Chameleon

© Taranis and Sweet Kisses™

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Chameleon (kamel’yan) - n - A person capable of changing their color or identity

March 1998

"And you know what happened next?" A.J. shouted to his captivated audience from the black leather couch, consisting of his best friends. Howie, a dark Latino with chocolate-colored eyes, Nick, a tall crystal blue-eyed blonde, and Brian, another blue-eyed blonde, with wide eyes and a big smile. Music was playing to a deafening crescendo in the background, the culprit of A.J.'s hollering. The stereo was churning out loud, thrashing music, almost drowning out their voices as the four friends chatted with banter.

"What?" Nick asked, a big smile on his face and leaned forward in his chair, a tall glass of Bourbon nestled lovingly in his hands.

He was heavily interested in what A.J.’s latest conquest involved. And Nick was occasionally jealous, women just threw themselves at A.J.’s feet, whereas only girls threw themselves at Nick’s feet, and sometimes that was infuriating. But, as the band’s media-appointed dreamboat and being the youngest, it came with the territory. Unfortunate as it was for him, he had no choice but to deal with it with a bright smile.

"What'd she do? What happened?"

A.J. sat back against the couch and crossed his arms with a cryptic smile. "I don't know if you guys are still interested in the story here, don't know if you want to hear any more..."

Brian sighed exasperatingly. It figured that A.J. was trying to drag this out as much as possible. It didn’t surprise him one little bit. But that was A.J., melodramatic down to his very toes. He always made a story sound much more mystifying and unreal than it usually was. Most of the time, he embellished something chronic that he could easily make a trip down the store for milk sound like something from a James Bond movie. He rolled his eyes, giving his friends, Nick and Howie, a withering look.

"Here we go again. A.J., the showman. As usual."

"You mean, A.J. the raucous rat," Howie corrected and gave A.J. a playful tap on the knee to let him know that he was joking. And he was, and they usually did. To others, to outsiders, to the untrained eye, it may seem that they thrived on making each other's life hell. But all in all, it was good, friendly fun and they never meant a word of what they said, and that was how far their friendship ran. And it ran very, very deep.

A.J. shrugged and reached for his glass to take a swig of Jack Daniels, a personal favourite. The other's couldn't stand or hack the bitterness of Mr Daniels, turning their noses up in disgust most of the time, but A.J. handled him just fine. "Can I help it if I have a fantastic life and enjoy a reputation as being somewhat of a....."

"Player," Nick immediately said.

"No, no, no," Howie said. "Walking sex fiend."

"No, no, no, no," Brian interrupted, shaking his head. "Playing alcoholic sex fiend."

Nick clapped his hands together and laughed loudly. "That's it! That's A.J., down to a tee!"

A.J. held his arms against his chest and smiled. Secretly, he loved the reputation that he had. The 'bad boy' reputation. And it was so well-deserved too. It took a lot of guts and effort to be in the position that he was in. Though some frowned upon his ways and thought of him as nothing more than a cheap guttersnipe, A.J. knew differently.

Playing was a form of art. Drinking was a way to release work-related frustration’s. Getting more tattoos than his body could handle and tattoo parlors anyone had ever seen was a way to express himself. Dying his hair a different color every week, depending on his mood, was merely artistic relinquishment. And the piercings that he had? Well...that was a story all by itself now, wasn't it?

Brian leaned over and scanned A.J.'s arm, not surprised to see yet another tattoo imprinted on his flesh. Inwardly, Brian wondered whether or not one day A.J. would get ink poisoning, he had so many now, acquiring them all over the world over the years. But A.J. was A.J., and there was no stopping him once he had his mind set on something, which helped when he was trying to score.

"Wow, yet another lovely work of art. Can't say I'm surprised."

Nick feigned a dramatic yawn. "Hmmph, neither."

"Excuse me," Howie said in a lofty tone as Nirvana began resounding from the speakers and filling up the room, "but I'm surprised," and took a long swallow of his vodka. "But don't you hate that?"

A.J. roared with laughter. Did he hate it? What kind of a question was that? "Oh, hell no! There's no way in the goddamn world that I'd hate it. I'd hate to be...someone like..." He searched for the right word. "Kevin! Yeah, if I was Kevin and constantly had my head stuck up my ass and wouldn't even venture so far out of my play-pen to listen to something as soft as fucking Nirvana, maybe yeah I'd hate it. But I'm not Kevin, am I?" He laughed again. "Thank fucking Christ for that! I'd have to kick my own ass. No offence, Brian," he added as a last-minute thought to Kevin's cousin.

