Til Death Do Us Part

"Not again. What the fuck? How can they do this to us again?"

"Babe, it'll be alright."

"How? How is it going to be alright? Just explain that one to me."

Jeremy wiped his hand tiredly over his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe just because it has to be?" Tony had been like this all day. He wouldn't eat or sleep or work out or do anything else that JR considered fun. All he wanted to do was pace and complain. An irate Tony was not a loving Tony, to be sure.

"That's not good enough, JR! Why don't you want to do anything about this?"

"What can I do? They asked me for a list, Tony. I didn't go to them. It's not like I walked up to Clarke and was like 'Hey, Bobby, how's it hanging? Ya wanna shove me off on some other team?' I mean for fuck's sake, Ton..."

"Ok, fine! Fine, you didn't instigate it, but you could at least have a problem with it. I mean, what, you just cooperate? Hand over a list of places that you'd want to go?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Not _want_ to go, but I mean if I have to go...."

"WHY do you HAVE to go?"

"I don't know!"

"And you didn't think to ask? You just went along with it?"

"What would you have me do? Give them a hard time? Throw a fit? Do I look like a Lindros?"

"Shut up! Don't even try to make me laugh. It's not gonna work. Man, what IS IT with this place? Why every time they get a group that can get the job done does management decide to fuck it all up?"

Tony was half speaking to himself, but JR decided to answer anyway. "Yeah, seems familiar, huh? Maybe it's just our karma."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It just means this feels kinda familiar, y'know?"

"Of course it does! Which is why we shouldn't make the same mistakes twice!"

"What mistakes? We're not making any mistakes!"

"You sure about that? Because this kinda feels like a mistake right about now!"

"Whoa, wait a minute! Just what the hell do you mean by that?"

"Get a clue, Jer! Rent one, at least. How many times we gonna go through this?"

"I don't know. How long are we gonna stay in the NHL?" Jeremy laughed at his own joke, then realized too late that laughing was not the right choice.

"More like how much longer we gonna stay together?"

"We'll be fine, Tony..." Jeremy started to answer before he realized the full implications of what Tony had just said. Of course, by the time he caught himself and took a moment to stop talking and change directions, Tony had already caught his breath and was back on the offensive.

"HOW? Fine like we were after you left the Hawks? Fine like we were... forget it! So, let me get this straight... you're just going to go along with this?"

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"Fine! Don't do anything! Just stand there and don't think or do anything! See if I fucking care!"

"Stop yelling at me, Tony! I'm not the bad guy here! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"No, of course not. You never do anything wrong. You're faultless. Gee, what's it like to be so perfect, Jeremy ?"

"Would you knock it off? What the hell!? You always do this... you get upset about something and then you take it out on me." Although they were both normally laid back, Jeremy still had his pride and an intense argument was a good way to stir it up.

"I'm not taking it out on you!"

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm... dammit, JR, stop it! I'm not taking a damn thing out on you."

"Then why are you STILL YELLING AT ME?" Now tired of trying to make jokes, Jeremy jumped into the fight with both feet. Tony may be legitimately upset, but as long as he wasn't making any sense, things weren't going to get resolved. So JR figured he might as well get some type of work out in.

"Because I'm UPSET! Aren't you upset?" Tony flung his hands in the air and turned away exasperated. "No, of course not. You're Mr. Cool. Mr. Cool never gets upset about anything."

"I do get upset! I'm upset right now! Wanna know why?"

"This should be stunning."

"I'm upset because you won't stop yelling at me for something that's NOT MY FAULT."

"I'm not yelling at you, fuckhead! I'm trying to have a discussion with my boyfriend and figure out why he's ok with yet another hockey club trying to ruin our lives!"

"No one's trying to ruin our li...."

"And if it's not your fault, then just who's fault is it?"

"Wait a minute... how is this my fault?"

"Because you don't even fucking care, that's how!"

"... Tony, that didn't make any sense."

Tony punctuated his point by hurling the alarm clock across the room at Jeremy's head.

JR rolled his eyes in response. "Oh, ok, point taken. Way to be articulate, man."

"Could you take this seriously, please, for once in your adult life could you just fuckingcare?"

"I do care! But I don't understand getting all worked up when...."

"God help you if you say 'there's nothing we can do about it'." Tony gritted his teeth and watched for a reaction. The blonde sighed and seemed to mentally reshuffle, trying to find a different way to put it. "Oh, man, that is what you were going to say. Typical, just typical...."

"Actually, I was going to say there's nothing _I_ can do about it, but now that you mention it, there's nothing you can do either...."

