“What?” Aaron asked groggily, blinking a couple times to try and wake up.

“My underwear! I can’t find them!”

In confusion, he squinted at her. “They’re hanging off your ass.”

Katie glared at him, sure he was joking; when she reached around to her butt, however, she found them stuck to her pants.

“Damn static,” she muttered, pulling them off and tossing them onto a chair by the window.

“What are you doing?” Aaron questioned, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“Trying to get ready for the thing.”

Aaron sat up very slowly. “That’s not until tonight.”

“I know, but I wanna be ready.”

“Katie---” she continued to pace, picking up clothes here and there and checking underneath them in case things were starting to hide themselves. “Hey.” He grabbed her wrist as she made another turn around the bed.

Aaron yawned and pulled her beside him, hauling her back under the covers; he wrapped his arms around her and held her there, nuzzling into her neck.

“I’m busy,” she muttered crossly.

Aaron didn’t seem to care, for he kissed her neck and then closed his eyes, sighing. “Just sleep. It’s too early to get up.”

Katie craned her neck to look at the clock. “It’s eight.”

“My point exactly. Shhh. Go to sleep now.”

She laughed a little and started trying to wiggle out of his grasp. “Aaron, you’re not helping.”

“I’ll help later,” he said tiredly. “Sleep now.”

Katie shifted slightly in his arms so that she was facing him. She kissed him for a long moment, attempting to wake him up.

“Aaron,” she whispered against his lips.

“Mmmmmm.”

“I love you.”

He smiled, his eyes still closed. “I love you too.” He snuggled against her. “But I’m not letting you up.”

Katie sighed angrily and pinched him.

“I don’t feel like kinky stuff right now, Katie. I’m tired.”

“Aaron,” she admonished, pinching him again.

He laughed groggily and held her tighter against his chest.

*

“I don’t think I can go through with this,” Katie said as the limo pulled up in front of the drop off area.

Aaron looked over at her, adjusting his tie for the ninth time in five minutes. “What? But I’m all dressed up to go to an awards show! Not to mention that I‘ll never in a million years WIN the award.”

Katie shook her head. “You might win.”

He looked at her doubtfully. “Yeah, okay.”

She leaned over and started fixing his tie so it wasn’t cutting off his circulation. “There. Is that better?”

Aaron smiled at her. “Much.” He glanced out the tinted windows and then looked back at her. “Are you ready?”

“No. Shouldn’t I stay in the limo and keep it warm for your return?”

He laughed and grabbed her hand. “Brendan will be there. You can bug the crap out of him.”

“Okay, but don’t leave me alone with him if he’s drunk.”

Aaron laughed again. “Uh, I won’t.”

“He gets grabby,” she said as Aaron pulled her gently from the limo.

“Uh-huh.”

“And starts talking to my breasts.”

Aaron glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised. “Maybe you should have gone with the turtleneck you wanted to wear? The one with the ugly sequins?”

Katie scowled and stuck her tongue out at him.

“I’m just saying,” he replied lightly. “They’re hanging right out there. It’s no wonder he talks to them.”

She hit him and he jumped away from her, laughing.

After the obligatory signing autographs and being screamed at, Aaron and Katie moved inside where they greeted tons of coaches and swimmers with their dates; after the award bit, was a party. Aaron, as he expected, was sans award, but he didn’t really care.

He was really just happy to be able to kiss Katie every five seconds and have her not hit him for it like when he tried to kiss her when they were kids.

Aaron, Brendan and Ian Crocker found a bottle of something and wandered around drinking from it until Amanda Beard and Katie handed them glasses. Aaron, being Aaron, decided to continue with just the bottle which resulted in a few fun photos.

“He seems happy,” Brendan commented, laughing as he watched Aaron make a kissy face at Ian.

Katie took a drink from her glass and nodded. “I think he’s just drunk, Bren.”

“That too.” He took a drink and turned to her. “At least you know you won’t have to get him drunk later so you can have your way with him.”

She made a face at him. “I don’t think I’d need to do that anyway.”

“Oh. Right. It’d be the other way around.”

Katie sighed, smoothing her hair back out of her flushed face. “I’m beginning to wonder if I made a mistake.”

Brendan groaned and pulled her away from Aaron and Ian, who were joking loudly. “I may be really, really drunk, but I’m going to say this anyway. Just ignore the slurring.”

“I always do,” Katie replied sweetly.

“Listen carefully.” He motioned with his finger for her to come closer, so she leaned in. “You. Did not. Make. A mistake.”

Katie straightened up. “Thanks for that.”

“Sure.” He glanced around at the partygoers. “Aren’t we supposed to kiss at midnight?”

“That’s New Years Eve, Brendan.”

“Oh, yeah.” He blinked a couple of times. “Can’t we kiss anyway?”

“I think not.”

He puckered up his lips and pouted. “Pweeeeeeeeease? I haven’t had any action in weeks.”

Katie snickered. “I find that hard to believe with all that charm you’ve got while you’re drunk.”

Brendan looked down at the empty glass in his hands. “I think I maybe drank too much.”

Katie nodded. “Maybe get some coffee?”

Brendan sighed heavily and set his glass on a nearby table. “Oh, Kit Kat. Don’t break AP’s heart, k?”

She stared at him, wondering just how drunk he was. For one, he’d never called Aaron ‘AP’ before. She patted his arm and nodded. “I’ll try not to.”

“He’ll cry,” Brendan continued sadly. “I hate seeing him cry. And you too. Don’t start crying, alright?”

Katie glanced around for a second, trying to spot Amanda so she could tell her to take Brendan back to the hotel before he passed out.

Aaron stepped up behind her, putting his hands over her eyes and whispering, “Guess who?” in her ear.

She leaned back against him, glad to have him there. “I think Brendan’s drunk,” she said, tugging on Aaron’s tie so it came loose.

He flashed her a quick smile. “Thanks. I was beginning to choke. I can’t believe I’m wearing a PENGUIN suit. Katie? I think I’m drunk.”

Katie nodded and turned around so she was facing him. “Want me to take you home?”

Aaron wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. “Only if it’s your home.”

She laughed and pulled away. “Come on, tiger, let’s go.”

“Did I tell you that you look really beautiful?” Aaron stated, not allowing her to pull him to the door.

“Only twice. But I do love drunken compliments.”

Aaron laughed. “I’m not that drunk. Yo, Brendanator.”

Brendan looked up from where he was leaning against the wall. “Word.”

“I think we should bring him home with us,” Aaron said, tipping his head to the side. “I don’t trust Amanda to get him to the hotel safely. She’s getting kinda flirty with that dude over there.”

Katie looked over to where Aaron was pointing, but all she could see was Amanda drinking from a bottle of water and talking to Ian Crocker’s girlfriend. Then a guy with her coat walked up behind her and put it across her shoulders.

Katie sighed and took Aaron’s hand and then with the other, grabbed Brendan by the elbow and hauled them both out into the night.

“We can’t have a threesome can we?” Brendan asked as Katie shoved him into the limo outside.

Aaron started laughing groggily, but Katie just shook her head and pulled her hair into a ponytail, instructing the driver to take them back to her apartment. At least if she brought them there, she could make sure neither of them started calling all their ex-girlfriends and slurring apologizes on their answering machines.