Brian rolled his eyes skyward, thinking that this was a usual comment from A.J. "Yeah, none taken."

"I meant," Howie said, leaning forward to speak clearer and louder over the music that was now belting out across the room, "don't you hate how we're labelled all the time?"

Nick nodded and slammed his glass down on the coffee table. "Yeah, I certainly do! It's like, people always label me as 'Nick the dreamboat' and 'the cute one'. It's just so goddamn annoying because every time I get a girlfriend, she ends up being harassed and hated by the whole world and then she ends up hating me because they hate her for dating me!" He sighed. "You think it's annoying? Try being me for one day, then come back to me and talk about annoying."

"Hello," Brian called out, waving his hand in front of Nick's eyes. "Try being labelled 'the holy one' and have everyone expect you to burst into biblical song at every given chance possible. Not to mention being called a prude! Now that is harsh!"

"Well, excuse me you two, but I think I have the most annoying label of all," Howie replied and downed the rest of his drink before slamming the glass down on the coffee table.

"That's more like it," A.J. said in an approving tone and gave Howie a smile.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but I fail to see how you can top me."

Howie crossed his arms superiorly. "Let's see, shall we? Are you labelled 'the sweet one'?"

"No," Nick said.

"Are you constantly dissed for your uncontrollable winking?" Howie asked.

A.J. coughed, smirking at Howie's disgruntled statement. "Thank God you stopped."

"Which is an eye defect, mind you," Howie contested, and more coughing erupted from A.J. He glared at A.J. and tried again, trying his best to contest with Nick. "And are you labelled as a Latin lover?"

"Hey, I beg to differ on that one," A.J. cut in once more with a big smile. "Nothin' wrong with being labelled a Latin lover!"

Brian rolled his eyes for what seemed the hundredth time and threw himself back against the couch. "Here we go again."

Suddenly, amid all the noise, talking, drinking and music, the door burst open and in came Kevin, sauntering in with a cool and calm aura about him, almost as though he were sashaying, strutting down a catwalk. They all noticed something different about him. Something just wasn't right about him as they stared at him. Something strange. Maybe it was because of the way he was dressed.

Adorned in funky black pants, a black wife-beater, a black hat and black glasses, he seemed to be sex personified. Or maybe...someone different. Or maybe it was because of the tattoo, a fire-blazing eagle that spanned his bicep and was of black, red and yellow, that was making its first grand appearance. They just couldn’t work it out as they stared at him, half in horror, disbelief, and half in laughter, thinking that this was Kevin’s idea of a sick joke. But this was real. He was real, and this didn’t seem like something that Kevin would do on any normal day.

Or maybe it was because this wasn't the normal Kevin.

"Well, well, well," Brian drawled and eyed Kevin disapprovingly. "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Hey, Kev, Versace's new range of ink?" Nick quipped and joined Howie in a hearty laugh.

Kevin condescendingly scanned Nick up and down, not even bothering to take off his glasses, and laughed deeply. Poor little Nick. Such a little boy. Had no idea what it took to be a man, and probably never would, either. "Boy, don't even try and ridicule me, because pity, it doesn't work."

A.J. stood up and peered closely and intently at Kevin's tattoo. It was aesthetically and cleverly designed, no doubt about that. But something about it rang familiar. Very familiar. Maybe it was because he had the exact same tattoo on the very same place on his own body.

A.J. grinned and held his arm next to Kevin's. "Hey, we're matchies now!"

"Oh, great," Nick sighed. "Twins."

"A regular stand-up," Howie drawled and rolled his eyes.

Kevin laughed again, and the three of them stared at him as though he had grown another head, while A.J. peered at him with gleaming eyes and a devilish smile. "What? What's the matter? Can't a guy laugh, live a little maybe?"

Nick frowned. "Yeah, but...this is weird." He took in Kevin's appearance, still frowning, now realising and noticing the resemblance between him and A.J. Yes, he was right all along, something just wasn't right here. Something dramatic was going on with him, and he couldn't pinpoint just what exactly. "You and A.J...you look alike now."

"Dress the same, even sound the same," Brian added, his face twisted in perplexity at the two men standing in front of him. "I mean, I know you have a deep voice, but now you've even managed to give it A.J.'s tone, too."