JR's voice was quieter when he responded, but that didn't affect Tony's explosive reaction. "You've got to be kidding me! Oh ok, so this is all about you? This doesn't affect me at all? That's why you don't think I have a right to be upset, isn't it? You see this as about you...."

Bordering on defeated, Jeremy sank down into a chair. "Well, I am the one possibly being traded."

"AWAY from me. AGAIN."

"Maybe. Nothing's set in stone."

Taking a minute to breathe, Tony sized up JR... his body language, his tone, his fat ass fucking reclining in that goddamned chair like this discussion had all the importance of which movie they should rent. And then Tony lost it. "Get the fuck out!"

"...What?"

"You know what, you are the most self centered, dense, moronic... get out, get out, get out!"

JR was on his feet. "No way!"

"Oh, _that_ gets a reaction out of you? Why, because it disrupts your comfort? Forget it. I don't care. I'm not doing this anymore. Go, get out."

"No! Tony, I've been saying let's not do this for the better part of an hour. Now just because you've screamed yourself hoarse...."

"No, JR, I mean this," Tony's voice was quiet with a false calm as he gestured between them. "I'm not doing this anymore. You don't care if you stay or go? Fine. Neither will I. But I'm not going to wait for you to be torn away from me this time. This time... well, just get out."

"Stop saying that!"

"Then try listening to it."

"Tony, babe, c'mere." As he advanced, Tony moved out of reach and sadly shook his head. "Tony, come on... look at all we've done. Don't be like this."

"You mean look at all you've done, don't you? Yeah, look at all you've done. And it's a lot. But none of it's been for me." JR opened his mouth to dispute that, but Tony raised his hand to wave him silent. "No, don't, JR, I don't want to hear it. I'm an idiot, ok? I'm a fucking fool and I have been for a long time. Our luck's been running out... fuck, I guess since the day we met. It's just that something that seems so right... I figured we could make it right, make it work. But there were so many signs. You leave every time I need you, and you don't see that, and now I think you won't ever be able to see that."

"What do you want me to say, Tony? That I'm sorry?"

"No, I don't care if you are or not. I want you to change, but you won't."

"Hey, I never tried to change you."

"You didn't need to! I compromised every time I saw a need for it."

"Just because you saw a need doesn't mean it was there."

"Shut up, Jeremy. You know if you ever would have asked me to consider something, I would have."

Jeremy pursed his lips together, gesturing without giving much ground that he would stay quiet for now.

Tony pushed his hair away from his eyes. "Any time something's wrong, you pretend it's not. Well, things ARE wrong. Very, very wrong. Are we even friends anymore? Or am I just your little wife?"

"Hey! You know I don't think of you like that!"

"You don't even think of me! We never laugh, not like before, and you don't get how deep you bruise me."

"I never laid my hands on you! I mean... I'm not... I'm not Shannahan!"

"Not like that, moron. Not like Stevie and Bren. Like US. I really feel like you're just... nevermind."

"What?"

"Vacant." The word came out half strangled and Tony wouldn't look up. After a lifetime together, JR knew exactly how to read those signs.

"I wish you wouldn't cry," Jeremy pleaded quietly.

"Why? Making you feel guilty?" Tony raised his head to meet JR's eyes, and challenge him. Jeremy didn't respond, just turned a close„mouthed sympathy on his lover. Tony shook his head and managed to continue, "You make demands, I draw the line. You start to argue, I start to hide things from you... and that's lying. I hate this. It's like something's dying between us and rather than dealing with it we find ways to avoid it and what better way to avoid it than running away to another team, right? With all these walls and all this shit... Jeremy, what does any of this matter anymore?"

Jeremy's eyes pricked with tears watching Tony's tangent unfold. "Babe, c'mere."

"Don't touch me, Jer. Please, please leave."

Stubborn as ever, Jeremy instead wrapped his arms around Tony and attempted to make soothing sounds. "You know I can't do that. Tony, c'mere, please. I didn't realize, ok?" In the back of his mind, JR hoped he wasn't asking for another fight with that statement. After all, it seemed the only time he actually recognized when Tony was upset was only in the wake of these types of blow-ups. Enclosing the smaller man's torso, JR pulled Tony against his chest. "Would you please stop struggling? Babe, c'mere." He brushed his lips across Tony's cheek, kissing away the stray tears. He whispered hoarsely, "God, I hate seeing you upset."

