on an old Andy Griffith Show rerun. “Man, that Barney Fife is hilarious,” Chris stated conversationally.

“I hate Barney Fife,” James informed him. “As much as you hate me?” “No,” James responded, staring at him coldly. “I don’t hate anyone quite as much as I hate you.”

“All right,” Chris turned off the TV and threw down the remote. “This is ridiculous. I k now you’re pissed about the match, but you gotta admit it wasn’t ALL my fault.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” James demanded. “Douglas didn’t know what he was doing, and-”

“But you did,” Chris pointed out. “You could’ve broken that three count when you saw I wasn’t coming.”

James exploded in fury. “By the time I saw you weren’t coming, the three was over, you idiot. Excuse me for trusting you to be where you were supposed to!”

“Just admit that maybe you could have done something to stop it,” Chris yelled back. “Admit that maybe this was just a teensy-weensy bit your fault too!"

“NO! It wasn’t my fault that YOU were out of position!”

“Bullshit! Don’t tell me how to do my job, James!”

“Well, somebody needs to.” James folded his arms over his chest and glared at Chris. “How come I’m the only one in this room that wrestles like he’s in a team?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I mean that I’m the only one running around the ring busting his ass to save yours. How many times per match do I get you out of pins, and then you go and blow the one time YOU were supposed to help ME? All your pointing and yelling doesn’t help a hell of a lot when I’m getting doubleteamed.”

"That’s crap and you know it, James. I do everything I can to-”

“Whatever,” James interrupted. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Well, we’re GONNA talk about it!"

“I said no, Chris.” Snatching the remote off the floor, James settled back into the couch.

Chris didn’t really recall swinging the pillow at James’ head, but he had to admit that the solid thwack that the cushion made when it connected was pretty satisfying. Almost as satisfying as the pure shock that registered on James’ face before the fury took over. “I HATE YOU,” James roared as he lunged at Chris, knocking them both onto the floor. They struggled for position, tipping over James’ coffee table in the process. Finally James managed to grab two handfuls of Chris’ dark hair and slammed his head into the floor. “I. HATE. YOU,” he repeated, punctuating each word by bouncing Chris’ head off the floor with a dull thud.

“I’m not too fond of you either right now!” Chris was eventually able to get his feet underneath him, buying himself the leverage necessary to flip James onto his back. James wrenched hard to his right, but Chris held him down firmly until he stopped struggling. “OK,” Chris growled, trying to catch his breath. “OK. Now just admit that I’ve got your back, Storm.”

“GET OFF ME!” James shouted.

“Not until you say it,” Chris answered. “Say it, Cowboy, or I’m going to punch you in the face!”

“I would rather have my tongue torn out by a pack of rabid hyenas after having my legs chewed off by a tribe of cannibals than EVER admit anything to you,” James gritted through his teeth.

“Well, since that ain’t gonna happen, how ‘bout you agree I do just as much as you do for the team?” Chris rolled his eyes when he looked down and found James pouting in stony silence. “Come on, James. Just say it and I’ll let you up. Stop being cute with all your little pouting and admit it. Come on.” He froze when he saw James’ eyes widen in shock. “What? What’d I say?” he asked, trying to recall the exact wording of his previous few sentences and failing. His concern grew as James silently turned his head to one side, refusing to make eye contact. “Come on, Cowboy, just talk to me. Please. I don’t know what I said.”

In a barely audible whisper, James finally responded. “You called me cute,” he explained. His face was already red from the struggle, but Chris could’ve sworn he got just a little darker.

“Oh, God.” Chris inhaled deeply, mentally cursing himself. “Cowboy, I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. I didn’t mean to-” He broke off as James shifted slightly under him, reminding him of their somewhat awkward position. “Oh, sorry.” Chris released his partner and sat back on his knees, keeping his eyes on the carpet as James quickly wiggled out from under him. “Cowboy, PLEASE don’t be mad, I swear it just came out wrong. I wasn’t trying to-” The rest of Chris’ apology was lost as a pillow smacked him in the face hard enough to knock him onto his back.

“Now we’re even,” James informed him with almost sadistic pleasure, dropping the pillow onto Chris’ chest and resuming his seat on the couch.

