Top Posts Tagged with #jbjh

analepsis

“Jalen,” Josh says at his hotel room door, and his voice fractures near the end of the word in a way that has Jalen tugging him inside and closing the door behind them.

“Josh—” he starts.

“What if OG hadn’t made the shot?” he asks, not meeting Jalen’s eyes. “What if—”

Or: Josh Hart and the ghost of a failed championship run.

linked on ao3 here

—

They’re so high off the buzz of winning the game, of OG’s insane tip-in, the Garden crowd screaming and dancing with them long after the game is over that it takes awhile before Jalen sits down for his presser, Josh next to him. When someone asks Josh about the game, Josh has his usual wry grin, self-deprecating when he talks about how OG saved his life, how that missed layup would’ve had him hiding from the world forever. Under the table, Jalen squeezes Josh’s thigh and Josh knocks their knees together in response. Everything about him seems normal, if not quite as boisterous. He seems fine.

“Yo,” Jalen says, on the plane to San Antonio, Josh quieter than usual next to him, and he sighs out a long breath.

“Just tired, JB,” he says and Jalen watches him for a long moment. Josh does look tired, in that way they all do, high-intensity play up until the literal last second leaving them all drained and quiet on the flight. As a rule, they don’t do much celebrating on their own after playoff games, following Jalen’s 0-0 mentality, but even the usual quiet murmuring between teammates gives way to silent exhaustion.

So, Jalen lets it be, settling back in his seat. Then they land and have to check into their hotel rooms, and Jalen is sitting on his bed in just his towel staring blankly at the floor and thinking about how all he needs to do is get under the blankets to sleep when there’s a knock at the door. Jalen frowns at the ugly grey-patterned hotel carpet and sluggishly lifts his head up when there’s another knock.

“Gimme a sec,” he makes himself say, tugging on boxers and a t-shirt and rubbing his eyes as he heads to the door. He’s barely gotten himself into captain mode when he sees Josh, paler than usual with huge eyes on his ashen face, barely dressed as if he just threw on the first pair of pants he could find and booked it over to him. His sweatpants are inside out.

“Jalen,” he says, and his voice fractures near the end of the word in a way that has Jalen tugging Josh inside and closing the door behind them.

“Josh—” he starts and makes a shocked sound because Josh is all over him and it’s been nearly ten fucking weeks since he’s been touched like this, hands sliding under his shirt and grasping at his back, walking them back to the bed and nearly toppling them onto it until Jalen plants his feet and grasps at Josh’s shoulders, pushing him back enough to get a look at his face.

“Jesus, bro, what the fuck?” Jalen says, Josh’s hands still clinging to his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Josh is avoiding his gaze, which is an impressive feat for someone who is five inches taller than him.

“What if OG hadn’t made the shot?” he asks, still not meeting Jalen’s eyes. “What if—” He swallows so hard Jalen hears the saliva move down his throat and suddenly Jalen is transported back to March 2017, watching the clock tick down, 65-62, after the worst five minutes of play in their lives.

Oh.

“Josh,” Jalen says, sliding his hands up from Josh’s bare chest to cup his face with his hands. Josh’s eyes finally focus on him, wide and half-gone, as if he’s still freshly 21 years old and in his senior year and devastated, crawling into Jalen’s bed back at their tiny student athlete apartment and tucking his face against his neck, breathing in a way that Jalen knew meant he was trying not to cry.

“He made the shot,” Jalen whispers and Josh exhales hard and closes his eyes, but he’s leaning into Jalen’s touch, his hands still hot and splayed wide on the bare skin of his back. “We won the game.”

“But—”

“Stop,” Jalen says firmly, running his thumbs along the jut of Josh’s unfairly beautiful cheekbones.

“Wide open fuckin’ layup,” Josh mutters and Jalen rocks up on his tiptoes to knock their foreheads together gently.

“Yeah, and I missed the fucking three.”

“You were shooting over that big fuckin’ alien and—”

“Doesn’t matter, man,” Jalen says, cutting him off and nudging their noses together. “If I missed that shot and OG didn’t tip it in and we lost by one? Woulda been crucified.”

“Ain’t the same,” Josh says quietly, but he slides his hands down to the small of Jalen’s back to pull him closer, pressed up against his chest. Jalen tries not to shiver at the proximity, but it has been ten fucking weeks.

“What d’you need?” Jalen asks and Josh turns his head to tuck his nose into Jalen’s palm; Jalen’s heart cracks in two. Between the two of them, Josh is usually the one taking care of him—Jalen knows he pushes down a lot until it all threatens to overwhelm him. Sometimes, though, Josh needs Jalen. Needs his grounding touch, his words. Needs his body. Not even for sex, although, yeah, sometimes. But mostly just to feel that he’s there, that he’s alive, that he isn’t going to leave him.