For a moment, Tony was tempted to respond 'Then stop upsetting me!' but he felt himself getting swept up in the magic between them. Swallowing a little too hard, he responded, "Well, you know a few good ways to change my mood."

JR chuckled. It was a bit forced, but it was a start. "Anything in particular you got in mind?"

"Surprise me." Tony leaned back and smiled at him. Jeremy understood the translation: permission granted to take the lead.

He started kissing the side of Tony's neck, treasuring the trust but also wanting to take quick advantage before any minds were changed. Jeremy backed him against the bed and pushed him down. Tony landed with a laugh but stifled the reaction as Jeremy quickly stripped.

"Way to romance me, big boy."

"Gimme a minute."

A second later, JR was on the bed, hovering over Tony. "Ok, let the romance begin!" Rough hands rid Tony of his shirt, then belt, and pants. JR sat back on his heels and snickered.

"Fucker! I didn't laugh at you when you whipped your clothes off like a baboon! Get the hell off of me...."

JR grabbed Tony's wrists and pinned them over his head. "Babe, relax. I was laughing at what I forgot."

"Which was? How not to be an asshole?"

"Nah, can't forget something you never learned, right?" JR waited for Tony's laugh before filling him in. "Forgot rule #1."

Tony wiggled his feet. "Ah, socks first."

"Right." Rule #1 to undressing a man... socks first or else he just looks ridiculous and then you have to laugh. Rule #2... no laughing at a mostly undressed man... not if you want get some. "Allow me to remedy this situation?"

"Yeah, go ahead. And no more stealing Keith's word of the day toilet paper."

Jeremy nibbled Tony's earlobe before slinking down his body. "How do people not know what a brat you are?"

"Because all they ever hear is your loud mouth."

JR ran his tongue over Tony's toned thighs. "So they don't get a chance to hear your smart ass comments?"

"That's right." Tony was relaxing now, and folded his arms behind his head. "Of course, if you would shut up once in awhile, the world might have a clue what I'm like. You might learn a few things yourself."

JR pulled off Tony's left sock. "I already know you're a brat." Pulled off the right one. "What else do I need to know?"

Lifting his head up off the pillow, brown eyes met laughing blue ones. "Nothing you don't already have a few hints on."

"Like how to spoil you?" Tony smiled and sighed, and laid back down. "Not exactly what I meant, but knock yourself out."

Taking his time, Jeremy started to stroke Tony while placing little kisses on his inner thighs. Moving his mouth up to Tony's hips, JR drug his tongue over the skin, savoring the taste. JR pressed his lips against the hipbone and nipped, murmuring how hot he was. Before he moved down to Tony's cock, JR looked up and made eye contact. Tony's eyes went wide for a moment in mild confusion before JR's eyes fell shut. Then the sign was obvious: 'Watch me.' Tony watched as JR's light eyelashes brushed his cheeks, then looked lower to where pink lips curved into a smile. Just as Tony's eyes settled on JR's tongue, Jeremy lapped at Tony's cockhead.

He moaned, but resisted letting his head fall back. Jeremy placed a hand on Tony's unmarked hip to hold him in place. Licking his lips, JR used his free hand to gently guide Tony to his mouth. He took his time pressing the swollen head against his moist lips. After a moment more, JR parted his lips and took the hard dick into his mouth, using his tongue to press Tony against the roof of his mouth. Tony sighed at the agonizing pleasure. When Jeremy began bobbing his head slowly, Tony let his eyes fall shut and rest back on the bed.

Jeremy ran his tongue along the underside of Tony's shaft, stroking the engorged veins and trying to drive his man a little crazy. When he felt that he had settled into a predictable pattern, JR suddenly sucked hard, pulling Tony deeper into his mouth. Tony arched up with a muted shout, forcing his cock down Jeremy's throat. "Holy fuck... baby, that's... holy...."

For his part, Jeremy smiled around the thick shaft and swallowed... tensing his throat muscles around Tony's head. Smirking, he pulled his mouth back and licked along the underside. "Like that, Babe?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhuuuuuuh."

"Feel that?"

"What the hell do you think?" He threaded his hands in JR's hair and tried to coax him back down. "More, please?"

"Don't want me to leave?"

"No, never. JR, please?" In response, he smirked and let his tongue flick over Tony's slit. "You're just evil."

"What's it feel like, Tony?"

"Huh?"

JR lowered his head and suckled gently at the tip. "Tell what it feels like."

"Feels like great."

JR chuckled. "That didn't make any sense."

"Sue me."