Slowly, Chris propped himself up onto his elbows, watching James stare at the blank television. “You’re not mad?” he asked, continuing on quickly at the expression of annoyance that flickered across the Cowboy’s face. “About the ‘cute’ thing, I mean.”

“Oh, that.” James shrugged. “Nah, I figured you were joking.” Chris remained silent and James frowned at him. “You WERE joking, right?”

All he had to say was “Yes,” and James would’ve dropped the subject. Chris knew that, but for some reason the word stuck in his throat. Chris was emotionally drained from the argument, too tired to try to mask his feelings. James could always tell when he was lying anyway. Chris sat up an d dropped his head forward, allowing some of his hair to shield him from the Cowboy’s clear blue eyes as he declared, “I think you’re gorgeous, James. I really do.” A surprised silence filled the room for a few seconds, then James suddenly sucked in a sharp breath as the impact of the Wildcat’s statement finally reached him. Chris continued hurriedly, “You don’t have to worry about it; we can still be friends, you know. I’m not gonna try to…DO anything about it or anything.”

“What would we DO?” James broke in sharply.

Chris sighed and shifted uncomfortably. “Like I said, we don’t have to do anything, man. I won’t ever even bring it up again.”

Sliding off the couch so that he was eye-level with his partner, James pressed, “No, I mean…if we WERE gonna do something, what would we do? What do YOU want to do?”

Chris studied James’ expression carefully. He saw confusion and a nervousness that matched his own, but no trace of the revulsion he had expected to follow his revelation. James’ question seemed to be an honest one, so Chris searched for an honest answer. “I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do, James. But if we WERE gonna do something, I guess we’d just-” Even Chris himself was not sure what the vague hand gesture his right hand made was intended to represent, and it bewildered James.

“What does THAT mean?” he demanded, panic creeping into his voice. “Wash the car, pet a dog, conduct an orchestra, WHAT?”

“No,” Chris sighed heavily, unsure how to phrase his desires. “I guess we’d do…I mean…kinda the same stuff you’d wanna do with girls you like.” He looked helplessly at James, praying that his message had been conveyed.

“Ah. You mean, like kissing…and stuff?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Chris muttered, thoroughly embarrassed and suddenly irritated. Why wouldn’t James just let this go? Chris wouldn’t have blamed him for kicking him out of the house or refusing to talk about it, but instead James sat pensively, as if he was considering the situation.

“Well,” James announced, suddenly straightening. “I guess that sounds all right.”

“WHAT?” Shocked and certain that he had misinterpreted, Chris stared blankly at James until James took the initiative. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to Chris’, bringing up a hand to cup his partner’s cheek. “James, wait,” Chris murmured, but James took advantage of the parted lips to slip his tongue inside, running it slowly along the ridge at the top of Chris’ mouth. Giving in to defeat, Chris deepened the kiss, tangling a fist in James’ dark hair and pulling him down to the floor. They moved slowly, almost cautiously, exploring this new level of intimacy together. Chris’ lips worked their way down James’ neck, paused to lick at the hollow of his throat, and then began their journey back up, sliding across the jawline to nuzzle the delicate skin just under the ear. James moaned and turned his head to capture Chris’ roaming mouth with his own once again. His fingers, meanwhile, tentatively brush ed over Chris’ chest and stomach, feeling the warmth seeping through the thin black T-shirt. Unable to restrain himself as the kisses grew more heated, James shoved Chris’ shirt up a little so that he could splay a hand over Chris’ stomach. Taking the hint, Chris broke away for a fraction of a second to jerk his shirt off over his head, tossing it carelessly toward the couch. James’ shirt followed almost immediately. The friction that was being caused by the two bodies pressing against one another was raising the temperature almost unbearably, but Chris fought to stop himself from moving too quickly. He was still unsure of how far James wanted to go, and although he would’ve been perfectly content to remain in this position all night, he was afraid of James noticing the increasing tightness in his jeans. Chris’ dilemma was abruptly solved when James pulled back, sitting up onto his knees.

“Now what?” he asked, looking expectantly at his partner.

“I…whatever you want to do, I guess.”