What Jalen has learned about Josh in the decade he’s known him is that Josh has been told he’s too much his whole life. Too energetic, too unfocused, too hyper. Too loud and too emotional. So he fights, he scraps, he dares you to leave him first. But if you stand your ground, if you weather the storm of Josh’s personality, you get this. Josh, tucking his nose against Jalen’s palm, the gift of his vulnerability. The gift of his trust.

Jalen uses his grip on Josh to tug him down into the bed with him, grunting softly when his sore muscles finally sink onto something soft. Josh shifts so he’s sprawled on top of Jalen, still pressed as close as he can, like if he could he’d crawl into Jalen’s skin and live there. Jalen rolls them so that they’re both on their side and rests their foreheads together, tracing the stubble on Josh’s cheek as he feels his warm breath against his palm.

They’re tangled up in each other like they used to be back in college after every minor inconvenience, Jalen needy as always for Josh’s attention, Josh enjoying the feel of Jalen’s skin against his hands. This time it’s Josh who seeks out the affection, turning so their noses brush up against each other.

“What do you need from me?” Jalen asks again, nearly breathing it into Josh’s mouth, and Josh touches their lips together briefly, chaste in a way he usually isn’t, before he pulls back to tug Jalen’s shirt off completely, eyes still a little too wide, breath still a little too fast. Touch is what he needs then, Jalen thinks, catching one of Josh’s hands and resting it over his heart so he can feel it beating. Josh wraps his other arm around Jalen’s body, looping it over his waist to pull him as close as possible.

Jalen grunts but lets Josh haul him close, hooking his thigh over Josh’s sweatpant-clad hip to keep him there.

“Just you. Just this.” Josh still sounds ragged, pressing his hot mouth to Jalen’s bare shoulder before burying his face against his neck. Jalen runs his hand down his back, blinking hard as he tries to fight back sleep. Josh is always so warm, his skin soft, and the post-game exhaustion is hitting him hard now that he’s in a bed and comfortable.

He’s started to doze when he feels Josh move, his hips shifting between Jalen’s legs as he seems to settle deeper into the mattress.

Jalen blinks slowly when Josh’s lips move against his skin.

“Fallin’ asleep, JB?” he asks quietly.

“Mm. Someone was boo-hooing about past bullshit and interrupted my bedtime routine,” Jalen mumbles, but he can hear how fond his voice sounds. He wishes he was more embarrassed about it but he is long past experiencing shame when it comes to his feelings regarding Josh.

Josh draws a pattern along Jalen’s back and Jalen tries to figure out what it is before giving up, mind sluggish with sleep.

“You stayin’?” Jalen asks, his own fingers tracing the divots of Josh’s spine.

“You cool with that?” Josh asks, not looking like he’s gonna move anytime soon.

Jalen grunts. “When’ve I ever not been?” Idiot, he doesn’t say but Josh snorts and bites at his shoulder so he knows he heard it.

“Hey,” he says mildly and Josh pulls back, kissing the spot in apology, then keeps kissing up his shoulder to his chest and then his neck, nipping gently at the hollow of his throat. Jalen tips his head back and shivers, swallowing at the rasp of Josh’s tongue against his skin. He was wondering when this would happen—Josh tends to get handsy after being vulnerable, like he needs a way to distract himself and Jalen is right there, always open and willing for him.

But usually Jalen isn’t this easy to rile up, can feel himself chubbing up in his boxers as Josh bites at his chin and then finally reaches his mouth, just breathing hotly against him for a moment. Jalen squirms and that’s when Josh kisses him, a languid, lazy thing that sends heat coiling through Jalen’s body. He makes a low noise when Josh licks into his mouth, one of his big hands pressed between Jalen’s shoulder blades like a brand as Jalen sucks on his tongue, almost feverish with want.

Jalen has to pull back with a gasp to catch his breath, lips tingling, and he feels Josh shift his hips and press them forward, trapping Jalen’s hard-on between them. He flushes when Josh arches an eyebrow.

“Could blow you if you want,” Josh drawls and Jalen licks his lips, feeling hot all over. He slowly shakes his head, still clutching Josh’s shoulder.

“Can’t,” he says roughly and Josh huffs in amusement.

“You know that shit Dolan said prolly isn’t even real,” he says and Jalen flexes his hand against Josh’s skin.