"Feels like I want you, right?" Tongue flick. "Feels like I'm not going to leave?" Kiss Tony's cockhead. "Feels like even though I'm dense I still adore you? I need you, Tony, and love you no matter how moronic you think I am."

The words rushed out quickly and the second the sentence was finished, JR pulled Tony's shaft back into his mouth and hollowed his cheeks. Jeremy barely had a chance to breath before he was sucking Tony hard enough to turn him inside out.

Clawing at JR's shoulders, Tony cried out when he felt the comfortable intrusion. Two fingers slid into Tony, and he bucked again. He closed his eyes and smiled, unable to catch his breath between moans. JR's fingers and tongue were pushing Tony towards orgasm, and he just laid back on the pillows and let himself be manipulated. Then he felt a disturbing absence... no hand, no mouth.

Before he had a chance to protest, his mouth was smothered by Jeremy's. The blonde slid up his lover, pressing their warm skin together. The gentle pressure of fingers in his ass was replaced by JR's blunt cockhead, spread by Jeremy's shaft. Tony growled into Jeremy's mouth as he was filled.

Moving almost frantically, Jeremy panted against Tony's ear, "So hot.. needed to be in you... love you..."

"Love you, too." Tony wrapped his arms around JR's neck. "Never stop fucking me."

Laughing in agreement, JR nodded. "Nothing could stop this. Can't... uh, Tony, fucking tight... can't keep us apart, ok?"

"Ok." Looking up into blue eyes, Tony saw the simple truth. All the arguing, all the tension, all the crap couldn't change the truth. And the truth was this is the way it would always be for them... they would find a way. "Oh, holy... JR, baby, I'm close... oh god... so close...."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

JR laughed around his raged breath. "Ok, mmm, good... come for me, Tony.... Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"You're fucking hot." Swiping his tongue along Tony's collarbone, he mumbled, "You're so fucking beautiful, babe."

Tony arched up, trying to gain some contact for his hard cock. Realizing what he needed, Jeremy pressed his body against Tony's creating the perfect friction. JR kissed Tony, thrusting his tongue into his mouth using the same rhythm that pistoned his hips forward. Writhing together was the mixture of sensations that Tony needed to push him over the edge. Again, he moaned into JR's mouth as he coated their stomachs with his come.

As Tony found his release, his ass clamped around Jeremy's dick, coaxing his orgasm out of him. JR pulled his lips away from Tony and groaned for his lover. "Babe, I'm... oh god, you're too tight... I'm gonna shoot...."

Taking control at last, Tony pulled JR's back down and ravaged his mouth with his tongue. The increased intensity of Tony's passion left JR shuddering against the brunette, filling his ass with seed and his mouth with moans.

Holding his body up, Jeremy rested his head against Tony's shoulder for a moment before gently withdrawing. Tony shifted to the side and opened his arms for JR to snuggle in. Tony let his fingertips play over JR's bare shoulder as the blonde panted quietly. "Comfy?"

Tony was rewarded with a dopey half smile. "Couldn't feel better."

"That a challenge?" Tony smirked and pressed his lips against Jeremy's.

"No, no. I think I'm learning my lesson on challenging you. Or... at least I'm learning to pick my moments."

Tony shrugged good naturedly. "As long as you're learning something. Can't have you go through life completely dense."

"Tony?" Jeremy murmured against Tony's shoulder. He leaned a little away to consider his lover. "You know, you might get traded, too. The braintrusts in the offices might ask you for a list tomorrow."

Tony sighed heavily in response. "Let's not start this again."

"You can't get rid of me."

He might not ever admit this outside of their bedroom, but it was in moments like this that Jeremy's real beauty shone through. Shining with a sheen of sweat from making love, shining like an angel, trying to be brave, but to those to knew him best showing his true vulnerability. And Tony was certainly the one who knew him best... the one who could hear the lost-little-boy notes in the tenor of his lover's voice.

The only answer he had was a smile, as slow as brown sugar syrup and sweet enough to get through even JR's thick skull. In return, Jeremy kissed Tony's temple, and whispers against the tousled dark hair. "Then what do you want to do?"

"I guess just wait and see what happens. Maybe you'll stay."

"Maybe I will."

Tony rolled over on his side to totally face his lover. "Maybe not."

He watched Jeremy's eyelids droop in mild exhaustion. Still, he tried to talk. "Maybe not. For a little while. But Tony...." JR brushed the back of his hand across Tony's still flushed cheek. "We'll always be together. You're stuck with me. Sorry, kid."

Tony closed his eyes to join his lover in dreamland. "Eh, I'll live."

the end