“Whatever I want?” James looked uncertainly at Chris. “I’m not sure what that is…I mean, I don’t have a lot of experience with this, you know? I’ve never done this before so I don’t know. Do you know? Because I want to do this if you’ll show me. Will you show me? I don’t…” By this time, James had worked himself into a slight panic with his words coming so fast that Chris didn’t know when he took a breath. Chris knew he had to stop James’ tirade before it became full-blown hysteria. So, he did the only thing that seemed logical to him. Grabbing James’ face between his hands, Chris planted his lips over James’ and roughly kissed him. By the time they pulled apart, both were gasping for breath.

“I don’t know what I’m doing either. I’ve never wanted to, you know…with a guy.” Chris trailed off and raised a hand to gently cup James’ face. Then he spoke in just a whisper. “Only you.”

James became mesmerized by the slightly rough but gentle hand on his face, mesmerized by the tender look in the eyes of his partner that all he could whisper was “Me, too.” There was complete silence while James lifted his hands to Chris’ face mirroring his pose. James broke the silence with a slight smile. “Let’s just take it one moment at a time. Make it up as we go along. Work together. We’re good at that.”

“I think we’re about to get a whole lot better,” Chris grinned.

James replied with a smirk that said a thousand words. Slowly, oh so slowly, James leaned his head forward until he could touch his lips to Chris’. The resulting kiss was languid, relaxed, and hotter than anything either one had ever felt. It went on for ages, never seeming to stop. Every time one pulled back for a breath, the other one followed, not willing to give up the prize they had found. Gradually, James worked himself into a standing position with Chris following him up. Impressively, their lips never parted for more than a second or two at a time. When they were finally standing, James broke the kiss, turned, and led Chris to the bedroom. Not a word was spoken as they entered. Chris unerringly found his way to the bed in the faint glow from the living room and stretched across the bed on his back. James walked over and stood at the end of the bed just staring. He’d never thought of a man as beautiful, never thought he would but right here at this moment, Chris was beauty personified.

Suddenly, James couldn’t wait to touch him. He climbed onto the bed right on top of Chris who had a small frown on his face at James’ silence. When he started to say something, James shushed him with a soft kiss. James softly kissed Chris’ forehead, his eyes, his cheeks, his ears, his mouth, working his way down. He kissed the hollow of Chris’ throat, down his chest until he reached a nipple so he kissed it. Chris’ loud moan proved he was doing something right so James kissed it again. James loved that sound. He began to lick at Chris’ nipples alternately biting and kissing until Chris’ hands were fisted in his hair and uncontrollable sounds of pleasure were falling from his mouth. Only then did James continue on his journey although he wasn’t quite sure where he was going. James kissed a path down Chris’ flat stomach to his bellybutton and then a little lower until he reached the top of Chris’ jeans. There, James stopped and sat up. Slowly he undid the top button and slid the zipper down. Then he urged Chris to lift his hips so he could slide the garment off. It went off relatively easy since Chris was barefoot from his shower. When James got the jeans off, he sat back and looked at Chris. “Beautiful.” The word slipped out unwittingly. Chris looked up at James with a smile but anything he was about to say flew out the window when James stretched out on top of him again. James started at the top and worked his way down all over again. Over the nipples, down the stomach, over one hip and then the other, James used hands, lips, tongue, and sometimes teeth to send Chris into a frenzy. Finally James’ head, and most importantly, his mouth was right above the one spot he hadn’t touched. James gazed at the organ. The partners had seen each other naked before, of course they had, they’d been friends for so long, but somehow, it didn’t quite live up to this moment. James was seeing Chris in a completely different light. James softly blew on it, saw it jump, and heard Chris’ low moan. James tilted his head thoughtfully and did it again. He got the same effect. Then, James smirked slyly. He could do this and Chris was going to remember it for a long time. Chris was always a bit larger than James, but at this moment it didn’t bother James at all. James bent his head quickly and kissed just the tip of Chris’ shaft. Chris’ hips bucked upwards without warning and almost knocked James completely off.

“Calm down, baby,” James chuckled.

Chris’ reply was a sarcastic “Easy for you to say. We’ll find out later.”