“Yeah, but—”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever it takes.” He bites at Jalen’s earlobe and Jalen shudders against him, extra sensitive all over in a way he hasn’t been since he was back at Nova, Josh shoving him up against the wall of his bedroom after they’d won a game and making him come just by sucking on his neck and grinding their hips together.

“Josh,” Jalen pants and Josh grumbles, pulling himself away.

Jalen squeezes his eyes shut, trying to get himself under control, the sweet ache of his arousal not helped by Josh continuing to keep them pressed close.

“Want me t’leave?” Josh asks after a moment, smoothing his hand down Jalen’s back.

“No,” Jalen says immediately. “Just…don’t move for a sec.”

Josh hums in amusement, a low, rumbling thing that also doesn’t help with Jalen’s issue. Josh keeps petting the tense set of his spine, hand warm, and eventually the contact goes from distracting to soothing as Jalen relaxes, exhaling slowly.

“After—” He cuts himself off, unable to finish the thought, unable to jinx it.

“Yeah,” Josh says, immediately understanding. “Yeah, I got plans for you after.”

Jalen is quiet for a long moment as he absorbs that. “Was all this just an elaborate ploy to get me to let you sleep with me tonight?” Jalen asks half-jokingly, trying not to let himself get hot for Josh again. He'd just calmed himself down and then Josh says shit like that.

Josh immediately frowns in response and Jalen runs a hand apologetically down Josh’s side.

“I just can’t—” Josh swallows hard and Jalen snuggles up against him, tucking his head under his chin. Josh’s grip around him tightens, almost bruising, until Jalen grunts and Josh loosens his hold slightly.

“Yeah, I know. It won’t happen. I won’t let it happen again.”

Jalen feels Josh’s breath against the top of his head as he sighs. “Yeah,” he says, voice quiet. “I know you won’t.” I trust you, he doesn’t say, but Jalen hears it anyway and presses a kiss to the hollow of Josh’s throat.

“You know I won that next one for you,” he says and Josh gives him a long look.

”You won that shit for you,” Josh says and Jalen smiles a little.

”Sure,” he agrees. “And for you too. You came to watch it on a fucking private jet you couldn’t even afford. ‘Course I won it for you.”

Jalen watches as Josh stares at him, gazing back steadily. Let Josh see it, the truth of the fact that Josh has always been the glue Jalen needs.

“Heart of the team, right?” Jalen whispers and Josh inhales sharply; then Jalen is being kissed so hard their teeth clack, but he just matches the energy, Josh’s eyelashes wet on the skin of his cheek. Josh breaks the kiss with a shuddering gasp, eyes red and wet, and Jalen rests his forehead against Josh’s, arms wrapped around him, letting him pull himself together in the cradle of his hands.

After a long series of gulping breaths that finally steady out, Josh squeezes him gently once more and then pulls back, Jalen feeling the pout immediately form on his face.

“Aw, don’t look at me like that, JB,” Josh says, eyes still a little wet but bright and finally shadow-free as he presses his thumb to the corner of Jalen’s mouth, tracing the little moue of his cupid’s bow. “Was just gonna tell you to turn around.”

Jalen grumbles but he wiggles until he’s flipped around, relaxing again when Josh immediately presses himself to his back, draping his arm over his waist. Exhaustion starts to set in again, and Josh noses behind his ear.

“See?” he says, voice soft and appeasing. “Don’t be mad at me, baby. You like it better this way.”

Jalen grunts, not wanting to admit Josh is right, but he can feel Josh’s chest shake with silent laughter so it’s a moot point anyway. Asshole.

“Whatever,” Jalen says, sniffing. “Go to sleep.”

“Uh huh. You first.”

Jalen kicks back at Josh’s ankles until Josh traps his legs between his calves to keep him still.

“Brat,” Josh huffs.

“Asshole,” Jalen slurs, already halfway gone. He tries to stay awake a little longer, wanting the last word, but Josh splays a hand over Jalen’s lower belly in a way that scatters every other thought he had. He shivers.

“Fuckin’...go to sleep, Jalen. Why you fightin’ it?” Josh’s breath is hot against his ear.

Jalen wiggles half-heartedly, but he’s so thoroughly caged within Josh’s body that he gives up almost immediately, eyes already mostly closed.

“Most annoying dude I know,” Jalen hears as his body begins to drag him down, deep into the rest he so desperately needs. Then, just before sleep takes him completely, quiet as if Josh doesn’t want him to hear: “Thanks, JB.”

Trending Tags

Last Seen Tags

#jbjh

Trending Tags

Last Seen Tags

#jbjh