Howie started whistling the theme tune from The X-Files. "Like they say, boys, the truth is out there!"

Nick sighed. "Lame. Very lame."

"Well, I think it's great," A.J. said, slapping Kevin on the back with a big smile. "It's about time Mr uptight Richardson let himself loose for a while. And it's good thing, too, Kevin. I was getting worried." His eyes trailed over Kevin and he nodded approvingly. "But this...I like. I definitely like. Fucking rocks!"

"Thanks, A.J. and this is just the beginning," Kevin said with a smile and reached over for A.J.'s glass of Jack Daniels. "I knew you'd understand," he added, giving Brian, Nick and Howie a meaningful look before gulping down the liquid.

"And since when do you drink Jack Daniels like water?" Brian demanded, hands on his hips, hating whatever the hell had gotten into Kevin for the millionth time already in a matter of seconds.

"Since always," Kevin replied, clearly annoyed. "But answer me something, Brian."

"What?"

"Since when are you my fucking keeper?"

"Since when do you swear at me like that?" Brian yelled, stepping closer to Kevin, chesting up to him, ready to go to battle. "Well, as far as I can tell, not only have you adopted A.J.'s look, but his foul mouth as well!"

"Hey - " A.J. warned sternly.

Kevin shoved Brian away. "Would you fucking chill out?" he yelled, his green eyes hidden behind the shades, but most assuredly blazing with anger and walked over to the stereo before turning up the volume. "Man, fucking rocks!"

A.J. laughed loudly and nodded. "Indeed, my friend. Just real sorry you've missed out on it until now."

"I didn't like it before?" Kevin asked, incredulous, filling up the glass with A.J.'s favourite drink again.

"Nope," A.J. answered, watching with delight as the three others stared at them both in horror.

"What the fuck was wrong with me?" Kevin exclaimed, taking several long swallows of his drink. "God, was I a bore!"

"That's what I've been tellin’ ya," A.J. answered with a smile. "But you've got time, don't worry about that."

"Well, I'm going to be worried and I'm leaving," Brian said in a miffed voice and walked past Kevin and gave him a loathing glare before opening the door, taking a step back when he saw just who was standing there. Standing in the doorway was a tall brunette, scantily clad in a tight black dress, killer stiletto heels that had about a six-inch spike on them and could very well be used as a murder weapon. Her hair long and straight and make-up so meticulously applied but so hideously dated that it looked like an 80's revival.

Ms Brunette gave Brian a cheesy smile. "Hi, I'm lookin' for - "

"BABE!"

"KEVY!"

"Kevy?!" Brian, Nick and Howie chorused, looking at each other with disbelief, incredulous. A.J. simply clapped his hands together and roared with laughter.

The four boys stood in the living room and watched the tall brunette race past Brian and into the room before throwing herself into Kevin's open and waiting arms. He spun her around in the air, Ms Brunette letting out a high-pitched squeal of delight and Kevin laughing, before engulfing her in a tight embrace and a deep kiss, oblivious to the people around them who were watching them with horror, though A.J. with a bright smile, ultimately losing themselves in an overwhelming current of lust and desire.

Ms Brunette tangled her fingers in Kevin's dark hair and Kevin toyed with the thin straps on her dress. He kissed her hungrily and frantically and if the others weren't careful and left the room right then, they'd probably be in for a lot more than a show of passionate kissing, from the looks of Kevin's and Ms Brunette's heated embrace.

"Oh, wow, a reunion," Howie said and rolled his eyes. "How cute."

Nick sighed and walked up to them, stopping at their side, but they didn't stop, not even bothering to pull themselves away from each other to notice. They continued kissing and touching each other, whispering nonsensical words to each other, but Nick could eventually make out the words 'room', 'bed' and 'fuck'.

"Yeah, that's one hell of an idea. A room, Kevin. A room!" Nick shouted in disgust and walked quickly out of the room, Howie and Brian following suit and slammed the door behind them.

A.J. shook his head in disbelief, Kevin and the mysterious sable-haired girl now on the living room floor, still kissing at a furious pace, their bodies twisted together like snakes, Ms Brunette tugging at Kevin's shirt, and Kevin tugging at her dress. He laughed softly to himself.

"I think I'll just leave you guys to it," he said and closed the door behind the engaging couple with a smile.

But when he was outside, against the door, a nagging voice inside A.J.'s head questioned - why?

~**~