James’ whole body tingled with the promise he heard in his soon-to-be lover’s voice. He tamped his reaction down for the time being because he wanted to concentrate on Chris. James dipped his head and gently took the tip into his mouth. Chris sucked in his breath and lay perfectly still, waiting for James’ next move. James lifted his head and then brought it down several more times taking more of Chris’ shaft into his mouth each time. With each successive suck, Chris’ moans grew louder and more persistent until James finally had the whole length in his mouth. Experimentally, James swallowed. Chris’ hips came off the bed. Luckily, James had had the foresight to hold Chris this time. Soon enough, James had found a rhythm that he and Chris, judging by the sounds coming from him, approved of. James would have been content to continue like this for awhile, but Wildcat was having none of it. Tightening the hands he had fisted in James’ hair, Chris hauled James’ mouth up to his own and kissed him with an ardent passion that took his breath away.

Chris flipped James over, broke the kiss, and looking straight into James’ hazy blue eyes growled, “I think one of us needs to lose some clothes and I can guarantee it isn’t me.” Before James could string two words together, which he was suddenly finding very difficult, Chris had his pants unbuttoned and was pulling them off along with his boxers. When Chris had thrown them over his shoulder to the floor, he turned to James and stopped, feeling the air whoosh out of him. Seeing James laying there like some Greek god with his tousled hair and his beautiful blue eyes dark and dilated hit Chris like a suckerpunch to the stomach. It was then that he realized he wouldn’t be able to let James go after this. He didn’t want him as just a friend and one-night lover. He wanted him as his friend, partner, and lover for as long as he could have him. They had always been honest with each other, and Chris knew he had to tell James his conclusion before they went any farther. They had to know what each other expected because if they did this, and James rejected him, Chris knew it would break his heart. 'Better to never have than to only have once.'

Gently, Chris straddled James and leaned down to deliver the softest kiss to his lips. When James would have deepened it, Chris pulled away. Looking into James' eyes, Chris quietly said, "I have to tell you something."

James raised his eyebrows and replied with a touch of disbelief, "Right now?"

Chris nodded his head solemnly, lowered his face to right above James, and whispered, "Yes, right now."

When James just looked at him, Chris took a breath and gathered his thoughts. He had never been very good at elaborate speeches, but this could be the most important one of his life so he was going to try his damnedest to get it right. Chris swallowed his nerves and continued in a near whisper, "James, we've been friends and partners for so long that I can't remember a time without you around. Whether it's in the ring or in the car driving to the next show or just chilling on the couch, you're always right there next to me. I've always thought of you as my best friend...my brother. But, tonight, I realized that somewhere along the way, you've become more. I don't know when or how, but it's different. You're the first man I've ever wanted to do this with and I want you to be the only man I do this with. I want you beside me as my friend, brother, partner, and lover."

During Chris' speech, James had been unusually quiet, keeping his gaze locked on Chris. When Chris finished and looked pensively at him, James suddenly laughed and said, "Wildcat, you idiot." Before Chris' confusion could turn into hurt, James lifted a hand to smooth the worry lines on Chris' forehead and continued, "I'm not going anywhere. So, how about you stop worrying and we stop talking." The suggestive tilt to James' eyebrows made Chris smile and hug James to him, burying his face in the crook of James' neck. Immediately, he felt James return the embrace. It wasn't long before Chris was delivering soft kisses to James' neck. Kiss by kiss, touch by touch, Chris replicated what James had done to him mere moments before. Little by little, Chris pushed James closer and closer to the edge of his control. When Chris sucked a nipple into his mouth, James sighed. When Chris scattered kisses down James' stomach, James' breathing hitched. When Chris swirled his tongue inside James' belly button, James moaned. When Chris nibbled his way across James' thighs, he whimpered. And, when Chris finally put his mouth at the juncture of James' thighs, James gave a strangled shout and bucked his hips upwards.

Chris looked up with a gleam in his eye and repeated James' words to him, "Calm down, baby." James simply urged Chris' head back down. Chris slowly began taking James' shaft into his mouth inch by inch. Once he had it all in, he let it slip out so he could do it all over again. Chris did this several times speeding up each time until he found a fast and steady rhythm. Sooner rather than later, James was teetering on the edge of his climax. When James tried to urge Chris' head away with a "Not yet," Chris simply ignored him and continued sucking. He wanted to taste everything. Before long, Chris felt James tense and with a low moan, James climaxed into Chris' waiting mouth. Chris swallowed everything James gave him and then moved up to softly kiss James' mouth.

While James recovered, Chris hopped off the bed and ran into the adjoining bathroom. He began frantically searching through cabinets for something to use as lubrication. "Better prepared…should have been better prepared," Chris mumbled to himself as he came up empty handed after each search. Finally, Chris ripped open the drawer under the sink and found a jar of Vaseline. "Ha." Chris snatched it up and hurried back into the bedroom.

Chris startled gaze met surprised blue eyes as he experimentally moved the finger again. Eliciting a gasp as the blue eyes drifted closed, Chris began brushing against the little mound while stroking the hardness in his other hand. There was no resistance when he inserted a second finger and by the third, James was whimpering out broken pleas. “Chris…can’t…please.” Ending in a low moan, Chris understood and decided there was nothing more to prepare. Chris withdrew his fingers and reached for the salve once more only to feel a hand wrap around his own erection and slicking it with the Vaseline. Dropping his head to James’ shoulder, he glanced over at a smile so seductive that he lost his breath. The fist moving up and down his shaft wasn’t helping him gain it back. Gathering his wits with a groan, Chris leaned onto his elbows and pressed a kiss to the lips so close to his. “Ready?”

A nod was his answer. Before he gave himself time to think or panic, Chris lifted James’ hips and pressed the tip of his manhood past the ring of muscles. Hearing a hiss, he paused watching James grit his teeth and seeing his hands clench the sheets. Chris reached over and laced his fingers with the ones tangled in the sheets and squeezed. James squeezed back and nodded to give Chris the go ahead. Chris slowly but steadily pushed his way into the tight heat pausing at intervals waiting for that reassuring squeeze to his hand. Once buried completely, Chris let out a breath and dropped his head to that lovely shoulder. He pressed a kiss into the neck attached to that lovely shoulder and fought to control himself as the tight heat gripped him. James gradually relaxed as the pain subsided and loosened the grip on Chris’ hand. Perching on his elbows, Chris gave an experimental push. Unable to suppress a growl at the sensation of James pushing to meet his push, Chris began a rhythm of deep and steady thrusts. As the tempo increased, the only accompaniment was the two lovers’ harsh breathing and low sounds of pleasure.

When it became too hard to hold back, Chris wrapped one hand around James’ weeping erection and plunged in erratically. Between the dual sensations, it wasn’t long before James gave into the sweep of orgasm with a strangled moan. Chris soon followed James with a howl as the clenching muscles milked his own orgasm. Collapsing onto the body beneath his, Chris carefully pulled out as he let his erratic heartbeat slow.

Soon James gave a chuckle, “You’re no cruiserweight, you know.”

Chris grinned and rolled onto his side. James quickly rolled to face him. James closed his eyes and smiled as the silence enveloped the room. Feeling the bed move, he blinked his eyes open and watched Chris move towards the bathroom. He was soon back in the room with a wet cloth that he used to quickly clean them both up. James shut his eyes once again but felt the bed dip. He moved effortlessly into the arms that reached for him and snuggled under the covers. Just as sleep claimed him, he felt Chris bestow a kiss onto his hair and sigh.

“Are you still sleeping?! Get your ass up! I had to find your spare key just to get in and I’m hungry! Of course, I’m surprised I even have an appetite after what I just saw..”

Recognizing the voice drawing closer as Kid Kash, James was suddenly thankful the man WASN’T part of his dreams. Rolling over, he spied Chris just waking up and reaching out for him when a shadow darkened the doorway.

“Son of a BITCH! Not again! What is with all the sex today?! I‘ll never be able to eat again!”

James chuckled as Chris’ brow furrowed in confusion. Looking at something only he could see, Kid Kash sneered and muttered with conviction, “This is your fault. I hate you, AJ Styles.” Then he unceremoniously stomped out.

Chris, always slow to fully awaken, yawned and asked, “What was that?”

Moving closer, James wrapped an arm around Chris’ waist and replied, “That was Kid Kash and no, I don’t know who dropped him on his head.”

Mildly surprised at the lack of embarrassment or discomfort, James gave Chris a kiss accompanied by a “Good Morning.”

Giving a sleepy smirk, Chris caught James around the waist and pulled him tight against him. “Mmm…morning.”

A long while later, after a shower that eventually led back to the bed, Chris asked “So, what does AJ have to do with anything?”

Snuggling with his head on Chris’ shoulder, James rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what Chris was referring to, and sighed, “I’m sure we’ll find out. Now about OUR titles...”